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NYPL  RESEARCH  LIBRARIES 


vvl\\::n.4>i\  Co  I, 


THE  NETWORK 


IN  MKMiUn 

Of  Thosi'  Kilk'il  in  the  Springfield  and  Helmont  Massacres.     Erecteil  at 

Jackson  in  1909. 


AN- 


ILLU5TRATED    HISTORY 


OF- 


JACKSON   COUNTY 

MINNESOTA 


BY 

ARTHUR  P.  ROSE 

Author  of  The  History  of  Nobles  County, 


Kzxyo 


Northern  History  Publistiing  Company 

Jackson.  Minnesota 

Publistiers 

1910 


THE  NEW  YORK 
PUBLIC     LIBRARY 

035887 

ASTOR,  LENOX  AND 
TILOtN  FOUNDATIONS. 

R        1»'3         L 


To  THL  memory  of  the  twenty  men, 
women  and  children  who  met  death  at 
the  hands  of  the  Indians  in  Jackson  county  in 
the  massacres  of  1857  and  1862,  this  volume  is 
respectfully  dedicated. 


FOREWORD 

OF  ALL  the  counties  oi'  Southwestern  .Minnesota  Jaelvson  has  the  most 
interesting  history.  Settled  as  it  was  years  before  inhahitants  caiiie  to 
other  portions  of  Southwestern  Minnesota,  its  early  iiistory  is  more  re- 
]ilete  with  stirring  events  than  that  of  its  neiglibors.  On  its  soil  was  enacted 
the  first  Indian  outbreak  in  Minnesota,  in  whieli  a  number  o(  hardy  pioneers 
wlio  had  ]>ushcd  out  onto  the  fiontiei'  met  death.  Later,  during  the  Sioii.v  war, 
the  soil  of  tlie  county  was  again  crimsoned  with  the  blood  of  tlmse  whd  were 
endeavoring  to  found  lionics  on  the  Inintiei-.  Such  was  Ibe  priee  paid  by  thos<' 
who  came  to  live  in  Jaclison  county  a   lialf  century  ago. 

Witli  this  volume  is  presented  the  first  Jackson  county  Iiistory.  tlie  material 
for  its  compilation  having  been  obtained  almost  wholly  from  original  sources. 
Friendly  coadjutors  have  assisted  materially  in  its  preparation.  From  j\Irs. 
Sharp's  "History  of  the  Spirit  Lake  Massacre,"  ''Minnesota  in  Three  Cen- 
turies," recently  published,  and  the  writings  of  Honorable  Warren  Upham,  sec- 
retary of  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society,  the  author  has  )nade  lii)eral  quo- 
tations, and  other  authorities  have  been  consulted.  To  the  editorial  fi-aternity 
of  Jackson  county  the  author  is  under  obligations.  The  files  of  their  publica- 
tions have  been  of  incstinial>lc  value  in  furnishing  authentic  data.  Especially 
valuable  were  those  of  that  pioneer  journal,  the  Jackson  Eepublic,  of  which 
liberal  use  has  been  made,  and  without  which  much  of  historical  importance 
must  have  renuiined  unrecorded.  Due  ai-knowdedgment  is  made  to  county  offi- 
cials, wdio  assisted  in  the  hunt  for  early  day  records,  and  to  scores  of  citizens 
in  private  life,  who  interested  themselves  in  the  work  to  the  extent  of  devoting 
time   to   the   detailing  of   early   day   events. 

Special  mention  is  due  the  assistance  given  by  Captain  Jareb  Palmer, 
without  whose  help  the  account  of  the  county's  very  early  settlement  and  of  the 
Springfield  massacre  would  have  been  woefully  incomplete;  Mr.  Ole  Anderson, 
to  whom  must  be  given  the  credit  for  much  of  the  information  relating  to  tlie 
early  Norwegian  settlement  and  the  Belmont  massacre;  Mr.  T.  J.  Knox  and 
Mr.  John  S.  Woolstencroft,  -who  assisted  tlie  author  in  many  ways  ami  who. 
with  Captain  Palmer,  served  as  tlic  committee  to  review'  and  revise  tlie  work  be- 
fore it  was  put  to  press.  In  tlie  work  of  gathering  the  data  tlie  anthoi-  lias 
been  ably  assisted  by  Mr.   P.  D.   Moore. 

Probablv  no  historical  work  was  ever  put  to  press  which  entirely  satisfied 
its  author.  There  are  so  many  pitfalls  in  the  path  of  him  wdio  seeks  to  record 
the  events  of  the  past;  the  liuman  mind  is  so  prone  to  err  in  recalling  dates 
and  names  of  a  former  day.  So  it  happens  that  the  writer  of  local  history, 
compiling  bis  story  from  data  of  which  only  a  part  can  be  verified,  knows  that 
there  must  be  errors  in  his  work,  albeit  he  may  have  exercised  the  greatest  care. 
With  no  apologies,  but  with  this  lirief  cxiilanation.  and  the  realization  that  tlie 
work  is  not  perfect,  this  history  of  Jackson  county  is  put  forth. 

Jackson,   Minnesota,  January,  1910.  ARTHUR   P.   ROSE. 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS 


t'llAPTKi;    1. 

AIJOHKilXAL    1JAV^^1834-1855. 

Pie-Hisl.oi ic  Timrs — Tlie  Eartli  in  the  Makiiig — Geological  Periods — Early  liiliabitants — 
The  Mounc;  Builders — The  Indians — Origin  of  the  Sioux — Tlwir  Tribal  Divisions — 
.Southern  Aliiuitsota  Indians — The  Sifsetons — Tnkpadutii's  Band — Treaties  with  the 
Sioux — Early  Explorers  and  Their  Maps — LeSueur — Carver — Albert  Lea's  Expedi- 
tion— Joseph  X.  Nii-ollot  Explores  Jaekson  County — And  Maps  It — Tehan-Shetclia 
Lake — Captain  Allen  Passes  Through  County — His  Description — Big  Game — Sur- 
veyors Enn  Boundary  Line — Eeno's  ^Military  Boad  Survey — Keal  Estate  Si)eeulation 
— JinnugraHon    to    ^linne^ota     25 

CHAPTER  II. 

EAli LY  SETTLEMENT— 1830. 

The  first  Settlers — Wood  Brothers^Found  Springfield — And  Open  Store — Their  Claims 
— First  Building  in  the  County — The  Webster  City  Party — Settle  at  Springfield — 
Experience  With  Half  Bre(?d — Indian  Camps  at  Springfield — Gaboo  and  Umpashota 
— Permanent  Settlers  of  1856 — Location  of  Cabins — Prepar.itions  for  Winter — 
Short  of  l^rovisions — The  Severe  AVinter — Mail  Route  Established — Mail  Carrier 
Perishes — Trip  to  Slocum's — William  Wood's  Grit — Robert  Smith  and  John  Hen- 
derson Lost  in  Storm — Badly  Frozen — Surgical  Operations — "Do.-tor'"  Strong  the 
Hero — Birth  of  First  White  Oiild — Visits  from  Indians — Slee]>y  Eye — Inkpaduta — 
Sioux    Not    Feared — Are    Entertained 37 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE   SPIRIT  LAKE   MASSACRE— 1857. 

Causes  of  Massacre — Formation  of  Outlaw  Band — Murder  of  Tahsahghee — Inkpaduta 
Implicated — Description  of  Inkpaduta — Chiefs  Black  Eagle  and  Sidominadota-- 
History  of  tlie  Band — Show  Hostility  to  the  Whites — Forts  Des  Moines  and 
Ridgely — Henry  Lott  Murders  Indians — Scare  at  Clear  Lake — The  Outlaws  in 
1856 — Trouble  at  Smithland — Indians  Become  Surly — Abuse  Settlers  at  Cherokee — 
On  the  Little  Sioux — At  Peterson — Outrages  Committed — Iowa  Authorities  Notified 
— Major  Williams'  Expedition — Indians  Reach  Okoboji  Lakes^And  Commit  Whole- 
sale ^Murder — Four  ^Vomen  C!aptives  Taken — Mrs.  Sharp's  Account — The  Awful 
Carnage — Indians    Retreat    to    Heron    Lake ' 47 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   SPRINGFIELD  MASSACRE— 1857. 

lirst  Iniiniation  of  Trouble — Black  Buffalo  Warns  George  Wood — Warning  Unheeded — 
Morris  Markham  Discovers  Spirit  Lake  Massacre— Notifies  the  Springfield  Set- 
tlement— Proposed  Trip  to  the  Lakes  Abandoned — Woods  Do  Xot   Believe   Story — 


X  'I'Ar.I.K  OF  COXTI-:\TS. 

Couricis  Sent  to  Fort  Uiilgcly — (  ahiiis  I!anu'a(U'il — Two  Sliaiigc  liijians  Aniio  - 
And  Tell  Umpashota  of  Spirit  Lake  ^Murders— Ump.isliota  Advises  Against  Burial 
Party  Going  to  Lakes — Eleven  Able  Bodied  Jlen  in  Settleniont — Attack  on  Spring- 
field— Names  of  the  Warriors-  Murder  of  William  W^ood— His  Conduct  Criticised — 
George  Wood  Killed— Attack  on  Tliomas  Cabin  -Redskins  Repuls'd— Jareb  Palmer's 
Story  of  tlie  Fight— Willie  Thomas  Killed-  Stewart  Family  Killed  At  the  WHieeler 
Cabin — Total   Losses — Part   Played   by   the   'Springfield   Indians 57 

('iiAi'ri:i;  \". 

Fi.iciiT  or  TUK  1  ri:rii\KS-is.-,7. 

'Die  Indians  JJejiart — Settlers  Panic  Stricken  Consultation  at  'J'liunias  Cabin — l)<Tidcd 
to  Flee  to  Fort  Dodge — A  Terrible  Journey — A  Night  in  tlio  Snow — Indian  Alarms 
— I'liglit  from  Wheokr  Cabin — Deserted  by  "Doctor"  Strong  Cripples  and  Baby 
Abandoned  to  'I'licir  Fate — Self  Preservation  Only  Thought  Refugees  United— 
Shiegley's  Search  for  His  Baby— At  the  Granger  Cabin — Journey  Continued— A 
Sugar  Diet — Refugees  Meet  \'olunteers-  Safe  at  Last — Soldiers  Arrive  from  Fort 
Ridgely — Hardships  of  t!ic  Tiii)  l'ur>uit  of  the  Indians — Pursuit  Abandoned — In 
the  Indian  Camp — The  Alaiin  -Burial  of  the  Dead— Captain  Bee  -Sohliev;  Re- 
main— Snlisc.|iiiiil    History   of   the  Indians — Death   of   lukpaduta..  .   tiit 

ciiAr'i'Ki;  \i. 

RESETTI.KMFA  T   AM)  (il!(  I.WIZATION— ISftT-lSoO. 

Early  Day  (  omlitions — Jackson  Counly  as  I'lcnrh  'rcnilnry  Sdld  tu  Spain — Rescdd 
to  France-Bought  by  I'nited  States — A  Part  of  Louisiana  Territory — Missouri 
— Michigan — Wisconsin  — Iowa — No  Man's  Land — Minnesota  Territory  Formed — Jack- 
son County  a  Part  of  Dakota  County — Blue  Earth — Brown- The  County  Created — 
The  Act — The  Name— Hon.  Henry  Jackson — Settlers  of  1857 — Towns  of  Jackson 
and  Odessa— Mail  Route— Indian  Alarms— A  Petition— Settlers  of  1858- Death  of 
James  Townsend — James  Middleson  Killed— State  Roads— Townsite  Boomers — 
Town  of  liclmont  Founded-  Incorporated— Its  History- -Boundaries  Surveyed— 
County    Organized — Indians    Create    Alarm 81 

CHAI'TI'll;    \  II. 

Tin:    \ii|;\A  KCIAN    SKI  TI.KM  KNT     ls(;(l  lS(;-2. 

Travels  of  Anders  Olson  Slaabaken — He  Brings  a  Norwegian  Colony— Settlers  of 
1800— \\'liere  They  Located— Home  Guard  Formed— Captain  W^est— Census  of  1800 
— Names  of  Inhabitants — Number  of  Families — Property  Owned— Age  and  Birth- 
place—Arrivals of  1801— The  Slaabaken  family— The  Civil  War— Nearly  All  the 
Voters  Enlist— Their  Names— F'irst  Religious  Services- Sawmill  Begun— First 
Fo\n-l.h  of  July  C<'lebration— Assessment  of  18fll--The  Property  Owners — Their 
Taxes-Assessment  of  1S02  -Conditions  in  1SG2— Isolation  of  the  Settlers  -Trad- 
ing Points — Ignorance  as  to   Indian   ^Mode  of  M'arfare 0;> 

CHAPT]-:!;  \iii. 

Till':    r.KLMoNT  MASSACKK— 1802. 

Tlie  Sioux  War  Its  Magnit\ulc  Humors  of  Trouble  I'vca.-'i  BclnicMil  The  Ccrman  from 
New  ritn  Decision  to  Build  Stockades — Too  Late — Fifty  .Sissetons  Raid  Jackson 
Couniy  And  Attack  the  Norwegians — Murders  at  Fohre  Ibuue — Refuge  in  the 
Cellar — Adventures  cif   the   Folu'c   l!ov — Ole   I'olire   Killed — Mrs.  Jornevik  a   Heroine — 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  xi 

Her  Death — Killing  of  Mikkel  Slaabaken — Tenibl"  Experience  of  Anders  Slaa- 
baken — Knud  Midstad  and  Wife  Murdered — ^Massacre  of  the  Langeland  Family — • 
The  Fight  in  Christiania — Indians  Repulsed — Thirteen  Whites  Killed — List  of 
Killed  and  Wounded — Errors  in  Former  Accounts — Alarm  at  Meeting  House — Stam- 
pede— Simon  Olson's  Heroic  Deed — Refugees  at  Thomas  Home — On  to  Estherville — 
Relief  Expedition — Burial  of  the  Dead — The  Monument — Jackon  County  Deserted — 
Alarms    on    the    Frontier 101 

CHAPTER   IX. 
RECOX.^TRUCTION    PERIOD— 18G21SG7. 

Slaabi'kens  Return  to  Belmont — Adventure  in  Prairie  Fire — Two  Deaths — White  Raid- 
ers— Indian  Alarms — County  Again  Deserted — Events  of  1 803— Permanent  Settlers 
Come  in  1804— Their  Adventures— First  Birth— Flight— The  Return— Wild  Hogs- 
Military  Matters — Former  Settlers  Petition — Soldiers  Come — Fort  Bailey — Other 
Posts — Confidence  Partially  Restored — Census  of  1805 — Names  of  Inhabitants — 
Immigration — Indians  Attack  Trappers — The  Scare— County  Reorganized— First 
Election — Townships  Created — Petersburg — Des  Moines — Belmont— Minneota — Early 
Homesteaders — School  Districts — Taxes — Those  Assessed — Crop  Statistics  —  The 
Land  Grant— Its  Eflect— Jackson  Founded— Severe  Winter— Starvation  Period — 
Fish  and  Milk  Diet — Measures  for  Relief — Difficulties  of  Travel — Prices  for  Staples 
—First  Church— School  Statistics— Taxes  of  18G7— First  Jurors— Products  of  18G7...1U 

CHAPTER   X. 

ERA   OF   DEVELOPJIEXT— 1868-1872. 

Trapping  Days — Statistics  for  1808 — Assessed  Values — Products — Wisconsin  Organized 
— Middletown  Begins  Government — Blizzards — Ole  Sime  and  Archie  Lee  Perish — 
Immigi-ation  in  1870 — Census — Heron  Lake,  Round  Lake  and  Delafield  Organize — 
Early  Day  Homesteaders — Trouble  Over  Name — School  Conditions — Assessment  1870 
— Products — District  Court  Established — Court  House  Bonds  Defeated — Railroad 
Rumors — Lively  Times  in  1871 — Pioneer  Experiences — Organization  of  Christiania, 
Enterprise  and  Weimer — First  Railroad  Comes — Heron  Lake  Village  Founded — 
Bountiful  Crops — Hunter,  Kimball.  Alba  and  LaCrosse  Townships  Begin  Govern- 
ment— Victims  of  Blizzards  in  1872 — Voters  Prevent  Diminution  of  County's  Terri- 
tory— Plans    for   Court   House — Bonds    Carry — Contributions — Building    Erected 127 

CHAPTER   XI. 
THE  GRASSHOPPER  SCOURGE— 1873-1877. 

Calamitous  Days — Ewington  Township  Organized — Record  Breaking  Blizzard — Experi- 
ence of  Anders  R.  Kilen — First  Grasshopper  Invasion — The  Damage — Many  Desti- 
tute Settlers — Relief  Measures — The  Committees — Legislature  Appropriates — Funds 
Received — The  Distribution — Free  Seed  Wheat — ^West  Heron  Lake,  Rost  and  Sioux 
Valley  Organize — Total  Crop  Destruction  in  1874 — Settlers  Desert  County — Grass- 
hopper "Stories" — The  Losses — Terrible  Times — Rigid  Economy — Governor  Davis' 
Appeal— Distribution  of  Cash  and  Food — Army  Rations — Why  Not  Desert  County? 
— Free  Seed  Again — Acreage  Sown  in  1875 — Blizzard — Population — By  Precincts — 
Third  Invasion — Southern  Townships  Escape — Damage  by  Rain — Grasshopper  Con- 
vention— Railroad  Rumors — Bonds  Voted — Partial  Crop  in  1870 — Discouraging 
Prospects — Another  Convention — Free  Seed — Day  of  Fasting  and  Prayer — Slight 
Damage  in  1877 — Year  of  Jubilee— Crop  Statistics— End  of  the  Scourge 141 


xii  TAIILI';   OK   ((iN'I'KXTS. 

(  llAI'TKi;    Ml. 

I'i;i  ISPKKI  il  S    TI.MKS-  IS78-1S!U. 

Xi'W  I'^ni  lio{i;iiis-  Kcmwcil  l.aiul  (mmu'I  hoiitlieni  iliimesota  Kailio;nl  Extends — Rusli 
of  liiiiiiigrants — More  K.iilro.ul  I'.iiililing — Lakefielil  Founded — Ruilroad  War — Tlie 
l,;i'^t  (ira'islioppcis — Ctiisus  of  1880 — Oitolicr  litiz/.ard — A  Stvcre  Winlcr  -Railways 
llloikadod — Slioit  of  Provisions — Gieat  Dcpfli  of  Snow — Tlie  Floods  Damage  Re- 
sulting— I1<'atli  in  Storm — Boom  of  1884 — Railroad  Lands  on  the  Market — Pros- 
perons  Days — Tlic  I.  iS:  M.  N.-  -Crop  Statisties  -Census  of  188.")— First  County  Seat 
Contest — "Brutus"  Writes — Tl;.'  Initi.il  .Meeting— Petition  Cinulated  Coniniission- 
ers  Reject  Pelilion — Blizzard  of  1888 — Big  Gain  in  Pn]iulatiiiM  Denianil  for  Lands  • 
Abortive  Plan  to  Divide  Coimty — Cylone — P.ini-  i.l  ls!i:;  Simoh.I  (  mnity  S<>at 
Figlit--Tli<'  New  Law— Tlie  Opening  (!un — The  Petition — (^luestion  Submitted 
Lakefield    Builds    Court    House — Jackson    \\ins — ^  Dte    by    Precincts .• .  .  .  l.")7 

cii.\i''i'i;i;  .Mil. 

cn!i!iv\  r  j';\KNTs-isii.-)  I'.iiii. 

Census  of  18!).") — laek^oii  Soutliejii  Kailway  —  Disastrous  Wind  Storm  'Iwu  Deal  lis 
— Prosperous  Kra — Population — Third  Coniity  Seat  (oiilc-l  .\luil  Slin.;;iiii;  (am 
l)aign — Lakefield  Ofiers  Court  House — Jackson  Wins — ^'ote  by  Precincts  -Election 
Contested — Judge  Quinn's  Decision — Appeal  to  Supreme  Court — Jail  Building — In- 
JMnctioii  Proceedings — Contract  Let — Building  Completed — Disastrous  Yeajr  1903  - 
Heavy  Rains— Death  Dealing  Tornado— The  Killed — The  Deluge — County  Sub- 
merged— New  Court  Mouse  Agitation — Bonds  Defeated — Mandamus  Proceedings 
— Census  of  11)05 — By  Precincts- -Length  of  Residence — Nationality — More  .  Court 
House  Legislation — Another  County  Scat  Contest — Bitter  Fight — Bribery  and  Cor- 
ruption Charged — Canvassing  for  Signatures — \\ithdiawals — Revocations-  E.vciting 
Meeting  of  Commissioners — Petition  Defeated — Tl'.e  Xew  Petition — Court  House  Lit- 
igation— Governor  Johnson  Takes  a  Hand — Contract  Let — Last  County  Seat  Con- 
test Ended — Court  House  Bonds  Carry — Building  Completed — Dedicated — Bounteous 
Years      171 

CHAPTEi;   .\1\. 

POLTTI CAL  -1858-1882. 

County  Organized  Coniniissioners  Named — First  Election  Tliirly-lwo  X'olers  in  I8(i0 
— All  for  Lincoln — County  Officers  EUvted-  Organization  Discontiiuied-  Legislative 
Officers — Reorganization — Ditliculties  Encountered — First  Election — Those  Elected — 
Legislature  Legalizes  Action — Government  Begun — First  Convention — Elections  of 
18l)t),  18li7  and  1868— Contests  in  LSfiO— All  Voters  are'  Republicans— DemocVats 
Organize  KIcctions  of  1870  and  1S71  (irant  Carries  County — The  Independents — 
Get  Few  Oll'ices  in  187.3 — Rejiublican  in  1874— No  Nominations  iji  187.5--Hayes'  Big 
Majority — Elections  of  1877.  1S78  and  1870 — Five  Coniniissioners  for  County — Gar- 
field  Carries  County- .S.veii    Deiiionatic   ^'otes   in   1881- Election   of   1882 187 

CII.M'TKi;    W. 
I'lii.i  ri('.\L— 18s:m!iio. 

Democrats  Organize — Election  of  1881)  lilaine  Carries  County  IJig  Vote  in  1880— Ex- 
citing Contests — Harrison  Has  Majority  in  1888— Three  County  Tickets — Revolution 
in    1800— The    Alliance    Party — Dominates    Polities-Birth    of    Peoples    Party— Fusion 

-    Honors   Divided    in    1802-  Tfarrison"s    Small    Plur.ility     Billcr    Campaign    of    1801- 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  xiii 

Free  Silver  Issue— EIccUoii  of  1890— Itepublicans  Win  in  1S98— Large  Vole  of  1900 
— McKinley  Carries  County— Primary  Election  Law— The  First  Primary— General 
Election  of  J  !)02— Death  of  Peoples  Party— Election  of  1904— Roosevelt's  Popularity 
—Working  of  the  Primary— Party  Lines  Ignored  in  190G— Effect  of  County  Seat 
Contest— Johnson   for   Governor— The   1908   Election— Taft   the  Choice— Summary 199 

ClIAFTEK  XVI. 

JACKSON— 18.30-1809, 

L(jcalion-  Elevation — Nahiral  llcanty — First"  Whites  Arrive — Springiield  Founded — Re- 
named .Jackson — Becomes  (jounty  Seat — Alexander  Wood — Land  Patents — First 
])<-ed— Early  Day  Cabins— Saw  .Mill— Jackson  Platted— Ashley  &  Bailey— The 
Name— Additions— The  First  Building- White's  Store— George  Chamberlin's  Adver- 
tising—Postoffiee  Established— Its  History— Buildings  of  1807- Kimljall  and  Clark 
—Historic  Building— The  Town  in  1807— Arrivals  of  1808— Joseph  Thomas'  Town- 
site— Rivalry  Between  East  and  West  Sides— Replatting— Legislative  Action— 
The  Town  in  1809— The  Land  Office- Its  History— Big  Trade.  Tevritorx  Kimball's 
Business — An    V.m\\    Directory — Stage    Lines ^l-'i 

CHArTEll    X\II. 

JACKSON—  1 870-1 91 0. 

Prosperous  X'iUage  Develops — Improvements  in  1870^Trade  Territory  Abridged — In 
1872— The  Grasshopper  Days— Railroad  Comes— lis  Effect— Life  Awakening  Agency 
— New  Enterprises — Attempt  to  Incorporate — Results  in  Failure — Improvements  in 
1879— Census  of  1880— Incorporation— F'irst  Election— Village  Officers.  1881-1909— 
The  License  Issue — First  Council  ileeting— Early  Financial  Statement — On  a  Nor- 
ma! Basis — Statistics— Directory  of  1884 — Population  in  188.5 — A  Division  Point — 
Depot  Jloved— Water  Works  System- Prosperity— Panic  of  1893— Census  of  189.5 — 
A     Prosperous     Era.     1899-1902— Electric     Liglits— "The     Wet     Years"— Again     Pros- 


perous 


.  "l-S.) 


CHAl'TKi;    Will. 

JACKSON'S  ENTERPRISES. 

The  Schools — First  Teachers  and  Pupils — Tlie  School  House — First  Financial  Statement 
— Second  Building — An  Independent  District — The  New  School  House — The  Churches 
— Methodist — Presl)yterian— Norwegian  Lutheran— Catholic  —  (iernian  Lutheran  — 
Episcopal — The  Lodges — Masonic — Grand  Army —Relief  Corps — Workmen — Odd  Fal- 
lows— Modern  Woodmen — Foresters — Knights  of  Pythias^The  Banks — Brown  Na- 
tional— iMrst  National — Jackson  National — Fire  Department — Early  Day  Depart- 
ment— Agricultural     Society      2:!o 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

LAKEFIELD— 1879-1910. 

its  Central  Lncatimi — Trade  Territory — The  Site — Jackson  Center — Henry  Knndson 
F'onnds  Town — Its  Demise — A.  R.  Kilen  Founds  Lakefield — Platting — Additions — 
Original  Titles — "Bethania" — First  Building — Early  Business  Houses — The  Postoffiee 
—Postmasters— Early  Day  Events— Directory  of  1883— Of  1884- Depot  Burns- Im- 
jnovements — Population  in  1887 — Petition  for  Incorporation — First  Voters — Incor- 
porated— License     Question — Village     Officers,     1887-1909 — Current     Events— Fires — 


xiv  TAI51,K  OF  CONTENTS. 

The    Schools — First    Teachers — School    OITic-crs— The    Churches     Swclish    I.tithcraii 
Proshyterian — Methodist  —  Uerinan    Kvangclical  —  Norwegian    Lutheran  —  Baptist    - 
Catholic — The    Lodges — Odd    Fellows  —  Kebekas  —  Workmen  —  Modern    Woodmen  -  - 
Royal   Neighbors — Maccabees — Masons— Eastern   Star — The   Banks— Jackson    County 
State— First     National     -I'' 

(  llAI'TKi;   w. 

IIKi;i>.\    I.AKK     ISTMlUll, 

Location-Site  Si'U'cted  I'hittcd- Additions — First  Inlialiilaiils  Sniilh  &  Carroll -Find 
Raw  Prairie— Business  Houses  of  1871— The  PostolTice— Postmasters— Progress  in 
1872— New  Enterprises — Fifty  Inhabitants— Big  Trade  Territory— Merchants  Pros- 
per— Directory  of  1873— Grasshoppers  Take  Profits— Better  Times- Raiload  Build- 
ing— Improvements  in  1870— Census  of  1880— The  Tow  Mill— Incorporation — Li- 
cense Question  -OtTiccrs.  1882-1909- Prosperous  Decade— Big  Business  in  1882  - 
Subsequent  History— Fires— The  Schools -The  Indepemlent  Dislriel  Sdiool  Houses 
—The  Churches — Slethodist-Catholic — Salem  Lutheran- Norwegian  Lutheran  The 
Lodges — The  Banks— Farmers  State  Bank -First  National  Bank..  .2.")7 

CHAPTEl!     .\.\l. 

ALPHA.   WIl.DKi;.  OKABENA,  ETC. 

Alpha  — Wisconsin  Station  Irwin — First  Business  Houses — Renanicil  .\lpha— Platted 
—Additions— Boom  Days— Incorporation— OtTiccrs  1899-1909— Population— Wilder— 
■Station  Established— The  Name— Activity  in  1885— College  Founded  -Town  Starts 
—First  Business  Men— Delay  in  Deeds— Platted— Current  Events— Incorporation— 
Petitioners- Population— Farmers  State  Bank  —  Okabena  —  Its  Enterprises  —  The 
Station — Postoflfice — First  Store — Platted — Miloma — Prairie  Jimction — Wrong  Pre- 
diction— Derivation  of  Name — Petersburg — Its  History — Bergen — Des  iloincs  City 
—Belmont— Round  Lake— Eldora—Orr— Williamsburg— Brownsb\irg—Namsos— Som- 
erset-Sioux \'alley— Loon  Lake— Trcbon— Arlington— Karlin— Gold  Leaf— Elm— 
SpolTord     269 

DKSCKII'IIN  I.. 

Location  Boundaries— Area  -Surface  —  Township  Klevalion.s  .\ltiliide  of  \'illages  — 
Geologic  I-'ormat ion— Warren  Upham's  Description— The  Soil— Scientific  .-Vnalysis  - 
Climate— Timber  The  Drainage  Systems -Des  Moines  River— Elm  Creek— .lack 
C-cek— Okabena  Creek— Little  Sioii.x  River— The  Lakes -Their  Size  and  Location— 
Prmlucts— Manufactories— Transportation  Facilities— Taxable  Valuations  By  Pre- 
cincts—Townships Compared— Land  \'aliies— Advantage  Over  DaUotas  and  Canada 
—Markets— Agricultural    Conditions— Wanted.    yUirc    Populalion   .  .279 

CIIAPTKi;    .\.\11I. 

THE  PRESS. 

.Nine  Papers  Founded  -Five  Now  Published— Founding  the  Jackson  Republic— First 
Subscribers— The  Salutatory— George  C.  Cliamlx-rlin— Burt  Day  Buys  Paper- A.  B. 
Allen— Later  Publishers— Heron  Lake  Guardian-Minnesota  Citizen  Later  Lake- 
field  Standard— lis  Publishers -Heron  Lake  Wave— Name  Changed  to  News  -Jack- 
son County  Pilot— Its  History— Jackson  County  Times-  John  Woolstcncrofl  Lake- 
field   Herald — Jackson   County    Argus— Jackson    Tribune .289 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS.  xv 

CHAPTEK  XXIV. 

REMINISCENT. 

Inkpaduta's  Indians — Their  Customs  and  Beliefs — The  Delicious  Pole  Cat — Miss  Gard- 
ner's Experience — Trip  to  Slocuni's — Incident  of  18.57 — The  Prairie  Fires — Terrors 
of  the  Prairie — Loss  of  Life — The  Editor  Arrives — George  Chamberlin's  Advent — 
Adventures  in  a  Blizzard — As  Remembered  by  a  Child — Night  in  a  Snow  Bank — A 
\\'edding  Journey — Traveling  Under  Difficulties — Wild  and  Woolly  Days — Muskrats 
as  Legal  Tender — W.  C.  Logue's  Story — In  tlie  Olden  Days — Ole  Anderson's  Orange 
— He  is  Handed  a  Lemon — Good  Bye,  Hoppergrass — Song  of  Triumph  LTpon  the  De- 
[larture    of    the    Grasshoppers 29.5 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

REMINISCENT    (Continued). 

Muskrats,  Politics  and  Religion — An  Interrupted  Service — An  Early  Marriage — An 
Industrious  Officer — Troubles  of  a  Justice — \\liolesale  Marrying — Early  Justice 
Courts — A  Wife  as  Jailor — "A  Clodhopper" — A  Youthful  Correspondent — A  Political 
Deal — John  Davies  and  the  Crane — Early  Day  Mail  Facilities — Indian  Scares — Sand 
Hill  Cranes  Pose  as  Indians — The  Scare  of  1876 — A  Joke  on  Kimball — Why  He 
Cared  for  the  Stock — Near  Capture  of  the  Youngers— Tom  Mather  Tells  of  It — 
Rafting  the  Des  Moines — Snow  Boats — In  Grasshopper  Days — Governor  Pillsbury 
Visits  the  County — Swearing  Off — And  On — Race  for  a  Farm — The  Wrong  Dose — 
Game   in   Early  Days — Signs  of  the  Times 313 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Mdiiiinn'iil     111    Inilians'    \  i.1  iiii-        I'loiitispiccc 

.li«si-|ili    Niinlas    Xii'olU'l  2.'> 

l)cs   .\l<jiiu;s   Uivor   Si'Ciu'.s.  .  .'iT 

Tin-  Dcs  Aloiiios  at  Jackson.  47 

Miip  ()l    S|nin^ncld   JSeLtlemtiit 01 

"Lone  TiPi;"    78 

Some  OKI  Timers 87 

.\    rioiiccr    Home OS 

Map  of   Norwegian  Settlement..  105 

Old    Kort    Itelmont 113 

Count  IV    Scenes    '-•! 

\.n-r  liuil.linss  of   J.   J.   Egj;i  134 

.Map  of  Jack.son  County,  1874 141 

.\  Sod  Shanty * 141 

The  Andrew   Monson  Cabin 140 

Pioneers   of   Hopper  Days 140 

Vac  Simile  Letter,  (iovernor  Pillslniry .  . .  .152 
"Tlie   Kivals"— Old   Court   Uouso— Lakefield 

Cilv    Mall    * ^100 

Cyclone   of    1003 178 

.lackson   County   Court  House 187 

Jack.'^on   in   1882 213 

.lacki^on    Scenes    225 

.lack>on's   Cliurches    238 

Main   Street,   Lakefield 245 

South   .Main   Street,   Lakefield 245 

Lakclield    llifjh    School 248 

.Mukinj;   a   County   Ditch 24S 

Laketield's    Cliiuehes    -52 

Main   Street.  Heron  Lake 257 

IJeron   Lake,  Winter  of  lOOSOH 2.57 

Heron   Lake   School   Mouse 200 

Destruction    of    Heron    Lake's    Old    School 

llotise     200 

Heron    Lake's    Churches 204 

Wilder   Scenes    272 

Scene  on  Heron  Lake 270 

Some    Country    Churches 304 

Captain    Jareli    Palmer  333 

Welch    .\shley    342 

Thomas   ,1.    Knox 354 

Henry   Knudson   and    Family 305 

George    R.    >loore  370 


Alexander   KIddos 

.■\nders   1!.   Kilcn 

.Tolin    W.    Cowiii}; 

Paul  II.  I'crgc.  .  . 

Henrv   O.   Andersim 

15.  P."  St.  John 

James  C.  Caldwell 

Dr.   Iver  S.  Bensm; 

(Charles    M.    Oa-ie 

fieorge   lichrenfcld    

Dr.   Anton   J.  Moc 

Jolin   S.  Woolstcncroft ...    . 

J.   If.   Putman 

Jackson   County   Officers... 

Menzo    L.   Asliley 

nenjamin    W.    Ashley 

H.    Henry    Hu-ihes 

Ravmond    Hartoscli 

John    T.   Smith 

Charles  Winzer    

Frederick    A.    Coolcy 

Carl    S.    Eastwood 

A.  A.   Fosness ... 

Louis  F.  Lammer~ 

Julius    F.   Liepold 

Bruno    Poppitz    . 

Harry  51.  Burnliani 

John    L.    Klnp 

Robert  C.  Mnir 

Frank  C.  Albert  us 

F.    E.    Malrhow 

William    C.    Malchow 

Samuel  L.  Kank 

Louis    Kiesel    

\rthur  P.  Rose.  . 

Alton    B.    Clieadle 

Dr.   Herbert   L.  Arzt 

Home   of   Martin  A.   Foss.  . 
Henry   W.   \'oehl. 
■Tohn   llauniann 
Fritz    Sclnildt 

Family   of   Kllinj;  KInc> 

Southwestern    Minuesnlii 

Home   of  T.  J.   Knox.  . 

Home  of  P.  H.  Hcrjie 


Home  of 
Home  of 
Home   of 


Hospital 


:;sij 

.:i<i4 

.40.» 

.413 

.424 

4:!2 

.  .4411 

448 

150 

104 

.471 

...47S 

...480 

...407 

...505 

...505 

...505 

. . . 505 

...513 

...513 

513 

.->I3 

520 

.520 

,520 

.520 
. .  ..528 

.528 

....528 

.528 

....535 
....535 

535 

.  ....535 
...542 
542 
.-.42 
.548 
550 

5o;i 

503 
.'.00 
5(i!l 
578 
578 


BIOGRAPHICAL  INDEX 


Aas,    Ole    

Aekerman,   I^'Oiiard 
Adams,   William    .  .  . 
Ahrens,  Fred  S.  C.  . 


Page. 
. . .414 
. . .535 
. . . 560 
...438 


Ahrens,    Henry   W 507 

Albert,  John  A 585 

Albertson,    Albert     4G7 

Albertiis,    Frank    G 542 

Aldrich,   Bert    5S4 

Alexander,    Frederick    W 583 

Allen,    Ethan    W 516 

Allen,    William 574 

Allers.    Edward     F 434 

Allers,   Fred    410 

Aller.s.    John    H 566 

Ambrose,    Alfred     566 

Ambrcse,   John    502 

Amundson,   Ole    505 

Anderson,    Adolph     470 

Anderson.    Charles    419 

Anderson,    Oustav   A 469 

Anderson,   Hans    465 

Anderson,   Henry   G 424 

Anderson,   John    A 504 

Anderson,    John    M 474 

Anderson,   Ole    337 

Anderson.    Peter    0 528 

Appel,    Frank    J 412 

Arndt.    Martin     538 

Arnold,   Anthony   A 405 

Arnold,   Herman   J 467 

Arntson,    Olof    .  .  568 

Arp.   J.  B 436 

Arzt,    Dr.   Herbert   E 542 

Ashley,    Benjamin    W 351 

Ashley.    Jesse    F 382 

Ashley,    Leonard    F 35S 

Ashlev,   Louis   W 460 

Ashley.  Mark   D 370 

Ashlev,   Menzo   L 345 

Ashley.    Otis    M 509 

Ashley,    Welch     342 

Anteii.    William    F.  ,  564 

Ayery.    Virgil    W.  .  .427 

Bailey,  Frank  E 349 

Bailey,   Major  Hiram   S 339 

Baker,   William   H 527 

Baldwin,    John    375 

Bargfrede,    John    Diedrich 584 

Barnett,   John    453 

Bartosch,   Raymond    475 

Bauchle,   Adam    429 

Bauer,    Christ    450 


Page. 

Bauman,   Matthias    580 

Tiaumann,    John     563 

Behrenfeld,    George    464 

Behrens,  John  C 554 

Benson,   Andrew    544 

Benson,  Dr.  Iver   S 448 

Benson,  Gust   457 

Benson,    John    W 353 

Berge,    Paul    H 413 

Berkness,    Syvert    H 384. 

Berreaii,    Frederick     H 433 

Besser,    John    383 

Beste,  Henry    ...  -  ,  .560 

Bezdicek,    Vincent  511 

Bjornstad,    Elias    T.  .  .425 

Boehl,   Edward   A .411 

Bond,   Harry   L 547 

Borsgard,  John    434 

Borsgard.    Peter    403 

Brakke,   John   P 359 

Britsch,   Louis   J 407 

Brodin,    Carl     435 

Brown,    Frank    H 573 

Brown,    John    K 364 

Brown.   Oliver  'W 454 

Buclimann,    William    (' 529 

Burnham,  Harry  M.  .  .4.53 

Burrcson.    Peter    .497 

Burrill,   Dr.    C.   L .528 

Bushnell,   Sherrill    .413 

Butler,    Vernon    E .441 

Cabot.    John    L .    .417 

Caldwell,  James   C  .4411 

Callison,    W.    L.  .  .40! 

Capelle.    AValter     583 

Carlestroin.   William    3SS 

Carlson,  Andrew  .470 

Carr,    William    E  .576 

Cass.   Stephen  G ...554 

Chamberlin,    George    (  .340 

Chalupnik,   John    A..  .555 

Chalupnik,   Joseph    J.  577 

Cheadle.   Alton    B 484 

Christiansen,    George    566 

Christie.   Gustave   J 550 

CTiristoffers,    Seibert  562 

Cedarberg.    Elias     ...  456 

Conner.  Thomas  J 575 

Cook,    Alfred    H.' 569 

Cooley,    Frederick    A 513 

Cordes.   Anton    512 

Cowing,    John    W 404 

"  Crawford,    David     414 


BIOOltAlMllCATi   INDEX. 


Crawley.    Jolin    S 

I'lilliortson,    H.    S 

I'liniiinjilmni,    Oorge    B. 


Page. 

...585 
. . .402 
...546 


Dalil,    Chris  172 

Dalil,    Samuel     44S 

J)alziel,    .Uimes    M 414 

Dav.   Frank   E 511 

l)ie"son.    Obert    Elmer 430 

Dillev,    Peter    451) 

l).)st."il.    Leo    J 4fi8 

Drews.    William    F 530 

Diinker,    .Jolm    480 

nniilop.    William    C 4(18 

Dunn,    .Marshal     I!  :itiO 

Eastwood,    Carl    S 421 

Kdel.    .Joseph     571 

Edel,    Thomas    582 

Ediin,   John   C 521 

Kgge,   John    J.,   Jr 502 

Egge.   John    P 511 

Egge,    Tollef    .1 4!):1 

Eggestein,    William    442 

Ellofson,    John     E 551 

Elness,   Aleck    F 50n 

Elness,    Edward     r>2fl 

Elness.    O.    E .' 530 

Klvernm,    Peter    P • 390 

Engel,   John    415 

Engen,    Ole    0 487 

Erpestad,    Mieliael    H 398 

Esser,    Ferdinand    578 

Faber,    Frederiek    B '>-^- 

Fader.    Edson     .  .3iil 

Fest.    .Mathins    520 

Fiala.    Frank    425 

Fiddes,    Alexander    380 

Fiddes.    Alexander   T 4.58 

Flatgard,    O.    T 500 

Forman,    John    R 5(i9 

Fo.sness,   A.   A 401 

Foss,   h.   A 380 

Foss,    Martin    A 548 

Foss,    Oscar    440 

F'randrnp.    Henry    514 

Frantsen,    Carl     383 

Frederickson,    Bcndick    407 

Frederickson,    Fred    0 553 

Frederickson,    John    308 

Frederickson.   Samuel    430 

Freemire.    William    E ' 393 

Freer,    Newton     5.W 

l-'reer.    Peter    E 400 

Freer.   Waller   S 402 

Freking.    August    431 

I'ritscher.    .loseph    E 500 

Froderniann.    Herman    454 

Frost,    Moses     1 38l> 

Frost,    Nathaniel 330 

Fuglesteen.    Theodore    550 

Gage,    Charles    M l''""' 

Hage,    Ernest    A 4nr> 

fiage,   John    G 400 

<!age.    Theodore    E 458 


Page. 

Ocissel,    Charles    572 

Cerlaeh,   A.   Frank 406 

tierlaeh,    .Michael    J 397 

(Jiibert,    Albert    H 397 

(lilbert,   Gilbert    H 371 

( iilbert.    Hogan    338 

(Jillespie.    H.    B .' 455 

(iillie.    Hans    0 372 

Gogolinski,  Joe    551 

(;ohr.    Albert    484 

(Jolitko.    Joseph    F 525 

Goodwin.    Thomas    340 

Grady,   John   G 438 

( irave.    Barney     58:1 

Graves,    .Joseph    H 541 

( ireenwood.   Clarence   W 398 

(Irein,    .John     530 

Grinager.  Thomas   H 449 

Gruhlke,   Albert   A 383 

(Jruhlke,    Robert    A 303 

(Jruldke.    William    U 363 

(•runst.  John    542 

Gnritz.    Herman    548 

Guritz,    John        .  .  579 

llaljorman,    Ferdinand    K 382 

Haberm;ui.    .John    li 353 

Hater.    Peter     477 

llagerson.    John     442 

llamlon,   William    453 

Hansen.    Peter    (Jackson) 437 

Hansen.  Peter   (Wisconsin) 485 

Hanson.    Jonas    505 

Hanson.   Nels 469 

Hanson.    Otto 371 

Hanson.    Peter    T 500 

Harm,  .John    444 

1  larstad.   Ole    .Severson , .  .373 

Harstad.    S.   0 393 

llartnian,    l>ed    W.   G 553 

Hartncck.   Max    5.58 

1  lasbargen,    Charles    508 

llasbargcn,    Daniel    R 559 

llassing.    Frank    J... 524 

llassing.    Henrv     564 

llayostck.  Joseph    530 

llecht.    August     473 

Hecht.    Charles     561 

Hcidlel.augh.    S.    E 519 

llelvig.    Lars    574 

ll-mming.  Chris   L 570 

Ibwett.    IMward    F 464 

Holland.   John   L 640 

Holland.  John    f) SIO 

llofslad.    Martin    B 638 

llokanson.    F.    (i 428 

Hidden.   Peler   P 344 

Holm.    Jess    A 635 

llolsten.    Marlin    396 

llcdston.    Nels     489 

Hoiivel.    Henry    J 603 

Hovelsrud.   John    553 

Hughes.   H.   Henry 409 

llumphrcv.   Charles    M 472 

Hunt.    William    559 

Hunter,   .James   W 344 

Husbv,    Gunder    A 370 


BIOGRArnTCAL   INDEX. 


Page. 

Husby,  Mark    460 

Hussong,    Conrad    577 

Iverson,   Ole    476 

Jacknian,   Charles    F 463 

JacUiiian,    Merton    F 518 

Jackson,   Henry   Walter 472 

Jackson,   Jacob   C 392 

Jacobsen,    Peter    576 

Jacobsen,   Peter    C 567 

Jacobsou,   John    492 

James,    Dr.    Meredith    J 565 

Jarmuth,   Henry    427 

Jariiuitb,    William    H 476 

Jensen,   Christ    469 

Jensen,    Christen     515 

Jensen,    Jens    572 

Jepson,    Peter    552 

Johnson.    Abraham     369 

Johnson',    A.    E 398 

Johnson,    Albert    J 565 

Johnson,    Ben   H 344 

Johnson,    H.    0 482 

Johnson,    J.    C 356 

Johnson,    James    C 580 

Johnson,   Jens   J 493 

Johnson,  Louis  L 535 

Johnson,    Jv'els    A 485 

Johnson,   William    429 

Juvland,    Gjormuiid    T 501 

Kablo,  Henry    585 

Kable,  Thomas    545 

Katus,    John    452 

Kellam,  Dr.  Charles  R.  J 378 

Kephart,     Bert     570 

Kidney,   Fred   W 530 

Kielblock,   August     540 

Kiesel,   Louis    466 

Kilen,  Anders  R 394 

Kilen,    Erick    361 

Kimball,    Wilbur    S 341 

King,    John    L 528 

King,   William   V 339 

King,   Willie   P 400 

Klein,  Peter    573 

Klindt,    Ferdinand    528 

Knox,    John    Cowing 431 

Kno.x,    Thomas   J 354 

Knudson,    Henry     365 

Knutl],  Claus    541 

Knutson,   Albert  S 399 

Koehn,    Ferdinand     459 

Koep,   Herman   H 549 

Koep,  P.   F 517 

Kopeste,  Frank    582 

Koster,    John    P 473 

Krai,  John  V 481 

Krumwiede,    Louis    543 

Kuhlman,    Martin     508 

Kuhnau,   Cierhard    545 

Kuhnau,   Rudolph 517 

Kulseth,   Thomas    533 

Kummeth,  L 412 

Laramers,    Louis    F. 395 


Page. 

Larson,  August   , 573 

Larson,   John    582 

Larson,    John    S 408 

Larson,   Ole   L 408 

Larson,    Oscar    A 503 

Lee,    Brownell    H 348 

Lee,    Francis   0 460 

Lee,   Henry   H 375 

Lee,    Mart'in    H 500 

Lev,  Albert  A 451 

Lev,    Frank    M 559 

Lewis,     Edward    J 569 

Libra,    Leonard    A 459 

Liepold,   Joh)i   G 531. 

I^iepold,  Julius   F 374 

Lindberg,    Christian    E 476 

Livengood,    Rollen    W 536 

Loken,  Andrew    431 

Ludvigsen,  Christ   518 

Ludvigsen,    Erie    519 

Lueneburg,   John    C 399 

Lueneburg,   Robert   H 381 

Luft,  Conrad  W 565 

Madden,   Maurice    578 

Madden,    Thomas    501 

Madsen,  Peter    407 

Magyar,  John    561 

Makovika,  Joseph  V 483 

Malchow,    Charles     347 

Malchow,   F.    E 535 

Malchow,    William    G 499 

.Mansfield,   John  A 497 

Marey,    Osro    C 578 

.Matousek,  Father   Rudolph 568 

.Matteson,    Benjamin     450 

Matuska,    Frank    A 544 

Mayer,   Charles    432 

McGlin,    John    470 

McGlin.    Michael     512 

McKellar.  Peter  D 443 

McMartin,   John    465 

McNab,    Duncan    3.52 

McQuillin.  William  A 537 

Melville,    Andrew    H 552 

Meyer,    Charles    H 449 

Mever,    Fred    H 581 

Mil'brath,    Edward    532 

Milbrath.    Ferdinand    491 

Miller,    Charles    444 

Miller,    Henry    M 440 

Miller,    John'  W 391 

Miller,   Michael    377 

Miller,    Mike    J .523 

Mittelstadt,    Robert     303 

Moe,   Dr.   Anton  J 471 

Moe,   S.   J 373 

Molden,  Paul    531 

Molkentliin,   Gustav   H 515 

Montee,    M.    P 580 

Moore,    George   R 370 

Morrison,    George    E .526 

Moses,   .James   B 388 

Motl,   Frank    418 

Muir,    Robert    C 404 

Muir.   William    T 394 


r.ior;T7.\riii(  AL  im)i;\. 


Mii/.ikiir,   Frank   A 41i> 

Miizikiir,    Joseph    T 48U 

Alyrvoia,   Ijiis   oiti 

Niivara,   Jolm   A.  533 

Nejedly,    Karl    481 

Nelson,  George   E 3S7 

Nelson,    Ilugbcrt    J 482 

Nelson,    J.    P 54a 

Nelson,    Ole    374 

Nelson,    lV(er     434 

Neslrn.l,    Adolpli    J 43'J 

Nestniil,  Jjolin    371 

Nielsen,    Matliias     438 

Niemann,    Carl     5-5 

Nordberg,    Ulc    M 575 

Nourse,   Joseph    II .365 

I  I'lJonnell,   John   G 457 

Olsen,  Lemek   470 

Olsen,  Tarje   K 4<JU 

UUen,    Thomas    40U 

UUon,   Andrew    C 343 

Olson,    Kdward    E 500 

Ulsoii.    John    M 387 

Olson',  Ole  J 4'.I5 

Olson,    Ole    R 5G5 

Olson,    Peler   A 351 

Olson,    IVter    T -"'14 

Olson,   Simon    '■'■'•^ 

Olson,    Tollef    544 

0]iperud,    Anders    307 

I'addock,    (Icorge    15.  420 

I'ago,    Kdward    (i 482 

rainier,    Captain    Jarelj 333 

I'almer,   .lames    E 337 

Patterson,    Jesse   A..  .307 

Panlson,  Henry   .572 

Panlson,    Paul    II 410 

Pearson,   Ernest  E....  54!) 

I'ederson,    Anton     ...  400 

Perry,    Charles    E 478 

Peter.    William     4;M 

Peters,    Kmil     5r)4 

Peters,    ll.-rman    II.  ..  43li 

IVtcrsen,    l.aiirilz    P..  445 

Peter.son.     .Mliert     540 

Peterson.    Andrew     4!)2 

Peterson.    Charlie    533 

Peterson,    Jolm     513 

I'ietsch.    Onido    E 543 

I'igman.     Waller     L.  .  403 

Plagnian,    I'enliniind  538 

PohhnaM.    Angnst    ...  5(18 

Pohlman.    Carl    W...  422 

Pohlman.    Henry     F.  534 

Pdhlmaii.    Herman     .  .  451 

i'olilman.    William  501 

Pope.    I'rank    L  5-17 

Poppitz.    Itrnno    428 

I'ortmaiin,    Dr.   William  C 474 

I'ost.    Harm    423 

I'resiott,    Jesse     1'  370 

I'ril.vl.    I'r.Mik   J  5(17 

Piil.'vl.    .lo-<pli    .1  IT'.i 


Prokes,    Joseph    N . 

Piilver,    U.    W 

Putman,   J.   M 


Page. 

...480 
...388 
. .  .480 


(^iialey.   .lolin    ....  .537 

Quail,"  .Martin    681 

Qninhy,   Jens    604 


Kaaseh.    John    V 427 

Hank.    Samuel     I.  4.">0 

Keadle.     It.irl.ara  447 

i;.e,     John     11........  .•IS.'i 

Keed.    Isaae    C.  .  .". .487 

Reeves,    .lohn     L .503 

Rehnelt,    Stephen    510 

Reimers,   I'red    453 

Riee.   E 522 

Ridgewav.  William   F 369 

Rieken.  "Claus    E 472 

Riley.   Captain    l>anicl   L 423 

Roberts,    Dr.    Osear    E .548 

Robertson,    R.    S 422 

Robson.    Henry    W 415 

Roe,   Anders    342 

Rossow.  Car!    F 389 

Rossow.    lleiirv    43'.l 

Rost.    Charles"  W 405 

Rost.    .James    R 4!13 

Kiie.    Ilaleck    K 372 

Kuc,     lliiam     C 3!)7 

Kiissell.    I'erry    L 510 

Ru.ssell,    Thomas    J 488 


.^aathofT.   Il.-nry    

Saalhoir.  SiebtMid  II. 
St.  John.  Aiulre  M.  . 
St.    John.    Heiiona    P. 

Salin,    John    .\ 

Sander.    I".    II 

Sandon.    Charles    II.  . 

.•^awyer.    Kreil    1) 

Sawyer,  (ieoige  11.  . 
Sawyer.  John  M.  .  .  . 
Silieppmann,  .\iigiist 
Sihlapkolil.  Charles 
Si-hniidt.  Henry  .  .  .  . 
Si'hnapp.    .lohn    1). 


48;? 
537 
457 
432 
.".83 
-.4 1 
.341 
405 
.t'.ll 
■►10 
522 
502 
.  .520 
.  5.-.8 


Silineiiler.     William     (1 435 

Sehoelleriiian.    Frederiek     W 5."i5 

Sehoewe.    Rudolph     502 

Sehroeder,   A.   M .403 

Sehroeder,    Theodore     475 

Sehroeder.    William    .1.    C 548 

Sehroeder.  William   M.  K 512 

S<hiild(.    Fiilz    .  503 

Sehiiltz.    Henry  4.5."i 

Seluimaeher.    Kdw:.rd     4S0 

Sehnniaeher.  Theodore  E 3!l| 

Seluimaeher.    William     .381 

Sehwager.  .Jurgen    402 

Seleen.    Fr.'d    .1 38.'> 

Serum.    Andrew    C 301 

Sether,    Hans    C 340 

Severson,   Charlie    547 

Shay,    James    P 645 

shearer,    Samiul    W.  ...507 


BIOGRAPIITCAL   INDEX. 


XXI 


Page. 

Shudalil,   Herman    576 

Shumaelier,    Ern.st     476 

Sievert,    Frank     545 

Skaliekv,   Emil   J 4(i3 

Skalskv.    Frank     571 

Skinrud,   Hans    0 380 

Snialley.    Isiali    L 571 

Smith,"  Edwin    507 

Smith,   George   H 443 

Smith,  John    440 

Smith.    John    J 400 

Smith.    .Tohn    T 3.50 

Smitli.   Morton   W 517 

SpafTord.   John   A 4fl7 

Sparks.    Artlinr    J 447 

Stahl,    Hans    540 

Stall,    Hans    M 390 

Stall,   Henrv    A 302 

Stall.    Martin 426 

Stall,    Thomas   H 505 

StefTen,    Henry     '.  .478 

Steiner.    John    L 531 

Stenzel.    Clement     504 

Stenzel,    Frank   J 380 

Steward,    Lerov    D 567 

StofTerahn.    Frank     581 

Stone,    Henry    P 411 

Streator.    Edwin    570 

Strom,   Herman   L 446 

Strong,   Alhert   H 356 

Struck,    Henry     575 

Stude,   Christ' 460 

Stride,    Henry     463 

Stude,  Lewis    465 

Stuermer.   Reinhold    570 

Stumpf .    Lorenz    451 

Sullivan,  Atex    523 

Sullivan,   .Terry    488 

Rwenson,   Andrew  H 418 

Swenson,   Carl   J 557 

S wenson,   John  O 401 

Swenson,    Olof    0 435 

Tallman,    Augustus    532 

Tank,  Herman  N 427 

Teig.  Carl    558 

Teig.    Edward    585 

Teig,   0.  M 579 

Teigen.  Anton   303 

Teigen,   Lars   0 357 

TerHaar,   Henrv    442 

Thielvoldt,   Henry     384 

Thomas,   James   B 335 

Thomas,   Joseph    336 

Thomas,    Joseph    E 378 

Thomson,    John   B 462 

Thoreson,    Ole     560 

Thoreson,    Tilbert     539 

Tollefson,    Ben    J 410 

Tolleff^on,    Hans    352 

Toiider,   Marius    477 

Tnrd-en.  .John   565 

Tord?en.    Peter 419 


Page. 

Torilsen.    William     ..: 480 

Tramm.  Albert   F 576 

Trondson,    Trond    0 362 

Trosin,    Emil    522 

'I'rosin.   Frederick   W 557 

Tusa.    John     572 

Uden.   Henry    W 500 

Ukosick,    .lo^eph    443 

rptagraflt.    Jolin     ^ 445 

Vacek,   .Joseph    525 

Vaeura,  Edward  F 434 

\'acura,    .Tames    430 

\"agt.   Otto    574 

\'algamore,    Henry    1 527 

Vanduzeo.    Bradford   F 524 

Vavricbck.   Anton    582 

Voehl,    Adam     444 

Voelil.    Henrv    W ,  .556 

Vogt,   Piter'j 361 

Von   Behren,  Henry 514 

Wade,    Robert    H 358 

\\';ulswortli.   Isaac    562 

Wagner,    Michael    474 

Wa'anild,  Ole  J 421 

Wallace,    -John   1 416 

Ward.    Albert   W 437 

Washburn.    Charles    H 510 

Watland.   Alfred    520 

Wazlahowsky,    Frank    480 

Weaner.    Reinhold    C 584 

Weis,    Nick    W 578 

Wendelsdorf,    John    C 539 

Weppler.    Balser    584 

Werner.    August    447 

\Vbisne\ .    ilike    534 

Wicbener.    Claus     494 

Wiese,   Gustav    520 

Wiser,    (J.    E 485 

Wilev,    Albert    401 

Willford.   Pert    533 

Winzer,    Charles    348 

Withers.    Charles    W 501 

Withers.     George     390 

Wold.    Dr.    W.    W 467 

Wolff.    Charles    F 452 

Wood,   Clark  A 355 

Wood.    George    H 509 

Wood.    Jonah    H 377 

Wood.   William    335 

Woolstencroft,  John   S 478 

Worshek.   Wesley    479 

Wrede,    William     552 

\  arns.    Gf  orge    B 426 

Veadicke,   Herman   J 422 

Yonngren.    Carl    0 567 

Zenor.   Leland   L 521 

Zinser.    Leonard    F 550 


HISTORY  OF 

Jackson  County 

MINNESOTA 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


MTOR,  LEN«X   ' 
TH.DEN   fOUNO»T 


JOSEPH  NICOLAS  NICOLLET 
The  First  White  Man  to  Set  Foot  on  the  Soil  of  Jackson  County. 


CHAPTER  I. 


ABORIGINAL  DAYS— 1834-1855. 


IT  WAS  ouly  a  fuw  hundred  years  ago 
that  Christopher  Columbus  discover- 
ed America.  That  was  a  modern  - 
event  in  the  history  of  the  world — and 
Jackson  county — according  to  the  meas- 
urements of  time  employed  by  the  archae- 
ologists and  geologists.  We  can,  in  ima- 
gery, go  back  to  that  time  and  let  our 
fancy  tell  us  what  the  Jacl<son  county  of 
th.qt  day  was  like.  Its  topography  was 
practically  the  same  as  we  find  it  today. 
There  were  the  same  broad,  rolling  prai- 
ries, stretching  as  far  as  the  eye  might 
reach,  presenting  in  summer  a  perfect 
paradise  of  verdure,  with  its  variegated 
hues  of  flowers  and  vegetation ;  in  winter 
a  di-eary  and  snow-mantled  desert.  The 
rivers  and  creeks  flowed  in  the  same 
courses  as  now ;  tlie  lakes  occupied  the 
same  banks. 

But  to  get  at  tlie  beginning  of  the  his- 
tory of  .Tackson  county  we  must  consider 
events  that  antedate  the  discovery  of 
America  by  periods  of  time  measured  in 
eons — events  which  the  most  vivid  imagi- 
nation cannot  conceive,  events  which  were 
never  witnessed  by  jnortal  eye.  We  are 
informed  that  ages  before  man  was  made 
our  earth  was  a  mass  of  molten,  seething 
fire;  that  in  time  this  huge  ball  of  fire 
cooled  and  the  earth's  crust  was  formed. 
This    transformation    occurred,    so    geolo- 


gists estimate,  100,000,000  or  more  years 
ago  during  the  Archean  or  Beginning  era, 
viiiieh  extended  over  a  period  of  time 
roughly  estimated  at  50,000,000  or  more 
years.  The  early  part  of  this  period  is 
termed  Azoic,  from  the  absence  of  any  evi- 
dence that  the  earth  or  the  sea  had  eitlier 
plant  or  animal  life.  Following  this  came 
tlie  Paleozoic  time,  covering  a  period  of 
something  like  30,000,000  years,  an  era 
cliaracterized  by  ancient  types  of  life,  un- 
Lnown  today. 

The  next  period  of  time  is  known  as  the 
Mesozoic  time,  covering  the  comparatively 
shoi-t  period  of  9,000,000  years.  Our 
county  was  laud  area  during  the  greater 
part  of  this  time.  The  floras  and  faunas 
of  this  age  were  gradually  changing  from 
their  primitive  and  ancient  character  of 
the  Paleozoic  time,  but  had  not  yet  at- 
tained the  comparatively  modern  forms  of 
tb.e  succeeding  era.  In  late  Mesozoic 
days  the  greater  part  of  Minnesota  was 
again  depressed  beneath  the  sea,  as  it  had 
))een  in  ages  past. 

The  Cenozoic  time,  some  3,000,000 
}ears  in  length,  followed,  during  which 
that  part  of  the  earth's  surface  now- 
known  as  ^Minnesota  was  lifted  from  the 
sea.  and  it  has  ever  since  remained  above 
the  water.  During  this  time  there  came 
into   existence  the  present  types   of  life. 


26 


IIISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


replacing  those  of  tlie  earl}-  periods.  Man 
was  created,  dispersed  over  tlie  eartii,  and 
developed  into  the  several  colors  and 
races. 

Most  wonderful  and  most  recent  of  the 
wonders  occurring  in  the  making  of  our 
earth  was  the  Ice  age,  which  began  some 
7.5,000  or  100,000  years  ago  and  ceased 
onlv  from  G,000  to  10,000  years  ago.  Prior 
to  the  beginning  of  this  time  the  earth 
had  been  uniformly  warm  or  temperate, 
but  about  the  time  mentioned  the  north- 
ern lialf  .'if  Xorth  .Viiierica  and  northern 
Europe  became  enveloped  witli  thick 
sheets  of  snow  and  ice,  probably  caused 
by  the  uplifting  of  the  land  (the  surface 
wa.«  then  from  2,000  to  3,000  feet  higlier 
tlian  now)  into  extensive  plateaus,  which 
received  snowfall  throughout  the  year. 
The  lower  latitudes  retained  the  temper- 
ale  climate,  thus  permitting  the  plant  and 
animal  life  to  survive  until  the  melting  of 
the  ice  sheets  again  permitted  the  occu- 
)>ancy  of  the  northern  latitudes.  Under 
the  weight  of  tlie  vast  glaciers  the  land 
sank  to  its  present  level,  the  surface  was 
ground  down  and  evened  off  and  made 
juactieally  as  we  find  it  today.  Witli  the 
sinking  of  the  land  came  the  rapid  melt- 
ing of  the  glaciers,  though  with  numerous 
pauses  and  probably  slight  readvances. 

During  these  millions  of  years  many 
interesting  things  happened  in  Jackson 
county.  From  a  part  of  the  seething, 
molten  mass  that  composed  the  earth  dur- 
ing the  millions  of  years  about  wliicli  even 
the  geologist  dare  not  venture  a  guess  it 
became  a  part  of  the  earth's  surface  in  the 
process  of  cooling.  Thereafter  it  was  suc- 
cessively covered  with  the  waters  of  the 
sea,  was  raised  from  the  depths  to  a  high 
altitude,  and  was  crushed  back  by  vhe 
weight  of  the  vast  ice  sheets.  During 
these  various  periods  its  topngrapliical  fea- 
tures were  formed,  many  changes  resulting 
before  nature  had  tliem  fashioned  to  lier 


liking.  Itidges  and  hills  were  formed  by 
llie  action  of  the  ice;  depressions  were  left 
in  which  are  now  lakes;  the  water  from 
the  melting  ice  sought  avenues  of  escape 
and  formed  the  I'ivers  and  creeks;  soils, 
KK-ks  and  minerals  were  spread  over  the 
surface;  plant  and  animal  life  came  into 
existence. 

AVhen  Jackson  county  was  first  inhabi- 
ted by  tlie  human  species  is  unknown. 
.\i-(liaeiilo<.'ists  cannot  even  hazard  a  guess 
wlieu  the  .Vmerican  continent  was  first 
inbaliitcd.  There  has  been  discovered 
evidence  that  man  lived  upim  North  .Vm- 
erican soil  during  the  decline  and  closing 
scenes  of  the  Ice  age,'  some  6,000  to  10,- 
000  years  ago,  and  jirohably  had  done  so 
for  a  nuii-h  longer  period.  Concerning  the 
original  peopling  of  North  America, 
Warren  Upliani.  A.  ]\r..  D.  Sc,  in  Minne- 
sota in  Throe  Centuries,  says: 

Till'  original  ppoplinj;  of  America  appears  to 
lii^vc  taken  place  far  longer  ago  liy  migration 
hum  nortlica^tcMi  .\y\n  dnring  (lie  early 
(^•iiatcrnary  of  (tairkiaii  epoch  of  general  up- 
lift of  northern  region--  which  inimeiliately 
)ireceile<l  the  Ice  age.  and  which  conlinneii 
through  the  early  an.l  prohahly  the  greater 
part  of  that  age.  Then  land  nndonbtedly  ex- 
tended across  the  present  area  of  IJering  sea. 

During  Ozarkian  time  and  the  long  early 
part  of  the  Olacial  perioil.  wandering  tribes, 
migrating  for  better  food  supplies  or  to  es- 
I'.ipe  from  enemies,  could  have  crossed  on  land 
from  Asia  to  Alaska,  and  i-onhl  advance  south 
to  Patagonia  and  Tierra  del  I'"uego.  occupying 
iill  the  ground  (excepting  the  ice  covered 
area)  that  is  now,  or  was  in  pre-Columbian 
limes,  I  lie  home  of  the  .\merican  race.  It  is 
not  improbable,  too,  that  anotlier  line  of  very 
ancient  migration,  in  the  same  early  Pleisto- 
cene or  Quaternary  time,  passed  from  western 
JCnrope  by  the  Faroe  islands.  Iceland,  and 
lireeidand.  to  our  continent. 

Winn   civilized   man   first   came  to   llie 

new    world    he   found    it   peojiled    with   a 

savage  race  which  he  called  Indians,  'i'iiey 

had   no  knowledge  of  their  own  ancestry 

nor  of  any  peoples  who  may  liave  preceded 

them.  Whether  or  nut  this  race  supplanted 

one  of  a  higher  civilization  is  a  ijuestion  up- 

n'races  of  man's  iir*'s(-n<'e  durlnp  this  period 
ha\'<-  been  fnund  In  a  flood  plain  of  Ihe  Mlssls- 
.slppl  river  at  I.lttle  Falls.  Minnesota,  and  in 
other  parts  of  the  United  States. 


HISTORY  OF  JxiCKSON  COUNTY. 


27 


on  which  archaeologists  disagree.-  The  only 
sources  of  information  available  concern- 
ino'  the  earlv  inhabitants  are  the  imple- 
nicnts  of  warfare  and  domestic  nse  tliey 
made,  found  in  burial  places  and  elsewhere 
in  the  land.  The  jMississippi  valley  is  pro- 
lific in  mounds — the  burial  places  of  these- 
ancient  people.s — many  having  been  found 
and  excavated  in  Minnesota.  Scattered 
through  the  Des  Moines  valley  and  around 
the  lakes  of  the  vicinity  have  been  found 
manv  of  these  interesting  works  of  pre- 
historic days. 

At  least  one  such  mound  in  Jackson 
county  has  been  excavated.  In  18T1  a  solid 
stone  ball,  about  two  inches  in  diame- 
ter, made  round  liy  primitive  tools,  was 
pldwed  out  of  the  ground  on  the  farm  of 
ilr.  Hans  Chestcrson,  a  short  distance 
west  of  .Tackson.  A  mound  in  tlic  vi- 
cinity was  excavated  by  Jackson  people 
two  years  later.  The  mound  was  semicir- 
cu.lar  and  several  feet  high,  the  outer  line 
of  the  embankment  l)eing  broken  in  sev- 
eral places.  In  one  of  the  larger  mounds 
a  part  of  a  man's  leg  bone  was  found.  The 
excavation  was  not  pursued  extensively 
and  nothing  else  of  interest  was  un- 
earthed.^ 

While  we  have  little  knowledge  of  the 
very  early  peoples  who  inhabited  our  state, 
from  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, when  white  men  first  came  to  the 
northwest,  we  can  trace  the  history  quite 
accurately. 

The  two  principal  tribes  that  inhabited 

-"It  wa.s  formerly  thought  bj'  many  archaeolo- 
gists, twenty-five  to  fifty  years  ago.  that  the 
mounds  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  valleys 
were  built  by  a  prehistoric  people,  distinct  from 
the  IndiatiS  and  further  advanced  in  agricul- 
ture and  the  arts  of  civilization.  To  that  an- 
cient people  the  name  of  Mound  Builders  was 
given,  and  if  was  supposed  that  they  were 
driven  southward  into  Mexico  by  incursions  of 
the  Indian  tribes  that  v/ere  found  in  our  coun- 
try at  the  first  coming  of  w'hite  men.  This 
view,  however,  has  been  generally  given  up. 
The  researches  of  Powell  and  other  specialists, 
including  Winchell  and  Brower  in  Minnesota, 
have  well  referred  the  building  of  the  mounds 
to  the  ancestors  of  the  present  Indians." — 
Warren  Upham  in  Minnesota  in  Three  Centur- 
ies. 

^Jackson    Republic,    August   30,    1S73. 


]\Iinnesota  from  tlie  time  of  our  first 
knowledge  of  the  country,  until  they  were 
su^jplanted  by  white  men,  and  whose 
hunting  grounds  lung  included  all  this 
area,  until  ceded  by  treaties,  were  the 
0  jib  ways,  ranging  through  the  northern 
forest  region,  and  the  Sioux  or  Dakotas, 
who  originally  inhabited  the  southern  and 
western  prairie  portions  of  the  state. 
Bands  from  four  other  tribes  of  Indian 
2)eoples  have  temporarily  lived  in  the  state, 
these  being  the  liurons,  Ottaw-as,  Winne- 
bagos  and  Crees. 

The  Sioux  tribe,  which  chiefly  concerns 
us,  came  originally  from  the  Atlantic 
coast,  in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  Sev- 
eral centuries  before  the  discovery  of  Am- 
erica they  migrated  from  that  eastern 
country,  by  way  of  the  Ohio  river,  and 
eventually  located  on  the  prairies  west  of 
the  Mississippi  river.  The  name  of  this 
nation  is  a  contraction  of  Nadouessis  or 
Nadouesioux,  which  is  the  name  used  for 
the  tribe  by  the  very  early  explorers,  and 
which  was  given  to  these  people  by  the 
Ojibways  and  other  Algonquins.  The  or- 
iginal name  is  a  term  of  hatred,  meaning 
snakes  or  enemies.  Naturally  the  Sioux 
disliked  this  name,  and  they  called  them- 
selves, collectively,  Dakotas,  which  means 
confederates  or  allies. 

When  knowledge  was  first  gained  of  the 
Sioux  or  Dakota  Indians  there  were  three 
great  triljal  divisions,  namely,  the  Isantis, 
residing  about  the  headwaters  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi; the  Yanl^tons,  who  occupied  the 
region  north  of  the  Minnesota  river;  and 
the  Titonwans,  who  had  their  hunting 
grounds  we.st  of  tlie  I'anktons. 

When  white  men  began  making  homes 
in  this  frontier  country  they  gained  more 
definite  knowledge  of  the  natives  than  had 
been  secured  by  the  Infrequent  explorers. 
We,  being  chiefly  interested  in  that  branch 
of  the  Sioux  nation  which  partially  inhab- 
ited   and    wholly    claimed    the    southern 


28 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


part  of  the  state,  are  fortunate  that  defi- 
nite and  reliable  information  of  these 
bands  was  seeured  and  has  been  preserved. 
General  II.  II.  Sibley,  who  was  an  authori- 
ty on  Indian  affairs  because  of  his  inti- 
mate relations  witli  tlie  natives  in  his  ca- 
pacity a£  head  trader  for  one  of  the  big 
fur  companies,  has  described  the  Indian 
Ijauds  of  this  soetion  as  lie  found  them  in 
1834. 

The  M'daywakantons,  or  People  of  the 
Leaf,  comprised  seven  bands  who  could 
bring  into  the  field  about  six  hundred 
warriors.  Their  summer  residences  were 
in  villages,  the  lodges  being  built  of  elm 
bark  upon  a  frame  work  of  poles.  These 
villages  were  situated  at  Wal)asha  Trairie, 
where  the  city  of  Winona  now  stands; 
at  Red  Wing  and  Kaposia,  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi river;  on  the  lower  Jlinnesota, 
below  Sliakopco,  where  there  were  tliree 
Itands;  and  on  lake  Calhoun,  near  Minne- 
apolis. The  Wahpakootas,  or  People  of 
the  Shot  Leaf,  were  in  villages  on  Cannon 
lake,  a  short  distance  from  the  present 
city  of  Faribault,  and  a  few  other  points, 
and  tliey  numbered  about  one  luindrcd 
fifty  warriors.  The  lower  Wahpatons 
were  located  at  Little  Rapids,  Sand  Prai- 
rie and  on  the  banks  of  the  ^Minnesota  not 
far  from  Belle  Plaiue.  The  lower  Sis- 
setons  occupied  the  regions  around  Tra- 
verse des  Siou.x  (near  St.  Peter),  Swan 
lake  and  the  Cottonwood  river,  their  pos- 
sessions extending  to  tlie  Coteau  dcs  Prai- 
rwvs  of  extreme  southwestern  Jlinnesota.  It 
was  this  branch  of  the  Sioux  which  claim- 
ed jurisdiction  over  and  title  to  the  prw-- 
cnt  day  Jackson  county,  although  they 
did  not  have  their  permanent  homes  here. 
The  upper  Walipaton  tribe  had  its  villages 
on  the  shores  of  the  Lac  qui  Parle.  The 
ujippr  Sissetons  were  on  Big  Stone  lake 
and  Lake  Traverse. 

These  tribes  also  claimed  a  generou.'? 
part   of   northern    Iowa    and    portions  of 


South  Dakota.  It  was  never  entirely  clear 
by  what  right  the  Sioux  claimed  this  part 
of  Iowa  or  even  the  extreme  southwestern 
pari  (ii  .Minnesota.  They  had  never  made 
jiermanent  location  thereon,  and,  indeed, 
tlie  only  occasions  when  they  had  visited 
these  districts  were  at  the  times  of  their 
excursions  against  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  of 
the  upper  Des  Moines,  or  when  they  were 
in  search  of  buffalo  in  that  region  or  about 
lake  Shetek.*  Their  muniments  of  title 
were  vague  and  imperfect.  After  having 
been  driven  from  the  country  east  of  the 
ilississippi  l)y  the  Chippewas,  they  had 
crossed  to  the  west  bank  and  driven  a  band 
of  Iowa  Indians  from  the  countrj-  about 
Fort  SncUing  and  established  themselves 
along  the  5Iissis.sippi  and  ^linnesota  riv- 
ers. 

In  addition  to  the  tribes  of  the  Sioux 
nation  mentioned  above  as  inhabiting  and 
ilaiming  southern  Minnesota  was  another 
small,  outlawed  band  of  Sisseton  Sioux 
ancestry,  under  the  leadership  of  Inkpa- 
duta,  with  whom  we  .«hall  become  well  ac- 
quainted before  this  history  closes.  Ink- 
paduta  and  his  band  occasionally  visited 
souHnveslern  Minnesota,  his  favorite 
haunts  during  these  visits  being  the  Des 
Moines  river  country  and  the  country 
about  the  Okoboji  lakes.  They  were  out- 
laws from  the  Sioux,  were  not  partici- 
liants  in  any  treaty,  and  had  no  rights  of 
I'osscssion  to  laiul  in  any  part  of  the 
country  more  than  a  pack  of  wandering, 
ravenous  wolves  might  have  to  the  same 
land.  The  band  had  no  permanent  abid- 
ing place  or  home,  but  roamed  over  north- 
we.-(ern  Iowa  and  southwestern  Minnesota 
from  the  present  location  of  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  to  that  of  Redwood  Falls,  ^[inno- 
sota, 

.\t  the  time  of  the  earliest  seltloment  of 
Iowa  and  Minnesota  this  band  was  under 
tlie  leadership  of  Sidoniinadota,  a  Sis.'^e- 

'W.irron   Upham   In   Minncsntn   in   Three   Cen- 
turies. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


29 


ton  Sioux.  Sidomiuadota  was  known  far 
and  wide  for  his  audacity,  bravery  and  dis- 
regard of  the  restraints  of  the  wliite 
man's  law  and  the  rights  of  the  Indians. 
Tills  reputation  caused  the  discontented 
and  lawless  element  of  the  other  bands  to 
fiock  to  his  standard,  until  at  one 
time  the  band  numbered  three  hundred. 
I!ut  when  treaties  were  made  with  the 
I'nited  States  and  annuities  were  to  be 
granted  most  of  those  who  had  forsaken 
the  other  bands  returned  to  them,  so  as 
to  be  sure  of  their  annuities,  so  that  at 
the  time  of  the  settlement  of  northwestern 
Iowa  and  southwestern  Minnesota  the 
band  of  outlaws  did  not  exceed  fifty  war- 
riors.'' 

The  whole  of  the  state  of  Minnesota 
west  of  the  Mississippi  river  was  in  undis- 
puted iinssession  of  the  aborigines  until 
1851.  The  fine,  fertile  expanse  of  coun- 
try of  southern  Minnesota  was  ground 
upon  wdiich  the  white  man  dare  not  lo- 
cate. But  the  tide  of  immigration  to  the 
west  set  in  and  settlers  were  clamoring 
for  admission  to  the  rich  lands  west  of 
tlie  ilississippi.  In  time  the  legal  bar- 
rier was  removed. 

In  the  spring  of  1851  President  Fill- 
more, at  the  solicitation  of  residents  of 
Minnesota  territory,  directed  that  a  treaty 
with  the  Sioux  be  made  and  named  as 
commissioners  to  conduct  the  negotiations 
Governor  Alexander  Eamsey,  ex-officio 
Indian  commissioner  for  Minnesota,  and 
Luke  Lea,  the  national  commissioner  of 
Indian  affairs.  These  commissioners  com- 
pleted a  treaty  with  the  Sisseton  and  Wah- 
paton  bands — the  upper  bands,  as  they 
were  usually  called — at  Traverse  des 
Sioux  (near  the  present  site  of  St.  Peter) 
during  the  latter  part  of  July,  18.51.  Im- 
mediately afterward  the  commissioners  pro- 
ceeded to  Mendota  (near  St.  Paul),  where 
they  were  successful  in  making  a  treaty 

=Jareb  Palmer  in  Lakefield  Standard,  Febru- 
ary  8,    1896. 


with  the  Wahpakoota  and  irdaywakanton 
bands. 

The  treaties  were  ratified,  with  import- 
ant amendments,  by  congress  in  1852. 
The  amended  articles  were  signed  by  the 
Indians  in  September,  1852,  and  in  Feb- 
ruary of  the  next  year  President  Fillmore 
proclaimed  the  treaties  in  force.  By  this 
important  proceeding  the  future  Jackson 
county  passed  from  the  ownership  of  the 
Sioux  to  the  United  States  government, 
and  the  former  owners  took  up  their 
residence  on  the  north  side  of  the  Minne- 
sota river. 

The  territory  ceded  liy  the  Indians  was 

declared  to  be : 

All  their  lands  in  the  state  of  Iowa  and  also 
all  their  lands  in  the  territory  of  Minnesota 
lying  east  of  the  following;  line,  to- wit:  Be- 
iiinnint.'  at  the  junction  of  the  Buffalo  river 
with  the  Ked  River  of  the  North  [about 
twelve  miles  north  of  Moorhead.  in  Clay 
eoniity] :  thence  along  the  western  bank  of 
said  Red  River  of  the  North  to  the  mouth  of 
tlie  .'*ioux  Wood  river;  thence  along  the  west- 
ern bank  of  said  Sioux  Wood  river  to  Lake 
Traverse;  thence  along  the  western  shore  of 
said  lake  to  the  southern  extremity  thereof; 
thence  in  a  direct  line  to  the  juncture  of 
Kampeska  lake  with  the  Tehan-ka-sna-du-ta, 
or  Sioux  River;  thence  along  the  western 
bank  of  said  river  to  its  point  of  intersection 
^vith  the  northern  line  of  the  state  of  Iowa; 
including  all  islands  in  said  rivers  and  lakes. 

The  territory  purchased  from  the  four 
Sioux  bands  was  estimated  to  comprise 
about  23,750,000  acres,  according  to  Mr. 
I'liomas  Ilughes'  computation,  of  which 
;uore  than  nineteen  millions  acres  were 
in  Minnesota,  nearly  three  million  acres 
in  Iowa,  and  more  than  one  million,  seven 
hundred  fifty  thousand  acres  in  what  is 
now  Soutli  Dakota.  The  ceded  lands  in 
Iowa  were  north  of  Rock  river,  and  also 
included  the  country  around  Estherville, 
Emmetsburg  and  Algona,  extending  east- 
ward by  the  town  of  Osage  almost  to  Cres- 
co,  the  county  seat  of  Howard  county. 
The  aggregate  price  paid  was  about  twelve 
and  one-half  cents  per  acre. 

Wiite  men  first  penetrated  the  north- 
west country  to  the  present  state  of  Min- 


30 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


nesota  in  the  middle  of  tlie  seveuteenth 
century  (1055-50).  In  1(583  the  first  map 
on  whicli  pliysical  foatures  of  Minnesota 
are  pictured  was  pub!i.<hed  in  connection 
witli  Hennepin's  writings.  This  iiui))  is 
verv  vague  and  denioiutrates  that  very 
little  was  known  of  the  northwest  country. 
Five  years  later,  in  1688,  J.  B.  Franque- 
lin,  a  Canadian  FiTncli  geojiraplier.  draft- 
ed for  King  Louis  .\VI.  of  France  a 
more  detailed  map  of  North  America, 
making  use  of  information  gathered  l)y 
Joliet  and  Marquette,  LaSalle,  Hennepin, 
DuLuth  and  others.  Some  of  the  princi- 
pal streams  and  lakes  are  marked  and 
more  or  less  accurately  located,  among 
others  the  R.  des  Moingeue  (Pes  Moines). 
There  is  no  evidence  to  show  that  any  of 
these  had  visited  the  upper  Des  Moines 
river  country,  and  the  data  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  map  were  doubtless  secured 
from  tlie  Indians. 

A  few  French  explorers,  named  above, 
had  penetrated  to  several  points  within 
the  present  boundaries  of  our  state,  but 
none  of  thorn  had  explored  the  southwest- 
ern portion.  In  1700  LeSueur  ascended 
the  Minnesota  river  and  furaished  data 
for  a  more  or  less  authentic  map  of  .south- 
western Jlinnesota,  so  far  as  the  larger 
and  more  important  physical  features  are 
concerned.  This  m'lp  was  made  by  Wil- 
liam DeT/isle,  royal  gengraphor  of  France, 
in  170.3.  For  the  first  time  the  Alinnesota 
river  appeared  upon  a  map.  being  labeled 
R.  St.  Pierre  of  l^Iini-Snta.  Tlie  Des 
^foines  also  has  a  place  on  the  map,  being 
marked  Des  Aloines  or  le  'Moingona  R., 
and  its  source  was  definitely  locatod. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  writings  of  Le 
Suour,. however,  to  lead  to  the  belief  that 
he  had  visited  the  lies  Aloines  river  coun- 
try, his  explorations  having  been  confined 
to  the  country  along  the  Minnesota. 
Another  map,  made  by  Buache  in  1751, 
was  compiled  from  data  furnished  Sieur 


de  la  Verendrye  by  an  Indian.  The  river 
which  flows  througli  .lackson  county  was 
thereon  marked  Afoingona. 

.\fter  Ix'Sueur  had  penetrated  to  the 
soutliwestern  part  of  the  state  in  1700  that 
portion  of  the  country  was  not  again 
visited  by  white  men  until  60  years  later, 
so  far  as  we  know.  In  November,  1766, 
Jonathan  Carver  ascended  the  Minnesota 
river  and  spent  the  winter  among  the 
Sioux  in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  city 
of  New  Ulm.  He  remained  with  the  In- 
dians until  April.  1707,  and  learned  their 
language.  It  is  po.ssible,  but  not  jirobable, 
that  Carver  during  this  time  nuiy  have 
visited  the  country  which  is  now  included 
within  the  boundaries  of  Jackson  county, 
for  he  hunted  with  the  Indians  over  some 
of  the  great  plains  of  southwestern  Alin- 
nesota which,  "according  to  their  account 
[the  Indians],  arc  unbounded  and  ])rob- 
ably  terminate  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific 
ocean." 

From  the  very  earliest  days  wandering 
and  adventurous  white  traders,  bartering 
weapons  and  trinkets  of  civilized  manu- 
facture for  the  prized  beaver  furs  of  the 
Indian  hunters,  had  penetrated  to  the 
wilds  of  the  northwest,  closely  following 
the  explorers.  So  early  as  1700-01  when 
TjoSueur  was  on  the  Minnesota  river  a 
number  of  these  adventurers  were  report- 
ed as  having  been  encountered.  It  seems 
highly  probalile  that  some  of  these  reck- 
less frontiersmen  had  penetrated  to  the 
\ipper  Dos  Afoinrs  region  before  the  coun- 
try was  known  to  (he  world  through  the 
imblished  reports  of  the  explorers  of  this 
region.  Rut  these  men  were  trappers  and 
traders,  not  historians,  and  left  no  records 
of  (heir  doings.  What  wonderful  tales  of 
adventure  could  be  recorded  of  the  early 
history  of  Jackson  county  if  the  lives  of 
these  men  could  be  learned ! 

^V^1en  Joseph  Nicollet  visited  the  up- 
per Des  Moines  in   the  late   thirties  he 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


31 


nienlioiietl  havin.u-  lour.d  evidence,  or  hav- 
ing been  informed  by  the  Indians,  that 
the  fur  traders  of  an  earlier  day,  after 
having  wintered  on  tlie  upper  Des  Moines, 
had  departed  from  a  point  within  the  lim- 
its of  the  present  Jaeteon  county  with 
their  furs.  It  was  their  custom  to  leave 
tlie  Des  Moines  near  the  northern  line 
of  Jackson  county  and  strike  the  headwa- 
ters of  the  Watonwan,  foHow  down  that 
stream,  the  Bkie  Earth  and  th.e  Minneso- 
ta to  the  IMississippi."  When  the  first  ix;r- 
manent  settlors  came  to  Jackson  covmty 
in  185G  there  was  very  little  evidence  of 
the  operations  of  these  former  day  trap- 
pers and  traders.' 

While  a  number  of  explorers  had  visited 
other  pai-ts  of  Minnesota,  and  a  few  set- 
tlements hail  been  established,  during  the 
earlv  part  oC  the  nineteenth  century,  none 
of  them  penetrated  to  the  southwest  cor- 
ner. In  1S35  a  government  expedition, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Albert  Miller 
Lea,  of  the  regular  army,  traversed  the 
area  of  what  is  now  the  state  of  Iowa 
and  advanced  into  the  south  edge  of  Min- 
nesota, although  he  did  not  visit  Jackson 
eountv.  With  him  were  three  companies 
(if  infantry,  five  four-mule  teams  and  sev- 
eral pack  hor.ses.  Lieutenant  Lea  trav- 
eled iioithwartl  along  the  divide  between 
the  triljutaries  of  the  Des  Moines  and  Mis- 
sissipi^i  rivers,  passed  the  site  of  the  Min- 
nesota city  which  now  bears  his  name,  and 
continued  to  lake  Peppin.  From  tliero 
he  started  on  the  return  trip,  going  in  a 
southwesterly  direction  across  the  head- 
waters of  the  Cedar  and  Blue  Earth  rivers 
to  the  Des  Moines  river,  which  he  came 
to  south  of  the  Jackson  county  line.  Lieu- 
tenant Lea  proceeded  down  the  river  in  a 
canoe  to   ascertain  if  it  were  practicable 

"Report    Minnesota    Geological    Survey.    isS4. 

■Tlie  Jacltson  Repi-.lilic  of  March  19.  1S70, 
stated  that  when  the  first  settlers  came  tliere 
was  evidence  to  be  found  of  an  old  French 
trading  post,  located  about  six  miles  up  the 
river  from  Jackson,  but  I  have  been  unable  to 
find  other  sources  of  information  to  confirm 
this  statement. 


to  bring  supplies  up  that  stream  for  a 
fort.  He  sounded,  meandered  and  plat- 
ted the  river,  and  after  his  return  to  win- 
ter fjuarters  published  a  book  and  map, 
giving  the  history  of  the  journey.  His 
trip  led  to  the  improvements  that  were 
afterward  made  in  the  Des  Moines  river 
by  the  government. 

It  was  not  until  the  late  thirties  that 
our  immediate  vicinity  became  known  and 
was  mapped.  Catlin,  Schoolcraft,  Fcath- 
erstonhaugh,  Allen,  Keating  and  Long 
were  early  explorers  To  the  wilds  of  Min- 
nessota,  but  they  confined  themselves  to 
the  ready  routes  of  travel,  passing  through 
the  country  in  a  single  season.  But  in 
18;3r)  appeared  one  who  crossed  the  upper 
Mis.sissippi  country  in  all  directions, 
spending  several  years,  winters  included, 
ill  preparing  data  for  his  map,  which  was 
published  after  his  death  in  1843.  This 
was  Joseph  Nicolas  Nicollet,^  who  was  the 
first  white  man,  of  record,  to  set  foot  on 
the  soil  of  Jackson  county.''  The  princi- 
pal aid  of  Mr,  Nicollet  in  his  explorations 
in  Minnesota  was  Lieutenant  John  C. 
Fremont,  later  the  nominee  of  the  repub- 
lican party  for  president  of  the  United 
States. 

Nicollet  gave  names  to  many  lakes,  . 
streams  and  other  ])hysical  features  or 
adopted  those  which  were  current,  and  the 
map  shows  the  scope  of  his  explorations. 
The  country  of  which  Jackson  county 
forms  a  part  was  laljilcd  "Sisseton  Coun- 
try,"" he  finding  that  branch  of  the  Sioux 
in  ])ossession.  He  specially  mentions  a 
visit  to  the  red  pipestone  quarries,  which 
he  made  in  July,  1838.  He  found  that 
tlie    region   west   of   tlie    Mississippi   had 

*Do  not  confound  with  Jean  Nicollet,  an 
American  pioneer  from  France,  who  visited  the 
country   nearly   two  hundred  years   earlier. 

"It  is  possible  that  Nicollet  did  not  in  person 
visit  J^>ckson  county,  but  certainly  some  of  his 
party  did.  Owing  to  his  premature  death  much 
of  a  historical  nature  concerning  thi.s  region 
w.-is  lost.  He  had  notes  for  a  work  of  several 
volumes,  relating  principally  to  what  is  now 
Minne.sota.  and  he  had  only  fairly  started  the 
work   when   he   died. 


32 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


several  plateaus,  or  elcated  prairies, 
wliich  marked  the  limits  of  the  various 
river  basins.  Tiic  most  remarkable  of 
these  he  called  Plateau  du  Coteau  des 
Frairics  (plateau  of  prairie  heights)  and 
Coteau  du  Grand  Bois  (wooded  heights). 
Nicollet  described  tlic  Coteau  des  Prairies 
as  a  vast  plain,  elevated  191G  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  ocean  and  890  feet  above 
Bijr  Stone  lake,  lying  between  latitudes  43 
and  4G  degrees,  extending  from  north- 
west to  southeast  for  a  distance  of  two 
hundred  miles,  its  width  varying  from  fif- 
teen to  forty  miles.  On  the  map  he  marks 
it  as  extending  from  a  point  a  short  dis- 
tance northwest  of  lake  Traverse  in  a 
southeasterly  direction  into  Iowa,  and  in- 
cluding tlie  wes'ern  jiart  of  tlio  prc.'sent 
Jackson  county.  The  explorer  described 
it  as  a  beautiful  country,  from  whose 
summit  grand  views  were  afforded,  said 
that  at  the  eastern  border  particularly, 
the  prospect  was  magnificent  beyond  de- 
scription, extending  over  the  immense 
green  turf  that  forms  the  basin  of  the 
Rod  River  of  the  North,  the  forest  clad 
summit  of  the  Hauteurs  des  Terres  that 
surround  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi, 
the  gigantic  valley  of  the  upper  Minne- 
sota, and  the  depressions  in  wliich  arc 
lakes  Traverse  and  Big  Stone. 

Tiiat  Nicollet  or  some  of  his  parly  visi- 
ted Jackson  county  is  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  several  natural  features  of  tlie 
county  with  which  we  are  familiar  were 
given  names  and  quite  accurately  located. 
That  he  did  not  visit  all  parts  of  the 
county  is  also  evident  from  liis  failure  to 
find  Heron  lake,  that  big  body  of  wa- 
ter in  the  northwest  part.  His  map  locates 
•piite  accurately  the  Jloingona  (Des 
^toines)  river  and  locates  the  source  of 
that  stream.  He  gives  prominence  to  a 
lake  which  he  calls  Tchan-Shetcha,  or 
Dry  Wood  lake  (undoubtedly  Fish  lake), 


whicli  is  just  to  the  east  of  the  Des  Moines 
river.'" 

ilr.  Nicollet  calls  attention  to  tlie  liy- 
drographical  relation  of  the  Des  Moines 
river  with  the  Blue  Earth,  the  Minnesota 
and  the  Mississippi.  He  stated  that  the 
Blue  Eartii,  by  means  of  its  tributary, 
the  Watonwan,  liad  one  of  its  sources  in 
lake  Tchan-Shetcha  and  that  the  land  sep- 
arating tliL;  lake  from  the  Des  Moines  was 
not  more  tlian  a  mile  or  a  mile  and  a  half 
in  width."  Thus,  he  stated,  a  short  ca- 
nal would  bring  the  Des  Moines  into  com- 
munication with  the  Minnesota.  He  learn- 
ed that  tJiis  interesting  fact  had  former- 
ly been  taken  advantage  of  by  tlie  fur 
traders,  who,  after  wintering  on  the  head- 
waters of  the  Des  ^fi>ines,  found  it  con- 
venient to  bring  their  peltries  by  water 
communication  through  the  Watonwan 
valley  and  the  Blue  Eartli  to*  tlie  Minne- 
sota and  thence  to  the  mouth  of  that 
river.  On  the  map  the  space  between  the 
river  and  the  lake  is  marked  "portage."' 

On  this  remarkable  map  of  1843  Sjiir- 
it  lake  is  shown  with  its  present  name. 
One  or  two  of  the  lakes  in  Minucota  town- 
ship are  shown  but  are  not  named.  Other 
hikes  in  the  vicinity  which  are  shown  and 
named  are  Okebene  (Okabena),  Ocheye- 
dnn.  Talcot  and  Shetok.  Nicollet's  work 
was  of  ine.stimable  value  to  Minnesota,  by 
reason  of  the  thoroughness  of  his  explora- 
tion and  the  reasonable  accuracy  of  his 
map,  which  became  the  official  map  of 
the  country. 

The  next  record  we  have  of  white  men 
visiting  Jackson  county  was  in  1844,  when 
Captain  J.  Allen  passed  through  it,  up  the 
Des  Moines  river.  Upon  approaching  the 
region  of  the  line  separating  Iowa  from 
Minnesota  Captain  Allen  speaks  of  becom- 

'»Tht>  looatlnn  of  this  Like  as  Klvoti  by  Mr. 
Nlpollft  is  liitUudi'  ■(.■!  (iegrrpes.  45  minutps,  ami 
longitiidp  Ot  (loRrops.  12  mlnutps.  which  is  thi> 
loc.Ttion  of  Heron  l.iko  acrording'  to  tho  sur- 
veys. However,  he  eoiild.  ])y  no  possibiUty. 
hTve  mcJint    Heron   lake. 

"Fl.«h  lake  is  about  one  and  three-quarters 
miles  from  the  Des  Moines, 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTr. 


33 


ing  ijenned  among  numerous  lakes  and  of 
being  compelled  to  cross  a  narrow  strait 
by  swimming  two  hundred  yards.  This 
place  was  probably  a  narrow  spot  in  Swan 
lake,  in  Emmet -co luity,  Iowa.  From  there 
he  sent  a  party  to  examine  the  eoiintry 
to  the  east,  and  they  proceeded  to  Iowa 
hike,  on  the  boundary  line,  and  explored 
its  outlet  toward  the  east  and  into  the 
east  chain  of  lakes  in  Martin  county.  They 
reached  the  conclusion  that  the  water  of 
these  lakes  was  tributary^  to  the  Blue 
Earth. 

Allen  and  his  party  continued  north 
tlirough  Jackson  county,  camping  at  Eagle 
lake  and  at  Independence  lake.  When 
lie  reached  what  is  now  Christiania  town- 
ship, near  Windom,  he  described  the  coun- 
try as  a  "wonderfully  broken  surface,  ris- 
ing and  falling  in  high  knobs  and  deep  ra- 
vines, with  numerous  little  lakes  in  the 
deep  valleys,  some  of  them  clear  and  pret- 
ty and  others  grassy."  A  party  visited  the 
Blue  Mounds  and  found  an  artificial 
mound  of  stone  on  the  highest  peak. 

At  lake  Talcott  Captain  Allen  left  his 
men  in  camp  for  a  rest  while  he  himself 
visited  lake  Shetek,  which  he  named  lake 
of  the  Oaks.  By  observation  of  the  sun 
with  a  small  sextant  he  located  this  lake 
in  latitude  43  degrees,  57  minutes,  32  sec- 
onds, but  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  some- 
what above  latitude  44  degrees.  He  de- 
scribed the  lake  as  being  remarkable  for 
a  singular  arrangement  of  the  peninsulas 
running  into  it  from  all  sides  and  for  a 
heavy  growth  of  timber  that  covered  these 
peninsulas  and  the  borders  of  the  lake. 
Allen  pronounced  lake  of  the  Oaks  to 
be  the  highest  source  of  the  Des  Moincb 
worth  noticing  as  such,  though  he  also 
mentions  an  inlet  coming  in  from  the 
north,  "but  of  no  size  or  character." 

From  lake  Shetek  the  expedition  con- 
tinued northward  thirty-seven  miles, 
crossing    the    Cottonwood    and    Eedwood 


rivers,  and  then  proceeded  eastward  to  the 
St.  Peter's  (Minnesota)  river.  From  the 
mouth  of  tlie  Eedwood  the  southern  shore 
of  the  St.  Peter's  was  explored  for  a  dis- 
tance of  several  miles  each  way.  Eeturn- 
ing  to  lake  Shetek,-  the  expedition  set  out 
for  the  west,  reached  the  Big  Sioux  river 
and  proceeded  down  that  stream  to  its 
mouth. 

Concerning  the  big  game  found  on  the 
upper  Des  Moines  and  other  parts  of  the 
country  visited.  Captain  Allen  wrote : 

Fiom  Lizard  creek  of  the  Des  Moines  to  the 
source  of  the  Des  Moines,  and  tjience  east  to 
the  St.  Peters,  is  a  range  for  elk  and  common 
deer,  but  principally  elk.  We  saw  a  great 
many  of  the  elk:  they  were  sometimes  seen 
ill  droves  of  linndreds,  hut  were  always  dif- 
ticult  to  approacli  and  very  difficult  to  over- 
take in  chase,  except  with  a  fleet  horse  and 
over  good  ground.  Xo  dependence  could  be 
]ilaccd  upon  this  game  in  this  country  for  the 
subsistence  of  troops  marching  through  it. 

Twenty-five  miles  west  of  the  source  of  the 
Des  Moines  Ave  struck  the  range  of  the  buf- 
falo and  continued  in  it  to  the  Big  Sioux 
river  and  down  that  river  about  eighty-six 
miles.  Below  that  we  could  not  see  any  re- 
cent signs  of  them.  We  found  antelope  in 
the  same  range  with  the  buffalo.,  but  no  elk 
and  very  seldom  a  common  deer.  Wliile 
among  the  buffalo  we  killed  as  many  as  we 
wanted    and    without    trouble. 

This  completes  the  record  of  early  ex- 
ploration of  our  county,  and  we  find  that 
when  Minnesota  territory  was  created  in 
1849  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  ter- 
ritory was  a  vteritable  terra  incognita. 
The  land  was  still  in  undisputed  owner- 
ship of  the  Sioux  bands,  and  white  men 
liad  no  rights  whatever  in  the  country. 
Eeturn  I.  Holcombe,  in  Minnesota  in 
Tliree  Centuiies,  tells  of  the  conditions  in 
soutliern  Minnesota  at  the  time  the  terri- 
tory was  formed : 

AVestward  of  the  Mississippi  river  the  coun- 
try was  unexplored  and  virgin.  There  were 
wide  expanses  of  wild  and  trackless  prairie, 
never  traversed  by  a  white  man,  which  are 
I'ow  the  highly  developed  counties  of  south- 
ern and  southwestern  Minnesota,  with  their 
fine  and  flourishing  cities  and  towns  and  the 
other  institutions  that  make  Tor  a  state's 
eminence  and  greatness.  Catlin  had  passed 
from  Little  Rock  to  the  pipestone  quarry; 
Nicollet    and    his    surveying    party    had    gone 


34 


IIISTOl.'V  OF  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


over  tlic  same  inulc  and  liail  traveled  along 
the  Minne-^nta.  Sibley  ^and  Fremont  had  chas- 
ed elk  over  the  prairies  in  wliat  are  now 
Steele,  Dod-ie.  I'reeliorn  and  Mower  counties; 
llie  Missouri  cattle  drovers  hail  led  their  herds 
In  Kort  Snellin;;  and  up  to  the  I!ed  river  re<;- 
ions,  hut  ill  all.  not  tifty  white  men  had  pass- 
ed over  the  tract  of  territory  now  comprising 
southern  and  southwestern  .Minnesota  when 
I  lie  territory  wa.s  orjianized  in  1S49. 

The  treaty  witli  the  Sioux  Indians, 
iii;i(k'  in  1S51,  ratified  in  185-2,  and  prn- 
claiined  early  in  ]S5;3,  tlircw  open  to  .<i't- 
t lenient  tlio  whole  of  gotithern  Miiine.-^ota, 
and  soon  thereafter  settlements  hefran  to 
make  their  appearance  in  the  eastern  por- 
tion, although  it  was  some  years  later 
when  white  .settlers  penetrated  to  the  fu- 
ture Jaekson  eounty. 

The  lino  between  tlie  state  of  Iowa  and 
tiio  territory  of  Minnesota  was  surveyed 
in  lSo2.  The  engineers  began  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Minnesota  about  the 
first  of  August  and  ran  their  line  east- 
ward, reaching  the  southwest  corner  of 
Jackson  eounty  on  August  8.'=  They 
located  the  IJne  along  the  southern  boun- 
dary of  Jackson  coiiiiiy  ami  jiroceedetl  on 
their  way  eastward. 

In  1853  Captain  J.  1..  ilcim  e.xccutotl 
a  survey  for  a  military  wagon  road  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Big  Siou.x  river,  at  Sioux 
City,  to  Mendota,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Minnesota,  hut  the  map  of  his  survey  was 
not  luiblished.  He  crossed  the  Des  Moines 
river  in  Iowa  and  after  traveling  ten  miles 
farther  entereil  Minnesota  and  ])ossil)ly 
touched  Jackson  county.  He  creased 
branches  of  the  Watonwan  and  Blue  I'^arth 
rivers  and  laid  out  his  road  along  the 
west  bank  of  the  Blue  Earth  to  its  un- 
ion with  the  Minnesota,  thence  to  ^faiika- 
to  and  on  to  Mendota. 

The  years  1854,  1855  ami  185G,  were 
remarkable  ones  in  Minnesota  territory 
by  reason  of  the  iininensc  tide  of  immi- 
gration pouring  in  and  the  consequent 
activity  and  legitimate  and  "wild  cat"  real 

"Surveyors"  Field  Notes. 


estate  operations.  So  early  as  1S52  the 
real  estate  speculative  era  had  commence<l 
in  St.  Paul  and  the  older  settlements 
along  the  eastern  border  of  the  territory. 
Illustrative  of  the  times  in  St.  Paul  at 
that  early  date  is  the  lollowing,  which  was 
written  by  a  correspondent  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Token  who  was  in  St.  Paul  in  the 
fall   of   1853: 

My  ears  at  ever_\  iiiin  iui-  >aluted  with 
everlastiu};  din.  Land!  Land:  Money!  Spec- 
ulation! Saw  mills!  Town  lots!  etc.,  etc. 
I  turn  away  sick  and  disfjnsted:  land  at 
lircakfast.  land  nt  dinner,  land  at  .supper,  aii<l 
until  eleven  o'clock,  land:  then  land  in  bed 
until  their  vocal  organs  are  exhausted,  then 
they  dream  and  gioan  out  land,  land!  Kvery- 
Ihing  is  artificial,  lloating.  the  excitement  of 
liade.  s))eculation  and  expectation  is  now 
running  liigh.  and  will  perhaps  for  a  year  or 
so,  but  it  must  have  a  reaction. 

During  185;i  and  1854  there  were  large 
accessions  of  population  to  the  eastern 
]iart  of  the  territory  ;  roads  were  construc- 
ted ;  farms  were  opened  in  the  wilderness; 
villages  sprang  into  existence  in  many 
parts  of  the  frontier.  During  these  years 
1  be  settlements  did  not  extend  to  the  west- 
ern and  southwestern  parts  of  the  ter- 
ritory, bill  during  the  next  few  years  the 
huiiian  flow  |)oured  in  and  S]iread  out  in- 
to nearly  all  ]iarts  of  Minnesota.  The 
fever  of  real  estate  speculation,  whiili  had 
been  only  feebly  developed  before,  now  at- 
tacked all  classes.  Enormous  and  rapid 
profits  were  made  by  speculators  who  liad 
tlie  fore-=ight  and  courage  to  venture. 
Thousands  of  acres  of  Minnesota  lands 
which  had  been  seen  red  from  the  govern- 
ment in  1854  for  $1.25  per  acre  sold  the 
following  year  for  $5.00, 

Not  only  (o  Jtinnesota,  but  to  all  parts 
of  the  U])per  Mississippi  valley,  came  the 
grand  rush  of  homeseekers,  who  spread 
out  over  the  rich  lands  of  Iowa,  Minneso- 
ta, Kans.is  ami  Xcbraska.  These  hordes 
of  immigrants  did  not  take  all  the  lands 
as  they  went  along  but  were  constantly 
|)iishing  out  onto  the  frontier.  The  reason 
of  this  is  easily  understood.     Nearly  all 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


35 


who  were  coming  out  to  the  northwest 
country  were  from  the  eastern  and  central 
states,  where  tiniber  was  abundant,  and 
they  were  loth  to  settle  on  the  prairie  very 
far  from  timber  and  water.  In  fact,  so 
discriminating  were  tliey  that  few  were 
willing  to  settle  where  they  could  not 
liave  timber  and  prairie  land  adjoining! 
In  consequence  the  settlements  in  the 
new  country  were  confined  to  narrow  belts 
along  the  streams  and  around  the  lakes, 
where  groves  of  timber  were  usually  found. 
So  soon  as  the  desirable  claims  were  taken 
in  one  locality  some  adventurou.?  immi- 
grant would  strike  out  across  the  track- 
less prairie  in  search  of  a  place  where  he 


rnuld  liave  first  choice  of  claims.  He 
would  soon  be  followed  by  others  and  a 
new  settlement  would  be  founded.  By 
reason  of  this  the  settlements  were  often 
thirty  or  forty  miles  apart,  while  the  dif- 
ferent inhabited  portions  of  the  .same 
stream  were  often  ten  or  fifteen  miles 
apart.  In  tliis  way  settlers  were  constant- 
ly pushing  out  onto  the  extreme  frontier 
in  search  of  suitable  places  to  build  homes 
for  themselves  and  their  families,  many 
times  not  waiting  for  the  Indians  to  leave, 
but  moving  among  them. 

Under  conditions  such  as  tliese  Jackson 
county  received  its  first  settlers. 


THE  NEW  YOBK 

IpUBUC  UBRAR'f 


MTOH,  LtftCX  W«^ 
TICDEN   F0UN04T* 


CHAPTER  II. 


EAELY   SETTLEMENT— 1856. 


HUNDEEDS  of  immigrants  had 
come  to  the  upper  Mississippi , 
valley  during  the  first  half  of 
the  fifties,  suitable  places  of  residence  had 
been  found  to  the  east  and  south  of  the 
present  Jaclvson  county  but  none  had  pen- 
erated  to  the  sightly  locations  on  the  up- 
per Des  Moines.  Jackson  county  was  with- 
out a  permanent  settler  until  the  summer 
of  185G.^  That  year,  from  July  to  De- 
cember, some  forty  people,  including  wom- 
en and  children,  came  to  the  Des  Moines 
river  country  of  Jackson  county.  They 
erected  about  a  dozen  log  cabins  along  the 
river,  extending  from  a  point  a  few  miles 
south  of  the  present  village  of  Jackson  to 
a  point  seven  or  eight  miles  north  of  the 
village  (most  of  the  cabins  being  in  the 
timber  in  the  vicinity  of  Jackson)  and  set- 
tled as  permanent  residents. 

'Mr.  D.  S.  Crapper,  in  an  interview  in  the 
Jacltson  Republic  of  August  30.  1873.  claimed  to 
tiave  been  the  first  white  settler  to  locate  in 
Jackson  county,  stating  that  he  had  come  from 
the  Boone  river  country,  in  Iowa,  squatted  on 
a  claim  just  east  of  the  Des  Moines  river  near 
the  Michael  Miller  farm  on  section  30.  Wiscon- 
sin township,  resided  there  three  years,  and 
left  in  December,  1S56.  He  said  that  he  broke 
up  ground  and  raised  crops  and  that  when  the 
-settlers  of  1856  came  he  assisted  them  in  build- 
ing their  cabins.  He  recounted  many  a  tussle 
he  had  had  with  the  Indians  who  infested  the 
countr.v  and  stated  that  buffalo  and  elk  were 
here  in  abundance.  The  reason  I  have  not  in- 
corporated this  data  in  the  text  is  because  there 
is  good  cause  to  doubt  its  authenticity.  If  Mr. 
Crapper  resided  in  Jackson  county  when  he  is 
made  to  say  he  did.  the  fact  was  unknown  to 
the  settlers  who  located  in  the  vicinity  in  1S5G. 
He  may  have  been  in  Jackson  county  in  an 
earl.v  day  but  that  he  ever  resided  here  is 
doubtful.  He  was  known  as  a  resident  of  the 
Boone  river  country. 


The  credit  of  becoming  the  first  white 
settlers  of  Jackson  county  is  generally 
(and  rightfully)  given  to  three  brothers, 
William,  George  and  Charles  Wood,  who 
came  during  the  month  of  July,  1856,- 
and  located  on  land  which  now  comprises 
the  principal  business  and  residence  sec- 
tion of  the  village  of  Jackson.  William 
Wood  seems  to  have  been  the  leading  spir- 
it of  the  brothers.^  Early  in  the  fifties 
he  had  left  his  Indiana  home  and  gone  to 
the  new  village  of  Mankato,  where  he 
joined  Eobert  Wardlow,  a  dealer  in  gener- 
al merchandise.  Much  of  the  trade  of 
these  days  was  with  the  Indians  and  Wil- 
liam Wood  had  ample  opportunity  to  be- 
come acquainted  with  the  aborigines,  fre- 
quently making  trips  to  the  interior  coun- 
try. 

On  one  such  occasion,  in  1854,  Mr. 
Wood,  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as 
Indian  trader,  and  also  while  cruising  and 
looking  about  for  a  location  in  which  to 
make  a  future  home  for  himself  and  his 
motlier's  large  family,  came  upon  the 
sightly  location  of  the  present  village  of 
Jackson.  Early  in  1856  he  returned  to 
his  mother's  home  in  Eidgeville,  Eandolph 

-'"I  think  Mr.  [William]  Wood  was  the  first 
to  take  a  claim  in  what  is  now  Jackson  count.v. 
for  some  time  during  the  winter  [of  1856-57] 
he  told  me  that  he  had  selected  his  claim  some 
time  in  July." — Jareb  Palmer  in  Lakefield  Stand- 
ard,   December  7,    1895. 

^See  biographical  section  for  sketches  of  the 
lives  of  the  Woods. 


37 


33 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


county,  IndiaiKi.  niui  proposed  that  George 
Wood,  wlio  was  then  the  head  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  Charles  Wood,  who  was  a  boy  of 
lifteen  or  sixten  years  of  age.  should  go 
with  liini  to  the  new  and  promising  coun- 
try which  he  had  discovered  and  there 
prepare  a  home  for  themselves  and  their 
aged  motiier  and  lur  family.  The  sug- 
gestion was  approved  by  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  and  in  July  the  three 
brothers  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Des 
Moines  river  to  make  their  homes.' 

Believing  that  the  site  was  one  favor- 
able for  trading  with  the  Indians  who 
roamed  over  tile  country  and  with  white 
settlers  who  would  in  time  be  sure  to  spy 
out  and  locate  in  this  beautiful  spot,  the 
brothers  decided  to  establish  a  trading 
post.  In  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the 
times  in  Minnesota,  it  was  also  deemed 
the  proper  thing  to  lay  out  a  town.  Wil- 
liam and  George  Wood  each  took  land 
claims.  As  the  land  had  not  yet  been 
survej'cd  it  is  impossible  to  tell  exactly 
the  boundaries  of  their  claims,  and  it  is 
doubtful  if  the  brothers  themselves  had 
more  than  an  indeHnitc  idea  of  where 
their  land  was.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Bakor,  who  came  through  the  co\intry 
about  the  time  the  brothers  were  locating 
their  claims,  said  that  he  was  a  surve)'or, 
and  jiaving  a  compass  he  ran  a  line  north 
from  the  state  line  between  the  townships 
of  Middletown  and  Petersburg  and  be- 
tween Des  Moines  and  Wisconsin,  and 
from  this  line  were  located  all  the  early 
day  claims.  In  after  years  it  was  learned 
that  this  line  was  not  within  eighty  rods 
of  its  proper  location.  The  bulk  of  the 
Wood  brothers'  land  was  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river  and  included  portions  of  sec- 
tions 21,  2:?,  2f)  and  2o,  Des  Moines 
township.  The  two  brothers  entered  upon 
a   full  section  of  government  land,  each 


'Mr.  K.  B.  Wootl.  a  brother  of  the  Woods 
mentioned.  Is  my  authority  for  these  state- 
ments. 


an  individual  farm  claim  under  the  pre- 
emption law  (there  was  no  homestead  law 
at  the  time)  of  160  acres,  and  in  partner- 
ship a  half  section  for  a  townsite.  The 
townsite  included  the  whole  of  the  second 
bench — the  residence  portion  of  the  pres- 
ent village — and  the  farm  claims  included 
the  business  jwrtion  of  the  present  Jack- 
son village  and  extended  across  the  river." 

The  Woods  nameil  their  proposed  town 
Springfield  because  of  the  fact  that  there 
was  a  spring  on  it  near  where  they  built 
tlieir  cabin.  The  townsite  was  not  platted 
liy  surveyors,  but  was  simply  held  in  an- 
ticipation of  the  time  when  settlers  should 
come  in  sufficient  numbers  to  warrant  the 
building  of  a  town.  A  large,  one-room  log 
building  was  erected  at  a  point  near  the 
river  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  present 
day  village  upon  what  is  now  the  Frost 
property.  In  this  lirst  building  erected 
in  Jackson  county  the  three  brothers  lived 
and  conducted  their  store,  carrying  a 
stock  of  goods  of  such  kind  and  cliaracter 
as  was  most  salable  to  the  settlers,  who 
came  soon  afterward,  and  the  Indians." 

Almost  immediately  after  the  Wood 
brothers  had  located  at  Springfield  (but 
not  because  of  that  fact)  quite  a  number 
of  settlers — all  American  born — came  to 
the  vicinity.  Some  selecte<l  claims  and 
erected  log  cabins,  intending  to  become 
permanent  settlers.  Others,  in  the  spec- 
ulative spirit  of  the  times,  selected  claims 
and  returned  to  their  homes,  intending 
to  dispose  of  them  later  and  thus  realize 
on  their  visit  to  the  frontier.  It  is  im- 
possible to  give  the  dates  of  arrival  of 
those  who  came  during  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1856,  extending  over  a  period  of 
time  from  July  to  December,  but  much 

Miiii'li  I'.alnur  In  Lakofleld  Standard.  Decem- 
ber 7,    1SSI5. 

""Thoy  kept  a  very  Rood  assortment  of  goods 
for  ,1  pioneer  store,  but  a  large  part  of  It  was 
intended  for  the  Indian  trade,  as  the  Indians 
fished,  trapped  and  hunted  ali  over  the  adja- 
cent coiHitry  and  of  coin'se  had  mueh  fur  .and 
hides  to  sell  at  Ilsrures  allowing  the  tiuder  fabu- 
lous profits." — Jareb  Palmer. 


HISTORY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


39 


of  ;i  historical  nature  concerning  these  pio- 
neers has  been  preserved,  whicli  makes 
the  history  of  the  early  settlement  of 
Jackson  county  interesting.  The  greater 
part  of  the  settlers  of  this  year  came  from 
Webster  City,  Iowa,  and  the  vicinity,  and 
tlie  causes  that  led  to  their  settling  here, 
together  with  the  story  of  their  settle- 
ment and  incidents  of  the  early  days,  will 
now  be  recorded.' 

In  tlie  spring  of  1850  a  party  of  ex- 
plorers and  honieseekers  left  the  vicinity 
of  Webster  City  in  search  of  a  desirable 
})lace  to  make  a  new  settlement,  most  of 
the  best  claims  in  their  vicinity  having 
been  taken.  They  proceeded  northward  and 
discovered  Spirit  and  Okoboji  lakes.  On 
the  banks  of  those  lakes  they  staked 
claims  and  then  returned  for  their  fam- 
ilies and  other  adventirrous  homeseekers 
whom  they  thought  would  accompany 
them  on  their  return  and  assist  in  set- 
tling up  the  beautiful  country  they  had 
found. 

Accompanied  by  others,  as  had  been 
anticipated,  these  men  returned,  only  to 
find  that  a  party  of  men  from  Red  Wing, 
Minnesota,  had  come  during  their  ab- 
sence and  "jumped"  their  claims,  .^s 
the  Red  Wing  party  were  armed  and  de- 
clared their  intentions  of  figliting  tor 
the  claims  if  necessary,  the  Webster  City 
people  concluded  to  look  elsewhere  for 
homes.  They  had  not  long  to  search  or 
far  to  go.  They  proceeded  north  and  east 
and  came  upon  the  beautiful  country  of 
magnificent  groves  and  rich  prairie  along 
tlie  Des  Moines  river  in  Jaclvson  county. 
Tliose  wlio  had  families  and  some  who  did 
not  staked  claims  and  erected  log  cabins, 
the  logs  being  cut  from  the  woods  along 
tlie  river.  Among  the  party  were  spee- 
ulatrirs,  who  did  not  intend  to  permanent- 
ly liicati'  Imt  who  picked  out  the  best 
claims  thev  could  get  and  waited  for  some 

"Compiled  largely  from  the  writings  of  Jareb 
Palmer. 


one  to  come  along  and  buy  their  rights. 
ITsually,  if  they  had  a  good  claim,  they 
did  not  have  long  to  wait,  for  claim  hunt- 
ers were  plentiful.  Before  winter  set  in 
several  of  the  claims  had  changed  hands. 

Some  of  those  who  had  come  to  the 
Springfield  settlement,  as  it  was  called  in 
honor  of  the  Woods'  townsite,  returned  to 
Weljster  City  in  the  fall,  sold  their  claims, 
and  induced  a  few  others  to  locate  in  the 
new  settlement. 

Among  the  first  and  most  prominent  of 
the  settlers  of  1856  was  James  B.  Thom- 
as,^ who  came  from  Webster  City  with 
jiiii  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  six 
children,  in  August.  Of  all  the  settlers 
Mr.  Thomas  made  the  best  preparation  for 
winter.  His  claim  was  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  probably  on  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  25,  Des  Moines  township, 
where  he  built  a  comfortable  two-room  log 
cabin  with  a  fireplace  in  each  room.  He 
had  a  number  of  cattle  and  put  up  sufliic- 
ient  hay  to  keep  thcin  through  the  win- 
ter. 

John  Dodson  and  Joseph  Chiflin,  bacli- 
eloj-s,  were  trappers  who  wBre  also  holding 
laud  claims.  They  lived  in  a  little  cabin 
on  Dodson's  claim,  a  couple  of  miles 
northMe«t  of  Woods"  store,  probably  on 
section  22.  These  men  were  pai'tners  and 
kept  a  few  goods  for  the  Indian  trade. 
Chifl'in's  claim  was  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  northeast  of  the  present  day  railroad 
bridge  and  on  section  11.  He  built  a 
cabin  there,  in  which,  during  the  first  part 
of  the  winter,  lived  Robert  Smith,  an  Eng- 
lishman, and  his  wife  and  John  Hender- 
son, a  Virginian,  about  whom  the  reader 
will  learn  more  later  in  this  chapter.  Dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  the  winter  they  lived 
in  the  Wheeler  cabin  farther  down  the 
river.  They  took  adjoining  claims  on  the 
west  side,  above  Woods'  store,  but  did  not 
build. 

"See  biographical  section  for  a  sketch  of  the 
life  of  James  B.  Thomas. 


40 


HiSTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


J.  B.  Skinner  and  wife  located  on  the 
west  side  of  Hit.'  rivt-r,  in  the  timber  only 
a  few  rods  from  the  river  bank,  proba- 
bly on  section  3.  Tliere  ^Mr.  Skinner 
erected  a  log  cabin  in  wliicli  he  and  his 
wife  resided  during- the  early  part  of  the 
winter,  later  moving  down  the  river  and 
moving  into  the  Wheeler  cabin.  Farther 
up  the  river  than  Mr.  Skinner,  on  the 
east  side  and  probably  on  section  34,  Bel- 
mont townshiiJ,  wa.«  the  home  of  William 
Nelson,  wath  whom  lived  liis  wife  and  one 
child.  This  family  also  spent  the  latter 
part  of  the  winter  in  the  Wheeler  cabin, 
in  the  more  thickly  settled  part  of  the 
settlement. 

William  Clnircli  and  family  early  came 
to  tiie  settlement  from  Webster  City,  and 
he  erected  a  cabin  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  a  few  rods  south  of  wlicre  the  ele- 
vators along  the  Milwaukee  road  bow 
stand.  In  this  cabin  lived  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Church,  their  one  child,  Mrs.  Church's 
sister.  Miss  Drusilla  Swanger,  and  a  young 
Gennan,  Henry  Trets  by  name,  who  was 
employed  by  Mr.  Church.  Late  in  the  fall 
Mr.  Church  went  to  Webster  City  to  lay 
in  supplies  for  the  winter,  but  on  account 
of  the  heavy  snow  he  was  uiialile  to  return 
and  was  absent  all  winter. 

-Vnother  one  of  the  early  settlers  was 
Joshua  Stewart,  who  willi  his  family,  con- 
sisting of  a  wife  and  three  children,  re- 
sided in  a  cabin  about  one-half  mile 
north  of  the  Thomas  home,  and  there  ho 
had  his  land  claim.  .\dam  P.  Shiegley,  a 
trapper  of  French  descent,  came  to  the 
claim  and  lived  in  a  cabin  in  a  large 
grove  in  a  ravine  a  short  distance  cast  and 
south  of  the  Thomas  cabin.  He  showed 
his  French  proclivities  by  being  quite 
friendly  with  the  Indians.  He  was  a  wid- 
ower and  brought  to  the  settlement  with 
him  his  boy  of  about  two  years  of  age. 
The  child  spent  the  greater  part  of  the 
winter  with  the  family  of  William  Church 


and  later  was  cared  for  by  Mrs.  Skinner. 

Among  the  other  settlers  who  came  to 
the  Springfield  settlement  in  1856  were 
v..  B.  N.  Strong  (sometimes  referred  to 
as  Hr.  Strong)  and  family,  who  had  a 
claim  and  lived  in  a  cabin  in  a  large 
grove  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  on  what 
is  now  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
3G,  Des  Moines  townshij).  Here  lived  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Strong,  their  one  child,  two  or 
three  years  old,  (during  the  winter  a  sec- 
ond child  was  born  to  them)  and  Miss 
Eliza  Gardner,  who  had  accompanied  the 
family  from  the  Okoboji  settlement." 

Two  other  settlers  of  some  promincn'^c 
in  the  community  were  David  Carver  an'' 
.Idhn  Bradshaw,  who  were  among  the  first 
to  come  from  Webster  City  and  build  in 
the  frontier  settlement.  Both  these  gen- 
tlemen erected  cabins  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  on  section  19,  Wisconsin 
township,  north  and  east  of  Mr.  Stewart's 
cabin,  Jlr.  Carver's  being  the  farther 
noith.  Messrs.  Carver  and  Stewart  com- 
menced building  a  dam  across  the  Des 
Moines  river  (near  the  point  where  Major 
H.  S.  Bailey  afterwards  started  a  brick 
yard)  but  it  was  not  completed.  These 
;:i'iilli'incn  expected  to  sell  the  improve- 
ments to  ]v.irtics  of  means  wlien  they  were 
lompleted.  Both  Carver  and  Bradshaw 
spent  part  of  the  winter  in  Webster  City, 
hut  retuincd  on  foot  early  in  the  spring. 
During  their  absemo  their  cabins  were 
unoccupied. 

•"On  one  occasion,  wlillo  on  a  trip  to  Fort 
Dodge,  father  fell  In  with  a  Dr.  Strong  and 
prevailed  upon  him  tn  visit  the  l:il(<s  with  .a  view 
to  settlement;  hut  after  stninilii);  with  lis  a  few 
days  he  derided  to  locate  at  Springlleld.  His 
family  consisteil  of  himself,  wife  and  one  child 
(two  years  old).  His  wife  heiiiK  in  delicate 
health^  and  he  necessarily  being  away  much 
of  the  time  from  home,  she  persuaded  my  sis- 
ter. Kliza.  to  whom  she  became  attached,  to 
accompany  them.  This  was  in  the  month  of 
October,  and  owing  to  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  on 
the  first  of  December,  followed  by  others  In 
nniek  succession,  until  the  snow  on  the  level 
was  four  or  five  feet  and  in  the  drifts  sometimes 
nfteen  or  twenty,  traveling  w.is  impossible. 
Kliza  was  thus  unable  to  return  and  so  escaped 
the  fate  of  the  rest  of  the  family." — Abble 
r.ardner-Sharp  in  HlstoiT  of  the  Spirit  Lake 
Massacre. 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


41 


On  Nuvoniber  27  Messrs.  Jareb  Pal- 
mer, Nathaniel  Frost  and  Bartholomew 
McCarthy  drove  into  the  Springfield  set- 
tlement from  Webster  City  and  became 
identified  with  the  early  history  of  the 
place,  they  being  the  last  to  arrive  during 
the  year  1856.  As  Mr.  Palmer  has  writ- 
ten so  entertainingly  of  this  trip  and  of 
the  events  upon  his  arrival,  I  here  give 
his  account  as  it  was  published  in  the 
Jackson  Republic  of  September  19,  1884: 

I  was  then  residing'  at  Webster  City  but 
was  not  a  member  of  the  parties  that  left 
there  in  tlie  spring  and  summer  of  1856, 
though  I  was  acquainted  with  some  members 
of  each  party,  but  cannot  pretend  to  give  a 
complete  list  of  their  names.  Late  in  the 
fall  some  of  them  returned  to  Webster  City, 
and  among  tliem  was  Joseph  Elliott,  a  young 
man  who  had  taken  a  claim  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty, then  known  as  the  Springfield  settlement. 
As  he  wanted  to  sell  his  claim  Nathaniel  Frost 
and  myself  bought  it  and  began  making  pre- 
parations for  the  long  and  lonesome  journey 
to  Springfield.  Bartholomew  McCarthy  had 
also  bought  a  claim  of  J.  Griffith. 

We  all  three  set  out  at  the  same  time  and 
journeyed  together  until  the  27th  day  of  No- 
vember, 18oti,  we  arrived  at  the  house  of 
James  B.  Thomas.  .  .  .  The  next  day  we 
set  about  hunting  up  our  claims.  Mr.  Frost's 
and  mine  was  found  to  be  the  gi-ove  next 
south  of  the  large  grove,  being,  I  think,  on 
section   1,   Middletown. 

Mr.  McCarthy  found  his  up  the  river,  being 
the  grove  where  Ole  E.  Olson,  of  Bolmonl. 
now  lives.  But  he  found  that  a  half-breed 
Indian  by  the  name  of  Gaboo  had  built  a 
shanty  on  it  and  was  keeping  an  Indian  trad- 
ing post  there.  He  also  claimed  the  grove. 
Mr.  Frost  accompanied  Mr.  McCarthy  when 
he  went  to  take  possession  of  his  claim.  Ga- 
boo  was  unwilling  to  give  up  the  claim,  but 
hi,  invited  Mr.  McCarthy  and  Mr.  Frost  to 
remain  over  night  with  him,  which  invitation 
they  gladly  accepted. 

Gaboo  had  a  number  of  Indians  camped  out 
near  his  shanty,  and  in  the  evening  they  set 
up  a  great  hubub  of  shouts  and  cries  and 
lamentations  and  curses  and  imprecations.  The 
two  lonely  white  men  began  almost  to  feel 
their  hair  rise,  and  inquired  of  the  half- 
breed  what  it  all  meant.  They  were  informed 
tliat  the  Indians  were  mad  because  the  white 
men  were  trying  to  get  his  claim  away  from 
him  and  that  they  were  talking  of  killing 
them  before  morning.  WHiether  the  whites 
were  really  alarmed  or  not  I  cannot  say,  but 
McCarthy  finally  compromised  with  Gaboo  and 
entered  into  an  agreement  with  him  to  pay 
lu'm  a  certain  amount  of  money  on  his  remov- 
ing from  his  claim,  which  he  agreed  to  do  in 


the  spring.  After  the  claim  dispute  was  thus 
satisfactorily  settled  the  Indians  quieted  down 
and  the  white  men  were  glad  to  seek  their 
repose.  Whether  their  dreams  were  disturbed 
l!\  visions  of  tomahawks  and  scalping  knives 
i  have  never  learned.  In  the  morning  the 
half-breed  told  Mr.  Frost  of  a  claim  up  the 
river  that  had  quite  a  good  grove  of  timber 
on  it;  and  so  Frost  and  McCarthy  hitched 
up  their  team  and  drove  up  to  view  it.  Mr. 
Frost  liked  it  and  concluded  to  take  it,  giving 
up  to  me  his  half  of  the  claim  we  had  bought. 
His  grove  is  the  one  near  John  Monson's,  on 
section  6,  Belmont  township. 

Of  these  three  arrivals  Mr.  McCarthy 
returned  to  hi.s  home  in  Webster  City  ear- 
ly in  December,  with  the  intention  of  com- 
ing back  in  the  spring  and  taking  pos- 
session of  his  claim.  Mr.  Palmer  built  a 
small  cabin  on  his  claim  on  section  1, 
Middletown,  but  made  liis  home  with  Mr. 
Strong,  working  part  of  the  winter  for 
James  B.  Thomas  and  for  the  Wood  broth- 
ers. Mr.  Frost,  who  finally  selected  his 
claim  up  the  river,  did  not  build  or  live 
thereon  during  the  winter  but  worked  in 
the  settlement  further  down  the  river. 

In  addition  to  these  white  settlers  there 
were  in  the  settlement  two  Indian  camps. 
One  of  these,  already  mentioned  in  Mr. 
Palmer's  account,  was  located  on  the  east 
.<ide  of  the  river  on  what  is  now  section 
22,  Belmont.  This  camp  consisted  of 
til  roe  or  four  families  gathered  about  the 
trading  house  of  Josepli  Coursalle,  or  Ga- 
1)00,"  as  he  was  generally  called,  a  well 
known  half-breed  Sioux  who  had  come  to 
the  country  from  Traverse  des  Sioux.  An- 
other camp  of  four  families  was  located 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river  a  short  dis- 
tance above  Woods'  store  and  directly  east 
from  Dodson's  cabin.  This  camp  was 
presided  over  by  Smoky  Moccasin,  or  Um- 
pashota,"  his  Indian  name,  a  medicine 
man  with  the  authority  of  a  sub-chief.  The 
Indians  of  both  these  camps  were  an- 
nuity Sissetons  and  off-shoots  from  Sleepy 

"Return  I.  Holcombe,  in  Minnesota  in  Three 
Centuries,  states  that  the  name  Gaboo,  is  a 
cnrruption  of  Godbout. 

"Hamp-pah-Shota  is  the  spelling-  given  by 
Mr.   Holoombe. 


42 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Eye's  band,  whose  headquarters  were  then 
at  Swan  lake. 

Besides  the  white  settlers  who  liad  be- 
come piTiuaiU'iit  rosidents  of  the  Spring- 
field comnnuiily  and  ^pent  the  winter  in  the 
new  country,  quite  a  number  of  others 
had  been  here  during  the  summer  and 
fall.  Some  of  these  came  with  the  inten- 
tion of  becoming  permanent  settlers, 
erected  cabins,  and  then  returned  to  their 
former  homes  to  spend  the  winter.  Others 
came  for  the  purpose  of  staking  claims 
to  be  disposed  of  later  and  liad  no  inten- 
tion of  living  in  the  country. 

William  T.  Wheeler,  a  lawyer  from 
Jasper  county,  Iowa,  was  one  who  was 
in  the  settlement  during  the  summer  of 
185G.  He  came  and  selected  a  claim  with 
the  intention  of  laying  out  a  townsite  and 
built  his  claim  cabin  a  little  south  and 
west  of  the  present  location  of  the  Mil- 
waukee depot.  This  claim  and  cabin  were 
afterwards  purchased  by  Joseph  Thomas. 
Mr.  Wheeler  remained  only  long  enough 
to  erect  his  cabin.  As  has  been  stated,  the 
Wheeler  cabin  was  occupied  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  winter  by  several  of 
the  settlers  from  up  the  river. 

Others  who  came  but  did  not  remain 
were  Bartholomew  McCarthy,  already 
mentioned;  Joseph  Elliott,  who  sold  his 
claim  to  Jareb  Palmer  and  Nathaniel 
Frost;  J.  GrilTith,'=  whose  claim  Mr.  Mc- 
Carthy had  l)ought;  William  Searles,  who 
came  from  Iowa  with  his  brother  in-law 
William  Nelson  :  and  possibly  a  few  others. 
A  recapitulation  .^hows  us  that  there 
were  the  following  named  forty-two  peo- 
ple residing  in  Jackson  county  during  the 
fall  and  winter  of  1856:" 

"Griffith  was  a  professlonnl  claim  Iradei-  and 
was  ■lulto  an  advertising  medium  for  the 
S|irlngtii-ld   settlement. 

"It  win  lie  remembered  that  of  these  Wil- 
liam Church  was  absent  niarly  all  winter; 
Eliza  Gardner  was  not  a  permanent  resident, 
but  was  a  visitor  with  the  Strong  famll.v:  David 
Carver  and  John  Bradshaw  were  absent  the 
gi cater  part  of  the  winter. 


William  Wood. 
George  Wood. 
Charles  Wood. 

James  B.  Thomas,  wife  and  six  child- 
ren. 

John  Dodson. 
Joseph  Chiffin. 
Kobert  Smith  and   wife. 
Jolin  Henderson. 

J.  B.  Skinner  and  wife. 

William  Nelson,  wife  and  one  child. 

William  Church,  wife  and  one  child. 

Hrusilla  Swanger. 

Henry  Trets. 

Jdsliua  Stewart,  wife  and   three  child- 
ren. 

.\daiii    l".   Sliiegley  and  one  child. 

K.    1>.    X.   Si  long,  wife  and  two  child- 
ren. 

Eliza    Gardner. 

Jaiel)  Palmer. 

Nathaniel  Frost. 

David  Carver. 

.Inhn  Bradshaw. 

The  settlement  consisted  of  thirleen  cab- 
ins, of  which  four  or  five  were  unoccupied 
the  greater  part  of  the  lime.  .\ll  the  cal)- 
ins  were  Imilt  of  logs,  cut  from  tlie  near- 
liv  timber,  and  were  covered  with  "shakes." 
lumlier  being  used  only  for  doors.  Some 
of  the  cabins  had  floors  made  of  punch- 
eons, while  others  had  earth  floors.  Most 
of  them  had  at  least  one  small  window. 
All  of  the  settlers  were  jwor  so  far  as 
this  world's  goods  are  concerned.  The 
Wood  brothers  and  James  B.  Thomas  were 
the  most  fortunate  in  the  possession  of 
property  and  were  domiciled  in  the  best 
cabins  of  the  settlement. 

.Ml  had  come  to  the  settlement  too  late 
in  the  season  to  raise  a  crop  or  even  to 
plant  gardens,  and  only  one  or  two  had 
so  much  as  plowed  a  furrow  of  ground. 
A  few.  but  not  all.  ha<l  put  uj)  enough 
hay  for  the  few  head  of  stock  they  brought 
with  them.     In  consequence  of  these  con- 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


43 


ditions  all  kinds  of  provisions  had  to  be 
hauled  in  from  tiie  nearest  settlements, 
whicli  were  long  distances  away.  These 
were  mostly  brougliL  in  from  Webster 
City,  Iowa,  and  from  Mankato,  Minnesota, 
where  the  mail  for  the  settlers  was  also 
secured.  In  the  early  jjart  of  the  winter 
flour  sold  for  $8.00  to  $10.00  per  hun- 
dred weight,  later  went  to  $15.00  and  in 
the  spring  was  not  to  be  had  at  any  price. 
Potatoes  were  $3.00  per  bushel,  beef  15 
to  20  cents  per  pound  and  other  staples 
in  proportion.  The  last  team  aiTived 
from  the  outer  world  on  November  2,1, 
and  from  that  time  until  the  last  of 
Marcli  the  people  of  the  Springfield  set- 
tlement were  isolated. 

The  winter  of  185G-57  was  one  of  the 
most  severe  that  was  ever  experienced  in 
the  northwest  country  and  will  always  be 
remembered  by  those  who  were  at  the 
time  living  on  the  frontier,  by  reason  of 
its  bitter  coldness,  deep  snows  and  violent 
storms.  On  the  first  day  of  December 
began  a  terrific  blizzard  wliich  continued 
with  unabated  fury  for  three  days  and 
three  nights.  It  left  the  level  ground  cov- 
ered with  two  feet  of  snow  and  all  tlie 
hollows  and  ravines  extending  into  the 
prairie  were  drifted  full,  in  places  to  a 
depth  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet.  The 
storms  followed  each  other  in  quick  suc- 
cession all  winter  and  into  the  spring.  The 
snow  accumulated  on  the  sides  of  the 
bluffs  along  the  river  until  it  would  break 
off  and  fall  in  an  avalanche  to  the  bot- 
tom. It  was  absolutely  impossible  to  get 
about  with  a  team  except  on  the  ice  on 
the  river  bed.  The  settlers  were  illy  pre- 
pared for  any  winter,  much  less  such  a 
one  as  this,  and  there  was  much  suffering 
during  the  long  dreary  season. 

It  was  during,  and  as  a  result  of,  this 
severe  winter  that  the  first  death  occurred 
in  Jackson  county.  During  the  summer 
of  1856  a  military  mail  route  had  been 


established  between  Mankato  and  Sioux 
City.  This  was  a  connecting  link  of  a 
route  extending  from  Fort  Ridgely,  in 
■Minnesota,  to  Fort  Randall,  in  Dakota, 
and  traversed  a  practically  uninhabited 
country.  The  contract  for  carrying  the 
mails  over  this  part  of  the  route  was  let 
to  Marsh  and  Babcock,  of  Mankato,  to 
whom  were  given,  in  addition  to  a  money 
consideration,  a  half  section  of  land  every 
twenty  miles  along  the  route,  upon  which 
they  were  to  build  and  maintain  stations 
for  the  convenience  of  the  carrier.  There 
were  no  postoflices  along  the  route.  In  the 
fall  the  contractors  mapped  out  the  route, 
selected  their  lands  and  built  small  cabins 
thereon,  in  which  were  stored  hay  for  the 
carrier's  pony  and  small  supplies  of  pro- 
visions for  the  carrier.  One  of  these  sta- 
tions was  built  on  the  river  on  section  17, 
Belmont  township;  another  was  on  Round 
lake,  in  the  southwestern  corner  of  Jack- 
son county.  No  one  lived  in  these  cabins 
and  the  carrier  had  to  secure  his  fuel, 
make  his  fire  and  prepare  his  meals  after 
having  traveled,  perliaps,  thirty  or  forty 
miles  through  the  winter  storms.  A  man 
by  the  name  of  Hoxie  Rathban  was  em- 
ployed as  carrier,  making  the  trip  on  a 
pony  twice  a  month. 

Mr.  Rathban  met  his  death  at  the  sta- 
tion in  Belmont  township  on  December 
26,  1856,  after  having  been  exposed  to  the 
teiTible  storms  since  early  December.  He 
had  Ijcen  gone  so  long  on  the  trip  that  the 
contractors  feared  tliere  must  be  some- 
thing wrong,  so  they  sent  two  men  to  look 
for  the  missing  carrier.  The  story  of  the 
finding  of  this  unfortunate  man  is  told  in 
the  language  of  Mr.  Jareb  Palmer: 

Arriving  at  the  mail  station  on  the  Des 
Moines  river  in  this  county  on  the  SCith  of 
December,  they  found  the  mail  carrier  there, 
but  in  a  dying  condition,  being  badly  frozen, 
starving  and  unable  to  speak  or  move.  He 
died  a  few  minutes  after  he  was  found.  He 
had  evidently  been  there  some  time,  but  had 
not  been  able  to  build  a  fire,  probably  being 
loo   badly    frozen   when   he   reached   the   cabin 


44 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


to  have  sufficient  use  of  his  bands  to  do  so. 
lie  liad  lost  liis  pony,  probably  in  some  snow 
drift,  but  liad  the  mail  sack  all  right,  and  in 
it  was  a  letter  postmarked  at  Sioux  City  on 
the  6th  day  of  December.  l''rora  this  circum- 
stance it  was  evident  that  he  had  been  out 
twenty  days  before  he  was  found.  His  suf- 
ferings during  those  dreary  days  must  have 
been  terrible  indeed,  without  the  company, 
assistance  or  solace  of  a  single  human  being. 
He  had  a  wife  and  family  in  ilankato  who 
were  left  to  mourn  his   terrible  death. 

The  men  who  found  Kathban  had  come 
through  with  a  horse  and  jumper.  Tbey  re- 
mained in  the  cabin  over  night  and  ne.xt 
morning  commenced  to  retrace  their  lonesome 
;ind  perilous  journey,  taking  the  frozen  corpse 
with  them.  As  it  happened,  William  Wood 
and  Nathaniel  Frost  had  started  to  .Mankato 
the  same  day  with  ox  teams  to  bring  in  sup- 
plies. The  two  parties  met  near  Kln\  creek, 
about  twelve  miles  northeast  nf  Springlield. 
They  camped  together  for  the  night,  and  be- 
fore morning  another  terrible  storm  set  in  and 
they  had  to  lay  over  all  of  the  next  day  and 
night  without  a  fire,  the  storm  i)utting  it 
out,  but  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day 
the  storm  had  abated  sulficiently  for  them  to 
make  their  way  back  to  Woods'  store,  and 
not  till  then  did  any  of  the  settlers  know  of 
the  death  of  the  mail  carrier. 

The  party  laid  over  at  Woods'  store  until 
the  31st  day  of  December,  when  thoy  once 
more  commenced  their  toilsome  journey  across 
the  prairie  and  through  the  deeply  drifted 
snow,  taking  the  corpse  with  them.  They 
were  four  days  in  reaching  Mr.  Slocum's,  on 
the  Watonwan,  twenty-five  miles  this  side  of 
Mankato.  his  being  the  first  house  on  the 
rouie.  The  weather  was  inti-nscly  cold  and 
the  party  suffered  severely,  some  of  them 
freezing  their  hands  and  feet.  Mr.  Frost  was 
among  the  number  that  suffered  from  frost 
bites.  Mr.  Wood  reached  Mankalo  and  pro- 
cured his  supplies,  but  was  unable  to  haul 
them  through  the  deep  snow,  even  with  ox 
teams.  So  he  left  Mr.  Frost  to  care  for  the 
teams  and  returned  alone  and  on  foot  to 
Springfield. 

William  Wood,  who  was  a  man  of  ex- 
traordinarv  grit  and  ondurant-o,  made  two 
trips  alone  across  tlie  prairie  to  Manka- 
to durinfT  this  winter,  in  addition  to  the 
one  mentioned.  While  on  one  of  these 
journeys  he  was  overtaken  by  a  storm  at 
Cellar  lake  which  put  out  his  fire  and 
drifted  him  under,  covering  him  with 
snow  to  a  depth  of  two  feet.  In  that  con- 
dition he  lay  two  days  and  two  nights. 
The  e.xperience  was  very  painful  as  he 
was  unable  to  turn  over,  but  was  compel- 


led to  remain  in  one  position  until  the 
.'iorm  abated.  Then  with  great  dilfitulty 
ho  dragged  his  benumbed  and  stilTened 
limbs  from  under  the  snow,  made  a  fire, 
dried  his  clothes  and  blankets,  prepared 
and  ate  a  frugal  meal,  and  hastened  on  his 
journey.  It  i.s  such  incidents  as  these  that 
show  what  these  pioneers  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty endured. 

Another  incident  of  the  winter  illus- 
trates the  terrible  conditions  of  the  set- 
tlers about  Springfield  and  brought  forth 
an  act  of  heroism  by  a  self-styled  doctor, 
who  performed  several  successful  amputa- 
tions with  improvised  instruments. 

About  the  first  of  February  Robert 
Smitii  and  John  Henderson,  wiio,  it  will 
lie  remembered,  were  living  in  the  Chiffin 
caliin  some  distance  up  the  river  from  the 
]Hinfipal  .settlement,  ran  short  of  hay, 
and  ratlier  than  see  their  stock  perish  for 
want  of  food,  decided  to  drive  them  to  n 
settlement  on  the  Watonwan  river  near 
Mankato.  Preparing  themselves  as  well 
as  they  could,  they  started  out  on  foot  one 
bright  sunny  morning,  carrying  tiic 
necessary  provisions  and  a  few  blankets, 
driving  the  cattle  ahead  of  them.  Their 
progress  was  slow  and  they  did  not  make 
more  than  ten  miles  when  night  came  up- 
on them.  The  cattle  were  somewhat  weak 
and  were  unable  to  wallow  through  the 
deeps  drifts,  so  Suiith  and  Henderson 
often  had  to  go  ahead  and  break  a  path 
for  them. 

At  night  the  men  made  camp  on  the 
bleak  prairie  and  were  without  shelter  and 
fire.  To  their  dismay  there  came  up  one 
of  those  ever  dreaded  blizzards — the  ter- 
ror of  the  jirairie.  So  violent  had  the 
storm  become  by  daybreak  that  they  aban- 
doned their  cattle,  nearly  all  of  which  per- 
ished, and  sought  to  save  themselves.  They 
endeavored  to  find  their  way  bark  to  the 
settlement,  but  owing  to  the  blinding  snow 
they  could  not  tell  in  which  way  to  pro- 


HISTOEY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


45 


feed.  They  became  completely  lost  and 
wandered  about  the  prairie  all  that  day 
and  all  the  following  night.  They  at- 
tempted to  secure  shelter  by  digging  into 
the  drifts  of  snow  witli  their  hands.  Re- 
alizing that  tlieir  only  liope  lay  in  trav- 
eling until  the  fury  of  tlic  storm  abated, 
tliey  kept  on,  "going  by  gness"  most  of 
.the  time. 

On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  from 
the  time  they  had  left  home  the  weather 
cleared  and  the  unfortunate  Smith  and 
Henderson  were  able  to  discern  the  tim- 
ber on  the  Des  Moines  river.  This  gave 
them  new  hope  and  they  struggled  on  until, 
about  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  they 
arrived  at  the  Wheeler  cabin,  badly  froz- 
en and  completely  worn  out.  Fortunately 
Mr.  J.  B.  Skinner,  whose  home  was  up 
the  river,  had  just  moved  down  to  the 
Wheeler  cabin  and  was  on  hand  to  ren- 
der what  assistance  he  could  to  the  poor 
men.  Everything  was  done  that  kindlieart- 
ed  neighbors  could  do.  It  was  found  that 
one  of  Mr.  Smith's  feet  was  badly  frozen, 
as  well  as  both  of  Jlr.  Henderson's,  whose 
hands   were   also   badly   frozen. 

There  was  no  regular  physician  in  the 
settlement  and  it  was  out  of  the  question 
to  attempt  to  send  for  one.  Both  Mr. 
Skinner  and  Mr.  Strong  bore  the  title  of 
"doctor,"  though  neither  had  practiced 
the  profession.  The  latter  cared  for  the 
unfortunate  men  as  best  he  could  for 
about  tliree  weeks,  when  it  became  appar- 
ent that  if  the  men's  lives  were  to  be  saved 
amputation  of  the  limbs  must  be  made 
at  once.  Mr.  Strong  had  only  a  rudi- 
mentary knowledge  of  surgery,  but  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  take  tlie  only  course  which 
offered  a  possibility  of  saving  life.  Con- 
cerning the  operation  Mr.  Jareb  Palmer 
lias  written : 

Dr.  Stronj;  had  a  large  medical  work  and 
a  few  common  drngs  but  no  surgical  instru- 
ments. However,  he  seemed  equal  to  the  oc- 
casion and  never  seemed  to  doubt  his  ability 


tij  perform  the  necessary  operations  and  set 
about  preparing  the  instruments.  He  was  a 
waj^onmaker  by  trade  and  had  a  chest  of 
tools,  and  out  of  these  he  manufactured  some 
instruments  which  he  thought  would  answer 
the  purpose.  The  back  was  taken  off  a  car- 
penter's bucksaw,  knives  and  nippers  were 
made,  thread  prepared  for  tying  arteries,  etc. 
He  talked  freely  of  the  ways  and  wherefores 
of  the  different  steps  in  the  operation. 

Finally,  everything  being  in  readiness,  on 
the  night  before  he  was  to  undertake  the 
operations,  he  administered  to  each  patient  a 
large  dose  of  laudunum,  as  he  said,  to  deaden 
the  nerves  and  alleviate  the  pain.  Everything 
being  in  readiness,  we  repaired  to  the  house 
where  the  patients  were  staying  and  proceed- 
ed to  undertake  the  unpleasant,  painful  and 
dangerous  operations.  The  doctor  had  called 
to  his  assistance  Mr.  Stewart  and  Mr.  Nelson. 
1  also  assisted  by  holding  the  torniquet.  It 
was  about  the  most  unpleasant  experience  of 
ni_v  life.  However,  what  must  be  done  had 
to  be  done.  With  our  assistance  the  doctor 
amputated  Mr.  Smith's  leg  below  the  knee, 
also  one  of  Mr.  Henderson's,  but  concluded 
the  latter  could  not  endure  anotlier  without 
a  season  of  rest,  so  he  postponed  the  further 
operations  till  the  ne.xt  day,  at  which  time 
Henderson's  other  foot  was  amputated.  Hen- 
derson's hands  were  so  badly  frozen  that  he 
lost  about  one-half  his  fingers.  We  hardly  ex- 
pected he  could  survive  the  double  operation, 
but  he  did,  owing  probably  to  youth  and  a 
strong  constitution.  From  the  time  of  the 
operation  both  men  seemed  to  get  along  as 
well  as  could  be  expected  and  they  ultimately 
recovered.  Henderson  becoming  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  and  Smith  a  baker  in  a  hotel  at 
Fort  Dodge.  Iowa. 

It  was  here  in  the  month  of  February, 
18.57,  on  the  banks  of  tlic  Des  Moines  and 
in  tlie  midst  of  these  primeval  solitudes 
and  such  unpropitious  surroundings  that 
tlic  first  white  cliild  was  born  in  Jackson 
county.  The  cliihl  was  Grace  Strong  and 
was  born  to  Dr.  aii.l  :\rrs.  E.  B.  N. 
Strong." 

Of  the  residents  of  the  Springfield  set- 
tlement oidy  William  Wood  and  Adam 
Sbiegley  liad  any  extensive  knowledge  of 
tl:e  Indians  and  their  ways;  the  others 
•were  igiiorant  of  Indian  customs.  None 
of  tlie  settlers  had  the  least  fear  of  the 
Indians  camped  near  the  whites  or  of 
lliose  small  bands  whicli  occasionally  pas- 

"GracG  Strong  became  a  temperance  worker 
of  national  prominence  and  was  the  author  of 
"The  Worst  Foe."  a  novel  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary merit.  She  died  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  in 
1S90. 


46 


IIISTOHY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


seel  tlirougli."  One  siicli  band  passing 
tlirougli  liming  the  winter  was  led  by  that 
noted  cliief  Sleepy  Eye,  who  with  a  few 
warriors  of  his  band  took  dinner  at  the 
home  of  Dr.  Strong.  None  of  these  par- 
ties had  ponies  with  them  as  the  snow  was 
too  deep  for  them  to  travel.  Whenever 
these  roving  bands  stopped  at  the  settle- 
ment the  whites  invited  the  red  visitors  to 
share  their  shelter  and  food  and  invaria- 
i)ly  trnitod  them  with  kindness.  Xor  did 
the  Indians  appear  in  worse  than  their 
normal  mood. 

Iiikpaduta  and  lii.s  outlaw  band  ]>a<si'd 
tlirough  the  scttlenient  on  their  way  south 
during  the  fall  niid  caiii])ed  on  the  river 
bottom  near  the  site  of  the  lower  bridge 
in  Jackson.  The  members  of  the  band 
visited  from  house  to  house  and  were 
everywhere  received  kindly  by  the  settlers, 

'•■"The  few  settlers  trusted  the  friendship  of 
the  Sioux  implleitly.  ;is  they  [the  Sioux]  at 
that  time  boasted  that  they  had  never  shed 
white  man's  hlood.  During  the  whole  winter  I 
never  heard  a  slnsle  expression  of  fear  or  doubt 
of  their  friendship." — Jareb   Palmer. 


who  shared  with  them  their  scanty  fare, 
which  had  previously  been  transixirted 
over  many  weary  miles  of  trackless  prai- 
rie. The  chief  and  his  warriors  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  Wood  brothers  and  dur- 
ing their  stay  they  bought  some  goodE 
at  the  store,  promising  to  make  payment 
in  the  spring. 

The  story  of  the  Springfield  settlement 
has  been  brought  up  to  the  month  of 
March,  1857,  at  which  time  the  little 
community  was  still  snowliound,  but  ho))- 
ing  and  expecting  that  spring  would  soon 
ajipcar  so  that  the  work  of  farming  and 
iiiipniving  their  claims  might  begin.  Let 
us  now  interrupt  tlie  story  of  events  at 
Springfield  long  enough  to  consider  events 
that  were  taking  place  in  other  parts  of 
the  country — events  which  were  to  jjrove 
nf  l('iril)le  importance  to  our  little  band 
of  frontiersmen,  but  of  which  they  were  at 
the  time  ignorant. 


THE  NEW  YOPK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


*STOn,  LE»»OX   »»• 
TK.CLN  FOUNO'Txx«4. 


CHAPTER  III. 


'I'lIE     SPIRIT  LAKE     MASSACEE— 1857. 


T(i  rJiOl'EKLY  unclen^taiul  the 
conditions  that  preceded,  and  the 
causes  that  led  up  to,  the  outbreak 
of  Inkpaduta's  little  outlaw  band  of  Sioux 
Indians,  culminating  in  the  massacres  at 
the  Okoboji  lakes  and  at  the  Springfield 
settlement  in  March,  18.57,  it  is  necessary 
to  go  back  to  a  very  early  day  for  some 
of  our  information.  WliiK'  the  Indians 
Y\ho  participated  in  the  massacres  were 
Sioux,  they  were  members  of  an  outlaw 
band  of  that  nation,  and  the  outrages  of 
1857  cannot  properly  be  charged  to  the 
Sioux  nation. 

Except  for  a  brief  time  during  the 
war  of  1812  the  Sioux  of  Minnesota  had 
been  faithful  in  their  friendship  toward 
the  whites  from  the  time  of  the  treaty 
made  with  Lieutenant  Pike  in  1805.  This 
was  true  with  only  a  few  individual  excep- 
tions,^ which  can  not  be  charged  to  the 
nation  as  a  whole  or  to  any  individual 
tribe.  Although  all  of  the  recognized 
Sioux  tribes  were  on  friendly  terms  with 
the  whites  until  the  great  outbreak  of 
18G2,  in  the  thirties  there  separated  from 
the  other  tribes  a  lawless  band  which  were 
enemies  to  all  otlier  Indians  and  in  time 
came  to  be  troublesome  to  the  whites.  This 


^The  Sis.seton  Sioux  murdered  two  drovers 
near  Big  Stone  lake  in  1846:  the  same  tribe 
l<illed  Elijah  S.  Terry  near  Pembina  in  1852;  a 
drunken  Indian  killed  a  Mrs.  Keener  near 
Shakopee  in  1852. 


was  the  beginning  of  the  band  which  con- 
ducted the  horrible  butcheries  at  Okoboji 
lakes  and  at  Springfield.  The  story  of  the 
origin  of  this  band  and  its  early  history  is 
interesting. 

During  the  thirties  the  greater  part  of 
the  Wahpakoota  branch  of  the  Sioux  lived 
in  the  Cannon  river  country,  and  its  head 
chief  was  Tah-sah-ghee,  or  His  Cane.  Un- 
der him  was  a  sub-chief  named  Black 
Eagle,  who  frequently  had  a  small  village 
in  the  Blue  Earth  country-.  Black  Eagle's 
band  was  composed  largely  of  desperate 
characters  who  frequently  made  incursions 
against  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  Iowa.  The 
latter  retaliated  by  raiding  not  only  Black 
Eagle's  village  on  tlie  Blue  Earth,  but  al- 
so the  main  body  of  the  Wahpakootas  un- 
der Tali-sali-ghee  in  tlic  Cannon  river 
country. 

About  1839  Tah-sah-ghce  was  murdered 
1)y  some  members  of  his  own  band.  It 
was  commonly  believed  that  the  murder 
was  done  l)y  Inkpaduta ;-  at  any  rate  that 
warrior  was  an  accomplice.  The  killing 
of  their  chief  caused  great  consternation 
and  indignation  among  the  Wahpakootas, 
and  Inkpaduta  and  his  accomplices  were 
forced   to   floe.     Thev   went   to  the   Blue 


inkpaduta.  also  spelled  Inkpadoota.  has  been 
variously  translated  to  mean  Scarlet  End.  Red 
End  and  Scarlet  Point.  He  was  born  on  the 
Cannon   river  about   1800.     Mrs.   Abbie   Gardner- 


47 


48 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Earth  country,  where  Black  Eagle  and 
his  little  baud  were  then  located,  and  took 
temporary  refuge  tiiere.  The  murderers 
were  soon  chased  out,  liowever,  by  the 
Cannon  river  Wahpakootas,  who  vowed 
vengeance.  The  coming  of  Inkpaduta  and 
his  fellow  murderers  broke  \ip  the  band 
of  Black  Eagle  and  tliat  chief  with  some 
of  his  warriors  fled  witli  Inkpaduta  to  the 
northern  Iowa  country. 

The  band  was  now  outlawed  and  all  In- 
dian tribes  were  its  enemies.  Black  Eagle 
became  chief  and  led  his  band  to  many 
adventures  and  over  a  large  territory,  they 
seldom  comingling  with  other  tribes. 
From  time  to  time  additions  were  made  to 
the  band  by  the  arrival  of  some  desperate 
character  from  one  of  the  several  Sioux 
tribes,  who  fled  his  own  country  by  reason 
of  some  crime  committed,  and  fought  n  f- 
nge  with  the  outlaw.-.  Among  those  who 
so  joined  the  band  nt  an  early  date  was 
Si-dom-i-na-do-ta,'  or  All  Over  Red,  who 
fled  from  Sleepy  Eye's  band  of  Sisseton 
Sioux.  Black  Eagle  was  murdered  after 
he  had  been  chief  only  a  short  time  and 
was  succeeded  by  Si-dom-i-na-do-ta,  the 
second  in  command  being  Inkpaduta. 

Wlien  the  outlaw  crew  began  its  career 
it  is  said  to  have  consisted  of  only  five 
lodges.  The  band  gradually  gained 
strength  by  the  acquisition  of  disorderly 
and  turbulent  characters  until  at  one 
time  it  is  said  to  have  numbered  above 

Sharp,  who  wns  taken  prisoner  by  him.  says 
hi    her   History    of  the    Spirit    Ijike    Massacre: 

"As  I  remember  Inkpaciuta,  he  was  probably 
fifty  or  sixty  years  of  age.  about  six  feet  in 
height,  and  strongly  built  He  was  deeply  pit- 
ted by  .smallpox,  giving  him  a  revolting  up- 
penranoe  .and  distinguishing  him  from  the  rest 
of  the  hand.  His  family  consisted  of  himself 
and  squaw,  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  ITls 
naturai  enmity  to  the  white  man.  his  desparate- 
ly  bold  and  revengeful  disposition,  his  hatred 
of  his  enemies,  even  of  his  ow*n  race,  his  match- 
less success  on  the  war  path,  won  for  him 
honor  from  his  own  people,  distinguished  him 
as  n  hero,  and  made  liim  a  leader  of  his  race. 
By  the  whites— especinllv  those  who  have  es- 
caped the  scenes  of  his  brutal  carnage,  to 
wear,  within,  the  garh  of  deepest  mourning, 
from  the  severing  of  social,  parental  and  filial 
ties — Inkpaduta  will  ever  be  remembered  as  a 
savage  monster  in  human  shape,  fitted  only  for 
the  darkest  corner  of  Hades." 

'Also  spelled    Sinommlnee   Doola. 


five  liundred  and  to  have  had  eighty  lodg- 
es. They  were  almost  constantly  at  war 
with  neighboring  bands,  notably  with  the 
Pottawattoniies,  the  Sax  and  the  Foxes, 
and  had  several  bloody  battles  with  these 
tribes.''  This  constant  warfare  greatly  re- 
duced the  renegade  band,  and  when  white 
settlers  began  to  gatiicr  in  their  territory 
tiiey  had  not  tiie  pov.cr  of  former  years. 
Later  wars  with  tlif  Winnebagoes  reduced 
llicir  figliting  force  still  more. 

Of  all  the  Sioux  bands  this  was  the 
only  one  that  made  trouble  for  early  day 
white  settlers,  and  they  were  uniformly 
hostile  to  all  with  whom  they  came  in 
contact,  fear  of  punishment  being  the 
only  restraint  upon  their  lawlessness.' The 
first  instance  of  its  hostility  to  the  whites 
was  in  -184G,  when  the  band  broke  np, 
plundered  and  drove  away  a  party  of  gov- 
ernment surveyors.  Two  years  later  an  at- 
tack was  made  on  another  party  of  sur- 
vej-ors  under  ^Ir.  ^larsb.  who  was  run- 
ning a  correction  line  acro.ss  tlic  state  of 
Iowa. 

*Kulton's  Red  Men  of  low.a  tells  of  some  of 
these   battles: 

"Befoi^  the  removal  of  the  Pottawattomles 
and  the  Sax  and  Fox  Indians  this  liand  had 
several  bloody  battles  with  these  tribes.  The 
most  noted  of  which,  and  that  which  proved 
most  disastrous  to  the  Sioux,  took  place  near 
the  headwaters  of  Raccoon  river.  The  Sioux 
had  waylaid  and  massacred  "a  party  of  Dela- 
wares  who  were  on  their  way  to  visit  their 
friends,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  who  were  then 
holding  a  great  dance  and  festival  near  tin- 
site  of  the  present  city  of  Des  Moines.  Only 
one  Uel.Tware  escaped.  He  hastened  to  the 
camp  of  his  friends.  An  avenging  party  led  by 
that  noted  chief.  Pash-epa-ha.  then  eighty 
years  old.  was  soon  on  the  war  path.  After  a 
Journey  of  a  lumdred  miles  they  overtook  the 
Sioux  and  slew.  It  Is  said,  three  hundred  of 
them  with  a  loss  of  only  eight  of  their  own 
braves. 

"The  Knnd  also  had  several  battles  with  the 
Pottawattomles.  diU'  of  these  took  place  at 
Twin  takes,  about  fifty  miles  west  of  Fort 
I->odge.  :ind  another  tin  the  Srtuth  l.iziird.  In 
what  is  now  Wibsler  county.  The  last  battle 
between  IiidiaTi  tribes  known  to  have  taken 
place  on  Iowa  soil  was  fought  In  1852  between 
a  part  of  this  band  and  a  band  of  Musquakies. 
The  battle  field  Is  not  far  from  the  present 
town  of  Algona.  There  the  Sloux  were  again 
defeated." 

»"  .  .  .  ft  small  band  of  savages,  rene- 
gades and  outlaws  from  the  Sioux,  owing  neith- 
er alleglence  nor  obedience  to  any  chief  or 
band,  or  other  authority,  white  or  red.  They 
were  IshmaelHcs  whose  hands  were  against  all 
other  men.  anil  who  were  particularly  hated  by 
their  own  kindred  and  nation." — Minnesota  In 
Three  Centuries. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


4U 


The  surveyors  of  this  party  had  just 
crossed  tn  the  west  side  of  the  Des  Moines 
a  little  below  the  present  site  of  Fort 
Dodge  when  they  were  met  by  Si-dom-i- 
na-do-ta  and  a  portion  of  his  lawless  band. 
The  Indians  forbade  tlic  surveyors  to  pro- 
ceed and  ordered  them  back  to  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  declaring  that  the  land 
on  the  west  side  belonged  to  them.  After 
making  this  declaration  the  Indians  left 
while  the  whites  conlinued  with  the  work. 
They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when 
the  red  men  returned  and  broke  the  in- 
struments and  wagons  and  robbed  the  sur- 
veyors of  their  horses  and  provisions. 
Marsh  and  his  men  then  made  the  best  of 
their  way  home. 

After  this  the  few  settlers  along  the 
Des  Moines  river  were  made  the  victims  of 
repeated  robberies  and  outrages.  Such 
conduct  on  the  part  of  Si-dom-i-na-do-ta 
led  the  government  to  establish  the  post 
at  Foit  Dodge,  which  was  done  in  18.50. 
For  a  time  peace  resulted  along  the  Des 
^loines,  but  farther  west,  on  the  Eaccoon 
and  Boyer  rivers,  the  savages  continued 
their  old  game.  In  October,  1852,  they 
attacked  and  robbed  a  family  on  Boyer 
liver  and  took  a  young  man  and  young 
woman  prisoners.  A  detachment  of  troops 
from  Fort  Dodge  overtook  a  portion  of  the 
perpetrators  of  this  outrage  and  made 
prisoners  of  Inkpaduta  and  Umpa.shota, 
whom  they  held  as  hostages  until  the  cap- 
tives and  stolen  property  were  returned. 
At  another  time  two  or  three  white  pris- 
oners were  taken  l)y  the  renegades,  but 
wei'o  forced  by  the  troops  to  release  them. 

In  July,  1853,  Fort  Dodge  was  aban- 
doned as  a  military  post,  the  troops  going 
north  and  establishing  Fort  Eidgely  in 
what  is  now  the  extreme  northwest  corner 
of  Nicollet  county.  Minnesota,  on  the 
Minnesota  river  above  New  Ulm.  Si-dom- 
i-na-do-ta  and  his  band  were  not  slow  to 
take  advantage  of  tlie  absence  of  the  sol- 


diers and  they  became  very  troublesome 
to  the  settlers  along  the  Des  Moines,  both 
above  and  below  Fort  Dodge.  Eetribution 
overtook  the  red  handed  leader  of  this 
gang  of  outlaws  in  1854.  An  e.x'cellent 
account  of  his  taking  off  and  the  tragic 
events  which  preceded  it  has  been  given 
by  ^Tr.  Jareli  Palmer:" 

There  were  also  wicked  and  dissolute  white 
men  who  lived  otf  the  appetites  and  baser 
passions  of  the  savages.  Among  these  was  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Henry  Lott,  who  in  the 
fall  of  1840  was  living  ami  conducting  a  small 
trading  station  on  the  Des  Moines  river  a 
short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  Boone 
river,  about  twenty-five  miles  south  of  where 
Fort  Dodge  now  is,  and  I  suppose  his  principal 
stock  in  trade  was  "firewater"  or  whiskey. 

Late  in  the  fall  of  this  year  a  party  of 
Winnebagoes  came  to  his. place  with  a  span 
of  Indian  ponies  which  they  wanted  to  sell, 
and  they  finally  made  a  trade  with  I.ott,  who 
got  the  ponies,  presumably,  for  what  is  usual- 
ly termed  a  song.  Lett's  family  at  this  time 
consisted  of  his  wife,  a  stepson,  about  eigh- 
teen years  old,  an  own  son,  thirteen  years  old, 
and  probably  two  or  three  small  children.  Af- 
ter the  Winnebagoes  had  gone  Lott  took  the 
span  of  ponies  and  started  for  Fort  Des 
]\Ioines  to  get  supplies  for  liis  family  and  for 
trade  with  the  Lidians.  A  few  days  after  he 
went  a  party  of  Sioux  under  Si-dom-i-na-do-ta 
came  there  and  demanded  tlie  ponies,  saying 
the  Winnebagoes  had  stolen  them,  and  when 
told  that  the  ponies  were  not  there  they  re- 
fused to  believe  it  and  ordered  the  oldest  boy 
to  go  out  and  get  tl:em.  The  boy  left  and 
immediately  started  down  the  river  in  the 
hope  of  meeting  his  stepfather.  After  wait- 
ing an  hour  or  two  and  the  boy  not  retuin- 
ir.g,  the  Indians  oi'dered  tlie  younger  boy  to 
go  and  get  the  ponies,  and  lie,  like  his  brother, 
started  down  the  river  to  meet  his  father. 

By  this  time  it  was  nearly  night,  and  dark- 
ness soon  setting  in  and  a  blinding  snow 
storm  coming  on,  the  boy  became  confused 
and  perished  by  freezing  to  death.  The  older 
boy  succeeded  in  reaching  his  father  and  they 
scon  reached  home  and  found  the  younger  boy 
gone.  They,  in  company  with  some  neigh- 
bors, immediately  started  a  search  and  soon 
found  the  lifeless  body  stark  and  cold  in 
death.  Lott  seems  to  have  taken  the  loss  of 
liis  son  very  deeply  to  heart,  and  although 
there  is  no  evidence  of  his  seeking  immediate 
revenge,  he  seems  to  liave  brooded  over  it  and 
awaited  a  favorable  opportunity  to  do  so. 

In  the  meantime  [in  IS.5.3]  the  soldiers  had 
been  removed  from  Fort  Dodge  to  Fort  Ridge- 
ly,  and  Lott  himself,  soon  after  that  event, 
moved  from  the  mouth  of  Boone  river  to 
near   the    mouth    of   Lott's   creek,   on   the   east 

''Compiled  from  Fulton's  Red  Men  of  Iowa  and 
from  personal  interviews. 


50 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


liiancli  of  tlie  Ues  Moines  river  (in  Humboldt 
loiinty,  Iowa),  where  lie  wiis  liviiif;  in  the 
winter  and  early  spring  of  1854.  His  wife 
had  died  prcvions  to  the  time  and  the  sniiill 
ehildren  were  given  in  cliarge  of  his  old  nc-ifjh- 
hors,  only  his  stepson.  Jiow  a  young  man,  ac- 
companying liin\  to  his  new  liomc.  He  was 
still  intent  on  trading  with  the  Indians,  tak- 
ing with  him  a  small  stock  of  goods  and  two 
or  three  barrels  of  whiskey.  I'poii  his  arrival 
he  learned  that  there  was  a  family  of  In- 
dians encamped  a  few  miles  above  him  on 
the  river  and  conceived  the  idea  of  murdering 
the  whole  family  in  revenge  for  the  Indians 
having  unintentionally  caused  the  death  of 
his  son. 

So,  taking  his  stepson,  he  proceeded  (o  the 
Indian  camp,  which  was  occupied  by  Si-dom-i- 
i:a-do-la  and  wife,  mother  and  si.v  children. 
(In  reaching  the  camp  he  told  Si-dom-i-nado- 
ta  lliat  there  was  a  drove  of  elk  feeding  only 
a  short  distance  away.  The  unsuspecting 
Indian  took  his  ritle.  mounted  a  pony,  and  fid- 
lowed  the  white  men  up  on  to  a  prairie,  where, 
sure  enough,  there  was  seen  a  herd  of  elk 
not  far  away.  The  Indian  rode  gladly  away, 
anticipating  a  rare  treat  in  killing  a  fine 
dk  and  thus  replenishing  his  larder.  He  had 
gone  but  a  few  rods  when  botli  men  raised 
their  guns  and  tired,  killing  the  Indian  instant- 
ly. They  then  returned  to  the  cam))  and 
proceeded  to  murder  the  whole  family,  as 
they  supposed,  with  the  exception  of  one 
girl,  some  seven  or  eight  years  old,  who  sli])- 
])ed  out  under  the  walls  of  the  tepee  and 
made  her  escape.  She  hid  in  the  bushes  not 
far  away  until  Lott  and  his  son  had  com- 
pleted their  bloody  work  and  left;  then  she 
returned  to  the  tepee  and  found  her  relatives 
all  murdered.  However,  in  looking  them  over, 
she  discovered  signs  of  life  in  her  oldest 
brother,  and,  bringing  sonu'  water,  she  threw 
it  in  his  face  and  brouglil  him  to.  He  had 
been  knocked  in  the  head  with  an  ax  or 
hatchet,  hut  was  not  seriously  injured.  The 
boy  and  girl  remained  two  or  three  days  at 
the  tepee  in  the  hope  that  some  of  their 
friends  would  come  and  find  them,  but  none 
coming,  they  struck  out  for  a  family  of  white 
people  wliom  they  knew  lived  on  the  west 
fork  of  the  Dcs  Moines,  some  fifteen  miles 
distant.  They  reached  this  place  in  safety 
and  tohl  (heir  terrible  story.  It  was  not  long 
until  the  Indians  became  aware  of  the  mur- 
ders and  they  demanded  that  the  whites  de- 
liver Lott  and  his  son  over  to  them,  to  be 
dealt  with  according  to  the  Indian  idea  i>f  rel- 
ribntion. 

The  settlers  for  thirty  miles  or  more  around 
cngageil  in  a  hunt  for  T.olt  and  his  son,  luit 
they  were  nnalde  to  find  them,  for  Lott  well 
knew  what  would  be  his  fate  if  he  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  enraged  red  men.  So,  im- 
mediately after  committing  his  atrocious  deed, 
he  hitched  up  his  team  and  started  for  Fort 
Des  Moines.  There  he  joined  a  party  of  ilor- 
mons  who  were  about  to  start  across  the 
plains   for   Salt   Lake,  and   as  he  bad   several 


days  start  before  the  murders  became  known 
he  had  no  ditlicully   in   making  his  escape. 

f  afterward  learned  from  reliable  authority 
that  Lott  finally  reached  Oregon,  at  that  time 
a  very  sparsely  settled  territory,  inhabited  by 
several  tribes  of  Indians  who  waged  almcst 
incessant  warfare  against  the  white  settlers. 
There  he  joined  a  band  of  Indians  and  fought 
llie  whites  with  his  red  brethren.  After  one 
of  the  many  lights  the  whites  had  with  the 
Indians,  in  the  spring  of  18.">7.  in  whieh  llie  lat- 
ter were  defeated,  there  was  found  left  among 
the  dead  the  body  of  Lott,  it  being  recognized 
by  a  .vonng  man  who  iiad  known  him  while 
he  lived  on  the  Dcs  Moines.  The  manner  of 
his  taking  off  seemed  to  be  the  execution  of 
a    not   unriglitcous   judgment. 

.\ftcr  tlio  iminlec  of  Si-dom-i-jiii-do-ta 
in  1854  Inkparliita  became  tlie  recognizetl 
Iciulor  of  the  outlaw  Siou.x'  and  oontinucd 
ii])or:ition-:  in  .sontlnvc^tcni  ilinne.sota  and 
!ioitli\vo<torn  Tona,  and  was  very  annoj'- 
in;r  lo  the  settlers  on  the  frontier. 

In  July,  1854,  there  wa.*  a  l)i<j  scare 
among  the  settlers  of  the  whole  of  northern 

'There  is  a  conflict  of  anthnrlt.v  in  regard  to 
tlicse  outlaws  and  esneclally  In  rcKard  to  tlieir 
leaders.  Si-dom-1-na-do-ta  and  Inkpadiita.  Iowa 
authorities  convoy  the  iniprcssion  that  tliero  was 
at  all  times  only  one  band,  of  which  Si-dom-1- 
na-do-ta  was  the  leader,  with  Inkpnduta  a.s 
second  in  command,  and  that  the  latter  as- 
sumed the  chieftanship  upon  the  death  of  the 
former.  Minnesota  authorities  state  that  after 
tlie  removal  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  from  Iowa 
ill  ISJG  there  were  two  hands,  one  operatlnB  in 
Iowa  under  Sl-dnm-i-na-do-ta.  while  a  few- 
others  remaiiK'd  nn  the  upper  Des  Moines  un- 
der the  leadership  of  Iiikpadiita.  Mr.  lloicoinbo. 
in  Minnesota  in  Three  reiitiirie.<».  very  clearly 
explains  the  r.lilionshiii  between  the  two  no- 
torious outlaw  leaders,  and  calls  attention  to 
errors  made  by  Iowa  historians: 

■'Now.  certain  misinformed  people  have  been 
led  lo  bi-lieve  that  the  Siilrit  I  akc  and  Sprlng- 
fleld  murders  were  perpetrated  by  the  Indians 
in  rclallntion  for  the  murder  of  Sintomminee 
Dciota  fSi-dom-i-ua-do-ta]  and  his  family  hy 
llenry  I.ott  and  his  son.  It  Is  asserted  by  some 
Iowa  historians  (Ma.ior  Williams,  before  m*'n- 
lloiied.  seems  to  have  started  the  story)  that 
Sintomminee  Poota  .nnd  Inkpadiita  were  broth- 
ers, and  that  the  latter  when  be  sh-w  the  pco- 
l>le  at  Siilrll  lake  and  riit  off  thiir  heads,  dash- 
ed out  the  brains  of  the  Illtb-  ones  against 
trees  and  houses  and  ra\ished  the  women  and 
Kirls  of  the  Iowa  settlement,  was  merely  tak- 
ing  \'eiijireance  for   the  loss  of  his  brother. 

"The  truth  Is.  Inkpadiita  was  a  Wahpakoot.a 
Sioux,  his  family  were  all  memlH'rs  of  that  band, 
from  sraitheastern  Minnesota,  while  All  Over 
Red  fSi-doni-l-iia-do-tal  was  a  SIsselon.  from 
the  uiiper  Minnesota.  It  Is  doubtful  whether 
Inkpadiita  ever  heard  the  parlleulars  of  ,\II 
Over  Reds  murder:  it  is  certain  that  he  would 
not  have  been  concerned  If  he  had.  With  him 
it  was  every  man  for  himself,  he  never  bad  a 
si'iitlment  so  noble  and  dijinilied  as  that  of 
revenpc.  and  would  not  turn  on  bis  heel  to  re- 
taliate for  the  slauchter  of  his  nearest  friend. 
Of  all  the  base  characters  amonp  his  fellow  out- 
laws, his  nature  seems  to  have  been  the  vilest, 
and  his  heart  the  blackest.  ITe  murdered  his 
own  people — even  those  of  his  own  band.  He 
killed  one  of  his  companions  to  have  his  wife 
In  safety." 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


51 


Iowa,  the  trouble  originating  at  Clear 
lake,  where  a  party  of  three  or  four  Win- 
nebagoes  met  a  young  Sioux  alone  and  kil- 
led him.  The  murderers  sought  protection 
at  the  homes  of  two  white  settler.?  at 
Clear  lake,  Messrs.  Hewitt  and  Dickerson. 
who  had  settled  there  in  1851.  These  set- 
tlers were  friendly  to  the  Winnebagoes 
and  assisted  in  getting  them  to  a  plaee 
of  safety.  The  Sioux  under  Inkpa- 
duta  were  in  an  ugly  mood  over  the  occur- 
rence, searched  the  house  of  one  of  the 
\\hite  settlers,  and  tlireatened  vengeance. 
The  whites  became  alarmed  and  gathered 
at  the  home  of  Mr.  Dickerson.  It  was 
decided  to  form  a  company  and  drive  the 
Sioux  from  the  neighborhood.  According- 
ly twenty-five  whites,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Long,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Sioux  camp  and  demanded 
that  the  Sioux  leave  the  vicinity  at  once, 
whicli  the  Indians  reluctantly  agreed  tn 
do  and  did. 

After  having  been  so  summarily  driven 
from  the  Clear  lake  country,  Inkpaduta 
and  liis  band  returned  to  his  old  hunting 
grounds  on  the  upper  Des  Moines  and 
about  the  lakes  in  Dickinson  county,  Iowa. 
They  continued  to  annoy  the  few  set- 
tlers along  the  Des  Moines  and  its  tribu- 
taries during  the  summer  of  1855.  During 
the  year  1856  they  were  comparatively 
peaceful,  and  no  fear  seems  to  have  been 
felt  by  the  whites  of  the  older  settled  por- 
tions of  the  country  or  by  those  who  push- 
ed farther  out  on  the  frontier — among 
tliem  those  who  came  to  the  Springfield 
settlement. 

Now,  having  told  of  the  origin  and  hav- 
ing given  a  brief  history  of  'this  outlaw- 
band  from  the  time  of  its  organization, 
let  us  take  a  look  at  it  as  it  was  when  the 
settlement  at  Springfield  was  founded  in 
1856  and  then  consider  some  events  that 
led  to  tlie  terrible  massacres  in  the  spring 
of  1857.    In  1855  Inkpaduta  and  his  war- 


riors appeared  at  the  Sioux  agency  and  re- 
ceived annuities  for  eleven  persons,  al- 
though they  were  not  identified  with  any 
regular  band  or  a  party  to  any  treaty.  They 
appeared  again  in  1856  and  demanded  a 
share  of  the  money  to  he  paid  to  the  Wah- 
pakoota  tribe.  This  time  they  wore  re- 
fu.«ed  and  made  a  groat  deal  of  trouble, 
but  were  forced  to  return  to  their  haunts 
on  the  Bix  Sioux  river.*  At  the  time  of 
the  massacre  the  band  consisted  of  about 
a  dozen  warriors  and  their  women  and 
children. 

After  having  sjient  tlie  summer  of  185G 
in  the  Big  Sioux  country,  Inkpaduta  and 
bis  band  set  out  on  a  trip  to  their  Old 
luinting  grounds  and,  as  has  been  previ- 
ously stated,  appeared  at  the  Springfield 
settlement  in  the  fall.  From  their  camp 
at  Springfield  they  proceeded  to  the  lakes 
in  Dickinson  county,  where  they  fished 
and  hunted  and  visited  the  homes  of  the 
whites  settlers,  as  they  had  done  at 
Springfield,  partaking  of  the  whites' 
liospitality  and  thus  gaining  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  number  in  each  house, 
and  making  themselves  familiar  with  the 
conditions  and  surroundings.  From  this 
settlement  they  proceeded  to  the  Little 
Sioux  river,  camping  a  few  days  at  each 
of  the  large  groves. 

The  Indians  spent  several  days  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  home  of  the  Wilcox  broth- 
ers, bachelors,  who  lived  on  tlie  Little 
Sioux,  and  then  went  down  tlic  river  to 
vvhat  was  known  as  the  Bell  and  Weaver 
cabin,  situated  near  the  present  location 
of  Sioux  Eapids,  and  occupied  by  Mr. 
Weaver  and  his  wife  and  his  brother-in- 
law,  Mr.  Bell.  From  that  point  they  con- 
tinued down  the  river,  stopping  at  each 
settlement  a  few  days  to  hunt  and  trap 
and  enjoy  the  hospitalities  of  the  whites. 
They  passed  the  settlements  at  Peterson 
and  Cherokee  and  the  few  settlers  between 

'Paper    read    by    Judge    Charles    E.    Flandreau 
before  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society. 


52 


PflSTORY  OF  JACKROX  COLINTY. 


Iliem  until  thej-  finally  reached  the  town 
of  Sniithlancl,  which  was  located  on  the 
hank  of  the  Little  Sioux,  just  above  where 
it  merges  fnnu  the  hluli's  ;iiiil  l\n\\s  out 
into  the  wide  Missouri  bottom.  .SmithlMiid 
was  then  a  little  town  of  alK)ut  a  do7.(>n 
buildings.  It  wa-;  an  older  setlleiuciit 
than  tliose  the  Indians  had  before  visited 
and  the  whites  tiicre  knew,  or  at  least  had 
heard,  something  of  the  doings  of  this 
l)and  in  former  years,  so  they  did  not  e.\- 
teud  hospitality,  as  had  been  done  by  the 
newer  settlements. 

Ink|iaduta  and  liis  outlaws  camped 
near  the  own  and  i(uinneneed  begging 
and  stealing  food  for  themselves  and  their 
ponies,  much  to  the  annoj'ance  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Smithland.  Fort  the  first  time  on 
the  trip  the  Indians  were  not  received 
kindly  and  for  the  first  time  they  became 
insolent.  A  number  of  incidents  occurred 
which  aroused  the  wrath  of  the  whites 
and  caused  the  Indians  to  become  more 
sullen  and  disagreeable."  Relations  be- 
tween the  white  and  red  men  had  reached 
this  stage  when  the  settlere  decided  to 
order  the  Indians  to  leave. 

Four  or  five  determined  men  armed 
themselves  and  proceeded  to  within  a  few 
rods  of  the  Indian  camp,  when  to  their 
surprise  they  found  Inkpaduta  and  his 
warriors  armed  and  prepared  to  fight. 
They  ordered  the  settlers  not  to  approach 
and  when  the  order  was  not  heeded  the 
Indians  fired  their  sruns  over  the  heads  of 
the  whites,  who  then  returned  to  town. 
The  subject  of  the  actions  of  the  Indians 
was  discussed   and   the  settlers  concluded 

•One  morning  Mr,  Smith,  the  founder  of  the 
town,  einisht  iin  Tiullan  steqlinp  corn  from  his 
crih  nnci  nave  the  redskin  n  somid  cufTinK.  The 
Indians  alleBeil  that  .tI  another  time  while  thev 
were  In  pursuit  of  ell<  they  had  some  dlfflcult.v 
with  Ihf  settlors.  clalmlnK  that  the  whites  in- 
terrupted the  ehase.  It  is  .said  that  nn  Indian 
was  bitten  by  a  dog  belonKlng  to  one  of  thi' 
settlers,  that  the  Indian  killed  the  d"K.  and 
that  the  owner  of  the  dog  then  gave  the  Indian 
a  severe  lieallnK  and  took  his  gun  from  him. 
Another  time.  It  is  said,  the  settlers  drove  oft 
a  party  of  squaws  who  were  stealing  hav  and 
corn. 


that  they  did  not  care  to  feed  so  many 
Indians  when  it  was  difficult  to  get 
enough  food  for  their  own  families,  and 
that  notice  should  be  given  that  they  must 
leave..  Accordingly  all  the  men  gathered 
together  and  went  to  the  Indian  camp  and 
disarmed  the  band,  telling  them  they 
must  leave  the  next  morning,  and  that 
they  might  call  for  their  <nms  then.  The 
Indians  did  not  call  for  their  weapons, 
but  left  without  them. 

The  Indians,  who  claimed  that  they 
were  on  their  way  to  \-isit  their  friends, 
the  Oniahas,  who  at  that  time  lived  just 
across  the  Missouri  river,  now  changed 
their  plans  entirely  and  returned  over  the 
route  by  which  they  had  come.  Their 
fracas  with  the  ]ieople  of  Smithland  had 
put  thoni  in  an  ugly  temper  and  they  at 
once  began  depredations  upon  the  e.xposed 
and  scattered  settlements,  although  thev 
did  not  shed  human  blood  until  thev  were 
on  the  extreme  frontier. 

At  the  fir.st  house  they  came  to  after 
leaving  Smithland,  the  occupants  being 
ignorant  of  the  troubles  at  the  latter  place, 
the  Indians  seized  the  guns  of  the  inmates. 
They  then  rasacked  the  cabin,  taking  all 
the  money  they  could  find  and  what  trink- 
ets pleased  their  fancy.  Inkpaduta  and 
his  warriors  and  squaws  continued  in  a 
iKU-lbeastcrly  direction  toward  Cherokee. 
Iiel]iiiig  thcmselve.s  (o  provisions  and  in 
some  places  killing  cattle  tn  supply  them- 
selves with  meat.  .Vs  the  settlers  along 
this  route  were  from  fen  to  twenty  miles 
apart,  and  as  the  snow  was  of  enormous 
deiith,  ])reventing  trav(>l.  one  settler  did 
not  know  what  was  happening  to  his 
neighbor,  .so  each  in  turn  fell  easy  prey 
;o  the  vagalinnd':  and  none  offered  resis- 
lence. 

Some  fifty  miles  above  Smithland  was 
a  little  settlement  of  about  a  dozen  houses, 
founded  by  a  colony  of  adventurous  men 
from  Massachusetts  and  named  Cherokee. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


53 


The  people  of  this  village  had,  in  some 
maimer,  learned  of  the  outrages  commit- 
ted below  and  had  hidden  their  guns, 
provisions  and  such  valuables  as  the  In- 
dians would  be  likely  to  take.'"  This  ac- 
tion caused  the  Indians  to  become  very 
angry  and  they  threatened  to  take  the 
lives  of  the  settlers  unless  the  hidden 
property  was  produced.  Only  by  a  nar- 
row margin  was  a  massacre  averted.  The 
whites  were  generally  firm  and  the  In- 
dians got  but  little  from  the  settlement. 
They  had  the  satisfaction,  however,  of 
killing  most  of  the  stock  before  leaving. 
At  one  cabin  in  Cherokee  three  bachel- 
ors who  lived  there  did  not  hide  their 
gTins,  nor  did  they  propose  to  give  them 
up.  This  action  resulted  in  threats  to 
shoot  by  both  parties  and  bloodshed  was 
narrowly  averted.  When  the  whites  re- 
fused to  give  up  their  weapons  the  Indians 
cocked  their  guns  and  pointed  them  at  the 
men,  sticking  the  muzzles  almost  in  their 
faces.  The  whites  acted  instantly  and 
brouglit  their  weapons  to  bear  upon  the 
reds  in  the  same  way.  For  a  time  it  looked 
as  though  some  one  would  surely  get  hurt, 
but  neither  party  iired  and  finally  the  In- 
dians lowered  their  weapons.  Before  they 
left  they  succeeded  in  getting  hold  of  one 
of  the  men,  dragged  him  frorh  the  cabin, 
wrenched  his  gun  away  from  him,  and  beat 
and  kicked  him  severely,  breaking  several 
of  his  ribs.  His  companions  finally  got 
him  inside  the  cabin  and  fastened  the 
door.  This  so  enraged  the  Indians  that 
they  fired  several  shots  through  the  door, 
but  none  of  the  occupants  was  hit.  The 
whites  did  not  return  the  fire. 

""At  this  place  the  whites  had  heard  some- 
thing of  the  trouble  before  the  arrival  of  Ink- 
padula  and  his  band,  and,  I  presume,  had  they 
gathered  together  in  one  of  the  log  houses, 
they  might  easily  have  defended  themselves 
against  this  small  band,  but  they  were  in  the 
midst  of  an  Indian  country,  and  should  they 
fire  upon  and  kill  any  of  the  redskins,  it  was 
supposed  that  it  would  precipitate  the  whole 
Sioux  nation  upon  themselves  and  other  de- 
fenseless settlers.  I  might  here  remark  that 
.  the  same  idea  and  feeling  prevailed  among 
nearl.v  all  the  people  on  the  frontier  at  that 
time." — Jareb    Palmer. 


As  the  savages  proceeded  up  the  Little 
Sioux  they  became  still  bolder  and  more 
insolent,  stealing  all  the  horses  from  the 
settlers,  destroying  all  the  property  that 
was  too  bulky  for  them  to  take  with 
them,  and  in  several  instances  ravishing 
white  women.  From  Cherokee  they  pro- 
ceeded to  Peterson,  in  Clay  county,  where 
the  story  of  their  outrages  having  preced- 
ed them,  the  settlers  had  secreted  their 
weapons,  provisions  and  valuables.  But 
by  bullying  and  abusing  the  settlers  the 
Indians  compelled  many  to  produce  their 
hidden  stores,  of  which  the  outlaws  took 
what  they  wanted.  At  this  place  they  took 
two  girls,  aged  seventeen  and  twelve  years, 
to  their  camp.  The  younger  they  released 
the  next  day,  but  the  older  girl  they  kept 
in  their  camp  more  than  a  week.  When 
they  were  ready  to  leave  the  young  lady 
was  permitted  to  return  to  her  home. 

From  Peterson  the  red  devils  proceeded 
to  the  cabin  of  Bell  and  Weaver.  Here 
they  committed  all  kinds  of  deviltry,  some 
so  revolting  as  to  be  unfit  to  print.  Among 
other  things,  the  Indians  amused  them- 
selves by  compelling  Mr.  Bell  to  stand 
against  the  wall  while  they  threw  their 
long  knives  and  stuck  them  in  the  wall 
around  his  head.  After  the  redskins  had 
left,  Mr.  Bell  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver 
started  out  on  foot  across  the  trackless 
and  snow-covered  prairie  in  seeming  fu- 
tile attempt  to  reach  Fort  Dodge,  fifty 
miles  away.  After  enduring  the  most  in- 
tense suffering  from  fatigue,  hunger  and 
exposure,  the  fugitives  reached  Fort 
Dodge  and  were  the  first  to  bring  intelli- 
gence of  the  dangerous  situation  on  the 
frontier. 

Major  William  Williams,  of  Fort  Dodge, 
had  Ijeen  authorized  by  the  Iowa  legislature 
to  take  measures  for  the  protection  of  the 
frontier  should  he  deem  it  to  be  in  dan- 
ger. Therefore  he  at  once  organized  a 
company  of  fifty  men  and  was  soon  on  his 


54 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


way  to  the  settlements  on  the  Little  Sioux. 
Upon  his  arrival  he  found  that  the  In- 
dians had  gone.  After  learning  tlie  par- 
ticulars of  the  atrocities  committed,  Ma- 
jor Williams,  instead  of  following  the  In- 
dians, as  it  would  seem  it  was  his  duty 
to  do,  gave  what  relief  he  could  to  the 
people  who  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of 
the  Indians  and  tlien  returned  liome." 

From  the  Bell  and  Weaver  cabin  Ink- 
paduta  and  his  Indians  went  to  the  Wil- 
lox  lahin,  where  ihev  conlinueil  tlieir  dep- 
redations, hut  fortunately  there  were  no 
women  there.  They  took  three  horses  be- 
longing to  the  Wilcox  brotliore  and  then 
proceeded  eastward  to  the  Okoboji  lakes 
settlement. 

Such  was  the  gang  of  desperadoes  ap- 
proaching tiie  exposed  settlements  and  the 
unsuspecting  settlers  on  the  extreme  fron- 
tier at  Okoboji  lakes  and  at  Springfield. 
No  warning  had  they  that  Inkpaduta  and 
bis  riitnan  band,  wlio  liad  been  peaceably 
inclined  on  their  visit  in  the  fall,  was  re- 
turning in  a  far  different  mood,  bent  on 
murder. 

The  Indians  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of 
Okoboji  lakes  on  the  evening  of  March 
T'-'  and  went  into  camp  near  the  cabin  of 
Mr.  Mattock,  where  Arnold's  Park  is  now. 
The   band    consisted    of   fifteen    warriors, 

"It  is  barely  possible  that  Major  Williams  <1U1 
not  know  that  there  were  white  settlers  in  the 
direction  in  which  the  Indians  had  Kone.  Mr. 
Jarcb  Palmer  has  written  of  this  possibility 
as  follows: 

•On  rea.hing  the  Little  Sioux  he  I.Major  Wil- 
liamsl  found  that  the  Indians  liad  left,  they 
having  gone  In  the  direction  of  Spirit  lake.  The 
settlement  at  Spirit  lake  was  of  so  recent  date 
that  I  presume  the  major  was  ignorant  of  its 
existence  .ind  it  is  possilile  that  he  had  never 
•  veil  heard  of  Spirit  lake  itself,  as  it  was  only 
Just    beginning  to   lie  talked   al)out." 

'=Thls  is  undoubttdly  the  date  of  their  ar- 
rival an<l  is  tile  one  given  by  Mrs.  Sharp.  Judge 
Flandreau  savs  thev  must  have  arrived  on  the 
Bth  or  7th.  R.  A.  Smith.  In  his  history  of 
Dickinson  county,  gives  an  earlier  date  and 
says:  "A  letter  found  upon  the  ground  writ- 
ten by  Dr.  Harriot,  dated  March  B  (two  days 
before  tin-  mass-irrt  t.  ri-fi-rrfd  Ii)  the  fact  that 
the  Indians  were  camped  tliere.  that  they  were 
on  friendly  terms  witli  them  and  that  they  had 
done  .Mome  trading  with  them.  Other  matters 
were  referr<'d  to  in  the  letter  wliich  showed 
that  they  had  no  suspicions  of  danger."  It  Is 
very  probable  that  the  Indians  who  arrived  be- 
fore the  7th  were  members  of  some  other  band, 
or,   possibly,  scouts  from   the  renegade   band. 


including  Inkpaduta,  with  the  squaws, 
papooses  and  the  u.sual  complement  of 
ponies,  dogs  and  other  appurtenances  of 
an  Indian  camp.  On  the  morning  of  the 
8th  began  the  awful  massacre.  No  white 
pereou  knows  tlie  particulars  of  the  be- 
ginning of  the  butcliery,  for  at  the  Mat- 
tock home,  where  it  began,  all  were  killed. 
The  killing  of  tlie  settlers  continued  for 
several  days,  at  tlie  end  of  which  time 
every  white  person  in  the  Spirit  lake  coun- 
try, witli  the  exception  of  four  women 
captives,  was  murdered,  while  none  of  the 
Indians,  so  far  as  is  known,  was  harmed. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  go  into  the 
details  of  this  butchery  at  Okoboji  liikes, 
commonly  called  the  Spirit  lake  mas- 
sacre,'^ but  to  simply  give  a  few  facts 
concerning  it,  that  liie  reader  may  gain 
an  idea  of  the  temper  of  the  Indians  when 
they  attacked  Springfield.  In  fact,  tlic 
only  approach  to  an  authentic  account  of 
the  massacre  is  that  given  by  Mrs.  Abbie 
(iiirdnor-Sharp.  and  her  story  is  confined 
principally  Id  tlu'  events  at  her  father's 
jiouse. 

When  the  Indians  appeared  in  the  set- 
tlement on  tlic  ludining  of  JIarch  S  they 
continued  the  insolent,  overbearing  man- 
ner tliey  had  employed  on  tlie  Little 
Sioux,  those  of  the  whites  who  came  in 
ccnitact  with  them  noticing  lliat  they  dis- 
played tlieir  sullcnness  and  insolence  to 
an  unusual  degree.  Some  of  the  settlers 
became  alarmed,  but  others  |)rofessed  to 
lielieve  thai  (he  Indians  were  simply  in 
one  of  th.'ir  pecvi.^h  mnods.  and  scouted 
tlie  idea  of  any  serious  trouble.  At  break- 
fast time  an  Indian  came  to  the  home  of 
Rowland  Gardner,  one  of  the  prominent 
settlers  of  the  place,  and  was  given  his 
lircakfast.      He    was    followed    by    others 

"Out  of  about  forty  people  killed  In  this  mas- 
.sacre  only  one  was  killed  on  Spirit  lake;  the 
others  had  their  homes  on  the  Okoboji  lakes. 
.\t  the  time  the  whole  lake  country  of  Dickin- 
son county  was  known  as  the  Spirit  lake  coun- 
try; hence  the  commonly  applied  name  of  the 
massacre. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


55 


until  the  whole  fighting  force,  including 
liilqjaduta  and  his  fourteen  warriors,  with 
tiieir  squaws  and  papooses,  were  in  the 
house,  and  all  were  fed.  Suddenly  they 
became  sullen,  demanding  ammunition 
and  numerous  other  things,  and  not  hav- 
ing all  their  requests  granted,  attempted 
to  shoot  one  of  the  inmates.  They  prowl- 
ed around  the  place  until  noon  and  then 
went  away,  taking  Mr.  Gardner's  cattle 
with  them  and  shooting  them  on  the  way 
back  to  camp. 

The  Indians  returned  to  this  home  in 
the  afternoon,  took  Miss  Abbie  Gardner, 
then  fourteen  years  of  age,  prisoner,  and 
murdered  the  rest  of  the  family.  Miss 
Gardner  (now  Mrs.  Sharp)  has  graphi- 
cally described  the  murder  of  her  family 
in  her  History  of  the  Spirit  Lake  Mas- 
sacre, from  which  I  quote : 

About  three  o'cloelc  we  heard  the  report  of 
guns,  in  rapid  succession,  from  the  house  of 
Mr.  Mattock.  We  were,  then,  no  longer  in 
doubt  as  to  the  awful  reality  that  was  hang- 
ing over  us.  Two  long  hours  we  passed  in 
this  fearful  anxiety  and  suspense,  waiting 
and  watching,  witli  conflicting  hopes  and  fears, 
for  Mr.  Luce  and  Mr.  Clark  [who  had  gone 
to  warn  some  of  the  neighbors]  to  return.  At 
length,  just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  behind 
the  western  horizon,  shedding  its  brilliant  rays 
over  the  snowy  landscape,  father,  whose  anx- 
iety would  no  longer  allow  him  to  remain 
witliin  doors,  went  out  to  reeonnoiter.  He, 
however,  hastily  returned,  saying:  "Nine  In- 
dians are  coming,  now  only  a  short  distance 
from  the  house,  and  we  are  all  doomed  to 
die.''  His  first  tliought  was  to  barricade  the 
door  and  fight  till  the  last,  saying:  "While 
they  are  killing  all  of  ns,  I  will  kill  a  few 
of  them  with  the  two  loaded  guns  still  left 
in  tlie  house.''  But  to  this  motlier  protested, 
having  not  yet  lost  all  faith  in  the  savage 
monsters,  and  still  lioping  tliey  would  appre- 
ciate our  kindness  and  spare  our  lives  she 
said:  "If  we  have  to  die,  let  ns  die  innocent 
of  shedding  blood." 

Alas,  for  the  faith  placed  in  tliese  inhuman 
monsters!  They  entered  tlie  house  and  de- 
manded more  flour;  and,  as  father  turned  to 
get  them  what  remained  of  our  scanty  store, 
they  shot  him  through  tlie  heart;  he  fell  iipon 
his  right  side  and  died  without  a  struggle. 
Wlien  first  the  Indian  raised  his  gun  to  fire, 
mother  or  Jlrs.  Luce  seized  the  gun  and  drew 
it  down;  but  the  other  Indians  instantly  turn- 
ed upon  them,  seized  them  by  tlie  arms,  and 
beat    them    over    the    head    with    the    butts    of 


tlieir  guns;  tlien  dragged  them  out  of  doors 
and  killed  them  in  the  most  cruel  and  shock- 
ing manner. 

They  then  began  an  indiscriminate  destruc- 
tion of  everything  in  the  house;  breaking 
open  trunks  and  taking  out  clothing,  cutting 
open  feather  beds,  and  scattering  the  featliers 
everywhere.  When  the  Indians  entered  the 
house,  and  during  these  awful  scenes,  I  was 
seated  in  a  chair,  holding  my  sister's  baby  in 
my  arms;  her  little  boy  on  one  side,  and  my 
little  brother  on  the  other,  clinging  to  me  in 
terror.  Tliey  next  seized  the  children,  tearing 
them  from  me  one  by  one,  while  they  reached 
tlieir  little  arms  to  me,  crying  piteously  for 
piutection  that  I  was  powerless  to  give.  Heed- 
Jess  of  their  cries,  they  dragged  them  out  of 
doors  and  beat  them  to  death  with  sticks  of 
stovewood. 

All  this  time  I  was  both  speechless  and 
tearless;  but  now,  left  alone,  I  begged  them 
to  kill  me.  It  seemed  as  though  I  could  not 
wait  for  them  to  finish  their  work  of  death. 
One  of  them  approached,  and  roughly  seizing 
me  by  the  arm  said  something  I  could  not 
understand,  but  I  well  knew,  from  their  ac- 
tions, that  I  was  to  be  a  captive.  All  the 
terrible  tortures  and  indignities  I  had  ever 
read  or  heard  of  being  inflicted  upon  their 
captives  now  arose  in  horrid  vividness  before 
me. 

After  ransacking  the  house  and  taking 
whatever  they  thought  might  be  serviceable, 
such  as  provisions,  bedding,  arms  and  am- 
munition, and  after  the  terrible  scalping  knife 
had  done  its  terrible  work,  I  was  dragged 
from  the  never-to-be-forgotten  scene.  No  lan- 
guage can  ever  suggest,  much  less  adequately 
portray,  my  feelings  as  I  passed  that  door. 

With  a  naturally  sensitive  nature,  tenderly 
and  aft'ectionately  reared,  shuddering  at  the 
^■ery  thought  of  cruelty,  you  can,  my  dear 
reader,  imagine,  but  only  imagine,  the  agony 
I  endured  when  so  suddenly  plunged  into 
scenes  from  which  no  element  of  the  terrible 
or  revolting  seemed  wanting.  Behind  me  I 
left  my  heroic  father,  murdered  in  a  cowardly 
manner  in  the  very  act  of  extreme  hospital- 
ity; shot  down  at  my  feet,  and  I  had  not  the 
privilege  of  impressing  one  farewell  kiss  upon 
his  lips,  yet  warm  with  life  and  affection.  Just 
outside  the  door  lay  the  three  children — so 
dear  to  me — bruised,  mangled  and  bleeding; 
while  their  moans  and  groans  pierced  my 
ears  and  called  in  vain  for  one  loving  caress 
which  I  was  prevented  from  giving  them.  A 
little  farther  on  lay  my  Christ-like  mother, 
who  till  the  very  last  had  pleaded  the  cause 
of  her  brutish  murderers,  literally  weltering 
in  her  own  blood.  Still  farther  on,  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  house,  in  a  similar 
condition,  lay  my  eldest  sister,  Mrs.  Luce, 
who  had  been  so  intimately  associated  with 
me  from  earliest  recollections.  Amid  these 
scenes  of  unutterable  horror  I  took  my  fare- 
\\ell  look  upon  father,  mother,  sister  and 
brother  and  my  sister's  little  ones. 

Filled     with     loathing     for     these     wretches 


56 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


whose  hands  were  still  wet  with  the  blocd  of 
those  dearest  to  me,  and  at  one  of  whose  belts 
still  hung  the  dripping  scalp  of  my  mother, 
with  even  the  much  coveted  boon  of  death 
denied  nie,  wc  plunged  into  the  gli)oin  of  the 
forest  and  the  coming  nighl;  hut  neither  the 
gloom  of  the  forest,  nor  l!ie  blackness  of  the 
night,  nor  both  combined,  could  begin  to  sym- 
bolize the  ilarknes-  of  niv  Unor-strieken 
heart. 
Another  place  of  butchery  was  at  the 

lioiue  of  Mr.  Mattock,  where  an  abortive 
attempt  at  defense  had  been  made.  Ap- 
parently the  whites  iiad  been  in  the  house, 
and  the  Indians,  to  drive  them  out,  had 
fired  the  cabin — the  only  instance  in 
which  a  cabin  was  burned.  A  few  weap- 
ons were  found  near  the  bodies  of  some 
of  the  slain  men,  leading  to  the  belief 
that  a  fight  had  been  made.  Mrs.  Sharp 
describes  the  scenes  at  this  point  as  she 

remembers  them: 

A  tramp  of  about  one  mile  brought  me  to 
the  camp  of  niy  captors,  whicji  was  the  home 
of  Mr.  Mattock,  llcre  the  sights  and  sounds 
that  met  the  eye  and  ear  were  truly  appall- 
ing. The  forest  was  lighted  by  the  camp  fires 
and  also  by  the  burning  of  the  cabins,  and 
the  air  was  rent  with  the  unearthly  war- 
wlioop  of  the  savages  and  the  shrieks  and 
groans  of  two  helpless  victims  conlined  in  the 
burning  cabin,  sull'ering  all  the  agonies  of  a 
liery  death.  .Scattered  upon  the  ground  were 
a  number  of  bodies,  among  which  1  recognized 
that  of  Dr.  Harriot,  rifle  still  in  hand;  as 
well  as  the  bodies  of  :Mr.  Mattock,  Mr.  Sny- 
der and  others,  with  rilles  near  them,  some 
broken.  AH  gave  evidence  that  an  attempt 
at  resistance  had  been  made,  but  too  late. 

A  few  olliers  were  murdered  during  tiie 
day,  making  a  total  of  twenty  lives  taken 
on  that  8th  day  of  JMaiLh.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  Mr*.  Siiarp: 

All  this  must  be  celebrated  by  the  war- 
dance — that  hideous  revelry  that  seems  to 
have  been  borrowed  from  the  lowest  depths  of 
Tartarus.  Near  the  ghastly  corpses  and  over 
the  blood-stained  snow,  with  blackened  faces 
and  fierce  uncouth  gestures,  and  with  wild 
screams  and  yells,  they  circled  round  and 
round,  keeping"  time  to  the  dullest,  dreariest 
sound  of  drum  and  rattle,  until  complete  ex- 
haustion compelled   them   to  desist. 

On  the  0th  the  demons  completed  their 
work  of  carnage  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity by  the  murder  of  the  four  remaining 
families  and  the  taking  of  two  more  wom- 


en prisoners.  Mrs.  T^ydia  Noble  and  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Thatcher.  At  one  home  they 
seizctl  tiie  ciiildren  by  the  feet,  dragging 
tJicm  from  their  mother's  arms,  and  dash- 
ed their  brains  out  against  an  oak  tree. 
On  tlie  lOtii  (hey  bn)ke  camp  and  crossed 
West  Okoboji  lake  on  the  ice,  traveled  to 
the  west  a  distance  of  three  miles,  and 
went  into  camp.  The  savages  broke  camp 
again  on  the  11th  and  moved  northwest- 
cily  to  tlie  Marble  grove  on  tlie  west  side 
(if  Spirit  lake.  Tlicy  were  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  there  were  any  more  whites 
in  the  vicinity  and  did  not  find  it  out 
until  the  13th,  when  they  murdered  Mr. 
Marble  and  took  his  wife,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Marble,  prisoner.  This  was  the  last  butch- 
cry  in  the  vicinty  and  tlu'  event  was  ecle- 
b rated  by  a  war  dance. 

Friim  tliis  camp  on  Sj)iril  lake,  on  the 
i:Uli,  lnl<i)a(iuta  and  his  bloodthirsty  war- 
riors, with  the  booty  and  captives,  set  out 
in  a  northerly  direction  and  entered  Jack- 
sou  county.  They  traveled  in  a  leisurely 
manner,  camping  in  the  groves  along  the 
streams  and  by  the  little  lakes,  never  stop- 
])ing  more  than  one  night  in  a  place,  feast- 
ing upon  the  provisions  taken  from  their 
victims.  During  this  journey  they  were 
])lanning  the  attack  on  the  Springfield 
settlement  and,  according  to  Jfrs.  Sharp, 
were  negotiating  with  the  Indians  of  Um- 
pashota's  and  Gaboo's  cam])S  for  assis- 
t:ince  in  the  work.  On  the  3()th  of  March 
lanip  was  pitched  on  the  bank  of  Heron 
lake,  some  fifteen  miles  from  tlie  Spring- 
field settlement. 

Let  ns,  for  the  time  being,  leave  this 
led-handed  band  of  murderers  at  their 
camp  on  Heron  lake,  making  preparation 
for  future  crimes,  and  again  take  up  our 
story  of  the  Springfield  settlers  as  we  left 
them,  anxiously  waiting  for  the  opening 
of  spring. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  SPRINGFIELD  MASSACRE— 1857. 


THE  massacre  at  Okoboji  lakes  had 
occurred  without  warning;  the 
settlers  there  had  no  inkling  that 
the  redskins  were  on  the  warpath.  At 
Spring-fiekl  ample  warning  Iiad  been  given. 
During  the  winter  the  Indians  of  the 
Springfield  settlement  seem  to  have 
known,  or  at  least  expected,  that  tlierc 
was  soon  to  be  trouble  between  Inkpadu- 
ta's  band  and  tlio  wihtes.  Some  time  dur- 
ing the  winter  Adam  P.  Shiegley,  the 
trapper  who  made  his  home  near  the  other 
whites  of  the  settlement,  had  asked  the 
daughter  of  IJmpashota  to  marry  him,  but 
she  declined  his  offer,  saying  that  there 
was  going  to  be  war  between  the  whites 
and  Indians  and  that  if  she  were  to  mar- 
ry him  the  Indians  would  kill  both  of 
them.  Mr.  Shiegley  did  not  mention  the 
fact  until  after  the  mas,sacre,  and  the  in- 
fonnation  would  probably  have  been  con- 
sidered of  little  importance  if  he  had. 

The  first  intimation  that  the  people  of 
Springfield  had  that  there  was  a  possi- 
bility of  trouble  came  from  a  member  of 
Inkpaduta's  band.  It  was  one  day  early 
in  March,  only  a  few  days  before  the  Spir- 
it lake  massacre,  that  Black  Buffalo,  one 
of  the  outlaw  Indians  with  whom  the 
Wood  brothers  were  acquainted,  came  to 
tlie  store  at  Springfield  when  George 
Wood  and  Jareb  Palmer  were  there.     In- 


stead of  going  up  the  river  to  the  Indian 
campj  as  most  wandering  Indians  were  in 
tlie  habit  of  doing.  Black  Buffalo  remain- 
ed at  the  store  and  spent  the  night  there. 
He  came  from  the  direction  of  Spirit  lake 
and  said  the  band  was  camped  near  there. 
The  Indian  bought  a  few  cheap  trinkets 
and  a  half  bushel  of  potatoes,  borrowed  a 
sack  to  put  them  in,  and  promised  to  re- 
turn the  sack  full  of  feathers  to  pay  for 
liis  purchases.  Before  leaving,  Black 
Buffalo  told  Mr.  Wood  that  war  had  been 
declared  against  the  whites  and  ilr.  Wood 
told  i\Ir.  Palmer  after  the  Indian  had  de- 
parted. 

Black  Buffalo  was  undoubtedly  a  spy, 
come  to  investigate  conditions  in  the  lit- 
tle -;ettlement,  but  why  he  told  ilr.  Wood 
of  the  intentions  of  tiie  Indians  is  hard  to 
understand,  unless  he  jjersonally  was 
friendly  to  the  storekeeper  and  desired  to 
give  him  an  opportunity  to  escape.  At 
any  rate  the  warning  was  not  heeded.  Mr. 
Wood  seemed  to  place  no  confidence  in 
the  statement  and  treated  the  incident 
liglitly.  Mr.  Palmer,  in  after  years,  wrote: 
"I  must  confess  that  for  myself  I  regard- 
ed it  merely  a.s  an  Indian  lie,  or  as  we 
would  call  it,  a  canard,  and  I  do  not  think 
that  I  ever  thought  of  it  again  until  sub- 
sequent events  brought  it  vividly  to  my 
mind." 


57 


58 


llISTOliV  OF-TAf'KSOX  CorNTY. 


On  JIareh  9  (the  Spirit  lake  massacre 
had  ooiiiiiieiuivl  tlie  day  Ik'Toiv)  tlireo  In- 
dians with  tlieii-  squaws  and  three  or  four 
papooses,  came  to  the  settlcimiit  from  the 
direction  of  Spirit  lake,  all  appearing  to 
be  very  excited,  to  be  in  great  iiaste  and 
much  fatigued.  They  came  first  to  Dod- 
son's  cabin  and  a  little  later,  after  having 
been  fed,  they  went  to  I'lnpashotas  camp. 
A  little  girl,  seven  or  eight  years  of  age, 
was  coniiiletely  worn  out  and  fell  down 
exhausted  outside  Mr.  Dodson's  cabin. 
She  was  unable  to  rise  until  a  scpiaw  gave 
her  several  energetic  kicks,  when  she 
managed  to  get  up  and  go  into  the  cabin. 
Tlu'se  Indians  probably  came  from  Spirit 
lake  alter  the  massacre  had  started,  either 
because  they  did  not  want  to  take  part  in 
it  or  for  some  other  reason.  They  said 
nothing  of  the  doings  at  Okoboji  lakes  to 
the  whites,  although  they  doubtless  told 
their  red  brothers  at  l'mi)ashotaV. 

So  far  as  1  am  able  to  learn,  these  were 
the  only  suggestions  the  people  of  Spring- 
field had  that  conditions  were  not  normal 
— and  these  could  not  properly  be  constru- 
ed as  warnings,  except  in  the  light  of 
later  events — until  ^Mardi  11.  In  this 
day  of  railroads,  telephone  and  telegraph, 
with  a  home  on  every  {piarter  .section  of 
land,  such  an  event  as  ilic  Spirit  lake 
massacre  would  lie  known  in  the  utter- 
most parts  of  the  worhl  within  a  few 
hours.  Then  the  butchery  of  over  forty 
people  less  than  twenty  miles  distant  was 
unknown  in  the  Springfield  settlement 
until  ihrci'  clays  afterward,  and  it  was 
only  by  chance  that  they  learned  of  it 
then. 

On  the  eleventh  of  March'  tlure  ap- 
peared in  the  Springfield  settlement  Mor- 
ris Markliaiii.  (ieorge  Granger  and  a  (rap- 
pi'r,  wiiose  name  is  unknown,  bearing  the 
awful    intelligence   tiial    the   entire   Spirit 

'Mr.  Hol<-i)mbp.  in  MiniU'»otn  in  Threo  On- 
tiirles.  sjiys  tlint  Mr.  Markham  did  not  arrive 
In  the  settlement  until  the  seventeenth,  lull  in 
this    tie    is    mistaken. 


lake  settlement  had  been  wiped  out  by 
the  Indians,  that  not  one  was  left  to  tell 
of  the  awful  carnage.-  Now,  strange  as  it 
may  seem,  this  news  did  not  create  any 
great  consternation  or  alarm  at  first,  and 
by  some  it  was  not  even  believed  in  its 
details.  Those  living  on  the  frontier  in 
the  early  days  were  accustomed  to  fre- 
(pient  startling  rumor.-,  of  uprisings  which 
had  no  foundation  in  fact,  and  all  talcs 
of  Indian  atrocities  were  received  w  itii  al- 
lowance for  future  corrections. 

The  Wood  brothers,  2">i"ticularly,  did 
lint  pliui'  full  confidence  iu  the  report, 
and  as  they  were  best  acipiainted  with  the 
Iniliaiis,  theii'  judgmtnt  was  given  due 
consideration."  George  Wood  expressed 
the  opinion  that,  although  most  people 
laid  the  Spirit  lake  murders  to  the  In- 
dians, he  thought  it  likely  the  whites  had 
got  in  a  (juarrcl  over  the  claims  and  some 

=The  Spirit  lake  mas.sacre  wa.s  lirst  di.<ooveiid 
by  Morris  Markham  on  the  evenlns  of  Mareh 
!•  and  he  Ijore  the  tidlnB.s  to  the  SprinKlield 
settlement.  On  March  l.">  the  work  of  the  In- 
dians was  discovered  by  O.  C.  Howe.  K.  l'. 
Wheelock  and  B.  K.  Parmcnter.  who  carried 
th'^  news  to  Fon   Uodge. 

Morris  Markiiani  was  a  trapper,  who,  late  In 
the  fall  of  185(;,  luul  settled  in  the  Spirit  lake 
country.  Soon  after  his  arrival  his  two  yoke 
of  oxen  strayed  and  he  was  not  able  to  get  ,iny 
track  of  them  until  early  in  .March.  Mc  then 
learned  that  they  were  in  the  vicinity  of  Mud 
lake,  in  lOinnict  counl\'.  and  went  after  thi'm. 
He  founil  his  oxen.  ma<le  pri>vision  for  their 
care  by  two  bachelors  who  lived  in  the  vicinity, 
and  then  relurned  to  his  home.  There  he  found 
the  dead  liodies  of  the  settlers,  whitm  he  cor- 
rectly believeil  ti>  havi'  been  murdered  by  the 
Indians,  and  his  belief  was  sot>n  verilled.  U*v 
he  ran  into  the  In4lian  camp.  Fortunately  he 
succeeded  in  retracinu  his  steps  without  at- 
tracting the  attention  of  the  savages,  who  were 
then  In  their  tepees,  and  made  his  escape.  He 
visited  several  cabins.  In  all  of  which  he  ft>und 
dead  bodies.  Not  feeling  like  spending  tile 
night  in  any  of  the  cabins.  Markham  took  a 
piece  of  lioard  with  which  to  build  a  lire  and 
siicnt  the  night  in  a  nearby  ravine.  He  did 
not  He  down  during  the  nigiit.  but  |ia.s.sed  the 
wiary  liours  standing  upon  his  alri'ady  frozen 
and    still    freezing    feet. 

In  the  morning  Mr.  Markham  returned  to  a 
tr.iiniers'  cami>  where  he  had  been  looking  for 
his  cattle  ami  there  spent  the  next  night.  On 
the  morning  of  the  11th  he  and  two  traiMwrs 
went  to  the  cabin  of  George  Granjjer.  who  lived 
about  six  miles  nortli  of  the  present  site  of 
Kstln'rville.  The  same  day  Mr.  Markham.  Mr. 
Granger  and  one  of  the  trapper.^  went  up  the 
river  to  the  Siainglield  setllemenl.  It  Is  awful 
!■!  tliink  what  might  have  hapi>ened  had  not 
this  warning  lieen  given. 

■"•  Besides    William    had    known    and 

traded  with  the  renegade  Sioux.  Inkpaduta. 
whose  band  was  then  reiiorted  to  be  commit- 
ti.iK   crimes  against   the  whites.     ...     In  ad- 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


59 


of  them  liail  been  killed."'  There  seemed 
to  be  somi'  plau.sibility  for  this  in  that  il 
was  generally  known  at  Springfield  that 
there  had  been  considerable  quarreling 
about  claims  at  the  lakes. 

But  the  majority  of  the  settlers  believ- 
ed the  story  of  Mr.  Markham  and  that 
the  murders  at  the  lakes  was  the  work  of 
the  Indians.  The  necessity  of  doing  some- 
thing for  their  own  safety  and  of  render- 
ing aid  to  any  who  might  be  left  in  the 
Spirit  lake  settlement  became  apparent 
and  the  whole  settlement  was  aroused.  All 
of  the  able  bodied  men  except  George 
Wood,"  who  remained  to  care  for  the  store 
and  to  look  after  the  women  and  children, 
gathered  at  the  Granger  cabin,  down  the 
river,  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  intend- 
ing to  go  to  the  Spirit  lake  settlement  to 
the  assistance  of  any  who  might  be  alive 
and  to  bury  the  dead.  At  Granger's  the 
party  was  reinforced  by  the  two  trappers 
already  referred  to  and  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Hashman,  making  the  party  fourteen 
in  number.  They  crossed  the  river  on  the 
way  to  the  lakes,  and  then  abandoned  the 
project  and  returned  to  Springfield.  They 
had  talked  the  matter  over  and  decided  it 
would  not  be  prudent  to  make  the  trip,  as 
it  was  impossible  to  know  how  manv  In- 
dians they  might  encounter.  They  deem- 
ed  it   best  to   return   and   make  arrange- 

dition  to  this  WiUiam  had  treated  Inkijaduta, 
as  well  as  the  other  Indians,  with  uniform 
kindness,  and.  indeed,  familiarity;  such  as  In- 
dulging them  in  tobacco  and  joining  them  in 
their  amusements  occasionally.  William,  from 
his  remarkable  physical  proportions,  with  dark 
features  and  eyes  and  hair  as  black  as  that  of 
the  Indians  themselves,  and  with  his  courage 
and  facility  in  speaking  their  language,  and  Be- 
ing well  schooled  in  all  their  ways,  was  well 
calculated  to  inspire  them  with  an  admiration 
for  him.  They  familiarly  called  him  Pa-sa-pa, 
which  in  English  means  Blackhead;  and  fre- 
quently called  to  him  at  his  cabin  to  come  down 
the  river,  a  distance  of  perhaps  over  one  hun- 
dred yards,  to  talk  and  visit  them  when  the 
river  was  too  high  for  fording,  as  they  would 
be  passing  upon  their  trail  upon  the  opposite 
lank  of  the  river," — E.xtract  from  letter  writ- 
ten by  Mr.  E.  B.  Wood,  brother  of  William  and 
George  Wood. 

*Jareb   Palmer, 

'^There  were  absent  from  the  settlement  Wil- 
liam Wood,  Nathaniel  Frost  and  Jareb  Palmer, 
who  were  on  a  trip  to  the  Mankato  countrj-. 


ments  for  the  safety  of  themselves  and 
their  families. 

After  returning  to  their  homes  from 
the  trip  to  Granger's  the  settlers  of 
Springfield  held  a  consultation.  The  ad- 
visableness  of  removing  from  the  settle- 
ment was  discussed,  but  it  was  decided  it 
would  be  impossible  to  move  the  families 
on  account  of  the  difficulty  in  traveling 
because  of  the  great  depth  of  snow.  Then 
it  was  decided  to  draw  up  a  petition,  stat- 
ing the  conditions,  and  send  it  by  courier 
to  Fort  Eidgely,  asking  that  soldiers  be 
sent  at  once  for  the  protection  of  the  set- 
tlement. The  petition  was  prepared,  sign- 
ed by  the  settlers,  and  was  carried  to  its 
destination  Ijy  Joseph  Chiffin  and  Henry 
Trets.  They  started  on  their  perilous 
journey  on  the  16th  or  ITth,"  being  ac- 
companied as  far  as  the  Watonwan  by 
Charles  Wood." 

As  the  days  pas.sed  the  settlers  at 
Springfield  became  more  apprehensive, 
and  the  suspense  became  awful.  After 
the  departure  of  Chiffin  and  Trets  the 
settlers  began  to  make  preparations  for 
defense,  that  they  might  be  prepared  if 
an  attack  should  he  made  before  the  sol- 
diers arrived.  It  was  decided  that  if  the 
troops  did  not  come  the  women  and  child- 
ren should  be  removed  to  a  place  of  safety 
so  soon  as  the  snow  should  melt  sufficient 
to  permit  travel.  Most  of  the  people  gath- 
ered in  tlie  cabin  of  James  B.  Thomas  and 
the   Wheeler  cabin,   while  the   Woods   re- 

"These  couriers  arrived  at  Fort  Ridgely,  after 
traveling  one  hundred  miles,  on  the  ISth,  after 
incredible  hardships,  and  almost  blind  from  ex- 
haustion and  the  effects  of  the  snow,  and  re- 
ported the  conditions  on  the  frontier.  Judge 
Flandreau    has    written: 

■■-■Vt  any  rate  the  people  of  Springfield  sent 
two  young  men  to  my  agency  with  the  news. 
They  brought  with  them  a  statement  of  the 
facts  as  related  by  Mr,  Markham,  signed  by 
some  persons  with  who.m  I  am  acquainted.  They 
came  on  foot  and  arrived  at  the  agency  on  the 
18th  of  March.  The  snow  was  very  deep  and 
beginning  to  thaw,  which  made  the  traveling 
extremely  difficult.  When  these  young  men 
arrived  they  were  so  badly  affected  with  snow 
blindness  they  could  hardly  see  at  all  and  were 
completely    wearied    out." 

■ChEirles  Wood  came  back  to  the  settlement 
with  tlie  soldiers,  but  soon  after  returned  to  his 
old  home   in   Indiana. 


60 


HISTORY  OF  JAOKSOX  COUNTY. 


iiiained  nt  their  store  and  Mr.  Shieglev 
i-ontinued  to  ociupy  his  (.al)!!!.  The  Thom- 
as iiousc,  whicli  was  the  hirf^cst  in  the 
settlement  and  wliere  were  gathered  the 
greater  number,  was  put  in  a  fair  state  of 
defense. 

.\n  incident  wiiiuli  occurred  on  the  19th 
and  information  secured  the  next  day  left 
no  doubts  in  tlie  minds  of  the  people  of 
Springfield  that  Inkpaduta's  band  was  on 
the  warpath — if  any  had  existed  l)efore — 
and  added  to  the  belief  that  an  attak  was 
intended.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  19tli 
there  came  to  Woods'  store  {(Jeorge  Wood, 
Nathaniel  Frost  and  .lard)  Palmer  were 
there  at  the  time)  two  of  Inkpaduta's  In- 
dians, l)ig,  ferocious  lookiug  bucks.  They 
were  fully  armed  and  acted  strangely, 
carrying  their  knives  in  tlicir  hands  all 
the  tiini"  llicy  were  in  the  store.  They 
appeared  sullen  and  not  inclined  to  talk. 
They  purchased  a  keg  of  powder,  a  sack 
of  shot  and  a  few  Indian  trinkets.  For 
the;ie  goods  and  to  settle  an  old  account 
the  Indians  paid  !\lr.  Wimil  .$S-.'  in  gnhi 
coin,  which  had  undoubtedly  been  taken 
from  their  victims' at  the  lakes.  These 
Indians  may  have  come  to  S])y  out  the 
situation  at  Springfield  or  they  may  have 
come  witii  the  intention  of  murdering 
George  Wood.* 

While  the  Indians  were  still  at  the  store 
rm])ashota  came  in  and  commenced  talk- 
ing to.  or  rather  haranguing,  the  strange 
Indians.  He  was  greatly  excited  and  ex- 
liihited  considerable  emotion,  .seeming  so 
ahsorheil  in  wliat  he  was  saying  that  he 
paid  little  attention  to  the  white  men 
present,  who  couhl  not  understand  what 
lie  was  saying.  The  local  Indian  liad  just 
Clime  froni  the  Thomas  cabin,  where  he 
had   been  told   the  soldiers  were  on  their 

•"The.sf  Indians  had  very  likely  cnmo  to  kill 
GeorKt*  Woud.  as  hv  liad  !k^«mi  staying  alone 
since  thi-  departure  of  his  hrother.  t^'harlt's.  Itiit 
as  they  did  not  llnd  him  alone,  they  eoneUided 
to  make  st)nie  purehases  for  th*'  purpose  of 
disarmlns  suspicion,  and  wait  for  a  more  aus- 
picious occasion  to  commit  their  nefarious 
crimes." — Jnreb  Palmer. 


way  to  the  settlement.  One  can  imagine 
that  I'mpashota  was  telling  this  to  the 
other  liulians  and  giving  them  some  good 
advice.  Upon  the  arrival  of  William 
Wood,  who  understood  the  Sioux  lan- 
guage, the  three  Indians  left,  going  in 
the  direction  of  Uinpa.shota"s  cam]i.  That 
same  evening  Umpashota  and  his  In- 
dians moved  from  their  old  camp,  just 
above  the  store,  farther  up  the  river  to 
Ciaboo's  camp.  This  move  may  have  been 
made  through  fear  that  the  whites  might 
do  as  the  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of 
doing — wreak  vengeance  upon  the  first 
of  the  race  they  came  upon. 

On  the  '20th,  the  day  after  the  stiange 
IndiaiLs  had  been  at  the  store.  William 
Wood  went  up  the  river  to  the  eani]i  of 
(iaboo  and  rinpasjinta.  The  latter  ad- 
mitted that  liie  two  Indians  with  whom 
he  talked  the  day  before  had  been  engaged 
in  the  massacre  of  the  peojile  at  Spirit 
lake,  but  said  that  those  Indians  claimed  it 
bad  been  a  fair  fight,  starting  over  a  dis- 
pute in  regard  to  some  hay  whicli  the  red- 
skins had  taken  without  leave,  'i'he  sav- 
ages boasted,  so  Umpa.«hota  .said,  that 
they  had  killed  over  thirty  people  and 
taken  four  women  prisoners  without  the 
loss  of  a  single  wairior.  The  local  In- 
dian did  not  say  what  were  the  intentions 
of  the  savages  as  to  the  future — whether 
they  were  to  continue  their  bloodthirsty 
work  or  whether  their  Ibiist  for  Idood 
had  been  satisfied. 

Not  knowing  whether  i>r  not  tiie  Indiana 
had  attaiked  the  Marbles,  who  were  known 
lo  have  located  "on  the  west  hank  of  Spirit 
lake,  and  desirous  of  giving  warning  to 
tliem  if  still  alive,  llr.  Morris  Markbam 
and  Jlr.  Jareb  Palmer  set  out  from  (lie 
Springfield  settlement  on  the  21st  to  in- 
vt^stigate.  The  gentlemen  reached  the 
Marble  cabin  and  found  eviilenee  that 
ll'.e  Indians  had  been  there  ahead  of  them, 
but    did    not   find    (he   dead   bodv   of  ^Ir. 


THE  NEWyork" 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY, 


«TOfi,  LENOX   AM» 
fKOtN    F00N£UT1€U)« 


Ch  '-few 

o  CAjrvfK 
o  BfiADSHA W 

6 


THE  SPRINGFIELD  SETTLEMENT 

Map  Showing  Location  of  Cal)ins  at  the  Time  of  the   Springfield 

Massacre.     The  east  half  of  Des  Moines  and  the  south 

east  quarter  of  Belmont  Townships  are  Shown. 


HlSTOliY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


61 


Miirblo,  wliicli  the  Indians  had  buried  in 
the  snow.  Mocasin  tracks,  apparently 
only  a  few  hours  old,  were  found  near  the 
cabin  and  the  hieroglyphics  picturing  the 
massacre  at  the  Okoboji  lakes  were  found 
blazed  on  a  tree.  The  gentlemen  return- 
ed the  same  day  and  reported  their  dis- 
covery. Mr.  Palmer  made  a  trip  to  the 
Granger  cal)in  on  the  33rd,  expecting  to 
find  the  inmates  murdered,  but  there  ho 
found  Mr.  Granger  and  the  Hashmans 
safe  and  ])repared  foi-  attack.  The  find- 
ing of  these  people  alive  raised  ihe  droop- 
ing spirits  of  the  Springfi^eld  settlers  and 
led  to  the  liope  that  the  liustiles  had  left 
the  \icinity  anil  that  they  iniulrt  yet  l)e 
spared. 

The  fighting  force  of  tlie  community 
was  reduced  on  the  24th  by  the  departure 
of  Xathaniel  Frost  and  William  Nelson, 
who  went  to  Slocum's,  on  the  Watonwan, 
to  try  to  In'ing  in  the  load  of  provisions 
which  William  Wood  had  been  obliged  to 
leave  on  the  prairie  near  there. 

At  a  conference  of  tiie  settlers  it  was 
decided  to  organize  a  party  to  go  to  the 
lakes  and  bury  the  dead,  as  it  seemed  to 
them  almost  inliuman  to  leave  the  bodies 
uncared  for  and  exposed  to  tlie  ravages  of 
v.'olves  and  other  wild  beasts.  I'nipa- 
shota  volunteered,  tlirough  William  Wooil, 
to  liecfiine  one  of  a  party  to  perform  this 
duty."  It  was  decided  to  make  the  trip 
on  Thursday,  ^Marcli  2C),  but  on  the  even- 
ing before  the  start  was  to  have  been 
tnade  the  expedition  Avas  abandoned,  large- 
ly on  the  advice  of  Umpashota.  That  In- 
dian, who  seems  to  have  played  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  affairs  of  the  little 
community  at  this  critical  time  because 
of  his  influence  over  William  Wood,  liad 
been  down  to  the  store  on  the  2.")th  and 

""The  Woods  seemed  to  liave  implicit  ctmti- 
dence  in  him  [tJmpashota]  and  thought  it  would 
be  a  good  thing  to  have  him  go  along,  but  most 
of  the  rest  of  us  h::id  less  confidence  in  him  and 
jirepared  to  make  the  trip  withovit  hi.s  presence 
— but  they  did  not  make  this  fact  known  to  the 
Woods." — Jareb   Palmer. 


gave  notice  to  Mr.  Wood  that  he  would 
not  accompany  the  whites  to  the  lakes 
and  advised  against  going.  He  stated  that 
he  thought  Inkpadnta's  band  was  still  in 
(he  vicinity  of  the  lakes,  engaged  in 
drying  beef  from  the  many  head  of  cat- 
tle- they  had  slaughtered,  and  that  it  would 
be  unsafe  to  make  the  trip.  Concerning 
this  advice  Mr.  Jareb  Palmer  has  writ- 
ten: "Why  Umpashota  told  this  story  is 
not  quite  clear,  unless  he  wanted  us  to 
remain  that  we  might  all  be  massacred, 
for  he  surely  knew  that  the  band  was  at 
that  time  at  Heron  lake,  not  more  than 
eight  or  ten  miles  from  Gaboo's  camp, 
where  Umpashota  was  staying."  The 
Woods  refused  to  accompany  the  other 
settlers  after  receiving  this  advice  and 
the  trip  was  abandoned. 

When  the  morning  of  Thursday,  JIarcIi 
2G,  dawned  it  had  been  Just  fifteen  days 
since  word  of  the  massacre  at  the  lakes 
had  been  brought  to  tlie  settlement.  They 
had  been  fifteen  days  of  suspense  to  most 
of  the  settlers,  but  so  long  a  time  had  now 
elapsed  that  hope  was  expressed  tliat  the 
Indians  had  left  the  country  and  that  an 
attack  was  not  to  ])e  made.  The  vigilance 
that  had  been  employed  at  first  was  re- 
laxed to  a  certain  extent ;  soldiers  were 
expected  to  arrive  from  Fort  Kidgely  at 
any  time;  a  more  optimistic  view  of  the 
situation  was  being  taken. 

On  the  fateful  day  there  were  eleven 
able  bodied  men  in  tlie  settlement,  divid- 
ed as  follows:  William  Wood  and  George 
Wood  at  the  store:  Adam  Shiegley  at  his 
iiwn  caljin :  Joshua  Stewart  at  his  own 
caljin  :'"  James  B.  Thomas.  Jareb  Palmer, 
David  Carver,  Jolm  Bradshaw"  and  ^lor- 

^"The  Stewarts  had  at  the  first  alarm  gone 
to  the  Thomas  cabin,  but  owing  to  fear,  the 
excitement  and  confusion  consequent  on  so 
many  being  huddled  together  in  one  small  house. 
Mrs,  Stewart  had  become  mentally  deranged, 
and  she  and  her  husband  and  children  had  re- 
tiu-ned  to  their  own  cabin,  where  they  were  on 
the  day   of   the   massacre, 

"Messrs,  Carver  and  Bradshaw  had  returned 
from  Webster  City  a  little  while  before  the 
massacre. 


02 


TIISToltV  OF  .lACKSOX  COUNTY. 


li-  Maikliiun  al  tiic  Tliomas  cabin;  l^r. 
K.  H.  X.  Strong'-  an'!  J.  B.  Skinner  at 
the  Wlieeler  cabin.'"  All  the  women  and 
cl'iltlrcu  of  the  settlement,  except  the 
Stewart  family,  were  at  the  Thomas  and 
Wheeler  lahins.  The  only  house  in  the 
settlement  whicli  had  been  put  in  condi- 
tion to  withstand  attack  was  tiiat  of  Mi'. 
Thomas. 

That  •immediate  allaik  was  not  antici- 
jiatcd  is  evidenced  l>y  liie  fact  that  on 
the  morning  of  the  5()tii  all  the  men  at 
the  Thomas  cabin  took  their  axe.e,  went 
to  the  woods  nearl)y  and  cut  cniniirh  fire-, 
wood  "to  last  throuKli  the  war,"  as  one  of 
their  nund)er  expressed  it.  Their  guns  had 
Iieen  left  at  the  cabin,  and  had  the  attack 
been  made  during  that  time  thei-e  can  be 
no  douljt  lliat  the  twenty  people  who  were 
tem])m'arily  living  at  the  Tliomas  cabin 
would  all  have  been  massacred.  It  was 
during  this  morning  that  ])r.  Strong 
■arent  to  the  Whcelci'  cabin  to  make  a 
settlement  with  Messrs.  Smith  and  Hen- 
derson  for  the  surgical   operation.*. 

To  return  to  the  Indians  camped  at 
Heron  lake.  On  tiie  morning  of  the  2(!tli 
the  warriors  painted  them.sclves  in  their 
most  fierce  and  hideous  fashion.  They 
took  special  pains  to  communicate  to  the 
women  captives,  by  signs  and  in  their 
jargon,  that  they  were  about  to  attack 
tlie  Springfield  settlement.  With  ritlcs 
in  their  hands  and  with  scaljiing  knives 
in  their  l)elt.<  they  set  out  on  their  mur- 
derous mission.  So  tar  as  .\bbie  Gardner, 
one  of  the  captives,  can  remember,  the 
names  of  the  warriors  comprising  the 
band   at  this  time   were"    Inkpaduta,   or 

'-Dr.  SlroiiK's  f;'.mllv  w.is  at  the  Thomas  ciib- 
In:  he  happened  to  i)e  at  the  Whepler  eabhi  at 
the    time   of   tlie    ma.ssacre. 

"Of  tile  other  men  who  were  re.sUlent.**  of  tlie 
seltli-ment  :il  the  time.  Rot)erl  Smith  an<i  Ji>hii 
Hender.son  were  \n  a  eripnied  condition  at  the 
■Wheeler  cabin:  Charles  Wood  had  gone  to  the 
Watonwan:  .Toseph  CliitTIn  and  Henry  Tret.s 
had  Kone  to  Fort  Rldiiely  to  notify  the  soldiers: 
William  Nel.son  and  Nathaniel  Frost  had  Rone 
to  Slocum's:  William  Church  had  been  absent 
all-  winter. 

".\s  published  lu  Mrs.  Sharp's  History  of  the 
Spirit   i^uke   Massacre. 


Scarlet  I'oint;  ilak-jie-a-ho-inan,  or  Roar- 
ing Cloutl;  ^Iak-|)i-oj)-e-ta,  or  Fire  Cloud 
(twin  to  Koaring  Cloud)  ;  Taw-a-che-ha- 
wa-kan,  or  His  Mysterious  Father;  Ba- 
ha-ta,  or  Old  Man ;  Ke-cho-mon,  or  Piit- 
ting-on-as-ho-walks;  Ka-ha-dat,  or  Ratling 
(son  of  Inkpaduta)  ;  Fe-to-a-ton-ka,  or 
I'ig  Face;  Ta-te-li-da-shink-.~ha-man-i,  or 
<  >iie  -  who  -makes  -a  -crooked  -  wind  -a.s-he- 
walks;  Ta-chan-che-ga-ho-ta,  or  His  Great 
(iun;  llu-.<an.  nr  One  Leg. 

]nk]iadut:i  and  bis  warriors  came  down 
to  the  Springtield  settlement  by  way  of 
Gaboo's  cam])  and  halted,  a  little  after 
noon,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  oppo- 
site Woods'  store.  .Inst  what  took  place 
there  will  never  be  delinitely  known,  ex- 
cept that  both  William  and  George  Wood 
were  murdered,  as  no  whites  except  the.-ic 
two  were  witiusses.  Hut  various  clews 
give  us  nil  idea  of  thi>  circninstanccs.  .\p- 
parently,  William  Wood  had  not  even  yet 
lost  confidence  in  the  bloodthirsty  demons, 
for  when  they  a])peared  upon  the  trail 
across  the  river  he  started  to  go  to  them — 
jierbaps  in  answer  to  a  hail — as  was  his 
custom.  While  on  the  river  liank  be  was 
shot  from  behind  at  close  range  with 
biick.<hot.  Whether  be  had  cro.<sed  the 
river  and  talked  with  the  Indians  and  was 
shot  as  ho  returned  or  whether  he  was 
shot  by  Indians  concealed  in  tlic  grass  on 
the  west  side,  is  not  kimw  n.  So  close  had 
been  his  murderer  ibat  burnt  ]iowdcr 
stains  were  afterward  found  upon  his 
clothing.  .\ficr  the  shooting  the  body 
was  cut  o))eii  with  a  tomahawk  (U'  a  knife 
from  i)etwecii  the  shoulders,  down  the 
back,   to  lielwi^n   the  hips.''"' 

(ieorge  Wood,  fnun  his  position  in  the 
store,  hail  seen  his  brother  shot  down  anil 
had  started  to  nin  to  warn  the  other  set- 
tlers and   to  seek   protection   for  himself. 

"The  conduct  and  actions  of  the  Wood  broth- 
ers, particularly  William  Wood,  during  the  days 
of  suspense  before  the  massacre  have  at  times 
been  unfavorably  cfunmented  upon.  The  Woods 
did  not  join  the  other  settlers  in  their  efforts 
to    fortify    one    or   two    of   the    cabins,    but    re- 


iriSTOHY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


63 


He  succeeded  in  getting^  across  tlie  river 
on  the  ice,  but,  exhausted  from  running 
several  hundred  yards  through  tlie  deep 
drifts,  he  sought  a  place  of  concealment 
and  crawled  under  a  lirush  pile  at  a  point 
a  few  rods  from  the  river  bank  and  some 
twenty  or  thirty  rods  above  the  location 
of  the  ]irescnt  upper  bridge  in  the  village 
of  Jackson.  This  point  was  near  the  In- 
dian trail,  upon  whicJi  the  Indians  were 
running  in  jnirsuit,  but  liecause  of  a  bend 
in  the  trail,  surrounded  by  trees,  brush 
and  weeds,  he  was  temporarily  out  of 
sight  of  his  pursuers.  The  unfortunate 
man  was  soon  found  in  the  lirush  pile 
and  shot.  So  c'ose  was  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun  that  tlie  whole  top  of  his  head  was 
blown  off  and  powder  stains  were  left  on 
his  cap.^° 

mained  at  the  store,  where  aU  their  earthly 
posses.sions  were.  Believhig.  as  they  certainly 
did.  that  the  massacre  of  the  whites  at  Okoboji 
lakes  was  the  result  of  a  quarrel  and  that  the 
murders  would  not  be  continued,  the.v  saw  no 
reason  why  they  should  desert  the  store.  Of 
course,  we  can  now  see  their  mistake;  their 
confidence  in   the  red  men   led   to  their  death. 

One  or  two  of  the  settlers  who  did  not  lik" 
the  Woods  pretended  to  believe  that  they  were 
over  friendly  with  the  Indians,  that  they  be- 
lieved that  e^"en  if  tlie  other  settlers  were  at- 
tacked, their  friendship  would  save  them.  Ma- 
jor Williams,  of  the  Iowa  volunteers  goes  so 
far  as  to  intimate  treachery,  saying  that  the 
Indians  were  informed  of  the  contemplated 
arrival  of  the  soldiers  by  Wood  and  Gaboo.  I 
can  find  no  evidence  that  would  indicate  treach- 
ery on  the  part  of  the  Woods  and  believe  that 
they    were    sincere    in    their   actions. 

Mr.  E.  B.  Wood,  who  often  talked  with  his 
brother,  Charles  Wood,  after  the  massacre  and 
who  made  every  effort  to  ascertain  the-  facts, 
wrote  to  Mr.  Jareb  Palmer  under  date  of  No- 
vember   23,    1S97,    as    follows: 

"I  do  not  and  never  did  lielieve  that  George 
or  William  ever  gave  information  to  the'  In- 
dians of  the  coming'  of  the  soldiers.  I  believe 
that  my  brothers  watched  and  expected  each 
hour  of  the  later  hours  of  their  lives  for  tlic 
soldiers  to  come,  that  they  aimed  to  let  the 
Indians  believe  that  they  trusted  them  implic- 
itly, thinking  this  safest.  Now,  my  friend 
and  comrade,  for  forty  years  myself  and  my 
family  have  had  our  hearts  pained  not  .inly 
Ijy  the  thought  of  their  deaths  and  the  dam- 
nable manner  of  their  taking  off,  but  mainly 
by  this  story  of  the  possible  treachery  of  my 
brothers  in  telling  these  Indians  of  the  coming 
of  the  soldiers  so  as  to  receive  benefits  and 
safety  for  themselves  to  the  possible  damage  of 
the  other  settlers.  My  brothers  were  noMe 
hearted  fellows  and  I  do  not  think  them  capable 
of  this  and  I  do  not  think  there  is  a  particle 
of  truth  in  it.  That  Gaboo.  the  half-lireed,  may 
have   told    them    is   possible." 

'".Another  version  of  the  killing  of  George 
Wood  is  to  the  effect  that  after  he  was  shot  the 
Indians  piled  brush  on  his  body  in  an  effort  to 
burn  it,  but  the  best  evidence  points  to  his 
taking   off  as   I   have   described  it. 


After  the  killing  of  the  Wood  brothers 
the  Indians  replenished  their  stock  of  am- 
munition from  the  store  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  attack  the  other  inhabited  cab- 
ins of  the  settlement.  At  the  Thomas 
cabin,  where  were  gathered  the  greatest 
number  of  settlers,  a  determined  fight 
wa.s  put  up  l)y  the  white  men  (with  the 
possible  exception  of  the  Mattock  caliin 
at  Okoboji  lake,  the  only  place  in  either 
settlement  where  the  Indians  met  with 
resistence)  and  they  succeeded  in  standing 
off  tlu'  redskins.  This  was  due  to  the  prep- 
arations tliat  had  Ijeen  made  and  to  the 
fighting  qualities  of  tlio  men  and  women 
there." 

After  the  midday  meal  at  the  Thomas 
cabin  all  wlio  were  temporarily  living 
there  were  sitting  in  the  north  room  talk- 
ing, while  two  of  ;\Ir.  Thomas"  children, 
aged  seven  and  ten  years,  were  ])laying 
in  the  yard.  xVbout  half  past  two  o'clock 
Willie,  the  younger  of  the  boys  playing 
outside,  came  running  into  the  house  with 
the  announcement  that  an  Indian  was 
coming  down  the  road  fi'oni  the  \\'hi'(']- 
er  caliin,  which  was  to  the  north.  .\s  the" 
people  of  the  cabin  were  hourly  expect- 
ing the  return  of  Jo.seph  f'hiff'in  and  Hen- 
ry Trets  friiiii  Fort  Kidgely.  some  one 
of  the  party  exclaimed,  "I'll  bet  it's  Hen- 
ry," meaning  Heni-y  Trets.  From  their 
location  in  the  nortii  room,  the  door  of 
which  faced  the  timber,  the  people  could 
not  see  anyone  coming  from  the  direction 

^'The  Thomas  house  stood  on  the  edge  of 
tlie  timber,  being  surrounded  on  thi-ee  sides  by 
woods  full  of  logs,  ijrusli  and  stumps  of  trees: 
on  the  other  side  was  prairie.  Within  six  or 
eia-ht  rods  of  the  cabin  were  a  log  stable,  an 
old  fashioned  hay  rack  for  feeding  stock  and 
a  cattle  yard  made  of  logs  and  poles,  A  log 
partition  divided  the  cabin  into  two  rooms, 
connected  by  a  door:  at  opposite  ends  of  each 
room  was  a  fireplace.  The  south  room  had  a 
door  and  a  window,  both  facing  the  prairie, 
while  the  north  room  had  a  door  and  a  window, 
facing  the  timber,  and  a  window  looking  upon 
tlie  prairie.  The  window  on  the  timber  side 
had  been  secured  by  nailing  two  thicknesses 
of  oak  stakes  across  it.  leaving  a  space  about 
four  inches  wide  to  serve  as  a  port  hole:  on 
the  prairie  side  the  windows  had  been  co^'ered 
with  shutters  that  could  be  taken  out  and  put 
in  as  occasion  required.  The  doors  were  fasten- 
ed witli  pins  stuck   in  holes  in   the  logs. 


'34 


][IST()1!Y  OF  JACKSON'  COT^XTY 


indicated  without  goiug  out  doors.  S<t 
tlicre  was  a  rush  for  tho  door.  Miss 
Swanger,  Mr.  Thomas,  Mr.  Palmer  and 
Mr.  Carver  went  outside,  wlicre  the  two 
boj-s  still  were.  Jliss  Swanger  was  the 
first  one  out  and  when  she  got  to  a  point 
where  she  could  see  the  person  approach- 
ing she  cried  joyfully,  "Yes,  it's  Henrv." 
But  when  Mr.  Carver  got  out  wliere  he 
had  a  good  view  lie  ri'iilicd,  "No.  it"s  an 
Indian." 

No  sooner  were  the  words  out  of  his 
mouth  than  a  tremendous  volley,  fired 
at  short  range  from  rifles  and  shotguns. 
was  poured  into  the  little  company  in 
front  of  the  house;  th.c  Indians  liad  crawl- 
ed up  and  hidden  themselves  behind  trees, 
outbuildings  and  other  ])laees  of  conceal- 
ment. Little  Willie  Thomas  was  killed 
instantly.  James  Thomas  received  a  mus- 
ket ball  in  his  left  arm  just  below  the  el- 
bow, which  broke  both  bones  and  made 
necessary  the  amputation  of  tlie  mcnd)er. 
David  Carver  was  wounded  by  a  buckshot, 
wliich  passed  through  the  fleshy  part  of 
his  arm  above  the  elbow  and  penetrated 
his  lung.  Jliss  Swanger  was  wounded  by 
a  rifle  ball,  which  passed  through  the 
upper  part  of  her  shoulder,  inflicting  a 
])ainful  but  not  dangerous  wound.  Of 
those  outside.  5Ir.  I'almer  and  the  older 
Thomas  boy  were  the  only  ones  unharm- 
ed :  it  is  a  wi)nder  that  all  were  not  killed, 
and  can  be  accounted  for  oidy  by  the 
poor  markman.ship  of  the  Indians. 

.-Ml  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  cab- 
in, those  who  had  received  wounds  being 
unaware  of  the  fact  until  they  were  in- 
side. .Mthough  the  surprise  had  been 
complete  there  was  no  confusion.  Each 
seemed  to  know  instinctively  what" was  to 
i)e  done  and  commenced  doing  it.  Had 
the  Indians  followed  their  first  volley  with 
a  rush  they  woidd  probably  have  succeeded 
in  massacreing  tiie  whole  houseful  with 
little,    if   any,   loss   to   themselves.      The 


doors  and  windows  were  closed  and  bar- 
red, while  Mr.  Markham  and  Mr.  Brad- 
shaw,  who  had  remained  in  the  house, 
seized  their  rifles  and  commenced  firfng 
at  the  Indians,  whose  guns  could  be  seen 
])rotruding  tlirough  the  hay  rack.  The 
battle  was  on. 

1  shall  let  ilr.  Jareb  Palmer,  one  of 
the  defenders  of  the  cabin  and  the  his- 
torian of  the  ma.ssacrc,  tell  of  the  inter- 
esting events  that  took  place  in  the  Thom- 
as cabin  during  the  next  hour: 

At  first  I  l)iisicil  myself  in  lianioadinp  tlic 
south  room.  .tiuI.  as  the  shutters  for  the  win- 
ihiw  ill  this  room  liad  unfortunately  t>een  left 
on  the  outside,  we  had  to  improvise  Ponictliin}! 
in  its  place.  For  this  we  used  a  talile  and 
some  eliairs.  llaviiif;  altendcd  to  this,  I  seized 
a  ;;un.  of  which,  fortunately,  we  had  )deiity. 
and  looked  around  for  a  place  to  pet  a  shot 
at  the  redskins,  but  found  no  chance,  as  they 
seemed  to  be  all  on  the  southwest  side  of  the 
house,  and  there  was  no  |)orthote  in  citlier 
the  south  end  of  the  house  or  the  west  side 
of  the  south  room.  I  seized  an  ax  which  was 
in  tlie  room  and  knocked  out  a  piece  of  chink- 
inj;  from  lietween  the  lojjs  on  each  side  of 
the  fireplace  in  the  south  end  of  the  house.  I 
watched  the  hole  on  the  west  side  of  the  fire- 
place and  tlie  Thomas  hoy  the  east  side.  It 
was  not  until  I  had  completed  these  prepara- 
tions for  defense  that  I  learned  the  full  ex- 
tent of  our  loss,  and  my  heart  fairly  bled  for 
Mrs.  Thomas. 

When  we  rushed  into  tlio  house  at  the  In- 
dians" first  fire  we  diil  not  notice  that  the 
Thomas  boy  was  killed,  and  when  he  wu~ 
niisseil  and  we  ascertained  that  his  holy  lay 
ill  front  of  the  door,  the  lamenlatiiuis  of  his 
mother  were  truly  heartrending:,  llcr  husband 
was  seriously  wounded  and  blecdiuf;  pri>fiiscly. 
her  boy  killed  outside,  and  she  was  not  able 
to  have  even  the  poor  consolation  of  haviii;; 
his  body  hroupht  into  the  house,  for  it  would 
have  been  certain  death  for  anyone  to  ven- 
ture out  to  pet  it.  Mr.  Thomas  and  Mr.  Car- 
ver were  soon  obli^eil  to  lie  down,  but  Miss 
Swanger  continued  to  render  all  the  a.ssistanci> 
in  her  power  and  never  once  laid  down  dur- 
ing;  the  time  we  were  in   the  house. 

.•\s  it  liappencMl.  we  had  jilenty  of  guns  and 
aiiimiinitinn  and  kept  busy  lihiziuR  away  at 
anything  we  could  see  that  looked  like  a  face 
or  a  hand,  a  glili  or  a  pine  of  blanket,  anil  I 
assure  you  we  burned  a  lot  of  powder  and 
made  a  big  noise  wiielher  we  hurt  anybody 
or  not.  The  Indians  continued  to  fire  volley 
after  volley  at  the  house,  some  of  the  balls 
coming  through  the  door,  wc  jiroteeting  our- 
selves by  taking  up  a  portion  of  the  puncheon 
lloor  and  standing  it  against  the  door.  At 
only   one  time  did   1   have  a  fair  view  of  any 


HiSTOi^Y  OF  jackso:n"  county. 


65 


of  tlu'  ?uvflj;us,  and  tliat  \v;is  (limlitlfss  utter 
they  liad  confludod  to  abandon  the  attack. 
Then  I  saw  three  at  one  time  witli  their  backs 
toward  tiie  house  and  going  as  fast  as  tlieir 
logs  would  carry  tlieni.  and  I  was  able  to  get 
only  one  shot  at  tliem  before  they  were  out 
of  sight.  As  my  duties  kejjt  me  busy  in  the 
south  room  I  didn't  know  much  about  what 
was  going  on  in  the  north  room  except  as 
I  could  hear  the  crack  of  the  guns  in  the 
hands    of    Bradshaw    and    Markham. 

However,  I  passed  into  tliat  room  two  or 
tliree  times  during  the  tight,  once,  I  remem- 
ber, to  make  a  porthole  in  the  end  of  the 
house,  and  once  to  get  a  supply  of  ammuni- 
tion, as  the  guns  and  ammunition  were  all 
kept  in  that  room.  Once  wlien  I  was  in  there 
I  saw.  Mrs.  Church  fire  through  the  east  win- 
dow at  what  she  said  was  an  Indian,  and  she 
said  she  s.iw  him  fall."  Tliis  was  no  doubt 
the  one  first  seen  by  the  boys,-  as  he  was  in 
nearly   the  same  ])lace  as  that  one  when  seen. 

I  suppose  I  ought  to  tell  you  that  after 
the  e.Kcitement  caused  by  the  surprise  had 
-omcwhat  abated,  some  of  the  ladies  be- 
thought themselves  of  the  arm  that  is  all- 
powerful  to  save  and  engaged  themselves  in 
earnest  supplication  to  Him  for  help;  and  as 
tliere  seemed  nothing  better  for  them  to  do,  I 
think  we  were  all  glad  to  see  them  thus  en- 
gaged, for  I  am  sure  none  of  us  had  much  Ii0|)e 
of  ever  leaving  the  house  alive,  as  we  were 
but  three  able  bodied  men.  contending,  as  we 
supposed,  against  the  whole  Sioux  nation,  anil 
Mith  but  faint  hopes  of  any  human  help  be- 
ing able   to  reach  us. 

After  a  while — probably  an  hour  after  the 
attack  was  begun — the  fire  of  the  enemy  be- 
gan to  slacken,  and  then  we  saw  sticks  and 
clubs  fiying  in  the  air  toward  the  three  head 
of  colts  which  were  kc]it  there.  In  this  way 
the  Indians  succeeded  in  driving  them  up  the 
road  and  out  of  sight  of  us  people  in  the 
house.  They  accomplished  this  without  ex- 
posing themselves  to  our  view.  We  had  no 
thought  at  the  time  why  they  had  done  this, 
uidess  merely  to  see  the  horses  run;  but,  as 
it  afterward  proved,  they  were  about  to  aban- 
don the  attack  and  took  this  way  to  get  the 
horses  out  of  our  sight  that  they  might 
(atch    them    and    take    them    away. 

I  presume  the  Indians  left  soon  after,  al- 
though Vi'e  had  no  thought  they  were  going 
to  abandon  the  attack,  and  when  the  fire 
abated  we  supposed  they  w-ere  lying  in  wait 
for  some  of  us  to  e.xpose  ourselves  that  they 
might  shoot  us  down.  Notwithstanding  the 
fire  had  abated,  we  did  not  abate  our  vigi- 
I;ince,  liut  continued  to  watch  through  the 
|)ortlioles  for  lurking  savages,  expecting  mo- 
nienlarily  a  renewal  of  the  attack  with  larger 
force  and  in  some  tmexpected  manner.  But 
the  fire  finally  stopped  entirely.  The  Indians 
had  slunk  away  as  secretly  and  silently  as 
they  had  come;  but  we  had  no  idea  they  had 
gi'ne  until  just  before  nightfall,  when  we  saw 

"It  was  afterwards  learned  that  none  of  the 
Indians  was  wounded. 


someone     coming     from     toward     tlie     Wheeler 
cabin. 

We  at  first  supposed  it  to  he  an  Indian 
and  were  holding  ourselves  in  readiness  to 
f.re  as  soon  as  he  came  within  gunshot,  but 
before  he  came  near  enough  to  fire  we  discover- 
ed it  was  a  boy  dressed  in  white  man's  clothes. 
We  still  thought  it  might  be  another  trick  to 
draw  us  out  of  the  house,  so  we  remained  in- 
side and  hallooed  at  him  through  a  porthole. 
He  answered  us  and  upon  inquiring  who  he 
was,  he  told  us  he  was  .lohmiie  Stewart.  We 
called  to  liim,  opened  the  door  and  took 
him  in.  He  was  friglitened  nearly  out  of  his 
v.its.  and   well   he   might   be. 

llnring  the  tiiiip  that  tlie  attack  on  tlie 
Thomas  eal.iin  was  being  made  other 
members  of  the  onthiws  were  meeting 
with  better  success  in  another  part  of  the 
settlement.  An  Tmlian  came  to  the  home 
of  Mr.  Stewart,  ^\•llo  seems  to  have  been 
ignorant  of  tlie  attack  on  the  settlement, 
and  was  liargaining  for  tlie  purchase  of 
a  small  hog,  displaying  a  number  of  gold 
coins  to  be  gi\-en  in  payment.  Mr.  Stew- 
art was  shot  down  and  killed  hx  otlier 
Indians  wlio  were  lying  in  wait  for  him. 
His  wife,  who  had  been  sitting  in  a  chair 
in  the  house,  holding  the  liaby,  rushed  to 
the  door  with  the  baby  in  her  arms  and 
with  a  three  year  old  child  clinging  to 
her  skirts.  On  reaching  tlie  door  she  was 
shot  down  and  the  baby  and  little  girl 
were  knocked  in  the  head  with  tomaliawks. 
While  the  iiiotlier  and  two  little  children 
wt're  lieing  murdered,  little  Johnnie  Stew- 
art, seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  slipped 
out  of  the  house  and  eluded  the  Indians, 
hiding  licbind  a  log,  three  or  four  rod.s 
from  the  cabin,  where  he  remained  until 
tlie  Indians  had  completed  their  atrocious 
work  and  departed.  Then  he  came  out 
of  his  hiding  place,  viewed  the  dead  bod- 
ies of  his  parents  and  little  sisters,  and 
made  his  way  to  the  Wheeler  cabin.  In- 
side he  heard  voices,  and,  supposing  the 
cabin  was  full  of  Indians,  the  little  boy 
left  and  ^\•ent  to  the  Thomas  cabin,  as 
lias  been  .stated. 

The  Wheeler  cabin,  which  was  occu- 
pied at  the  lime  of  the  massacre  by  Dr. 


m 


llls■|•()l;^  <iK  .iA(  KsoN  ((II  \rv 


K.  B.  N.  Strong,  J.  B.  Skinner.  Uoljcrt 
.Smith,  John  Henderson.  Mr.*.  Skinner. 
Mrs.  William  Nelson  and  baby,  Jlrs.  Rob- 
ert Smith  ;in(l  Mr.  Shiegley's  two  year  old 
boy,  had  not  been  put  in  a  state  of  de- 
fense, but  it  was  fortunately  located,  be- 
iuiT  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie.  There 
were  no  shutters  for  the  solitary  window 
of  the  cabin,  wjiich,  however,  fortunately, 
faced  llie  praiiie.  nor  luul  any  |iiirtholes 
been  made.  The  Indians  ajijjcared  at  the 
cabin,  (ired  sovcial  .-hots  Ihroujjfh  the 
door,  iiiit  did  nor  make  any  dcli'i-iiiincMl 
attack.  The  bullets  passed  throujrh  the 
thin  boards  of  the  door  and  into  the  wall 
opposite,  one  of  then;  barely  missing  "Mt. 
Henderson.  .Vn  ox  was  killed  near  the 
caijin  and  the  '■est  of  the  stock  was  driven 
off.  Neither  Dr.  Strong  nor  .Mr.  Skin- 
ner, the  only  able  bodied  nu>n  there,  lired 
a  shot  from  the  cabin.  It  is  said  the  in- 
mates attempted  to  j)rotect  themselves  by 
ringing  bells  and  beating  (Ui  tin  pans, 
which  seems  to  have  answered  the  jiur- 
pose,  for  no  one  was  injured. 

The  cabin  of  Adam  Shiegley  was  not 
attacked  and  that  gentleman  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  attack  until  later  in  the  day, 
wlien  he  went  to  the  Thomas  cal)in.  He 
was  much  surpri-sed  to  learn  of  the  fight- 
ing.'" 

The  bloody  work  was  completed  and 
the   Indians   i-clurned   to  llicir  caiiiii  near 

"Altlioiigli  Mr.  Shiegley  did  not  leuni  of  Ihc 
tight  until  afttT  it  w:is  over,  he  was  Inclined  to 
give  evidence  in  regard  to  It.  a.s  well  a.«  every 
e\ent  of  which  he  had  heard,  and  he  often 
made  himself  the  hero  of  startling  situations 
In  lSti5  he  is  reporl'^d  to  have  said  to  a  report' 
for   the   Mankato  Morning  News: 

"...  When  the  Indians  attacked  Ih'- 
[Thomas]  hous"  they  must  hav<'  erosseil  the 
river  not  a  hundred  yards  from  where  I  was. 
But  I  couldn't  s*'e  them  becatise  there  was  a 
bend  In  Ihi-  river  li<-tween  us.  Tlie  Hrst  thing 
I  ktiew  was  when  1  heard  Ihem  yelling  and  the 
shooting.  Then  1  ran  up  (he  hank,  which  was 
thickly  wooded,  and  lay  d<iwn  liat  on  nij'  face 
In  the  snow.  Thi'ie  were  al)oul  twenty  of  the 
Indians  yelling  and  dancing  and  tiring  into 
the  house.  Tliey  didn't  care  ahout  the  people 
in  there,  though.  What  they  wanted  was  the 
four  horses  In  the  stable  and  they  Just  flred 
to   keep   the   folks     Inside.      .  Well,    I    saw 

them  olT  and  out  of  the  way  and  then  I  went 
up  to  the  house." 


Heron  lake.  t)wiiig  to  the  knowledge  that 
llie  Indian.s  were  on  the  warpath  and  the 
determined  tight  |)ul  up  by  the  men  and 
women  of  the  Thomas  cabin,  the  results 
were  not  nearly  .so  di.-astrous  as  they  liad 
been  at  the  lakes.  For  the  first  lime  in 
the  Indians'  mad  career  .since  leaving 
Smithland  they  encountered  men  who 
were  not  afraid  to  tight  for  their  lives, 
and  the  ailcmpl  to  wijie  out  the  settle- 
ment failed.  .\t  that,  only  at  the  Thomas 
cabin  was  any  resistence  made,  and  but 
for  the  opposititdi  they  encountered  there, 
there  can  be  in>  doubt  the  Indians  would 
liave  persevered  unt'l  every  white  in  the 
settlement  was  killed.  But,  iialfled  in 
their  attem]it  to  ■nias>acre  those  in  the 
Thomas  house,  ignorant  of  the  damage 
tlieir  first  volley  had  done  and  of  the 
weakness  of  the  fighting  force  left,  anx- 
ious to  take  p'lrt  in  the  looting  of  Woods" 
store,  perhaps  fearing  the  early  arrival  of 
the  soldiers,  they  gave  up   the  attack. 

The  losses  in  the  Sjiringfield  settlement 
were : 


K  1  I.  I.  K  l» 

William  Wood 
George  Wooci 
Joshua  Stewart 
Mrs.  Joshua  Ste'wart 
Two  Stewart  Children 
Willie  Thomas 


>«  o  I'  >°  I)  ■•:  II 

James  B.  Thomas 
David  Carver 
Drusilla  Swanger 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


67 


It  is  iiiiposjiible  to  say  just  how  many 
Indians  were  engaged  in  the  massacre — 
probably  not  more  than  the  fifteen  of 
Inl<j)aduta"s  Ijand.-"  It  is  not  probable 
that  Umpashota  and  his  Indians  took  part 
in  the  actual  killing,  but  there  can  be  no 
ipiestion  that  that  nominally  friendly  In- 
ilian  assisted  Inkj)aduta  in  his  designs 
and  preparations.  Nothing  more  was 
seen  of  Umpashota  or  any  of  his  Indians; 
they  had  gone  to  more  congenial  climes. 
Concerning  the  part  this  crafty  Indian 
may  have  taken  in  affairs,  Mr.  Jareb. 
I'aliiier  lias  written : 

-^Major  "William  Williams,  the  leader  of  the 
Iowa  volunteei'.s.  among  .several  other  mistake.s 
in  matters  of  fa."!t  and  conjecture  in  his  official 
report,  says  of  the  number  of  Indians  taking 
part  in  the  Spirit  lake  and  Springfield  mas- 
sacres: 

"As  near  as  I  could  ascertain,  the  Indian 
force  was  from  150  to  200  warriors,  judging 
from  their  encampments,  etc.  The  number  of 
Indians  must  be  fifteen  or  twenty  killed  and 
wounded.  From  the  number  seen  to  fall  killed, 
and  judging  from  the  bloody  clothes  and  clots 
of  blood  in  their  encampments,  the  struggle 
at  the  lakes  must  have  been  \ery  severe,  paitic- 
ulaii,\'  the  one  at  the  house  of  Esquire  Mat- 
tock. ...  I  am  satisfied  that  the  greater 
number  of  these  Indians  were  from  the  Mis- 
souri, as  they  were  strangers  to  the  settlers 
where  they  appeared,  and  a  portion  of  them 
were    half-breeds." 

Major  Williams  seems  to  have  prepared  his 
report  with   very  little  data   to  work  from. 


"It  has  been  reported  that  tlie  Indians 
who  had  camped  near  the  settlement  dur- 
ing the  winter  were  engaged  in  the  at- 
tack and  massacre  at  Springfield.  Wheth- 
er this  is  a  fact  or  not  I  am  unable  to 
say.  Some  of  those  in  the  Thomas  house 
with  me  say  tiiey  saw  and  recognized  Um- 
pasliota,  but  I  did  not  see  any  Indian  that 
I  could  recognize  as  one  I  had  ever  seen 
before.  When  Captain  Bee  arrived  Um- 
pashota and  his  liand  were  gone  and  he 
found  some  of  the  goods  that  weje  taken 
from  Woods'  store  in  the  possession  of 
Gaboo's  Indians,  but  they  claimed  to  have 
bought  them  of  Inlqjaduta's  Indians,  and 
this  mi.ght  have  been  the  ca.se,  as  Mrs. 
Sharp  says  when  the  Indians  returned 
from  tlie  attack,  they  brougiit  eleven 
hcn'ses  and  ponies  with  them,  and  I  know 
they  only  got  three  from  the  whites  at 
S])ringtield,  so  that  it  may  be  that  Ink- 
paduta's  band  had  traded  goods  for  pon- 
ies. I  have  never  since  seen  any  of  the 
Indians  with  whom  I  became  aci|uainted 
diii'ing  that  winter" 


CHAPTER  V. 


FLKillT    OF    TIIK    FUGITIVES— 1857. 


Till']    Jinliaiis    bad    done   their   liel-  Woods"  store,  this  little  band  of  defenders 

lish   work  ;;ik1   returned  to  camp  now  thought  that  they  were  the  only  ones 

near    Heron    lake.     The    settlers  sjiared.     Although  they  assumed  that  the 

did   not  know   that  they  had  gone,  how-  Indians  bad  gone  for  the  time  being,  they 


ever,  believing  them  tn  be  still  in  the 
neigbltorbood,  awaiting  a  favoralile  op- 
portunity to  complete  the  work  of  butch- 
ery. ,\11  the  living  persons  in  the  Spring- 
field settlement  were  now  gathered  at  the 
Wheeler  and  Thomas  cabins.  The  peoj^le 
at  each  house  believed  that  all  the  others 


had  no  iloubt  they  were  still  in  the  set- 
tlement, ready  to  I'euew  the  attack  as 
soon  as  sutliciontly  reinforced  or  when  a 
favorable  opportunity  offered. 

So  the  vigilance  maintained  during  the 
attack  was  not  lessened.  The  men  and 
women  in  the  cabin  continued  to  watch 
bad  been  killed  and  that  they  themselves  through  the  portholes  for  lurking  sav- 
were  the  only  living  whites  in  the  settle-  ages.  From  what  tliey  knew  of  the  cliar- 
ment:  each  party  considered  the  case  al-  actev  of  the  enemy  they  had  reason  to 
most  hopeless.  The  story  of  their  flight  suspect  that  the  silence  was  only  a  scheme 
and  tlie  hard.ships  they  endured  has  sel-     to  draw  the  defenders  out.     The  women 


dom  been  equaled  in  frontier  liistory. 

When  little  Johnnie  Stewart  arrived 
at  the  Thomas  cabin  the  garrison  there 
wei'c  led  to  believe  that  the  savages  had 
left  llie  iiiiinediate  vicinity.  When  a  lit- 
fli'  later  .\dani  Sliiegley  was  seen  going 
:uross  the  prairie  from  his  cabin  toward 
the  Wheeler  cabin  and,  in  response  to  a 
hail,  came  to  Mr.  Th.omas'  place  unharm- 
ed, the  belief  was  verified.  Fi'oni  the 
Stewart  ])oy"s  account  of  the  killing  of 
his  family  and  his  report  that  ilie  Wheeler 
cabin  was  full  of  Indians,  and  from  the 
aiinoiincement  of  ^jr.  Shiegley  that  he 
had     heard    tirina'    in     the    direction    of 


of  the  party  prepared  something  to  eat 
and  passed  it  to  those  who  were  on  watch 
at  the  portholes,  and  these  ate  their  .sup- 
jier  out  of  their  hands.  WHien  darkness 
rame  on  they  feai'i^l  lo  keep  a  fire  or  light 
in  the  house. 

The  situation  of  the  beleaguered  people 
aiul  the  possibility  for  deliverance  were 
discussed.  Some  thought  best  to  remain 
at  the  cabin  in  the  hope  that  the  soldiers 
from  Fort  Bidgely  would  soon  appear,  be- 
lieving that  it  would  be  better  to  remain 
behind  the  .sheltering  logs  of  the  cabin 
than  to  risk  an  encounter  with  the  red- 
skins in  the  open.     Others  (and  they  were 


b9 


vo 


IIISTOUV  OF  .TAf'KSON  COUNTY. 


in  the  niajoritv)  favored  flifrlit.  Those 
who  most  .■;tron<rlv  favored  ik'partinf;  ar- 
jjuod  tliat  there  was  no  ecrtaiiitv  lliat  re- 
lict' would  ever  eoiiic ;  il  Uii.-  not  kiin«n 
wlielher  the  eouriers  had  siieeeeded  in 
leaehing  Fort  IJidgely.  and  if  thev  had 
there  was  no  assurance  that  tiieir  story 
Wduhl  he  iielieved  or  any  lielji  sent  ;  tliey 
feared  the  Indians  wouhl  ereep  up  durinj,'' 
the  niglit  ami  lire  the  cabin.  To  realize 
the  litter  demoralization  tlie  people  m\ist 
have  hecn  in  to  attcmjit  tlijrht.  let  us  look 
at  conditions  and  try  to  iindeistand  what 
such  a  decision  meant. 

The  nearest  scttleM;ent  that  could  pro- 
vide safety  was  .Mankato,  seventy-live 
miles  away.  The  |)oint  next  nearest  that 
seemed  to  ollVr  a  reiuiic  was  Fort  Dodj^e, 
Jowa,  nearly  a  luuidred  miles  away.  The 
snow  was  so  deep  ami  tra\elinu  so  dill'i- 
cult  that  it  seemed  impossii)lc  that  a 
team  could  make  any  headway.  Of  the 
twenlv  oi-  more  people  who  com])riscd  the 
jiarty  contemplatini;  (liirht,  only  four  were 
ahle-hoilied  men;  the  rest  were  wonien, 
children,  l)abies  and  wdimded  men.  Be- 
lieving, as  they  did,  that  the  Indians  were 
still  in  the  vicinity  ami  determined  to 
wipe  them  out.  not  knowing  how  many 
savages  they  might  have  to  encounter, 
handicapjjed  with  so  many  incapacitated, 
knowing  that  the  route  was  well  nigh  im- 
passible, it  is  hard  to  conceive  by  what 
process  of  reasoning  these  people  decided 
to  leave.  But  that  is  what  was  done.  As 
many  of  tJie  settlers  liad  originally  come 
from  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Dodge,  that 
was  (he  point  of  refuge  .^elected. 

As  the  Indians  had  not  killed  the  cat- 
tle at  the  Thomas  place,  and  as  the  snow- 
had  settled  somewhat  during  the  preced- 
ing few  days,  it  was  decided  to  try  tra' idl- 
ing by  team,  allliough  few  thought  there 
was  much  hope  of  getting  Ihnnigh.  Jolin 
Bradshaw  and  l'"rap.k  M.  Thomas,  the 
elder  son  of  James  B.  Tlmmns.  were  the 


first  to  venture  from  tiie  cabin.  Tiiey 
went  out  to  the  barn,  so  lately  occupied 
hy  the  savages,  hitched  the  oxen  to  a  sled 
an<l  drove  up  to  the  cast  door,  whidi  was 
the  one  facing  the  |.rairie.'  The  wonien, 
children  and  wounded  men  were  hastily 
loaded  into  the  sled,  the  dead  body  of 
Willie  Thomas  being  left  where  it  bad 
fallen,  and  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening 
the  refugees  set  out  on  the  perilous  jour- 
ney. No  baggage,  no  i  lothing  except  what 
was  worn,  no  provisions  were  taken.  Tlie 
only  thought  was  to  get  away  from  the 
scene  of  the  disasters  of  the  day. 

Great  haste,  was  made  at  the  start  to 
get  out  onto  the  prairie  away  from  the 
timber,  tlie  fear  being  great  that  the  sav- 
ages would  return  and  shoot  them  down 
before  they  could  get  out  of  gunshot  from 
the  timber's  edge.  Altbongb  the  day  had 
been  fair  and  pleasant,  there  came  u])  a 
I  hick  fog  about  dark,  which  nnide  it  im- 
|>ossililc  to  see  more  than  a  few  feet  away. 
Over  most  of  the  course  it  was  necessary 
for  the  men  to  beat  a  path  before  the  oxen 
could  make  any  headway. 

.\fter  having  traveled  in  this  nnmner 
for  a  couple  of  hours  the  fugitives  became 
(•om])letely  hewildcred  and  knew  not  in 
which  direction  they  were  going.  It  was 
then  decided  to  stop  and  wait  for  dav- 
liglit.  They  found  a  knoll  which  was 
hare  of  snow,  and  there  they  unhitched 
the  oxen  and  ])assed  the  rest  of  the  night. 
There    was    no    rest    for   this    poor,    cold, 

■'rhis  l.s  Kivin  on  the  aiithoilty  of  Mr.  Pnlmer. 
Mis.  Sharp  Rives  tln'  cniUI  or  |)prforining  this 
st-rvloo   lu   M^irris   Markhatn   ami  says: 

"Naturally  no  oiio  wlshcil  to  be  the  first  to 
venture  outside  the  door,  where  little  Willie's 
liody  lay  cold  In  death,  the  sad  reminder  of  the 
consequence  of  a  former  ventiu'e.  Rut  some 
one  must  be  the  first.  So.  with  true  heroic 
courage  characteristic  of  the  man.  Mr.  Mark- 
hani  volunteered  to  jjo  to  the  stable,  where  the 
murderous  Sioux  had  so  lately  been  and  where 
they  perhai>s  wi-re  secreted,  and  hitch  the  oxen 
to  the  sb'd  and  brlnj^  them  to  the  door,  whibr 
thi'  others  made  hasty  preparations  for  fll»?ht. 
So,  alone  In  the  darkness,  he  sallied  forth,  over 
the  blood-sl.alned  snow,  carrylnpr  his  Kun  to 
fire  as  a  signal  should  be  find  the  enemy  there. 
Rroped  his  way  through  the  stable,  silently 
brought  out  the  patient  oxen,  put  on  the  yoke, 
hileheil  them  to  the  sled  and  drove  up  to  the 
door." 


niSTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


71 


sleepless  and  panic-stricken  band  of  fugi- 
tives that  niulit.  When  morning  dawn- 
ed thev  i'ouiid  themselves  to  be  about 
three  miles. troni  their  starting  point  and 
not  much  out  of  their  proper  course.  The 
fog  had  disappeared  and  no  trouble  was 
now  encountered  in  keejjing  a  true  course. 
'I'hey  could  see  the  different  groves  along 
the  river,  including  the  one  at  Granger's, 
where  they  wished  to  strike  first. 

Tlie  snow  |)io\cd  lo  be  so  deep  tiiat  the 
oxen  could  scarcely  pull  the  heavy  load 
of  those  unable  to  walk  and  about  noon 
the  cattle  became  so  e.xhausted  that  they 
could  not  proceed  farther.  It  was  then 
proposed  that  J\lr.  Palmer  should  go  on 
to  Granger's  for  help  while  the  rest  of  the 
l)arty  camped  with  the  team.  Mr.  Palm- 
er reached  the  Granger  cabin  in  safety, 
stated  the  conditions  to  Mr.  Granger  and 
ifr.  llashman,  and  those  gentlemen  start- 
ed back  with  their  oxen  to  the  assistance 
of  the  Springfield  refugees. 

The  three  men  had  not  proceeded  far 
on  the  back  track  when  they  saw  some 
])ersons  on  the  prairie  approaching  from 
the  direction  of  Springfield.  They  were 
too  far  away  to  make  out  whether  they 
were  Indians  or  whites,  but  the  men  pro- 
ceeded on  their  way.  After  a  while  tliey 
noticed  that  one  was  nearer  than  the  rest 
of  the  party  and  that  he  was  running  for 
dear  life,  going  in  the  direction  of  the 
Granger  grove.  Believing  him  to  be  an 
Indian  and  fearing  that  if  he  reached  the 
Granger  caljin  lie  would  massacre  the 
women,  who  were  left  without  male  pro- 
tection, ^fr.  Palmer  and  Jlr.  Hashman 
started  out  on  a  run  to  head  him  off. 
Mr.  Palmer  outran  'Mv.  Hashman  and 
succeeded  in  getting  between  the  fleeing 
man  and  the  grove.  When  he  got  within 
hailing  distance  the  runner,  who  prov- 
ed to  be  Dr.  Strong,  liallooed  to  Mr. 
Palmer,  giving  the  friendly  salutation  of 
the  Sioux  lauKuage.     The  doctor  had  mis- 


taken Mr.  Palmer  for  an  Indian  and  so 
had  accosted  him  in,  perhaps,  the  only 
Sioux  word  he  knew.  When  he  had  first 
come  in  sight  of  the  men  he  had  taken 
them  fiu'  Indians,  and  had  pulled  off  his 
boots  and  thrown  tliem  away  that  he 
miglit  run  the  faster. 

Dr.  Strong  joined  the  other  men  of 
the  party,  who  now  anxiously  awaited 
the  coming  of  the  people  they  saw  in  the 
distance.  These  proved  to  be  the  fugi- 
tives who  had  been  left  with  the  team. 
After  Mr  Palmer  liad  departed  they  saw 
a  party  of  people  pursuing  them,  whom 
they,  of  course,  took  to  be  Indians.  Life 
is  a  precious  thing  to  most  people  and 
the  sight  of  approaching  Indians — as  they 
supposed — caused  them  to  make  an  al- 
most superhuman  effort  to  escape.  Aban- 
doning the  oxen  and  sled,  all  set  out  on 
foot  in  a  mad  plunge  through  the  drifts 
toward  Granger's.  Messrs.  Carver  and 
Thomas,  the  most  severely  wounded, 
found  themselves  able  to  walk ;  tJie  men 
and   women  carried  the  children. 

The  fugitives  were  again  united,  their 
force  having  been  added  to  by  Dr.  Strong, 
ilr.  (Granger  and  Mr.  Hashnuin.  But 
they  did  not  consider  themselves  safe  by 
any  means.  There  now  came  into  view 
the  party  of  five  or  six  persons  who  had 
so  alarmed  those  left  at  the  sled,  but  they 
were  too  far  away  to  tell  whether  they 
were  friends  or  foes.  So  the  refugees 
held  themselves  in  readiness  for  action 
should  they  prove  to  be  Indians.  Fear 
lends  fieetness  to  the  limbs  and  in  a  short 
time  the  party  came  up.  They  proved  to 
be  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Skinner,  Mrs.  Smith  and 
Mrs.  Nelson  with  her  year  and  a  half  old 
babe — a  part  of  those  who  had  been  at 
the  Wheeler  cabin. 

Ijct  us  interrupt  tlie  story  of  the  ttigjit 
long  enough  to  tell  what  had  happened  at 
the  Wheeler  cabin.  The  night  after  the 
massacre  had  been  spent  in  apprehension 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


and  terror;  in  the  morning  the  situation 
was  not  relieved.  Dr.  Strong,  one  of  tlie 
two  able-l)odied  men  in  the  cabin,  who 
hail  pruvcd  liiiiiscU'  a  liero  in  caring  for 
the  frozen  men  a  month  before,  now  prov- 
ed himself  a  veritable  coward.  During 
the  forenoon  of  the  day  after  the  attack 
he  began  to  worry  about  his  family,  who 
had  been  at  the  Thomas  cabin,  and. tried 
to  get  someone  to  go  down  to  try  to  as- 
certain their  fate.  Finally  he  declared 
lie  could  stand  the  suspense  no  longer  and 
that  he  intended  to  learn  the  fate  of  his 
family.  He  left  the  house  with  the  avow- 
ed intention  of  going  to  the  Thomas  cab- 
in, but  no  sooner  was  he  out  of  the  hou.se 
than  his  valor  dejiarliMl  ami  he  struck  out 
across  the  prairie,  running  for  dear  life, 
without  a  thought,  apparently,  for  the 
safety  of  his  family  or  niiyniic  else  except 
him.self. 

The  desertion  of  Dr.  Strong  left  the 
people  of  the  Wheeler  cabin  in  a  deplor- 
able condition.  There  was  now  left  only 
J.  1-5.  Skinner  to  care  for  and  protect  two 
ci-ippled  men,  three  women  and  two  siuall 
children.  He  was  nnt  e(jual  to  the  oc- 
casion. There  can  be  no  (|ucstiiin  that 
the  acliiin  of  Mv.  Skinner  and  llie  wnnuMi 
there  on  that  'i7t\\  day  of  ]^larch  was  cow- 
ardly. Perha])s  their  actions  should  be 
treated  with  lenitv  and  a  less  harsh  term 
Ihan  ciiwani  aji|ilie(l.  t'lu-  no  one  knows 
exactly  what  he  or  she  woidd  do  in  a 
like  circumstance;  the  fear  of  death  in 
most  of  us  is  stronger  than  any  other  hu- 
man emoti(Ui.  The  occasion  called  for 
heroic  action,  but  there  was  no  response. 

Whetiier  the  dcserfion  of  Dr.  Strong 
increased  the  fears  of  the  reuuiining  in- 
mates by  reas{ui  of  lessening  their  num- 
ber and  making  tlTem  more  easy  victims 
of  the  savages,  or  whether  his  ability  to 
get  away  from  the  tindter  unharmed  de- 
termined them  also  to  make  the  attempt 
is  not  known,  but  it  was  decided  to  make 


a  swift  run  for  safety  in  an  effort  to  get 
to  the  Iowa  settlements.  As  the  Indians 
liad  killed  all  the  cattle  on  the  place  it 
was  necessary  to  go  afoot.  Poor  John 
Henderson,  who  was  in  bed  with  both  feet 
olT  from  recent  amputation,  was  aban- 
doned to  whatever  fate  might  overtake 
him,  even  without  preparation  being  made 
for  his  food.  Mrs.  Nelson  said  she  could 
carry  her  child  and  did  so.  One  of  the 
party  also  carried  the  Shiegley  child  for 
some  distance.  Robert  Smith,  who  only 
a  short  time  before  had  one  leg  ampu- 
tated, decided  to  accompany  the  others 
and  stumped  along  on  his  one  leg  for  a 
few  hundred  yards  of  the  distance  to  Fort 
liodge.  His  wound  soon  began  to  bleed 
nnd  he  was  unable  to  go  farther. 

When  Mr.  Smith  was  obliged  to  give 
M]i,  the  party  grew  tire<l  of  carrying  the 
Shiegley  child  and  the  two — a  man  in 
such  condition  that  he  ought  to  have  been 
in  bed,  and  a  two  year  old  child — were 
al)andoiu'd  to  their  fate  on  the  snow- 
covered  prairie."  The  reader  may  in  im- 
agination realize  the  feelings  that  surged 
through  the  breast  of  this  poor  victim  left 
to  his  fate  by  one  who  was  sujiposed  to 
be  bound  to  him  by  ties  .stronger  than  the 
fe.ii-  nf  death — the  wife  who,  to  save  her 
own  life,  must  abaiuum  her  husband  to 
what  ajipeared  almost  certain  death.  Mr. 
Smith  and  the  little  boy  crawled  to  the 
Thomas  vabin  in  the  hope  of  finding  some 
line  to  care  for  them,  but  in  this,  of 
course,  they  were  disappointed.  They  re- 
mained in  the  cabin  until  fouiul  by  the 
soldiers  from  Fort  Kidgely.''  After  the 
al):indonment  the  party,  now  consisting 
of  >rr.  and  Jfrs.  Skinner,  Mrs.  Nelson 
and  child  and  Mrs.  Smith,  proceeded  on 

-Mr,  Holcombe,  In  Minnesota  In  Three  Cen- 
Imirs.  snys:  "Smlth'.i  wife  wished  to  remnln 
with  her  hiisbnnd.  but  ho  bmlo  her  save  hersi-lf. 
siiylnK  that  she  could  do  nnlhln);  that  would 
bo  of  so  much  service  to  him  as  to  hurr.v  for- 
ward to  tile  Iowa  settlements  and  send  him  re- 
lief." 

"The  Shieglev  child  was  adopted  into  the 
-fomil.v  of  Major  William  Williams. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


tlieir  way  aiul  joineil  the  other  refugees, 
as  has  been  related. 

The  newcomers  told  of  their  adventures 
and  of  the  abandonment  of  ^Ir.  Smith 
and  the  Shiegley  eliild  on  the  prairie.  Up- 
on learning  the  particulars,  Mr.  Shiegley 
at  once  declared  his  intention  to  go  back 
to  take  care  of  his  boy,  the  love  of  his 
child  overshadowing  the  fear  of  his  own 
danger.  The  rest  of  the  party  tried  to 
dissuade  him,  but  to  no  avail,  and  after 
having  been  wished  a  hearty  Godspeed, 
iie  set  out  for  the  north  at  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  afternoon.  So  well  satisfied 
were  the  fugitives  that  the  Indians  were 
still  at  Springfield  that  they  expressed 
the  belief  that  they  would  never  again 
see  Mr.  Shiegley  alive. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  reliance 
can  Ix'  placed  in  tlie  statements- of  this 
man,  for  he  might  have  left  recorded 
much  of,  historical  value  instead  of  the 
improbably  stories  he  did  leave.  He  re- 
turned to  the  settlement  and  visited  the 
Wheeler  cabin,  but  did  not  find  his  boy 
or  Mr.  Smith,  and  came  back  to  join  the 
refugees.  He  spent  the  night  with  Mr. 
Henderson  in  the  Wheeler  cabin,  and  be- 
fore he  left  the  next  day  cut  a  piece  of 
meat  from  one  of  the  oxen  slain  by  the 
I'cdskins  and  carried  the  meat  in  to  the 
wounded  man  that  he  might  not  starve. 
He  stated  that  he  visited  the  Thomas  cab- 
in ill  liis  search  for  the  missing  boy,  but 
if  lie  had  he  surely  would  have  found 
him.'' 

After  Jlr.  Shiegley  left,  the  fugitives 
proceeded  to  the  home  of  Mr.  Granger 
to  seek  much  needed  rest  after  the  terri- 
ble suffering  incident  to  the  trip.  Food 
was  supplied  and  tlien  the  thirty  people 

*Mr.  Shiegley  also  told  of  having  met  an  In- 
dian in  the  settlement.  He  said  that  after  hav- 
ing a  talli  with  the  Indian  both  agreed  to  turn 
their  backs  and  walk  away  without  turning 
around  to  look  at  one  another.  Mr.  Shiegley 
said  he  broke  the  agreement  by  wheeling  sud- 
denly and  shooting  the  Indian  in  the  head,  re- 
marliing  that  the  aborigine  "Jumped  like  a  rab- 
bit with  his  head  cut  off." 


endeavored  to  get  a  night's  sleep  in  the 
one  small  room  the  cabin  boa.sted.  Some 
were  able  to  lie  down,  while  others  were 
obliged  to  .secure  their  rest  in  whatever 
position  the  conditions  afforded.  The 
next  day,  the  28tli,  Mr.  Markham  and  Mr. 
Palmer  went  back  and  brought  in  the 
oxen,  which  were  found  quietly  feeding 
on  the  dead  grass  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  sled. 

The  Springfield  refugees  remained  at 
the  Granger  cabin  that  day  and  the  next 
night,  getting  a  much  needed  rest  and 
awaiting  the  return  of  Mr.  Shiegley.  On 
Sunday  morning,  March  29,  they  set  o.ut 
again  on  the  way  to  Fort  Dodge.  The 
snow  had  by  this  time  melted  sufficiently 
to  leave  many  bare  spots,  so  the  sled  was 
left  and  two  yoke  of  oxen  were  hitched 
to  Mr.  Granger's  lumber  wagon.  The 
wounded,  women  and  small  children  were 
loaded  into  the  wagon,  and  all,  including 
(jcorge  Granger  and  the  Hashman  family, 
set  out  on  the  supposable  long  journey, 
most  of  the  party  going  afoot.  With 
fatigue  and  suffering  they  traveled  all 
day.  The  wounds  of  those  shot  by  the 
Indians  had  not  been  dressed,  and,  in- 
flammation having  set  in,  every  motion 
of  the  wagon  caused  excruciating  pain. 
Of  tills  day's  trip  Mr.  Palmer  has  writ- 
ten : 

The  snow  liad  settled  so  mucli  that  we  did 
not  have  much  diflficulty  on  account  of  the 
drifts,  but  all  the  small  ravines  and  sags 
were  filled  with  shish  two  or  three  feet  deep, 
wliich  had  to  be  w;rded  by  those  who  walked. 
Some  two  or  three  of  the  women  and  all  of 
the  men  were  compelled  to  walk,  as  the  oxen 
were  not  able  to  haul  all  of  the  women  even. 
It  was  heartrending  to  see  the  poor  women 
]>lunge  in  and  wade  the  cold  slush,  sometimes 
nearly  to  their  waists;  but  when  it  is  life  or 
death  we  can  make  heroic  efforts  to  save  the 
former. 

Only  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  were  made 
tliat  day.  Camp  was  made  on  a  slight 
elevation  of  ground  on  the  bank  of  a 
small  lake  near  Mud  lakes,  in  Emmet 
county,  Iowa.     There  were  a  half  dozen 


74 


HISTORY  OF  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


small,  scrubby  oak  trees  wliich  were  cut 
down  for  lirewood,  tbe  branc-hos  being 
use<l  for  bi'ds.  Tbe  ground  was  covered 
with  water  from  the  melting  snow  and  the 
accommodations  were  anything  l)ul  lom- 
fortable.  A  fairly  restful  night  was  pass- 
ed, however,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
30th  the  journey  was  resumed.  1'luit  day 
was  a  repetition  of  the  preceding  one  so 
far  as  discomforts  were  concerned.  In 
addition,  the  party  now  began  to  feel  the 
pangs  of  hunger,  for  they  had  had  notli- 
ing  to  eat  since  leaving  the  Granger  cabin, 
excepting  a  handful  or  two  of  sugar;  all 
the  vituals  had  been  consumed  while  stay- 
ing at  the  cabin. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  altci-uodu 
the  refugees  sighted  a  party  in  the  dis- 
tance in  the  direction  in  which  they  were 
going,  and  again  did  the  terror-stricken 
people  believe  that  lluy  were  to  be  at- 
tacked by  Indians.  The  guns  were  ex- 
amined and  preparations  nuide  for  a  light. 
Six  men  of  the  party  went  ahead  to  in- 
vestigate, leaving  one  man  with  tbe  team. 
To  their  great  joy  tiiey  found  the  party 
to  be  the  advance  guard  of  an  expedition 
recruited  by  tlic  people  of  Fort  Dodge  and 
vicinity  to  come  to  the  relief  of  the  fron- 
tier settlers.'^  The  point  of  meeting  was 
near  tlie  north  line  of  Palo  Alta  county, 

-The  Sprlnfrfiolcl  refugee."!  were,  of  course,  ig- 
iiorant  of  the  comnip  of  this  expedition;  they 
(lid  not  even  Itnow  tlint  new.-;  of  the  trouhle  on 
the  frontier  h,id  been  r.Trried  to  the  Iowa  .•sel- 
tlemenls.  On  the  1-llh  of  Maroh.  when  the 
Springlield  settlers  had  Kathcrod  at  Granfter's 
to  go  to  the  lakes,  a  Mi".  Hashman..  father  of 
the  young  man  mentitined*  iti  the  text,  lieeame 
alarmed  and  set  out  on  foot  for  Fort  Hodge. 
There  he  told  the  story  of  the  Spirit  lake  mas- 
-sacre  as  It  had  been  related  by  Mori'is  Mark- 
ham,  but  he  being  a  stranger  and  having  his 
Information  second  hand,  very  little  credit  was 
given  to  the  story  by  the  people  of  Kort  Dodge. 
The  news  of  the  massacre  was  confirmed  In 
that  Iowa  town  on  the  32nd.  when  O.  C  Howe. 
R.  U.  Wheelock  and  H.  I'.  Parmentcr  came  in 
and  reported  what  they  had  foinid  at  the  lakes 
on  thr  l.Slh.  Tile  people  wi'r<'  still  skeptlcjil. 
but  after  these  men  had  sworn  to  liielr  state- 
ments   they    bestlred    themselves. 

'riie  direful  news  created  Intense  feeling. 
Tliree  cnmp.'inies  of  vohuiteers  were  quickly  re- 
cruili'd  in  Fort  Poilge.  Webster  t'ity  and  Hom- 
er, and  on  the  25th.  under  command  of  Major 
William  Williams,  they  set  out  for  tiie  frontier. 
The.v  proceciled  up  the  Di\s  Moines  river,  and 
after  terrible  hardships  came  upon  the  Spring- 
field  refugees  on   the  afternoon  of  the  SOih. 


Iowa.  The  advance  guard  was  under  the 
command  o(  William  Church,  a  Spring- 
field settler  and  the  husband  of  one  of 
tbe  refugees.  The  joy  of  the  hungry, 
weary,  bleeding  fugitives  on  meeting  the 
volunteers  was  indescriiiable.  Xot  until 
then,  IVom  the  time  of  attack,  liad  they 
foi'  a  moment  felt  safe  from  their  foes. 
Tliey  knew  that  bad  tiicy  been  attacked  on 
the  route  they  would  have  fallen  an  easy 
jirey. 

The  main  body  of  volunteers,  consist- 
ing of  about  115  men,  soon  came  up.  The 
refugees  accompanied  them  to  tlieir  camp, 
four  or  five  miles  away,  and  for  the  first 
time  since  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
day  before  had  something  to  cat.  Dr. 
Bisscll,  the  surgeon  with  the  volunteers, 
dressed  tbe  W(ninds  of  Jfr.  Thomas,  Mr. 
Carver  and  Miss  Swanger.  As  tiie  injur- 
ies had  liecn  received  four  days  before  and 
had  gone  that  lengtli  of  time  without  sur- 
gical attention,  the  wounds  were  in  bad 
condition  and  were  terribly  inflamed.  All 
lemained  in  the  camp  of  tlie  .soldiers  tliat 
night.  The  next  morning  ^lajor  Wil- 
liams made  the  neicssaiy  ari-angements 
for  the  cai'e  of  the  wounded  and  the  wom- 
en and  childivn.  .Vccompanied  by  Messrs. 
(iranger,  Ha.shman,  Strong  and  Skinner, 
they  went  to  the  "'Irisli  colony,"  a  few 
miles  below,  and  in  course  of  time  arriv- 
ed safely  in  Fort  Uodge  and  other  Iowa 
towns." 

or  tiie  refugees,  Messrs.  Bradshaw, 
.Markham,  Shiegley  and  Palmer  did  not 
go  to  the  Iowa  towns,  Imt  joined  the  vol- 
unteers.' They  became  memliei's  of  a 
scotifing  ])arty  and  scouted  over  (]uite  a 

"The  fallacy  of  some  of  Major  Williams'  con- 
clusions Is  illustrated  in  the  following  from  his 
rcfiort   of   the   expedition: 

".Vbout  eighty  miles  up  we  met  those  who 
had    escai>ed    the    mass,aere    at    Sprlngfleld. 

Tliey  were  about  exhauste<l  and  the  Indians 
on  their  trail  pursuing  them.  Had  not  our 
.'couts  discovered  them  and  reported,  there  can 
lie  no  doubt  they  would  have  been  murdered 
that    night." 

■J.  Grimth  and  William  Church  were  also 
former  Sprlngfleld  residents  who  had  joined 
111'-    \-ninnt.'i'rs   .-it    Ihe    linn-   of  reeriiiting. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


75 


large  tract  of  territorj-.  Although  they 
found  fresh  Indian  signs,  they  were  un- 
able to  run  across  any  of  the  savages. 
The  main  body  of  the  volunteers  jiro- 
ceeded  north  to  the  .Granger  cabin.  There 
they  learned  that  United  States  soldiers 
had  arrived  at  Springfield,  and  they  de- 
cided to  return  home,  and  after  detailing 
a  party  to  bury  the  dead  at  the  lakes,  they 
departed.  Some  of  the  former  Spring- 
field settlers  who  had  joined  the  volun- 
teers went  up  to  the  camp  of  the  regulars 
and  assisted  in  straightening -up  affairs 
in  that  disordered  settlement. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  part  played 
by  the  United  States  soldiers  from  Fort 
Hidgely,  whose  coming  had  been  so  anx- 
iously awaited  by  the  people  of  Spring- 
field, and  whose  earlier  arrival  would  have 
saved  seven  lives  and  prevented  the  hard- 
ships endured  by  the  refugees. 

When  Joseph  C'hiffin  and  Henry  Trets 
arrived  at  the  lower  agency  with  the  peti- 
tion on  the  18th  of  March,  Agent  Charles 
E.  Flandreau  was  fully  satisfied  of  the 
truth  of  the  report  that  murders  had  been 
committed*  and  took  prompt  action.  He 
at  once  drove  to  Fort  Ridgely,  fourteen 
miles  distant,  and  conferred  with  Col- 
onel F.  B.  Alexander,  of  .the  Tenth  in- 
fantry, then  commanding  tlie  post,  which 
contained  five  or  six  companies  of  that 
regiment.  Witli  commendable  ])rompt- 
ness  Colonel  Alexander  ordered  D  com- 
pany, commanded  by  Captain  Bernard 
E.  Bee,  with  Lieutenant  Alexander  Mur- 
ry  second  in  command,  to  be  ready  to 
start  for  the  scenes  of  the  trouble  at  once 
for  tlie  purposes  of  protecting  the  set- 
tlers and  to  punish  the  Indians. 

Captain  Bee  received  his  orders  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  March  19,  and 
within  three  and  one-half  hours  he  was 
on  his  way  with  forty-eight  men,  trans- 
])orted  in  sleighs  drawn  by  mules.    It  was 

"Speech   of   Charles   B.    Flandreau  at  unveiling 
of   Spirit   Lake   monument   in   1895. 


found  impossible  to  march  tlie  troops  in 
a  direct  line  to  the  scene  of  the  outbreak 
on  account  of  the  difficulty  in  traveling 
tlirough  the  deep  snow  with  the  army 
wagon  and  mules.  The  route  traversed 
was  down  the  Minnesota  by  way  of  New 
Ulm  to  Mankato,  and  thence  up  the  Blue 
Iilarth  and  Watonwan  to  Isaac  Slocum's 
cabin,  a  few  miles  southwest  of  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Madelia.  It  was  hoped  to 
find  a  trail  from  that  place  to  the  exposed 
settlements,  but  for  the  last  forty  or  fifty 
miles  of  the  journey  it  was  necessary  for 
the  soldiers  to  break  a  road  for  the  muleb. 

Agent  Flandreau  and  his  interpreter, 
Pliilander  Prescott,  accompanied  the 
troops  as  far  as  Slocum's;  then,  believing 
it  useless  to  proceed  farther,  they  turned 
back.  At  Little  Eock  a  half-breed  guide 
named  Joseph  LaFramboise,  who  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  country,  was  secured, 
but  it  was  almost  impossible  for  him  to 
follow  a  road  or  trail  covered  with  four 
feet  of  snow. 

So  great  were  the  difficulties  of  travel 
that  Agent  Flandreau  advised  Captain 
Bee  to  turn  back,  also,  stating  that  he 
would  justify  such  action  before  his  com- 
manding officer.  Captain  Bee  was  a 
plucky  officer,  however,  and  replied:  "My 
orders  are  to  go  to  Spirit  lake  and  to  do 
what  I  can ;  it  is  not  for  me  to  interpret 
orders,  except  to  obey  them.  I  shall  go 
on  until  it  liecome  physically  impossible 
to  proceed  farther."'-'  So  the  plucky  cap- 
tain continued  on  hi«  way.  At  Slocum's 
the  command  was  joined  by  Nathaniel 
Frost.  William  Nelson  and  Charles  Wood. 

The  little  command  waded  through 
snow  drifts  up  to  their  waists,  often  cut- 
ting through  them  with  spade  and  shovel; 
extricated  mules  and  sleighs  from  sloughs 
and  drifts:  dragged  sleighs  up  steep  hills 
and  over  l>are  spots ;  marched  in  close 
rank   through   the  deep  snow  to  break  a 

"Charles  E.  Flandreau  in  The  Inkpaduta  Mas- 
sacre of  1857. 


76 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


road  for  the  teams;  were  up  from  early 
inoruing  until  late  at  night;  camped,  ate 
and  slept  in  the  snow.  It  was  after  such 
a  trip  as  this,  on  the  evening  of  March 
28,  nine  days  from  the  time  he  had  start- 
ed from  Fort  Eidgely  and  two  days  after 
the  butchery  at  Springfield,  that  Cap- 
tain Bee  at  the  head  of  his  command  ar- 
rived at  the  trading  post  of  Gaboo  and 
the  little  Indian  village  there. 

Gaboo  and  his  Indians  professed  friend- 
ship for  the  whites,'"  and  the  half-breed 
was  employed  as  guide."  He  gave  the 
information  that  Inkpaduta  and  his  In- 
dians had  cleaned  out  the  Springfield  set- 
tlement and  had  retired  to  their  camp  on 
Heron  lake.  Learning  this,  Captain  Bee 
decided  to  pursue  the  Indians  at  once, 
although  his  men  were  nearly  exhausted 
from  tlie  long  and  wearisome  journey. 
With  the  sounding  of  retreat  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  arrival  Captain  Bee  called  for 
twenty  volunteers  to  start  early  the  next 
morning  for  the  Indian  camp,  and  the 
whole  company  ])romptly  stepped  for- 
ward. 

So,  early  on  the  morning  of  Sunday, 
Mardi  29,  the  whole  force  of  soldiers,  ac- 
companied by  the  two  half-breed  guides, 
set  out  for  Heron  lake.  The  teamsters 
accompanied  the  soldiers,  leading  the 
thirteen  mules  of  the  company  for  nse  in 
case  the  Indians  attempted  flight.  Guided 
by  Gaboo,  they  went  straight  across  the 
country  to  the  site  of  the  recent  Indian 
camp,  which  they  surrounded.  Said  Cap- 
tain Bee  in  his  report:  ''The  camp  was 
there  with  all  its  traces  of  plunder  and 
rapini^ — books,  scissors,  articles  of  female 

**It  has  been  allesed  lli.it  the  soldiers  found 
goods  nt  Gabno's  camp  tliat  had  come  from  the 
settlers  at  SprlngHeld.  Of  the  charge  that 
GabOD's  Indian  wife  was  seen  wearing  a  shawl 
belonglnR  to  Mrs.  Church.  Captain  Bee  said  it 
"only  existed  in  the  imagination  of  one  or  two 
settlers."  He  stated  that  all  the  Indian  squaws 
were  robed   In   Indian   blankets. 

""We  i>rocured  two  lialf-breed  guides.  ,Toe 
Coursalle.  Vietter  known  as  Joe  Gaboo.  an<i  Joe 
I.aFrambolse,  both  of  whom  I  knew  well  .and 
felt  no  hesitancy  In  trusting  on  such  a  mission." 
— Charles  E.  Flandreau  at  Spirit  Lake  monument 
unveiling  In  1895. 


apparel,  furs  and  traps."  The  marks  of 
seven  tepees  were  found.  Although  this 
camp  liad  been  deserted  at  three  o'clock 
tliat  same  morning  (the  soldiers  reached 
tiie  place  in  the  afternoon)  the  half- 
breed  guides  were  of  the  opinion  that  the 
camp  was  two  days  old. 

From  this  circumstance  some  have 
formed  the  opinion  that  Gaboo  did  not 
want  the  soldiers  to  continue  tlie  pursuit 
of  the  Indians  and  that  he  deceived  the 
officer  in  command.  Captain  Bee  did 
not  think  so  at  any  rate,  for  in  a  com- 
munii-ation  to  the  Pioneer  and  Democrat 
of  St.  Paul  of  May  14,  1857,  he  said: 
"Gaboo  was  in  front  of  my  men,  his  dou- 
ble-barreled gun  in  his  hand;  iiis  whole 
demeanor  convinced  me  that  he  had  come 
out  to  fight;  his  life,  he  told  me,  had  .been 
threatened   by   the   Indians."' 

Tlie  guides  pointed  out  anotlier  grove 
four  miles  to  tlie  northwest,  where  they 
.-aid  the  Indians  might  be.  Lieutenant 
Miiriy  took  ten  men  and  Gaboo  and 
.•^cardicd  the  grove,  but  found  no  Indians. 
I'poii  receiving  this  report  from  the  lieu- 
tenant. Captain  Bee,  believing  that  the 
Indians  were  two  days'  march  away  and 
knowing  that  liis  men  were  in  no  condi- 
tion to  make,  a  long  campaign,  decided 
that  under  tiie  circumstances  he  would 
give  up  the  pursuit.  This  he  did  and 
the  command  returned  to  the  Des  Moines 
rivcr.'- 

Now,  a.-  a  matter  of  fad,  the  soldiers 
were  within  a  very  sliort  distance  of  the 
Indians  on  this  trip  and  created  great 
alarm  among  the  savages.  To  get  a  fhor- 
ougli  understanding  of  the  events  that 
Hucieedcd  the  massacre,  let  us  keep  the 
company  of  the  Indians  for  a  while. 

The  looting  of  Woods'  store  was  a 
great  event  with  the  savages  and  the  war- 
riors  returned    in    triumph   to   the   camp 

'-'Major  William  Williams,  of  the  Iowa  volun- 
teers, with  his  usual  careless  handling  of  the 
truth,  said  of  this  campaign  of  the  regular 
soldiers: 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


77 


uear  Heron  lake,  loaded  down  with  plun- 
der. Mrs.  Sharp  says  the  Indians  re- 
turned after  an  absence  of  two  days. 
Camp  was  then  moved  from  a  small  lake, 
believed  to  be  Boot  lake,  to  the  creek  near 
the  south  end  of  Heron  lake."  The  In- 
dians brought  with  them  as  a  result  of 
the  raid  twelve  horses,  heavily  loaded  with 
dry  goods,  groceries,  powder,  lead,  bed 
quilts,  wearing  apparel,  provisions,  etc. 
The  whiLe  captives  were  informed  that 
(he  Indians  had  been  rejjulsed.  but  were 
given  no  particular?  of  the  fight,  except 
the  statement  tliat  only  one  white  wmnan 
had  been  killed. 

The  return  of  the  savages  to  camp  is 
interestingly  told  by  ]\Irs.  Marble,  one  of 
the  captives  :'^ 

Perhaps   you   rememljer   that   wliile   w^   were 

"On  Friday,  in  the  afternoon,  the  troops  from 
Fort  Ridgely  arrived,  all  well  mounted  on 
mules.  Those  troops  lay  at  Springfield  all  day 
Saturday  and  assisted  in  burying  the  dead. 
Their  officers  counseled  with  the  half-breed. 
Gaboo,  who  was  the  only  one  unharmed,  and 
known  to  be  acting  with,  and  identified  with, 
the  Indians,  and  whose  squaw  (he  is  married 
to  a  squaw)  was  at  the  time  wearing  the  shawl 
of  Mrs.  Church,  with  other  arHcles  taken  from 
the  citizens.  Said  ■  off icers  lay  over  from  Fri- 
day evening  till  Sunday  morning  without  pur- 
suing or  making  any  effort  to  overtake  the  In- 
dians, who,  they  must  have  known,  had  taken 
off  four  white  women  as  prisoners. 

"On  Sunday  morning  he,  the  commanding  of- 
ficer, set  out  on  their  trail,  and  followed  them 
half  the  day,  finding  their  campflres.  overtaking 
three  or  four  straggling  squaws,  let  them  go, 
and  finding  all  sorts  of  goods  thrown  and 
strewn  along  their  trail  to  lighten  their  load 
and  expedite  their  flight.  When  he  could  not 
have  been  over  half  a  day's  march  from  them 
he  stopped  and  returned  the  same  evening 
(Sunday)  to  Springfield.  When  he  ordered  the 
men  to  return,  they  expressed  a  wish  to  foi- 
low  on,  and  said  they  would  put  up  with  half 
rations  if  he  would  allow  it.  His  reply  was 
that  he  had  no  orders  to  follow  them. 

"On  Monday  he  set  out  for  Spirit  lake  to 
bury  the  dead,  etc.  He  went  to  the  first  house, 
that  of  Mr.  Marble,  found  one  dead  body,  bur- 
ied  it  a!id  returned  to   Springfield. 

"It  is  certain  such  troops,  or  rather,  such 
officers  will  afford  no  protection  to  our  troubled 
frontier  settlers.  Think  of  his  conduct!  His 
men,  all  well  mounted,  turning  back  when  he 
was  not  a  half  day's  march  off  them;  they 
loaded  down  with  plunder  and  horses  and  mules, 
and  carrying  off  with  them  four  respectable 
women   as   prisoners." 

"Heretofore  it  has  been  generally  believed 
that  the  Indian  camp  was  on  Heron  lake  when 
the  attack  on  Springfield  was  made,  but  the 
camp  at  that  time  was  doubtless  on  what  is 
now  known  as  Boot  lake.  The  camp  was  mov- 
ed to  Heron  lake  immediately  after  the  return 
from  Springfield.  Early  settlers  of  Jackson 
county  reported  finding  large  quantities  of 
boots  and  other  goods  from  the  Woods  store  on 
the  bank  of  this  lake;   hence  the  name. 


camped  at  a  little  lake  the  Indians  went  to 
Springfield  and  massacred  the  people  and 
robbed  the  place.  1  do  not  know  the  name  of 
the  lake,  but  I  remember  it  was  surrounded 
witli  large  oak  trees,  in  which  there  were  a 
number  of  eagles'  nests.  I  do  not  know 
whether  you  recollect  their  arrival  in  camp 
that  evening  or  not,  but  I  remember  it  well, 
and  so  long  as  reason  retains  her  throne  I 
shall  never  forget  it.  It  was  just  about  sun- 
down, and  I  had  stepped  out  of  the  tent,  when 
tlu-ougli  the  opening  of  the  oaks  my  eyes 
caught  the  sight  of  a  long  line  of  dusky  ob- 
jects coming  across  the  prairie.  A  .=econd 
glance  and  I  recognized  the  Indians  of  our 
camp.  They  came  single  file  to  the  number 
of  some  twelve  or  thirteen.  Each  one  led  a 
horse,  which  with  their  drag-poles,  on  which 
they  carry  their  loads,  made  a  long  line  of 
men  and  horses.  The  horses  were  loaded 
with  all  kinds  of  goods  and  plunder.  It  was 
evident  a  dry  goods  store  had  been  robbed. 
For,  if  you  remember,  each  Indian  wore  a 
full  suit  of  new.  dark  clothes,  and  with  the 
r.ew  dark  cape  drawn  closely  down  over  their 
brows  they  presented  a  singular  and  really 
gloomy  appearance.  Many  of  them  even  wore 
new  gloves.  They  brought  blankets,  grocer- 
ies of  all  kinds,  and  whole  bolts  of  prints. 
I  with  my  own  hands  made  up  dozens  of 
garments  of  the  calico;  dresses  for  their  pa- 
pooses and  shirts  for  the  men,  as  well  as 
dresses  for  the  squaws.  They  had  also,  many 
of  them,  a  young  animal  strapped  to  tlieir 
horses.  I  soon  perceived  that  they  were 
yoimg  calves.  You  doubtless  remember  they 
feasted  about  this  time  on  veal  cookeii  witii 
die  hair  and  hide  on. 

Mrs.  Sharp  also  tells  of  the  events  in 
camp  after  the  arrival  of  tlie  warriors 
from  Springfield : 

Among  this  plunder  wei-e  several  bolts  of 
calico  and  red  llannel.  Of  these,  especially 
the  flannel,  they  were  exceedingly  proud,  dec- 
orating themselves  with  it  in  fanta.-ilic  fash- 
ion. Red  leggings,  red  shirts,  red  blankets, 
and  red  in  every  conceivable  way,  was  the 
style  there  as  long  as  it  lasted.  Could  any- 
tliing  have  amused  me  in  those  sad  days,  it 
would  have  been  to  see  their  grotesque  at- 
tempts to  wear  the  habiliments  of  the  whites; 
especially  the  attempts  of  the  squaws  to 
wear  the  tight-fitting  garments  of  the  white 
women.  Thej'  would  put  in  one  arm.  and 
tlien  reach  back  to  try  to  get  in  the  other; 
but.  even  if  they  succeeded  in  getting  both 
arms  into  the  sleeves  at  the  same  time,  tliey 
were  too  broad  shouldered  and  brawny  to 
get  the  waist  into  position  or  .fasten  it;  so 
after  struggling  awhile  they  would  give  it  up 
in  disgust.  They  were  altogether  too  much 
tlio  shape  of  a  barrel  to  wear  the  dress  of 
white    women.      So    they    cut    off    and    threw 

"Letter  from  Mrs,  M.  A.  Silbaugh  (formerly 
Mrs.  Marble)  to  Mrs.  Sharp,  dated  February 
25.  1S85.  and  published  in  Mrs.  Sharp's  History 
of  the  Spirit  Lake  Massacre. 


78 


IIISTOIJY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


away  the  waists  and  made  the  skirts  into 
loose-fit tiiij,'  sacks  after  the  si|uaw  fasliion. 
All  this  anuisid  them  greatly;  they  would 
laugh  and  cliatter  like  a  lot  of  "monkeys. 

In  the  midst  of  tiie  celebratiou  of  the 
sacking  of  Woods'  store  and  the  murders 
at  Springfield  came  an  alarm  that  the 
soldiers  were  coming.  The  wildest  ex- 
citement prevailed.  The  squaws  at  once 
e.\tinguislied  tlie  fires  by  pouring  on  wa- 
ter, tliat  the  smoke  might  not  be  .■^een  and 
that  the  asli  heap.s  would  not  have  a  fresh 
appearance  if  the  soldiers  came  upon  them. 
T!  e  tents  were  torn  down,  the  good.-;  lias- 
tily  packed,  and  all  proceeded  down  the 
creek  upon  wliicli  tliey  were  camped. 

While  the  description  of  the  camp  ns 
remembered  by  Abbie  Gardner,  the  cap- 
tive, is  rather  indefinite,  it  is  believed  to 
have  been  on  the  little  creek  which  flows 
into  the  extreme  south  end  of  Heron 
lake,  just  northwest  cf  the  present  village 
of  Lakeficld.  She  says  the  camp  was  on 
low  ground  and  by  a  small  stream  of  wa- 
ter, and  that  there  was  a  high  rolling 
prairie  close  by,  and  this  corresponds  with 
the  high  land  upon  which  Lakeficld  is 
built.  Some  rods  from  the  camp,  so  Miss 
Gardner  said,  was  a  large  tree,  to  wliidi 
an  Indian  crept.  From  the  brandies  of 
this  tree  tiie  warrior  watched  tlie  move- 
ments of  the  soldiers  and  reported  to  his 
comrades.  This  would  seem  to  fuitlier 
establish  the  location,  for  it  is  highly 
probable  that  the  tree  mentioned  is  the 
famous  ''Txine  Tree,"  still  standing  a 
short  distance  from  Lakeficld  and  visible 
for  many  tniles. 

"When  the  alaini  v,as  given  (he  savages 
jirepared  tlieraselves  for  attack.  First 
they  discharged  their  guns  into  the  earth 
to  empty  them  of  the  loads  of  fine  shot, 
firing  into  the  eartli  deadening  tiie  sound ; 
then  they  reloaded  with  liullets.  The  sav- 
ages hastened  down  the  creek,  "skulking 
like  partridges  among  the  willows,"  as 
the  ciptive-historian  expresses  it.  One 
warrior  was  detailed  to  .stand  guard  over 


the  four  women  prisoners,  with  instruc- 
tions to  kill  them  if  an  attack  was  made 
i)y  the  soldiers.  1  quote  again  from  Jlrs. 
Sharp's  hvstory : 

"The  excitement  manifested  by  tlie  In- 
dians for  a  little  wiiil<!  was  intense. 

Alter  an  liour  and  a  half  of  this  ex- 
citing siispi'iL^e.  in  wjiicli  the  S(juaws  were 
skulking  in  the  willows,  the  sentry  watch- 
ing from  the  tici'-tnp,  tlie  warriors  lurk- 
ing among  the  openings  of  the  willows 
on  the  banks  of  the  stream,  and  we  cow- 
ering beneath  the  muzzles  of  the  loaded 
rilios — a  sudden  change  came  to  us.  The 
soldiers,  it  seems,  just  here  decided  to 
turn  back." 

Such  was  the  situation  of  tlie  Indians 
that  the  soldiers,  had  they  followed  the 
trail,  would  not  have  discovered  the  pres- 
ence of  the  enemy  until  in  their  midst — 
and  then  they  would  have  discovered  it 
with  a  volley.  The  captives  wouM  sure- 
ly iiave  been  murdered.  But  events  did 
not  so  siiape  themselves.  The  half-breed 
guides  were  either  deceived  themselves  or 
they  deceived  the  officers,  and  the  sol- 
diers turned  back.  After  the  turning  back 
of  the  trcxips,  the  Indians  did  not  hesi- 
tate a  moment,  but  set'  out  in  all  haste 
for  the  west. 

On  the  return  from  tlie  )iursiiit  of  (he 
Indians.  Captain  Bee  and  his  command 
Went  diiwn  the  river  to  Springfield,  aiul 
on  Jloiiday,  Jlarch  .'iO,  the  dead  bodies  of 
the  victims  were  buried.  It  was  found 
llia(  all  the  goods  had  been  carried  away 
from  (lie  store.  William  Wwid  was  bur- 
ied near  where  he  was  found,  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river,  just  above  the  old  ford, 
the  exact  spot  being  now  unknown.  The 
soldiers  failed  to  find  tlie  body  of  George 
Wood,  which  was  concealed  in  the  brush 
]iile,  but  it  was  subsequently  found  and 
buried  near  the  sjiot  where  he  was  killed. 
The  Stewart  family  and  Willie  Thomas 
were  buried  near  the  Stewart  cabin.     In 


- 

<!*$;:..: 

,  /^- 

■4  ^  ■ 

-     _N 

V  3           %^         i      ''■ ' 

<. 

W-- 

^^O^Nf^ 

\ 

^^^ 

^wtf 

] 

r 

} 

^1^ 

■ 

Mhh 

1 

E^fll 

■H 

I^^^^^^^^^H 

1 

HjH^^^R^ 

^^^|H 

|H^^H 

1 

^^Hfe 

^^i 

1 

^^^^^^^^B 

••LONE  TREE" 
Historic  Landmark  Near  Lakefleld. 


-r^.oitt  FOUND*-"" 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSONT  COUNTY. 


79 


his  report  Captain  Bee  said :  '"'It  was  one 
of  the  saddest  moments  of  my  life  when 
I  saw  the  Stewart  family  dead  by  their 
cold  hearthstone,  but  then  and  there  my 
conscience  told  me  that  they  had  mot 
tlieir  fate  by  no  fault  of  mine."  At  the 
Wheeler  cabin,  Mr.  Henderson  was  found 
alive,  not  having  been  molested  by  the 
Indians.  'Sir.  Smith  and  the  Shiegley  boy 
were   found   at  the  Tliomas  cabin. 

While  Captain  Bee  and  his  forces  were 
still  at  Heron  lake  he  detailed  lieutenant 
]\Iurry  and  eight  men  to  go  to  Spirit  lake 
to  bury  tlie  dead.  The  party  went  to 
the  jMarble  grove,  buried  the  body  of  Mr. 
Marble,  and  then  returned  to  Springfield. 
Tlie  rapid  melting  of  the  snow  and  the 
consequent  rapid  rise  of  the  streams  made 
progress  difficult  and  he  did  not  go  to  the 
()kol){)ji  lakes.  The  dead  there  were  af- 
terward l)uricd  by  the  Iowa  volunteers, 
on  April  3. 

While  in  Springfield  Captain  Bee  ex- 
pressed much  feeling  over  the  massacre 
of  the  settlers.  He  said  lie  was  sorry  Ma- 
jor Williams  had  not  continued  his  nuirch 
over  the  state  line  and  taken  summary 
vengeance  on  the  ludian.s  of  Galwo's 
cam]),  wlio  professed  such  great  friendship 
for  tlie  whites,  remarking  that  the  major 
was  not  tied  u])  with  orders  as  he  was.'^ 
The  coiiiuiaiiili'i-  of  the  regular  soldiers 
expressed  the  hope  tiiat  the  fugitive  fam- 
ilies would  return,  and  went  so  far  as  to 
send  a  messenger  after  thciu  with  the 
information  that  the  Indians  were  out  of 
the  country  and  that  a  guard  of  soldiers 
would  be  left  at  S]>ringfield  for  their 
protection;  that  all  might  now  return  in 
safety.'" 

Captain  Bee  detailed  Lieutenant  Murry 

"Jareb  Palmer. 

""On  the  strength  of  these  assurance.s  some 
returned  and  reported  that  if  the  guard  was  to 
be  permanent  all  would  return.  I  could  give 
them  no  information  on  that  head,  but  stated 
that  I  would  take  the  responsibility  of  leaving 
an  officer,  two  non-commissioned  officers  and 
twenty-six  privates,  but  that  further  action 
must  come  from  my  military  superiors." — Re- 
port of  Captain  Bernard  E.  Bee. 


and  ,-eventeen  men  to  remain  in  the  set- 
tlement for  the  protection  of  any  who 
wished  to  remain  and  those  who  might 
come  in.  Mr.  Jareb  Palmer,  who  was  in 
llie  camp  when  the  order  was  read,  says:. 
"I  remember  that  the  order  stated  that 
there  .should  not  be  any  unnecessary  bu- 
gling, and  I  heard  him  afterward  remark 
while  in  conversation  with  the  lieutenant 
that  the  less  bugling  they  had  the  better, 
all  of  which  went  to  show  that  he  didn't 
think  the  danger  was  over."  The  next 
morning  after  the  detail  was  announced 
Captain  Bee  and  the  main  part  of  his 
command  departed  for  Fort  Eidgely, 
where  he  arrived  April  8.'' 

Lieutenant  Slurry'"  and  his  seventeen 
men  pitched  their  camp  just  south  of  the 
Wheeler  cabin  and  not  far  from  tlie  Car- 
ver cabin.  This  force  remained  at  Spring- 
field until  about  April  20.  Then  it  was 
relieved  by  Lieutenant  John  McNab  with 
a  force  of  twenty  men,  who  remained  un- 
til fall. 

The  subsequent  history  of  Inkpaduta 
and  his  band  can  lie  told  in  a  Hew  words. 
.\]  I  hough  all  the  damage  had  been  done 
by  a  dozen  or.  fifteen  warriors  of  the  out- 
law band,  it  was  feared  the  whole  Sioux 
nation  was  up  in  arms.     There  was  great 

'^Captain  Bernard  E.  Bee  was  a  South  Caro- 
linian and  was  about  forty  year.s  of  age  in 
1S57.  He  was  a  West  Point  graduate  and  a 
tirave  and  determined  officer.  Soon  after  the 
exijedition  to  Springtield  his  regiment  went 
west  to  help  .suppress  the  Mormon  uprising  and 
he  was  in  the  west  until  the  beginning  of  the 
ci\il  war.  When  South  Carolina  seceded  from 
the  union  Captain  Bee  resigned  from  the  army 
and  was  made  a  brigadier  general  in  the  con- 
federate army.  He  was  killed  in  the  first  bat- 
tle of  Bull  Run  while  endeavoring  to  hold  his 
brigade  in  line.  But  before  he  was  killed  he  did 
much  to  turn  the  tide  of  battle  and  bring  about 
a   confederate  victory. 

During  the  hottest  part  of  the  battle,  while 
his  men  and  those  of  several  other  commands 
were  fleeing  in  disorder,  noting  how  firmly 
stood  the  brigade  of  General  Thomas  J.  Jack- 
son. General  Bee  shouted  to  his  men:  "For 
CJod's  sake,-  stand,  men:  stand  like  Jackson's 
brigade  on  your  right;  there  they  stand  like  .a 
stone  wall."  General  Beauregard  and  other 
officers,  overhearing  the  remark,  remembered  it. 
rnd  from  this  came  the  famous  soubriquet  of 
"Stonewall    Jackson." 

"Lieutenant  Murry  was  a  Pennsylvanian  by 
birth.  He  had  attended  West  Point,  but  failed 
to  graduate,  and  was  appointed  to  the  army 
from  civil  life.  He  remained  true  to  tlie  north- 
ern cause. 


80 


TTTST()T?V  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


alarm  all  over  soutlieni  Minnesota,  al- 
thougli  there  was  not  a  hostile  Inrlinn  in 
the  vicinity. 

Immediately  after  the  soldiers  under 
Captain  Rce  had  given  up  the  pursuit, 
the  Indians  made  all  haste  to  get  out  of 
the  country.  They  traveled  westward  in- 
to Dakota,  taking  the  women  captives 
with  them.  Of  the  four  unfortunate  wom- 
en, Mrs.  Thatcher  and  Mrs.  Xoble  were 
cruelly  murdered,  Mrs.  Marble  and  Miss 
Gardner  were  ransomed  after  considorahlc 
delay. 

Inkpadula  and  his  ham]  df  niurdcrers 
were  never  properly  ])unishod,  owing  to  a 
combination  of  circumstances.  The  chief 
himself    became    totallv    blind    within    a 


few  years  and  did  not  participate  in  more 
iMitcherics.  lie  and  two  surviving  sons 
tle<l  with  Sitting  Hull  to  Canada,  finally 
locating  at  the  Canadian  red  pipestone 
(|uarry,  in  southwestern  Manitoba.  Hero 
in  1804  Dr.  Charles  Eastman,  a  well- 
known  Indian  authority,  found  the  dc- 
.^cendants  of  Inkpaduta,  who  gave  him 
much  interesting  information.  Tlie 
bloody-minded  old  savage  himself  had 
died  miserably  some  years  before.'"  Two 
of  Inkpaduta's  sons.  Roaring  Cloud  and 
Fire  Cloud,  were  killed  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1857.  Two  other  members  of  the 
band  were  killed  by  Little  Crow's  In- 
dians. Probably  the  rest  took  part  in  the 
great  Sioux  outbreak  of  ISGS. 

"Minnesota    In   Three   Centuries. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


EESETTLEMENT    AND    OEGANIZATION— 1857-1859. 


IT   SEEMS   ^trann'e   that   in   less   tliaii  nuses    tn   various   contemplated    railroads, 

two  months  after  the  terrible  Inkpa-  The     towiisite     boomers     carried     their 

duta  massacre — at  a  time  when  only  schemes  to  the  legislature  and  largely  -for 

a  handful  of  men  were  braving  the  dau-  their  benefit  the   Minnesota    law  making 

gers  of  the  Indian  country  by  remaining  body  indiscriminately  created  counties  in 

in  what  was  then  known  as  the  Spring-  all    parts    of   the   territory — in   many    of 


field  settlement — the  legislature  of  the 
territory-  of  Minnesota  should  see  fit  to 
create  the  political  division  known  as 
Jackson  county  and  make  provision  for 
its  organization.  But  such  is  the  case, 
and  Jackson  county  was  for  the  first  time 
entitled  to  a  place  on  the  map  of  Minne- 
sota on  May  23,  1857,  when  Governor 
Samuel  Medary  attached  his  signature  to 
the  bill  creating  it. 

Conditions  in  Minnesota  territory  at 
the  time  were  unique.  Thousands  of  peo- 
l)le  were  pouring  in  and  building  them- 
s-elvcs  homes  in  the  frontier  sections.  Elab- 
orate scliemes  for  big  ventures  were 
planned  ;  nothing  was  done  in  a  niggardly 
manner ;  frenzied  finance  reigned  su- 
preme. Railroad  rumors  filled  the  air, 
and  it  was  indeed  an  out-of-the-way  place 
that  did  not  look  forward  to  the  coming 
of  the  iron  horse  in  the  immediate  fu- 
ture. Paper  roads  covered  the  territory 
from  one  end  of  the  territory  to  the  other, 
and  southwestern  Minnesota  was  no  ex- 
ception to  the  rule.  The  territorial  leg- 
islature caught  the  fever  and  granted  bo- 


which  there  was  not  at  the  time  a  single 
resident.  And  Jackson  county  came  into 
existence  under  these  conditions. 

Investigation  shows  us  tliat  in  addi- 
tion to  the  Indian  title,  which  was  quiet- 
ed by  treaty  in  the  early  fifties,  the  land 
now  comprising  Jackson  county  has  been 
in  the  possession  of  three  different  civiliz- 
ed nations  and  has  formed  a  part  of  six 
different  territories  of  the  United  States 
and  of  three  difEerent  counties  of  Minne- 
sota. 

Our  county  formed  a  small  part  of  the 
new  world  possessions  claimed  by  France 
by  right  of  discovery  and  exploration.  In 
]7G3,  iuimbled  by  wars  in  Europe  and 
America,  France  was  forced  to  relinquish 
her  province  known  as  Louisiana,  and  all 
her  possessions  west  of  the  Mississippi 
liver  were  ceded  to  Spain  in  that  year. 
Amid  the  exigencies  of  European  wars 
Spain,  in  the  year  1800,  ceded  Louisiana 
back  to  France,  which  was  then  ruled  by 
Xapoleon  Bonaparte.  On  April  30,  1803, 
negotiations  were  completed  for  the  pur- 
chase of  Louisiana  by  the  United  States 


81 


82 


IllSlOliY  OF  .lAl'KSO.N  COlN'rV. 


for  tlie  sum  of  $1.5,000,000.  On  lliat 
date  the  future  Jackson  county  became  a 
part  of  the  UniteiT  States. 

Soon  after  the  United  St-.iics  secured 
pofsesiiion — in  1805 — that  jiart  of  tlie 
mammoth  territory  of  Louisiana  wliich 
had  been  called  Upjicr  Lfluisiana  was  or- 
ganized into  Jlissouri  territory,  and  had 
our  county  then  liad  settlers  they  would 
have  been  nnder  the  government  of  ifis- 
souri.  ^lissouri  was  admitted  as  a  state 
in  \S'Hk  and  for  several  years  thereafter 
the  country  beyond  its  northern  boun- 
dary, comprising  what  is  now  Iowa  and 
all  of  Minnesota  west  of  the  ^lississippi 
river,  was  without  organized  government. 
But  in  18,34  congress  attached  tliis  great 
expanse  of  territory  to  Michigan  terri- 
tory. Two  years  later  Wisconsin  terri- 
tory was  formed,  comprising  all  of  Michi- 
gan Avest  of  Lake  Michigan  and  for  the 
next  two  years  we  were  a  ])art  of  that  ter- 
ritory. 

Congi-ess  did  a  iot  of  enacting  and 
boundary  changing  before  Jackson  coun- 
ty got  where  is  belonged.  ^Ye  became  a 
part  of  Iowa  territory  when  it  was  creat- 
ed in  18.38,  because  we  were  included  in 
"all  that  part  of  the  fthen]  present  ter- 
ritory of  Wisconsin  which  lies  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river  and  west  of  a  line  diawn 
due  north  from  the  headwater.-;  or  sources 
of  the  Mississippi  to  the  territorial  line." 
Jackson  county  was  a  part  of  Iowa  ter- 
ritory until  Iowa  became  a  state  in  tSK!. 
During  this  time  settlers  began  to  locate 
in  portions  of  what  later  became  Minne- 
sota, and  they  were  put  under  the  juris- 
diction of  Clayton  county,  Iowa.'  -Be- 
fore this  the  Minnesota  country  had  been 
practically  a  "no  man's  land."  The  only 
laws  enforced  were  the  rules  of  the  fur 
comjianies  and  the  law  of  the  sword  ad- 
ministered   by    the   connnandant   at    Fori 

'Henrv  H.  Sibley,  who  lived  at  Mcndola.  wa.i 
a  justice  of  the  peace  of  that  count.v.  The 
cotinty  seat  was  250  miles  distant,  and  his  Jur- 
isdiction extended  over  a  region  of  countr>' 
"as  large  as  the  empire  of  France." 


Snelling.  By  the  admission  of  Iowa  as 
a  state  in  l.S4(5  our  county  again  liecame 
actually  a  "no  man's  land/'  we  were  a 
part  of  no  territ<iry  or  state.  That  con- 
dition existe<l  until  Minnesota  territory 
was  iii':iti(l   ill  184!)." 

Wlieii  the  lirst  legislature  convened  af- 
ter the  organization  of  the  territory  in 
18411  it  divided  Minnesota  into  nine  coun- 
ties, named  as  follows:  Benton,  Dakota. 
Itasca.  Cass,  Pembina,  Ramsey,  Washing- 
ton. Chisago  and  Wabasha.  The  whole  of 
.southern  Jliuncsota  was  included  m  Wa- 
ija.sha  and  Dakota,  and  of  these  two.  Da- 
kola  had  the  bulk  of  the  territiu-y.  Wa- 
basha included  that  part  of  the  territory 
"lying  east  of  a  line  running  due  south 
from  a  point  on  tiie  ilississipjii  river 
known  as  iledicine  Bettle  village,  at  Pine 
Bend  I  near  St.  Paul],  to  the  Iowa  line.'' 
Dakota  county  (created  October  27,  1840) 
\tas  "all  that  part  of  said  territory  west 
of  the  ^[ississipjii  and  lying  west  of  the 
county  of  Wabasiia  and  south  of  a  line 
beginning  at  the  mouth  iif  Crow  river, 
and  up  said  river  and  the  north  branch 
I  hereof  to  its  source,  and  thence  due  west 
to  the  ^[issouri  river.'"'' 

=It  may  he  of  Interest  to  know  that  only  an 
unfavorable  act  of  rongr.-ss  i>revent.*tl  Jackson 
cnurUy  from  beinjc  (ll\'ldc(l — part  t.i  go  to  Iowa 
and  part  to  the  future  Miiui.-sota.  In  1S14  a 
constitutional  co!i\-ention  prepari-ti  a  constitu- 
tion for  tile  state  tif  Inw.a  which  ]>rt>vi<lcd  for 
boundaries  in  part  as  follows:  From  a  point 
whore  the  Sioux  or  Calumet  river  enters  the 
Missouri.  In  a  straight  line  to  a  point  wlu'rc 
the  Watonwan  enters  St.  Peter's  (Minnesota) 
river  (which  it  does  not.  but  rath.T  the  Ului' 
KarthK  and  thence  down  the  SI.  I'.-ters  to  the 
Mississippi  aiul  down  that  river.  'I'his  line  de- 
fining th<.  northwest  bouiidarv  woulil  extend, 
on  a  present  da\'  map.  from  Si<Mix  (Mty.  Iowa, 
to  Afankato.  Minnesota,  and  woubl  pass  through 
Jackson  countv.  Had  congress  ratified  this 
constitution,  which  it  did  not,  the  present  Jack- 
son county  would  have  been  partly  In  Iowa 
and   partl.v   in    Minnesota 

".Minnesota  territory  then  extended  to  the 
Missouri  river.  In  this  mammoth  county  of 
Dakota  there  were  the  following  prisent  day 
counties  (or  parts  of  counties)  in  Minnesota. 
In  addition  to  many  in  whiit  is  now  the  stjite  of 
South  Pjikola;  Rock.  NVdiles.  Jackson,  Mai'liji. 
Faribault.  Freeborn,  Steele,  Waseca,  Hlue 
Karth.  Watonwan.  Cottonwood,  Murray,  Pipe- 
stone, Lincoln,  I, yon.  Redwood,  Hi'own,  Nicfjllet. 
Lesueur.  Kice.  Dakota  (part),  Scott,  Sibley. 
Renville,  Yellow  Medicine,  I>ac  qui  Parle,  Chip- 
pewa, Kandiyohi  (except  small  corner).  Meeker 
(part).  Mcl.eod,  Carver,  Hennepin.  Wright 
(part),  Stearns  (small  part).  Pope  (part).  Swift. 
Stevens   (part),   Big  Stone  and  Traverse   (part). 


HlSTOllY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


83 


Although  Dakota  county  was  lai-gcr 
than  many  of  the  eastern  states  its  popvT- 
lation  was  almost  nothing,  and  it  was  de- 
clared "organized  only  for  the  purpose 
of  the  appointment  of  justices  of  the 
jieacc.  constaMe.-;  ami  sueli  other  judicial 
and  miniriteiiid  utficcrs  as  may  be  speci- 
ally provide(l  for." 

The  futiii'c  .Iack;-i))i  cdunty  remained  a- 
part  of  Dakota  county  until  March  .5, 
1853,  when  there  was  a  readju.stment  of 
Dakota  and  Wabasha  county  boimdaries, 
and  Blue  Earth  county  came  into  exist- 
ence. The  boundaries  of  the  latter  were 
described  as  follows:  "So  much  territoiw 
lying  south  of  the  Minnesota  river  as  re- 
mains of  Wabasha  and  Dakota  counties 
undivided  by  this  act."  As  the  boundaries 
of  the  two  older  counties  as  defined  by  the 
act  were  very  indefinite,  it  is  impossible 
to  state  exactly  what  the  dimensions  of 
Blue  Earth  county  were.  It  is  known, 
however,  that  it  included  all  of  south- 
western Minnesota. 

For  two  years  the  unknown  Jackson 
county  country  remained  a  part  of  Blue 
Earth  county,  and  then  came  another 
change.  By  an  act  approved  February 
20,  185.5,  the  county  of  Blue  Earth  was 
reduced  to  its  present  boundaries,  Pari- 
l)ault  county  was  created  with  the  bound- 
aries it  now  has,  except  that  it  extended 
one  township  farther  west  than  now;  and 
the  new  county  of  Brown  came  into  ex- 
istence. It  was  described  as  follows: 
"That  so  much  of  the  territory  as  was 
fonnerly  included  within  the  county  of 
Blue  Earth,  and  has  not  been  included 
within  the  boundaries  of  any  other  coun- 
ty as  herein  establislied.  shall  be  known 
as  the  county  of  Brown."  All  of  the  ter- 
ritory lying  south  of  the  Minnesota  river 
and  west  of  a  line  drawn  south  from  the 
western  boundary  of  the  present  day  Blue 
Earth  county  now  became  Brown  county, 
and  .Jackson  remained  a  part  of  this  un- 


til two  years  later,  when  it  became  a  polit- 
ical division  of  itself.^ 

Jackson  county  was  only  one  of  nine 
counties  in  southwestern  Jlinnesota  crea- 
ted by  the  act  of  May  23,  18o7.''  Section 
two  of  the  act  described  the  boundaries : 

That  so  much  of  the  territory  of  ilinne- 
sola  a.s  lies  within  the  followini;-  liijimdaries 
he,  and  the  same  is  liereby,  establislied  as  the 
coiuity  of  .Jackson:  Beginning  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  township  101  north,  of  range 
34  west;  thence  due  north  to  the  northeast 
corner  of  township  104  north,  of  range  34 
west;  thence  due  west  to  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  township  104  north,  of  range  38  west: 
thence  due  south  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
township  101  north,  of  range  38  west;  thence 
due   east   to   the   place   of  beginning. 

Of  the  nine  counties  created  only  Mar- 
tin. Jackson,  Nobles  and  Big  Sioux  were 
declared  to  be  organized  coitnties  and  "in- 
vested with  all  the  immunities  to  which 
organized  counties  are  entitled  by  law." 
These  four  counties  were  attached  to  the 
third  judicial  district  for  judicial  pur- 
poses and  to  the  tenth  council  district 
for  legislative  purposes.  Provision  was 
made  for  the  early  organization  of  Jack- 
son county.  Eesidents  of  the  county  were 
to  be  named  by  the  governor  as  commis- 
sioners to  perfect  the  organization."  These 
ctnnmissioners    were   to   meet   during   the 

'Brown  county  was  not  organized  at  once, 
but  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  on  February  11. 
1S5B,  it  was  permitted  tu  organize.  New  "Ulm 
was   named  as   the   county   seat. 

■"'Minnesota  territory  at  this  time  extended 
west  to  the  Big  Sioux  river.  The  cither  coun- 
ties created  by  the  act  were  Martin.  Noble."!. 
Murray,  Pipestone,  Big  Sioux,  Cottonwood, 
Rock  and  Midway.  The  three  first  named  were 
given  the  boundaries  they  now  have.  The 
boundaries  ot  Pipestone  county  were  described 
as  including  the  present  Rock  county  and  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  present  Minnehaha  coun- 
ty. South  Dakota.  The  boundaries  of  Rock 
county  were  described  as  including  the  present 
Pipestone  county  and  a  small  part  of  the  east- 
ern portion  of  the  present  Moody  county.  South 
Dakota.  This  transposition  of  the  names  Rock 
and  Pipestone  in  the  description  of  their-  boun- 
daries in  the  original  act  of  1857  may  have  been 
due  to  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  physical  fea- 
tures of  this  part  of  the  country,  or  it  may 
have  been  due  to  a  clerical  error.  The  mis- 
take was  corrected  .  later.  Big  Sioux  county 
took  in  part  of  the  present  Minnehaha  county 
and  extended  from  the  Big  Sioux  river  east- 
ward to  Pipestone  (Rock)  count.v.  Cottonwood 
coimty  had  the  same  boundaries  as  now.  except 
that  it  did  not  then  have  three  townships  in 
the  northwest  corner  which  it  now  has.  Mid- 
way county  included  that  part  of  the  present 
Moody  county  which  lies  between  the  Big 
Sioux  river  and  the  western  boundary  of  the 
original  Rock  (Pipestone)   county. 


84 


UlSTUKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


fiivt  week  in  July,  1857,  at  the  county  seat 
aud  set  in  motion  llic  niacliincry  of  tlio 
government.  The  county  seat  was  tern-  • 
porarily  located  at  Jackson.'  tlie  town.<ile 
ol"  Springfield  iiaving  been  rcnaiiie(l  Jack- 
son a  short  time  before,  as  will  be  told  lat- 
er. I'rovision  for  the  j)i'rmanent  loi-ition 
was  made  in  sedion  twelve,  wliidi  n-,\i\> 
as  follows: 

On  the  petition  of  twenty  legal  voters  in 
any  of  said  eoimties,  at  any  time  after  tlic 
passage  of  this  aet,  it  shall  be  tlie  duty  of 
tlie  county  commissioners  to  order  the  legal 
voters  of  any  of  the  said  counties  to  vote  at 
any  general  election  for  the  location  of  the 
county  scats  of  said  counties,  and  the  point 
receiving  the  highest  nunilicr  of  votes  shall 
be  the  county  seat  of  sai(l  county. 

Jackson  couniy  wa.<  naineil  in  lionor  of 
Ifon.  Jlonry  Jackson,  the  fiist  mercliant  of 
St.  Paul,  according  to  the  be<t  authori- 
ties.* The  only  dissension  from  this  con- 
sensus of  opinion  is  liy  Hon.  William  P. 
.Nfurray.  of  St.  Paul,  who  was  a  memi)er 
of  the  legislature  that  established  the 
county.  Mr.  JIurray  thinks  the  county 
was  named  in  lionor  of  President  .\ndrew 
Jackson,  l)ut  as  he  is  not  positive  of  this 
it  Ls  reasonably  ceitam  thr  lionor  belongs 
to  Henry  Jackson." 

Tt  is  perhaps  needless  to  say  that  Jack- 
son county  Avas  not  organized  in  July. 
1857,  as  tlie  act  provided.  It  is  doubtful 
if  there  were  enough  men  in  the  eounfy 
at  the  time,  excepting  the  .soldiers,  to  iill 
the  necessary  county  offices.  But  within 
a  short  time  ))ermanent  settlers  again 
came  to  the  county  and  the  organization 

•Section  eleven  of  the  act  reads:  "The  rov- 
ernor  shall  appoint  three  persons  for  each  of 
the  ri'spcctlve  oritanlzed  counties,  bcinp  resl- 
(Icnts  aiul  legal  voters  thereof,  commissioners 
for  each  of  siild  counties,  with  full  power  and 
authority  to  do  and  perform  all  acts  and  duties 
dovolvlnK  upon  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners of  any  or^jariized  county  in  this  terri- 
tory, the  said  hoard  of  commissioners  shall  havi> 
power  to  appoint  all  other  officers  that  may  he 
required  to  complete  the  organization  of  their 
respecti\"u   counties." 

'Section  12:  "...  an*!  the  f'(Mint\'  seat 
of  Jarkson  county  shall  lie  temporarily  estab- 
lished at   the  town   of  Jackson   In  said  county." 

"See  article  by  R.  I.  Holcombe  in  I'loneer 
Press  almanac  for  1S9G:  Warren  I'pham's  Min- 
nesota County  names:  Mliuicsota  in  Three  Cen- 
turies. 


was  duly  perfected,  as  will  be  told  in  due 
chronological  order. 

'J'he  presence  of  Lieutenant  JIurry  and 
his  seventeen  soldiers  at  Springfield  was 
the  only  (liing  that  kept  Jackson  county 
from  becoming  entirely  depopulated  after 
the  massacre.  As  it  was,  only  a  few  spent 
the  summer  of  185;  in  the  county.  Of 
Jhc  several  families  who  were  in  the 
Springfield  settlement  at  the  time  of  the 

'■"On  the  night  of  June  it.  ist2,  there  landed 
from  a  steamboat  at  St.  Paid's  a  man  named 
Henry  Jackson,  whose  advt-nt  proved  to  bv 
epochal  In  the  career  and  history  of  thf  place. 
He  vsas  a  Virginian  and  was  born  in  1811.  He 
had  served  as  oi'dei'ly  sergeant  In  the  'I^atrlot 
.\rmy'  of  Sam  Houston  that  achieved  the  In- 
dependence of  Texas,  In  May.  1S38.  at  Burfalo, 
New  York,  he  married  -Xngellne  Bivins,  a  modil 
wife  for  an  enterprising  and  Intelligent  charac- 
ter, such  as  he  was.  Soon  after  Ills  marriage 
ho  moved  to  Green  Bay.  Wisconsin,  and  thence 
to  Galena,  niinols,  where  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness, but  was  unsuccessful.  He  had  learned 
of  the  situation  at  St.  Paul's  and  determined 
to  establish  hlmsrlf  there  and  with  the  rem- 
nant of  his  Galena  stock  to  open  a  store  for 
the  sale  of  Indian  and  frontier  goods.  It  wa.s 
a  dark  rainy  night  when  he  landed,  he  did  not 
know  a  single  person  or  n  single  foot  of  the 
territor>'  in  the  place,  and  it  required  much 
search  and  effort  to  fiml  a  shelter  for  himself 
and  wife  imtil  the  morning.  Quarters  were 
rtnally  found  :il  the  house  of  James  R.  Clewctt, 
although  his  father-in-law's  family,  thi'  Perrys. 
were  at  the  time  members  of  the  hiai.sehold. 
Here  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Jackson  remained  for  some 
days  and  then  Jackson  rented  of  Pierre  Par- 
rant — 'Old  Pigs  Kvi-' — a  <aljin  on  the  levee. 
which  was  his  residence  for  .some  weeks.  He 
soon  purchased  of  Benjamin  Gervals  about  two 
acres  now  lying  in  the  block  bounded  by  Jack- 
son and  Robert  on  the  east  and  west  and 
Third  aiul  Bench  streets  on  the  snuth  and 
north.  The  tract  was  then  n  high  blulT  bank, 
and  on  a  point  overlooking  the  river,  Mr. 
Jackson  built  a, cabin  of  tamarack  poles  and 
r.nened  a  stock  of  goods  especially  selected  for 
the  local  demand.  In  the  summer  of  1S4.1  he 
eidarged  and  sold  a  half  interest  in  his  busi- 
ness to  Wiliiani  Hartshorn,  and  in  September 
of  that  vi'ar  tin-  ruin  took  Into  their  employ  as 
elerk  and  French  interpreter  .Vuguste  l.ouls 
I.arpenteur,  a  native  of  Baltimore,  but  of  a 
prominent  old  French  family  and  who  Is  (1!I0S> 
vet  an  honored  and  honoring  citizen  of  St.  Paul. 
"Henrv  Jackson  became  very  prominent  and 
serviceable  In  the  early  affairs  of  St.  Paid,  His 
store  was  a  creditable  cst.iblishment,  was  In- 
dependent of  the  fur  I'ompanv  and  popular 
among  the  settlers  and  the  Indians.  In  1S4S. 
while  the  Minnesota  country  east  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi belonged  to  Wisconsin  territory,  he  was 
appointed  by  Govc>rnor  Heiu-v  Dodge  a  Justice 
of  the  peace  for  St,  Croix  county.  In  lS4fi  he 
was  anpointed  the  first  postmaster  at  SI.  Paul's, 
In  1S47  and  l.StS  he  was  a  member  of  the  WIs- 
ronsin  legislature,  representing  the  cotmty  of 
St,  Croix.  Ho  was  also  a  member  of  the  first 
lerritorini  legislature  of  Mliuiesola  and  of  th(> 
lirst  town  council  of  St.  Paul.  In  April,  1S52. 
he  moved  to  Mankato.  becoming  one  of  thi' 
first  four  settlers  of  the  place,  where  he  died 
Jidv  SI,  IS.')",  Jackson  street  In  St.  Paul  and 
Jackson  coimty  are  named  for  him  and  also 
Jnckson  street  in  Mankato.  His  widow  married 
John  S.  Hincklev.  a  pioneer  of  Mankato,  and 
died  in  that  city  January  1.  lS9t"  -Minnesota 
in  Three  Centuries. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


85 


massacre,  only  that  of  Dr.  Strong  ever  re- 
turned to  live,  and  Dr.  Strong  and  family 
(lid  not  remain  many  years.  The  memory 
of  the  awful  events  was  too  clear  in  their 
minds  to  tempt  back  those  families  who  had 
inade  settlement  along  the  Des  Moines  riv- 
er in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1856.  A  few 
of  the  unmarried  men  of  the  settlement, 
however,  remained  during  the  summer. 
Among  tliem  were  Nathaniel  Frost,  John 
Dodson,  Joseph  C'hifFin,  Henry  Trets  and 
Adam  Shiegley. 

A  few  others  came  in  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1857  and  took  claims  or  bought 
from  those  who  had  departed.  Alexander 
Wood,  a  brother  of  the  murdered  store- 
keepers, came  to  look  after  the  claims.  He 
fell  in  with  a  company  of  townsite  sharks, 
who  were  operating  extensively  all  over 
Minnesota  at  the  time,  and  an  agreement 
was  made  by  the  terms  of  which  Mr.  Wood 
was  to  come  and  iiold  down  his  brothers' 
claims  and  they  were  to  secure  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  holdings  by  reason  of  im- 
provements which  they  promised  to  make. 
Elaborate  plans  were  made  for  building 
a  town  on  the  townsite  selected  by  Wil- 
liam and  George  Wood,  which  was  to  be 
called  Jackson,  instead  of  Springfield.  A 
sawmill  and  grist  mill  were  to  be  built, 
and  work  on  these  improvements  was  com- 
menced. The  townsite  company  did  not 
lulfil  its  part  of  the  agreement  by  making 
the  stipulated  improvements,  possibly  be- 
cause of  the  panic  of  that  year,  and  mis- 
understandings resulted  which  were  after- 
wards settled  in  the  courts  to  the  benefit 
of  Mr.  Wood. .  Mr.  Wood  did  not  wish  to 
.stay  on  the  claim  during  the  winter,  so  he 
entered  the  land  as  a  farm  claim,  instead 
of  a  townsite  claim,  and  spent  the  winter 
elsewhere. 

Another  abortive  attempt  to  found  a 
town  in  1857  was  made  by  Joseph  Chiffin, 
John  Dodson  and  James  Whitchurch. 
Tlieir  "town"  ^vas  located  on  Mr.  Chiffin's 


claim  on  section  eleven,  Des  Moines  town- 
ship, and  was  named  Odessa.  About  this 
time  tiicre  was  a  war  between  Eussia  and 
Turkey,  and  the  name  of  the  Eussian  city 
Odessa  was  much  in  the  public  prints. 
That  furnished  the  name,  and  the  name 
was  all  there  was  to  Odessa.  No  improve- 
ments whatever  were  made,  and  Odessa 
as  a  Jackson  county  place  name  will  be 
handed  down  simply  as  an  interesting  re- 
lic of  the  wildcat  townsite  days  in  Minne- 
sota's early  history.  The  Norwegian  set- 
tlers of  1860  report  finding  Odessa  '"a 
\illage  of  sticks,  but  without  any  build- 
ings." The  proprietors  of  the  townsite 
were  trappers;  they  spent  the  winter  of 
1857-58  in  the  Skinner  cabin. 

Thomas  Johnson  came  to  the  county  in 
1857,  took  a  claim  near  Jackson,  and 
some  time  later  became  a  permanent  resi- 
dent. Charles  Mead  came  with  Mr.  John- 
son and  became  a  resident  of  the  county. 
Ned  Lower  took  a  claim  on  section  6,  Bel- 
mont, in  the  summer  but  did  not  remain 
during  the  winter.  Charles  Kern,  com- 
monly called  "Dutch  Charlie"  (he  was 
a  Bavarian),  was  another  arrival  of  the 
year  1857,  and  he  spent  the  following  win- 
ter in  the  settlement  "holding  down"  the 
claim  of  Alexander  Wood.  Mr.  Kern 
was  a  man  of  considerable  ability — a  news- 
paper correspondent  and  a  physician  as 
well  as  a  trapper.  He  resided  in  the  coun- 
ty several  years.  As  indicated,  only  a 
few  of  these  remained  in  the  settlement 
during  the  winter;  Jackson  county  was 
nearly  depopulated  during  the  winter  of 
1857-58. 

The  mail  route  between  Mankato  and 
Sioux  City,  which  had  been  discontinued 
after  the  death  of  the  carrier,  Hoxie 
Eathban,  and  which  had  not  been  resumed 
in  the  spring  on  account  of  the  massacre, 
was  opened  during  the  summer  of  1857. 
Marsh  &  Babcock  sublet  the  contract  to 
David  Pease,  who  lived  on  tlie  Watonwan, 


86 


IIISTOIU'  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


and  that  genlleiiiau  carried  the  mail  over 
tlic  old  route  until  ahout  November  1.  At 
ihal  time  the  route  was  ehan<ied  to  {^o  liv 
way  of  the  Spirit  lake  ;-ettlement,  and 
two  carrier.*  were  enipUiveil,  a  Mr.  John.-on 
lor  tlic  northern  end  and  iMr.  Jareh  I'al- 
nier  for  the  southern  eixi.  They  carried 
the  mail  until  .\i)ril.  ISrjS,  when  Mi-. 
Pease  again  resumed  the  duties  of  carrier. 

The  departure  of  ihe  soldiers  in  the  tall 
of  1857  and  the  removal  of  most  of  the 
white  settlers  for  the  winter  left  those  who 
remained  in  some  apprehension  of  Indian 
attack.  Although  none  of  Inkpaduta's 
hand  came  back,  there  were  occasionally 
seen  other  Indians  who  created  some 
alarm.  In  Bueua  Vista  county,  Iowa, 
about  the  last  of  December,  1857,  a  party 
of  eleven  white  men  attempted  to  drive  a 
hand  of  Indian.-;  from  the  country. 
The  Indians  led  the  whites  into  an 
ambuscade  and  wounded  one  of  the 
attackers,  and  the  whites  then  with- 
drew and  gave  up  the  chase.  A  few  In- 
dians appeared  at  the  Spirit  lake  settle- 
ment during  the  winter  and  caused  much 
uneasiness  among  the  few  families  who 
were  wintering  there.  A  petition  was 
drawn  np,  signed  by  every  adult  in  the 
Spirit  lake  .settlement,  and  carried  to  Des 
Jloines  by  Jareb  Palmer.  The  petition 
asked  the  Iowa  legislatm-e  to  send  a  force 
of  volunteers  for  their  protection.'" 

Governor  Lowe  authorized  the  raising 
of  a  company  of  volunteers  to  go  to  tlie 
frontier,  and  ilr.  Jaroh  Palmer  recrui- 
ted a  company  of  thirty  men,  which  was 
mustered  in  at  \Vcb.>ter  City  and  namcil 
Frontier  Guard.  JI.  li.  Jlartin.  of  Web- 
ster City,  was  captain,  and  William  L. 
Church,  the  former  Springlield  settler, 
was  first  lieutenant,  'i'he  Frontier  Guard 
arrived  in  the  exposed  settlements  on 
Marcli  1  and  was  divided  into  three  squads 
— one  at  Spirit  lake,  one  on  the  Des 
Moines,  seven  miles  above  Estherville,  and 


one  on  the  Little  Siou.x,  in  Clay  county. 

The  guard  remained  on  the  frontier  un- 
til the  last  of  June,  and  then,  as  there 
apiieared  to  be  no  Indians  near  the  settle- 
ments, the  soldiers  returned  to  tluir 
homes.  Thi'  country  had  been  thorouglilv 
seari'hed,  but  no  Indians  fo\ind.  On  one 
occasion,  at  Skunk  lake,  in  Sioux  Valley 
townshi))  of  Jackson  county,  tiiere  was 
found  the  dead  body  of  an  Indian  laid 
upon  the  nearly  horizontal  branch  of  a 
large  but  somewhat  scrubby  oak  tree.  From 
the  profusion  of  ornaments  found  on  Ids 
person  he  was  supposed  to  have  been  a 
chief  or  warrior  distinguished  among  liis 
fellows. 

Owing  to  the  presence  of    these    Iowa 

"••Spirit  La1<e.  Jaiiu.iry  9.  1S5S.  To  the  Hon- 
orable, the  General  .Assembly  of  the  State  or 
Iowa.  The  uiider.'iiBneil  citizens,  residing-  In 
the  vicinity  of  Spirit  lake,  would  resi>ectfully 
present  for  the  consUleration  of  your  honorable 
liody  the  condition  of  the  iieople  on  the  fron- 
tier in  the  northwest  part  of  the  state.  We 
are  exposed  to  the  attack  i>f  nidians  under  cir- 
cumstances afrordinB  little  hope  of  relief.  The 
settlemi'nts  are  sparse  and  widely  se.ittered. 
with  but  little  or  no  communication  with  each 
other.  A  hostile  incursion  has  already  been 
made  and  depredations  committed  in  the  vicin- 
ity where  the  outrages  were  committed  last 
winter,  .and  with  a  restdt  to  encourage  renewed 
attempts.  .\t  any  hour  this  may  be  repeated 
at  points  ntlerly  iinprot^-cted  and  but  poorly 
supplied  with  means  of  ilefense.  Some  of  the 
surrounding:  settlem^-nts  have  already  been 
abandoned  for  the  winter,  and  ail  are  much 
Weakened  in  numbers  by  jiersons  who  have  left. 
Many  of  the  settlers  remaining-  cannot  b>ave 
without  ,'ibaiulonlnK  tin-ir  all  antl  cannot  collect 
in  sufficient  numl)ers  to  withstand  attack,  and 
depending — as  nearly  all  the  remalninf?  settlers 
do — upon  their  own  exertions  for  sustetianci*. 
must  either  endure  Kreat  suffering  or  remain 
exp«,sed  to  danger.  If  we  apply  to  the  general 
go\'ernment.  relief,  if  obtained,  wouhl  be  too 
late.  Help  for  us.  to  be  efTiclent.  must  bp 
promjit.  A  small  body  of  soldiers  placi'd  near 
the  Little  Sioux  river,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
slate  line,  would  afford  protection  to  all  the 
settlements  on  the  1. it  tie  Sioux,  alxiut  Spirit 
lake,  and  on  the  west  fork  of  the  Des  Moines 
rl\er  and  their  vicinity.  We  would  respectfully 
pray  that  a  law  l->e  passed  authorizing  the  rals- 
iuK  of  one  himdred  volunteer  troops  for  the 
term  of  three  months,  to  be  stationed  in  the 
north  part  of  Ihe  state,  -i'our  petitioners  also 
pray  for  such  other  means  of  protection  as  cir- 
cumstances demand." 

Tlie  petition  was  sipned  hv  Orlando  C.  Howe, 
William  P.  Oraylord.  .larch  Palmer.  William  D. 
Carsley.  Joseph  Miller.  H.  H.  Packard.  Dan 
f'olweil.  T.  S.  Rtff.  C.  L.  Richardson.  Rosalvc 
KinRman.  W.  B.  Brown.  Charles  F.  Hill.  Jos- 
eph M.  Post.  William  I-amont.  T-awrence  Fos- 
leer.  I.evi  Daugherty.  George  Rogers.  K.  V. 
I  onvfellow.  James  I..  Pi  Urs.  K.  Thurstc.n 
Thomas  Miner.  James  P.  H.awklns.  George  S 
P.ist.  R.  r.  Wheelock.  WllliMm  Donaldson.  Ri.il 
crick  .\.  Smith.  George  tietrlck.  Agnes  I.  Kim; 
man.  Melissa  A.  Peters.  Mrs.  M.  W.  Howe. 
Elizabeth  Thurston.  Mrs.  K.  Massey. 


pUBLIC  LIBRARY 


eiirrALO  _kjll  found  in  Petersburg 


HISTORY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


87 


guards  there  was  quite  a  large  immigra- 
tion to  the  Spirit  lake  country,  to  Jackson 
county,  and  to  other  nearby  settlements 
in  tlie  spring  of  1858.  The  appearance 
of  small  bands  of  Indians  about  the  first 
of  September  again  created  apprehension, 
and  the  guard  returned  to  the  frontier 
about  the  middle  of  Novendjor  and  re- 
mained all  Avintcr. 

During  ihc  spring  and  siiunner  of  1S58 
many  who  had  been  in  Ihe  countv  the 
year  before  returned  to  make  permanent 
settlement  and  several  new  settlers  arrived. 
Among  the  more  prominent  of  the  settlers 
of  this  year  was  Joseph  Thomas,  who  be- 
came one  of  the  best  known  niun  of  Jack- 
son county."  It  was  during  the  month 
of  March  tliat  Mr.  Tliomas,  accompanied 
liy  his  son,  Lansing,  then  a  youth  of  nine- 
teen years,  James  Palmer,  his  son-in-law, 
and  P.  P.  Holland,  drove  into  Jackson 
county  by  ox  team  from  Newton,  Iowa. 
Mr.  Thonuis  had  Ijought  the  Wheeler  claim 
and  caljin  from  a  man  named  Kellogg, 
and  made  his  home  there  until  his  death. 
He  returned  to  Newton  for  provisions  and 
household  goods,  but  came  back  at  once. 
Lewis  Thomas  arrived  at  the  new  liojne 
in  July.  The  rest  of  the  family  came 
tlie  ne.xt  spring.  James  Palmer  took  as 
a  claim  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
19,  Wisconsin  township,  and  continued  a 
resident  of  the  county  until  his  death. 

Nathaniel  Frost  came  back  early  in  the 
spring  to  bwomo  a  permanent  settler. 
George  Bradliury  came  from  Newton, 
Iowa,  and  took  as  his  claim  the  north  half 
of  tlie  south  half  of  section  30,  Wisconsin 
township,  upon  which  lie  lived  until  liis 
death  that  fall.  James  Townsend  also 
came  from  Newton  with  his  family  and 
located  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
ST),  Pes  Moines  township,  making  his 
home  in  the  James  B.  Thomas  cabin.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1858-59  he  went  to  Man- 

"See  biographical   section. 


kato  with  two  yoke  of  o.xen  for  provisions. 
On  his  way  back,  while  near  Elm  creek, 
his  wagon  became  stuck  in  a  slough  so 
that  the  o.xen  could  not  pull  it  out.  Mr. 
Townsend  unhitched  the  o.xen,  turned 
them  loose,  and  c.unped  in  the  slough  for 
tlie  night.  In  the  morning  he  started 
out  to  look  for  his  oxen,  but  a  storm  came 
up  and  he  lost  his  way.  When  nearly  ex- 
hau,sted  from  wandering  about  on  the 
prairie,  he  came  upon  an  empty  cabin 
near  the  west  chain  of  lakes,  in  Martin 
county,  and  sought  shelter  there.  He  was 
too  badly  frozen  to  make  a  fire  and  perished 
in  the  cabin.  His  body  was  found  ten 
days  later  by  trappers.  In  the  spring  of 
1859  Mrs.  Townsend  and  the  children  re- 
turned to  their  old  home  in  Newton. 

James  Meddleson  was  another  unfortu- 
nate man  who  came  to  the  settlement  early 
in  1858,  only  to  meet  a  violent  death.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  iie  started  down  the  river 
in  a  canoe  to  take  a  few  traps  to  John 
Dodson  and  Charles  Kern,  who  were  trap- 
ping in  Emmet  county,  Iowa,  and  never 
returned.  He  had  been  murdered  and  his 
head  severed  entirely  from  the  body.  From 
this  circumstance  it  was  thought  that  he 
had  been  murdered  by  Indians. 

Benjamin  Hill,  with  his  family  of  a 
wife  and  three  children,  came  from  Man- 
kato  early  in  the  spring,  took  a  claim 
on  the  river  in  Belmont  township,  and  re- 
mained several  years.  Charles  Kern  was 
also  in  the  county  in  1858  and  remained 
for  several  years.  John  McEwen  took  a 
claim  on  section  30,  Des  Jloines  township, 
remained  only  a  few  months,  and  then 
sold  to  a  Mr.  Miller,  of  Newton,  Iowa. 
The  latter  remained  only  a  short  time. 
Adam  Sliiegley,  one  of  the  trappers  wlio 
had  come  before  the  massacre,  was  in  the 
county  again  in  1858,  and  was  an  intei-- 
mittent  resident  for  several  years.  Frank 
Wagner  also  came  to  the  settlement  from 
Webster  City  and  remained  a  few  vears. 


bS 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Jfessrs.  Dodson,  Chidin  ami  Wliitilmrcli, 
of  "Odessa,"  continued  to  hold  their  hind 
claims  and  cngajic  in  trapping  during  the 
year.  James  Haugiiloii  and  wife  came 
during  the  summer  and  located  on  section 
3{>,  Des  ^loines  town.ship,  hut  remained 
only  about  one  year.  Bartholomew  Mc- 
Carthy, who  had  been  to  the  Springfield 
settlement  before  the  niasiiaorc,  returned 
in  the  spring  of  LS.'iS  and  became  a  per- 
manent resident. 

Israel  F.  Eddy,  who  had  ])roviou.sly 
selected  a  claim  near  where  the  Milwaulvcc 
depot  in  Jackson  is  now,  came  with  his 
family  in  April,  1858,  and  became  a  per- 
manent resident.  Charles  Clark  came  from 
Newton,  Iowa,  and  took  a  claim  in  Bel- 
mont township.  ]\rorris  Lester  came  from 
JIankato  in  the  spring  and  took  a  claim  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county',  but  remained  (inly  a 
short  time.  Elisha  Hill  took  a  claim  in 
Belmont,  hut  de])artcd  from  the  county 
in  the  fall.  Dr.  Iv  B.  N.  Strong  and 
his  fanuly  continued  to  reside  in  the 
county  during  18.58  and  for  some  time 
afterward.  Joseph  IMuck  and  his  large 
family  located  near  the  present  silo  of 
Jackson,  where  he  lived  until  1802. '-  W- 
e.xander  ^\'(l^d  retui-iied  to  Imik  al'U'r  his 
interests. 

Probably  a  few  other  people  came  dur- 
ing the  year  1858  to  take  claims  and  be- 
come permanent  settlers,  but  as  there  is 
now  none  of  the  settlers  of  1858  living 
in  the  county  the  record  for  the  year 
must  remain  incomplete. 

The  townsitc  .schemers  of  Jfinnesota 
appeared  before  the  legislature  early  in 
1858  and  succeedcil  in  inducing  that  body 
to  provide  for  the  establishment  of  over 
ninety   state  roads   in    dilTercnt   parts   of 

"In  18G2  Mr.  Muck  .nnd  his  family  moved  to 
Spirit  l.ako.  Thi-ro  his  wife  died  and  his  son, 
Stephen,  became  blind.  The  same  year  he  en- 
listed In  the  Sioux  niy  civnlrv  and  served  In 
the  army  until  18G4.  In  18fi7  Mr.  Muck  located 
In  the  Graham  lakes  country.  Nobles  county, 
and  became  the  first  resident  of  that  county. 


tlie  new  state,  most  of  them  leading  to 
towns  which  existed  only  in  the  minds  of 
the  promoters.  The  provision  for  the 
cstablishnieiit  of  these  roads  was  incor- 
porated in  one  bill,  approved  by  Charles 
1.1.  Chase,  acting  gcivenior,  on  March  1!», 
1858,  Mr.  Wood  and  his  jissociates  in 
the  scheme  for  the  building  of  a  town  at 
.laekson  were  not  forgotten.  Section  8(; 
of  the  act  reads  as  follows: 

That  E.  E.  Sraitli,  J.  S.  Fislier  ami  .Mexaiulii- 
Wood  arc  lierc'l)y  appointed  coiiiinis^ioiiers  In 
survey,  locate  aiiJ  cMablisJi  the  following  slate 
■  (■ads,  viz:  Itoiu  lilue  Earlli  t'ily,  via  Fair- 
mont, county  r-cat  of  .Martin  county,  to  Jackson, 
county  seal  of  Jackson  county;  also  a  road 
from  Alankato,  via  Arcadia,  in  JJrown  couiilv. 
to  Jackson,  in  Jackson  county;  also  a  road 
from  Fairmont  in  a  soutlicrly  direction  to  the 
slate   line  of  Iowa 

It  was  during  the  year  1858  that  a 
company  of  promoters  from  Owatouua, 
Minnesota,  founded  the  town  of  Belmont 
on  the  south  half  of  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  34,  Belmont  township,  and 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  3,  Dcs 
-Moines  township,  on  a  Hat  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river.  To  such  an  extent  had  real 
estate  speculation,  especially  townsite  spec- 
ulation, progressed  at  this  time  that  some 
wit  of  the  time  suggested  a  petition  be 
sent  to  congress  asking  that  a  law  be  pas- 
sed providing  for  the  reservation  of  some 
of  the  government  domain  for  agricul- 
tural entry.  To  illustrate  the  condition 
tlial  permitted  the  I'ouuding  of  BeliiKHil 
and  other  towns  on  the  frontier  and  their 
more  or  less  successful  exjdoitation,  1 
quote  from  a  Minnesota  state  historx- : 

The  real  estate  speculation  reached  its  crisis 
in  the  early  part  of  183":  everybody  seemed 
inoculaleil  with  the  m.^nia.  from  the  capitalist 
to  tlie  humble  laborer.  Townsites  and  adili- 
tinns  to  towns  were  laid  out  by  the  score. 
M:iny  were  piirely  iniapinary.  never  having 
been  surveyed,  and  lots  in  these  paper  cities 
were  sold  by  the  hundreds  in  the  east  at 
exorbitant  prices.  .■\f;ricullure  was  nei;lert- 
ed.  fanuers.  mechanics  anil  laborers  forsook 
their  occupations  to  become  operators  in  real 
estate.  The  number  of  real  estate  dealers 
was  innumeral)Ie.  but  many  of  them  were 
shysters,  hnvin;;  no  olTices  but  the  sidewalk, 
their  stock    in   trade   being  a   roll  of  townsite 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


89 


maps  and  a  package  of  blank  deeds.  Tlicse 
opeiators,  by  sharp  maneuvering,  would  manip- 
ulate unsuspecting  strangers  and  fteece  them 
of  their  means  by  selling  them  lots  in  moon- 
shine towns  for  several  liundred  dollars  each 
that  were  not  actually  worth  as  many  cents. 
Such  operations  were  repeated  again  and 
again  until  St.  Paul  and  Minnesota  had  a 
name  abroad  that  was  anything  but  enviable. 

In  sucli  times  and  under  such  condi- 
tions the  town  of  Bcliuont  was  founded. 
While  Springfield  and  Jackson  and  Odes- 
sa had  made  no  material  jn'ogress.  Bel- 
inont  did,  boasting  a  number  of  buildings 
and  one  or  two  business  enterprises — 
probably  to  the  greater  loss  of  lot  pnr- 
cliasers.  tUiarles  Mead  and  D.  P.  Corn- 
ell seem  to  have  been  the  leading  spirits 
of  the  enterprise,  although  a  number  of 
others  were  interested  with  them. 

The  Belmont  townsite  boomers  went 
farther  with  their  schemes  than  most  of 
the  speculators  of  the  day,  and  secured 
tiie  incorporation  of  tlieir  town  by  the  leg- 
islature, the  act  being  signed  by  Governor 
Henry  H.  Sibley  July  27,  18.58.  The  first 
two  sections  of  the  bill  read  as  follows : 

An  act  to  incorporate  the  town  of  Bel- 
mont. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  legislature  of  the  state 
of  Minnesota: 

Section  1.  That  so  much  land  as  is  con- 
tained in  the  town  of  Belmont,  according  to 
the  survey  and  plat  of  said  town,  as  made  by 

C.  C.  Mead,  for  the  proprietors  of  Belmont, 
and  situated  in  the  county  of  Jackson,  and 
state  of  Minnesota,  shall  be  a  town  corporate 
by   the  name  of  Belmont. 

Sec.  2.  That  for  the  good  order  and  im- 
provement of  said  town,  .Joshua  Dyen"  is 
hereby    appointed    president.    S.    B.    Westcott, 

D.  P.  Cornell,  George  A.  Bardwell  and  Fred- 
erick Noble  be  and  are  hereby  appointed  trus- 
tees, Charles  G.  Berry,  secretary,  E.  W.  Nortli- 
rup,  attorney,  and  S.  A.  Farr'ington.  treasur- 
er, and  George  E.  Leary,  marshal.  The  presi- 
dent, trustees  and  secretary  shall  constitute 
the   council   of  said  town. 

Some  of  the  officers  of  the  town — per- 
haps all  of  them — located  in  the  new  town. 
At  least  two  of  them  became  permanent 
settlers  of  the  county,  for  we  find  the 
names  of  Joshua  Dyer  and  Frederick  No- 
ble listed  as  residents  of  Jackson  county 
when  the  federal  censu-- of  1860  was  taken. 

"Joshua  Dyer. 


Section  three  of  the  charter  provided 
that  the  officers  named  in  the  act  should 
enter  upon  their  duties  on  the  first  Wed- 
nesday in  January,  18.59,  and  made  jjrovis- 
ion  for  the  holding  the  first  town  elec- 
tion at  the  ne.xt  general  state  or  county 
election.  The  fourth  section  stated  the 
duties  and  defined  the  corporate  powers 
of  tlie  officers.    Among  other  items : 

The  officers  of  said  town  shall  have  a  right 
of  action  against  all  trespasses  on  the  prop- 
erty of  said  town;  and  any  person  trespass- 
ing upon  any  lands  within  the  limits  of  said 
town,  or  occupying  said  lands  without  a  con- 
veyance from  tlie  proprietors  of  said  town,  or 
their  trustees,  agents  or  assignees,  shall  for- 
feit all  improvements  he  may  make  on  such 
lands,  and  shall  be  liable  to  "pay  damages  to 
twice  the  amount  of  actual  injustice  done  to 
said  lands. 

Other  sections  of  the  charter  provided 
for  keeping  a  record  of  the  proceedings  of 
the  council,  for  filling  vacancies,  defined 
the  powers  of  the  council,  provided  for 
authority  to  assess  and  collect  taxes  for 
municipal  purposes,  and  for  the  delivery 
of  records  to  successors  in  office.  The 
charter  does  not  definitely  locate  the  town, 
and,  as  the  county  had  not  yet  been  sur- 
veyed, neither  the  legislature  nor  the  town- 
site  proprietors  kne\i-  the  exact  location 
as  it  would  appear  on  a  present  day  map. 
The  land  was  still  government  property, 
Init  provision  was  made  for  securing  title 
under  the  townsite  act  of  184-1.  Section 
eleven   of  the  incorporating  act  reads: 

It  .shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  council  of 
said  town  to  apply  for  a  preemption  of  the 
land  within  the  limits  of  said  town,  not  ex- 
ceeding three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  un- 
der the  provisions  of  an  act  of  congress,  en- 
titled an  act  for  the  relief  of  citizens  of 
towns  upon  lands  of  the  United  States,  xni- 
der  certain  circumstances,  approved  May  23, 
]844;  and  as  soon  as  the  title  to  said'  land 
shall  be  obtained  as  aforesaid,  to  ascertain 
the  persons  entitled  to  the  various  lots  and 
blocks  within  said  town,  who  may  have  a 
valid  right  to  the  same,  either  by  original 
claim,  or  by  transfer  by  the  person  having 
made  such  original  claim,  and  to  deed  under 
hand  of  the  president  and  secretary,  and  to 
seal  with  the  seal  of  said  corporation,  to  such 
persons  so  entitled,  the  lots  or  blocks  to 
whicli  such  person  may  be  entitled:  provided 
that  no  street  or  alley,  or  other  public  ground 


90 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


shall  be  go  deeded;  and  provided  also,  that 
every  person  or  persons  to  whom  such  lots  or 
blocks  shall  lie  deeded  as  aforesaid,  shall  rir>t 
pay  to  the  treasurer  or  secretary  of  said  town, 
liir  smh  lots  or  blocks  the  cost  of  entry,  and 
incidental  expenses   of   the  same. 


the  court  liouse  was  a  store  building,  and 
just  over  the  line  in  Belmont  township 
was  a  hotel.  It  is  believed  that  a  brick 
yard  was  located  on  the  northwest  quarter 


The  proprietors  of  the  village  of  Bel-  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  3,  for 
jnont  were  successful  in  inducing  quite  a  there  was  found  a  large  quantity  of  burned 
number  of  people  to  locate  on  their  land  brick.  Besides  tlie  saw  mill,  court  iiouse, 
and  actually  spent  considerable  money  in  brick  yard,  store  and  hotel,  there  were  a 
an  effort  to  build  a  town.  The  people  who  number  of  log  houses  on  the  townsitc.  All 
located  in  Belmont  were  trappers,  traders  the  buildings  were  of  log,  nearly  all  of 
and  farmers.  A  mnnlicr  of  patches  of  which  had  floors  of  sawed  lumber.  There 
prairie  land  were  iiroken  up  in  the  vi-  is  evidence  to  show  that  tlie  inliabitants  of 
cinity  and  sown  to  crops ;  surveyors'  stakes  the  town  moved  out  of  their  hou.scs  dur- 
covered  over  a  quarter  section  of  the  finest  ing  the  winter  and  took  refuge  from  the 
farming  land. 

That  the  promoters  were  sincere  in  their 
intentions  to  build  a  little  city  on  the 
frontier  is  evidenced  by  the  number  of 
enterprises  put  under  way.  Among  the 
first  improvements  was  the  building  of  a 
dam  across  the  river  at  what  later  became 
the  Holsten  Olson  place.  It  is  said  that 
this  dam  was  built  during  the  winter  on 
top  of  the  ice.  In  the  spring,  instead  of 
sinking  and  forming  the  dam,  as  the 
builders  expected,  the  materials  were 
swept  away.  A  dam  was  then  built  across 
the  river  lower  down,  but  the  promoters 
decided  to  install  a  steam  mill,  and,  at 
great  expense  the  machinery  for  the  coun- 
ty's first  sawmill  was  brought  overLind 
with  ox  teams  from  St.  Paul.  The 
mill  was  set  up  on  the  east  side  of  the  riv- 
er, very  close  to  tlic  center  of  section  three 
and  just  west  of  the  residence  which  was 
the  home  of  the  late  Judge  Simon  Olson 
for  so  many  years." 

It  was,  of  course,  proposed  to  make  Bel- 
mont the  county  seat  of  Jackson  county, 
and  to  this  end  a  two  story  log  court  hou.ee. 
abo\it  18x20  feet,  witli  roof  of  shakes,  was 
built  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  three.'"  Near 


"This  miU  was  .stancUnR  when  the  settlers  of 
ISRl  arrived.  Later  It  was  removed  to  Spencer. 
Iowa,   and    later  still    to   Emmet's   Grove. 

"At  this  late  day  some  of  the  logs  that  form- 
ed the  rnnrt  house  building  are  to  be  found  In 
the  vicinity. 


cold  weatlicr  in  caves  dug  close  to  the  riv- 
er in  the  timber.  .\  number  of  these  caves 
were  found  wliicli  had  the  appearance  of 
liaving  Ijeen  occupied  by  the  Belmont  vil- 
lagers. SI)  settlers  of  i  few  years  lnt<T  re- 
ported. 

When  the  enumerator  took  the  census 
of  1S()0  lie  reported  finding  six  unoccupied 
iniihlings  in  the  town  of  lidmont.  The 
Norwegian  settlers  who  came  in  lS(iO 
found  most  of  the  buildings  sl;niiliiig. 
There  were  also  one  or  two  of  the  promot- 
ers present  who  exerted  every  effort  to 
sell  tlie  new  comers  lots.  But  as  tliey 
had  all  out-doors  to  select  from  the  Nor- 
wegians did  not  invest  in  Belmont  town 
lots,  and  were  accordingly  coolly  received 
by  the  townsitc  agents. 

Like  its  rival,  Jackson,  Belmont  was 
able  to  secure  the  pa.ssage  of  an  act  by  the 
legislature  providing  for  the  establishment 
of  state  roads  to  the  town.  On  August 
."i,  1S.5S,  a  bill  was  a])proved  proviiling  for. 
among  others,  the  establishment  of  three 
loads  to  Belmont  with  commissioners  to 
oversee  the  work,  as  follows : 

Blue  Earth  City  to  Belmont ;  D.  P.  Cor- 
nell. C.  G.  Berry  and  O.  N.  Gardner,  com- 
missioners. 

South  Bend,  in  Blue  Karth  county,  to 
Belmont :  J.  T.  Williams.  S.  B.  Westcott 
and   F.  W.  Northrup,  commissioners. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


91 


Vernon,  in  Blue  Earth  county,  to  Bel- 
mont; James  Cornell,  Frederick  G.  Noble 
and  D.  r.  Cornell,  commissioners. 

The  iiaymcnt  for  this  work  was  to  he 
made  by  the  several  organized  counties 
through  which  the  roads  would  run. 

Despite  the  etTorts  of  the  promoters, 
Belmont  was  doomed,  and  within  a  feu- 
years  not  a  sign  of  the  village  was  to  be 
seen;  it  had   passed   into   history.'" 

The  boundaries  of  Jackson  county  were 
surveyed  in  September,  1858,  but  town- 
ship and  section  lines  were  not  run  until 
later.  The  mall  route  during  the  lat- 
ter part  of  this  year  was  under  the  man- 
agement of  Orrin  Nason  and  a  Mr.  Be- 
dow,  of  Mankato,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Nason  and  Bedow,  and  those  gentlemen 
carried  the  mail  between  Mankato  and 
Siou.x  City  from  that  time  until  1862, 
when  the  service  was  abandoned.  The 
route  was  across  Jackson  county  by  way 
of  the  little  settlement  of  Jackson. 

During  the  year  18.58  Jackson  county 
was  organized  under  the  act  of  the  legis- 
lature of  May  2.3,  18.37.  John  B.  Fish, 
Alexander  Wood  and  a  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Britton  were  chosen  commission- 
ers by  the  citizens  to  perfect  the  organi- 
zation, but  owing  to  some  informality 
the  governor,  who  had  the  appointing  pow- 
er, did  not  recognize  these  commissioners, 
but  appointed  others.'"  The  commission- 
ers appointed  other  residents  to  fill  the 
various  county  offices  and  the  machinery 
of  county  government  was  set  in  motion. 
These  appointees  served  until  their  suc- 
cessors, elected  in  the  fall  of  18.58,  quali- 
fied. 

This  county  organization  was  maintain- 
ed until  August,  1862,  when  it  was  dis- 
continued because  of  the  Sinux  outbreak 

""  .  .  .  Belmont  for  a  time  promised  to 
oustrip  its  competitors,  Odessa  and  Jacltson, 
down  the  river,  but  its  metropolitan  march  was 
brief,  and  better  wheat  cannot  be  grown  than 
John  and  ,\ndrew  Olson  now  raise  on  these 
same  lots  and  avenues  of  the  old  townsite  of 
Belmont." — Jackson    Republic,    March    19,    1870. 

"Jackson  Republic,   March   19,   1870. 


and  the  consequent  depopulation  of  the 
county.  It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that 
so  little  is  known  of  the  county  govern- 
ment under  this  iirst  organization.  With 
a  very  few  exceptions,  all  records  have 
been  lost,  only  a  few  miscellaneous  rec- 
ords having  been  preserved — ju.st  enough 
to  make  certain  that  the  government  was 
maintained  during  these  years. 

There  wa.s  another  Indian  scare  during 
the  winter  of  1858-59.  Scouts  of  the 
Frontier  Guard,  which  was  stationed  at 
the  Spirit  lake  settlement  all  winter, 
found  a  tew  Indians  near  the  head  oi 
Spirit  lake,  and  a  detachment  of  troops 
was  sent  out  to  capture  them.  The  sol- 
diers found  two  warriors  and  a  half-breed 
with  their  families  camped  -in  a  grove  on 
the  east  shore  of  Little  Spirit  lake,  in 
Minneota  township,  Jackson  county,  and 
took  them  with  their  camp  equipage  to  the 
soldiers'  camp.  The  Indians  made  no  re- 
sistence  and  professed  friendship  for  the 
whites  and  intense  liatred  for  Inkpaduta 
and  his  Indians. 

A  few  of  the  settlers  at  Spirit  lake  be- 
lieved tbev  recognized  in  tiiese  Indians 
former  followers  of  the  noted  outlaw,  and 
the  captives  were  kept  under  guard.  Gov- 
ernor Lowe  of  Iowa  ordered  the  Indians 
to  be  taken  to  Des  Moines  for  trial  for 
the  Spirit  lake  murder.'^.  In  charge  of  a 
non-commissioned  officer  and  two  privates 
the  Indians  were  started  on  their  way  to 
trial.  When  Palo  Alta  county  was  reach- 
ed both  Indians  made  their  escape  and 
wore  never  seen  afterward,  .\lthough 
the  captives  had  now  gotten  away,  then- 
arrest  had  a  salutary  efEcct  upon  the  Sioux 
of  the  vicinity.  Straggling  bands  of  In- 
dians were  occasionally  seen  in  the  coun- 
trv  after  that,  but  they  never  pitched 
their  camps  in  the  vicinity.  The  Iowa 
guards  returned  home  in  May,  1859,  anil 
were   disbanded. 

The  vear  1859  was  not  an  eventful  one 


92 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


in  tlic  liiiftoiy  of  Jackson  county.  Among 
tlie  new  settk-rs  of  tlie  year  wa.s  a  jiaity 
who  came  during  the  summer,  consisting 
of  D.  ilortimer  West,  wife  and  sons — 
Stiles  M.,,  M.  F..  and  H.  F.,— James  K. 
West,  a  hrother  of  1).  ^Fnrtimer  West,  Ed- 
ward Davies  and  Jiciny  Pease.  All  ex- 
cept the  two  younger  West  hoys  took  land 
claims,  Afr.  Davirs  in  nnrtiiern  He?  ^loiiics 


township,  the  others  south  of  the  present 
site  of  Jackson.  A  few  other  settlers  came 
and  took  claims,  hut  others  moved  away, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  year  there  were 
jjrobahly  not  one  hundred  men,  women 
and  children  in  the  county.  Tlie  settle- 
ments were  confined  solely  to  the. country 
aliinjr  tlu'  Des  Moines  river. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  NORWEGIAN  SETTLEMENT— 1860-1862. 


"|^>ACTS  supplying  the  context  of  pre- 
l~i  ceding  chapters  lead  to  the  con- 
-■-  elusion  that  fear  of  the  treacher- 
ous red  man  was  responsible  for  the  slow 
settlement  of  Jackson  county.  Had  it 
not  been  for  the  uprising  of  Inkpaduta's 
little  band  of  renegade  Indians  in  1S5T, 
there  can  be  no  question  that  by  the  be- 
ginning of  the  year  18G0  Jackson  county 


Alone  and  on  foot,  with  his  pack  on 
hi  is  back.  Anders  Olson  Slaabaken,  who 
was  a  sort  of  leader  of  the  Norwegian 
immigrants  who  had  come  from  the  old 
country  and  settled  in  Wisconsin,  set  out 
from  Eock  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1858  to 
explore  the  great  western  country  and  lo- 
cate a  suitable  place  for  himself  and 
friends    to   build    homes.      He    traveled 


would   have  boasted  considerable   popula-     through  parts  of  Minnesota,  Nebraska  and 


tion.  As  it  was,  only  a  few  were  found 
willing  to  brave  the  dangers  incident  to 
building  homes  in  the  Indian  country. 
But  by  degrees  the  fear  of  Indian  attack 
was  lessened,  and  during  the  first  three 
vears  of  the  decade  beginning  with  1860 


Dakota,  and  then  returned  to  his  friends 
and  advised  them  to  move  farther  west. 
It  has  been  stated  that  ilr.  Slaal>aken,  in 
his  travels  in  1858,  visited  the  Belmont 
country  and  was  charmed  with  the  loca- 
tion, but  the  best  evidence  is  to  the  effect 


quite  a  number  pushed  out  onto  the  fron-     ^j^.^^  j^^,  ^^j,)  j,„|-  yi^\i  Jackson  county.  But 
tier  to  become  pernuinent  settlers  of  Jack- 
son countv  and  other  favo.red  sections  of 
southwestern  ilinnesota. 

Prior  to  18G0  nearly  all  the  settlers  of 
the  county  were  American  born  and  came 
from  Iowa  and  the  older  settled  portions 
of  ]\Iinuesota.  The  larger  part  of  the 
settlers  of  the  early  sixties  were  Norwe- 
gians, who  came  in  small  colonies  and  set- 
tled along  the  Des  Moines  river  in  what 
are  now  Des  Moines  and  Belmont  town- 
ships. The  first  of  these  came  in  1860, 
upon  the  rejirescntations  of  Anders  Olson 
Slaabaken,  wlio  was  generally  known  as 
Anders  Olson  or  Anders  Belmont. 


he  did  return  home  and  pili)t  his  friends 
til  the  Jackson  county  country. 

in  the  spring  of  1860  a  parly  of  ten  or 
a  dozen  of  these  Norwegian  families  start- 
ed out  in  covered  wagons  drawn  by  oxen 
from  their  Wisconsin  homes.  They  went 
first  to  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  and 
then  pushed  on  westward  to  Jackson  coun- 
tv, where  they  arri^ed  during  the  sum- 
mer. The  naiues  of  the  men  of  this  col- 
ony and  the  locations  they  selected  for 
their  homes  were  as  follows: 

Anders  Olson  Slaabaken,^  swi^  34, 
Belnmnt  (east  of  river). 


93 


94 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Hiirrc  Olson  niiil  familv,-  swVi  11, 
Dcs  Moines. 

Kiuitc  Midstiid  and  wife,  neVi  28,  l?ol- 
ninnt   (west  of  river). 

Ole  0.  Folire  and  family,  nwV4  22, 
Belmont. 

Lars  Fumes,  nwi  j    1(>.   Helmonl. 

Tanil  Kaiiilo  and   liiiiiily,  section   1.").^ 
Belmont. 

Lars  .\skclsoii  and  family.  i^wVy  21, 
Belmont. 

T^ans  Bradvold  and  family,  sei/4  ;>,  Dcs 
Moines. 

Ole  Peterson  and  family,  swi4  2,  Des 
AFninps. 

Hans  H.  LJen  and  family,  sw  14  l'"»-  T^' ~ 
Moines. 

Englebret  Olson  Slaabaken  and  family,- 
seVi    22,    Belmont. 

When  tlie.se  families  came  tiicy  had 
their  pick  of  the  land.<  in  that  part  of 
the  county  in  whioh  they  located,  ^fost 
of  the  wliitp  sott'.ci--  at  the  time  lived 
farther  down  the  river,  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  present  village  of  .lackson,  only  a 
few  townsite  boomers  and  trajipers  having 
located  so  far  up  the  river.  Indians  were 
occasionally  seen  in  the  vicinity,  but  they 

'AikIpps    Olson    Sl.iabikcn    becamp    oiip  of    the 

most     hlRhly    respecterj    citizens    of    the  .settlo- 

ment.      He  devoted   his  time  and  enerjo'  largely 

to    looking    after     thi'     Interests    of    the  people 

whom  he  had  advised  to  build  homes  In  the 
frontier  country  and  others  who  came  ialer. 
He  assisted  his  people  in 
claims,  gave  many  fa\'ors. 
satistied   with   a    "thank   vou' 


locating  desirabl«- 
aiul  was  always 
for  his   pay,      Mr. 


Slaabaken    was   a    single   man    when    he   c;i 


mi 


to 


larried  the  widow 

His     eldest     son. 

resides    upon    the 


Jacksnn  county,  but  he  later 

of     Mikkel     Olson     Slaabaken. 

Peter    f>lson    Slaabaken.    now 

old  Relmont  homestead.  Three  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mikkel  Olson  Sliibaken.  Olava.  Chris- 
tiana and  Karina.  nrc  now  married  and  resi- 
dents of  Jackson   county. 

=One  of  the  sons  of  Burre  Olson  Is  Rersvend 
fWilllamI  Burreson.  who  resides  upon  the  old 
homestead.  Of  all  the  Norwegians  who  came 
to  the  county  In  ISfiO.  only  William  Burreson 
and  wife  and  Mrs.  Burreson's  sister.  Mrs. 
Gillie,  are  living. 

'In  1S61  Mr.  Ramlo  took  as  his  claim  the 
southwest  ouarter  of  section  34.  Belmont,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  removed  to  that 
location. 

'Two  of  Englehret  Olson  Slaabaken's  daugh- 
ters are  still  residents  of  Jackson  county.  They 
are  Mr.s.  William  Burreson.  of  Dcs  Moines,  and 
Mrs.   Olof  Gillie,   of   Belmont. 


irave  the  new  arrivals  no  trouble.  The 
lu'w-comers  builded  their  log  cabins  in 
the  woods  along  the  river,  prepared  their 
lands  for  cultivation,  and  became  a  val- 
ued addition  to  the  population  of  Jackson 
county.  Another  settler  of  1860  who  be- 
came quite  proinincni  in  the  county  was 
Iiev.  Peter  Baker,  who  came  in  the  fall 
and  began  preaching  to  the  scattered  set- 
tlers, taking  a  claim  in  Petersburg  town- 
ship. 

In  the  fall  of  1800  the  settlers,  feeling 
that  they  were  insecure  from  the  ravages 
of  the  Sioux  Indians,  organized  a  com- 
pany of  home  guards,  of  which'  nearly 
all  the  men  became  members.  David  M. 
West  was  chosen  captain,  the  state  fur- 
ni.'hed  arms,  and  the  guards  drilled  every 
week. 

The  federal  census  of  18G0.  taken  by 
Assistant  United  States  ^larshal  Elius 
D.-  Bruner  on  July  l."5  and  14,'"  showed 
the  county  to  have  a  population  of  181 
|H'ople.°  The  enumerator  visited  60  houses 
in  the  county.  He  found  .'52  families 
and  eight  unoccupied  dwellings,  most  of 
the  vacant  houses  being  in  the  village  of 
Belmont.  The  only  township  in  the  coun- 
ty at  the  time  was  named  Jackson,  and 
all  the  residents  lived  therein.  Of  the 
total  population  only  two  persons  had 
title  to  real  estate.  These  were  Samuel 
Brow  11.  who  placed  a  value  of  $700  on  his 
real  pro])erty.  and  Thomas  John.«on,  who 
valued  his  at  $1.'')0. 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  1860,  their  ages,  occupations, 
birthplaces  and  the  value  of  their  per- 
sonal property :" 

'Only  those  were  listed  who  were  residents  on 
June  1;  consequently  the  names  of  only  a  few 
of    the    arrivals    of   1S60   appear. 

•Other  southwestern  Minnesota  counties  in 
ISfiO  had  populations  as  follows:  Blue  Earth. 
4.sn.1:  Farlhault.  l.a.lS:  Watonwan.  0:  Martin. 
I.'.l;  Cottonwood.  12:  Murray.  2S:  Nobles.  35; 
I'Ipestone.    23:    Rock.    0. 

'This  list  was  obtained  from  the  director  of 
the  census  at  Washington  through  the  kindness 
of    Hon.   W.    S.    Hammond. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


95 


NAME 


Age 


Occupation 


Property 


Birthplace 


*Samuel  Brown 

Amelia  Brown 

Joseph  Kester 

Eliza  Kester 

John  Kester 

*Truman  Wolbridge 
•Frederick   Noble... 

*Joshua  Dyer 

*Israel  Eddy 

Adilia  Eddy 

William  Eddy 

Francis  Eddy 

Perry  Eddy 

*Benjamin   Hill 

Hannah  Hill 

William  Hill 

Mai-y  Hill 

Franklin   Hill 

Andrew  Hill 

Mary  Davy 

Buchanan  Davy.... 

*Charles   Kern 

•Samuel  Bartel 

*John  Byers 

Vallina  Byers  

*Allen  Day 

Sarah  Day 

William  Day 

Franklin  Day 

LeRoy  Day 

*Senior  Kingsbury.. 

Maria  Kingsbury... 
*Henry  Thomson.... 

Maiy  Thomson 

'Charles  Mead 

*James  Whitchurch 

*John  McBee 

*John  Dodson 

"Joseph  Chiffin  

*George  Hoffman... 

Eliza  Hoffman 

Matilda  Hoffman... 

Eliza  Hoffman 

*Thomas  Johnson... 

Amy  Johnson 

'Nathaniel  Frost 

*Adam  Shiegley 

Nancy  Shiegley 

*  Frank  Waggaman 
*Jarvis  Harton 

Polly  Harton 

'Joseph  Muck 

Sally  Muck 

William   Muck 

Mary  Muck 

Stephen   Muck 

Martha  Muck 

Elizabeth  Muck 

Sarah   Muck 

Simmon  Muck 

Richard  Muck 

Arminta  Muck 

'Joseph  Thomas 

Jane  Thomas 


51 
21 
25 
21 

5-12 
25 
24 
24 
36 
21 
13 
10 

3 
45 
36 
15 
12 
10 
6-12 
48 

3 
49 
22 
26 
21 
30 
22 

5 

3 
6-12 
30 
25 
27 
24 
28 
27 
42 
28 
26 
28 
23 

3 

1 
28 
23 
36 
50 
46 
28 
50 
.50 
49 
45 
18 
15 
13 
11 

9 

7 

5 

3 

2 
50 
49 


Farmer 


Fanner 
Farmer 
Farmer 
Farmer 


Farmer 


$200 


Trapper 
Farmer 
Farmer 

Farmer 

Laborer 

Farmer 
Farmer 
Trapper 
Trapper 
Trapper 
Farmer 

Farmer 

Farmer 
Farmer 

Farmer 
Farmer 

Farmer 


100 

100 
100 


50 
150 


100 


100 


Farmer 


300 


Maine 

Prussia 

Ohio 

Minnesota 
New  York 


Vermont 
New  York 


Iowa 
Wisconsin 


Minnesota 
Wisconsin 

Bavaria 

New  York 

Germany 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Ohio 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 
New  York 


Canada 

Indiana 

England 

Maryland 

Germany 

Minnesota 
It 

New  York 

Pennsylvania 
Indiana 
New  York 
Pennsylvania 

Kentucky 


Missouri 


New  Jersey 
New  York 


*Heads  of  families. 


96 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


NAME 

Age 

Occupation 

Property 

Birthi>!a.-.- 

LansincT  Thomas 

20 
19 
17 
15 
13 
11 
28 
25 

4 

4 

2 
2-12 
27 
52 
24 
22 

2 
45 
28 
24 
21 
15 
40 
25 

6 

3 

1 
24 
22 

3 

1 
30 
25 
55 
84 
20 
16 

8 

4 
38 
21 
16 
12 
10 

6 

29 
26 

3 
24 
19 

1 
2-12 
46 
65 
26 
30 

2 
50 
46 

7 
20 
26 
28 

Farmer 

Farmer 
Farmer 

Farmer 
Farmer 
Farmer 
Farmer 

Farmer 

Farmer 

Farmer 
Farmer 

Farmer 

% 

200 
350 
300 

New  Jersey 
tt 

tt 
tt 

Vermont 
New  Jersey 
Illinois 

Iowa 

Minnesota 
Ireland 

Connecticut 
New  Jersey 
Iowa 

New  York 
England 
Pennsylvania 
New  York 

Ohio 

tt 

Illinois 
Minnesota 

Ohio 

Canada 

Illinois 
«t 

Canada 

tt 
«■ 
tt 
<i 
i< 

New  York 

tt 
4t 
l< 
t, 

H 

Pennsvlvania 

New  Jersey 
tt 

Michigan 

Wisconsin 

Minnesota 

Norway 

(( 

Iowa 

Norway 
it 

i< 
tt 
*t 

Elizabeth  Thomas 

Roxanna  Thomas 

Joseph  Thomas 

*Lolan   Stevens 

John   Stevens 

Carrie  Stevens 

Louis  Stevens           .  . 

•Bartholomew  McCarthy.. 

*James   Palmer          ..  . 

Arminda  Palmer 

•David   West    

Edward  Davies 

William  Daffield 

Stiles  West  

Henr\'  West 

•Ezra  Strong 

Mary  Strong 

James  Strong 

Grace  Strong 

Auther  Strong 

'Harrison  Andrews 

Anna  Andrews 

Eliza  Andrews 

Daniel  Andrews 

•Ira  Camfield 

Levi  Camfield 

Elizabeth  Camfield 

Mary  Camfield 

Eliza  Camfield 

Nancv  Camfield 

Eugenia  Camfield 

George  Camfield 

*Rosanna  Fuller 

Elizabeth  Fuller 

Ezra  Fuller 

Emeline  l-uller 

George  Fuller 

Daniel   Fuller 

•David  Rogers 

'George  Hogan 

Farmer          i    ."^on 

Ann  Hogan 

Farmer 

Farmer 
Farmer 

Farmer 
Fanner 

200 
250 
175 

Charles  Hogan 

*George  McMath 

Nancy  McMath 

Minnie  McMath 

Nettie  McMath 

'Knute  Olson 

Betsv  Olson 

•Thomas  Hanson 

Mar>'  Hanson 

Hans  Hanson 

•Burre  Olson 

JuliaOlson 

John  Olson 

Ole  Olson 

William  Olson 

•Hans  Johnson 

•llcadsof  fainlll.- 


HISTORY  OF  .TAOKSON  COUNTY. 


97 


NAME 


Age 

Occupation 

Property 

Birthplace 

25 

$ 

Norway 

2 

Iowa 

2-12 

Minnesota 

26 

Farmer 

150 

Norway 

26 

'  * 

2 

1 

46 

Iowa 

Farmer 

200 

Norway 

40 

• ' 

2 

Wisconsin 

25 

Farmer 

Norway 

27 

' ' 

1 

Iowa 

30 

Farmer 

Norway 

4 

10 

30 

Farmer 

30 

40 

Farmer 

35 

12 

10 

4 

2 

40 

Farmer 

250 

39 

18 

15 

11 

6 

4 

Iowa 

1 

(1 

28 

100 

Norway 

24 

** 

4 

1 

39 

Wisconsin 

Farmer 

Norway 

32 

" 

9 

7 

" 

3 

(( 

1 

Iowa 

27 

Farmer 

Sweden 

21 

" 

2 

Wisconsin 

32 

Farmer 

150 

Norway 

30 

" 

6 

" 

4 

Wisconsin 

2 

" 

24 

Farmer 

New  York 

20 

Ohio 

2-12 

Wisconsin 

Julia  Johnson 

John  Johnson 

Burre  Johnson 

*Benjamin  Johnson..., 

Jane  Johnson 

John  Johnson.... 

John  0.  Johnson 

*01e  Peterson 

Betsy  Peterson 

Ole  Peterson 

*John    Swenson 

Caroline  Swenson.... 

Mary  Swenson 

*John  Trunson 

Alvina  Trunson 

Betsy  Trunson 

*John  Larson 

Ann  Larson 

*01e  Larson 

Caroline  Larson 

Ole  Larson 

Ole  Larson 

Martha  Larson 

John  Larson 

""Andrew  Anderson.... 

Maria  Anderson 

Ole  Anderson 

John  Anderson 

Elizabeth  Anderson 

Marie  Anderson 

Andrew  Anderson.. 

Ann  Anderson 

*John  Johnson 

Mary  Johnson  

Henry  Johnson 

Betsy  Johnson 

*Peter  Pomerson 

Ann  Pomerson 

Peter  Pomerson 

Ole  Pomerson 

Callie  Pomerson 

William  Pomerson.. 
*James  Westerwelt.. 

Ann  Westerwelt 

Henry  Westerwelt.. 
*George  Pompeii 

Christina  Pompeii.... 

Maria  Pompeii 

Jane  Pompeii 

Even  Pompeii 

•William  Evans 

Ann  Evans 

Thomas  Evans 


*Heads  of  families. 


In  1861  the  Norwegian  colony  was 
joined  by  others  of  the  same  nationalitj'. 
The  first  to  arrive  were  Anders  0.  Kirke- 
Yoldsmoen^   and    family,   who   located   on 

^Anders  O.  Kirkevoldsmoen  died  while  in  the 
army,  and  his  widow  later  became  the  wife  of 
Englebret  Olson  Slaabaken.  Many  of  his  de- 
scendants are  now  residents  of  Jackson  county. 


the  northwest  quarter  of  section  3,  Des 
Moines  township ;  Anders  Monson  and 
family,  who  took  a  claim  on  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section    13,   Des   Moines,  just 

One  son.  Ole  Anderson,  resides  in  Jackson: 
another  son.  Anders  Olson  Slaabaken,  is  dead. 
Bertha,  who  became  the  wife  of  Simon  Olson 
Slaabaken.  and  Christiana,   who  married  Ole   E. 


98 


lllSToltV  (t|-  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


west  of  tlie  Mihvankfic  depot  at  Jackson ; 
and  K.  Torreson  and  family,  who  settled 
on  tlio  nortliwei-t  quarter  of  section  14. 
Des  Moines.  Several  more  of  the  name 
of  Slaabakeu,  commonly  known  by  the 
name  of  Olson,  came  in  18G1.  These  in- 
cluded John  Olson  Slaal)akcn.»  Mikkel  Ol- 
son Slaabakcn  and  Tollef  Olson  Slaabak- 
en  with  their  families  and  Simon'"  and 
Peder,  single  men.  Part  of  these  drove 
throufih  from  Jefferson  Prairie,  Wiscon- 
sin, with  ox  teams,  the  voyajre  taking 
two  months"  time.  The  others  drove 
through  from  Fillmore  cnuniy.  ^liiinc- 
sota.  Mikkel  settled  on  Die  northeast 
quarter  of  section  28,  Belmont,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river;  Peder  took  as  his 
claim  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  23. 
Ues  Jloincs;  the  others  took  claims  in 
Belmont,  the  exact  location  of  their  first 
claims  being  unknown.  Others  who  came 
during  1861  were  Ole  Estensou  and  Ole 
Torgeson  and  their  families,  who  located, 
on  sections  (i.  liclmont,  and  :M.  Chris- 
tiania;'*  Lars  Olson  and  family,  who  set- 
tled on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
30.  Christiania — the  most  northern  settler 

Olson  Slaaliaken.  oldest  son  of  KiiKlebrpt  Olson 
Slanbakcn.  are  dead.  The  only  lIviiiB  daushter 
of  Anders  O.  Kirkcvoldsmoen  Is  Bertha,  who 
now  lives  with  her  hii.sband.  Melian  Johnson, 
In  Belniont.  Her  tirst  nr.arrlaRe  was  to  Ole  E. 
Olson.  Jr.,  son  of  Knglebret  Olson  Slaabaken. 
and  her  second  marriage  to  Anders  Olson  Sla:i- 
baken.  also  a  son  of  ICnBlebret  Olson  Slaabaken. 
both    of   whi>ni    died. 

•The  widow  of  John  Olson  Slaabaken  .-itlll 
lives  In  Belmont  township,  and  many  of  his 
descendants  are  now  residents  of  Jackson  coiin- 
tv.  Ills  daiiBhter,  Anna,  married  Ole  Brown, 
who  built  the  mill  at  Brownslnirn,  and  now 
lives  In  Tennessee.  Another  daUBhter.  Lena. 
Is  the  wife  of  P.  H.  Berge.  of  Jackson,  Ole  J. 
and  Peter  live  upon  the  old  homestead  In  Bel- 
mont, Two  dnuKhters,  Petria  and  Engebera. 
are  married  and  live  In  Wisconsin. 

"After  comhiK  to  the  county  Simon  Olson 
Slaabaken  married  Bertha,  the  daughter  of 
Anders  O,  KIrkivoldsmoen,  The  living  children 
of  these  parents  are  .Christina  (Mrs.  George 
Omber.'«ont.  of  Murray  county;  Maria  (Mrs.  TT. 
H.  Herge).  of  Minneapolis;  Helen,  of  Jackson; 
Emma  iMrs.  Martin  Olson),  of  Jackson;  Olierl. 
of  Jackson.  During  his  life  Simon  Olson  Slaa- 
baken held  si-veral  ililTerent  county  ofTices  and 
was  a  prominent  man  In  the  early  days  of 
Jackson   county   history. 

"The  claim  of  one  of  these  men  was  the 
northeast  ouarter  of  section  fi.  Belmont;  the 
other  was  the  southe.iat  quarter  of  .section  31. 
Chrlstlnnln.  both  on  the  ea.st  side  of  the  river. 
Their  cabins  were  close  together,  but  it  Is  un- 
known which  had  the  Belmont  property  and 
which    the  Christiania. 


(it  that  time:  Hans  Kgostolson  (Chester- 
son)  and  family,  who  liuilt  a  cabin  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  15,  Des 
>roincs;  Lars  Ci.  .loriievik  and  family, 
who  settled  in  Belmont :  Lars  Halverson 
and  family,  who  took  as  a  claim  the  south- 
east ()uarter  of  section  2."),  Dcs  Moinis — 
the  southernmost  of  the  Xorwegian  set-* 
tiers;  Moisten  Ol.son  and  family,  who 
.settled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
:i4.  Bclmniit :  Kmul  Langcland  ami  fnni- 
ilv,  wlio  took  uj)  their  residence  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  Hi,  Belmont. '- 
A  few  .Vmcricau  liorn  settlers  also  caim- 
to  Jackson  county  in  18<!1  and  located  at 
dillVrent  jiuiiits  along  the  river. 

Tlic  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war  in 
1S(;1  vitally  alfettcrl  the  jicoplc  in  this 
frontier  .settlement  and  gave  .lackson 
county  a  reputation  lor  patriotism  equal- 
ed by  few  eommunities.  Nearly  all  the 
ai)le  bodied  men  in  the  county  enlisted 
and  fought  witii  the  union  forces  during 
Ihc  war.  Captain  0.  ^L  West,  of  the 
liome  guards,  enlisted  twenty-two  of  his 
company  in  the  Tiiited  States  army  in 
September,  .\sonly  thirty-lhiee  votes  were 
east  in  the  loiinty  al  the  fall  elec- 
tion, it  will  be  .seen  that  (his  with- 
.Irawal  left  the  people  of  the  frontier  set- 
tlement in  poor  circiimstance.s  to  with- 
stand an  Indian  attack,  as  they  were 
called  upon  to  ilo  the  next  ytar.  The  com- 
piiiiv.  |iartlv  enrolled  from  Jackstm  coun- 
ty and  commanded  by  1>.  ^I.  West,  served 
for  a  time  as  the  second  company  of 
Minnesota  cavalry,  hut  later  becnme  com- 
]ianv  1  of  the  Fifth  Towa  cavalry.  Of 
the  twenty-two  enrolled  from  Jackson 
eountv  following  are  the  names  of  nine- 
teen of  the  lunnber:"  D.  ^f.  West,  caji- 
tain;  Ole  Hurreson.  Edward  Davics.  Hans 

'=.\mong  the  Norwegian  settlers  of  ISC.l  no 
one  of  the  heads  of  families  is  living  in  Jack- 
son county,  although  many  of  their  children 
ore 

"The  list  Is  furnished  me  by  Stiles  M.  West, 
now  of  Faribault.  Minnesota. 


S 

o 

X 
« 

w 
2; 

o 


be 

c 


2  J 
a  o 


I  §  § 

g  »  s 

"^  o  o 

^  .S  W 

^  ca  ^ 


S   S   o 
<«  •§  5 

J=  03  .2 

CCS 

•-    o  <* 
c  i2     • 


a>    o)  o 

o     .  O 

Ph    o  c 

to  X 

X    O  H^ 

E~*    a) 


-    O     M 

c    a> 
^  '5    £ 
H  <j  S 

S    c 
o    o 


c  <: 

O    o 


J2 


3 
CQ 


JTHENEWYOKiT 

PUEUCUBRARY 


TH.atM  fc 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


99 


Jolmson,  Ole  Larson,  Bartholomew  Mc- 
Carthy, Andrew  Monson,  Andrew  Olson, 
Andrew  Olson  ( Kirkevoldsmoen) ,  Tollef 
Olson,  Peter  Olson,  Simon  Olson,  Ole  E. 
Olson,  William  H.  Pease,  Henry  E.  Tro- 
bridge,  James  E.  West,  Stiles  j\I.  West. 
jr.  F.  West  and  H.  F.  West. 

Pev.  Peter  Baker  held  protracted  re- 
ligious services  in  the  log  house  of  Jo- 
seph Tliomas  during  the  winter  of  1860- 
61,  and  afterwards  organized  a  Methodist 
class.  During  the  summer  of  1861  lie 
organized  a  Sunday  school  in  the  Wood 
brothers"  store  building.  For  many  years 
this  good  man  attended  to  tlie  religious 
wants  of  the  people  of  Jackson  county 
and  became  a  highly  respected  and  in- 
fluential man  in  the  community.  This 
he  did  largely  without  pay.  In  after  years 
he  stated- that  during  the  first  two  years 
of  his  service  his  only  recompense  was 
tlie  kitting  of  a  pair  of  socks ! 

There  are  very  few  items  of  interest 
to  record  for  the  year  1861.  Except  the 
enlisting  of  so  great  a  proportion  of  the 
able  bodied  men.  nothing  occurred  to  in- 
terrupt the  even  tenor  of  the  lives  of  the 
frontier  settlers.  The  new  arrivals  of 
the  year  selected  their  claims,  built  log 
cabins  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits on  a  small  scale.  At  what  was  known 
as  Evans'  ford,  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  14,  Des  Moines  township,  the 
erection  of  a  sawmill  was  commenced,  but 
it  was  never  finished.^'' 

An  interesting  historical  document  is 
the  assessment  list  of  Danby  township, 
which  included  the  whole  settled  portion 
of  the  county,  for  the  year  1861.  The 
total  tax  levied  was  $161.68  and  was  di- 
vided as  follows: 

"At  thi.s  point,  in  1862,  was  lield  the  first 
fourth  of  July  celebration  in  the  county.  The 
work  of  constructing  the  mill  was  in  progress 
at  the  time,  and  many  of  the  settlers  were 
assisting  with  the  work.  On  the  open  ground, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  a  few  of  the 
neighhors  gathered  in  honor  of  the  nation's 
birthday.  A  flag  pole  was  erected  and  the 
American   colors   were   flown. 


State    taxes    ■. $20.13 

Interest   on  public   debt 15.55 

School    tax    26.13 

County    tax    31 .29 

Town.ship    tax    31 .29 

Other    special    tax 31 .29 


Total     $161.68 

Tile  names  of  tlio.^e  who  were  assessed, 
the  value  of  the  property  owned  and  the 
amount  of  the  individual  taxes  were  as 
follows : 


PROPERTY  OWNER 


D.  P.  Cornell 

S.  T.  Johnson 

E.  D.  Shore 

Alex  Wood 

S.  D.  Brown 

B.   McCarthy 

A.  L.  Crane 

Ira  Camfield 

Gelden  Carter 

Marcellus  Clough  .. 

Joshua  Dyer 

Louis  Eskerson 

Ole  Eskerson 

Lewis  Estenson 

Nathaniel  Frost.... 
Lewis  Halverson  ... 
Knud  Halverson.. .. 

Thomas  Holston 

Add  Halverson 

Hans  Johnson 

Lewis  Jameson 

John  Knudson 

L.  H.  Landaker 

Lewis  Lewison 

Joseph  Muck 

Andrew  Monson 

Jacob  Nelson 

Knud  Nelson 

Burre  Olson 

Englebret  Olson 

Simon  Olson 

Ole  Olson 

F.  Andrew  Olson  ... 

John  Olson 

Tollef  Olson 

Jared  Palmer 

Ole  Peterson 

William  H.  Pease... 

D.  S.  Perkins 

John  Swenson 

Joseph  Thomas 

H.   L.  Thomas 

Christian  Torreson.. 

Ole  Torreson 

H.  R.  Trowbridge... 

John  Trunson 

D.   M.   West 

S.  M.  West 

Ole  Anderson 

I.  F.  Eddy 


Totals.. 


Assessed 

Total 

Value 

Tax 

$  685 

$  10.64 

570 

8.84 

684 

10.60 

695 

10.80 

907 

14.06 

192 

2.99 

85 

1.34 

137 

2.13 

165 

2.57 

69 

1.08 

13 

.20 

431 

6.68 

101 

1.56 

1.52 

2.37 

23 

.36 

107 

1.66 

176 

2.73 

146 

2.27 

178 

2.75 

149 

2.32 

129 

2.01 

81 

1.25 

289 

4.49 

54 

.83 

196 

3.04 

70 

1.09 

40 

.62 

322 

.5.00 

277 

4.29 

172 

2.68 

9 

.15 

243 

3.77 

117 

1.81 

70 

1.09 

164 

2.54 

222 

3.45 

360 

5.58 

43 

.67 

90 

1.40 

111 

1.71 

250 

3.88 

18 

.27 

70 

1.09 

128 

1.97 

175 

2.73 

222 

3.45 

417 

6.46 

22 

.35 

121 

1.87 

271 

4.19 

$10,518 

$  161.68 

635887 


lOti  ,  HISTORY  OF.l 

Tax  paying  soonis  to  luivo  l)i?en  out  of 
fashion  in  tliat  early  Jay,  for  we  find 
among  the  records  a  settlement  sheet  dated 
Fel)ruary  28,  1862,  signetl  by  Ole  Peter- 
son as  county  treasurer  and  Joseph 
Thomas  as  county  auditor,  in  which  it  is 
stated  that  out  of  the  total  tax  of  $101.08 
levied  only  $47.08  had  been  paid,  while 
$114.00  was  delinquent.'"'  The  treasurer's 
fees  of  $2.35  were  deducted  from  the  tax- 
es collected,  leaving  the  magnificient  to- 
tal of  $44.73  as  the  amount  of  taxes  re- 
ceived i)y  Jackson  county  for  the  year 
ISCl ! 

The  as.sessment  for  tiie  year  1802  was 
made  by  James  1"].  Palmer.  He  found  57 
people  ill  the  ciumty  jjossessed  of  personal 
property,  and  the  total  amount  of  the  tax- 
able property  was  found  to  lie  $12,192 — 
a  small  gain  over  (hat  of  the  year  l)c- 
fore.  In  the  county  of  Jackson  there 
were  at  the  time  (so  the  assessor  rc- 
])orted)  three  watches,  manufacturing  in- 
dustries to  the  value  of  $40,  no  jiianos, 
twelve  head  of  hor.^es.  no  mules,  25)  .sheep, 
134  hogs,  320  cattle,  43  wagons,  and 
moneys  and  credits  to  the  value  of  $1,351. 
Following  are  eight  of  the  names  a|)])ear- 
ing  on  tiie  list  and  the  a.ssessed  value  of 
their  prcipcrty  : 

TCihvanI    havics .$(14  4(1 

Natliani.O    Frost    123.00 

Lewis     llalvorsoM     !()(!. 30 

Kii^'li-lirot    Olson    77 .50 

Simon     Olson     lOfl.OO 

.lanios    !■:.    Talnier (iiOl) 

.larod    I'alnior    331 .30 

Joseph    Tliomas    349.50 

Tiie  year  1802  o)icned  aus]iiciously.  A 
few  more  settlers  came  and  located  claims 

"Those  who  had  paid  tholr  tnxe.s  hi  full  be- 
fori'  thi.s  settlement  were  S.  T.  Johnson.  IJar- 
Iholomew  MeCarlh.v.  Marcellus  Cloutth.  Lewis 
Estenson.  Nathaniel  Frost.  Lewis  Halver.son. 
Thomas  Holston.  Atld  Halverson.  Knud  Nelson. 
Ole  Olson.  F.  .\ndrew  Olson.  D.  S.  Perkins. 
John   Trunson  and   I.   F.   Edd.v. 


\CKSON  COUNTY. 

along  the  Des  iloines  river.  Crops  nf  h  .rcat, 
corn  and  vegetables  were  jjlanted,  the  ricii 
virgin  soil,  warm  sun  and  copious  rains 
hastened  the  growth  of  vegetation,  and 
the  prospects  for  a  bounteous  harvest  were 
favorable.  The  ])eo])le  were  happy  and 
contented  in  their  new  found  homes.  Had 
a  census  of  the  county  been  taken  tliat 
year  there  would  have  been  found  between 
2110  and  300  people.  'J'he  residents  had 
little  communication  witli  the  outside 
world.  There  was  no  postolfice,  no  tele- 
,i;iapli  line,  no  stage  lines.  The  nearest 
>(iiliiiiiiiis  were  at  Estherville  and  Spirit 
l.al<i'.  Idwa.  and  the  nearest  point  from 
which  must  of  the  su))])lics  could  !)!■  pro- 
cured was  Mankato. 

.\loiig  the  river  from  the  ]iresciit  site 
III'  Jackson  down  were  American  born 
lamilics.  .\loiit;  the  river  above  the  site 
of  Jackson,  in  Des  Moines,  Helmont  iuul 
Christiania  townships,  the  settlers  were  all 
Xorwegians,  arrived  only  a  few  years  be- 
fore from  their  native  land,  understand- 
ing and  s]ieaking  very  little  English.  They 
had  few  dealings  with  the  outside  world 
Mini  very  little  intercourse  with  their  Am- 
erican liorii  iieighhors  down  the  river: 
their  interests  were  centered  in  their 
homes.  Altiuuigh  these  Norwegian  settlers 
had  loc!ite(l  on  the  exposed  friuilier,  al- 
most in  the  heart  of  the  rndian  country, 
they  knew  nothing  of  the  linliMii  cusloms 
or  Indian  warfare.  They  were  unaccus- 
tomeil  to  the  use  of  lireanns  and  many  of 
them  had  proliahly  never  lired  a  gun  in 
their  lives;  many  of  the  able  bodied  men 
were  absent,  fighting  their  ado])ted  coun- 
try's battles. 

So  much  for  the  condition  of  the  pon- 
])le  of  Jackson  cminty  in  1802,  liefore  the 
outbreak  of  the  terrible  Sioux  war. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  BELMONT  MASSACRE— 1862. 


IT  IS  not  my  intention  to  tell  of  the  ilrove  ott'  the  savajies.  They  killed  an  In- 
Sio\ix  war  of  1863,  except  so  far  as  rlian  named  Big  Head  and  wounded  three 
Jackson  ^county  enters  into  the  his-  others.  The  testimony  of  the  Indians  wa.s 
tory.  But  it  may  be  of  interest  to  learn  that  they  found  the  Minnesota  settlers 
the  magnitude  of  this  famous  Indian  war.  ";,s  easy  to  kill  as  sheeiD.'"' 
The  outbreak  was  the  most  remarkalile  and  The  attack  on  the  Norwegian  settle- 
noteworthy  incident  of  the  kind  in  Amer-  j^ent  of  Jackson  county  occurred  on  Sun- 
ican  history.  More  white  people  perished  ,].^y^  August  24,  1863,  and  for  the  second 
in  that  savage  slaughter  than  in  all  the  time   in   its   history   the   soil   of   Jackson 


other  massacres  ever  perpetrated  on  the 
North  American  continent.  Add  the 
number  of  white  victims  of  the  Indian 
wars  of  New  England  during  the  colon- 
ial period  to  the  list  of  those  who  perish- 
ed in  the  Wyoming  and  Cherry  valleys, 
and  to  tlie  pioneers  who  were  killed  in 
the  early  white  occupation  of  the  middle 
west  and  the  soutli,  and  the  aggregate 
falls  far  short  of  the  number  of  the  peo- 
ple of  Minnesota  wdio  were  slain  hy  the 
Sioux  ill  less  than  one  week  in  that  meiu- 
orable  month  of  August,  1862.^  Al)out 
eight  hundred  people  were  killed  within 
a  few  days,  before  any  efJective  resist- 
ance could  be  brought  against  the  red 
demons.  Only  two  Indians  were  killed 
outside  the  battles  and  legitimate  skir- 
mishes. One  of  these  was  at  a  point  below 
Jackson,   near    Spirit   Lake,   where   three 


county  was  crimsoned  with  the  blood  of 
its  citizens  as  the  result  of  Indian  at- 
tack; for  the  second  time  the  county  was 
abandoned  by  white  men.  Thirteen  whites 
were  murdered,  a  few  others  were  wound- 
ed, ami  many  narrowly  escaped  with  their 
lives. 

So  early  as  June  reports  reached  the 
Belmont  settlers  that  there  was  likely  to 
be  trouble  with  the  Indians.  On  only 
one  occasion,  however,  did  the  Indians 
who  sometimes  visited  the  settlement  show 
any  signs  of  hostility;  the  exception  was 
the  wanton  killing  of  an  ox  belonging  to 
Ole  Larson,  of  Christiania  township. 
Finally  the  rumors  of  an  outbreak  were 
confirmed.  A  German  fleeing  from  New 
Ulm  brought  news  of  the  attack  on  that 
village,  which  had  occurred  only  a  few 
days  before.    He  could  not  impart  the  de- 


settlers  were  attacked  by  a  superior  force     tails  of  the  tragedy  on  account  of  his  in- 
but  won   tlie   fight  by  their  bravery  and      ability  to  speak  English,  but  the  settlers 

could    understand    enough    to    know    that 


'Minnesota   in   Three   Centuries. 


101 


102 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


New  Uliii  had  had  Iroublc  with  the  lii- 
diaus. 

The  Rohnont  .settlors  seem  to  have  been 
undecided  wliat  eour.«e  to  jnirsue.  Nijihts 
tliev  gatliered  at  the  ditrereiit  eabins  that 
.seemed  to  offer  better  protection  or  wliere 
tlie  firearms  and  ammunition  were  kept ; 
their  fears  wore  not  so  groat  during  tlie 
day  time,  and  generally  they  returned  to 
their  homes  in  the  morning  to  attend  to 
the  farm  work.  .\  decision  was  fimilly 
reached  that  stockades  should  be  built, 
and  ^londay.  Augu.^t  25,  wa^  rhe  date  sot 
for  the  settlors  to  get  together  and  select 
the  sites.  On  the  day  before  this  was  to 
have  been  done  the  attack  was  made  and 
there  had  been  enacted  the  drama  of  bru- 
tal and  beastly  bloodshed  -which  depo])u- 
latod  the  county. 

It  was  a  few  days  after  tlie  attack  on 
the  Lower  Agency  and  four  davs  after 
the  massacre  at  Lake  Shetek,  in  Murray 
county,  that  about  fifty  of  White  Lodge's 
band  of  Sisseton  Sioux  proceeded  down 
the  Des  Moines  river,  apparently  to  repeat 
the  performance  of  Inkpaduta  of  five 
years  before."  They  proceeded  as  far  south 
as  Englebret  Olson  Slaabaken's  home  on 
the  eoutheast  quarter  of  section  22.  Bel- 
mont townshiji.  without  making  their  pres- 
ence known.'  Then  instead  of  proceed- 
ing down   tlie   river,   they  began   the  at- 

=The  route  of  the  Indians  into  Jackson  county 
Is  not  known  dclinitoly.  but  it  is  supposed  thiy 
came  by  way  of  Fisii  lake.  I^ower's  lake  and 
Independence  lake.  H.id  tbey  followed  the  river 
bank.  It  Is  almost  certain  they  would  have  been 
discovered  before  reaching  the  point  where  the 
attack  was  begun. 

'So  far  as  Is  known.  T.ars  Olson  was  the 
only  man  In  the  settlement  who  saw  the  In- 
dians in  a  body;  consequently  he  was  the  only 
-competent  authority  as  lo  the  number  particl- 
paling.  He  estimated  the  number  at  fifty.  Mr. 
Olson,  who  was  an  old  man  living  on  section 
30.  rhrisllania.  had  been  down  into  Belmont 
township  on  Sunday,  and  while  returning,  when 
a  little  north  of  the  Ole  Fohre  home,  he  came 
upon  the  party  of  savages  in  the  woods,  before 
the  attack  was  begun.  He  was  not  seen  by 
tile  Indians,  nor  were  the  Indians  recognized  as 
such  i>y  him.  He  supposed  they  were  soldiers, 
come  to  the  defense  of  the  settlers,  and  was 
accordingly  thankful  for  their  arrival.  Mr. 
oison  continued  his  Journe.v  home,  and  neither 
he  nor  his  wife  saw  the  Indians  afterward,  al- 
though the  red  men  must  have  passed  close 
to    his    house. 


tack  and  retraced  their  steps  up  the  river. 
The  attack  was  begun  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon. 

The  attacking  savages  divided  into  small 
))artics.  and,  going  swiftly  from  cabin  Ui 
cabin,  they  took  the  inmates  by  surprise 
and  encountered  no  resistance  except  in 
one  instance.  The  men,  women  and  cliiM- 
ren  were  shot  down  without  warning  and 
without  an  effort  to  save  their  lives  ex- 
cept in  flight. 

.\t  the  Ole  Fohre  home,  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  22,  Belmont,  sev- 
eral families  had  gathered,  namely,  Jo- 
hannes Axe  and  wife,  Lars  G.  Jornevik 
and  wife,  Mrs.  Carrie  Fohre,  the  wife  of 
Ole  Fohre,  and  her  twelve  year  old  son, 
Ole  Olson  Fohre,  and  eight  small  children 
l)elonging  to  the  several  families.  Here 
the  massacre  was  begun  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon.  When  the  Indians  were  seen 
a])proaching,  Mrs.  Fohre,  Mrs.  Jornevik 
and  Mrs.  Axe  with  the  eight  small  child- 
ren wont  into  the  cellar,  the  tra|)  door 
was  closed,  and  twelve  year  old  Ole  Olson 
Fohre  ])iled  clothing,  l)oxes  and  trunks 
over  it.  The  others  remained  upstairs. 
They  barricaded  the  doors,  but  being  with- 
out anus,  their  efforts  to  guard  the  cabin 
wore  futile. 

The  Indians  approached  the  cabin  from 
tlie  east  and  burst  in  the  east  door.  All 
who  were  in  the  cabin,  except  the  boy. 
were  instantly  killed,  and  no  one  know.s 
the  particulars  of  their  taking  off.  Jo- 
hannes Axe  was  evidently  pounded  to 
death,  as  no  bullet  woumls  were  found  on 
his  body.  Lars  Furnes  and  Lars  O.  Jorne- 
vik' were  shot. 


*Lars  G.  Jornevik  w.i.'^  a  oiao  with  a  violent 
temper  and  In  some  particulars  lacking  In 
Judgment.  When  he  was  advised,  some  days 
previous,  that  It  w:»s  proltnltb-  the  Iiuli:ins 
would  come  and  to  prepare  himself.  Mr.  Jorne- 
vik flew  Into  a  violent  rage,  staling  that  he 
was  ready  for  thi-  Indians  any  time  they  wanted 
to  come.  He  lllled  his  i>oekets  with  stones  and 
considered  himself  amply  protected.  When  his 
dead- body  was  found,  his  pockets  were  filled 
with  the  missiles  which  he  had  not  opportunity 
to  use. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSOJST  COUXTY. 


103 


When  the  east  door  was  broken  down 
and  the  Indians  entered  the  cabin,  Ole 
Olson  Fohre,  the  boy,  who  was  standing 
guard  at  the  west  tloor,  bolted  out  that 
door  and  ran  down  a  trail  that  led  to  a 
spring.  Hearing  the  door  slam,  the  boy 
looked  over  his  shoulder  while  running 
and  saw  an  Indian  taking  aim  at  him. 
With  presence  of  mind  he  made  a  quick 
jump  to  the  left  into  the  brush.  He  dodg- 
ed Just  in  time  to  save  his  life,  for  the  bul- 
let struck  him,  tearing  away  the  tip  of  his 
right  elbow.  Ole  hid  in  the  brush,  and  the 
savage  who  bad  fired  followed  and  search- 
ed for  him.  When  the  Indian  was  only 
about  three  feet  from  the  boy's  hiding 
place,  he  gave  up  the  search  and  returned 
to  his  companions  at  the  cabin — the  In- 
dian's love  of  "firewater"  saved  a  life.  One 
of  the  first  acts  of  the  savages  was  to  search 
the  wagons,  which  had  been  brought  from 
Mankato  the  day  before,  loaded  with  pro- 
visions, and  just  as  the  Indian  was  about 
to  discover  the  boy  in  the  brush,  the 
others  at  the  cabin  found  a  jug  of  whisky 
in  one  of  the  wagons  and  raised  such  a 
shout  of  joy  that  the  one  after  the  boy 
gave  up  the  hunt  and  hastily  rejoined 
the  others.  Safe  from  imuiediate  pursuit, 
Ole  ran  through  the  timber  down  the  riv- 
er to  find  a  place  of  refuge  and  to  notify 
the  other  settlers  of  their  dang-er. 

About  the  time  these  events  were  tak- 
ing place  at  the  Fohre  home,  Ole  Fobre, 
the  owner  of  the  cabin,  was  found  by  the 
Indians  in  the  timber,  between  his  house 
and  the  river,  and  killed.  The  place  of 
this  murder  was  on  section  21. 

The  an.xiety  of  the  fugitives  in  the  cel- 
lar while  the  murders  were  being  commit- 
ted over  their  heads  cannot  be  described; 
so  still  were  they  they  scarcely  breathed. 
Their  fears  were  made  worse  bv  the  cry- 
ing of  the  two  year  old  babe  of  ^[rs.  Lars 
(!.  Jornevik.  That  lady,  -with  beroi.-m 
seldom   equaled   in   the   annals   of   Indian 


warfare,  knowing  that  the  painted  de- 
mons surrounded  the  hou.se,  deliberately 
came  out  of  the  cellar  to  accept  her  fate. 
To  the  other  ladies  she  said:  "I  under- 
stand my  time  has  come;  I  must  go  up 
again.  Y'our  children  are  smaller  than 
mine  and  they  keep  quiet;  if  I  stay  here 
the  Indians  will  find  us."  She  came  up 
from  the  cellar  with  the  child  and  was 
killed,  her  body  being  horribly  mutilated. 
Fortunately  the  Indians  were  busy  with 
their  whisky  and  did  not  learn  from 
whence  Mrs.  Jornevik  had  come. 

The  child  was  unharmed,  but  soon  it 
began  to  cry.  The  door  of  the  cabin  had 
been  left  open,  and  the  baby  was  fright- 
ened at  tlie  hogs,  which  came  into  the  cab- 
in. One  of  the  ladies  came  up,  found 
the  child  in  its  mother's  blood,  and  took 
it  back  into  the  cellar  "and  cared  for  it. 
Then  it  was  learned  for  the  first  time  that 
the  savages  had  left  the  vicinity.  For  the 
time  being  let  us  leave  the  two  women  and 
the  children  in  the  cellar,  debating  the 
course  of  action  to  pursue,  while  we  con- 
sider events  that  were  taking  place  in 
others   parts  of  the  settlement. 

Close  to  the  Fohre  home,  ilikkel  Olson 
Slaabaken  was  killed  and  his  nejDhew,  An- 
ders Olson  Slaabaken,  the  thirteen  year 
old  son  of  Englebret  Olson  Slaabaken, 
was  seriously  wounded  and  left  for  dead. 
The  Englebret  Olson  Slaabaken  home  was 
half  a  mile  south  of  the  Fohre  home,  and 
also  on  section  22.  About  the  time  the 
attack  was  begun,  Mikkel  and  his  nephew 
started  from  that  place  for  the  home  of 
Ole  Fohre.  They  heard  the  firing  but 
thought  nothing  of  it,  as  they  supposed 
the  neighbors  were  shooting  blackbirds. 
They  soon, became  aware  of  the  serious- 
ness of  their  condition.  The  Indians  were 
stationed  along  the  trails  in  the  tim- 
ber, and  the  unfortunate  white  men 
were  soon  discovered.  The  savages  fired 
and   the   white  men      set   out   on   a   run 


101 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


tliroujrli  tlie  tiiiilior.  ^likkel  was  hit  at  tlic 
(ii^t  liiL'  and  oxclaiiiietl :  "1  am  wouiidod 
and  cannot  nm  any  I'artlier."  Immediate- 
ly lie  was  hit  a<,'ain  and  killed  instantly. 

A  bullet  from  the  first  volley  pa.ssed 
through  tlie  hat  hrim  of  the  boy,  and  a 
moment  later  another  one  inflieted  a 
slight  scalj)  wound,  plowing  a  furrow 
through  his  hair.  Anders  was  not  stun- 
ned or  ba<lly  hurt,  but  he  was  so  seared 
that  he  fell  and  lay  with  his  faee  to  thi^ 
ground.  The  savages  lanie  up  and  one 
of  them  plunged  a  knife  into  his  left 
side  and,  a.s  the  victim  described  the  event 
in  after  years,  "twisted  it  around  before 
he  pulled  it  out."  The  Indians  left  him 
for  dead  and  Anders  lost  consciousness. 
When  he  came  to  his  senses  he  crawled 
to  his  father's  home.  There  was  no  one 
there;  the  Indians  had  visited  the  ])lace 
and  taken  everything  in  the  line  of  ]iro- 
visions.  The  wounded  lioy  made  liis  way 
to  the  log  stable  and  hid  in  a  manger, 
where  he  remained  three  day.«  witli  noth- 
ing to  eat  except  two  raw  eggs.  When  the 
cows  came  home  at  night  he  tried  to  milk 
them,  but  they  would  not  allow  him  to 
approach  them  nn  account  of  ihc  Mood  on 
his  clothes.  From  the  time  of  the  attack 
on  Sunday  until  Wednesday  Anders  re- 
mained in  the  manger ;  then  he  was  found 
by  a  rescuing  party  and  taken  to  Esther- 
ville,  where  he  slowly  recovered  from  his 
wounds.'^ 

From  the  Fohre  house  the  Indians  went 
to  the  honu'  of  Knglebref  Olson  Slaabaken. 
a  half  mile  south,  but  all  the  whites  tlu-rc, 
e.vcept  the  two  mentioned,  had  gone  to 
church.  Here,  after  ransacking  the  ]irem- 
ises,  the  Indians  gave  up  the  idea  of  go- 
ing farther  south,  and  began  their  trip  to 
the  north.     Had  it  not  been  for  the  fact 


'.■\nilir.')  Olson  Sla.-ibiikrn  Uitcr  rptiirned  to 
Jack.son  county,  and  nftor  hl.s  father's  death 
became  the  owner  of  the  Belmont  farm.  He 
became  a  respected  resident  of  the  county  and 
died  on  the  old  homestead  on  September  26, 
1885. 


that  many  of  the  settlers  were  away  from 
home,  gathered  at  the  Rainlo  house  and 
other  places  in  religious  worship,  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  massacre 
would  have  been  much  more  terrible  than 
it  was.  When  the  murdering  savages 
came  to  the  house  of  Englebrct  Olson  Slaa- 
baken and  the  houses  of  others  who  were 
ai  the  meeting  and  found  thfin  unoccu- 
pied, they  feared  the  settlement  was 
aroused  and  that  the  people  had  gathered 
at  some  place  to  put  up  a  fight.  As  an 
Intlian  detests  a  fair  fight  more  than 
anything  else,  they  decided  not  to  go  far- 
ther south,  but  to  begin  their  bloody  work 
and  make  their  escape  before  it  became 
necessary  to  fight. 

On  their  trip  nurlh  (jirobably),  at  a 
point  a  few  rods  west  of  the  Ole  Fohre 
home,  the  Indians  came  upon  Knud  Miil- 
stad  and  his  wife  Breta  and  murdered 
them.  These  nnfortenate  people  lived  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  were  on 
their  way  to  Ole  Fohre's  when  thev  were 
ambu«hed  on  the  trail. 

To  return  to  the  women  and  children  in 
tbe  cellar  of  the  Ole  Fohre  cabin.  When 
it  was  learned  that  the  Indians  had  left 
tbe  immediate  vicinity,  Jlrs.  Fohre  and 
Mrs.  Axe  decided  to  seek  another  place  of 
concealment.  Accordingly  they  came 
forth  with  the  children  and  hid  in  a  corn- 
field. The  savages,  returning  from  their 
visit  to  the  Slaabaken  home  below,  again 
came  to  the  place  of  the  original  attaek. 
and  when  they  fouiiil  that  refugees  hail 
been  hidden  in  tbe  cellar  at  tbe  time  of 
the  first  attack  but  had  now  escaped,  (bey 
were  very  angry  and  spent  considerable 
time  searching  for  them,  .\fter  the  mur- 
derers had  gone  the  second  time  the  wom- 
en started  out  with  the  children  for  the 
south  and  spent  Sunday  night  in  a  black- 
smith shop  on  the  Englebret  Olson  Slaa- 
baken farm.  The  ne.xt  morning,  not  hav- 
ing ba<l  anything  to  eat  since  the  attack. 


#Lf«Nf  0(  ivN 


<inh£vui  Ol»^»/*l 


THE  NORWEGIAN  SETTLEMENT 

Map   Showing  Cabins    of  J^orwejrian   Settlers  at    the   Time   of    the 

Belmont  Massacre    and   the   Route  of  the  Indians.      Des 

Moines,  Belmont  and  part  of  Christiania 

Townships  Shown. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON"  COUNTY. 


105 


tlipv  started  out  again  for  the  south  in  an 
endeavor  to  tind  a  phice  of  safety.  The}- 
liad  jn'oceeded  to  a  jioint  soiithwe.'^t  of  tlio 
present  site  of  Jackson  wlien  they  met 
Knud  I.nniiehnid  returning-  from  Spirit 
J.ake,  and  were  piloteil  to  a  place  of 
safety. 

After  tlie  second  visit  to  the  house  of 
Ole  Fohre,  the  Indians  (at  least  a  part 
of  tliem)  crossed  the  river  to  the  west 
side,  but  did  not  encounter  any  whites  and 
returned."  Then  the  band  proceeded  up 
tlie  river  to  the  lionve  of  Knud  Langeland, 
\vli(}  resided  with  liis  family  on  tlie  south- 
ea.st  cpmrter  of  section  16.  There  no  warn- 
ing had  been  received,  and  five  human 
lives  were  taken.  ]\Ir.  Langeland  was 
down  liy  tlie  river  rounding  up  his  cat- 
tle at  the  time  of  the  attack  and  so  escan- 
ed.  At  the  house  his  wife,  Anna  Lange- 
land, and  four  children,  Anna,  Aagaata, 
Xicolai  John  ami  Knud  Langeland,  were 
iiiiirilered.  Jlartha  Langeland  escaped  the 
fatc'of  the  rest  of  the  family  by  hiding 
in  a  corn  field.  Two  of  these  children 
who  were  killed  were  hid  in  the  corn  field 
at  the  time  of  the  attack,  but  when  they 
saw  the  Indians  attack  their  mother  they 
rushed  out  to  her  assistance  and  were  mur- 
dered, ^[r.  Langeland  went  to  the  house 
after  the  Indians  departed  and  viewed  the 
terrible  work  of  the  monsters.  He  thought 
he  witnessed  signs  of  life  in  two  of  his 
children.  Gathering  them  in  his  arms,  he 
carried  them  all  tlie  way  to  Spirit  Lake. 
One  of  the  children,  died  soon  after  his  ar- 
rival ;  the  other  recovered.' 

'It  mu.st  not  be  understood  that  the  move- 
ments of  the  Indians  are  given  from  deHnite 
knowledge  or  that  tlie  chronological  order  of 
events  is  strictly  observed.  It  is  known  to 
what  homes  the  savages  came,  but  the  exact 
time  at  which  they  appeared  and  the  definite 
course  they  took  are  unknown.  For  instance, 
the  only  evidence  we  have  that  the  Indians 
crossed  to  the  west  side  of  the  river  is  the  fact 
that  one  of  their  guns  was  found  at  a  point 
opposite  the  Fohre  home,  twenty  rods  from  the 
river.  .4s  it  is  known  that  none  of  the  homes 
on  that  side  was  visited,  we  conclude  that  the 
red  men   soon  after  returned   to   the  east  side. 

'The  name  of  the  child  who  recovered  is  un- 
known, and  may  have  been  included  with  those 


From  the  Ijangehind  home  the  Siou.x 
proceeded  on  their  way  up  the  river  to  the 
homes  of  Ole  Estenson  and  Ole  Torgenson, 
where  they  arrived  in  the  evening  about 
dark.  Tiiese  men  were  the  only  ones  in  the 
settlement  to  make  any  effort  to  save  their 
lives  except  in  flight;  they  had  the  old 
Berserker  blood  in  them  and  put  up  a 
good  fight.  Messrs.  Estenson  and  Tor- 
genson barricaded  one  of  their  houses  sit- 
uated on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
31,  Christiania  tow-nship.  and  made  other 
preparations  to  defend  their  families. 
They  had  guns  and  ammunition  and  the 
knowledge  and  disposition  to  use  them. 
When  the  Indians  appeared,  they  called 
til  the  white  men  to  come  to  them.  In- 
stead, the  white  men  ordered  their  fam- 
ilies to  lie  down  and  returned  the  fire  of 
the  enemy  so  successfully  that  they  fought 
off  every  attack.  Volley  after  volley  was 
poured  into  the  house,  and  the  bullets 
penetrated  the  walls  and  roof,  knocking 
down  several  articles  that  were  on  shelves.* 
Tlie  white  men  loaded  their  army  mus- 
kets with  slugs,  and,  as  it  had  become 
dark,  they  fired  only  at  the  flashes  of  the 
Indians"  guns.  No  one  within  the  cabin 
was  hit,  and  the  attackers  finally  de- 
parted. The  defenders  did  not  know 
whether  or  not  they  hit  any  of  the  sav- 
ages, and  had  no  evidence  that  thev  did." 


mentioned  as  having  been  killed.  If  that  is  a 
fact,  only  twelve  met  death  in  the  Belmont 
massacre.  Mr.  Ole  Anderson,  who  has  fur- 
nished me  much  of  the  data  concerning  the 
massacre,  places  the  number  killed  at  thir- 
teen, but  is  uncertain  in  regard  to  the  Lange- 
land   children. 

"An  amusing  feature  of  this  attack  was  the 
rage  of  one  of  the  Norwegian  women.  A  cook- 
ing utensil  was  knocked  from  its  place  on  the 
shelf,  and  the  lady  of  the  house  became  so 
angry  she  jumped  up  vowing  vengeance  on 
the  redskins.  Had  she  not  been  restrained  it  is 
possible  she  would  have  rushed  out  and  put  the 
savages    to    flight. 

'This  statement  is  made  on  the  authority  of 
Ole  .\nderson,  who  interviewed  Messrs.  E.sten- 
son  and  Torgenson  a  short  time  after  the  mas- 
sacre. The  author  of  Minnesota  in  Three  Cen- 
turies, recently  published,  was  incorrectly  in- 
formed in  regard  to  the  result  of  this  fight,  for 
he  said  the  defenders  believed  that  they  had 
wounded  several  of  the  savages  and  knew  that 
they  had  killed  one.  because  his  carcass  lay 
fifty  yards   from  the   cabin  for  anyone   to  see. 


106 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


After  tlieir  repulse  tlie  Indians  went 
down  the  river  and  made  camp  Sund;i\ 
night  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
8,  Belmont  township.'"  Tlie  next  day 
thej'  proceeded  up  the  river  on  the  east 
side  without  renewing  liostilities.  The 
Des  Moines  river  was  crossed,  and  Mon- 
day night  camp  was  made  on  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  24,  Delafield  town- 
ship. Thence  the  Indians  continued  their 
journey  to  the  nortii  and  out  of  Jackson 
county. 

The  Belmont  massacre  was  over.  Thir- 
teen innocent  people  had  been  murdered 
in  cold  blood.  Several  of  the  bodies  were 
mutilated,  but  no  scalps  were  taken. 
None  of  the  cabins  and  no  property  was 
burned.  The  savages  carried  away  much 
property,  and  some  of  this  was  abandoned 
or  destroyed  on  the  march  out  of  the 
country;  otherwise  there  was  no  destruc- 
tion of  property. 

A  recapitulation  gives  us  the  following 
as  the  losses  in  the  Belmont  massacre:" 


"The  statement  has  been  made  that  the  at- 
tack on  the  Christlania  home  was  not  made 
until  Monday,  after  the  Indians  had  left  this 
camp,  but  the  best  evidence  Is  to  the  effect 
that  the  attack  was  made  Sunday  evening. 

"For  some  reason  no  authentic  account  of 
the  Belmont  massacre  has  heretofore  been 
written,  and  there  is  a  wonderful  lack  of  gen- 
eral knowledge  of  the  details  of  the  terrible  af- 
fair. There  are  differences  of  authority  even  as 
to  the  date  of  the  massacre  In  Jackson  county. 
1  he  inaccuracies  of  the  printed  accounts  of  the 
affair  are  shown  in  the  following  extract  from 
Norwegian  Settlers  History.  i>ublished  In  the 
Nurweglan  language  in  I'.IOS  by  J.  M.  Ilnlland, 
A.   M..  of  Ephriam,  Wisconsin: 

"On  Sunday  morning,  August  24.  1SG2,  be- 
fore  any  preacher  ever  found  his  way  to  this 
wilderness,  the  new  settlers,  after  having  an 
al)undant  harvest,  felt  thankful  and  happy  to 
God  and  gathered  to  a  prayer  meeting  In  Mrs. 
Holstin  Olson's  house.  She  had  a  sweet  voice 
and  had  just  finished  a  hymn  when  the  door 
flew  open  and  a  half-grown  boy.  the  son  of 
Ole  Forde.  entered,  dripping  with  sweat  and 
blood.  'HuiTy  up!  Hurry  upl'  he  screamed, 
gitsping  for  breath,  'the  liullans  are  coming!* 
Thi-y  were  so  astonished  and  frightened  that 
they  rushed  to  the  door  to  escape,  but  were 
too  late.  The  Indians  had  surrounded  the  cabin. 
Then  followed  a  hopeless  light  with  bare  fists 
again-st  the  Indians'  bright  tomahawks  and 
bullets.  The  women's  praying  for  mercy  was 
mixed  with  the  Indians'  yells  of  exultation  over 


K 1 1.1. Kit 

Johannas  Axe 

Lars  Fumes 

Lars  G,  Jornevik 

Mrs.  Lars  C.  Jornevik 

Ole  Fohre 

Mikkel  Olson  Slaabaken 

Knud  Micistad 

Hreta  Midstad 

Mrs.  Anna  LanReland 

Anna  Langeland  (child) 

Aapaata  Langeland 

Nicolai  John  Langeland 

Knud  Langeland 


^v(»i'>'iii:i> 

Ole  Olson  Fohre 

Anders  E.  Olson  Slaabaken 

Langeland  (girl) 


Fortunately  some  of  the  settlers  Avere 
gathered  in  religious  worship  at  the  house 
of  Taral  Ranilo,  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  34,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  and  so  escaped  the  awful  carnage, 
as  the  Indians  did  not  go  farther  south 
than  section  2'-?.'=  Hol.-:ten  Olson  was 
presiding  over  the  meeting.  The  congre- 
gation was  just  beginning  a  hymn  when 
Ole  Olson  Fohre,  the  boy  who  had  been 
wounded  but  who  had  escaped  from  the 
savages,  arrived  with  the  startling  intel- 
ligence that  the  Indians  were  murdering 
the  settlers  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.''' 


their  victory.  The  women  were  compelled  In 
stand  while  the  Indians  took  the  children  by 
their  lulls  ai.d  crushed  their  skulls  against  Ih. 
trees.'* 

"This  meeting  had  been  called  at  the  Instance 
of  Holsten  Olson  and  was  for  the  purpose  of 
attempting  a  consolldalion  of  the  two  n-ligious 
factions  in  the  Norwegian  settlement.  Holsten 
Olson  was  the  leader  of  one  faction  and  Burre 
Olson  of  the  other.  Burre  Olson  did  not  at- 
tend, but  he  and  a  few  of  his  friends  held 
another  meeting  at  his  house  on  the  southwest 
•luarter  of  section  11.  Des  Moines  township,  at 
Ihe  .same   time. 

*^01e  .Vnderson.  now  n  resident  of  Jackson, 
was  a  playmate  of  the  Fohre  bo>*  and  was  th<' 
first  to  see  him  as  he  came  running  to  gi\'e  th*- 
alarm.      He    met    him    .some    distance    from    th' 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


107 


The   bloody  condition   of  the  boy   added 
to  the  alarm  his  words  conveyed,  and  all 
was   confusion.      The   people   were    panic 
stricken   and   huddled    in  groups   around 
the    log    building.     Excepting    one    gun, 
they  were  without  arms  or  ammunition. 
Like  the  pioneers  of  the  Springfield  set- 
tlement  had   done   five   years   before,  the 
panic  stricken  people  decided  on  fliglit  to 
tlie  Iowa  settlements.     Some  of  the  peo- 
ple  had    come    to    the   meeting   with    ox 
teams.     These   were   quickly   hitched   up, 
the  elderly  people,  the  little  children  and 
the   wounded    boy    were   loaded   into    the 
wagon  boxes  and  hay  racks,  and  the  start 
for  the  south  was  begun.    The  main  party 
was  preceded  by  Ole  E.  Olson  Slaabaken, 
son   of   Englebret   Olson    Slaabaken,   and 
■    Sigur   Chestersoa,   son   of  Hans   Chester- 
son  (Kgostolson),  who  ran  ahead  and  noti- 
fied the  settlers  on  both  sides  of  the  river, 
thus    performing    a    daring   and    (if   the 
Indians  had  come)   valuable  service.     The 
boys  spent  Sunday  night  at  the  home  of 
Henry  Olson,  on  tlie  state  line,  and  Mon- 
day carried  the  news  of  the  massacre  to 
Estherville. 

AVhcn  the  party  had  proceeded  only  a 
short  distance  on  the  way  south,  at  some 
point  on  section  3,  Des  Moines,  they  saw 
someone  in  tlie  distance  to  the  north, 
and  their  fears  were  redoubled.  Holsten 
Olson,  the  only  gi-own  man  in  the  party, 
deserted  the  others  at  this  point  and 
started  off  across  the  prairie  alone." 
Simon  Olson,  who  in  later  years  was  Jack- 
son county's  judge  of  probate,  went  from 
Mr.  Ramlo's  house  to  that  of  Holsten  Ol- 
son, three-quarters  of  a  mile  north,  secur- 
ed what  guns  and  ammunition  were  there, 
and  then  hastened  soutJi,  going  down  the 

meeting  house  and  ran  with  him  to  warn  those 
gathered  at  the  houi^e.  When  thev  got  within 
hailmg  distance  it  was  Ole  Anderson's  liistv 
voice   that   gave   the   alarm. 

"A  little  son  of  Holsten  Olson  followed  his 
father  and  overtook  him.  Mr.  Olson  and  the 
boy  went  fir.st  to  his  house  and  then  struck  off 
across  the  prairie  and  in  time  reached  Mankato 


east  side  of  the  river.  When  he  had  pro- 
ceeded on  his  way  nearly  a  mile  he  dis- 
covered that  he  had  forgotten  the  percus- 
ion  caps.  Although  haunted  by  the 
fears  of  danger  from  lurking  savages,  he 
bravely  retraced  his  steps,  .secured  the 
caps,  and  again  hastened  on  his  way. 

When    Holsten    Olson    left    those    who 
were  going  down  the  west  side  of  the  river, 
that  party  consisted  of  three  or  four  wom- 
en and  many  cliildren,  and  it  was  a  badly 
frightened,  terror  stricken  little  band  of 
refugees  that  sought  safety  in  flight  that 
Sunday  afternoon.   They   continued   their 
journey  to  a  point  where  the  business  cen- 
ter of  Jackson  is  now  located ;  then  forded 
the  river  and    arrivei!     at     the  house    of 
Joseph  Thomas.     Before  the  party  went 
up  to  the  Thomas  home,  Mrs.  Kirkevolds- 
moen  sent  her  two  children,  Ole  (Ander- 
son)   and  his  little  sister,  to  reconnoiter 
while  the  rest  remained  hidden  in  a  ra- 
vine.    Tlie  children  silently  climbed   the 
hill    through    the   woods   and    when    they 
came  in  sight  of  the  premises  were  over- 
joyed to  see  Simon  Olson,  who  had  arrived 
a  little  before,  on  top  of  one  of  the  build- 
ings on  tile  watcli  for  Indians.    The  chil- 
dren returned  to  the  others  and  all  pro- 
ceeded to  the  house. 

Other  .settlers  of  Belmont  who  had  es- 
caped the  tomahawk  and  rifle  of  the  In- 
dians made  their  way  south  on  tlie  east  side 
of  the  river  in  little  groups.  On  the  way 
through  Des  Moines  township  other 
settlers,  till  tlien  ignorant  of  the  danger 
tliat  tlireatened,  joined  the  fleeing  groups, 
all  instinctively  going  to  the  Thomas 
liome.  Most  of  these  parties  had  arrived 
by  four  o'clock.  A  few  of  the  settlers 
farthest  up  the  river  did  not  get  out  of 
the  country  until  the  next  day,  and,  as  has 
Ijeen  told,  the  women  and  children  who 
had  been  at  the  Fohre  home  spent  Sun- 
day night  at  the  Englebret  Olson  Slaabak- 


108 


HISTORY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


pn  fariii.  and  then  starti'il  nut  on  fonr 
for  Spirit  Lake. 

Wlicn  the  fleeing  refugees  readied  the 
Tlionias  idaco  that  gentleman  advis^ed 
them  to  stop  there,  offering  to  turn  his 
house  into  a  tort  and  to  help  build  a  sloek- 
ade.  He  believed  they  hail  enough  arms 
and  ammunition  to  hold  the  i)laee  until 
soldiers  who  were  staliniicd  at  Iv-^llier- 
ville  could  be  summoned.  .Mrs.  Thoma.< 
(ires.sed  the  wounds  of  the  injured  hoy 
and  distrJluiUd  food  to  the  hungry  and 
frightened  people.  .\1  ter  siijiper  had  ijeen 
eaten  the  Norwegians  decided  to  continue 
the  journey  south.  As  Jlr.  Thomas  could 
not  hope  to  defend  his  place  alone  if  the 
Indians  came  he  decided  to  accompany 
the  others.  Accordingly  they  helped  him 
hitch  up  his  o.xen  to  a  wagon,  a  few 
goods  were  loaded  in,  and  the  whole  party 
set  out  down  the  river  a  little  before  dark, 
traveling  together.  Darkness  came  upon 
them  when  they  were  in  Petersburg  town- 
.sliip,  and  a  rain  came  up.  Camp  was 
made  near  the  state  line  and  a  restless 
night  was  passed  in  tJie  rain.  The  ne.xt 
morning  they  proceeded  on  their  way  to 
Esthervillc  and  met  a  rescuing  party  near 
that  town.  None  of  the  refugees  got  as 
far  as  Estherville  on   Sunday. 

News  of  the  hostility  of  the  Indians 
and  the  massacre  in  Belmont  townsliip 
was  carried  to  Spirit  Lake,  and  on  Mon- 
day, August  2o,  a  deiaehmcnt  of  mounted 
men  proceeded  to  the  Indian  scourged 
country."'  After  reacthing  the  Des  Moines 
river  this  party  wa.s  joined  by  another  winch 
had  started  from  I'sthervillo  on  the  same 
mission,"'  and  all  jirocecded  to  tJie  seenn 
of  the  ma.-isacre,  which  was  reached  either 
M(uulay  evening  or  Tuesday. 

'J'hc  sight  that  met  the  eyes  of  this  re- 

".\mnng  the  p.Trty  from  Spirit  I.akr  wrri>  R. 
A.  Smith.  Daiili'l  Bpiinitt.  John  I'hlpplii.  .ludKe 
Conpl<?tpii.  John  Gilbert.  1..  K.  KInK.  ().  t". 
Howe   and    several    others. 

'•I.ansinK  Thomas.  James  Palmer.  Simon  Ol- 
son  and    John   Olson   accompanied    this   party. 


lief  expedition  beggars  description.  Ly- 
ing here  and  there  on  the  prairie  and  in 
the  woods,  jiLst  as  they  had  fallen,  were 
the  bodies  of  the  victims.  The  dead  were 
buried  where  they  were  found,"  and  the 
twelve  or  fifteen  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren who  had  been  unable  to  get  away 
were  cared  for.  These  were  found  hiding 
ill  various  places,  almost  too  frightened  to 
recognize  their  friends.  The  grief  and 
distress  of  the  survivors  was  heart  i-end- 
jiig.  Of  one  family  only  one  helpless 
child,  too  young  to  fully  realize  its  con- 
dition, was  left;  of  another,  only  the  falh- 
er,  who  had  escaped  by  being  in  some 
distant  field,  had  returned  to  lind  his 
dear  ones  lying  about,  murdered  and  hor- 
ribly mutilated;  of  one  or  two  families 
not  one  was  left  to  tell  of  the  awful  deeds. 
The  relief  party  scouted  the  country  for 
Jiidiaiis.  but  foiiiiil  none.  They  s|iciit  a 
few  days  Iniiiting  for  and  assisting  tlie 
frightened  survivors  out  of  the  country. 
Some  of  the  stock  was  rounded  up  and 
driven  to  the  owners  at  Estherville  and 
Sjiirit  Lake.  When  it  was  learned  that 
the  savages  had  left  the  vicinity  a  few 
of  the  settlers  came  back  for  their  live 
stock  and  goods,  but  they  made  haste  to 
again  get  out  of  the  country,  leaving  cvciy- 
iliing  that  was  not  easily  moved.  Many 
of  these  stopjied  at  the  home  of  l?ev.  I'cler 
Baker,  in  Petersliurg  township,  <ui 
tlieir  way  to  the  Iowa  towns.  Phina  Bak- 
er, in  a  li'lirr  wriitrn  .Fainiary  l!i,  1S!I!I. 
said  : 

Many  of  tlic'se  wi-re  vrrv  lmn;;ry. 
os|)ocially  those  whom  the  soliliers  foiiml  liiil- 
iiig  in  tlie  woods.     A  party  of  nine  wlio  were 

"In  November.  1899,  the  bodies  of  the  vic- 
tims were  disinterred  by  Ole  Anderson  and  reln- 
terrcd  in  the  eity  park  in  Jarkson.  ThronKh 
the  effftrts  of  Mr.  Anderson  and  other  residents 
of  Jaeks()n  ronnty  and  of  Rei)resrntative  Jnlni 
Baldwin  and  Senator  11.  K.  ilansiin  the  .Min- 
nesota leglsl:iture  of  1909  appropriated  $2.0ijo. 
available  July  31.  1909.  for  the  erection  of  a 
monument  in  the  villaKe  of  Jackson  to  the 
nienKU'j*  of  those  killed  in  this  massacre  and 
those  in  the  massacre  of  IS.ST.  Ole  Anderson. 
T.  J.  Knox  and  Henry  .\nderson  were  named  a 
commission  to  superintend  the  erection.  The 
monument  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1909. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


109 


in  the  cellar  when  the  Indians  came  and  look- 
ed down,  but  who  were  so  still  that  they 
were  not  found  and  escaped,  came  to  our 
house;  some  that  were  in  hiding  fled  from 
the  soldiers,  thinking  they  were  Indians.  For 
the  first  two  days  I  think  mother's  tal)Ie  was 
never  cleared,  for  as  soon  as  one  lot  left  an- 
other took  its  place.  Field  corn  was  just 
large  enough  to  cook,  and  the  big  wash  boiler 
was  kept  full  and  boiling  all  the  time. 

For  a  short  time  tiie  county  was  en- 
tirely deserted ;  not  a  human  being  had 
Iiis  habitation  within  the  boundaries  of 
Jackson  county.  The  county  gOTernment 
■was  suspended^  the  officer.s  fled,  and  most 
of  the  records  were  lost.  Jackson  county 
was  put  back  to  where  it  had  been  before 
1850.  ilost  of  the  Norwegian  families 
went  to  AVinneshiek  county,  Iowa,  and 
Houston  county,  Minnesota;  the  other 
settlers  made  temporary  homes  at  Sjiirit 
Lake  and  in  otiier  nearby  settlements. 
Xews  of  the  great  Siou.x  war,  which  was 
being  carried  on  in  all  parts  of  Minnesota, 
came  to  the  settlements  on  the  frontier 
and  the  greatest  alarm  prevailed.  Con- 
cerning conditions  in  the  Spirit  Lake  set- 
tlement, Mr.  H.  L.  Bennett  in  188.5 
wrote : 

This  intelligence  created  the  most  intense 
excitement.  The  settlements  in  the  county 
[Dickinson]  at  this  time  were  Spirit  Lake, 
Tusciilum.  Okohoji   and   two  or  three  families 


on  the  Little  Sioux_,  southwest  of  ililford. 
Messengers  were  soon  sent  to  all  these  points, 
and  the  settlers,  greatly  alarmed,  hastily 
gathered  their  most  needful  and  valuable  arti- 
cles and  hastened  to  Spirit  Lake,  where  prep- 
arations were  alread_v  being  made  for  defense 
against  the  Indians.  The  court  house  win- 
dows were  bricked  up.  leaving  portholes  to 
shoot  through.  All  guns  and  ammunition 
were  gathered  up  and  everything  was  done 
to  make  the  defense  as  complete  as  possible 
considering  our  numbers  and  the  limited 
moans  at  our  disposal.  A  company  was  or- 
ganized for  defense,  composed  of  every  man 
capable  of  liearing  arms.  Officers  were  chosen, 
and  everything  was  done  in  as  military  a 
manner  as  possible.  Pickets  were  kept  out 
at  all  times  at  various  distant  points  to  pre- 
vent a   surprise. 

The  ])eople  of  this  county  remain- 
ed at  the  court  house  most  of  the  time  for 
about  three  weeks.  The  loss  to  settlers  in 
various  ways  by  this  mode  of  living  was  very 
gn'at.  A  good  deal  of  stock  was  left  to  run 
at  large,  and  as  a  consequence  nearly  all  the 
cro])S  were  destroyed,  causing  considerable 
suffering.  In  doing  chores,  looking  after  stock, 
etc.,  two  or  more  young  men  would  make  the 
tour  of  the  various  neighborhoods,  being  care- 
ful to  be  well  mounted  and  armed  and  to 
keep  a  good  lookout  to  prevent  siu'prise  from 
any   Indians    who   might    be    lurking   about. 

One  or  two  families  attempted  to  leave  the 
county  during  these  trying  times,  but  were 
detained,  as  it  was  determined  that  all  should 
stay  and  helj)  make  a  defense  till  help  came 
from  some  direction.  About  this  time  the 
>oMiers  arrived     from      Sioux     City, 

and  a  blessed  relief  it  was  to  the  settlers,  who 
now  returned  to  their  homes.  Quite  a  number 
of  families  left  about  this  time,  and  but  few 
came  in. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


EECOXSTRUCTIOX    PEHIOD— 1862-1867. 


TTIUS  struggled  the  pioneers  of 
Jackson  county.  They  not  only 
had  to  endure  the  ordinary  hard- 
ships and  privations  of  frontier  life,  they 
had  to  experience  the  horrors  of  Indian 


hcnnes  in  Belmont,  traveling  in  a  little 
caravan  of  ox  teams.  Their  return  was 
hrought  al)out  largely  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  care  of  tlie  cattle,  which  were  re- 
ported to  be  roaming  about  witliout  food. 


wars.     j\Iany  met  death  at  the  hands  of      ]\[ost  of  the  cattle  had  been  driven  off  by 


the  Idoodthirsty  savages,  homes  were  pil- 
laged and  laid  waste,  all  were  comjielh'd 
to  flee  for  their  lives.  For  the  second  time 
in  its  history  Jackson  county  was  depopu- 
lated. The  few  years  succeeding  the  Bel- 
mont massacre  constitute  a  reconstructiim 


the  Indians,  but  the  stock  got  away  and 
returned  to  Belmont. 

Disaster  overtook  the  little  company 
when  it  had  reached  a  point  a  little  south 
of  where  the  Milwaukee  depot  in  Jackson 
now  stands — on  land  now  owned  bv  Matt 


In  it  the  county  was  again  reclaimed     ToUefson.     When  tliat  point  was  reached 


from  the  savages;  the  white  man  Ijecame 
the  undisputed  possessor. 

I)es])ite  the  terrors  of  living  in  a  country 
exposed  to  Indian  attack,  there  were  sev- 
eral of  the  former  settlers  who  would  not 
gi\e  up  their  homes  in  the  new  country. 
Jo.scpli  Thomas,  who  had  moved  with  his 


it  was  decided  to  make  preparation.s  for 
the  night's  camp,  and,  because  of  fear  of 
possible  lurking  savages,  the  camp  was  to 
have  been  pitched  on  the  prairie,  instead 
of  in  the  woods.  The  teams  were  left  on 
the  trail  in  charge  of  the  women  while  the 
men  A\ent  to  get  water.     While  thev  were 


family  to  vSpirit  Lake,  came  back  to  take  gone   a    terrific    prairie    tire    swept    down 

care  of  his  crop,  but  returned  to   Spirit  from    the   northwest   at  race  horse   speed 

Lake  so  soon  as  that  was  done.     A  nuin-  and    enveloped    the    little    caravan.      The 

ber  of  the  Slaabaken  or  Olson  family  did  oxen  whirled  and  overturned  the  wagons, 

not  accompany  the  other  Norwegians   to  and  before  the  men  could  reach  the  dan- 

Winneshiek   county,   Iowa,   but   remained  ger  point  the  women  were  in   a  perilous 

at  Estherville  until  the  latter  part  of  Oc-  condition,  all  of  the  wagons  being  on  fire, 

tober.     Then  Englebret,  John,  Simon  and  When  the  oxen  whirled,  Miss  Olava  01- 

Holsten    Olson    Slaabaken,    accompanied  son    (now    a    resident    of    Jackson),    the 

by   their  families  and   the  widow   of   tlie  twelve  year  old  daughter  of  the  murdered 

murdered    Mikkel    Olson    Slaabaken,    set  Mikkel  Olson  Slaabaken,  was  thrown  from 

out   to   take  possession  of  their   deserted  one  of  the  wagons  into  the  flames.     The 


111 


11-2 


ITISTO-RY  OFJACKSON  lOlNTV 


girl  was  badlv  liiirnoil  about  tlie  knees  and 
hands,  Imt  a  heavy  soldier  overcoat  saved 
her  life.  ills.  Enfjlehret  Olson  Slaahaken 
with  her  baby  juni})cd  from  one  of  the 
wa^jons  and  Iteeanio  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  party,  llolsten  Olson  Slaa- 
haken was  burned  so  badly  that  the  flesh 
fell  off  his  hands  and  face,  and  he  bore 
the  marks  of  his  injuries  until  his  death. 
Miss  Lena  Olson,  now  the  wife  of  P.  H. 
Berge,  of  Jackson,  was  in  tlie  fire,  but 
was  uninjured. 

Witli  the  wagons  on  fire  a  retreat  wa.< 
made  to  the  Thomas  home,  where,  fortu- 
nately, the  family  was  living  for  the  time 
being.  Seeing  the  danger  the  unfortunate 
people  were  in,  Mrs.  Thomas  ran  with 
water  and  extinguished  the  flames  on  the 
first  wagon  to  approach,  which  was  that 
driven  by  Simon  Olson  Slaahaken.  ifr. 
Thomas  and  his  son  started  back  to  as- 
sist the  others.  They  u])set  the  wagon  of 
John  Olson  Slaahaken  and  extinguished 
tlie  flames,  thus  saving  the  running  gear: 
the  rest  of  the  wagon  was  destroyed.  Has- 
tening still  farther  back  to  where  it  was 
known  that  ifrs.  Englebret  Slaahaken  liad 
jumped  from  the  wagon,  ^Ir.  Thomas 
found  her  dead  body.  On  her  breast,  still 
living,  was  the  baby.  The  infant  lived 
until  midnight  and  then  passed  away — 
one  more  victim  to  the  dangers  of  frontier 
life.  The  dead  were  Imrii'd  in  the  Michael 
Miller  cemetery.' 

The  Thomas  homestead  was  thrown 
open  to  the  sufferers,  and  there  the 
mournful  hand  tarried  two  weeks,  'ifrs. 
Tbiiiuas  nursed  the  injured  back  to  life, 
and  then  all  pushed  mi  to  their  foniur 
homes.  They  found  nearly  everything 
except  the  cabins  destroyed  and  all  the 
loose  property  removed.  Wliite  men  from 
other  settlement.s  had  completed  the  rav- 
ages begun  by  the  Indians.     Wagon  load 

'The  Bccount  of  this  rtlsristor  Is  written  large- 
Iv  from  an  article  written  by  the  lato  Judge 
Simon  Olson  In  May,  1890. 


after  wagon  load  had  been  hauled  from  the 
deserted  cabins.  Clothing,  cooking  uten- 
sils, machinery,  grain  and  everything  lliat 
could  he  moved  had  been  taken,  A  thresh- 
ing machine  had  been  brought  up  to  Bel- 
mont from  Spirit  Irfike  and  iiiiuli  of  the 
small  grain  had  been  threshed  and  hauled 
away.  The  Slaabakciis  made  what  iiii- 
l>rovements  they  could  and  spent  the  win- 
ter of  18G2-G3  there.  Possibly  S(uiic  trap- 
]ier  pitched  his  tent  temporarily  along  the 
river  or  ou  the  l)ank  of  some  lake;  other- 
wise these  were  the  only  ones  to  brave  the 
dangers  of  the  county. 

Again  in  the  spring  of  ISO;?  came  In- 
dian alarms;  a  trapper  was  killed  and 
another  wounded  by  the  hostile  Sioux 
some  sixteen  miles  up  the  river.  The 
Slaabakcns  again  deserted  their  homes 
and  took  refuge  at  Spirit  Lake,  where 
they  lived  under  the  protection  of  the  sol- 
diers until  the  spring  of  18(i4.  Jasejih 
Thomas  returned  again  in  the  spring  of 
liSfi.'?,  hut  remained  only  a  short  time. 
Jarcd  Palmer-  came  at  the  same  time, 
took  a  claim  a  little  south  of  the  Thomas 
home,  but  left  temporarily  the  same  yt^ir. 
During  the  suiiniier  of  18t!3  they  were 
the  only  settlers  in  the  vicinity.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  came  Tra  C'amfield  with 
his  mother  and  a  few  orphan  children. 
He  took  a  claim  a  couple  of  miles  south 
of  Jackson,  in  Middletowu  towushi]),  and 
spent  the  winter  of  1S63-G-1  there,  being 
the  only  residents  of  Jackson  county  (hat 
winter.'' 

Before  military  ]irotection  was  given 
Jackson  county  a  small  parly  of  Nor- 
wegian settlers  returned  to  reside  perma- 
nently in  their  former  homes.  They  came 
early  in  June,  1864,  and  were  the  first  to 

'Two  men  with  similar  names  took  part  In 
the  early  hl.stor)'  makine  of  Jaekson  eoimty. 
Jareb  Palmer  was  one  of  the  SprlncfleUi  set- 
tlers, fought  at  the  Springfield  ma.'^.saere.  and 
now  livei  at  T.akefield.  .Tared  Palmer  eame  a.«» 
deserlbed  In  the  text  and  wa.s  one  of  the  first 
county  olTlcers. 

'Major  H.  S.  Bailey  in  Republic,  March  10, 
1SS8. 


THE  NEW  VOT?:-  < 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


MTOft,  LEfH)X   ANt 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


113 


make  permanent  settlement  after  the 
massaere.  The  party  drove  throvigh  from 
Houston  t-ounty.  ilinnesota,  ami  was  com- 
posed of  the  following  people:  Anders  O. 
Slaahak-eii  (single),  who  had  jnst  hcen 
discharged  from  the  army;  Simon  Olson 
Slaabakeu  and  wife;'  Mrs.  Anders  0. 
Kirkevoldsmoen  and.  her  three  small  chil- 
dren, Ole  (Anderson),  Christina  and  Bcr- 
tlia.  Witliout  having  knowledge  that  steps 
were  being  taken  to  protect  Jackson  coun- 
ty, they  decided  to  jnisli  on  to  their  for- 
mer homes  in  the  frmitier  regions.  The 
first  night  in  Jackson  county  they  camped 
at  a  point  a  little  south  of  the  present 
site  of  Jackson.  There  they  met  a  small 
party  of  men.  including  some  of  the  Slaa- 
haken  family,  who  were  on  their  way 
from  Spirit  Lake  to  Mankato  for  provis- 
ions, and  were  informed  that  Lars  Hal- 
verson  and  family  intended  to  move  im- 
mediately onto  their  claim,  near  their 
camping  place. 

The  little  party  from  Houston  county 
continued  the  journey  the  next  morning 
and  arrived  at  the  claim  of  Simon  Olson 
Slaal)aken.  wlio  had  earlier  in  the  S]n-ing 
hnught  of  Taral  IJando  that  gentleman's 
claim  to  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
34,  Belmont.  A  lesson  had  been  learned, 
and  now  all  carried  guns  and  were  pre- 
pared to  make  defense  against  the  In- 
dians. On  the  second  night  after  their 
arrival  a  child  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Simon  Olson  Slaabaken — the  first  child 
li(n-n  in  the  connty  after  the  massacre.'^ 
At  the  time  of  this  event  came  an  Indian 
scare.  All  night  long  the  dogs  barked, 
and  the  people  were  in  constant  fear  of 
attack  by  Indians.    The  men  of  the  party 

■'Simon  Olson  Slaabaken  had  departed  from 
Spirit  Lake  in  the  fall  of  1863  and  gone  to 
Spring  Grove.  Houston  connty.  Minnesota, 
where  some  of  the  Norwegian  refugees  had 
gone,  and  there  married  Bertha,  the  daughter 
of  Mrs.    Anders    O.    Kirkevoldsmoen. 

''This  child  was  named  Christina  and  is  now 
Mrs.    George    Ombei-son,    of  Murray    county. 


stood  guard  all  night,  but  they  failed  to 
discover  any  Indians. 

Two  days  after  the  birth  of  the  child, 
their  fears  continuing  to  increase,  the 
alarmed  people  could  stand  the  suspense 
no  longer,  and  all  set  out  for  the  settle- 
ments. They  proceeded  down  the  river 
to  Lars  Halverson's  place,  where  they 
found  that  gentleman  and  his  family. 
After  a  few  days  sjjent  tliere,  the  whole 
party  went  to  Spirit  Lake.  A  little  later, 
accoinpanic<l  by  several  others  of  the 
Slaaliaki'n  family,  tlic  reliirn  tn  Belmont 
was  made. 

Bravely  they  dctcimined  to  hold  their 
claims  and  made  such  preparation  for  de- 
feiLse  against  attack  as  best  they  could.  A 
fort,  the  main  building  of  which  was  18x 
20  feet,  surrounded  hy  a  stockade,  was 
erected  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
34,  Belmont.  The  stockade  was  built  of 
logs  and  covered  with  sods,  through  which 
holes  were  left  to  serve  as  portholes.  For 
two  summers  all  the  settlers  of  the  com- 
munity lived  witliin  its  protecting  walls, 
spending  only  such  time  outside  as  was 
necessary  to  work  the  farms;  during  the 
winter  months  the  .settlers  generally  lived 
in  their  own  cabins.  At  no  time  during 
this  period  were  they  entirely  free  from 
fear  of  attack. 

Except  for  the  cahins,  most  of  which 
were  yet  stnnding,  these  settlers  of  18(i4 
found  the  country  in  practically  a  wild 
state,  and  were  obliged  to  begin  again  at 
the  beginning  to  improve  their  claims. 
When  the  sudden  departure  liad  been 
made  in  1862  most  of  the  hogs  of  the 
settlement  had  been  left.  The  people  re- 
turning found  these  roaming  the  woods 
in  a  wild  state.  For  several  years  the 
hunting  of  wild  swine  furnished  sport  for 
the  settlers,  and  many  of  the  former  do- 
mestic animals  were  killed. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Belmont  mas- 
sacre  resulted  in  the  practical   abandon- 


114 


HIST()i;V  OF  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


niont  of  Jackson  county  for  nearly  two 
*  years,  only  a  few  having  the  liardihood  to 
attempt  resettlement,  and  they  only  in- 
termittently. But  events  were  so  shaping 
themselves  that  protection  was  to  be  af- 
forded and  the  county  again  inade  safe  for 
settlement. 

1  luring  the  year  18G3  United  States 
soldiers  continued  ojicrations  against  tlie 
Sioux  Indian?,  driving  them  licyond  tlic 
ilissouri  river.  In  the  fall  of  (hat  year 
most  of  tlie  ilinncsota  regiments  were 
sent  soutli  to  figlit  the  battles  of  the  civil 
war.  l)ut  the  Sixth  legiment  of  ilinue- 
sota  volunteers  remained  in  the  state  to 
liold  the  land  that  liad  been  freed  from 
savages.  'I'd  lucitect  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity Major  (then  Captain)  H.  S.  Bailey's 
company  of  tliat  regiment  was  stationed 
at  Fairmont  and  at  Elm  creek,  in  ^lartin 
county.  'J'hey  were  supplied  witli  Iiorses 
and  were  instructed  to  scout  and  patrol 
as  much  country  as  they  could  cover.  In 
the  month  of  Manh.  ISfil.  some  of  the 
Scouts  came  so  far  west  a.s  the  Des  ^foines 
river,  and  upon  their  return  rciiorted  that 
they  lind  found  aS  nice  a  country  as  tliey 
ever  saw.  Major  Bailey  accompanied  an- 
otlier  party  to  Jackson  county  the  same 
month  and  was  so  well  pleased  with  the 
location  that  Ije  selected  a  claim  just  south 
of  the  ]n-esent  village  of  Jackson  proper, 
tiled  his  claim  in  the  land  oiTice,  and  de- 
cided to  make  his  home  tliere  as  soon  as 
he  slunild  leave  the  army.  Sergeant  John 
Hutchinson  and  possibly  other  soldiers  se- 
lected claims  at  the  same  time. 

JIany  of  the  former  residents  of  Jack- 
son county  were  anxious  to  return  and 
were  ready  to  do  so  if  military  ])rotection 
were  given.  In  the  month  of  Ai)ril.  1)^(il, 
Joseph  Thomas  took  a  petition,  signed  by 
several  of  tlie  former  residents,  to  Fair- 
mont and  ]iresented  it  to  Major  Bailev. 
They  asked  that  a  force  of  soldiers  he 
stationed  at  some  point  in  Jackson  coun- 


ty. Major  Bailey  endorsed  the  petition 
and  forwarded  it  to  his  commanding  offi- 
cer, (icneral  II.  II.  Sibley.  The  general 
referred  the  matter  back  to  the  company 
commander  witli  instructions  to  send  part 
of  liis  company  to  Jackson  county  and 
establish  a  post  if  he  thought  it  advisable. 
Majni-  Bailey  accordingly  sent  a  force  of 
twelve  men.  commanded  l)y  a  sergeant,  to 
tlie  ])resent  location  of  Jack.'Jon.  The  sol- 
diers took  possession  of  a  vacant  house. 
which  was  used  for  quarters,  and  chris- 
tened it  Fort  Bailey.  The  .soldiers  re- 
mained at  Fort  Bailey  only  a  few  weeks. 
Then  orders  were  received  for  the  com- 
pany to  proceed  to  Fort  Snelling  to  join 
tli<'  regiment,  preparatory  to  going  south. 
Fort  Bailey  was  abandoned  and  never 
heard  of  afterward." 

Upon  his  arrival  at  Fort  Snelling  Ma- 
jor Bailey  liad  a  conference  with  General 
Sibley  in  regai'd  to  the  Jackson  county 
country,  and  as  a  result  the  couipany 
wliich  rclii'vi'd  ^lajor  Bailey  was  ordered 
to  take  its  station  on  the  Des  ^Moines  riv- 
er. Lieutenant  II.  J.  I'liillips  was  the 
commanding  officer  of  this  company.  Tic 
erected  a  log  stockad.'  with  a  building  at 
either  end  at  a  ])oint  on  the  hill  on  the 
east  side  of  tlie  river  about  eighty  rods 
southeast  of  Joseph  Thomas'  hou.sc.  This 
stockade  was  occupied  by  the  soldiers  until 
September,  18(55. 

.About  the  same  time,  or  a  little  lati  r 
than,  the  troo])S  were  stationed  on  the  Des 
Moines,  two  small  bodies  of  Cnited  States 
troops  were  stationed  in  (dlier  parts  of 
Jackson  county.  1'art  of  a  eom)iaMv  of 
the  Second  ]\!innesola  cavalry  took  post 
nil  the  west  .«hore  of  Little  Spirit  lake. 
one-i|Uarter  mile  north  of  the  state  line. 
Thev  eanic  late  in  the  fall  of  isr)4  Cl- 
early in  the  .-priiig  oC  1S(!.")  and  remained 
aiiout  a  year.  'J'lie  post  was  e^Iahlishcil 
on  n  little  jieninsnla  and  was  nearly  sur- 

"Fiom   the  wiitiiigs  uf  Major  II.   S.  Bailc-y. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


115 


rounded  by  water.  Tlie  headquarters  were 
in  a  large  log  house  which  was  erected  for 
the  purpose. 

The  other  post  was  established  in  1865 
on  the  east  shore  of  Heron  lake,  ou  sec- 
tion 13,  West  Heron  Lake  tow^nship.  The 
fort  building  was  32x24  feet  and  was 
built  of  large  logs.  It  contained  one  door 
and  two  small  windows.  There  were  also 
five  smaller  buildings,  built  of  logs  and 
all  located  some  forty  rods  from  the  lake 
shore.  The  fort  was  occupied  by  a  few- 
soldiers  until  danger  from  the  Indians 
was  past." 

The  presence  of  these  troops  resulted  in 
the  return  of  a  few  of  the  former  resi- 
dents late  in  1864.  A  number  of  the 
Norwegian  families  came  back  and  re- 
claimed their  lands  in  Belmont,  a  few 
others  reclaimed  their  homes  along  the 
river  farther  south,  and  a  few  new  settlers 
came  in  an<l  took  claims. 

A  new  era  in  the  history  of  Jackson 
county  began  in  186-5.  The  Indians  had 
Ijeen  driven  from  the  country;  the  civil 
war  was  brought  to  a  close  and  thousands 
of  soldiers  had  been  discharged  from  the 
service  and  sent  forth  to  engage  in  peace- 
ful occupations.  It  is  a  noticeable  trait 
of  discharged  soldiers  that  they  are  not 
content  to  accept  the  quiet  lives  they  en- 
joyed before  their  army  service,  but  in- 
variably push  out  into  new  countries.  All 
parts  of  the  great  northwest  were  rapidly 
settled,  and  to  Jackson  county  came  many 
of  the  discharged  soldiers  looking  for  new 
homes. 

A  census  of  the  county,  showing  the 
number  of  inhabitants  on  the  first  day  of 
June,  1865,  discloses  the  fact  that  there 
were    234    residents,*    divided    among    47 

'When  Abraham  Johnson  took  the  site  of  the 
post  as  a  homestead  chiim  about  1S70  the  build- 
ings were  still  standing.  He  tore  down  the 
fort  building  and  used  the  logs  in  the  erection 
of  a  stable,  which  was  put  up  on  the  lake  shore. 

'Other  counties  in  southwestern  Minnesota 
had  population  as  follows:  Blue  Earth,  9,201; 
Faribault,    4,735;   Watonwan,   248;   Martin,   1,4.30; 


families.     Of  these  123   were  males   and 

111   females.     The  census  was   taken  by 

Joseph  Thomas."  Following  are  the  names 

of  the  inhabitants  as  listed  by  him  :^° 

Joseph   Thomas, 
Jane  Thomas, 
H.  L.  Thomas, 
E.  G.  Thomas, 
E.  J.  Thomas, 
.Joseph  Thomas.  Jr., 
M.  A.  Thomas. 
William  Webster, 
John  JlcConnie, 
Aaron  Hollenback, 
Frances  Hollenback, 
John  R.  Hollenback, 
•Tames  Hollenbaclc, 
Ransom  Woodard, 
.    Ursula  Woodard, 
Emily  Woodard, 
Ellen  Woodard. 
Jlay  ^^'oodard, 
Bennett  Woodard, 
Charles  Belknap, 
Lydia  Belknap, 
Minnesota  Belknap, 
Sarah  Bland, 
Henr.v  Haley, 
Harriett  Haley, 
Alexander  Haley, 
William    C.    Haley, 
Martha  E.  Haley, 
George  R.  Haley, 
E.  A.  Haley, 
O.  0.  Hale.v. 
Henr.v  K.  Evans. 
Elmira  Evans. 
Heorge  Evans, 

Rock,    23.      In    Cottonwood.    Murray.    Nobles    and 
Pipestone   there  were  no   inhabitants. 

"'County  auditor's  office,  Fairmont.  August 
4,    1865. 

"I.  Albert  L.  Ward,  auditor  of  the  county  of 
Martin,  state  of  Minnesota,  do  hereby  certify 
that  Joseph  Thomas,  the  within  named  assist- 
ant assessor,  was  by  me  appointed  as  such  on 
the  24th  day  of  June,  1S65,  for  the  county  of 
Jackson,  the  same  being  attached  to  the  coun- 
ty of  Martin  for  judicial  purposes.  And  I  do 
further  certify  that  the  within  is  a  true  and 
correct  duplicate  of  census  rolls  as  returned  by 
the  said  Joseph  Thomas  to  me,  and  that  he  is 
entitled  to  three  cents  for  each  person  en- 
rolled.     Total.    233x3  cts..    $6.99. 

"Witness  my  hand   and   seal  of  office. 

".ALBERT  L.   W.\RD." 

"The  list  is  obtained  from  the  office  of  the 
secretary  of  state.  On  it  many  of  the  names- 
are  improperly  spelled;  in  some  cases  to  such 
an  extent  is  the  spelling  incorrect  that  the 
name  is  hardly  recognizable.  Through  the  kind- 
ness of  Mr.  Ole  .\nderson  and  other  residents 
of  1865,  I  have  changed  the  orthography  of 
such  and  give  the  list  as  i-evised.  In  addition 
to  the  names  contained  in  the  census  return.  I 
am  informed  that  there  were  liviii.g  in  Jackson 
county  at  the  time  of  the  enumeration  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Nels  Larson  and  their  familv  of  nine  child- 
ren, named  as  follows:  Ole.  Lewis.  I.evina. 
Marie.  Bertha,  Isabel,  John.  Lena  and  Carolme. 
It  is  said  also  that  Thrira  Halverson.  wife  of 
Lars  Halverson,   should  be  on  the  list. 


lib 


HISTOHY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Laura   Evans, 

May  Evans, 

Emily  Evans, 

IWnjamin  Dayton, 

.Mini. I   Dayton. 

I-a\irk'  Dayton, 

EiiinunJ  W.  Dayton, 

.Spcnocr  Dayton. 

William   Daylon. 

Sanuipl  Hall, 

I.ouisn  Hall. 

Enoin  Hall. 

Luciptia  Hall. 

.Tames  E.  Palmer. 

.Anninila   I'almcr. 

(ii'oifie  Palmer. 

Eecinidas  Palmer. 

-Andrew  Monson. 

Jfetret   Monson. 

iTolin   ifonson    (Anilersim). 

Mons  Monson, 

Doretliy  Jlonson, 

Mary  ilonson. 

Anna  Monson, 

Christena   Monson, 

Herret  Monson. 

Kreileriek  Lyman, 

Martlia  E.  Lyman. 

Xaomia  Lyman. 

Lewis  Ijvman. 

Israel  F".  Eildv, 

Kollv  U.  Eddv, 

William  D.  Eddy, 

Kraneis  Eddv, 

Perry  E.  Eddy, 

Emma   M.  Eddv. 

Clark  Baldwin,' 

Martha  Baldwin, 

Solomon  Dickenson, 

May  .1.  Dickenson, 

Catherine  Peters, 

San  ford  Peters. 

Stephen  Dickenson, 

David  Dickenson, 

Sarah   Dickenson, 

Electa  Dickenson, 

Harris  Dickenson, 

Lydia   Di<'kenson, 

.lolin  Dickenson, 

.lames  S.  Peters, 

Stenrench  Wood, 

Anna  Wood, 

William  S.  Wood, 

JIarquis  Loncks, 

David   Brifiht. 

May  A.  Bright, 

.Innier  Bright. 

Martha   Bripht. 

Nancy  Bripht. 

Xoah  Brichl. 

Victoria   Bripht, 

Frederick  Bright. 

Charles  Brown. 

Minnie  Brown, 

"forpe  Brown, 

May  William, 

Oliver  Lee   (Brynildson), 


Martha  Loe, 
Brownell  Lee, 
Henry  Lee, 
Martin  Loe. 
•  lolin  Lee. 

I'ctcr  P.  }laverlierp, 
Marion  Havcrlierg, 
Eiipehor  Haverherp, 
Marpucrite  Marren, 
Andrew  Olson, 
Enpebret  Olson, 
Kristi  Olson, 
Ole  E.  Olson. 
Andrew  E.  Olson, 
Anne  Olson, 
Kristri  Helpcson, 
Simon  Olson, 
Betsey  Olson. 
Anna  C.  Olson, 
Oliver  Stall, 
Helen  Stall, 
.John  Olson, 
Anna  Olson, 
Kristi  Olson, 
Anna  Olson. 
Lena  Olson. 
Olc  Olson. 
Pethria  Olson, 
Peter  Olson, 
Lars  Halversoii. 
Sarah   Halverson. 
Halvor  Halverson, 
.Anna   Halverson. 
Lars  Halverson,  .Ir.. 
.Idlin  Halverson. 
Kair  Halverson, 
-Vrtlinr  Halverson. 
.\nn  Olson. 
Christina  Olson. 
Bertha  Olson. 
Ole  Olson    (Anderson), 
Peternilla  Olson, 
Olive  Olson. 
Kistrie  Olson. 
Karc'na  Olson. 
Isabella  Olson. 
Ole  Olson. 
Kistri  Olson. 
Mille  Olson. 
Nntie  Olson, 
.•\nn  Olson. 
Orin  Belkiia|i. 
Xaomia   Belknap. 
Henry  Lynnin, 
\sM\i-  Belknap. 
.Tune  Belknap. 
Elijah   Bidknap. 
,Tohn  .1.   Udkiiap. 
Eilninnd   Belknap, 
Isaac  Bidknap. 
Elizahelh   M.  Canlidd. 
,Iolin  Cantidd. 
Lewis  A.  Canlicdd. 
Nancy  Canlicld. 
I'pcnia  Tailor, 
(ieorpc  Tailor. 
Baldwin  Kirkpatrick. 
Minehab  Kirkpatrick, 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


117 


Tliomas  Kiikpatrick, 
Amancla   Kiikpatrick, 
Adaliiip  Kiikpatrick, 
Jlilo  Kirkpatriok. 
Jute  Kirkpatrick, 
James  Palmer, 
Nancy  M.  Palmer, 
.Joseph  Palmer, 
George  Palmer, 
Eliza  Palmer, 
William  Palmer, 
Miles  J.  Jletcalf. 
Fanny  M.  iletcalf, 
Emerv  d.  Mctcalf. 
Harriet  K.  Metcalf, 
Arnold  S.  Jletcalf, 
Charles  H.  Metcalf, 
Joseph  Price, 
Sarah  Price, 
Almea  Price, 
Peter  J5aker, 
.Marion  C.  Baker, 
Lon  .J.  Baker, 
Sofroiiia   X.  Baker. 
Harriet  E.  Baker, 
May  J.  Baker, 
Eliza  A.  Baker, 
Daniel  Baker, 
Eliza  Baker, 
Cheeny   M.  Cormick. 
Lafayette  Cormick, 
Emma  Cormick, 
Erviii  Helberon, 
Hogan  Gilbert, 
Engebret  Olson, 
Carney  f)lson, 
Ole  Oisoii, 
Lanilen  Olson, 
Holsten  Olson, 
Ingebri  Olson. 
Ole  H.  Olson. 
Enor  H.  Olson. 
Xels  H.  Olson. 
Tina  H.  Olson. 
Cornelius  H.  Olson. 
Martinus  H.  Olson, 
Julia  H.  Olson, 
Betsey  H.  Olson, 
Nelson  0.  Huron, 
Len  Olson. 
Ole  Nelson. 
Lor  Nelson. 
John  Nelson. 
Levena  Nelson. 
May  Nelson, 
Betsey  Nelson. 
J.  Mabella  Nelson, 
Lena  Nelson. 
Cornelia  Nelson, 
Nicholas  Olson. 
John  N.  Olson. 
Samuel  N.  Olson. 
Lenah  Olson. 
Betsey  C.  Olson, 
May  A.  Olson. 

Many   nioro   came   durino;  the   siinimor 
and  fall,  and  the  choice  lands  along  the 


Des  Moines  river  were  all  staked.  A  few- 
families  took  claim?  this  year  on  the  banks 
of  Loon  lake  and  the  other  lakes  in  that 
vicinity,  l)eing  the  first  to  locate  any  dis- 
tance from  the  river.  Quite  an  addition 
to  the  county's  j^opulation  tliis  year  were 
Major  H.  S.  Bailey  and  family  and  twen- 
ty men  of  his  company."  The  newcom- 
ers favored  the  lands  upon  which  there 
was  timlier,  a.s  had  the  earlier  settlers, 
and  the  greatest  population  was  along 
that  part  of  the  river  which  sustained  the 
most  timber.  Consequently  the  most 
thickly  settled  portion  of  the  countv  was 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  present  village  of 
Jackson.  At  that  point,  in  1865,  William 
Webster  began  the  election  of  a  sawmill, 
which,  however,  was  not  finished  until  the 
next  year." 

Despite  the  large  increase  in  population 
and  the  presence  of  the  soldiers,  appre- 
hension of  Indian  attack  was  again  mani- 
fest in  the  spring  of  1865.  Indians  ap- 
peared in  the  north  part  of  the  county 
and  attacked  two  trappers  in  their  shanty. 

"The  company  had  left  Fairmont  in  June, 
1864.  with  101  vigorous  and  healthy  men.  It 
went  south  and  was  stationed  at  Helena.  Ar- 
kansas. Within  six  weeks  the  health  of  nearly 
everyone  was  ruined  by  malaria,  and  eighteen 
men  later  died  from  its  effects.  Of  the  eigh- 
teen, seven  were  among  those  who  located  in 
Jackson   county. 

'-George  C.  Chamberlin.  writing  in  18SS.  gave 
the  following  history  of  this  pioneer  .sawmill: 

"In  these  historical  sketches  we  must  not  for- 
get Jackson's  first  enterprise.  I  allude  to  the 
old  .sawmill  that  so  long  did  duty  at  the  east- 
ern   end   of  the   mill   dam. 

"It  was  in  1S64  or  1S65  that  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Webster  commenced  its  construction, 
but  so  many  obstacles  intervened  that  he  soon 
sold  out  to  Mr.  Welch  Ashley,  who  in  18B6  put 
it  in  condition  for  duty.  He  and  B.  W.  .\shley 
operated  it  for  two  or  three  years,  and  here 
from  morning  until  night  would  farmers  await 
their  turn  for  a  few  rough  boards  and  dimen- 
sion lumber,  which  readily  roid  for  $25  per 
thousand.  Here  the  neighbors  became  ac- 
quainted, discussed  with  newcomers  as  they 
appeared  upon  the  scene,  and  talked  of  the 
prospective   town,    the    crops   and   the   country. 

"Mr.  Ashley  sold  the  mill  to  PnilPmon  FRrr. 
a  brother  of  O.  S.  Farr,  and  Mr.  Farr  sold  to 
an  eccentric  old  bachelor  named  David  Card- 
well,  who  afterwards  was  found  dead  upon 
the  prairie  near  Le  Mars.  Iowa,  and  it  is  sup- 
posed committed  suicide.  "When  railways  near- 
ed  the  vicinity  the  occupation  of  the  old  mill 
was  gone,  and  the  site  was  purchased  b.v  Hunt- 
er &  Strong  for  a  flouring  mill,  and  the  ancient 
structure,  I  presume,  was  converted  into  stove 
wood." 


118 


HISTORY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Tlie  alarm  wa.'^  given  by  a  boy  named  Kirk- 
patiiek,  who  had  been  trapping  in  north- 
ern Bolmont  townsliip  witli  a  man  named 
Hnskins,  of  Eslherville.  Ilaskins  was 
isliot  through  the  hip,  luii  managed  to 
erawl  into  liiding  in  the  brush  above 
]<rownsbiirg.  The  boy  made  his  escape 
and  notified  the  soldiers  down  the  river. 
A  Seoul ing  party  found  Haskins  and 
brouglit  him  in.  Init  no  Indians  could  be 
fiuind.  Tlio  Mikiieis  notified  the  settlers 
and  assisted  them  to  the  stockade,  where 
most  of  them  reiuiiined  for  a  few  days. 
Then,  being  satisfied  that  the  Indians  had 
left,  all  departed  lor  their  lioines.  .\  per- 
sonal incident  of  tlie  alarm  has  been  told 
by  Mr.s.  Clark  Baldwin    (now  Mrs.  A.  B. 

Allen)  : 

The  spring  [of  I8Gr>|  iilso  broiif;lil  an  unoasi- 
nf-ss  about  tlic  Indians,  as  tliis  was  on  tlie  i'.\- 
treme  frontier.  We  liad  the  soldiers  stationed 
here,  to  be  sure,  but  the  stockades  were  far 
apart  and  there  were  so  few  settlers  that  we 
V. ere  but  a  handful  in  comparison  with  the 
hordes  that  niifjhl  eonn'  upon  us.  And  at  one 
time  we  thonf;lit  they  were  upon  us.  1  think 
it  was  in  May.  .About  three  o'clock  one  morn- 
ing we  heard  a  rap  at  the  door  and  on  in- 
quiring found  it  to  be  a  squad  of  soldiers 
who  had  been  sent  out  to  warn  and  take  into 
the  stockade  all  the  settlers  for  protection 
from  the  Indians,  and  it  was  supjioscd  theic 
were    many    in    the    vicinity.  Wiien 

the  warning  came  to  us  we  were  not  long  in 
responding.  One  of  the  soldiers  afterward 
said  he  had  always  heard  it  took  a  woman 
so  long  to  dress,  but  he  knew  of  one  that 
wa.sn'l  long  about  it.  After  that  knock  on 
tlie  door  it  wasn't  three  minutes  before  I  was 
ready  and  on  the  horse  behind  a  soldier,  ready 
to  march  to  the  stockade,  where  it  was 
lliought  best  we  stav  for  a  few  davs.  which  I 
did. 

The  poimlation  of  Jackson  comity  jiad 
reached  such  a  point  in  the  fall  of  18G5, 
with  such  excellent  prospects  of  a  con- 
tinuation of  immigration  the  following 
year,  that  it  was  decided  to  bring  ahout 
the  reorganization  of  the  county  govern- 
ment. The  legislature  had.  early  in  the 
year,  attached  the  county  to  Jlartin  co\in- 
ty   for  judicial  purpo.oes,"  but  there  was 

".\ll  JiirUrlnl  orricers  of  Martin  county  wire 
prantt'd  fviM  .iurlsdictlon  over  Jackson  county. 
the   same   as    if   it    were   a    part   of   that    county. 


necessity  for  other  branches  of  govern- 
ment than  the  judicial. 

At  the  request  of  some  of  the  residents, 
(itjvernor  Stepiien  ililler  named  Israel 
r.  Eddy,  Charles  Belknap  and  Jared 
Palmer  commissioners  to  call  and  preside 
over  an  election  for  tiie  purpose  of  choos- 
ing county  officers.  The  election  was  held 
at  the  home  of  Jared  Palmer  on  Novem- 
ber 7,  thirty-si.\  ballots  were  cast,  and  a 
.set  of  county  officials  was  chosen.'*  Ow- 
ing to  difficulties  in  having  the  returns 
canvassed  and  election  certificates  issued, 
it  was  not  until  January  27,  18G6,  that 
the  machinery  of  county  government  was 
set  in  motion.  On  that  date  the  first 
meeting  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners was  held  at  the  home  of  Major  H. 
S.  Bailey. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  board  was 
held  on  March  13,  when  the  county  was 
divided  into  commissioner  districts  and 
tlie  three  most  thickly  settled  town.ships 
were  authorized  to  begin  township  gov- 
ernment. These  townships  were  Peters- 
burg, Jackson  (Des  Moines)  and  Bel- 
mont. The  first  township  meeting  was 
held  April  2,  18GG. 

Petersburg  townsliip  wa.s  naineii  in 
honor  of  Rev.  Peter  Baker,  the  pioneer 
minister  of  the  gospel  and  a  .settler  of 
18G0.  To  it  were  attached,  for  townsliip 
and  election  purjioses,  the  other  four, 
spar.sely  settled  townships  of  the  southern 
tier.  Among  the  early  residents  of  Pet- 
ersburg township  who  secured  land  pat- 
ents from  the  government,  with  the  year 
in  which  the  patent.*  were  issue<l,  and  the 
number  of  the  section  upon  whicii  the 
settler  had  his  claim,  were  the  follow- 
ing:" 

The  net  was  approved  by  the  governor  February 
in.    1.S65. 

'*For  the  names  of  the  first  officers  and  other 
items  concerninK  the  orpanizatlon  the  reader  Is 
referred  to  the  political  chapters  of  this  volume. 

•'The  year  the  patent  was  issuecj  precedes  the 
name;  the  section  numlier  follows  the  name 
and   Ik   in    parentliesis. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


119 


1866,  Isaac  BelUiiap  (0):  1868,  M.  W. 
'Ilionipson  (U-7),  diaries  W.  Belknap  (18); 
ISOy,  Men/.o  L.  Asliley  (18);  1870,  Ira  Cam- 
field  (6-7),  Samuel  Hall  (7),  Miles  J.  Metcalf 
(27),  Josepli  Trice  (27),  Peter  S.  Baker  (27- 
28),  Daniel  Baker  (28);  1871.  Ole  Johnson  (2), 
Epliriam  Eby  (14),  John  C.  Hoovel  (33),  Ho- 
gan  Gilbert  (34);  1872,  Stephen  E.  Ford  (6), 
John  Loi;ue  (8),  Eric  Sevatson  (34),  Even 
llerbrandson  (34);  1S73,  Albert  D.  King  (4), 
Edward  F.  Mather  (4),  J.  N.  Thompson  (6), 
.lames  W.  Dunn  (6),  .Jtsse  A.  Patterson  (7), 
Andrwv  J.  Patterson  (8),  John  L.  Ashley  (12), 
Chancy  \V.  Cornish  (20),  John  Haniiey  (24), 
(George  D.  Stone  (34) ;  1874,  Solomon  Mid- 
daugh  (20).  George  L.  Fortner  (28),  Edward 
Gruhlke  (30),  Bottol  (Jlson  (.32),  Bjorn  Bjorn- 
son  (32):  1875,  Samuel  Clayton  (12),  Lyman 
W.  Seely  (22);  1876,  Edward  Bolter  (14),  Nel- 
son Graves  (20),  Hebrand  Bjornson  (22), 
James  N.  Xe^vton  (24),  Eugene  Logue  (26), 
Martin  Logue  (26),  August  Gruhlke  (30)  ;  1877, 
.Jared  Haskin  (24),  James  H.  Baker  (28);  1878, 
Assor   Olson    (26);    1880,   Sever   Knudson    (26). 

Jac-k.siin  township  (lenaiiifd  Ues  Moines 
by  act  of  tlie  board  of  county  eonnnis- 
sioners  May  IG,  18(jG)  had  the  otlier  town- 
ship.* of  the  tier  attached  to  it  at  the  time 
of  organization,  as  well  as  the  tier  nortli 
of  it.  It  hist  tJie  northern  tier  early  in 
1867  by  the  organization  of  Belmont 
township,  Wisconsin  in  18G9,  and  the 
townships  to  the  west  in  1872.  Follow- 
ing are  the  early  settlers  of  Des  Moines 
who  received  titles  from  the  government 
and  the  years  the  patents  were  issued : 

I860,  Daniel  P.  Cornell  (2-3).  Alexander 
Wood  (24);  1802.  .Joseph  Arthur  (14-22-23), 
Israel  F.  Eddv  (24);  1S63.  James  E.  Palmer 
(24-2.5):  lS(i4,' Stephen  F.  Johnson  (13-23-24); 
186.5,  Hans  Johnson  (15-22),  Jo-^eph  Muck  (15- 
22),  .Joseph  Thomas  (24),  Stiles  M.  West 
(25),  D.  M.  West  (25);  1866,  Artlrar  L.  Crane 
123),  Bartholmew  McCarthy  (24),  Isaac 
Wlieeler  (27),  Wilson  C.  Gari-att  (34);  1867, 
Ann  Olson  (3).  Edward  Davies  (10-11),  Nathan 
J.  Woodin  (10),  Ole  Larson  (12),  Henrv  Haley 
(22).  Henry  K.  Evens  (34);  1868,  Simon  Olsoii 
(3-4),  (Jle'  Burreson  ( 10-11-14-15).  Heirs  of 
John  Olson  (11),  Palmer  Hill  (14).  Abram 
Kalder  (20),  Lewis  L.  Miner  (22),  Nathaniel 
Frost  (23-24);  1860,  John  Olson  (3),  Mary  D. 
Ashley  (26);  1870.  Clark  Baldwin  (13).'0tis 
S.  Farr  (26),  .Jeremiah  Prescott  (30).  Benja- 
min W.  Ashley  (34|,  .James  S.  Williams  (35): 
1S71.  Oliver  Stall  (2).  William  Burreson  (11- 
14).  Sylvester  Kingsley  (10),  Thaddeus  Puck- 
er (20),  Alonzo  Blake  (21),  Ahimaaz  E.  Wood 
(23-26),  Lars  Halverson  (25),  Philip  Yates  (28- 
20);  1872,  Halver  B.  Lee  (2),  Darby  Whelan 
(4),  George  W.  Woodin  (10),  Andrew  Monson 
(13),  William  A.  Stewart   (18),  Henry  A.  Wil- 


liams (20).  Hiram  S.  Bailey  (23-24-25),  Ben- 
jamin   D.   Dayton    (26),   Charles   H.   B.   Greene 

(20),  Matthew  Smith  (21));  1873,  Milton  Ma- 
son (4),  Martin  L.  Bromaghim  (12),  Alpheus  C. 
Marshall  (12),  Welch  Ashley  (12),  Hans  Ches- 
terson  (15),  Stanton  F.  Stone  (18),  Hiram  II. 
Stone  (18),  Emmet  Miner  (20-21),  Joseph  E. 
Fields  (26-27),  Horace  L.  Trumbull  (27),  Levi 
Bennett.  Jr.  (28),  Henry  Blakey  (28),  Edward 
J.  Orr  (29),  .Jesse  E.  Prescott  (30),  Orson  Cook 
(30),  Michael  Smith  (30),  William  R.  Maddock 
(33),  Edward  Davies  (34);  1874,  Hans  Stall 
(2).  Hans  Hanson  (2),  Erick  Christianson  (2), 
Edward  Blakey  (27-28) ;  1875,  Harvey  Page 
(4),  Patrick  Dailey  (14),  .James  Kerr  (28); 
1876,  Alfred  H.  Cady  (4),  Hiram  Samson  (10), 
Michael  Riley  (20);"  1877,  George  P.  Lee  (.35); 
1878,  John  11.  Willing  (18);  1879,  Jacob  Bas- 
tedo   (18). 

Belmont  townshiiD  was  created  by  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  March  13, 
18G6,  at  the  same  time  as  Jackson  and 
Petersburg,  but  the  organization  was  not 
perfected  until  January  .5,  1867.  At  the 
time  of  oi'ganization  the  other  townships 
of  the  tier  were  attached  to  it,  and  on 
.\pril  10,  1869,  all  of  the  townships  of  the 
northern  tier  were  given  it  for  township 
purposes.  The  name  was  given  in  honor 
of  the  old  Belmont  townsite.  Almost 
without  exception  the  early  settlers  were 
Norwegians.  The  following  were  granted 
land  patents  in  Belmont  in  the  years 
named : 

I860,  Edward  S.  Love  (6);  1868,  Heirs  of 
Lars  Larson  (8-17),  James  Murry  (32);  1869, 
Simon  Olson  (33-34),  .John  Olson  (34);  1871, 
S.  Amundson  (22),  Nicholas  Olson  (28),  Hol- 
sten  Olson  (34);  1872,  Ole  .Johnson  (8),  Milo 
Larson  (28).  Anders  Olson  (.34);  1873,  Ole  An- 
derson (4).  Thomas  Larson  (4),  .John  Hanson 
(4),  Paul  Hanson  (4),  Knud  Johnson  (6),  Nube 
Olson  (8),  Peter  Amundson  (8),  I^ars  I.  Brata- 
ger  (20),  Englebret  Olson  (21-22-27),  Peter 
Larson  (22),  Peter  .Johnson  (22).  Thron  Thom- 
son (26).  Peter  P.  Haverterg  (34);  1874.  Heirs 
of  .Joseph  Thompson  (14),  Samuel  Nelson  (14), 
Andrew  .Johnson  (20),  Anders  R.  Kilen  (20), 
Iver  Thompson  (24),  Christian  Olson  Lilleherg 
(28),  Ole  0.  Sandager  (30),  Even  Larson  Kjels- 
ven  (32).  Hans  Stall  (34):  1875,  Nils  Larson 
(2),  Ole  Peterson  (12),  Anders  L.  Kjelsven 
(20),  Erick  Rasmussou  (20),  Johan  Fransen 
(20),  Ole  Olson  (24),  Beret  Olson  (26);  1870, 
•John  .Johnson  Scrove  (2),  Claus  Hanson  (2), 
Jjars  J^arson  (2),  Kriste  Olson  (22):  1877,  En- 
glebret L.  Thomson  (12),  Segar  H.  Chester 
(18)  :  1878.  Marie  Halverson  (20),  Ole  E.  Olson, 
Sr.  (22):  1880,  Ole  S.  Sogge  (10).  Andreas 
.Johnson  (18),  John  H.  .Johnson  (24);  1881, 
Thore    O.    Fladgard    (14),    Bereth    Olson    (22); 


120 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


1SH:».  (tie  Jl.  Lee  (241.  Taul  11.  raiilsmi  CiO)  ; 
1885,  U.  Tolli'fs<>ii  (IS):  lS8(i,  'J'liroii  L.  Tliroii- 
son    (2ti|. 

.MiiiiKMita  lownsliip  was  (luiti'  uarly 
settk'il  on  account  of  (ho  miincnuis  lakes 
within  its  bonler.s.  'J'lic  residents  jieti- 
tioned  for  township  government,  ami  on 
October  1."),  18()(i,  the  commissioners 
granted  the  request.  Bv  tlie  same  act 
there  were  attached  to  it  the  west  lialf  of 
the  ])re.seftt  ^fiddle-town  townshiji  and 
all  of  the  jiresent  towii.sjiips  of  Sioux  \'al- 
lev  and  Koiiud  Lake.  Minneota  is  a  Sioux 
word  meaning-  "much  water,"  and  was  .«i() 
named  because  of  its  group  of  lakes.  An 
early  settler  by  the  name  of  Chandler 
suggested  the  name.  Titles  to  land  in 
Jiinneota  were  issued  to  the  follnuiiiir 
early  settlers  in  the  years  indicated: 

18(i!t,  Martin  1).  McUulf  (2.j) ;  1870,  Ca-orj-c! 
Kllct  (14),  .laiiU's  S.  I'eters  (24-25);  1871, 
ia)ciiezer  U.  .Milliiril  (Id).  SunuicI  \V.  l!inf;i'ss 
( 14-2:!).  < 'Lilian  liuivji'ss  \-l'.i),  .lolin  Kii-lianlsoii 
(2.3-2(!),  Tiiiiolliy  t'.  .lolinsoii  (24),  Siimtu'l 
Hiowii  (:t4-:t5l.  Abner  H.  Stimsoii  (35):  1872, 
(iulcoii  K.  TilVanv  (8).  l.-.a(lor  A.  .Moioaux  (10), 
Kraiuis  Iti'rrahaiii  (.'U):  187:!,  Walter  A.  Davis 
(12),  Isaae  Circt'nwood  (24),  lleniian  1'.  Willn-r 
(26),  Lucius  Bonlwcll  (20);  1874,  Samiirl  Dav 
is  (12),  Henry  Sliapley  (22),  William  C.  Hates 
(22);  1875,  lienrv  S.  'Ciaves  (4i,  Xatlianiel  li. 
Fletcher  (4),  II.' P.  Hallanl  (14);  1877.  .lolin 
Lucas  (22),  Hiram  II.  Siiudmls  (20).  Ole  Wil- 
son (28),  .lolui  -Xnio  (:i4l:  1878,  .lolin  I'".  Baker 
(0),  Hans  ('.  (ivcrson  (28).  .lolin  Cillillan  (28|. 
Ahnim  (lilfillan  (28),  Ole  Olson  (:!2);  187!t, 
.lolm  K.  Bunker  (20),  .lacoh  Larson  (.•»()).  Lars 
t'lnistensoii  (:t2) :  1881.  Lodawick  Kailer  (2). 
Lvman  Wilcox  (30):  1884.  Charles  L.  Stoihhud 
(18):    1,88.-).  fieorge  Ttaker    (18). 

There  was  a  large  immigration  in  lS(i(i. 
and  Jackson  county  received  new  settlers 
from  Jill  parts  of  tlic  east.  Nearly  all  of 
those  were  poor  peo])lc  who  came  for  the- 
]mrpose  of  bettering  their  condition  in 
the  new  country,  ■\\iiere  they  miglit  be- 
come land  owners.  Conditions  were  as 
unlike  those  of  the  present  time  as  night 
is  from  day.  There  were  no  wagon  roads, 
and  traveling  was  a  difTicult  and  often 
dangerous  undertaking.  The  newcom- 
ers found  only  three  or  four  .schools  in 
the   whole   coimty   and    no   churches,   al- 


though traveling  ministers  of  the  gospel 
occasionally  preaciied  at  private  hou.ses. 
Frame  buildings  were  scarce.  In  the  tim- 
IxmimI  districts  log  hou.ses  were  built:  in 
the  prairie  ,seclions  sod  houses  or  dug- 
outs'" furnished  the  home?.  0.\  teams,  or 
perhaps  an  o.v  and  a  cow,  attached  to  a 
lumber  wagon  provided  the  means  of  con- 
veyance. The  scythe  corresponiled  to  our 
mower  and  the  cradle  and  rake  to  our 
binder.  There  were  no  railri>ads.  no  tele- 
graph and  t('lc|ih(inc  lint's.  and  oiilv  one 
poslolfice  in  the  county.  The  pwiplc  were 
not  blessed  with  ihe  advantages  thev  now 
enjoy:  their  energies  were  exerted  in  the 
strife  for  exi.«tence:  their  andiition  was  to 
become  the  owner  of  a  ])iece  of  land.  John 
Da  vies,  a  pioneer  settler,  in  after  years  re- 
called early  day  conditions  and  said: 

How  well  <lo  T  rememlier  seeiii};  tlieni  clothed 
in  dilapidatcil  <.Minieti|s  ,iii(l  out  at  their  toes. 
(Irivinf;  their  ox  teams  hitched  to  rickety  huck 
hoard  vehicles  to  town  and  elsewheii'.  and 
whenever  I  see  their  (dd  roads  which  nn-amier- 
ed  over  these  nndnlilinj;  plains  (over  which 
they  mogffcd  alon;:,  oft.'ii  with  liunps  in  their 
throats,  hut  larpe  hopes  in  their  hearts)  liein;; 
obliterated  by  the  pl.iw  I  can  hardly  ri'frain 
from  tears. 

The  records  of  the  county  go\ciiiii]eiil 
lor  the  year  ISdd  liirnish  us  mauv  in- 
teresting items  of  the  conditions  and 
times.  We  learn  from  the.«e  that  the  first 
.school  district  was  created  on  ^larcb  l.'i. 
lS(i(i,  and  included  pait  of  Des  Jfoines 
Inwnship  east  of  the  river  and  several  sec- 
tions  in   Wi.sconsin   town.«hip.'' 

'"••'I'o  the  pioneers  of  tho.se  dav.s  llial  word 
lihiKoiitl  would  explain  Itself,  but  to  the  r.-ad- 
ers  of  this  worthy  iiaiier.  who  live  in  i-leKant 
city  homes  and  have  never  seen  or  been  famil- 
iar witli  frontier  life,  perhaps  a  word  of  ex- 
lilan.illon  will  bi'  necessary  as  to  how  these 
were  l.iilll.  Kirsl  a  lellar  was  diiR  with  steps 
JeHclinu  therefrom:  thi-n  Iors  were  lalil  aliotil 
the  tops  of  this  and  a  roof  placed  on  tlu'  top 
of  those;  gable  t  nds  and  a  door  were  m.ide:  a 
sipiare  was  diiK  into  the  side  of  the  walls  and 
a  dry  Roods  box  inserted  for  a  cii|iboard:  an- 
other made  an  excellent  clothes  press.  No 
need  of  a  lire  escape  In  n  house  like  thisi  The 
roof  Itself  was  of  dirt."— Thomas  Goodwin  In 
Repiihllo.    March    1.    I.sn.i, 

''The  first  twelve  school  districts  were  or- 
Kanizc'd  on  the  dates  (tlven  and  with  boundar- 
ies as  follows: 

No.  1— March  1.1.  lSf.6.  Commencinc  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  section  17.  Wisconsin: 
thence    running    west    on    that    section    line    to 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


121 


The  total  taxable  joroperty  in  18G6  was 
less  than  $3G,0U0,  and  was  assessed  ia  the 
names  of  73  owners.  The  tax  levied 
amounted  to  -$718. "lO.  The  names  of  those 
assessed  and  the  amount  of  each  one's  tax, 
as  equalized  by  the  county  board,  were  as 
follows : 

PETEliSIiUEG.^^ 

Peter  Baker    .$6 .  82 

W.  C.  Garratt    3 .4.5 

Samuel    Hall    3.82 

Even   Herbrandson    6 .  00 

Samuel    Brown    1 .  50 

Solomon    Dicken.son    2 .  83 

Hogan    (iilbert    2.39 

Levi  C'amfield   1 . 00 

.Jolm    Hoovel     7.10 

James   8.  Peters 5 .  00 

M.   J.   Metcalf 

Martin  Metcalf    

Erwin  Hall    2 .  06 

Ira    C'amfield     3.21 

Charles    W.    Belknap 1.77 

Jo.seph    Price    .02 

L.  H..  Lyman 7.97 


.$50.80 

the  Des  Moines  river;  tlience  running  in  a 
soutlierly  direction,  following  the  river,  to  the 
section  line  of  25  and  36;  thence  east  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  section  29;  thence  north  to 
the   place  of  beginning. 

No.  2— September  4.  1866.  All  that  territory 
in  Des  Moines  township  which  lies  west  of  the 
Des  Moines  river. 

No.  3 — September  4,  1866.  Commencing  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  section  32.  Wisconsin; 
thence  running  south  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  section  17,  Petersburg;  thence  west  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  section  14,  Middletown; 
thence  nortli  to  tlie  township  line  between  Des 
Moines  and  Middletown;  thence  east  on  tlie 
township  line  to  the  Des  Moines  river;  thence 
following  the  river  in  a  northerly  direction  to 
the  section  line  of  sections  25  and  36,  Des 
Moines;   thence  east  to   the  place  of  beginning. 

No.  4— November  7.  1866.  The  south  half  of 
Petersburg   township. 

No.  5— March  17.  1S67.  The  townships  of 
Belmont,  Enterprise,  Heron  Lake,  West  Heron 
Lalie   and   Alba. 

No.  6— May  25,  1867.  Sections  22.  23,  24,  25. 
26,   27,   34,   35   and   36,    Minneota   township. 

No.  7— September  20.  1867.  Sections  15.  16, 
21    and    22,    Des    Moines    township. 

No.  8— September  25.  1867.  Sections  17,  IS. 
19  and  20.  Des  Moines   township. 

No.  9— December  21.  1867.  The  east  half  of 
sections  20.  29  and  32  and  all  of  sections  21,  28 
and  33  and  the  west  half  of  sections  22,  27  and 
34,  in  Wisconsin  township,  and  the  north  lialf 
of  section  4  and  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 3  and  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  5, 
in  Petersburg  township. 

No.  10— December  24,  1S67.  Sections  1.  2,  3, 
4.    9,    10,    11    and    12,    Des    Moines    township. 

No.  11— January  7,  1868.  Sections  28,  29,  30, 
31.  32  and  33.  Des  Moines  township. 

N'o.  12— March  10,  1868.  The  west  half  of 
Minneota    township. 

'"It  will  be  remembered  that  Petersburg  and 
Des  Moines  were  the  ordy  townsliips  in  which 
the  township  organization  had  been  perfected 
in  the   summer  of   1866,    the   other    territory   be- 

7 


DES  MOINES. 

il.  S.  Bailey $32.60 

A.   E.   Wood 27.10 

Nathaniel    Frost    14.40 

Asa    Southwell    16.00 

H.  R.  Trowbridge 17.60 

H.    K.    Evans 4.52 

A.  Miner    50.48 

E.  S.   Love 20.80 

D.  P.   Cornell 10.00 

Clark  Baldwin    20.68 

Welch   Ashley    110.80 

I.   F.    Eddv 38.46 

M.  Cloiigh    29.72 

F.  R.   Lvman 4.71 

.Joseph  Thomas    43 .  88 

B.  H.  Johnson 10.00 

James    E.    Palmer 16.24 

D.   M.   West 16.80 

Jared    Palmer    3 .  06 

P.   P.  Haverberg 1 .96 

I,    Wheeler    2.00 

Lewis    Lyman    -90 

R.  N.  Woodward .86 

Hans    Stall    2.96 

Simon    Olson     4.40 

Edward   Orr    4.30 

H.   L.   Thomas 14.38 

Holsten   Olson    6.80 

John   Young    4.22 

H.   H.    Stone 4.22 

Knute   .Johnson    .96 

Nicholas    Olson    17.86 

B.  W.  Ashley 2.56 

Orrin    Belknap     7 .  30 

Lars   Halverson    5 .  20 

Henry   Haley    4.28 

Englebret    Olson     17 . 86 

H.  A.  Williams 1.20 

Anders  Monson    5.26 

Peter  Johnson 2.20 

.John   Hanson 4. 14 

John  Olson    3.32 

Oliver    Stall     5.40 

John    Johnson     2.48 

J.    N.    Thompson 8 .  20 

Andrew   Olson    .28 

Englebret    Olson    4.96 

Nels   Larsman    3.28 

Peter  A.  Aas 9 .  98 

Thomas    Larson     3 . 50 

Nube  Olson   3.28 

Cieorge    Palmer    2.44 

B.    Kirkpatrick    1 .  84 

Lars  Rasman    3 .  64  ■ 

N.  J.  Woodin 80 

J.   H.   Lvman 3 .  00 


$601.73 


Total    for    county $718.59 

According  to  tlic  leturn  of  products  as 

ing  attached  to  them.  The  lists  for  these  two 
townsliips  include  the  names  of  all  the  tax 
payers  in  the  countj',  the  southern  tier  of  town- 
ships being  listed  under  Petersburg  and  the 
rest   of   the   comity  under   Des  Moines. 


122 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  OOTTNTY. 


prepared  l)_v  Auditor  C'lurk  Baldwin  frdiii 
returns  made  by  the  townsliip  assessors, 
tliere  were  only  270  acres  of  land  ])ut 
into  crop  in  Jackson  county  in  186G.  The 
abstract  of  tbe  acres  under  cultivation 
and  tbe  yield  by  townships  of  the  variou-^ 
crojis  is  shown  in  tlie  next  column. 

An  act  of  the  niitional  conj^ress  in  180(1 
had  a  disastrous  effect  upon  the  far  olV 
county  of  Jackson — an  act  which  resulted 
in  rctardinj;  the  settlement  of  tbe  county 
to  a  great  extent  and  for  a  <;reat  many 
years.  By  the  act,  approved  July  1.  lS(!(i. 
entitled  "an  act  making  an  additional 
grant  of  lands  to  the  state  of  Minnesota, 
in  alternate  sections,  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  railroads  in  said  state,"  cer- 
tain lands  were  granicd  to  the  state  of 
Jlinnesota  for  tbe  purjjose  of  aiding  in 
the  construction  of  tbe  Southern  .Minne- 
sota railroad  from  its  then  western  termi- 
nus, Houston,  to  tbe  west  line  of  tbe  state. 
Tbe  Minnesota  legislature  on  February 
25,  18fi7,  accepted  tbe  trust  created  by 
this  act  of  congress  and  granted  tbe  lands 
to  the  Southern  Minnesota  Hailroad  com- 
])any,  binding  tbe  ctin[)any  to  complete 
tbe  road  to  the  state's  western  boun(biry 
by  February  25,  1877.  As  .«oon  as  the 
bill  became  a  law,  the  railroad  eomi)any 
put  surveyors  in  the  field  and  located  a 
line.  Tben  tbe  company  selected  tbe  odd 
numiiered  sections  for  a  distance  of  ten 
miles  on  each  side  of  the  surxeyed  line. 
and  tbe  land  was  withdrawn  iVom  home- 
stead and  preemption  entry.  .Viiout  tbe 
same  time  another  large  grant  was  made 
to  assist  in  building  tbe  .Sioux  City  &  St. 
Paul  road,  the  two  grants  taking  from 
I  lie  government  nearly  one-half  the  ter- 
ritory of  Jackson  county.  The  same  year 
(iit.OOtt  acres  of  internal  improvement  land 
was  selected  by  tbe  slate.  The  hinds  in 
.Tackson  coxmty  which  were  left  for  tbe 
bomeseckers  were  therefore  greatly  re- 
duceil.  Had  the  granted  lands  been  placed 


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Jilc. 


mmAmm 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COtTNTY. 


123 


upon  tlie  market  at  a  reasonable  price  the 
results  would  not  have  been  so  disastrous. 
The  railroad  lands  were  not  placed  on  the 
market   until   years    afterward. 

By  1806  the  settlement  had  reached 
such  a  point  that  its  permanency  was  as- 
sured. Not  again  could  a  handful  of  In- 
dians cause  the  abandonment  of  Jackson 
county.  The  most  thickly  settled  com- 
nnmity  was  along  that  part  of  the  Des 
Moines  river  which  flows  through  Pes 
Moines  townshijj,  and  here,  in  the  latter 
pari  of  the  year,  was  founded  the  village 
of  Jackson  by  Welch  Ashley  and  Major 
H.  S.  Bailey.  The  sawmill  began  opera- 
tions, a  store  was  started,  stage  lines  be- 
gan operations,  and  a  few  of  the  conveni- 
ences of  the  outside  world  came  to  the 
heretofore  isolated  settlers. 

Time  is  required  to  put  a  new  country 
on  a  self-sustaining  basis,  and  the  prod- 
uct returns  for  the  year  1866  show  that 
Jackson  county  had  not  yet  readied  that 
point.  The  bulk  of  the  immigration  had 
come  in  1866  and  the  big  majority  had, 
of  course,  not  raised  a.  crop.  Supplies 
were  from  necessity  brought  in  from  the 
outside — principally  from  Mankato  and 
Garden  City — and  as  there  were  no  roads 
or  bridges  and  the  streams  almost  im- 
possible to  cross  in  time  of  liigli  water, 
much  difficulty  was  encountered  in  pro- 
viding the  necessary  supplies.  What  is 
known  as  the  "starvation  period"  in  Jack- 
son county's  history  resulted. 

The  snow  was  very  deep  and  the  weath- 
er severe  during  the  winter  of  1866-67, 
and  the  new  settlers  were  illy  prepared  for 
it.  Many  had  come  late  in  the  season, 
bringing  but  few  supplies  with  them  and 
with  small  means  to  purchase  more.  Dur- 
ing the  fall  and  early  winter  most  of  the 
provisions  that  had  been  brought  in  were 
e.\hausted,  and  on  account  of  the  difficul- 
ties of  travel  it  was  almost  impossible  for 


even  people  who  had  the  means  to  obtain 
the  necessities  of  life.  Starvation  stared 
many  in  the  face.  The  abundance  of  fish, 
wliich  the  lakes  and  streams  supplied, 
saved  many  from  actual  starvation.  For 
weeks  some  families  lived  on  absolutely 
notiiing  but  fish  and  milk.  Major  H.  S. 
Bailey  has  written  of  the  conditions  that 
winter : 

I  know  of  some  families  who  became  so 
weak  they  could  scarcely  move  around.  One 
woman  was  so  weak  before  relief  came  to 
her  that  she  could  not  even  sit  up,  and  one 
William  McClelland,  who  lived  on  the  state 
line  near  Spirit  Lake,  when  going  past,  saw 
the  condition  of  this  woman,  acted  the  part  of 
the  Good  Samaritan,  and  took  her  to  his  own 
home  and  had  her  nursed  and  supplied  with 
such  food  as  her  appetite  craved,  and  thus 
saved  her  life. 

The  state  came  to  our  rescue  and  furnished 
us  some  flour  and  provisions,  but  the  condi- 
tions of  the  road  were  such  that  it  was  almost 
impossible  to  get  supplies  here,  as  they  all 
had  to  be  hauled  from  Jlunkato  and  (iarden 
City.  However,  we  got  something  they  called 
flour  from  lake  Shetek  that  was  destined  to 
starve  Indians  upon;  but  it  got  left  there 
and  our  commissioners  sent  teams  and  got 
some  of  it.  It  was  not  much  of  a  luxury,  but 
it  kept  soul  and  body  together  until  we  could 
get   something  else. 

George  C.  (!hamber]in  also  told  of  per- 
sonal experiences  during  the  .starvation 
winter : 

What  provisions  were  brought  in  were  left 
at  llr.  Thomas'  on  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
and  the  settlers  on  the  west  side  brought  their 
little  parcels  in  a  boat.  Every  day,  and 
nearly  every  hour  of  the  daj',  I  |  wlio  was  liv- 
ing on  the  Jackson  townsite]  went  over  to  help 
across  parties  in  a  small  boat  and  often  en- 
countered danger  in  the  swiftlv  running  wa- 
ter. 

Around  Loon  lake  was  quite  a  settlement,  and 
I  shall  never  forget  the  disconsolate  look  of 
the  lank  and  cadaverous  man  from  there  as  he 
emerged  from  the  boat,  held  up  his  sack  and 
remarked,  "Twenty-five  pounds  of  Hour,  seven 
children — nine  of  us  in  the  family — and  I 
know  not  where  the  next  mouthful  is  coming 
from."  RulValo  fisli  without  salt  was  a  fre- 
i|uent  meal  during  that  starvation  season.  Al- 
though many  came  out  '"spring  poor"  that  sea- 
son, there  were  no  cases  of  actual  starvation. 

When  the  snow  went  off  in  the  spring, 
traveling  was  even  worse  than  it  had  been 
in  tlie  winter.  All  the  streams  were  swol- 
len and  out  of  their  banks,  and  the  ground 


124 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


was  so  soft  that  even  empty  wagons  niireil. 

Realizino:  tliat  somethin<j  must  be  done  to 

prevent    starvation,    iho    settlers    held    a 

meeting,  raised  monuv  to   puivhase  flour 

and    other    supplies,  and    sent  teams    and 

men  t<>  make  an  effort  to  get  them  into  llie 

eoiinly.     Jesse  F.  Ashlev,  who  was  one  of 

tlie  men   to   undertuke  this  ditfieiiit   task, 

tells  of  the  trip: 

Ijiiit  Thomas,  Pete  Kiiipsk-y  and  myself 
started  for  (iarden  City  for  Hour  April  20, 
1807.  The  snow  lieinv;  about  four  feet  d(  cp 
lint  melting  rapidly,  we  went  with  wagons. 
When  we  got  to  the  Hlue  Karth  river,  the  ice 
had  gone  out  on  the  west  side,  so  we  drove 
to  the  center  and  cut  a  chaiiiiel  through  for 
our  teams  to  cross,  all  getting  wet  to  our 
waists.  We  reached  Shelliyvillc  about  eight 
o'clock  with  our  clothes  frozen.  Pete  and  I 
roomed  together  that  night,  and  he  piled  into 
bed  with  his  breeches  on.  giving  me  knowledge 
of  how  to  dry  clothing  without  a  fire.  He 
said  he  learned  that  in  the  pinery.  We  reach- 
ed (iarden  City  next  day,  and  the  next  morn- 
ing loaded  our  wagons  and  started  home. 
When  We  got  back  to  the  Hlue  Earth  river  it 
was  nearly  half  a  mile  in  width  and  full  of 
floating  ice.  Here  we  camped  with  oiu-  teams 
and  wagons  three  days,  waiting  for  the  ice  to 
move  and  for  tlie  ferry  boat,  which  was  at 
Blue  Earth  City,  to  come  down.  While  there 
we  saw  a  man  on  tlie  opposite  side  trying  to 
cross  in  a  row  boat.  When  quite  a  way  from 
shore  his  boat  capsized  near  a  tree.  He  was 
able  to  grasp  a  limb  and  saved  himself  by 
climbing  the  tree.  This  was  in  the  afternoon, 
and  he  was  there  all  night  calling  for  help. 
The  next  morning  another  man  was  seen  go- 
ing out  to  him.  When  he  was  near  the  tree 
the  current  became  so  swift  that  it  upset  his 
lioiit.  too,  and  he  climbed  the  same  tree.  By 
this  time  the  first  man  had  nearly  )ierished 
from  hunger  and  cold.  When  up  the  tree  No. 
2  cut  a  whip  and  began  whipping  \o.  1.  which 
he  continued  until  the  other  was  aroused  and 
warmed.  They  were  rescued  by  two  men  go- 
ing up  the  stream  in  a  boat  with  aimtiicr 
boat  tied  behind.  After  securing  their  own 
boat  to  a  tree,  they  let  the  other  float  down 
to  the  captives,  holding  it  by  lines.  The  lines 
were  cut  after  the  captives  had  got  into  the 
boat,  and  the  men  rowed  themselves  ashore. 
The  ferry  boat  came  down  that  evening  and 
ferried  us  over,  one  team  and  wagon  at  a 
time,  the  work  taking  nearly  all  day.  The  re- 
maining part  of  the  tiip  was  rough,  crossing 
creeks  without  bridges,  taking  thirteen  days 
for   the   roimd   trip. 

Then  I  went  back  for  another  load.  By  this 
time  the  ferryman  had  a  rope  across  the  river, 
so  I  had  no  trouble  in  crossing.  I  got  through 
very  well  and  my  Hour  vas  put  in  grain  sacks, 
the   weight,   varying    from    12.">   to    1,10   pounds 


per  sack,  being  marked  on  the  sacks  in  red 
elialk.  1  had  no  trouble  until  I  got  near  \er- 
non.  There  the  country  was  flat  and  the 
frost  was  coming  out  of  the  ground,  so  that  1 
soon  got  stuck  in  a  slough.  I  managed  to  gel 
the  team  through  the  mud  and  water.  1  then 
unloaded  my  flour  and  I'arried  it  on  my  back 
to  a  dry  phu'c.  I  had  this  to  do  seven  times 
before  I  reached  Winnebago.  I  was  a  lad  of 
seventeen  and  weighed  ninety  pounds.  When 
1  got  to  Winnebago  City  1  found  A.  Miner 
there  after  a  load  of  seed  wheat:  then  I  had 
company  the  rest  of  the  way  home,  lie  had  a 
balky  team,  so  we  could  not  double  teams, 
and  both  had  to  unload  and  carry  the  loads 
through  the  sloughs.  The  Hour  cost  ,?1,1  per 
hundred   laid  down   in  Jackson. 

Better  times  came,  and  a  short  time  aft- 
er, the  starvation  period  of  186t)-(iT  was 
only  a  bitter  memory.  New  settlers  came 
in  IHiu  and  selected  claims,  some  ventur- 
ing onto  tlie  prairie  lands  away  from  the 
river  and  lakes,  ilany  hardshijis  were  en- 
dured by  the  new  settlers  during  the  bite 
sixties — hardships  which  arc  incident  to 
the  settlement  of  any  new  country.  Owing 
to  the  long  distance  from  railroads,  staple 
articles  as  well  as  luxuries  ruled  high  in 
price.  Following  were  the  prices  paid  for 
.some  stajile  articles  during  the  years  ISGT- 
()8-(iJ),  as  recorded  in  the  diary  of  an  early 
day  settler:'" 

Four  pounds  brown  sugar.  iisi.OO. 

One  pound   tea,  $2.,50. 

One   gallon    kerosene.  .'?1.2fl. 

Flour,  per  cwt.,  $11.00. 

One   gallon    syrup,  $1.00. 

One    paper   corn    starch.    10c. 

One   pound  raisins,  40c. 

One  clothes   line,  75c. 

One   paper  pins,   l.'ic. 

One   spool    thread,   lOe. 

One  package  envelopes.  2.w. 

One  pound   salaratus.  20c. 

One   ponn<l    nails,    12'..c. 

One  bar  soap,  l.'ic. 

One  pound  rice.  20e. 

Lamp  cbinini'V,  20e. 

One  ]iounil   salt.  Oc. 

Calico,  per  yard.  .Tic. 

Beef,  per  pound,  17c. 


January    r^,    18(ir.    tlic    countyV 
cburcli   was  organized.      It   was   olTici 
named  the  Evangelical  T-ntheran  Con 


first 
ially 
srre- 


"M.  S.   Harney   in   Jack.son   County   Pilot,    1895. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY, 


125 


gation  in  Jackson  and  it  wa.s  located  in 
Belmont  township. 

In  October,  ISGT,  the  report  of  the 
county  superintendent  of  schools  shows  us 
that  there  were  eight  organized  districts 
in  the  county.  The  amount  of  money  ap- 
portioned for  school  purposes  was  $156.49. 
Of  this  tlic  permanent  school  fund  provid- 
ed $102.81  and  the  county  two  mill  tax 
g-avc  $53.68. 

The  tax  levied  in  1867  was  $884.86,  di- 
vided as  follows  :  State,  $24i'.98  ;  county, 
$495.96 ;  school,  $99.31 ;  township,  $28.87 ; 
special  school,  $1-3.84.  Of  the  total  tax 
levied,  $543.86  had  been  collected  at  the 
date  of  settlement  on  April  11,  1868.  On 
January  8,  1868,  the  board  of  covmty  com- 
missioners examined  the  accounts  of  Jack- 
son county  and  found  in  the  county  treas- 
ury the  sum  of  $30.83. 

For  the  first  time  in  its  history  Jackson 
county  furni.?hed  jurors  for  the  district 
court  in  1867,  the  drawing  lieing  made 
April  1.  Following  fire  the  names  of  the 
residents  selected  for  this  duty  : 

Grand — William  V.  King,  WeU-li  A.sliley,  H. 
S.  Bailey,  B.  W.  Asliley,  H.  A.  Williams,  Sim- 
on Olsoi'i,  H.  K.  Haley.  A.  Miner.  .Toscph  Thom- 
as, Edward  Davies,  .J.  C.  Hoovel.  C.  W.  Cor- 
nish, Erwin  Hall,  George  W.  Woodin,  A.  C. 
Marshall,   C.  H.  Heth. 

Petit— P.  P.  Haverberg,  Holsten  Olson, 
Martin  Bromaghim,  Marcelhis  Clongli,  .J.  C 
Young,  H.  I,.  Thomas,  L,  E.  Porter,  Charles 
Tuttle,  Ira  Camfield,  K.  N.  Woodward,  A.  E. 
Wood,  H.  R,  Lvraan,  Nathaniel  Hall,  A.  L. 
Blake,  E.  Henkley,  J.  .J.  Smith,  Mitehel  Bar- 
ney, Miles  iletcalf,  .J.  E.  Palmer.  Richard 
Band,  R.  D.  Laniid,  L.  Rucker,  J.  N.  Woodin, 
H.  L.  Ev.'ns.  C.  W.  Belknap,  J.  X.  Thompson, 
.J.  E.  Fields,  .James  Williams.  Emett  Miner, 
Wesley  Adamson.  J.  Chandler,  George  Palmer. 
Jared   Palmer,   Henry   Ashley. 

The  statistical  return  of  products  for 
1867  is  an  interesting  document.  Tt  is 
learned  that  nearly  four  hundred  acres  of 
land  were  under  cultivation  that  year.  Fol- 
lowing is  the  complete  return  as  certified 
to  by  Auditor  George  C.  Chamberlin : 


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Belmont 

Des  Moines 

Minneota 

Petersburg 

CHAPTER  X. 


EEA  OF  DEVELOPMENT— 1868-1873. 


THAT  agriL'ulture  was  not  tlic 
principal  industry  during  the  late 
sixties  is  attested  b}-  the  poor  show- 
ing disclosed  in  the  returns  of  products. 
During  the  era  of  wliicli  we  are  writing 
flouring  mills  and  markets  were  long  dis- 
tances away.  It  was  not  profitable  to  raise 
crops  for  wliicli  tliere  was  no  market,  so 
each  settler  raised  vegetables  and  grain  for 
his  own  use  only,  and  as  a  means  of  in- 
come turned  his  energies  in  another  direc- 
tion. 

The  country  was  literally  alive  with 
small  fur-bearing  animals,  including  mu.s- 
rats.  .skunks,  mink,  foxes,  martens  and 
badgers,  and  the  taking  of  their  furs  offer- 
ed profitalde  employment.  So  the  farmer 
.settlers  became  trappers.  Inexperienced 
at  first  in  the  art  of  trapping,  they  had  no 
easy  task.  They  were  often  caught  in  the 
blizzards  miles  from  home,  sometimes  be- 
ing on  the-  prairie  during  a  storm  of  sev- 
eral days'  duration,  where  nothing  but 
courage  and  physical  strength  could  save 
them.  But  in  time  all  became  expert  trap- 
pers. Generally  the  market  for  fur  was 
good,  and  the  pelts  passed  as  legal  tender. 
Thousands  of  dollars  worth  would  lie  tak- 
en during  the  season.^ 


'On  the  14th  day  of  May.  1870.  there  were 
shipped  frorn  Jack.'son  to  Mankato  fiS.OOn  musk- 
rat  and  mink  hide.s.  The  shipment  was  made 
by  a  man  named  Barkman,  of  Spirit  Lake. 


The  value  of  all  taxable  property  in  the 
county  in  18()8  was  $57,293,  divided 
among  the  four  organized  townships  as 
follows:  Belmont,  $9,132;  Des  Moines, 
$34,408;  Minneota,  $7,876;  Petersburg, 
$5,877.  The  taxes  levied  that  year  amount- 
ed to  $1,781.21,  divided  among  the  diifer- 
ent  funds  as  follows:  State,  $279.88; 
school,  $111.96;  county,  $577.91;  town- 
ship, $194.21 ;  special  school,  $617.35. 

A  healthy  increa.ie  is  noted  in  the  agri- 
cultural products  for  1868,  whicli  were  as 
.shown  on  the  following  page." 

Jackson  county  made  rapid  strides  for- 
ward in  1869.  There  was  a  large  increase 
in  population,  numy  of  the  new  settlers 
])enetrating  to  theretofore  unsettled  por- 
tions of  the  county.  It  Ijecanie  known  that 
the  country  would  produce  bountiful 
crops  of  wheat,  and  the  prairies  became 
dotted  with  the  sod  shanties  and  dugouts 
of  the  new  settlers.  The  increase  in  the 
cultivated  area  was  large,  3,549  acres  be- 
ing listed  as  sown  to  crop.  The  organized 
townships  had  cultivated  areas  as  follows: 
Belmont,  332  :  Des  Moines,  1.200;  Minne- 
ota, 131;  Middletown,  343;  Petersburg, 
244 ;  Wisconsin,  355.  The  taxable  proper- 
ty in  1869  was  valued  at  over  $73,000. 

The    w-estern     part    of    township    102, 

=Althoiigli  Middletown  and  Wisconsin  town- 
ships had  not  yet  been  fully  organized  their  re- 
ports are  included  in  the  return. 


127 


128 


HISTOHV  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


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liiii^H'  :>A,  lying  to  the  east  of  Des  Moiucs 
ti)\vn?lii]).  received  many  of  tlie  settlers  of 
tlic  si.xtie.-!,  the  niiijorily  of  them  coming 
from  the  >tate  of  Wisconsin.  This  town- 
.sliip  hiul  been  attached  to  Jackson,  or  Des 
Muino.'J.  township  at  the  time  of  the  or- 
ganization of  the  county,  but  in  the  s|)ring 
of  ISO!)  its  residents  believed  their  popula- 
tion had  reached  a  point  where  tliey  could 
support  a  separate  organization.  Tiiey. 
Ihcreforc.  petitioned  the  county  board, 
and  on  April  10  were  granted  a  separate 
organization  under  the  name  of  Wisconsin 
(ownhhii),  the  name  being  given  in  lionor 
of  the  state  from  which  so  many  of  the 
settlers  had  come.  Those  who  received 
land  patents  from  the  government  in  Wis- 
consin township  in  the  early  days  were  as 
follow.s : 

lS(i2.  Jar.a  r^iliiur  (101:  1865,  Joseph  Tlioin- 
as  (l!)).'  U.  Mortim.T  West  (.lO-Sll:  ISlUi, 
.Miiiiiaaz  K.  Wood  (l!)-.'tO).  Ocorfr*"  rinioriston 
(10).  Baitliolomew  McCarthy  (10).  Isaac  Bel- 
knap (.'SD:  18t>7.  Ccnr^ic  K.  Cornish  (17).  Chris- 
tian Kn<.'Icl)rctsnn  (30):  ISOS.  Ri.-hanl  linn.l 
(•10).  Robert  II.  Kill);  (28) .  Crcorjie  II.  Kin}; 
(■20):  1.870.  rrc<lcrick  T?.  I.vman  (18).  Kihv;inl 
C.  llinklcv  (221.  Irviii;;  H.'Portcr  (20).  Henry 
■■<.  I.vman  (20),  Orriii  IVlknap  (30.11):  ISTl. 
Kolliii  K.  Craiduc  (2).  Ptillman  K.  Trask  (18). 
Kansom  N.  Woodard  (IS).  Marcellus  Cloiit;h 
(18),  Israel  V.  Eddy  (20),  Mitchell  S.  liarncy 
(32):  1872.  Kllen  M.  Porter  (.33):  1873.  .lohn 
A.  Myers  (0).  Lucius  K.  Marshall  ((1).  .Inhn 
C.  Yonn'T  (7).  William  .S.  Knnwlton  (8).  .Tohn 
]s]icrwood  (10).  Andrew  .1.  Ihirlaml  (17).  Kicli 
;ird  K.  Howden  (20).  Charles  II.  Ilialli  (211. 
Williiini  S.  Curtis  (21).  Trceniau  T.  IVers  (24). 
Ilincis'in  P.  Peers  (2ti.  William  Isinp  (28). 
Ah'xamlcr  Hall  (31 ).  .Tolin  .T.  Smith  (32).  Knud 
M.  Peterson  (34):  1874.  Hiram  Simpson  (Ii). 
Alex  Galliraith  (0).  Amos  X.  Tompkins  (2fi), 
Harrison  L.  Thomas  (30).  Charles  H.  Sandon 
'30).  .Tohn  K.  Johnson  (34):  187r>.  Trancls  J. 
KidL'wav  (14).  Allen  S.  Prooks  (20):  lS7fi. 
IJohcrt  L.  IlincliflTe  (4).  Myron  Cuttim'  di). 
Clnirles  B.  Tnltle  (22).  Elijah  M.  l.in<lslcy 
(2(1).  .Tohn  W.  Miller  (.30):  1877.  Havid  Hard 
man  (10).  Isaac  X.  Hutibard  (14).  John  M. 
rttcr  (21):  1878.  Ram  V.  Russell  ffil.  James 
Islierwood   (10),  .Toseph  C.  Davis  (12). 

Middletown  township  was  also  organiz- 
ed in  1SC9,  the  connr.issioners  taking  the 
iK^cessary  action  on  May  10.  This  ]iolit- 
ical  division  had  originally  been  attach- 
ed to  Petersburg  township,  but  when  ^lin- 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


i29 


neota  was  organized  in  the  fall  of  18GG 
the  v>cst  half  hail  been  bestowed  upon 
that  precinct  while  the  east  half  remained, 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  Petersburg.  The 
commissioners  named  the  township  in  ac- 
cordance with  tlie  expressed  wish  of  the 
petitioners.  The  fact  that  the  township 
was  .situated  between  the  two  older  or- 
ganized townships  suggested  the  name. 
The  following  were  granted  government 
patents  to  land  in  Middletown  in  the 
yeans  indicated : 

ISGC,  Isaac  Belknap  (1);  1S69,  William  B. 
.N'orman  (2).  William  H.  Ashley  (.3),  Simou 
Jenson  (10),  Salmon  Dickinson  '(19-30),  Mar- 
tin B.  Metcalf  (.30):  1870,  Ira  Camfield  (I), 
Orhuulo  E.  Bennett  (8),  .John  M.  C.  Patterson 
(12),  William  Miller  (22),  Walter  Davies  (26), 
.Tnlm  Brigham  (34):  1871.  Levi  A.  Camfield 
il);  1872,  .Joseph  B.  Walling  (4),  Gilbert  Ol- 
son (10),  Nathaniel  B.  Hall  (12),  George  A. 
Busli  (ID),  Ermead  Bordwell  (20);  1873,  Lewi.s 
Parker  (1).  Edward  P.  .Skinner  (2),  George  G. 
Ashley  (2),  Rufus  D.  Earned  (4),  Thomas 
(ioodwin  (0).  Isaac  8.  Barrett  (8).  Clarion  C. 
Dunbar  (12),  .Jolin  Cliandler  (20),  Andrew  Jluir 
(22),  Oliver  .J.  Rnssell  (24),  Sylvenus  Allen 
(30),  Thomas  T.  Brooks  (32),  William  Allen 
(.32):  1874.  AVilliam  P.  Lecocq  (6),  Robert 
iluir  (22);  1875,  William  Henderson  (4), 
James  C.  Henderson  (4),  Samuel  Metcalf  (28). 
Horace  Chandler  (30):  1876,  Clark  Lindslev 
(24),  John  Davies  (26);  1877,  Lydia  Honghto'n 
(18),  George  Beimas  (18),  Joshua  Kidney 
(28);  1880,  Walter  Withers  (2),  Robert  W. 
Kidney   (22). 

The  winter  of  1869-70  was  an  excep- 
tionall}-  severe  one  an'd  "lingered  in  the 
lap  of  spring."  The  scattered  settlers 
suffered  many  hardships  during  the  long 
winter.  Two  Jackson  county  residents 
met  death  in  the  storms,  and  otliers  had 
narrow  escapes.  The  severest  blizzards 
occurred  during  the  month  of  March. 
Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  the  1.5th  and 
Ifith  of  that  month,  were  the  stormiest 
days  of  the  season.  The  roads  tiecame 
blockaded  and  impassable,  many  of  the 
houses  were  drifted  ever  with  the  snow, 
the  winds  liowled  and  the  snow  blew  over 
the  bleak  prairies.  All  who  could  re- 
mained in  doors ;  the  merchants  of  Jackson 
closed  their  shops.     This  storm  was  fol- 


lowed on  March  31  and  22  by  another 
blizzard  of  frightful  violence. 

One  of  the  victims  of  the  storm  was  Ole 
Sime.  He  had  a  claim  in  Enterprise 
township,  and  on  Jlonday,  March  14, 
started  from  the  timber  along  the  river, 
wliere  he  had  spent  the  winter,  for  a  load 
of  hay  on  his  claim.  He  secured  the  hay 
and  returned  with  it  to  a  point  in  Des 
iloines  township  near  the  home  of  Clark 
Marshall.  There  he  was  overcome  by  the 
storm  and  perished.  The  oxen  were  found 
dead  about  forty  rod.s  front  Mr.  Sime's 
body.  The  body  was  found  on  the  ITth  by 
i\r.  L.  Bromaghim  and  Clark  Marshall. 
Its  condition  gave  evidence  that  the  un- 
fortunate man  had  suffered  terribly  be- 
fore succumbing  to  the  storm. 

Another  who  lost  his  life  that  month 
was  Archie  Lee,  who  lived  on  Heron  lake. 
He  started  from  Jackson  with  a  load  of 
timber  on  his  wav  home  on  tlie  11th  in  an 
intoxicated  condition.  He  arrived  within 
a  few  miles  of  his  home,  and  tlien  all 
trace  of  him  was  lost.  The  day  was 
stormy,  but  not  exceptionally  so.  He  is 
supposed  to  have  abandoned  his  load  and 
tried  to  reach  home  witli  Iiis  team,  Init  in 
the  storm  and  darkness  wandered  from 
his  course  and  was  lo.=t.  His  horses  were 
found  a  few  days  later,  but  his  l)ody  was 
not  found  until  the  'ioth.  He  had  wan- 
dered way  to  the  soutji,  and  his  body  was 
found  lying  on  a  snow  drift  twelve  miles 
southwest  of  Jackson. 

Eighteen  hundred  seventy  was  a  ban- 
ner year.  During  the  spring  months  many 
wlio  had  come  the  previous  year  and  filed 
on  claims  and  then  gone  away  for  the 
winter  came  back  to  take  possession  of 
their  land,  make  improvements  and  begin 
farming.  Many  new  settlers  came  to 
make  Jackson  county  their  future  homes. 
Prairie  schooners  began  to  arrive  early  in 
the  spring  and  continued  to  bring  in  the 
new  settlers  all  summer.     Tlie  new  arriv- 


130 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


als  generally  brought  cattle,  horses,  sheep, 
hogs  and  farming  implements  with  them, 
|)ro])are<l  to  at  once  Iiegin  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil.  A  fair  crop  of  wiicat  and 
other  grain  was  raised.  The  weather  was 
ideal  for  crops  in  the  spring,  but  in  July 
a  drouglit  reduced  what  had  promised  to 
be  an  enormous  yield.  Corn  was  an  ex- 
cellent crop,  and  wheat  was  quite  up  to 
the  average. 

The  census  of  1870  gave  the  county  a 
population  of  1,825,  an  increase  of  nearly 
800  per  cent  in  five  years.' 

Three  new  townshijjs  were  organized 
during  the  year  1870 — Heron  Tjake, 
Round  Lake  and  Delafield.  Heron  Lake 
township  had  received  its  first  settlers  in 
the  spring  of  ISG'i,^  but  so  great  was  the 
settlement  on  its  fertile  lands  that  the 
question  of  detachment  from  Belmont 
and  its  organization  as  a  separate  town- 
ship was  taken  up  in  the  .spring  of  1870. 
The  matter  was  postponed  until  later  in 
tlie  year,  and  on  September  7  the  county 
commissioners  otTicially  declared  the 
township  organized.  To  it  were  attached 
for  township  purposes  the  two  townships 
lying  to  the  west.  The  name  was  supplied 
by  the  immense  body  of  water  which  pene- 
trates the  township.''  The  organization 
of  the  townshi])  was  perfected  Se])tember 
24,  when  the  first  town  meeting  was  held 
at  the  liome  of  D.  F.  Cleveland.  Follow- 
ing were  the  first  officers  of  Heron  Lake 
township:  F.  Ebert,  chairman;  Abram 
Johnson  and  D.  F.  Cleveland,  supervis- 
ors; W.  H.  .Ashley,  clerk:  William  Wiley, 
treasurer:  C.  B.  Hubert  and  Charles  ^lal- 
ehow,   ju-stices  of   the  jieace;   Newton    F. 

'The  population  of  other  countle.<<  of  south- 
wo.storn  Minnesota  In  1870  was  as  follows: 
Blue  Karth.  17. .W2;  Failhaiilt.  !).S<0;  Watonwan. 
2.4'.'B:  Martin.  .1.S«7;  Cottonwood.  534;  Murray. 
20ft:    Nolle.x.    117:    Pipestone.    0:    Rock.    KK. 

'The  first  settlers  were  Pharles  Malchow.  Fred 
Ebcrt  and  Albert  Hohcn.stcln.  who  located  on 
lake    Flaherty. 

•On  June  21.  1871.  the  township  was  enlarged 
by  the  addition  of  that  portion  of  West  Heron 
I..akc  township  which  lies  east  of  the  lake,  and 
It  Is  the  largest  township  in  the  county. 


West  and  .lolin  B.  Johnson,  constables. 
Following  is  the  list  of  those  who  early 
rei-eived  patents  to  land  in  Heron  l>ake 
towiishi]) : 

ISTi.  Daniel  K.  Clevelaiul  CJIM.  David  .\. 
Clevelan.l  (liO):  1S7."),  .Miehacl  Kislier  «i).  Al- 
bert Iloliensteiii  ((>».  Vied  Kbert  (S).  Ole  N. 
Larson  (241:  1S7«.  \Villiaiii  Doll  (4).  Kreil 
Hret/ninnM  l4j.  Carl  Sletler  (0).  John  A. 
\isc0Mti  (li).  Carl  Ilolieiistein  (K),  CImrles 
Maleliow  (K).  .Anders  Kirkeliy  (li).  Clirislo- 
plier  I!.  Kiiliert  CM):  iS77.  William  Hos^ow 
(4).  John  llolieii.-tein  (t'-).  -lolin  Leilson  (14), 
John  Kohson  (IS),  John  Olsen  (24).  Magnus 
Johnson  (281,  Hans  I'elerson  (2S).  (JjiirjiPn 
H.-lf;eson  (2S).  Kdward  K.  Herfjh  (:12I:  1S78, 
Carl  Hrelzniann  (4»,  .losejdi  Manyolil  (IS|.  Ole 
V.  Jolinsoii  i24):  ISSd.  Martin  tl.  Saiiil;«;;er 
(2).  Peder  I.  lirakke  ,2).  .loliii  Ilan.-en  Nes- 
trud  (2(1).  Mans  Hanson  (20).  Hans  Christian- 
son  (20).  I,eif  I.eifson  (22).  Olai  Johnson  (241, 
Matliias  H.  Uoveland  (.S4);  1S81,  Peter  Aii- 
ilerson  (12).  Thomas  .Johnson  (.10).  Carrie 
Tronson  (30).  Rasmus  Larson  (32).  Neils  Kn- 
frlebretson  (34):  1882.  Nils  Jaeohsen  (14). 
Jolianes  H.  Ilovelaiul  (34):  1SS3.  Iiif-vold  Kn- 
erson  (10).  Christian  Lewis  (lOK  Kiuidt  oUon 
(12).  liernt  II.  Hovel  (22).  Lars  (tison  Aas 
(20):  1H84.  Kdwin  N.  (iolpin  (.'14):  lS8.i.  Hans 
H.  Knudsoii  (22).  H:ins  (Innderseu  (20).  Trond 
O.  Tronson  (3(i(:  ISHG.  t>le  Simenson  il4l. 
Hans  Hiidmun.seii    (2li). 

Round  Lake  township  was  another 
whose  settlement  was  rapid  ami  which 
early  jirepared  itself  for  organization.  J. 
N.  Dodge  was  the  first  settler,  locating 
on  the  north  bank  of  Round  Lake  in  the 
sjiring  of  18(i0,  when  there  was  not  an- 
other settlir  in  the  whole  southwestern 
portion  of  the  county.  In  the  spring  of 
the  following  year  only  thr(>e  claims  were 
taken  in  the  township,  but  a  few  months 
later  nearly  every  quarter  was  filed  upon." 
The  township  was  organized  in  October 
and  named  iiiuind  Lake,  after  the  beauti- 
ful sheet  of  water  within  its  boundaries. 
The  following  received  ]>atents  to  land 
from  the  gnvernmeiit  in  Round  T/ake : 

1,S73.  Henry  Hal!  (20):  1874.  Charh's  Seek 
(8).  William  A.  Anderson  (14).  William  11. 
Skinner  (IS):  l,S7.-).  Klhridse  (J.  Lord  (22). 
Herhert     \\  .     Kinil.all     (31);     1870.    -laeoh     N. 

"■■We  understand  that  nearly  all  the  vacant 
claims  in  ranse  38.  town  101 — the  .southwest 
corner  township  in  this  county — have  ben  tak- 
en. The  citizens  are  about  pelilioninK  for 
township  orpanization  and  are  also  about  brldff- 
iuE  the  Little  Sioux.'^— Jackson  Republic.  Oc- 
tober  8,    1870. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


131 


Dodge  (8),  Hiram  Barrott  (8);  1877,  William 
\V.  Bailey  (4),  Ole  H:ilversoii  (12),  Everett 
W  Scovil'le  (20),  Judah  Phillips  (20),  Lewis 
Ilensliaw  (28).  H.  J.  Phelps  (30),  William  A. 
Mosher  (30);  1878,  Thomas  L.  Twiford  (10), 
Osmund  T.  Handelan  (26),  .Joseph  C.  Carter 
(.32),  Ezra  W.  Hopkins  (34);  1879.  Matthew 
Riley  (2).  Samuel  Edwards  (4);  Daniel  W. 
Lounsbury  (32);  1880,  Hugh  Riley  (2).  George 
Morgan  ('(i),  Andrew  L.  Skoog  (h).  Endre  01- 
sen'(12);  1881.  Hans  Hanson  (24),  Ole  Aush- 
am  (26);  1882,  Thoro  .Johnson  (24);  1885, 
Joseph  Clark  (20),  Knud  Olson  (28),  Samuel 
Fenstermaker  (33)  ;  ISSS,  Eilert  A.  Loiien 
(35). 

When  the  county's  first  townships  were 
organized,  township  104,  range  36,  had 
been  attached  to  Belmont,  and  it  was  un- 
der Behnont's  jurisdiction  until  October 
11,  ISTO,  wlien  the  county  commissioners 
organized  it  into  a  separate  political  divi,s- 
ion  under  the  name  of  Pleasant  Prairie. 
This  name  had  soon  to  be  changed  be- 
cause it  was  learned  that  there  was  a 
tnwnshi|i  of  the  same  name  in  ]\Iartin 
county,  and  law  or  custom  forbade  two 
townships  in  the  state  to  bear  the  same 
name.  Orwell  was  then  decided  upon  as 
the  name,  but  this  had  to  be  changed  for 
the  same  reason.  On  January  4,  1871, 
the  co)nmissioners  named  the  township 
Bergen,  bttt  s'oon  it  was  learned  that  Mc- 
Leod  county  had  a  copywright  on  that  as 
the  name  of  a  township,  and  the  name 
Delaficld  was  finally  designated  on  March 
4,  1871.  Fortunately,  no  previously  or- 
ganized township  in  the  state  had  thought 
of  that  name,  and  the  township  was  at 
last  permanently  named.  Titles  to  land 
in  Delafield  town.ship  were  granted  to 
early  day  settlers  as  follows: 

1870.  Henry  S.  Pomerov  (18);  1871,  Aaron 
G.  Chatfield  (10),  Sylvester  Chandler  (12), 
Anton  Miohelson  (18):  1872.  Edward  Savage 
(4),  Hans  Olsen  (8);  1873,  Abram  B.  Frisbie 
(4).  Cliarles  Mickels  (22),  Christian  Nelson 
(28);  1S74,  Willis  AV.  Cotton  (6),  James  W. 
Hayes  (6),  Charles  Miller  (22),  Gertrude  E. 
Orwelle  (22),  Christian  Carlstrom  (28),  Ole 
Hanson  (30),  Hans  Christianson  (30):  1,875, 
Isaac  M.  Moss  (4),  Orin  Phelps  (6),  .John 
Frederickson  (8),  Andrew  Laird  (12),  John 
Olsen  (20),  Anders  Larsen  (24);  1876,  .John 
Baureson  (2),  Edward  F.  Fjelset  (2),  Olous 
Olson    (2),   James   M.   Jloore    (8),    Svendt   Vi- 


berv  (10),  Ebenezer  B.  Millard  (10),  Hans 
0.  Elstad  (24),  Lars  B.  Sathe  (24),  .Joseph 
Aupperle  (26),  Norbert  Kronier  (26),  August 
Lorenz  (32),  Stefan  Relmelt  (32),  Ignatz  F. 
Blumburg  (32),  John  P.  Brakke  (32);  1877, 
Martin  Hansen  (12),  Jens  J.  Johnson  (12), 
Peter  Christiansen  (12).  Die  Nelson  (12), 
Gund  .Johnson  (18),  Michael  A.  Foss  (18), 
Gustaf  Thoniblom  (20).  Gabriel  Olson  (20), 
Lars  Mattriassen  (24),  Erick  Johnson  (24), 
Knudt  Saxwig  (24),  Annie  E.  Uekestad  (24), 
Henry  Riese  (30).  Wilhelm  Schwartz  (.32), 
Ferdinand  Hohenstein  (32),  Benjamin  F. 
Semmans  (32)  ;  1878.  Ingra  Andres  Dotter 
(10),  Hans  .Johnson  (12),  Andrew  Swenson 
(18),  Andrew  Anderson  (18).  Lars  Anderson 
(20),  John  P.  Esklund  (20),  Anders  C.  Quevli 
(22);  1879,  Ernst  W.  Pietz  (28).  Jonathan  W. 
Rost  (34);  1880,  Peder  Olson  (2),  Ole  Fred- 
erickson (8),  Anders  Olson  (8),  Hugh  M. 
Clark  (10),  Ole  -J.  Hofland  (14),  Andrew  Lar- 
son (14).  Andrew  .Johnson  (14),  Adonriram 
J.  Frost  (26),  August  Lindstrom  (28),  Ole 
Hansen  Nestrud  (30),  Frederick  Malchow 
(32);  1881,  Daniel  Gallagher  (6);  1882,  Hans 
Olson  (S),  Maria  Hammerstad  (28);  1883, 
.John  .Svendson  (10),  Lars  Johnson  (14), 
Sackariah  Swanson  (26).  Charles  Mickelson 
(28)  ;  1885,  John  J,  Swesind  (30)  ;  1886, 
Lars  Larson   (14);   LSSS,  Lars  Throndson   (14). 

The  following  item?  from  the  report  of 
the  county  superintendent  of  schools  for 
the  year  1870  give  an  idea  of  the  school 
conditions  at  that  early  date : 

Whole   number   of   organized   districts,    IS. 

Number    reporting,    14. 

Whole  number  of  persons  between  5  and 
21    years,   455    (233    males.    222    females). 

Pupils  enrolled  in   winter  schools.  74. 

Average  dailv  attendance  winter  schools, 
39.2. 

Number    teachers    winter    schools,    2. 

Pupils  enrolled  in  summer  schools,  210  (101 
males.    109    females). 

Average  dailv  attendance  .-ummcr  schools, 
105. 

Number   teacliers   summer   schools,   10. 

Whole  number  school  houses  in  county,  7 
(2    frame,    5    log). 

Value   all    school   liouses,   .$867. 

Money  received  from   state   funds,  $440.38. 

Money  received  from  tax,  .$964.03. 

Money  paid  for  teachers'  wages.  .$711.68. 

Money  on   hand.  $44.99. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  the  county, 
as  left  by  the  board  of  equalization,  reach- 
ed a  total  of  $1-?S..343  in  1870.  This  was 
divided  among  the  precincts'  and  between 

'Heron  Lake.  Delafield  and  Rnund  Lake  town- 
ships had  not  been  organized  when  the  assess- 
ment was  made.  The  assessT'ent  for  the  first 
two  was  included  in  that  of  Belmont  and  the 
Round  Lake  assessment  was  included  in  that 
of    Minneota. 


132 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


liio  rp;il  mill  porpnnal  property  a«  follow."!: 


PRECINCT 

Real          rersuiial 
Estate      Property 

Belmont 

$  4,86o'        $28,308 

24,701 

488 

2,579 

3,007 

3,955 

29.066 
7,669 
6  941 

10,141 
6,627 

Minneota  

Middletown  

Total 

$39,590 

$88,752 

Tlio  piixiiK'ts  rclunis  I'm-  ISlii  ^ive  a 
total  of  4,230  acres  cultivated.  This 
acreage  was  divided  into  precincts  as  fol- 
lows:* Belmont,  543;  Christiania,  74; 
Des  Moines,  1,705;  Enterprise,  77;  Heron 
Lake,  77;  Minneota,  263;  Middletown, 
395;  Petersburg,  52(i :  Kound  Lake.  3\^\ 
Wisconsin,   557. 

By  an  act  of  the  icgislature,  approved 
Zilarch  7,  1870,  Jackson  county  was  de- 
tached from  ^lartin  county,  to  which  it 
had  been  attached  for  judicial  purposes 
since  1865,  and  was  separately  organized 
for  judicial  purposes.  Provision  was  made 
for  holding  court  at  Jackson,  and  the 
counties  of  Nobles  and  Hock  were  attach- 
ed to  it  for  such  purposes.  These  coun- 
ties were  detached  in  1873,  when  Nobles 
county  was  organized  for  judicial  pur- 
jioses. 

From  tlic  time  or  reorganization  early 
in  1866  until  1872.  Jackson  county  did 
not  have  a  court  house.  During  these 
\ear5  the  duties  of  the  county  officers  were 
not  many,  and  what  business  it  was  nec- 
essary to  transact  was  done  in  the  homes 
of  the  various  officials.  The  first  agita- 
tion for  the  erection  of  a  court  house  was 
made  in  1870.  Then  the  population  had 
increased  to  such  a  size  and  tlic  county 
busine.«s  had  reached  a  stage  where  many 
people  believed  the  primitive  ways  of  pio- 
neer days  should  be  discarded,  that  Jack- 
son county  wa.s  rich  enough"  to  build   a 

"AUhniiith  rhrlstlnni.-i  and  Entorprlsr  town- 
slilp.x  h.Td  lint  yet  br-n  orRMiilZ'^d  I"  lt>"0  they 
nrp  Included  In  the  report,  which,  .apparently, 
was  not  tabulated   until   the  year  following. 


court  house.  Accordingly  a  bill  was  pn  - 
sented  to  the  legislature  and  became  a 
law  Jfarch  1,  1870,  authorizing  the  com- 
Inissiouers  of  Jackson  county  to  issue 
bonds  in  an  amount  not  to  exceed  $10,000 
for  the  purpose  of  building  a  court  house 
and  jail.  But  there  was  a  proviso  to  the 
act,  to  the  effect  that  the  people  of  tlic 
county  by  their  ballot.s  must  ratify  the 
act  before  it  became  effective.  The  peo- 
ple of  Jackson,  the  county  seat,  were  nat- 
urally heartily  in  favor  of  the  projtii. 
and  Jackson  people  offered  to  donate  hw: 
rent  for  all  county  offices  until  October 
I.  1871,  should  the  people  ratify  the  ait  ' 
But  in  other  parts  of  the  county  there 
was  strong  opposition  to  the  measure,  and 
at  the  election  held  in  .Vpril  tlie  liomK 
were  defeated. 

The  county  officers  were  still  obliged  \'< 
transact  the  county's  business  at  tlnii 
home*  or  in  rented  buildings.  That  tin  v 
did  not  .<quander  a  great  deal  of  the  coun- 
ty's money  for  office  rent  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  on  May  11.  is:i.  the  board 
of  eountv  lommissionors  unanimously 
passed  tlie  following  resolution:  ''Ke- 
solved  that  we  shall  allow  no  more  than 
one  dollar  and  (ifty  cents  to  each  county 
olfii'i'r  entitled  {•>  rrnt  for  nfficc  rent  ]ier 
mouth." 

During  its  entire  early  history  .laikson 
connty  an.xionsly  awaited  the  coming  of  a 
railroad,  and  much  (f  the  setlleiuent  of 
the  early  days  came  as.  the  result  of  the 
belief  that  a  railroad  would  soon  l)e  built 
into  such  a  |>romising  territory.  In  1870 
hope  ran  high.  The  Soulliern  Minnesota, 
which  was  acquiring  llie  lands  under  the 
generous  grant  of  1866  as  fast  as  its  line 
was  extended,  that  year  com]iIi'tiMl  its  road 
to  Wells,  and  Jackson   county   jieople  be- 


•■'PartWs  stand  ready  to  donate  to  the  coun- 
ty FRKK  RRNT  for  all  county  officprs  until 
October  1.  1S71.  In  case  the  voters  ratify  the 
law  authorizing  the  county  commissioners  to 
issue  bonds  for  eountv  liuildinBs." — Jack,son  Re- 
public.   April  2,   1870. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


133 


lieved    that   tliG    line   would   be   extended 
immediately. 

But  they  did  not  pin  their  faith  to  a 
single  road.  During  tlie  summer  rail- 
road enthusiasm  was  rife,  owing  to  the 
proposed  building  of  the  Des  Moines  Val- 
ley railroad,  which  was  to  come  from  the 
south  and  continue  up  the  Des  Moines 
river,  by  way  of  the  village  of  Jackson. 
Mass  meetings  were  lield  and  promises  of 
financial  support  were  made  should  the 
promoter.?  decide  to  build.  Prospects  for 
the  road  coming  seemed  favorable,  and 
everybody  was  happy.  But,  as  is  so  often 
the  case  with  proposed  railroads  into  a 
new  country,  it  did  not  come. 

AVhile  a  railroad  did  not  come  in  1870, 
in  the  fall  of  the  next  year  one  was  budd- 
ed into  and  beyond  the  county.  Wlien  it 
became  definitely  known  that  the  road  was 
to  be  constructed  there  M-as  a  rush  of 
landseekers,  who  soon  filed  claims  to  all 
the  government  land  in  that  part  of  the 
county  through  which  tlie  I'oad  was  to 
run.  In  May,  1871,  the  immigration  be- 
gan, and  from  then  until  fall  prairie 
schooners  weie  to  be  seen  every  day  wend- 
ing their  way  to  the  choice  locations  in 
the  western  part  of  the  county.  The  new- 
arrivals  invariably  brought  live  stock  and 
farming  implements  with  them,  indicat- 
ing tliat  they  intended  to  become  perma- 
nent settlors.  The  Jackson  land  office 
«as  overwhelmed  with  the  work  of  at- 
tending to  the  filings.  The  center  of  at- 
traction was  along  the  right  of  way  of  ihe 
proposed  railroad  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  the  county,  but  in  all  parts  of  the 
county  where  there  was  still  government 
land  open  to  entry  the  newcomers  lo- 
cated.'" 

""On  Thursday  last  [June  1],  from  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning-  until  noon,  thirty  immi- 
grant wagons  passed  through  Jackson,  having 
with  them  156  head  of  stock  of  different  kinds. 
There  lias  been  a  continual  rush  during  the 
entire  week,  and  probably  it  will  continue 
during  the  montVi.  The  western  part  of  Jack- 
.son  county  is  receiving  a  good  portion  of  this 
immigration."— Jackson    Republic.    June    3.    1871. 


WHiile  the  Des  iloines  river  country 
was  by  this  time  a  comparatively  old  set- 
tled country,  the  western  part  of  Jackson 
county  was  still  frontier  land.  Because 
there  was  an  enormous  immigration  in 
1871  and  the  whole  order  of  things  chang- 
ed, it  must  not  be  imagined  that  the  coun- 
try was  subdued  in  a  day.  Most  of  the 
settlers  arrived  too  late  to  get  a  crop  in 
the  ground,  and  very  little  was  raised  the 
first  season.  Except  that  the  prairies  be- 
came dotted  with  the  homes  of  the  settlers, 
it  was  largely  the  same  virgin  country  it 
had  always  been. 

The  game  lover  found  himself  in  a 
paradise.  Birds  abounded.  There  were 
ducks,  geese,  brant,  curlew,  pelicans  and 
prairie  chickens.  Occasionally  glimpses 
were  caught  of  some  of  the  big  game  that 
formerly  roamed  the  prairies  in  vast  num- 
bers. The  summer  was  fine.  The  days 
and  nights  were  frequently  glorified  by 
tiumder  storms  of  terrific  and  ineffable 
grandeur.  The  newcomers  often  sat  till 
midnight  watching  the  frolic  of  sheet- 
lightning  playing  over  miles  of  cloud 
banks,  vividly  suggesting  the  possible  glor- 
ies of  another  world.  Vegetation  grew 
rank.  The  farmer  rode  along  the  creek 
l)ottoms  or  on  the  edges  of  the  lakes  and 
sloughs  through  sea.s  of  wild  bluejoint 
grass  up  to  the  horses'  backs. 

It  was  the  experience  of  a  lifetime,  this 
breaking  up  of  virgin  lands  and  building 
a  community  from  the  gi'ound  up,  and 
many  have  been  the  probable  and  improb- 
able stories  told  of  those  days.  Letters 
went  back  to  the  old  homes  in  the  east, 
telling  how  the  residents  of  Jackson 
county  planted  corn  with  an  ax  and 
caught  fish  with  a  pitchfork,  and  how  the 
pianos  were  set  up  in  the  shanty  and  the 
libraries  stacked  up  under  the  beds. 

During  the  first  part  of  the  year,  as 
the  result  of  the  immigration,  three  town- 
ships gained  population  sufficient  to  war- 


134 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


lant  the  re.-;itlent.s  asking  for  township 
organization.  Tliiw  were  Cluij^tiania  Kn- 
ti-rprisi'  and   Weinior. 

Christiania  to\vnsiii|)  hail  Ixn^n  attached 
to  Belmont  to\vnshi]i  <in  .Vpiil  in.  ISO!), 
and  remained  under  il^  jiirisdietinn  until 
Jlarch  -1,  1.S71,  when  the  eimnty  eonimis- 
sioner.s  declared  it  an  organized  township, 
with  the  township  to  the  east  (Kimball) 
under  its  jurisdiction.  The  aitiou  was 
taken  in  accordance  with  a  |ictitii>n  nf  the 
residents  dated  .lanuarv  •<?.■),  1871."  Near- 
ly all  the  residents  were  Norwegians,  and 
they  selected  the  name  of  the  capital  city 
of  their  native  country  as  the  name  of 
their  township.  Ti'.e  government  granted 
patents  to  land  in  Christiania  to  the  fol- 
lowing persons  in  an  early  day: 

180i).  Ilinrnm  M.  Doiiblcilay  (-22):  1S72,  01c 
.lohnson  (IS).  Anne  J.  Rasimisnn  (32).  I.ars 
Rasimison  (32):  1873.  Ariip  Anderson  (4). 
Leonard  Miller  (IJ),  Christopher  .1.  Hejerkey 
(30):  1874.  ln<,'l)or<,'  Olson  (30):  1875.  Nils 
Larson  (2-12).  Karl  Olsen  (2-4).  D.  JI.  Shel- 
don (fl),  llulvor  llalvorson  (8).  Ole  Anton 
(8),  Ole  Kriekson  (IS).  .Tolin  Olson  (2(1|. 
John  Amunson  (30);  1876.  Hjorn  Olson  (4). 
Lars  Ander.son  (10),  Anders  Tobinson  (10). 
.James  W.  Jacobs  (12),  Infrebor};  Cliristenson 
(12),  Christen  Svend-ion  (12),  John  T. 
Mitehell  (14),  CiUierl  S.  Hell  (14),  Ceorge  K. 
Davidson  (14).  Ezra  1!.  Jliller  (22),  Ole  A. 
Wood  (22).  Frederiik  llallason  (2(1).  Ole  11. 
Lokkon  (32),  Ole  Kri.kson  (34|:  1H77,  John 
P,  Aasnas  (22),  Peter  Onnderson  (24),  Siverl 
Olsen  (24):  1878,  Sumner  W.  Jacobs  (14), 
.John  II.  llomnes  (22).  Arnt  Olsen  (24).  An- 
drew Peterson  (28),  Peler  Olsen  (.34):  1870, 
Limy  (ireenlield  (0),  Jainps  (ireenlield  ((i). 
Thomas  Larson  (8).  Ole  Siverson  (2(i).  Tlionias 
■Johnson  (2(i) :  1880.  Caroline  Johnson  (2l.llal- 
vor  Olson  (2).  Oilbort  Hanson  l2).  Charles  H. 
Injjalls  (ti).  Oiindinimd  Syverson  (8).  Simon 
.MeCall  (10).  Uyar  Olsen  (12).  I.ars  Krick-nn 
(18-28).  Menrikii  Olsd.iter  (201.  Hans  TcdlefMiii 
(20).  Petter  O.  Pedersen  (20).  Sarah  K.  I'ar- 
ley  (22).  Svenil  O.  .Moe  (28) ,  Ole  Jaeobson  (28). 
Annind  .Johnson  (30).  ICnfjebor;;  Peterson  (.30). 
Thomas  11.  Chesters.m  (30):  1881.  ICIlin;;  X. 
Ellness  (20|.  John  Vrederickson  (24).  Ole  Olson 
Solnn.H  (30).  Peter  AmUrson  (34):  1883,  John 
Franson  (4),  Betsy  Swenson  (8),  Kllinjj  Olsen 
Mvhrn  (10).  Frederick  Olson  (18).  Petsy  T. 
Olson    (34):    1884.   Mons  Anderson    (30):    1885, 

"The  petitioners  were  Mans  Knudson.  Ole 
Erickson.  Arne  Anderson.  Ole  Anton.  Halvor 
Halversnn.  Karl  Olson.  HJuren  Ol.sen.  Halvor 
Ol.son.  Jacob  Olson.  Gllbnind  Hansen.  G.  Syver- 
.son.  Ole  A.  Wold.  Halvor  Christiansen  and  Lars 
Erickson. 


Johan   Lei)|)    (2),   Juhan   Tiessen    (2),  John   A. 
.Johnson    (2),   Korneliiia    Wiens    (14). 

Enterprise,  like  all  the  northern  town- 
ships, liad  been  attached  to  Belmont  in 
the  early  days.  It  was  organized  starch 
4,  1871,  in  response  to  a  petition  of  the 
residents  dated  February  12.'-  The  orig- 
inal petition  asked  that  the  township  hf> 
named  Loud  Lake,  but  many  olijocted  to 
the  name  because  there  was  no  hike  of 
that  name  or  any  other  name  in  the  town- 
slii|).  Messrs.  Samuel  D.  Lockwood  and 
Anders  Hoe  suggested  Enterprise,  and  aft- 
ir  .•;ome  wrangling  that  name  was  decid- 
ed upon.  The  first  township  board  con- 
sisted of  Jo.«eph  Benjamin,  Samuel  1). 
Lockwood  and  J.  J.  Tagley,  supervi.sors; 
Charles  B.  Lillie,  clerk.  Following  were 
among  the  township's  early  settlers  who 
took  claims  and  received  patents  from  the 

government : 

1872.  John  P.  Ford  (2(1):  1873.  Lewis  Eckel 
(2):  1874.  .Jacob  Klein  (2).  (ieorfje  Benjamin 
(14).  Halvor  Thompson  (201.  Thomas  Clippi-r 
ton  (22-20).  Ole  Johnson  (32):  IS7.'>.  Hiram 
L.  Benjamin  (I0|.  Klijah  Benjamin  1 10). 
Charles  B.  I^illie  (12).  .losepji  K.  Bc-njamin 
(22),  (Jeorce  K.  Moore  (2ti),  Levi  Horn  (2(i), 
Levi  H.  Chandler  (21!).  Peler  Peterson  (28), 
Anders  Roe  (.30).  Otto  Thompson  (.30).  Nils 
Nelson  (32).  Ole  Olson  (.32).  Ole  Johnson  (34); 
187(1.  Arnt  Mo<'n  ((i).  Samuel  I).  I/ockwood 
(KM.  Klizabeth  Skrove  (30),  Cecelia  Slim  (.30); 
Ole  Olson  Nesvold  (32).  John  J.  Birkland  (34): 
1.SS7.  Herman  Krii'ksou  ((1).  Olin  .lolinson  (14). 
.lames  Ranilall  (22l.  Krick  Paulsen  (2S|.  Thore 
(llsen  Stetner  (28);  1878.  Nils  Olson  (01. 
Thomas  Olson  (ti(.  .-Vndrew  Jolinsun  (30). 
.Iidian  A.  Krof;stad  (30) :  187)1.  Jidui  Kn;;an 
((■>).  (iultorm  Inirebrifitson  (24),  .lames  Taylor 
(2(i),  Martlia  Taylor  (2(1),  Peler  (iunderson 
(28):  1880,  Bersvenil  Thoreson  (IS),  ,lohn 
Simpson  (22),  Hans  Kolfson  (30),  John  C, 
Aiilhen  (.32):  1881.  L.irs  N.  Ilajien  (4):  1882. 
Kli  N".  Hafien  (4):  18S3,  Ciiness  LaRue  (8),  K. 
L.  Bripwiiell  (24):  ISS.'i,  (JiiDcrins  Tollefsoii 
(IS),  (Juiider  Andei—.n  (18).  .Inlin  Taj^ley 
(30). 

Early  in  JFay  residents  of  township  lOK 
range  37,  petitioned  the  hoard  of  county 

"The  signers  to  the  petition  were  S.  D.  Lock- 
wood.  S.imuel  .\.  i.ni-kwood.  Kllza  Renjamln. 
Joseph  K.  Renjnmln,  ritorRe  nenjnmln.  CliarloB 
n.  Lillie.  Adolpli  Mailer.  Lewis  Kek.l.  Jiieob 
Kh'ln.  Hiram  Renjamln,  Marlln  Thompson, 
Hnlver  Thompson.  Thomas  Olsnn.  Toris  Skrove. 
Otlo  Thomson.  Erick  I'aul.scn.  Peter  Paulsen.  J. 
J.  Tanley.  Stephen  liaujamin.  William  .Mon- 
tague  and    Richard    Shanon. 


A  PIONEER'S  HOME 

Log  Cabin  Erected  by  John  Johnson  Egge  in  1868  and  Still  Occupied  by  Him  and  His 
Wife.     It  is  the  Oldest  Building  in  Christiania  Township. 


THE  BARN 
Also  Erected  by  Mr.  Egge  in  1808.     It  is  a  Typical  Building  of  Pioneer  Days. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


135 


commissioners  for  township  organization 
under  the  name  of  Eden,  and  the  board 
toolv  tiie  required  action  on  May  11.  The 
organization  of  Eden  towaship  was  per- 
fected on  5Iay  27,  when  the  following 
were  selected  as  the  first  precinct  officers: 
('liarles  Winzer,  chairman;  William  Peter 
and  Peter  Johnson,  supervisors;  L.  0. 
Beck,  clerk ;  Andrew  Peter.sou,  assessor ; 
Christian  Knudson,  treasurer;  Henry 
Knudsou  and  A'els  Johnson,  justices  of 
the  peace;  Siborn  Rugland  and  Otto 
Johnson,  constables.  It  was  soon  learned 
tliat  a  townsliip  in  Brown  county  boasted 
I  he  name  of  Eden,  and  the  citizens  peti- 
tioned that  the  name  be  changed  to  Wei- 
iner,  which  was  done  by  the  commission- 
ers October  20,  ISTl.  Cliarles  Winzer, 
the  township's  first  settler,  selected  the 
name  in  honor  of  his  home  town  in  Ger- 
many— iSaxe-Weimar.  On  the  petition 
asking  that  this  name  be  l)estowed  the 
spelling  of  the  name  was  Weimar  (which 
is  correct),  but  through  a  mistake  the  of- 
ficial spelling  of  tlie  name  of  the  town- 
sliip was  Weimer.  Following  are  the 
names  of  the  early  settlers  of  Weimer 
townshi])  who  received  patents  to  land 
and  the  dates  the  titles  were  secured : 

1873,  Stener  Bilstad  (4),  Henry  Knudson 
(10).  Anders  Xilson  (20);  1874.  .John  Finney 
(4),  Thomas  (iiirvin  (IS),  Theodore  B.  Caster- 
line  (.30);  1875.  .JonatJian  Myers  (2),  Charles 
Krause  (8).  Brede  Evenson  (IS),  Etliermer  V. 
Foster  (28);  187fi.  Emma  M.  Passmore  (2), 
■John  Heern  (C),  Jergen  Schovlen  (6),  Chancy 
W.  (.{reenman  (14),  James  A.  iloSehooler  (18), 
Cliristoplier  Dohereiner  (26),  Johannes  Ander- 
son Torp  (30).  William  McDonald  (.32);  1877, 
.Tames  C.  Vonglit  (4),  Christian  Knndson  (12); 
1878,  Ranson  A.  Nichols  (ti).  Sigar  Larson 
(10),  Ann  J.  Buckeye  (18),'  .Jens  A.  Moe  (22), 
Lemik  Larson  (30),  John  T.  Smith  (30),  Lewis 
Tagland  (30),  fieorge  Cope  (32);  1870,  .Johan 
■  lust  ((i),  August  Peter  (14),  Otto  Hanson  (20), 
Peter  Johnson  (20) ;  1880.  Florian  Nimerfroh 
((>).  Louis  Olson  Beck  (10),  Albert  Nichols 
(10),  Tollef  0.  Beck  (10),  Anders  Peterson 
(22),  .John  Olson  (24),  Johan  Fielder  (24), 
Charles  Winzer  (26);  1881,  il  A.  Berg  (4), 
Franz  Jarmar  (8),  George  Erbes  (24).  George 
H.  Freemire  (32);  1882.  Monroe  Mcl^aird  (2), 
Ole  0.  Selves  (24);  18S3.  Martin  Blixseth  (4), 
Hoovel  Iverson   (8),  Ole  0.  Homme   (18);   188.1, 


Franz  Nimmereuichter  (8),  Su.sanna  Gjerraun- 
son  (12),  Joseph  B.  Price  (12).  Adelia  A.  Pratt 
(14),  Christian  Borgei'son  (22),  Mary  O.  Rog- 
nas  (22),  Zebina  Judd  (32);  1886,  .Josef  War- 
schotka  (S),  Lewis  C.  Wood  (32);  1888,  George 
Albert    Winzer    (22). 

The  survey  for  the  line  of  the  Sioux 
City  &  St.  Paul  railroad  tlirough  Jackson 
county  was  made  early  in  April,  1871, 
grading  was  commenced  during  the  sum- 
mer and  track  laying  was  begun  in  Sep- 
tember and  completed  to  Worthington  in 
October.  It  had  been  the  intention  of  the 
company  to  begin  the  operation  of  trains 
at  once,  but  the  heavy  snows  kept  the  line 
covered  all  winter,  and  it  was  not  nntil 
April,  1872,  that  regular  train  service 
was  established.  The  road  was  opened  to 
Sioux  City  in  the  fall  of  1872."  As  a 
result  of  the  building  of  the  county's  first 
railroad   the  village  of  Heron   Lake   was 


"This  line  of  railroad— now  the  Chicago,  St 
Paul.  Minneapolis  &  Omaha— is  one  of  the  old- 
est in  the  state  of  Minnesota.  Its  construction 
was  begun  in  1S65  by  the  Minnesota  Valley 
Railroad  company,  which  was  organized  under 
an  act  of  the  legislature  approved  March  4 
1S64.  Ten  .sections  of  land  per  mile  of  road  was 
granted  the  company  as  a  bonus.  Its  author- 
ized capital  was  $500,000,  of  which  $473,000  was 
at  once  subscribed  and  paid  in.  The  first  board 
of  directors  and  principal  stockholders  were  H. 
H.  Sibley.  Russell  Blakelev.  R.  H.  Hawthorne 
George  Culver,  W.  F.  Davidson.  E.  F.  Drake,  h! 
M.  Rice,  J.  L.  Merriam,  Horace  Thompson. 
Frankhn  Steele,  J.  E.  Thompson.  J.  C.  Burbank, 
T.  A.  Harrison,  John  Farrington,  W.  D  Wash- 
burn  and   C.   H.  Bigelow. 

In  1S65  the  road  was  located  and  construc- 
tion comn-enced  between  Mendota  and  Shako- 
pee.  That  part  of  the  road  was  opened  for 
traffic  November  16.  1865.  In  1S66  the  line  was 
completed  to  Belle  Plaine.  in  1S69  to  Lake 
Crystal,  and  in  1870  to  St.  James. 

At  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  Min- 
nesota Valley  Railroad  company,  and  at  the 
instance  of  its  inco-porators.  there  was  or- 
ganized the  Sioux  City  &  St.  Paul  Railroad 
company,  to  build  a  railroad  from  Sioux  City 
to  the  south  line  of  Minnesota.  On  April  7, 
1S69,  the  name  of  the  Minnesota  Valley  Rail- 
road company  was  .-hanged  to  St.  Paul  &  Sioux 
City  Railroad  company,  organized  with  a  capi- 
tal stock  of  $2,400,000.  In  1S71  a  contract  was 
made  between  these  two  companits  by  the 
terms  of  which  the  Sioux  City  &  St.  Paul"  com- 
pany completed  the  line  of  road  from  St.  James 
to  LeMars.  Iowa,  where  connection  was  made 
with  the  Iowa  Falls  &  Sioux  City  railroad  for 
Sioux  City.  For  several  years  the  line  was 
operated  by  the  two  companies — from  St.  Paul 
to  St.  James  by  '.he  St.  Paul  &  Sioux  City 
Railroad  company,  and  from  St.  James  to 
Sioux  City  by  the  Sioux  City  &  St.  Paul  Rail- 
road company — both  companies  controlled  by 
the  same  interests.  May  25,  1880,  a  reorgani- 
zation was  brought  about  and  the  line,  to- 
gether with  others,  became  known  as  the  Chi- 
cago, St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Omaha.  In  De- 
cember. 1882.  the  line  became  a  part  of  the 
Northwestern    system. 


136 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


founded  in  the  fall  of  1871  and  the  north- 
west i);irt  (if  tiie  i<uinty  was  rapidly  set- 
tled and  developed. 

Etforts  were  made  to  have  a  branih  line 
of  the  new  road  built  into  eastern  Jackson 
county.  On  Felinuuy  li,  1871,  a  mass 
meeting  was  held  at  Jackson  to  discuss 
the  advisability  of  issuing  bonds  for  the 
purpose  of  aiding  in  the  construction  of 
a  1)  ranch  line  from  Bingham  Lake  or  some 
point  in  the  vicinity  to  Jackson.  Almost 
a  solid  alVirnuuive  vote  was  given.  In 
May  E.  F.  Drake,  president  of  the  Sioux 
City  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  company,  went 
to  Jackson  and  submitted  a  delinite  prop- 
osition. He-  gave  the  choice  of  two  lines 
—one  from  Bingham  Lake,  the  other 
down  the  west  side  of  the  Des  Moines  riv- 
er—and stated  that  his  company  was 
ready  to  commence  building  such  a  line 
when  a  bonus  of  $80,000  was  raised.  The 
n\oney  was  not  raised  and  the  road  was 
not  built." 

The  year  1871  was  a  prosperous  one, 
due  to  the  immense  immigration  and  the 
bountiful  harvest.  'J'hc  wheat  croii  liad 
never  been  better,  oats  ami  barley  were 
an  extra  crop,  and  corn  was  far  ahead  of 
that  of  any  previous  year.  With  the  com- 
ing of  the  railroad  came  markets  for  the 
grain,  and  all  the  claim  holders  turned 
their  attention  to  farming.  In  the  fall  a 
few  farmers  were  damaged  to  some  extent 
by  prairie  fires.  The  state  legislature  ap- 
propriated money  for  the  relief  of  the 
sufferers  from  hail  and  fire  in  the  frontier 
counties,  and  in  January,  1S72,  Jackson 
county  ofl:icials  received  $100  of  this 
money,  which  was  divided  among  those 
who  had  sustained  loss.  According  to  the 
assessors'  figures  for  1871  there  were  19.- 
057  acres  of  land  subject  to  taxation.  The 


"■'Drake  olTcrcd  to  furnish  vis  a  rond  for 
JSO.OOO.  but  wo  didn't  hnve  quite-  that  amount 
lylnK  around  Ioosp.  so  wo  didn't  got  the  road." 
.1-M.   A.   Strcne.   ISSO. 


total  assessed  valuation  of  the  county  was 
$111,543. 

From  the  report  of  the  superintendent 
of  schools  it  is  learned  that  in  1.S71  tiiore 
were  nineteen  organized  districts,  of  which 
thirteen  reported.  There  were  4Ci5  chil- 
dren of  school  age  in  the  county,  and  there 
were  enrolled  in  the  summer  schools  231 
pupils,  while  15()  were  enrolled  'in  the 
winter  schools.  Six  teachers  were  em- 
ployed to  conduct  the  winter  schools  and 
eleven  the  summer  schools.  In  the  coun- 
ty there  were  three  frame  school  houses, 
one  of  stone  and  four  of  logs.  The  value 
of  all  the  school  buildings  was  $1,589. 

The  unwise  legislation  which  withdrew 
from  homestead  entry  nearly  one-half  of 
.Tackson  county's  lands  began  to  have  its 
eft'ect  in  1872.  The  bulk  of  the  govern- 
ment lands  had  been  taken  before,  and 
now  homeseekers  passed  through  Jackson 
county  on  their  way  farther  west,  where- 
as numy  would  have  stopped  could  Ihey 
have  secured  free  lands.  To  Nobles  coun- 
ty thousands  came  in  1S7'2  as  the  result  of 
(he  operations  of  the  National  Colony 
iiim])any,  which  had  secured  thousands  of 
acres  of  the  railroad  lands  nn<l  was  sell- 
ing them  at  low  prices. 

Hespite  the  lack  of  immigration,  rapid 
strides  forward  were  made.  Those  who 
had  come  in  1871  broke  out  their  land, 
erected  buildings,  and  added  to  the  pros- 
perity of  the  county.  The  number  of  acres 
of  taxable  land  in  1872  was  44.014.  The 
assessed  valuation  reached  $202.845 — 
nearly  twice  the  assessment  of  1871. 

I'^our  new  towhships  were  organi-/.ed 
during  the  year,  namely:  Hunter,  Kim- 
ball, Alba  and  IjaCrosse. 

Hunter  town.ehip,  which  since  March  13, 
18(;(i,  had  been  attached  to  Des  Aloines 
township,  was  created  February  13.  1872, 
and  to  it  were  attached  for  townshi|i  ])ur- 
|)oses  the  present  townships  of  Rost  and 
Rwington.     The   precinct   was   named    in 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


137 


honor  of  J.  W.  Hunter,  a  pioneer  mer- 
chant of  Jackson  and  county  treasurer  at 
the  time  the  township  was  created.  Among 
the  early  .settlers  of  Hunter  were  the  fol- 
Inwino-,  who  received  patents  to  land  in 
the  ycai's  mentioned : 

1870.  jr.  Ware  (28).  .Tolin  .S.  Ware  (28);  1S71. 
Daniel  0.  Reed  (26),  Ira  G.  Walden  (30):  1872, 
.Solon  C.  Tliayer  (32).  Charles  H.  Stewart  (2(1); 
1873,  George  A.  Tnia.\  (4),  Wilbur  S.  Kimball 
(18).  Milton  B.  Parker  (22),  Roliert  H.  l!uiker 
(22).  ilarfiaret  Topping  (24),  Edward  Orr  (24). 
Enoch  S.  Wave  (20):  1874,  Otis  B.  Kliodes 
(2-14).  Andrew  Simmons  (10).  Ale.xander 
Fiddes  (18).  Thaddeus  Rucker  (20),  William 
(ireer  (.34);  187.5,  .Tames  W.  Forrest  (4),.  Hart- 
son  H.  Bryant  (8);  1870,  .Tolin  Gallaglier. ".Jr., 
(6),  Daniel  Harrington  (14),  Francis  Bran- 
nick  (14),  .Tames  E.  McMillen  (20);  1,S77. 
.lames  H.  Rol)iiison  (10),  Levi  A.  Larned  (12), 
S.  D.  .'^umner  (34);  1878.  .Tohn  (iallagher  (6). 
Isaac  a.  Reed  (30);  1870.  .Martin  I^ilver  (2), 
.■\nios  D.  Palmer  (30);  18S0,  ^  Lansing  W. 
Crowl  (2).  Alfred  Bedient  (8):  1881,  William 
V.  King  (2(i)  ;  1883.  Lcniis  .T.  Lecocq  (12|  ;  188.i, 
Isaac  S.  Barrett   (12).  Helge  K.  Rue    (30). 

The  northea.st  corner  township  was 
created  on  the  same  day  as  was  Hunter, 
it  heiug  detached  from  Belmont  and  made 
a  separate  political  division  under  the 
n^me  of  Eosendahl.  The  organization  was 
[lerfected  in  March.  The  name  was  chang- 
ed to  Kimball  by  action  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  on  ]i[arch  33.  1872, 
it  being  named  in  honor  of  W.  S.  Kim- 
hall,  the  pioneer  hardware  merchant  of 
•laekson.  Land  patents  were  i.ssued  to 
Kimball  settlers  m  an  early  day  as  fol- 
lows : 

1873,  Charles  K;ressler  (14);  1874,  George  R. 
Hall  (4),  .Tohn  W.  Garner  (12).  George  I^ellogg 
(26);  1875,  Edgar  Stacey  (2).  .Tohn  S.  Porter 
(4).  .John  Middlebrook  (6);  1876.  Hiram  S. 
Schlott  (2):  .Joseph  DeJ.ong  (2),  Christian 
Sorgerson  (6).  William  C.  Xourse  (10),  George 
S.  Kendall  (12).  Carl  .J.  Erickson  (14);  1877. 
Charles  W.  Phelps  (2).  Sarah  .J.  .Alitchell  (0), 
■Fames  E.  Mitchell  (6),  Ole  (31.son  (8),  Charles 
Kellogg  (10),  Carl  C.  Frovorp  (14).  Antoin 
Storkerson  (14),  C.  A.  Rakkestad  (14).  .John 
Peterson  (18),  Peter  (iunderson  (18),  Robert 
H.  Wade  (24),  Christian  Erickson  (28).  Nicolas 
S.  .Julin  (28),  Erick  Erickson  (28),  Just  H. 
Erickson  (32);  1878.  .Joseph  Hastings  (8),  Ole 
■Johnson  (18),  .John  J.  .SHnd  (18).  Elias  S. 
■Tulin  (32).  Gustave  Kossach  (.34);  1879.  Carrie 
Peterson  (IS),  Otto  Erickson  (32);  1880,  .John 
Peterson      (8).     Ole     Bjornsen      (20),     Edward 

8 


Schoewe  (26)  ;  1881,  Carl  Gustav  Erickson 
(12);  1882,  Peter  Thompson  (18),  Ellef  Ben- 
son   (20). 

Town.ship  103,  range  38,  was  authoriz- 
ed to  begin  township  government  Septem- 
ber ■'!,  1873,  the  eonnnissioners  naming 
the  township  Baldwin.  The  name  was 
changed  to  Alba  a  few  days  afterward, 
and  the  first  town  meeting  was  held  Sat- 
urday, September  21,  at  the  home  of  the 
first  settler,  Ole  Thompson.  Following 
were  the  names  of  the  first  officers :  Sam- 
LU'I  I'mphrey.  chairman;  William  Blais- 
dell  and  (Jle  Thompson,  supervisors;  Tor- 
ge  Omberson,  treasurer;  Dr.  J.  F.  Force, 
assessor;  George  Umphrey  and  Dr.  J.  F. 
Force,  justices  of  the  peace;  Ole  Thomp- 
son and  Lawrence  Eeadle,  constables.  The 
following  were  early  day  settlers  of  Alba 
township  who  received  title  to  lands  from 
the  government : 

1872,  William  Blaisdell  (30l  ;  1873,  Ole 
Knudson  (2),  .James  W.  Nelson  (4).  Henry 
Humplirey  (10),  Cornelius  .Johnson  (20), 
Amanda  J.  ilerrian  (30);  1874,  .John  E.  Lyons 
(2),  (ieorge  Kline  (10).  Ole  E.  Thompson  (20). 
■John  A.  Olsen  (22);  1875.  William  N.  Strong 
(4).  James  T.  Clark  (8).  F:zekiel  C.  15ickford 
(12),  Abram  Freer  (24),  Calvin  R.  Gray  (30), 
Burns  Wiltse  (32)  ;  1876.  .James  M.  AIcNair 
(4),  James  L.  Howie  (6),  Jacob  F.  Force  (8), 
Samuel  Umphrey  (18).  John  Wilson  (22), 
Sila3  G.  Smith  (28);  1877,  Ole  Olson  Rognas 
(2),  Edward  Rogers  (14).  Henry  Umphrev 
(18),  .Johannes  D.  F'reer  (24);  1878,  Kjale  Her- 
mansen  (2).  Joseph  Readle  (6).  Ijawrence 
Readie  (8),  Clark  A.  Wood  (10).  .John  Benson 
(14),  Hallick  Seversoii  (20).  Obed  Omberson 
(22),  Newton  Freer  (24).  Peter  F.  McNair 
(26),  Armond  R.  Bechand  (28),  Julia  Severson 
(32);  1879,  Gudman  .Johnson  (12),  Hellick 
Anderson  (18),  Emma  Anderson  (20),  Hans 
Charleston  (24),  Terge  Armson  (28);  1880, 
(Jeorge  Umphrey  (18);  1881,  Peter  Vogt  (8), 
John  W.  Benson  (14),  Obed  Ormson  (22),  Anna 
M.  Rindy  (32);  1882.  Joseph  W.  Lidick  (10), 
Henry  Schumacher  (12).  Donald  Montgomerv 
(32).  Duncan  McNab  (32);  1883.  Anna  Frit- 
scber  (6);  1884,  Walter  L.  Freer  (24);  1885. 
John  Olson  (14);  1887.  Sever  Severson  (32): 
1888,  Samuel  J^ord  (2),  .Johann  Fritscher  (6), 
.John   I'eterson    (12),  .John   Besser    (14). 

LaCxosse  township  wa.s  also  organized 
in  September,  1872.  _  In  the  early  days 
a  party  of  claim  seekers,  among  whom  was 
Benjamin  J.  Svennes,  moved  from  La- 
Crosse,   Wisconsin,  to  tlie  northwest  cor- 


136 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


ner  township  of  Jackson  county  and  bf- 
ciune  pennanent  settk-rs.  Wliun  the  town- 
ship was  organized  tlic  name  of  the  Wis- 
consin town  from  whicli  manv  of  the  set- 
tlers liad  come  was  bestowed  upon  the  new 
township.  Following  are  the  names  of 
many  of  the  early  settlers  of  LaCrosse 
townsliip  and  the  dates  they  received  land 
])atents  from  the  jjovernment.  with  the 
nu!Hl)er  of  the  sectinns  iipnn  which  thoy 
had  their  claims: 

1S7I,  .Jolian  Mai.xiu'r  (201:  IS73,  .lames  \V". 
Maokiiison  (14),  .James  IIo))kins  (28).  .Jacol) 
Drill  (.-iO).  .lolin  H.  Allen  Cii) :  1S74.  .lul  (ill- 
hcrtsoii  (2(>).  Oliver  Paiip  (;!2).  Mieliael  Trern- 
iiier  (34).  Eber  S.  OsImmii  CU).  Hen  C.  San- 
born (34);  l.ST.i.  .Tolin  O'N'eil  (10|.  Samuel  1!. 
Kstes  (22):  1870.  .Tolni  .Tdlinson  (8).  Peter 
Peterson  (10).  .Tolin  Ilalfonl  (10).  .lolin  Lin- 
liard  (12).  Cliristoplier  Kiinsmiin  (141.  Cliris- 
tian  Ander.^ion  (ISl;  1877.  Karine  Wikstrum 
(10).  Ferdinand  Powlitsdiek  (12):  1878,  Don 
J.  Handy  (4).  Daniel  K.  Kisli  (0),  .lule  .1.  Svon- 
nes  (10),  Ferdinand  llaliermnn  (12).  l?en  J. 
Svenncs  (24).  Albert  (iilbertson  (2()),  Ole  A. 
Fauskee  (guardian)  (20):  1870.  Orman  W. 
Fish  (0).  Xils  Dahl  (8).  John  Behrenfeld  (.30). 
Franz  Piesoliel  (32):  1880.  Edward  .1.  Thew 
(0).  Franz  Hejier  (12)..lolian  (iehr  ( 12). .Joseph 
Servus  (14).  .Jolian  Powlitsehek  (14).  Frank 
Ximerfroh  (28):  1881.  .Joseph  Wenkler  (2). 
.John  MeCall  (8),  Franz  Prosser  (8),  Anton 
llffier  (12).  Franz  llaberman  (12).  .Joseph 
S<'hreiber  (20).  .John  P.  Peterson  (20).  Fer- 
dinand llaberman  l30):  1882.  .lolinn  Ileger 
(2).  Franz  Zellner  (8),  .John  Rostomily  (10). 
Ferdinand  llaberman  (20),  .John  llaberman 
(20).  Henry  A.  Parker  (32):  1883.  Franz  Lie- 
pold  (2).  .Joseph  .Jann  (4).  Katarina  Haberman 
(18),  Ipnatz  Haberman  (18),  Godfred  Haber- 
man (18).  .lolian  Maixner  (20).  Ole  (i.  SJalaas 
(24).  Ole  Fodness  (20).  Peter  Hohbanm  (20). 
Henjamin  JJepold  (28).  Joseph  IlalnMinan  (28). 
Franz  Pelzl  (28),  Josef  I'elzl  (34),  Alois 
I'Vied  (2),  Johan  .Jones  (0).  Alois  Sontnj;  (8); 
188.).  Ij-naz  Zellner  (8).  Johan  Hedrieh  (18), 
Franz  Winkler  (22).  Cliristine  NeNon  (241: 
188(1.  Johan  Habernum  (20).  Johan  Harlos  (28). 
Edward  Prosser  (28).  John  F.  IJehrenfeld  (30|: 
1888,  Ferdinand  Powlitsehek  (2).  Mary  Sulli- 
van (4).  Frank  IVlzl  (10).  A|..ilina  Winkler 
(IS),  Victor  0.   Mott    (22). 

The  ever-dreaded  winter  stornus  claim- 
ed the  victims  early  in  tST2.  In  the 
southeastern  part  of  Dclafield  town.<hip  C. 
D.  Carlestrom  and  his  son,  Clarice,  met 
death  in  a  blizzard  on  .Tanuary  lO  wliile 
hatding  wood.  The  body  of  JFr.  Carle- 
strom  was  found  throe  davs   later.     The 


boy's  body  was  not  found  until  the  next 
spring. 

On  Tuesday,  Kchiuary  i;{,  18?2.  tiic 
county  experienced  the  most  severe  bliz- 
zard since  the  terrible  storm  nf  Manli, 
1870.  Tlie  storm  raged  from  four  o\liick 
on  Monday  afternoon  until  midnight 
Tuesday.  On  Monday  the  weather  was 
warm  and  fine.  In  the  afternoon  a  warm 
snow  fell  until  four  o'clock.  Then  the 
wind  instantaneously  whippet!  around  to 
the  northwest  and  came  in  freezing  gusts, 
filling  the  air  with  blinding  snow  and 
making  it  impossible  to  sec  more  than  a 
few  yards.  The  change  was  so  sudden 
that  many  were  overtaken  and  lost  in  the 
lilinding  storm.  Three  human  lives  were 
.sacrificed  to  the  fury  of  the  stcirin.  and 
many  were  the  narrow  escapes. 

One  of  the  unfortunate  men  was  Mr. 
Garner,  of  Enterprise  township,  who  was 
oveitaken  by  the  storm  while  on  his  way 
home  from  Cedar  lake  with  a  load  of 
wood,  lie  was  unable  to  find  his  house, 
although  he  passed  within  a  hundred  rods, 
of  it.  At  that  point  l;c  unlonded  his  wood 
and  began  traveling  with  tiic  .sIodo.  His 
dead  body  was  found  on  tiic  .lackson-Win- 
neljago  City  stage  road.  Mr.  tiarucr's 
team  was  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Twin 
lakes,  one  of  the  animals  frozen  to  dc;ith. 

Terrible  sulfering  must  have  precciled 
the  deaths  of  John  Johnson  Buckeye  and 
(^le  Hognaes,  of  Heron  Lake.  They  were 
on  the  way  home  from  their  timber  lot 
when  struck  by  the  storm,  within  two 
miles  of  Heron  Lake  station.  Unyoking 
their  oxen,  the  men  started  out  on  foot 
for  the  nearest  house,  traveling  with  the 
storm.  The  tracks  of  the  unfortunate 
men  found  by  a  searching  jiarty  Wednes- 
day di.sclosed  the  fact  that  they  had 
passed  house  after  house,  sometimes  going 
within  four  rods  of  a  l)ou?e.  but  tinal)le  to 
fee  it  through  the  wind-driven  snow.  The 
liodv  of  Mr.  Eognaes  was  found  near  Boot 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


139 


lake,  a  distance  of  sixteen  miles  from  tlie 
point  where  the  men  started.  The  ap- 
]iearance  of  the  snow  showed  that  Mr. 
Bnckcye  liad  carried  his  companion  some 
distance  alter  the  hitter  had  given  np.  Mr. 
Buckeye  pushed  on  v>ith  the  wind.  After 
traveling  a  long  distance,  he  Ijecame  so 
hadly  frozen  that  he  was  unable  to  walk; 
then  he  crawled  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance farther.  His  body  was  found  in  a 
thicket  near  the  Des  Moines  river  at  the 
foot  of  a  hill,  down  which  he  had  slid. 
Unable  to  rise,  he  perished  there.  This 
was  at  a  point  about  four  miles  north- 
west of  Jackson  and  twenty-four  miles 
from  tlie  place  where  he  began  his  wan- 
derings.    The  body  was  found  on  Friday. 

Several  other  people  were  known  to 
have  been  caught  in  the  storm.  On  AVed- 
nesday  morning,  which  dawned  bright  and 
clear,  searching  parties  were  sent  out  to 
loiik  for  them.  Tlie  dri\er  of  the  Win- 
nebago City  stage  was  one  of  these,  Init 
he  had  been  able  to  secure  shelter  for  him- 
self and  team.  The  storn^  resulted  in 
many  deaths  in  other  parts  of  southwest- 
ern Minnesota  and  northwestern  Iowa. 

The  progress  nuide  in  Jackson  county 
during  18T2  is  illustrated  by  the  increase 
in  school  facilities  and  school  attendance. 
According  to  the  county  .superintendent's 
report  for  the  year,  there  were  twenty-six 
organized  districts,  of  which  twenty-one 
made  report.  There  were  610  children  of 
school  age.  Of  these  82  were  enrolled  in 
winter  schools  and  323  in  summer  schools. 
Four  teachers  were  employed  during  the 
winter  and  fourteen  during  the  summer. 
There  were  six  frame  and  five  log  school 
houses,  the  total  value  of  which  wa.s 
$1,864. 

A  question  of  vital  importance,  relating 
(o  the  diminution  of  the  county's  area, 
was  decided  at  the  general  election  in  No- 
vember, 1873.  The  legislature,  on  Feb- 
ruary 29,  passed  a  bill  providing  that  the 


townships  of  La  Crosse,  Alba.  Ewington 
and  Kouud  Ijake  should  be  detached  from 
Jackson  county  and  given  to  Nobles  coun- 
ty. At  the  same  time  another  bill  was 
passed  which  provided  that  the  four  west- 
ern townships  of  Nobles  county  should  be 
given  to  Eock  county."  The  proposition 
was  to  enlarge  Kock  county  at  the  expense 
of  Jackson  county.  The  act  was  not  to  be 
put  in  force  until  both  Jackson  and  No- 
bles county  should  ratify  it  by  ballot. 
The  election  on  the  question  was  almost  a 
farce.  Nobles  county  decided  in  favor  of 
the  proposition  by  a  vote  of  131  to  101), 
but  Jackson  county  naturally  voted  no. 
Only  thirty-six  voters  in  Jackson  county 
registered  in  favor  of  the  surrender  of 
territory,  and  all  except  one  of  these  re- 
sided in  Alba  and  Iiouiid  Lake  town.ships 
— townships  which  were  closer  to  Nobles 
county  villages  than  they  were  to  those 
of  Jackson  county.  The  result  bv  town- 
sliips  was  as  follows: 


TOWNSHIPS 

be 

c 
■>  00 

c  ca 

be 
< 

Alba 

14 
1 

2i" 

2 
49 
51 
51 
103 
40 
39 
25 
17 
17 
27 
16 
36 

66 
36 

Belmont  

Christiania 

Delafield 

Des  Moines 

Enterprise 

Heron  Lake 

Hunter  

Kimball 

La  Crosse 

Middletown 

Minneota 

Petersburg 

Round  Lake 

Weimer 

Wisconsin 

Total 

36 

575 

Jackson  county's  first  court  house  was 
built  in  1872.  After  the  defeat  of  the 
court  house  bonds  in  1870  the  matter  was 


140 


HISTOHY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


allowed  to  rest  two  years.  Then,  on  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1872,  citizens  of  Jackson  met 
at  the  office  of  iViulcrson  &  Tiffany  to 
take  steps  to  secure  a  county  building.  A 
petition  was  drawn  u|>  and  forwarded  to 
St.  Paul  a.-;kin<;  the  legislature  to  enact 
another  law  allowing  tlie  coniini.^sioners  to 
issue  bonds  for  this  ]nir])osi'.  In  an  in- 
foniial  manner  't  was  agreed  that  Jack.'Jon 
jieoplc  sliould  (Innate  ]iart  of  the  necessary 
funds.  In  accordamr  witli  tlie  expressed 
wisiies  of  the  ])eople  who  signed  the  peti- 
tion, an  act  was  jia.sscd  and  approved  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1872.  It  authorized  the  coni- 
niissioners  to  issue  Ijonds  not  to  exceed 
$(>,00(),  but,  again,  tiio  act  to  become  op- 
erative must  be  ratified  by  the  electors. 

A  special  election  for  this  jiurpose  was 
held  March  12,  when  the  act  was  ajiprov- 
ed  by  a  vote  of  22G  to  1.5(i.  Owing  to  se- 
vere weather,  a  light  vote  was  polled,  and 
no  elections  were  held  in  the  lownshijis 
of  Weimer,  LaCrosse  and  Ko.sendahl 
(KiiMliall).  The  norlii  part  of  the  county 
was  almost  solidly  against  the  bonds,  as 
the  vote  shows: 


TOWNSHIPS 

For 
Bonds 

ARainst 
Bonds 

Belmont 

Christiania 

Delafiekl 

Dcs  Moines 

20 

"98 
26 

■"iB 

20 

8 

25 

"23 

28 
45 
;!() 
.'> 
2 
21 

7 
2 
7 
2 

Enterprise 

HiTim  Lake 

Hunter 

Middletown 

Minneota 

Pe  tersbu  rg 

Round  Lake 

Wisconsin 

Total 

226 

l.-Sfi 

To  assist  in  the  erwtion  of  the  build- 
ing the  people  of  Jackson  liound  them- 
selves to  the  county  by  promissory  note  to 


pay  the  sum  of  $1,480,  providing  the 
court  house  siiould  be  erected  during  the 
year  1ST2.'''  All  of  this  amount  was  not 
paid  into  the  county  treasury,  however, 
and  suit  was  brought  to  collect  sonic  of 
the  contributions.  A  statement  of  tiie 
standing  of  these  accounts  made  Decem- 
ber 2(i,  1878,  shows  the  standing  at  that 
late  day:  Amount  paid,  $SG.") ;  partly 
paid  and  considered  collectable,  $liiO;  in 
suit  $85;  uncollectable,  $370. 

The  $(),()()0  bonds  were  quicklv  disposed 
of,  and  on  June  10  the  contract  for  the 
erection  of  the  building  was  let  to  T.  L. 
Twilfni-d,  of  Spirit  Lake,  on  a  casli  bid 
of  $.'),800."'  The  building  was  rusiied  to 
completion  and  was  accepted  from  the 
contractor  Decend)er  28.  Faulty  construc- 
tion was  alleged,  and  tliere  was  consider- 
alile  tiouble  ovei'  the  matter  before  a  final 
settlement  was  made.  For  thirty-four 
years  this  building  erected  in  1872  served 
as  the  coimty  court  house,  and  was  dis- 
lilaeed  l>y  the  handsome  edifice  recently 
dedicated. ■■ 


'^Tliii.sc  who  so  liound  themselve.s  and  tlu- 
amount  e."ich  aBrftd  tn  oonliihutc  wi-n-  as  fol- 
lows: .\n(Iirs()n  *  'I'Iffanv.  $liiO;  W.  .\shlev.  JISO; 
\V.  S.  Kimhall.  JlOO:  ChambiTUn  *  .\shlo.v  (cash). 
J.'iii:  ('h;niilHilin  iSi  .\shlov  (hluek  25.  Jarksonp. 
J4ii(i;  .M.  .\.  StroriK.  J25:  Jamis  \V.  Hinit.-r.  $50: 
J.  \V.  Cowing,  $50;  Kdw.  P.  Sklniu-r,  $6(1;  I.  .-v. 
Morcaiix.  $25:  R.  M.  Wmxlwaiil.  $25;  Simeon 
.\ver.v.  $25;  Michael  MilUr.  Jld;  .\.  K.  Wood. 
$10;  C.  Baldwin  (In  workl.  $25;  II.  Miner.  $25: 
W.  C.  Garratt,  $25;  H.  .M.  .Vverv.  $2:i;  A.  H. 
Strong.  $25;  John  H.  Grant.  $25;  H.  S.  Ballev, 
$150;  H.  H.  Johnson.  $25;  S.  M.  Clark.  $25: 
.Mexander  KIdde.s.  $25:  J.  K.  Thomas.  $25;  S.  K. 
Kord    (in   work).   $5;  Menno  Kby,    $5. 

'■lithiT  liids  sulimltlod  were;  \V.  S.  Kimball, 
cash,  $(;.00O.  bonds,  $6,500;  H.  S.  Bullcy,  cash, 
$ti.500,  bonds,  $7,000;  Farmer  &  Hallett.  cash. 
$6,200. 

''.Vniom?  the  judpes  who  h<*KI  co\irt  In  this 
old  liiilldlni;  w.-re  Franklin  II.  Walte.  Daniel 
.\.  Dickinson,  afterwards  for  m.-iny  >'ears  a  jus- 
tice of  the  supreme  court;  J.  1..  M<'Donald. 
Charles  M.  Start,  the  present  chief  justice  nr 
Minnesota;  M.  J.  Severance.  A.  D.  Perkins.  P. 
H.  Brown.  I.orin  Cray  and  James  H.  Quinii. 
.\monB  the  eminent  law.vers  who  practiced  at 
Its  bar  were  T.  J.  Knox,  who  tried  the  first  .and 
Inst  lawsuits  in  the  1)Uitdin>;:  John  It.  Sanlxirn. 
W.  n.  Sanborn.  Yomig  \-  l.itjhtner.  W.  B.  Douk- 
las.  Savage  *  Piirdy.  J.  W.  l.osey.  H.  II.  Fic^ld. 
James  .\.  Tawne\-.  M.  J.  Severance.  John  l.lnd. 
II.  F.  Webber.  John  .\.  I.ovcly.  I.orin  Cray,  An- 
drew  C.   Dunn   and   Daniel   Rohrer. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


MTOn,  LEWOX  AN* 
TltOEN   FOU«DATia«jg, 


- 

■    V 

1 

fe'^.'l:.a._-_.._..L' 


:«_ 


iirlR'ufll^Aii^i'^''''  "^  vai.i.kV  •    MiN  H:  OTAdjin  n;i»i:iJ^6N  »*'Hi;Ki{si!ri;  (.  j^ 


'  <"-yitr\<-' 


JACKSON  COUNTY  IN  1S74 
Reproduced  from  an  Old  i'riiit. 


A  SOD  SHANIV 
In  Buildings  Such  as  These  Many  of  Jackson  County's  Pioneers  Had  Their  Homes. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  GEASSilOPPEE  SCOURGE— 1873-1877. 


NOW  come  the  dark  days  of  Jack- 
son comity  history — the  fjrass- 
hopper  days.  For  several  years, 
beginuiug  with  1873,  grasslioppers,  or 
Eocky  Mountain  locusts,  swept  down  upon 
the  country  in  countless  millions,  devour- 
ing the  cultivated  crops  and  bringing  dis- 
aster to  nearly  every  citizen.  The  people 
of  Jackson  county,  in  common  with  those 
of  all  southwestern  Minnesota,  suffered 
as  few  pioneer  settlers  in  any  country  ever 
suffered.  Adversity  followed  adversity. 
The  frowns  of  fortune  overwhelmed  those 
who  had  come  with  such  high  hopes  in 
the  preceding  years  and  cast  them  into 
the  slough  of  despond.  The  picture  can- 
not be  painted  too  dark. 

The  country  became  bankrupt.  Immi- 
gration ceased :  migration  began.  All 
who  could  mortgaged  their  property  and 
many  left  the  county.  Some  got  into 
such  straighted  circumstances  that  they 
were  actually  without  the  means  to  pay 
their  railway  fare  out  of  the  country.  It 
was  impossible  to  make  a  living  from  the 
farm,  and  many  sought  work  during  the 
summer  seasons  in  their  old  homes  in  the 
east;  otheT'S  attempted  to  earn  a  livelihood 
by  trapping.  In  time  land  became  value- 
less ;  it  could  not  be  sold  or  mortgaged.^ 

^Arthur  M'.  Dunn,  a  former  Jackson  county 
boy.  now  the  famous  Washington  correspond- 
ent,  has  added  his   testimony   to  the   conditions. 


After  the  first  or  second  year  eastern  capi- 
talists refused  to  consider  loans  in  the 
grasshopper  infested  country. 

Before  taking  np  the  story  of  the  first 
grasshopper  invasion,  let  us  consider  a 
few  other  events  that  occurred  during 
18^3,  and  look  at  tlie  country  as  it  was 
before  the  devastation  came. 

The  population  hr.d  increased  to  per- 
haps between  3.000  and  4,000  people,  and 
everv  part  of  the  county  was  settled.  All 
except  four  townships  were  organized.  A 
line  of  railroad  was  operated  through  the 
county,  and  many  stage  lines  carried  "mail 
and  passengers  to  and  from  all  the  neigh- 
boring communities.-  Two  villages,  Jack- 
son and  Heron  Lake,  were  enjoying  pros- 
perous times  and  a  healthy  growth  as  a 
result  of  the  immigration  and  the  develop- 
ment of  their    tra(ie  territories.     The  fer- 


He  has  written:  "Many  a  time  have  I  seen 
a  farmer  who  came  to  Jaclison  full  of  hope,  who 
had  taken  a  homestead,  acquired  title  and 
seemed  ready  to  enjoy  prosperity,  sell  as  fine 
a  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  as  the  sun 
eyer  shown  upon  for  a  broken  down  team  and 
wagon  and  enough  money  to  get  back  beyona 
the   hoppers." 

=In  August.  1873.  seven  stage  lines  were  oper- 
•Tted  from  the  village  of  Jacksor,.  as  follows; 
Windom  (daily).  B.  "VV.  Ashley,  contractor;  St. 
James  (twice  a  week).  William  Barnes,  con- 
tractor; Winnebago  City  (three  times  a  week). 
Tom  George,  contractor:  Blue  Earth  City  (three 
times  a  week).  O.  S.  Farr,  contractor;  Esther- 
ville  (weekly).  Welch  .Ashley,  contractor;  Spen- 
cer (daily;).  I>.  E.  Holcomb.  contractor;  Worth- 
ington  (twice  a  week).  William  Greer,  contrac- 
tor. All  of  these  linjs  had  been  in  operation 
a  year  or  two  before  this  date  and  some  of 
them   longer. 


141 


142 


IIJSTOUY  OF.IACKSU.N  C  UUNTV 


tility  and  value  of  tlic  J'ariniiig'  lamls  hatl 
been  proven  by  excellent  erops.  The  pros- 
pects seemed  good  im-  .lackson  county 
cnntinuinir  it-;  onwarii  march  to  prosper- 
ity. 

Ewiugton  township  was  organized  in 
the  spring  of  the  year.  A  ])etition  was 
cireulatetl  in  ilarcii,  anil  on  the  "^'^th  of 
that  month  the  board  of  county  cnnunis- 
sioner.s  jjassed  a  resolution  declaring  the 
township  organized  under  the  name  of 
Ewington,  in  honor  of  the  Ewing  family, 
the  township's  first  settlers.^  The  first 
town  meeting  was  held  at  the  homo  of 
Nancy  Ewing  on  April  l-").  when  the 
township's  first  officers  were  chosen.  They 
wore  as  follows:  G.  E.  Perry,  chairman; 
E.  K.  Dunn  and  Orsenms  Farnlian),  su- 
pervisors;  T.  ('.  Ewing,  clerk  and  treas- 
urer; Frank  Grim,  assessor;  W.  F.  Ew- 
ing, justice  of  the  ])eace ;  Thomas  Fitzger- 
ald, constable.  Early  day  land  jiatents 
were  granted  to  the  following  in  lOwing- 
ton  township : 

1872.  Walter  S.  Brndford  (14),  Alsoii  T.. 
Bailov  (24):  IST."!,  JIntl;ew  Snivth  (6).  Clinrles 
\V.  Ciiilis  (14).  Kiuly  J.  Stiles  (28):  1874, 
Kranl<lin  fJriiii  (2),  Ku(li>lpli  Boekor  (12), 
.Iiimcs  II.  Wped  (24).  Cornelius  .Toliiisoii  (2(>l; 
1875,'  Robert  (i.  Deatlie  (12);  lS7(i.  Or.semus 
Fnrnl'am  (2),  fleorec  Periv  (li);  1877.  Tliiiniiis 
E.  Filz<;eral(l  (4).  Tliom.is'c.  Ewiiif:  (.SO),  Wil- 
liam I'.  Kwin^'  (.S2):  1878.  James  W.  .Matliews 
(10),  Aa^e  ClnistiaiisDi!  (181.  .Inim  A.  SpalTonl 
(20),  Fred  A.  Barton  CM):  187il.  Oiristian 
Olseii  (8),  Hans  Olsen  (10).  William  N.  Davios 
(22).  Susan  K.  Barton  (2S|:  1880.  Soren  Iver- 
.son  (10).  Arllinr  \.  .Toiilan  CiO).  W-irr  W'liip 
key  (34):  1881.  .Tolin  McCall  (8):  1882.  Hans 
Soi-cnson  (8):  1883.  Charles  }'.  Handall  (20). 
Andrew  Oqrrie  (.30),  .lames  XA'alker  (32l:  18.^4. 
James  H.  Ewing  (22);   188(1.  ll«Tnr.ui  Pinz   (4i. 

Willi  the  possible  e\cc])lion  of  the  win- 
ter of  1856-57.  thai  of  18:2-73, was  the 
most    severe    in    tli(>   history    of   Jack.son 

'"Along  In  Mareh  Fllmoro  EwhiK  came  to  our 
house  In  town  with  a  petition  to  have  the  toviii- 
ship  organized,  naming  U  after  the  family,  who 
were  the  first  settlers — and  the  honor  was  not 
misplaced,  for  they  were  a  very  worthy  f.imllv. 
Intelligent,  neighborly,  hospltnhli'.  and  we  h:i\-c 
always  l)een  sorry  they  could  not  hiivi-  ahldid 
wheri'  their  early  residence  created  so  favorabh' 
an  impression  and  their  imfortunate  denai-tiire 
kindled  .so  many  regrets." — J.  A,  SpafTord  I" 
Jackson  Republic,  March  1.  1895. 


county.  Concerning  this  memorable  sea- 
son, Mr.  ']'.  .1.  Knox,  of  .lackson,  has  writ- 
Icii : 

The  winter  of  1872-73  will  lonn  lie  reniendier- 
ed  as  the  longest  and  severest  that  this  coun- 
try Inis  ever  experieiKed.  It  lie}.'an  on  the 
I2t!i  ilay  of  Noveniher  with  a  lilizzard  that 
continne<l  for  tliree  days,  during  wliieli  time 
snow  fell  to  a  jireat  deptli.  prolml)ly  not  less 
than  two  feet,  hut  which  was  so  blown  about 
and  drifted  by  the  wind  that  in  some  jdaees 
lliere  were  drifts  of  twenty  feet  or  more.  The 
newly  constructed  railway  was  hopelessly 
Idockaded.  and  remained  so  imtil  the  following 
spriiiff.  From  the  time  winter  so  set  in  there 
was  llllle  let  up  in  tlie  severity  of  the  weather. 
One  storm  followed  anotlier.  and  when  not 
stormini;  the  weather  was  cold  and  severe, 
while  the  deep  snows,  almost  constantly 
drifting',  mule  Ir.ivei  dillieult  and  .■•omi'l  inu-s 
danjjerinis.  Durinj;    that    Ion;;    winter 

till'  inliabitai'ts  of  this  part  of  the  state  were 
practically  sliut  out  from  the  world.  At  times 
there  were  no  mails  for  three  weeks  at  a 
stretcli.  Many  people  suffered  for  want  of 
necessary  food,  elotliin;;  and  fuel.  Tlie  siUTer- 
inf;s  and  horrors  of  that  Ion;;  and  dreadful 
winter  will  never  be  effaced  from  tlie  memories 
of   those   who  experienced   them. 

The  ill-fated  year  isr;i  began  with  the 
iiiosi  violent  winter  storm  in  the  hi.story 
of  the  state  from  the  time  of  its  fii-st  set- 
tlement to  the  present  date.  F^or  three 
days,  beginning  January  7.  the  blizzard 
raged,  extending  over  the  whole  north- 
west. The  tempcralurc  was  about  eigh- 
teen degrees  below  zero  during  the  whole 
|)eriod  of  tlic  storm.  The  air  was  fiileil 
with  snow  as  fine  as  llmir.  Through  every 
crevice,  keyhole  and  nailhole  the  fine  snow 
|ienetrated,  i)ufTing  into  the  house  like 
steam.  Seventy  liuman  lives  were  lost  in 
the  storm  in  ^finnesota.  but  by  a  miracu- 
lous turn  of  fate  none  of  these  was  in 
.lackson  county.  It  was  the  only  county 
ill  the  vicinity  that  escaped  without  loss 
of  life. 

The  forenocm  of  Tuesday.  .January  7. 
was  mild  and  ]i]ea-.\n(  ;  the  sky  was  clear 
and  there  was  no  wind.  It  seemed  as 
ihoiigh  a  "January  thaw"  was  imminent, 
'i'he  pleasant  weather  had  induced  many 
farmers  to  start  to  town  on  business  or  to 
the   neighboring  farm   houses  with   their 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


143 


families  to  visit.  A  little  after  noon  a 
change  was  apparent.  The  sky  lost  its 
cTvstal  clearness  and  became  a  trifle  hazy. 
Towaril  two  o'clock  a  white  wall  was  seen 
bearing  down  from  the  northwest.  The 
front  of  the  storm  was  distinct  and  al- 
most as  clearly  defined  as  a  great  sheet. 
In  a  few  minutes  a  gale,  moving  at  the 
rate  of  thirty  or  forty  miles  an  hour,  was 
sweeping  the  country;  a  full-fledged  bliz- 
zard had  .supplanted  the  bright  sunshine 
in  a  few  moments.  The  air  was  so  com- 
pletely filled  with  flying  snow  that  it  was 
impossible  to  see  objects  a  short  distance 
away. 

The  siorm  began  with  such  fury  that 
nearly  all  who  were  in  the  villages  or  at 
neighbors"  homes  abandoned  the  idea  of 
reaching  their  own  firesides  and  found 
shelter  witli  friends  or  at  the  hotels.  Even 
some  wlio  were  caught  away  from  home  in 
the  villages,  only  a  few  blocks  away,  did 
not  attempt  lo  brave  the  dangers  of  get- 
ting home.  All  Tuesday  night,  Wednes- 
day and  Wednesday  night  the  storm  raged 
with  unabated  fury.  Xot  until  Thurs- 
day wa.s  there  any  perceptible  let-up,  and 
not  until  Friday  was  the  storm  over.  Sev- 
•eral  Jackson  county  residents  were  caught 
on  the  prairie  in  the  storm,  but  there  was 
not  a  single  case  of  severe  freezing.  Some 
were  obliged  to  spend  two  or  three  days 
in  deserted  claim  shanties,  but  all  were 
found  alive  after  the  storm. 

Anders  I'.  Kilen,  of  Belmont  township, 
had  a  narrow  escape.  He  wa.s  returning 
home  from  Heron  Lake  when  the  storm 
struck,  and  when  about  three  miles  from 
his  house  he  took  refuge  in  a  board  claim 
shanty.  The  furniture  of  the  shanty  con- 
sisted of  a  coffee  pot  partly  filled  with 
screenings,  a  plow,  a  hammer  and  a  liitle 
hay.  From  Tuesday  afternoon  until  Fri- 
day morning  Mr.  Kilen  battled  for  his 
life  in  the  lonelv  cabin.  He  tried  to  kin- 
dle a  fire  l)y  striking  sparks  from  the  plow 


with  the  hammer,  but  the  plow  was  too 
hard  and  he  was  unsuccessful,  so  he  kept 
from  freezing  by  physical  exercise,  spend- 
ing three  days  pacing  back  and  forth  with- 
in the  narrow  confines  of  the  cabin.  He 
utilized  the  hay  to  fill  the  cracks  in  the 
shanty  and  to  make  hay  ropes,  with  which 
to  bind  his  benumbed  limbs.  He  ate  the 
streenings  and  used  snow  for  dessert. 
When  the  storm  liroke  he  found  his  way 
home,  not  much  the  worse  for  his  experi- 
ence. 

A  large  acreage  of  small  grain  and  corn 
was  sown  in  the  spring  of  1873,  and  the 
grain  grew  luxuriantly  during  the  spring 
months.  Everybody  was  enthusiastic  over 
the  prosjjects — a  state  of  mind  wliieh  was 
soon  to  be  turned  to  gloom. 

The  first  grasshopper  invasion  of  Jack- 
son county  was  on  Saturday,  June  14, 
1873.  People  noticed  something  floating 
through  the  air  from  west  to  east,  at  a 
great  height  and  apparently  drifting  with 
the  wind.  At  first  ."^ight  it  was  taken 
to  be  the  fluff  that  comes  from  cottonwood 
trees,  but  before  long  a  few  scattering  ob- 
jects began  coming  to  the  earth  from  the 
floating  clouds,  and  they  were  found  to 
be  gra.s.shoppers — forerunners  of  a  scourge 
that  for  several  years  devastated  this  part 
of  the  country  and  resulted  in  the  retar- 
dation of  the  county's  progress  for  many 
years. 

The  flight  kept  up  for  several  days,  and 
then  tlie  pe-sts  took  their  departure.  A 
great  many  came  down  and  feasted  on  the 
growing  crops  and  deposited  their  eggs 
in  the  ground."*  Great  damage  was  done 
to  the  crops,  but  not  so  great  as  in  later 
years,  and  a  light  harvest  was  gathered.^ 
I'he  storv  of  the  invasion  was  told  bv  the 


'Egp.s  were  deposited  preferably  in  solid 
frround  and  to  a  depth  of  from  one-half  inrh  to 
r>^p  inch.  The  tail  of  the  female  grasshopper 
is  a  hard.  honv.  cone-shaoed  .substance,  and 
this  was  easjlv  bored  into  the  solid  ground  and 
the  ej;:gs  deposited. 

^The  damage  to  crops  in  Minnesota  in  1873 
was   officially   estimated   at   $3,034,000. 


144 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Jackson  Republie  in  it?  issue  ol  Juno  21  : 

Our  curiosity  is  siatiatwl.  We  have  always 
Iiail  a  desire  to  see  one  of  t'.iosc  "clouds"  of 
fjrasslioppers.  of  wliicli  «e  Imvc  read  from  time 
to  time.  Tlii'V  liave  Iiieii  here  for  a  week  in 
countless  millions  ami  yet  we  liave  failed  to 
discern  any  (liminution  of  strenfjtli  of  the 
sun's  rays.'  To  he  sure  there  were  plenty  of 
them  in  the  air.  hut  were  only  visihle  in  a 
small  radius  around  the  sun.  As  a  matter  of 
coursi'.  sonu'  of  the  timid  settlers  want  to 
.sell  and  get  away,  takin;;  it  for  };ranted  that 
their  crops  will  all  he  eaten  oil'  and  a  famine 
ensue.  Many  lields  of  wheat  and  harley  were 
mercilessly  j-ohhlcd  hv  the  ho])pers.  at  least  to 
jud<:e  from  appearance,  hut  careful  examina- 
tion shows  that  the  injury  is  comparatively 
.slight.  The  pests  have  taken  their  departure 
and  the  fields  are  making  rapid  |)rogress  in 
gaining   the   growth    the    crops   lost. 

A  fanner  iesi(lin<?  in  the  nortlicin  jjnrt 
of  the  county  told  of  the  ravages  of  the 
pests  in  his  ncijihborhootl  ami  the  at- 
tempts to  jiiotcet  the  grain: 

The  all  engrossing  siibject  in  this  vicinity 
at  present  is  the  grasshopper  question.  They 
made  their  appearance  here  last  Saturday  af- 
ternoon and  immediately  hegaii  their  aggres- 
sive niovenu-nls.  Ne.\t  day  they  ate  five  or  six- 
acres  of  my  wheat.  Their  numhers  rapidly  in- 
creased, the  air  seeming  to  he  full  of  them. 
They  resemlded  large  Hakes  of  snow  in  a 
snow  storm,  ami  they  smm  took  possession  ol 
all  the  grain  lields  in  the  ni'ighhorhood.  Iheak 
iiig  teams  had  a  general  holiday:  men  travel- 
ed their  fields,  not  knowing  what  to  do.  so  suil 
den  and  unexpected  was  the  general  imslaughf. 
A  few  with  small  fields  and  large  families 
marshaled  all  their  available  forces,  who,  with 
long  poles  and  switches,  walked  their  fields  a 
few  rods  apail  and  thus  tried  to  chase  otf  the 
invaders,  hut  their  numhers  increased  so  fast 
that  the  ceaseless  elTorts  proved  of  little  avail. 
A  fi'W  of  the  more  despondent  are  olTeriiig 
their  ilaims  for  sale  at  ruint)Us  figures  ami 
starting  in  searih  of  some  region  where  grass- 
hoppers are  unkmiwii.  Hut  it  is  really  en- 
couraging to  see  how  cIm  erf nl  and  (ouragcovis 
the  great  majority  are.  The  earlier  sown  oats, 
so  far  as  I  have  heard,  are  as  yet  compara- 
tively   safe. 

Grjisshoppers  were  .^een  in  the  air  again 
on  .\iigust  2,  but  they  pa.ssed  over  with- 
out stopping  to  feed.  At  liarvest  time  it 
was  found  tlnit  tliose  fields  whiili  had 
not  been  molested  yielded  abundantly. 
The  hoppers  seenieil  to  prefer  wlieat.  and 
the  oats  were  not  badly  damaged.  Corn 
Ihat  had  been  well  put  in  was  a  fine  crop. 


(In  .\ugust  23  the  Jackson  Republic  said 
id'  tile  harvest: 

Some  men  have  no  grain  worth  cutting,  while 
their  neighhors'  fields  lying  alongside  have  a 
large  yield,  and  on  other  farms  some  piews 
or  parts  are  poor  ami  the  rest  good.  As 
a  general  rule,  those  who  have  high  rolling 
land  on  their  farms  have  heavy  crops,  while 
some  whose  farms  are  wet  were  unable  to  get 
their  seed  put  ill  well  ill  the  spring,  and.  being 
backward,  was  nice  and  tender  for  the  hop- 
pers. Those  who  have  lost  their  crops  mu-t 
not  dc'spair,  but  rather  jirofit  by  the  experi 
cnce  anil  give  more  attention  to  stock  raising. 

In  addition  to  the  gras.sho]ipfr  dcvasta- 
lion,  liie  jianie.  which  held  the  cnuntry 
in  its  grip  in  1ST;],  added  m  the  hard 
times  which  followed.  The  loss  of  their 
erojjs  left  many'  families  in  destitute  cir- 
cumstances, and  there  was  much  sulTer- 
ing.  When  winter  came  it  was  known 
that  some  measure  for  the  relief  of  the 
ilestitute  must  be  taken.  During  the  clos- 
ing davs  of  De(^cniber  mass  meetings  to 
discuss  the  situatimi  were  held  at  Heron 
Lake  and  at  Jacksnn. 

'I'lie  lleiiin  Lake  meeting  was  held  De- 
i-eiiilier  '.'(1.  Dr.  IJ.  K.  Foster  was  the 
chainiian  and  John  T.  Smith  swretary. 
.\  cimiiiiittee  composed  of  J.  W.  Heii.son. 
John  T.  Smith.  .1.  V.  i'le.scotl.  John  Weir 
and  K.  Johnson  was  named  to  make  an 
investigation  as  to  the  neetls  of  the  citi- 
zens. E.\-Ciovernor  Stephen  stiller  ar- 
rived at  Heron  Lake  the  next  day  and 
left  some  funds  which  he  bad  obtained 
from  the  relief  committee  at  St.  Paul  tn 
relieve  the  immediate  wants  of  the  desti- 
tute. On  the  29th  the  committee  divided 
!j;(il_onc-half  the  amount  in  the  treasury 
— among  ten  residents  who  applied  for 
aid.  A  Heron  Lake  citizen,  writing  on 
that  date,  said:  "Today  there  were  ten 
])ersons  here  for  aid.  Some  of  them  were 
in  actual  starving  condition.  They  did 
not  know  where  the  bread  to  eat  was  com- 
ing from  two  days  hence." 

The  mass  meeting  at  Jackson  was  held 
December  29.    T.  J.  Kno.x  was  chairman 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY.  145 

anil   Alexander  Fiddes  was  secretan'.     A  ern  portions  of  the  countv,  and  Alexander 

central    enmniittee    was    appointed,    com-  Fiddes    and    J.    AV.    Hunter   who    should 

posed  of  the  following  named  gentlemen :  make  the  distribution  in  the  southern  and 

W.    S.    Kijiihall,    M.    A.    Strong,    E.    L.  eastern  portions.     Each  committee  receiv- 

Hrouiiell.  (i.   P).  Franklin  and   George  C.  ed  $270. 

('lianil)erlin,  of  .Jackson:  J.  T.  Smith,  of  General  H.  H.  Sibley,  the  head  of  the 

IFeron    Ijake :    H.    J.    Phelps,    of    Kound  state    relief    work,    reported    on    July    9, 

Lake:    Ole    E.   Olson,   of   Belmont.     The  1874,  that  he  had  turned  over  to  Jackson 

committee   was   instructed    to   correspond  county  committees  the  sum  of  $1,007  for 

with    parties   in    St.    Paul    and   elsewhere  the  relief  of  settlers  up  to  that  time.    The 

with   regard  to  obtaining  I'elief  for  those  dates,   amounts   and    parties   to   whom   he 

in  want  and  to  ascertain  liow  much  seed  luid  sent  the  money  were  as  follows:" 

wheat  was  needed  for  the  next  season.  Dec.  24,   1S73:    Heron  Lake   committee, 

The   committees   at   once  entered   upon'       '^^  ^o'  '^l^-*',''-  'tT'*"*'"',- ', :'     ■    ■*'-'" 

'  .Jan.    2,     18^4:     Heron     Lake    committee, 

tlieir  duties.     They  canvas.sed  the  county         J.  T.  Smith,  secretary 150 

east  and  south  of  Heron  Lake,  where  there  •^""-  .l'^-  J^'f'-    "<''■''"  ^^"'^'^  committee, 

■L    1 .  Smitli,   secretary 100 

was    the    greatest    suffering,    and    reported  .Jan.    27,    1874:     Heron  "Lake    committee, 

findino-  86  pensons  in  need  of  aid.     The         ^^-  ^-  ^''"''  secretary  pro  tem 100 

-  Jan.  30,  1874,  Heron  Lake  committee,  G, 

authorities  m  St,  Paul  were  notihed  and         H.  Carr,  secretary  pro  tem 150 

asked  to  send  supijlies  at  once.     The  arti-  -^I""-  ^^'  l^"*=    H^"'""  Lake  committee,  J. 

1  1     1    J.  ii        1    .,  ■  ,■  ^'^'^"''     treasurer 50 

eles    asked    tor    were    mostly    clothing    lor  Apr.    16,    1874:     Heron   Lake   committee. 

women    and    children.      Three    articles    of         J-    "^^^eir,    treasnrer 100 

,.      ,                   ,-1                              „                    ,  June   24,    1874:      Heron   Lake   committee, 

I I     wi'V     lounii    necessary — tiour,    pnric  ,J.  Weir,  treasurer                                              50 

and  beans.     About  the  middle  of  January  •^""-  ^f*'   ^^^■^-     0'*=  Tollefson,  postmas- 

, ,       r:      ,  •  ,.  , .  ter.   Belmont    ,50 

tile   hrst   consignment   of   supplies   was   re-  A,)r.  16,  1874:    Jlajor  H.  S.  Bailey,  .Jack- 

ceived  and  distributed  by  the  committee  at         s°"    ' I'lO 

,r            T    1           13     ^      4-   j-i           V  i?      ■       ■  J""<"  -''•  1'^"-':    Major  H.  8.  Bailey,  .Jack- 

lieron   Lake.     Part   ot  the  relief  ^vas  m  son                                            .' .                 50  ' 

cash,  the  balance  in  clothing.    On  the  21st  

oi  January  the  Jackson  committee  receiv-  °  ^     ' 

ed  19  sacks  of  ilour  and  three  boxes  of  '''''''  Heron  Lake  committee,  composed 
clothing  sent  by  the  citizens  of  Stillwa-  "''  ''•  ^^'-  Benson,  chairman;  J.  T.  Smith, 
ter.  The  ^u))plies  were  distributed  the  *=ecretary ;  John  Weir,  treasurer;  and  J. 
next  day.  '  I"-  Prescott,  reported  the  ilivision  of  its 
Petitions  were  poured  into  the  legisla-  ^^^^'^  °^  ^'"*  amount  as  follows:  Two 
ture  from  all  the  stricken  counties,  a,sk-  h"n<^red  dollars  were  spent  for  garden 
ing  for  appropriations.  Eealizing  the  grav-  •'^''''''^'  A""''  ''>'^'l  corn  meal  and  distribut- 
ity  of  the  situation,  the  legislature,  late  '^'^  ^°  ^'^'^  different  persons;  $C0G.89  was 
in  January,  appropriated  $.3,000  for  re-  distributed  in  cash.  Major  Bailey  spent 
lief  in  the  frontier  counties,  and  in  Feb-  ^^^^  ^1°°  "*^°*  ^"  ''""  f°r  flour  and  pork, 
ruary  appropriated  $3.5,000  to  be  expend-  ^"^  '^^^^y  ^^^  I'eported  the  distribution  of 
ed  for  seed  grain  to  be  furnished  to  those  ^^''^^'^  articles  to  the  yalue  of  $111,07  and 
unable  to  procure  seed.  Of  the  cash  ap-  *''"*  '^'^  '^''"''  ""  '''^"'^  $:?8.9.'5. 
p.-opriatinn,  .$.540  was  Jackson  county's  ^^  *'*''  '"^^^r  part  of  March.  1874.  the 
share.  John  Weir  and  J.  T.  Smith  were  ^^^'^  ^'^*^''*  distribution  was  made.  Jack- 
named  as  the  parties  who  should  conduct  ^""  county's  share  was  3,500  bushels,  and 
Ibc  distribution  in  the  northern  and  west-  oLetter  h.  h.  SiWey.  ji.iy  9.  iS74. 


146 


IIISTOIJY  OF  .JACKSON  COUNTY. 


there  were  so  ninny  applicants  that  the 
average  to  eaeli  person  was  only  seven 
flBfl  one-half  hiishol-.  and  many  liad  to 
go  without.'  Part  of  the  wheat  was  tlis- 
tribulecl  hy  the  CDiinnittoe  at  Heron  I^ake 
ami  jiart  hy  Major  U.S.  Bailey  and  Hans 
Kmidsun  at  Windom. 

During  the  harrowing  times  in  the 
winter  of  1873-74,  when  hundred.-;  of 
.lackson  eounty  eitizens  were  living  on 
eharity,  the  last  three  townships  of  the 
eounty  began  township  government. 

During  the  fore  part  of  the  winter  resi- 
dents of  township  103,  range  37.  peti- 
tioned the  county  CDmmissioners,  asking 
that  they  he  detached  fnim  Heron  Tiake 
town.-ihip  and  granted  a  government  of 
their  own.  The  ]);'tition  was  granted  Jan- 
uary 7,  1874.  and  tiie  new  township  was 
named  West  Heron  Lake,  its  geographical 
location  suggesting  the  name.  li\  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  same  month  the  township 
was  organized  with  tiie  following  (par- 
tial) list  of  officers:  Kohcrt  Johnson, 
chairman  :  John  Christie,  clerk ;  Johannes 
ToUefson.  treasurer;  Evan  Pederson,  jus- 
tice of  the  peace;  Xils  Olson,  constable. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  Heron  lake 
divided  the  township  into  two  parts,  those 
living  in  the  northeast  corner — to  the  east 
of  the  lake — were  not  so  closely  associat- 
ed with  the  people  of  the  re.=t  of  tlir  Inwn- 
ship  as  tJicy  were  with  those  of  Heron 
Lake  township,  and  they  petitioned,  early 
in  February,  1874,  to  lie  attached  to  llie 
latter  township.  N'o  action  was  taken  at 
that  time,  but  in  April,  187.5.  another 
petition  was  presented  to  the  county  board, 
a.sking  for  the  same  legislation.  On  June 
21  the  desired  action  was  taken,  and  the 
northeast    corner    of    West    Heron    Lake 


'"Thesf  .-iro  busy  days  In  Heron  Lake.  The  re- 
lief rommlltce.  Me.ssr.-i.  Ben.son.  Wolr  iin<l  Smith, 
have  recefveil  iiver  .1.000  Iiiishels  nf  whe:it  tn 
Uo  distributed  In  Jaek.Mon  eounty.  mthI  the  i>eo- 
ple  are  eomIn>T  l»i  In  jrreat  numbers  after  It. 
The  amount  each  will  receive  will  be  quite 
small,  there  being  so  many  applicants." — Heron 
I.akc  Correspondent.    March  25.    1S71. 


township  was  given  to  Heron  I^ake  town- 
.-lii]i. 

The  following  were  early  day  residents 
of  West  Heron  I^ake  township  who  sccur- 
eil  laud  from  the  government  in  that  pre- 
cinct : 

1872.  t'lunles  Kiselier  (12).  Jolin  Kiibson 
(241 :  187:»,  Rot)ert  .lolin.son  (22);  1874.  ller- 
num  Peler  (2).  (Jeorjie  II.  ("arr  (ti).  Unniaine 
Slieire  1 1)  I.  Charles  C.  Lanpwiirtliv  I  lOi.  William 
Wiley  (12):  1875.  William  II.'  Ashley  (12). 
Thomas  C.  Di.von  (22):  I87(i.  Newton  K.  West 
(2).  ("laus  Liir-son  (Si.  tlirisl()|il;er  H.  Kiihert 
(I2:i2).  Andrew  1-.  .laekson  (ISi.  David  l". 
Cleveland  (.14):  1877.  Isaac  Christy  (4).  Chris- 
ten Isakson  (8):  187S.  John  Christy  (18), 
Sever  Severson  (20).  .Tohan  L.  Ilatifje  (.30). 
Severt  A.  !,.  Ilausie  (.id):  1.S7!).  Henry  H.  .lohn- 
son  (6).  JInrtin  R.  -lolmson  (t!) :  18,sn.  Carl  (J. 
Piter  (2).  Ole  O.  Seleen  (8).  ()U>  Hanson  (18). 
Kveii  Peterson  (20),  Andrew  C.  Serum  (28): 
1884.  (jeortie  Schneidler  (2).  (leorfie  .lolmson 
(12-:i4):  188.i,  Nils  Olscui  (4|,  Iver  Ilaun-lsiui 
(18):  188fi.  Tollef  Mieliaelson  (81.  Ilalvor 
Ilendriekson    (24):    ISSR.   Kari   Tollefson    (8). 

K'ost  township  came  into  existence  Feb- 
ruary 3,  187  I.  Tt  was  named  in  honor  of 
Frederick  Host,  who  was  one  of  the  early 
day  settlers  of  the  precinct,  locating  there 
in  18(59. '  'i'hc  names  of  some  of  the  early 
homesteaders  of  Uost  township,  as  shown 
iiy  the  patents  to  land  graiited,  were  as 
follows : 

1872,  Cliarli's  Sniilli  (22).  Krancis  (i.  Kay 
mond  (24):  187(>.  Ch.irles  Host  (2(i).  William 
Kromroy  (:14).  Charles  Hoss  (:14):  1877.  Wil- 
liam Uiisl  (141.  Herman  Kosl  (22).  Frederick 
Host  (2(i).  Helnuit  Kilsl  (28).  Albert  Kusl(2S). 
Henry  Wcyner  (30);  1878.  .Iiilius  Dicker  ((». 
I'lcilerick  Schultz  ( 12).- l-udwiii';  Wevncr  Cloi. 
Willielm  Haiike  (32):  lS7!t.  .lames  15.  Hahliill 
(lil.  I'ranz  Meister  (20):  1880.  Krederick  Mil 
tle-(adt  (IS).  Louise  I.udtki'  (2lll.  Louisa  Mil- 
liralli  (.32):  ISSl.  Iticliard  Sucker  (2):  1883. 
.-Viiyust  Wclibi  r  (2l:  1SS4.  Tyiidwii;  l.uenebiirp 
(Idl.  Will'elminc  Kno.'pp  (loi:  188.").  (o'ortje 
lleiser  (8):  18S8.  I'erdinand  .Milhrath  (18): 
ISSn.  Gustnve  A.  Andors-on  (4). 

Sioux  Valley  was  the  last  Jackson  coun- 
ty township  to  bt>gin  township  govern- 
niiiil.  Ill  accordance  with  the  prayer  of 
petitioners,  the  commissioners  created  the 

•The  offlfilal  proceedlr.gs  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  show  thai  the  township 
was  created  ns  "Kust."  In  fact,  that  was  Ih^- 
acceptcd  spelllnB  of  the  name  for  several  yeprs 
Later,  without  any  offlcl.-il  procedure,  the 
correct  spelllnB  was  adapted.  The  name  of  the 
family    was    also    often    spelled    "Rust." 


THE  ANDREW  MONSON  CABIN 
One  of  the  Oldest  Log  Cabins  in  Jackson  County. 


PIONEERS 


The  Engraving  is  Reproduced  from  a  Tintype  Taken  During  Grasshopper  Times.  The 
Men  shown  are  (Back  Row,  Standing,  from  Left  to  Right)  Wallace  Bailey,  L.  F.  Ashley, 
Menzo  L.  Ashley,  Than  Hall,  Jr.,  Joseph  E.  Thomas,  Jr.,  John  Tagley,  A.  D.  King,  L.  P. 
Cook,  Thad  Rucker,  M.  S.  Barney,  0.  F.  Ale.xander,  B.  W.  Ashley;  (Lower  Row,  Sitting), 
Clark  Baldwin,  C.  H.  Sandon,  J.  F.  Ashley,  A.  C.  Wood  (Between  Rows),  William  V.  King, 
J.  J.  Smith,  Henry  Blakey,  Than  Hall  and  Ira  G.  Walden. 


THE  l-JEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


•'■""OH,  LEtMX   «N0 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


147 


township  Ffliniaiv  3T,  1874,  naming  it 
Sioux  Yailev  after  tiie  river  which  flows 
through  it.  The  early  day  liome.<teaclers 
who  receiveil  title  to  their  lands  from  the 
government  were: 

1S7.3.  Levi.M.  Bridell  (10),  Wasliington  Sliaf- 
t'lT  (12),  John  Spencer  (2(i)  ;  1S74,  Ichabod  Dyer 
(10-12),  Jareb  I'almer  (10):  Kernev  C.  Lowell 
(32);  1875,  Edwin  E.  Myrick  (24)',  Abednego 
Davis  (26);  1870,  Levi  H.  Stratton  (34);  1877, 
Renben  Tivey  (14),  Cliailes  H.  Greer  (14),  Nel- 
son Willfox  (24),  William  ISarnett  (31):  1878, 
.lolin  Tiutterfield  (2),  .Tuliiis  Dreger  (6),  Charles 
K.  Reiter  (8),  Ezra  A.  Hopkins  (18),  Carlos  M. 
Hardy  (20);  187!t,  Jlartin  Reiter  (8);  1880, 
George  A.  .Johnson  (32);  LSSl.  Gustaf  Xvstrom 
(31);  1SS3,  Krank  Benoil  (2),  (^reoi-ge  o'.  Bord- 
well  (4).  Car]  Lidberg  (28),  Anna  Moberg  (31). 
Abraliani  Mcr'ulja  (34) ;  1884,  Francis  JL  Hor- 
tnn  (12);  1885,  Detlef  Hollmer  (10),  Helge 
Tuison  (30),  Bengt  8taaff  (30):  1888,  Eliza- 
betli   L.   Stone    (4)^  Fred   Jlead    (28). 

If  there  had  been  a  belief  that  the  grass- 
liopper  scourge  was  to  be  only  a  temporary 
bliglit  on  the  prospects  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty, it  was  rudely  dispelled.  The  visita- 
tion of  18T3  was  as  nothing  compared 
with  what  followed.  The  story  of  the 
years  to  follow  is  one  of  heartrending  mis- 
ery. From  Manitoba  to  Texas  the  grass- 
ho])pers  brought  desolation  and  suffering 
in  1874,  the  visitation  being  general  along 
the  whole  frontier.  Especially  destnic- 
tive  were  they  in  southwestern  Minnesota 
and  in  Kansas  and  Nebra.ska. 

In  Jackson  county  the  eggs  which  had 
been  deposited  by  the  visiting  hordes  in 
1873  began  to  hatch  during  the  first  days 
of  May."  While  the  pests  had  been  con- 
sidered numerous  the  year  before,  there 
Avere  now  more  than  ten  times  as  many. 
The  appetites  of  the  youngsters  were  good, 
but  no  great  damage  was  done  until  the 

"The  process  of  hatching  was  interesting.  In 
each  nest,  a  half  inch  or  more  below  the  sr.r- 
lace  of  the  ground,  were  from  twenty  to  fifty 
eggs.  When  the  sun  warmed  the  ground  suf- 
ficiently to  hatch  the  egfs,  the-  pithy  coyering 
ot  ttie  nest  popped  oft  and  a  stiuirming  mass  of 
little  yellow  hoppers  poured  out.  Each  was  en- 
cased in  a  sort  of  shell  or  skin,  which  it  im- 
mediately began  to  pull  off.  Then,  after  taking 
a  momenf.s  yiew  of  the  world,  each  little  hop- 
per hopped  awav  in  search  of  something  to 
eat.  At  birth  they  were  about  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  long  and  had  no  wings,  but  these  de- 
veloped rapidly. 


last  days  of  May.     Said  the  Jackson  Ke- 
]iul)lic  on  May  30 : 

It  was  not  until  this  week  that  the  devasta- 
tion by  tills  scourge  commenced  in  earnest,  but 
in  tlie  few  days  they  have  been  harvesting  the 
crops,  they  have  put  in  full  time  and  done 
clean  work.  Whole  iields  in  many  places  have 
been  stripped  of  the  growing  grain  and  in 
others  large  spots  liave  Ijeen  scooped  out.  Xot 
satisfied  with  eating  the  green  leaves,  they  eat 
right  down   in  the  ground  to  the  roots. 

It  was  at  this  stage  of  the  proceedings 
that  many  people  left  the  county.  In 
many  instances  those  who  had  not  secured 
title  to  tiieir  farms  deserted  them,  never 
more  to  return.  ;\Iany  who  had  title  sold 
for  what  they  could  get  or  mortgaged 
their  farms  if  they  could  locate  an  east- 
erner unsophisticated  enough  to  loan 
money  on  such  security.  These,  too,  left 
the  county.  The  greater  number  of  the 
able  bodied  men  who  decided  to  stay 
sought  work  in  the  eastern  part  of  the 
state  to  earn  enough  money  to  carry  them 
and  their  families  through  the  winter.  The 
local  paper  on  June  G  said :  '•'Settlers 
are  turning  back  to  t.he  older  counties  to 
get  work  to  support  their  families,  and 
the  ruling  question  is,  'Are  you  going  east 
to  get  work?'"  The  general  land  office 
made  a  ruling  that  homesteaders  in  the 
gra,^.shopper  infested  counties  miglit  de- 
sert their  claims  for  certain  lengths  of 
time  to  earn  a  livelihood  without  taking 
the  chance  of  losing  the  claim. 

During  the  latter  part  of  June  the  dam- 
age was  great,  and  in  the  parts  of  the 
county  most  numerou.sly  infested  little 
wa,s  left  growing  but  the  wild  prairie 
grass.  The  wings  of  the  young  hoppers 
became  fully  developed  on  June  19,  and 
three  days  later  they  began  their  flight 
out  of  the  country.  For  several  days,  from 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  three  in 
the  afternoon,  the  air  was  tilled  with  the 
wdnged  immigrants,  all  traveling  in  a 
northeasterly  direction.  It  was  hoped 
that  they  would   go   and   leave   the  little 


148 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


that    had    escaped,    but    it    was    not   to   be.      suits  for  yoa.s  to  .ome  .an  only  be  rei.rfs..Mt- 

'  i-(l    bv    millions    of    dollars.       lakinp:    .lackson 

The  Jackson  Republic,  which  liad  always     (.,„i„ty    in    wbolr.    wlu-at    will    probably    not 

before  spoken  cncomajjement,  on  July  4     "verajie  two  bnsin-U  per  a.io.  or  ono-.Mjji.tb  of 

'.  „  ,       .1     "  a   crop;    oats   will    not    bo   rniicn    betti-r.    wliile 

bailey   is  an  entire   failine:    eorn   may   be   half 
a    I'lop    and    potatoes   about    tlio    same. 


gave  n|i  linjie  for  any  crop  and  said: 

All  f;cine'.  Not  the  niasslioppers.  as  was 
hoped,  but  the  oats,  eorn  and  potatoes  that 
had  been  left  until  tliis  week.  The  eban<;inn 
winds  liave  brou-;!!!  baek  all  the  };ra~>1ioppers, 
with  myriads  of  reinfonemoiits,  and  they  have 
mowed  riown  aliout  ererytliinj;  before  them. 
Xow  thai  all  -  hope  for  a  erop  is  ■;one,  the 
only  prayer  of  the  people  is  that  they  may  be 
taken  away  before  they  commenee  depositing 
their  eggs,  wljieh  will  no  dcmlit  be  not  lon^r 
hence. 

Tlic  (lest  roving-  Mgcnts  rciiiaiiied  in 
Jaek.son  county  until  the  middle  of  July, 
anil  then  all  took  their  departure.  They 
(lid  not  deposit  CiTg-  in  tiie  county,  al- 
though they  did  in  many  other  parts  of 
Minnesota.      Before    (lieir    departure    the 


This  sectiud  successiye  crop  failure  was 
a  terrible  blow.  A  great  many  who  liad 
not  been  hard  pres.-cd  by  the  conditions 
in  IST;')  were  now  reiluced  to  the  common 
level :  their  savings  liad  been  spent  and 
they  Jiail  no  income.  Those  who  ^ve^e  not 
compelleil  to  live  on  charity  were  com- 
])eiled  to  ]iractice  tiie  most  rigid  economy. 
Hay  furni.slied  the  fu(d  ;  potatoes,  ]iiimp- 
kiiis  and  s(|uashe.s — a  few  vegetables  left 
by  the  hoppers — supplied  the  bulk  of  the 
food.  Jleat  was  not  on  the  bill  of  fare  ex- 
county  became  literally  alive  with   them.     eei)t  for  tlio.se  who  could  use  a  gun  ami  bag 


So  thick  was  the  air  wifli  tlie  flying  pests 
that  at  times  the  sun  was  jiartially  ob- 
scured. They  appeared  to  the  people  be- 
low like  a  vast  eloud,.  sweeping  sometimes 
in  one  direction,  sometimes  in  another — 
alwavs  going  with  tlie  wind.  .\t  even- 
ing, when  they  came  down  near  tiie  enrtli. 
the  noise  they  made  was  like  a  roaring 
wind.  After  gorging  themselves  with  the 
cro])s,  the  hoppers  became  stupid  and 
piled  up  in  the  tields  and  along  the  roads, 
often  to  a  depth  of  one  or  two  feet.  Horses 
eoiihl  iiardly  be  driven  through  them. 
Stories  have  been  told  of  railway  trains 
becoming  blockaded  by  the  pests  so  as  to 
be  unable  to  move  until  the  iiLseets  were 
shoveled  from  the  track.  Concerning  the 
losses  the  Keiniblic,  in  the  latter  part  of 
July,  said : 

The  aetnni  loss  from  the  seonrge  in  this 
year's  erop  will  afjfirepn t e  more  than  .1-2nO,nOO," 
while  the  loss  arisinj;  from  abaniloned  farms, 
removal  of  settlers  with  their  pi'rsonal  prop- 
erly, and  the  sta-{natioii  piveii  to  fanning  pur 

"AecordiiiK  lo  the  report  of  the  roTomlssiniu'r 
of  slatl.xtlis.  the  liiss  iif  the  .several  erojis  In 
twontv-eljiht  eouoltes  of  Minnesota  in  IST-l  was 
as  fiillows:  Wheat.  2.046.8112  bushels:  oat-s, 
l.Slfi.T.IS  InKshels;  eorn.  73S.415  bushels:  barley. 
58,962  bushels;  potatoes.  221.ir.t  bushels;  llax 
seed,   62,S33  bushels. 


the  jjraiiie  chickens  and  diieks  tiial  were 
in  great  aimndance.  The  people  boit>  their 
trials  more  cheerfully  than  might  have 
been  e.xpecteil  and  made  jireparations  t" 
try  their  luck  again  tiie  next  yeir.  In 
plowing  for  their  next  year's  cmi).  llic 
I'armcis  nearly  ruined  their  horses,  being 
without  the  necessary  grain  to  feed  them. 
.\s  has  been  slated,  money  and  siip])lies 
for  relief  were  sent  to  .lackson  county  dur- 
ing the  whole  winter  of  lS7:?-7^  and  inl  ■ 
the  spring  months.  In  addition  lo  tlioM 
ilc'us  mentioned,  (Ui  .lanuary  IT.  1S7  I. 
(he  i(itinl\  eommissitmers  received  from 
(iovemor  Davis  1!)0  sack.*  of  flour  and 
ten  barrels  of  ]iork.  which  were  dislrib- 
nted  at  once. 

li'ealizing  the  gravity  of  the  situation, 
in  the  midst  of  the  devastation  of  ISTl. 
Governor  Ciishmaii  K.  Davis  issued  a  stir- 
ring apjieal.  stating  the  conditions  ami 
tlie  need  of  large  contributions  to  prevent 
many  of  the  residents  of  the  state  from 
perishing.  Ills  ajjpeal  was  adilressed  to 
the  Grange  organizations  and  was  as  fol- 
lows : 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


149 


state    of    Minnesota.      Execntive    Department, 

St.  Paul.  July  1,  1874. 

To  tlie  (iranges:  I  am  compelled  to  ask  the 
cooperation  of  eacli  grange  of  your  powerful 
organization  in  relieving  tlie  destitution  of 
our  fellow  citizens  in  southwestern  counties. 
Tliat  region  has  been  traversed  by  trustwortliy 
men,  sent  out  by  me  for  that  purpose,  and 
tliey  report  unanimously  a  destitution  wliich 
lias  no  parallel  in  our  history  as  a  state.  The 
time  for  silence  as  to  the  condition  of  affairs 
has  passed  by.  and  the  time  for  prompt  and 
liberal  action  byall  who  are  willing  to  do  as 
tliey   would  lie  done  by  lias  arriveil. 

Tlie  counties  of  Martin,  JIurray,  .Jackson, 
Cottoiiwood,  ])ortions  of  Nobles  and  Waton- 
wan, and  possibly  to  some  extent  in  other  com- 
munities, have  been  swept  by  grasshoppers  of 
all  crops  as  comjiletely   as  by   fire. 

Women  and  children  are  suffering  for  food. 
The  implements  and  stocks  of  tl;e  settlers  are 
under  mortgages  given  to  tide  over  the  priva- 
tions  of   last   year. 

I  have  told  these  people  that  their  fellow- 
citizens,  whom  a  kind  I'rovidence  has  blessed 
witli  abundance,  will  stand  by  tliem  in  this, 
tlieir  dire   extremity. 

Contributions  in  money  are  most  desiral)le. 
Provisions  and  clothing  scarce  less  so.  Send 
contributions  to  (ieneral  H.  II.  Sibley.  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota.  C.   K.    D.WLS^   Governor. 

The  boai-d  of  couDty  commissioners 
took  cliarge  of  the  relief  funds  in  1874. 
A  distribution  of  cash  was  made  in  July. 
Also  19,G10  jjounds  of  Hour  and  1,93.5 
pounds  of  jjork  were  apportioned  by  the 
coiumissioners  to  the  needy  in  every  pre- 
cinct in  the  county.  The  distribution 
averaged  si.x  pounds  of  flour  and  ten 
ounces  of  pork  to  each  needy  person, 
which  certainly  could  not  have  gone  far 
toward  meeting  the  demand."    Those  two 

"The  supplies  were  divided  among  tlie  sev- 
eral townships  as  follows:  Flour         Pork 

r>„t       V,  Lbs.  Lbs. 

Petersburg     1  0(IS  105 

Middletown    S16  S5 

M'""eota     648  67 

**""'^J 660  68 

Des    Moines     2,sno  187 

Wisconsin     9m,  94 

Belmont     1  ■'0-'  I'^s    ' 

Enterprise    WW,  '978  j^g 

Kimball      750  ^g 

Chnstiania      ■ 1,374  143 

"5™"    Lake    660  68 

5.'^'»fl<'l'3    • 1.374  143 

Sioux    VaUey     496              49 

g?st        560              60     ■ 

^\est   Heron   Lake    714              74 

;^^er     1,314  137 

Lap-osse     732              75 

^^^^    ■ 756  78 

Ewington    975  io2 

Round   Lake    960  100 

'^'^^^     19,610         1,935 


had  departed  to  work  in  the  harvest  fields 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  returned 
in  August.  The  conditions  in  tlieir  homes 
led  many  to  take  their  families  and  de- 
part for  more  congenial  surroundings. 
Some  secured  work  during  the  fall  and 
winter  and  remained  away  from  Jackson 
county  until  tlie  ne.xt  spring. 

On  the  "last  day  of  September  the  com- 
missioners received.  $300  from  General  H. 
it.  Sibley.  This  was  invested  in  supplies, 
which  were  distributed  among  the  needy. 
The  same  was  done  with  $500  received  on 
December  Vi.  Eighteen  barrels  and  twen- 
ty-nine sacks  of  flour  Avere  received  De- 
cember 21,  and  the  cnmmi,¥.sioners  turned 
Hiat  over  to  those  in  the  most  destitute 
circuuistances.  Clothing  and  other  relief 
supplies  were  frequently  received  during 
tlie  w'inter  from  private  parties — supplies 
which  meant  much  to  suffering  settlers. 
The  United  States  government,  in  a 
small  way,  assisted  in  the  care  of  the 
unfortunate  people  of  the  grasshopper  dev- 
a.statcd  counties  by  the  distribution  of 
army  rations  and  clothing.  Lieutenant  J. 
F.  Huston  was  in  the  county  April  30 
and  May  1,  dealing  out  provisions,  boots 
and  overcoats  to  the  most  needy. 

In  all,  Jackson  county  received  $3,- 
817.83  as  its  sliare  of  the  slate  appropria- 
tion, all  of  which  was  distributed  by  the 
board  of  county  commissioners.^-  The 
legislature  granted  an  extension  of  time 
for  the  payment  of  ta.xes  in  some  of  the 
counties,  and,  of  course,  Jackson  was 
among  the  numiier.  Times  not  improv- 
ing, the  exten.sion  was  of  little  benefit. 
People  who  had  not  money  to  buy  food 
and  clothing  could  not  pay  taxes.''' 

'=The  total  amount  of  state  funds  distributed 
as  a  result  of  the  1874  appropriation  was  $15.- 
751.56.  divided  among  the  devastated  counties 
a^  follows:  Pinewood,  $200;  Martin,  $1.363  87- 
Rook.  $1,400;  Cottonwood,  $3,237.02;  Watonwan 
$1,808.83;  Jackson,  $2,817.82:  Murray,  $1,902  82- 
N'obles.    $1,952.82;    Brown,    $300;    Others.    $768.38. 

"The  act  was  passed  March  1,  1875.  and  pro- 
vided for  the  extension  of  time  of  payment  of 
personal    property    taxfs    to    November    1    in    the 


150  HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 

The  question  natuially  iiiLses:  Why  did  seed  a  large  part  of  the  prepared  land.'* 
the  people  of  Jacicson  county  stay  in  a  The  seed  grain  furnished  by  the  state  was 
country  in  whicli  the  grasshoppers  a  Godsend.  Said  the  Jackson  Republic 
wrought  such  damage?  It  is  doubtful  if  nn  May  1.5,  1875:  'That  the  gra.sshopper 
many  would  have  remained  could  they  jjhigui?  for  the  last  iwo  years  in  tliL;  viiin- 
liavc  looked  ahead  and  foreseen  wiiat  they  ity  has  sapped  the  life  blood  out  of  the 
still  had  to  go  through,  for  this  was  not  hanl  working  farmers  of  the  county  is  ad- 
the  end  of  the  scourge  by  any  means.  But  initted,  we  think,  on  all  hands;  that  a 
the  majority  did  .-.tav  with  their  claims,  good  portion  of  the  people  could  not  have 
'^nd  they  weathered  the  storms  of  adver-  remained  to  cultivate  their  farms  without 
sity.  Hope  was  abunc'ant  that  each  year's  aid  from  abroiid  is  also  generally  con- 
visitation  would  lie  the  last.    The  fertility  ceded." 

of  the  soil  had  been  demonstrated,  and  it  A  severe  blizzard  visited  Jackson  county 
was  known  that  once  the  country  was  free  on  ^farch  l.j  and  16,  1S7."),  and  adde<l  an- 
from  the  pests,  it  would  become  one  of  the  other  victim  to  tho.«o  who  iuive  perisheil 
richest  spots  in  the  west.  The  settlers  by  winter  storms.  The  unfortunate  man 
had  invested  all  their  accumulations  of  was  Ileinrich  Tubbike,  an  insane  man 
former  years  in  improvements,  and  to  who  lived  in  Heron  Lake  township.  He 
desert  the  country  meant  that  they  must  had  been  pronounced  insane  by  the  pro- 
go  as  paupers.  Many  were  literally  too  bate  court,  and  his  removal  to  the  asylum 
poor  to  pay  transportation  charges  out  of  ha<l  been  delayed  on  account  of  the  bliz- 
thc  country.  zard.   Mr.  Tubbike  escaped  from  the  niem- 

Xotwithstanding     Llie    terrible    experi-  hers   of   his   family   on    the   Ifith   after  a 

ences    of    the    two    preceding    years,    the  hard  fight  and  wandered  otT  on  the  prairie, 

farmers  determined   to  put  in   a  crop  in  lie  ]icrished  in   tlie  storm,  and  his  body 

1875.     The  ground   had   been   prepared,  was  found  the  next  day  about  three  miles 

but  the  farmers  were  without  seed  grain  from  the  house. 

and    without    the   means    to    purchase   it.  That   there   had    been   a   marvelous   in- 

The  legislature  came  to  their  rescue  with  crease  in  the  population  of  Jack.son  county 

an  appropriation  of  $75,000,  the  act  pro-  during  tlie  two  or  three  years  of  the  de- 

viding-for  the  distribution  of  seed  grain  cade    before    the    grasshoppers    came    is 

to   that   amount,   with   certain   provisions  shown    by    the    census    returns    of    1875. 

for  its  repayment.    A  state  board  of  com-  ...^he  number  of  acres  sow,,  ...  crop  m  is;!",. 

mi.«sionerS      was      appointed       to      conduct  »ccor<llnK  to  the  tlBures  olUniiu-d  by  the  varlou;. 

1  '  township    iisse.ssors.    was    21.il(1,    divided    iimoni; 

the   distriliution.   and    a   local  board   was  'he  township.s  as  follows: 

.\lbjl      6<0 

named   in  each  of   the  stricken   counties     neimont   i.b98 

,     .        Chrlstianla     1..21 

to  assist  in  the  work.    Ihe  monev  market      Deiaheid    3.2U 

,     ,,  ,    ,  ",       ,  1       .  Rfs    Molnes)    2.260 

was  tight,  and  the  slate  was  not  able  to      Knierprise    S92 

,,  .  ,  .,  IvwhiKton     380 

procure  the  money  to  purcha.«e  more  tlian     ii..,on  i.ake  i.i'o 

$.iO.OnO  worth  of  grain.     With  the  grain  \^\',".,\Z\    ".'.'.[[[['.[[[\'.\\'.[[['.'.['.]'.'.l\'.'.'.'.'...     7«2 

received    from   the   state  and   that    which  ^i|Iuu'etown "'!!'.'.!'.!'."!!'."'."!!'. '.''.'.'"'•'■     mt 

was  in  the  country,  there  was  enough  to  ^vi'.'rsbuV  :::::::::::::::::  i! :::::::::::::  i.??8 

Knund   I.ake    •'05 

counties     of     Martin.     Jackson.     Nobles.     Rock.       Rost «5. 

Murray.   Cottonwood.  Watonwan.   Renville.   Lyon       Sioux    ^  alley    <"J 

snd   parts  of  BIuo   ICarlh.    Karlbault   and  Brown.        W  elmer '-i"" 

In    order  to  secure   the   extension    it    was   neces-       West     Heron    Lake i»- 

sar>-    for   the   residents   to   give    proof    that    they       Wisconsin '" 

were   unable   to   pay   their   taxes  because  of  loss  ., 

of   crop    in    1874    from    grasshoppers    or    hail.  Total  ii.iiv 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


151 


In  spite  of  the  fact  that  there  had  been 
no  immigration  since  1873  and  that  a 
great  many  had  mo\ed  away,  there  were 
found  to  be  3,.50G  permanent  residents  in 
1875 — a  gain  of  nearly  100  per  cent  in 
five  year?.  The  population  of  the  various 
townships  was  as  follows : 

Alba     142 

Belmont  287 

Christianiii      310 

Des   Moines    388 

Enterprise     106 

Ewington    89 

Heron  Lake    125 

Hunter     61 

Kimliall    1.59 

LaCrosse    265 

Middletown    139 

Minneota     112 

Petersburg    167 

Eost     105 

Round  Lake   104 

Sioux  Valley   80 

Weimer    287 

West   Heron  Lake    117 

Wisconsin      118 

Total    3,.506 

The  free  seed  grain  was  sown  in  the 
spring  of  1875;  it  germinated  and  appear- 
ed above  the  ground.  Then  came  the 
days  of  anxiety.  Would  the  grasshopper 
scourge  again  come  with  its  ruin  and  des- 
olation ?  As  tlie  season  advanced  the  peo- 
ple with  deep  concern  scanned  the  skies 
for  the  appearance  of  tlie  pests.  As  eggs 
had  not  been  deposited  in  Jackson  county 
the  preceding  season,  there  were  no  young 
hoppers,  and  the  only  apprehension  was 
in  regard  to  an  inva.sion  of  "foreign" 
hoppers.  Blackbirds  and  gophers  were 
quite  numerous  early  in  the  season  and 
did  a  lot  of  damage  to  crops,  especially 
corn,  but  n(it  a  grasshopper  put  in  an  ap- 
pearance. 

Tidings  of  approaching  invaders  came 
on  Monday,  June  28.  It  was  reported  by 
wire  that  a  vast  army  was  on  the  way  to 
the  northwest  from  Iowa,  that  a  number 
of  them  were  passing  over  Sioux  City  and 
that  they  extended  as  far  north  as  Shel- 
don.   A  few  stragglers  on  the  right  fianlc 


of  this  army  passed  over  Jackson  county, 
but  as  a  general  thing  they  kept  high  in 
the  air.  Only  a  very  few  alighted — not 
enough  to  do  any  damage. 

The  county  was  free  of  the  pests  until 
Saturday,  July  10.  Then  they  came  in 
great  droves  out  of  the  northeast.  They 
were  not  full  grown  and  were  those  which 
hatched  in  the  Minnesota  river  valley. 
They  attacked  the  growing  grain  with 
their  old  time  voracity  and  brought  de- 
spair to  the  hearts  of  the  settlers.^'  They 
feasted  on  the  green  fields  Sunday  and 
^londay,  but  their  numbers  were  not 
nearly  so  great  as  they  had  been  the  year 
before.  Many  farms  swarmed  with  them, 
while  upon  others  there  was  none  at  all. 
Even  some  of  those  fields  upon  which  the 
grasshoppers  were  tlie  thickest  were  not 
entirely  destroyed.  Monday  the  hoppers 
showed  signs  of  a  desire  to  migrate,  but 
unfavorable  winds  and  tempting  grain 
were  sufficient  reasons  for  their  lingerins 
another  day.  About  eleven  o'clock  on  the 
forenoon  of  Tuesday  they  took  up  their 
line  of  flight  to  the  north ;  the  county  was 
again  free  of  the  pests. 

The  settlers  kept  track  of  the  move- 
Tnents  of  the  grasshoppers  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  as  they  would  have 
those  of  an  invading  army  of  soldiers.  So 
far,  a  large  part  of  the  crop  was  saved, 
liut  they  knew  that  only  by  chance  could 
they  escape  total  destruction.  They  felt 
as  though  the  sword  of  Damocles  was  sus- 
pended over  them,  ready  to  fall  at  any 
moment. 

The  respite  was  not  long.  The  hoppers 
appeared  in  the  north  part  of  the  county 

""Had  an  earthquake  shaken  up  our  people, 
or  a  cyclone  swept  destruction  over  our  com- 
munity, neither  would  have  excited  and  dis- 
couraged our  citizens  so  much  as  it  did  to 
see  those  hungry,  hopping'  pests  slashing  awav 
at  the  grain  fields.  After  two  years  of  de- 
struction the  sight  of  luxurious  crops  had  been 
a  fascinating  one.  and  now  to  see  the  third 
crop  going  was  certainly  enough  to  make  strong 
men  surrender.  It  was  a  discouraging  mo- 
ment to  farmers  and  an  anxious  one  to  business 
men." — Republic.  July  17,   1S75. 


152 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


(in  Tuesday,  July  2'i,  about  noon.  In  the 
Heron  Lake  country  they  lighted  in  the 
lields  and  coninieneed  eating  voraciously. 
Thf  1'arnicr.<,  who  were  beeoniing  well  ae- 
([uainted  with  tlieii'  mode  of  warfare, 
look  a  defensive  attituile  and  began  ply- 
ing them  with  smoke,  fire  and  brimstone.'" 
The  hoppers  slowly  worked  southward, 
and  on  Friday,  Julv  'i'-i.  had  enieied  the 
second  tier  of  townships.  As  they  jiro- 
ceeded  they  deposited  their  eggs.  This 
invasion  was  confined  almost  entirely  to 
the  north  half  of  Jackson  county,  only  a 
few  getting  into  the  southern  townshijis, 
and  those  doing  but  little  damage. 

The  hoppers  remained  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county  until  early  in  August; 
tiien  they  departed.  Considerable  damage 
was  done  in  Christiaiiia  township  and  in 
the  country  aluuit  lli  ron  hake.  They  also 
entered  the  lownsiiip.;  of  l-'nterprise.  Bel- 
mont and  Iferon  Lake.  Hut  these  ]iii]>- 
pers  were  not  so  numerous  as  they  had 
been  formerly.  It  was  a  ragamuiTin,  Fal- 
stafl'in  army  compared  with  that  of  ]S7^. 
Their  appetites  appeared  to  be  poor,  and 
they  were  of  a  degenerate  breed :  bushels 
died  after  laying  their  eggs,  and  the  ex- 
hausted remnant  departed  from  the  coun- 
ty. A  big  jiercentage  of  the  crop  was 
saved,  and  the  farmers  eagerly  began  the 
harvest.  On  August  7  the  Republic  sized 
up  the  situation  as  follows: 

Our  farnuTs  are  now  oii}»a>;*'(i   in   liarvcstinj; 

"There  was  really  very  little  that  the  settlers 
could  do  to  destroy  or  oheck  the  pests,  al- 
thoiiRh  many  schemi'S  were  tried.  Nothing 
availed  aKaliisI  the  InvadhiK  hordes,  hut  In  the 
('.ise  of  the  native  hoppers  tlie  farmers  waffed 
a  more  or  less  successful  war  by  th<'  use  of 
tar.  "Iloitperdozers."  a  si>rt  of  drag,  made  of 
sheet  Iron  and  wood,  would  be  covered  with 
tar  and  draKKi-d  over  the  ground.  The  young 
h(tppers  would  be  caught  In  the  tar  and  de- 
stroyed. Another  scheme  was  to  prevent  prai- 
rie fires  during  the  summer  ami  fall,  conserv- 
ing the  grass  until  aflir  the  hoppers  had 
liatched  In  the  spring.  Then  on  a  given  day 
the  count.v  would  be  liurned  over  and  the  pests 
destroyed.  Dllches  would  hv  dug  and  the  hop- 
pers driven  into  them  and  destroyed:  scoop  nets 
were  used,  but  little  headway  could  be  made 
with  them.  In  some  of  the  comities  Imunties 
were  paid  for  them.  In  seven  such  counties 
liS.OlS  Ini.shels  were  captured,  upon  which  Ijoun- 
tles  aggregating  J76.788.J2  were  paid:  still  no 
difTerence   was  noticed   In  the  damage  done. 


the  finest  crop  ever  yrown  in  .laeksoii  county. 
This  tuwiisliip  I  Des  Muines|.  and  perhaps 
otlier-.  will  undoulttedly  tlie  present  season 
produie  a>  niiieh  as  was  ever  before  raised  in 
one  year  in  the  entire  county.  True,  in  sev 
era]  towns  the  hinifiry  lioppers  have  injured 
the  crops,  lint  in  the  county  at  larye  there  is 
a  liountil'ul  vieM.  We  may  he  wronjilv  informed 
as  to  the  amount  lefi.  !iut  by  fre(|uenl  ini|iliries 
in  rcfjard  to  crops  in  the  localities  tlic  worst 
ilevastated  we  find  that  portions  ot  the  crop 
are  saved  and  in  instances  lielils  are  in)t  in- 
jnre<l  at  all.  Hut  if  I  here  is  an  approach  to  n 
total  loss  in  any  township  we  have  yet  to 
learn  of  it.  Not  only  wheat  and  onts  are  im 
mense.  hut  corn,  to  use  Donnelly's  favorite 
word,  is  "enormous." 

The  crop  was  well  secured,  all  working 
with  a  will  in  gathering  the  yield.  It  was 
a  new  experience — the  harvesting  of  a 
ci-op.  But  the  an.vieties  of  the  .season  were 
not  yet  over.  During  the  entire  week  be- 
ginning .\ugust  .■)!  there  was  a  continual 
diiwn])our  of  rain,  which  did  much  dam- 
age to  grain  in  shock  and  stack.  That  in 
the  shock  sprouted,  and  all  was  more  or 
les<  damaged.  Blight  damaged  .•^omc  of 
I  lie  wheat,  and  instead  of  grading  No.  1. 
it  was  second  and  third  grade. 

The  .conditions  during  the  winter  of 
lS7.")-76  were  so  much  better  than  they 
had  been  during  the  two  pi-eceding  win- 
ters Ihat  very  little  relief  was  needed,  and 
the  county  wa.«  able  to  siipjily  its  own  seed 
for  the  ne.xt  crop. 

In  1875  for  the  first  time  a  united  ef- 
foil  was  made  to  fight  the  grasshoppers. 
On  .\ugust  24  a  county  grasshopper  con- 
vention was  held  at  Jackson  to  devise 
means  of  fighting  thi'  common  enemy  the 
next  season.  II  II.  Stone  was  cliairman 
of  the  convention  and  E.  V.  Skinner  was 
seeretarv.  A  general  committee  was 
named.  compa«ed  of  the  following  named 
genllemen :  Alexander  Fiddes,  Edward 
Orr,  Hans  Knudsnn,  Henry  Kntidson,  H. 
J.  Phelps.  .J.  V.  I'rescott  and  E.  B.  Mil- 
lard. Tbe.se  gentlemen  were  delegated  with 
jiower  to  have  general  supervision  of  the 
campaign  and  to  appoint  three  persons  in 
each  township  to  work  with   them.     The 


^<l^' 


^l>o^"'^^*s 


o^. 


EXEC  UTI VE    D E  I'A  KTMENT . 


_i>^////y    v^////.   >^^^  ''  ^i!'~'/)/i 


i^-i^-i^    ^^1^^^ 


/?1^>L-      A      ,X--£-7^     t.-^€^'C^ 


C    .'-■  ^« /-*^-C-tjr  *~  (  f     .'  ,    i-  .     --       ^/r"-'    ^ 


^- 


<^.u  .< 


-■^   /^'^'~  ^l^^"^ 


V^ 


z. 


^///  ^/i,-  .-,  .(^ 


^  <  -  .  1>Cl^      Ctr 


y 


,, ,  <^    /'•<-     ■■'•,'<      /^TTTc''     /^v.-^-  P-.X..,     i^c  ^ 


/.'. 


if 


/ 


-jr^L,. 


A  REMINDER  OF  GRASSHOPPER  DAYS 


HISTORY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


153 


principal  object  to  be  attained  was  the 
preservation  of  the  prairie  grass  until  the 
following  spring. 

The  year  1876  opened  auspiciously. 
Despite  the  forebodings  of  disaster  from 
another  grasshopper  visitation,  the  people 
were  in  good  spirits.  This  was  caused 
largely  by  the  prospects  of  the  extension 
of  the  Soutliern  Minnesota  railroad  into 
and  through  the  county,  from  Winnebago 
City  to  Worthington.  Surveyors  appear- 
ed in  the  field  during  the  closing  days  of 
ISTf)  and  ran  a  line  to  Jackson  and  from 
tJiat  point  westward.  It  was  generally  un- 
derstood that  the  railroad  company  would 
ask  a  bonus,  and  on  December  28,  1875, 
a  mass  meeting  was  held  at  Jackson  and 
largely  attended.  It  seemed  to  be  the 
luianimous  desire  of  those  attending  that 
the  people  should  give  a  liberal  bonus  and 
furnish  the  right  of  way. 

Officials  of  the  road  went  to  Jackson 
February  27,  1876,  and  stated  that  if  the 
ten  townships  of  the  southern  half  of 
the  county  would  issue  bonds  to  an  amount 
equal  to  ten  per  cent  of  their  assessed  valu- 
ation to  aid  in  the  construction  of  the 
road,  tlie  line  would  be  built  to  Jackson 
by  December  31,  1876,  and  to  Worthing- 
ton by  September  1,  187  7.''  The  question 
of  issuing  the  bonds  was  voted  iipon  at 
the  regular  March  township  elections. 
Petersburg,  Wisconsin,  Middletown,  Des 
Moines  and  Sioux  Valley  townships  re- 
turned majorities  in  favor  of  the  bonds; 
Hunter,  Minneota,  Eost  and  Round  Lake 
voted  against  them ;  in  Ewington  the  vote 
was  a  tic.  During  April  special  elections 
were  held  in  Minneota,  Hunter  and  Ew- 
ington, and   each   of  the  townships   then 


"•The  bonds  to  have  been  issued  by  the  Jack- 
son county  townships  would  have  amounted  to 
about  $37,000.  the  assessed  valuation  of  the 
townships  at  that  time  being:  Petersburg, 
$34,594;  Wisconsin.  $3S,47S;  Des  Moines,  $100,749; 
Middletown.  $40,336;  Minneota,  $55,314;  Hunter 
$23,0.S2;  Rost,  $5,712;  Sioux  Valley.  $33,346; 
Round  Lake.  $9,949;  Ewington,  $8,68".  The 
counties  of  Martin  and  Noliles  were  also  asked 
to  vote   subsidies. 


gave  a  majority  for  the  bonds.  But  the 
road  was  not  built  that  year,  and  the 
bonds  were  not  sold.  During  the  summer 
the  financial  affairs  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany got  in  a  bad  way,  and  the  promoters 
found  themselves  unalde  to  proceed  with 
the   extension. 

In  tlie  northern  part  of  Jackson  county, 
where  grasshopper  eggs  had  been  deposit- 
ed in  1875,  very  little  grain  was  sown  in 
1876,  but  in  the  southern  townships, 
where  no  eggs  had  been  deposited,  the 
usual  acreage  was  put  in.  Late  in  April 
the  pests  began  to  hatch,  and  the  hatch- 
ing continued  until  in  June.  So  soon  as 
they  attained  sufficient  size  the  young 
hoppers  attacked  the  fields.  The  fanners 
drew  up  in  battle  array  against  them,  and 
many  of  the  pests  were  destn.iyed.  The 
ravages  were  confined  to  the  northern 
townships  until  July  5.  Then  a  gentle 
wind  from  the  nortji  swept  clouds  of  them 
to  the  other  portions  of  the  county,  and 
every  precinct  reported  damage.  There 
« a.<  no  further  movement  of  the  hoppers 
until  July  13.  On  that  date  another 
breeze  from  the  north  gathered  immense 
numbers  of  them  and  wafted  them  over 
the  line  into  Iowa.  On  July  24  came  the 
worst  visitation  of  grasshoppers  ever 
known  in  Jackson  county.  Vast  clouds 
of  them  came  down  from  the  northwest 
and  destroyed  all  small  grain  left  and  in- 
jured the  corn.  They  remained  two  or 
three  weeks  and  deposited  tJieir  eggs. 

It  was  not  until  the  fore  part  of  August 
that  the  county  was  entirely  free  from  the 
destroying  agents.  During  this  time  they 
feasted  continually  and  deposited  their 
eggs. 

The  prospects  were  discouraging.  Many 
who  had  fought  the  scourge  so  long  gave 
up  and  quit  trying  to  raise  crops.  The 
Jackson  Republic  voiced  the  feelings  of 
the  people  when  it  said  on  July  29 : 

Tluit    the    grassliopper    question    lias    assnm- 


154 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


ed  a  more  serious  aspeitt  lliiiii  eviM'  before  there 
is  no  denying,  l-'our  successive  crops  liav.' 
been  destroyed  in  a  good  portion  of  southwest- 
ern .Minnesota  and  the  lifth  assured  of  destruc- 
tion. It  is  useless  to  recapituhite  tlie  trials 
our  jjcople  liave  passed  through,  or  tell  how 
patiently  they  have  waited  with  the  vain  hope 
that  the  pest  would  leave  us  finever;  it  is  use- 
less to  theorize  or  moralize  on  the  past — it  is 
the  dark  future  witii  which  we  have  to  deal 
and  most  interests  our  stricken  people.  \Vc 
know  that  our  crops  have  been  nearly  all 
destroyed  and  that  eggs  are  deposited  in  every 
direction  sufficient  to  hatch  grasshoppers  an- 
other year  to  co\er  every  inch  of  ground  in  the 
county,  and  that  is  all  that  need  be  said  on 
that    point. 

Mauy  did  not  give  up,  liowever,  but  re- 
newed the  fight.  A  mass  convention  was 
called  to  be  held  at  Jackson  August  23,'* 
to  "have  a  general  interchange  of  ideas 
as  to  the  best  policy  to  pursue  in  our  pres- 
ent unfortunate  circumstances  caused  by 
the  ravages  of  grasshoppers."  The  con- 
vention adopted  the  following  resolutions: 

Resolved  that  the  state  and  general  gov- 
ernments be  petitioned  to  make  appropriations 
to  reimburse  us  for  money  expended  to  pre- 
vent prairie  grass  from  burning  and  in  catch- 
ing  young    hoppers    in    the    spring. 

Kesolved  that  the  county  commissioners  be 
requested  to  make  an  appropriation  not  ex- 
ceeding $1,000  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
fire  guard  suiricient  to  preserve  the  grass  in 
each  town. 

Kesolved  further  that  a  committee  be  ap- 
jiointed  to  correspond  with  the  governor  and 
with  parties  in  other  counties  to  the  end  that 
a  general  organization  be  had  for  the  purpose 
mentioned    in    the    above    resolutions. 

Kesolved  that  we  reconinu'nd  a  general  con- 
vention for  the  grasshopper  district  be  held  at 
Worthington  at  nji  early  day.  to  be  called  by 
the  governor  of  the  stale,  who  is  hereby  in- 
vited to  be  present. 

In   accordance  witii   the  .suggestion  of 

the  Jackson  county   convention,   a  grass- 

"The  call  was  signed  by  A.  D.  Palmer.  W.  V. 
King,  J.  J.  Johnson,  Ilrnry  Knudson.  Edward 
Orr,  Dr.  E.  L.  BrowiicH.  Ira  G.  Waldin,  Jareb 
Palmer,  G.  C.  Chamberlln.  J.  W.  Cowliig.  G.  K. 
TIlTany,  Lucius  HordwcU.  \V.  Kiirrcson.  \V. 
Ashley.  Euneiie  I.okuc.  Thomas  J.  Knox.  C.  II. 
Sun('../n.  M.  A.  StrouB,  .lames  \V.  Hunter.  John 
J.  Smith.  William  A.  Kl.lds.  James  E.  Palmer, 
II.  A.  Williams,  .\kxaiul.r  Fitkles.  iMIUnn  Ma.son 
and  John  Juiigbaucr.  The  mass  ronventlim 
was  called  largely  through  the  elTorts  of  Cap- 
tain Jarel)  Palmer.  Me  and  several  others 
were  In  the  office  of  the  county  auditor  one 
day,  discussing  conditions,  when  he  suggesttd 
holding  n  convention  to  discuss  ways  and  means 
of  overcoming  the  pests.  A  petition  was  (Jrawn 
up  by  County  Auditor  William  V.  King  and  was 
circulated   by  Mr.    Palmer. 


hopper  convention,  containing  delegates 
from  all  the  devastated  counties  of  south- 
western Minnesota,  met  at  Worthington 
September  20,  187G.  Methods  of  light- 
ing the  common  enemv  were  discussed  and 
jilans  made  for  reducing  the  ravages,  lie- 
lief  from  the  United  States  government 
was  asked. 

The  legislature  of  1877  approi)riated 
money  for  the  relief  of  the  destitute  and 
$75,000  for  the  purchase  of  seed  grain, 
'i'hc  law  provided  for  the  repayment  of 
this  money  by  those  receiving  the  grain; 
in  case  it  was  not  paid  back  the  county 
was  bound  to  make  payment  to  the  state. 
Applicants  were  obliged  to  furnish  affi- 
davits as  to  their  condition,  and  the  coun- 
ty commissioners  and  county  auditor  acted 
as  a  board  to  determine  the  worthiness  of 
the  ai)plicants.  Two  hundred  eleven  ap- 
plications were  granted  in  Jackson  county 
and  thirty  rejected.  From  LaCrosse 
township  came  31  ajiplications  —  the 
largest  number  from  any  one  township. 
There  was  none  from  Hunter.  On  March 
29,  1877,  the  county  auditor  received  a 
check  for  $4,431 — Jackson  county's  share 
of  the  appropriation — and  this  was  dis- 
tributed in  grain,  giving  $21  worth  to 
each  successful  applicant. 

Every  plan  to  rid  the  st«tc  of  the  lo- 
cu.<ts  having  failed.  Governor  John  S. 
rill.-^hury  named  a  day  for  fasting  and 
prayer,  and  by  proclamation  requested 
every  citizen  to  observe  Thursday,  April 
2(i,  as  a  day  on  which  to  hold  religious 
meetings  and  ask  for  deliverance  from 
the  scourge.  In  Jackson  the  day  was  aj)- 
])ropriately  observed,  the  Kcpublic  report- 
ing the  services  as  follows: 

Fast  day  (Thursday,  April  '2t!)  w-as  duly  ob- 
served in  town  by  a  general  recognition  of  the 
governor's  proclamation.  In  the  forenoon  quil« 
a  large  congregation  assembled  at  the  church, 
where  the  services  were  conducted  by  Rev.  K. 
Savage. 

.     In   the  afternoon   there   was  an  in- 
teresting   social    meeting    at     the    church,    in 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


loo 


which  many  of  our  leading  Christian  citizens 
participated,  and  wliicli  was  attended  by  a  large 
number  who  ought  to  be  Christians.  Certainly 
the  governor's  fast  day  was  well  observed  in 
Jackson  by  our  business  men  not  only,  but  by 
our  citizens  generally.  Two  large  congregations 
were  present,  many  of  whom  are  seldom  seen 
inside  the  church. 

The  annual  dread  was  felt  again  in  the 
.spring  of  1877 — and  this  time  the  set- 
tlers were  agreeably  disappointed.  The 
reason  was  admirably  adapted  to  two 
ends:  the  best  possible  development  of 
small  grain  and  the  worst  possible  develop- 
ment of  the  locusts.  The  cool  rainy  weath- 
er of  the  spring  and  early  summer  seem- 
ed to  have  been  sent  on  purpose  to  give 
wheat  and  other  small  grain  a  rapid  and 
healthy  growth,  and  at  the  same  time 
give  the  grasshopper:-  a  slow  and  feeble 
development. 

The  hoppers  hatched  during  the  month 
of  May  and  began  eating  on  a  few  fields, 
but  not  enough  to  do  any  great  damage. 
The  farmers  early  commenced  fighting 
their  enemy  witli  kerosene  oil  and  the  tar 
"hopperdozers."  But  the  most  satisfac-  , 
tory  destroying  element  proved  to  be  a 
little  red  parasite,  which  attacked  and 
destroyed  the  eggs  in  the  fall  and  early 
spring  and  later  the  young  hoppers,  load- 
ing down  their  frail  wings  and  carcasses 
until  it  was  almost  impossible  for  them 
to  fly.  Bushels  of  the  pests  died  as  soon 
as  their  wings  were  grown. 

Early  in  June  the  press  reported  little 
damage  to  small  grain,  Imt  that  the  corn 
was  suffering  to  some  extent.  Cool  weath- 
er continued  until  the  middle  of  June, 
having  the  effect  of  keeping  the  hoppers 
quiet  and  off  the  fiekls.  Said  the  Republic 
on  June  IG :  "Many  people  begin  to 
take  courage  and  actually  are  hopeful  of 
a  part  of  a  crop."  In  the  latter  jDart  of 
June  the  grasshoppers  became  more  ac- 
tive and  did  some  injury  to  small  grain, 
they  having  confined  themselves  almost 
e.xolusively  to  corn  and  garden  truck  be- 


fore. But  about  the  first  of  July  they  be- 
gan taking  their  departure,  flying  gener- 
ally to  the  northwest,  and  within  a  few 
days  all  had  left  the  county.  None  but 
tlie  Jackson  county  hatch  had  visited  the 
county,  and  it  became  apparent  that  un- 
less there  was  a  raid  of  "foreign"  hoppers, 
the  bulk  of  the  crop  was  safe.  And  the 
invaders  did  not  come.  Swarms  of  them 
were  occasionally  seen  flying  high  in  the 
air  afterwards^  but  they  did  not  alight. 
The  cheering  situation  was  reported  by 
the  local  press  on  July  21 : 

Certainly  the  situation  about  us  is  cheer- 
ing. The  grasshoppers  have  gone,  and  there  is 
a  feeling  apparent  that  they  have  left  us 
permanently.  Crops  are  in  the  main  good.  We 
do  not  think  there  are  a  half  dozen  farmers  in 
the  county  who  have  lost  their  crops  during 
the  season,  though  of  course  more  than  that 
n\unber  liave  been  damaged  more  or  less.  But 
generally  wheat,  oats,  barlej-,  peas  and  pota- 
toes are  looking  well,  but  corn  is  backward. 
.  It  is  truly  encouraging  to  have  such 
cheering  reports  come  in  from  the  farmers  and 
we  gladly  make  note  of  their  success. 

It  was  a  year  of  jubilee.  Every  resi- 
dent seemed  to  be  imbued  with  new  life. 
Business  men  began  increasing  their 
stocks  of  goods ;  farmers  began  getting 
their  lands  in  readiness  for  the  ne.xt  year's 
crop  and  putting  up  hay  for  the  increa.sed 
herds  of  stock  that  grasshopper  times  com- 
pelled. 

Yet  conditions  were  not  so  rosy  as  one 
might  imagine.  The  several  years  of  dev- 
astation had  discouraged  the  farmers  of 
Jackson  county  to  such  an  extent  that 
each  year  saw  less  and  less  grain  sown. 
The  spring  of  1877  witnessed  the  planting 
of  a  very  limited  acreage,  and  the  com- 
paratively big  yield  per  acre  did  not  re- 
sult in  the  bountiful  times  that  would 
liave  come  had  the  fanners  sown  as  in 
former  years. 

Of  the  sixty-one  counties  Minnesota 
contained  at  that  time,  Jackson  ranked 
thirteenth  in  the  yield  of  wheat  per  acre. 
Sixteen     hundred    forty-one    acres    were 


156 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


sown ;  33,208  bushels,  or  20.22  bushels  per 
acre,  were  harvested.  In  tlif  production 
of  oats  tlie  county  ranked  lourtli,  being 
surpassed  only  by  Goodhue,  Polk  and 
Steele  counties.  The  total  yield  of  oats 
was  G6,00.")  bushel.*,  or  -13.33  bushels  per 
acre.  The  corn  crop  amounted  to  7T,G23 
bushels,  or  19. G3  bushels  per  acre. 

Because  of  tlie  bettered  condition,  in 
the  fall  of  1877,  a  lew  land  seekers— tlie 
first  in  five  years — caiiu'  to  the  county  to 
spy  out  and  purchase  choice  tracts  of  land. 
A  seed  grain  appro])nation  was  again 
made  in  1878,  and  Jackson  county  ])cople 
received  1,575  bushels.'" 

So  far  as  Jackson  county  is  concerned 
the  terrible  grasshopper  scourge  was  prac- 
tically ended.  In  its  whole  liistory  up  to 
tliis  time  there  had  been  only  a  few  years 
when     the    county     had    been    free   from 


"NeighboriiiK  coimtfcs  recpived  .seed  grain  In 
biishoLs  as  fullow.s:  Cottonwood.  4,600;  Waton- 
wan. 2,7!t0;  Martin.  2.300;  Nobles.  3.44.'i;  .Mur- 
rav.  800. 


sources  of  devastation.  For  years  the 
savage  red  man  laid  a  heavy  hand  on  the 
county  and  retarded  its  settlement;  for 
anotlier  period  of  years  the  grasshoppers 
])erformed  a  like  service.  Hundreds  of 
good  citizens  had  been  forced  to  leave; 
otlier  hundreds  had  been  prevented  from 
coming. 

The  condition  of  tiie  county  at  the  close 
of  the  year  1877  has  been  told  l)y  a  gentle- 
man who  made  a  trip  over  tlie  Sioux  City 
&  St.  Paul  railroad  in  November,  lie  said: 

The  coiiiitry  {lives  eviilence  of  tlie  sad  elFeets 
of  tlie  ;;rasslio|>per  [ilafjiie  in  Hie  llioiisiinils  of 
acres  ol  laiiil  tliat  liave  oiiee  been  broken  anil 
perliajis  a  crop  or  two  taken  from  tlieni.  Tlic 
owners  have  left  them  to  {jrow  up  to  weeds, 
not  daring  to  risk  tlie  ehanees  of  liarvestin}; 
their  ero|)s.  Xothing  so  foreilily  brinjis  to  thi' 
minil  of  the  visitor  the  reality  of  the  {{rassliop- 
per  seourj;e  as  the  sijiht  of  these  desolate, 
weed-grown  fields,  with  oeeasionally  a  deserted 
home  standing  cheerless  and  lone  in  tin'  midst 
of  the  broad   prairies. 

Tlie  lii.slory  of  Jackson  cmintyV  dark 
days  are  ended,  llenceforlh  the  story  is 
one  of  advancement. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


PROSPEROUS  TIMES— 1878-1894. 


A 


NEW  era  iu  the  history  of  Jack- 
son coimly  begins  with  the  year 
1878.  Three  events  of  that  year 
II. ark  the  turning  point  to  better  times: 
the  disajjpearance  of  the  grasshoppers,  the 
building  of  the  county's  second  railroad, 
and  the  revival  of  immigration. 

It  will  l)e  remembered  that  so  early  as 
18(j6  preparations  had  been  made  for  e.x- 
tonding  the  Southern  ilinne^ota  railroad 
from  Houston  to  the  west  line  of  the  state. 
The  United  States  government  had 
granted  large  areas  of  land  to  the  state  of 
Minnesota  to  aid  in  the  construction  of 
railroads,  and  the  state  had  in  turn  given 
these  lands  to  the  Southern  Minnesota 
Railroad  company,  m  consideration  that 
it  should  e.xtend  its  road  to  the  west  line 
of  the  state  on  or  before  February  2-5, 
1877.  Owing  to  financial  embarrassment 
and  the  terrilile  gras.shopper  scourge,  the 
railroad  company  had  not  been  able  to 
complete  its  line,  although  it  had  buildcd 
a  considerable  distance  to  tlic  westward, 
and  many  of  the  lands  were  about  to  re- 
vert to  the  state  as  forfeiture  for  non- 
compliance with  llie  terms  of  the  grant. 
For  many  long  years  the  people  of  south- 
ern Jackson  county  had  anxiously  awaited 
the  coming  of  this  road,  which  meant  so 
much  to  them.^ 


^■"Every    now   and   then   surveynr.s   of  railroads 
have  come  and  gone,  railroad  officials  from  dif- 


The  road  was  built  to  Winnebago  City, 
and  late  in  1877  u  was  announced  that 
the  companv  had  sufficient  funds  and  the 
inclination  to  extend  the  road  45  miles 
further,  to  Jackson,  providing  the  lapsed 
land  grant  were  renewed.  N^early  every- 
body was  in  favor  of  renewing  the  grant, 
and  on  March  6,  1878,  the  Minnesota  leg- 
islature, in  a  memorial  to  congress,  asked 
for  a  four  years'  extension  of  the  grant. - 
The  sentiment  of  the  people  of  Jackson 
countv  is  shown  bv  the  following'  resolu- 


ferent  lines  have  eoaie  and  made  propositions 
to  supply  us  a  road,  and  they  would  go.  Thus 
tile  long  years  have  rolled  away,  and  our  little 
town  and  struggling  community  have  survived 
without  a  road,  our  merchants  have  hauled  in 
their  goods  on  wheels,  slow  coaches  have 
brought  our  mails  and  transported  passengers 
and  express  packages." — George  C.  Chamberlin 
in    Republic.    November    30.    1878. 

="  .  .  .  That  if  said  grant  is  extended 
to  this  state  for  the  purposes  aforesaid,  this 
state  will  be  able  to  secure  the  speedy  construc- 
tion of  said  entire  line  of  railroad,  and  thereby 
meet  the  just  expectations  of  the  settlers  who 
have  purciiased  said  even  numbered  sections, 
and  afford  to  the  people  of  the  counties  of 
Martin.  Jackson.  Nobles.  Murray  and  Pipestone 
the  means  of  transportation  from  the  large  and 
increasing    products    of   their   industry. 

"Wherefore  your  memorialists  respectfully 
urge  upon  congress  an  extension  of  said  grant 
for  four  years  to  the  state,  and  not  to  such  de- 
faulting company  or  any  other  railroad  com- 
pany, to  the  end  that  the  speedy  construction 
of  said  entire  line  of  road  may  be  assured;  and 
we  hereby  urgently  request  our  senators  and 
representatives  in  congress  under  no  circum- 
stances to  permit  any  extension  of  said  grant 
to  be  made  which  does  not  vest  the  .same  in 
the  state  of  Minnesota,  with  full  authority  to 
convey  the  same  to  such  company  as  it  may 
see  fit.  subject  to  such  conditions  as  it  may 
desire  to  impose,  consistent  with  the  objects  of 
the  original  grant." — Extract  from  Memorial  to 
Congress,  March  6,  1878. 


157 


158 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


lion,  whicli  was  adopted  at  a  mass  meet- 
ing lield  at  Jackson  January  26,  1878: 

Resolved  tliat  it  is  tlio  sense  of  this  niccl- 
iiiff  that  an  act  he  passed  eoiitinuin;;  tlie 
Soutliern  .Minnesota  liailroad  land  prant  with 
said  roati  or  its  aiixili:>ry,  the  "Southern  Min- 
nesota Kxtension  company.'  and  tliat  our  deh'- 
pation  in  the  legislature  he  rei|uested  to  favor 
said  act  and  urpe  its  passage  during  the  present 
session,  provided  that  said  road  he  built  to  the 
village  of  Jackson  by  the  first  of  January,  1879. 

The  legislature  took  the  action  which 
seemed  to  be  desired  by  the  people  of 
southwestern  Minnesota,  and  on  Marcli  C, 
1878,  passed  an  act  transferring  and 
granting  the  lands  to  the  Southern  Min- 
nesota Railroad  Extension  company,  on 
condition  that  tlie  line  of  road  be  com- 
pleted to  Fairmont  before  September  1, 
1878,  to  Jackson  before  tl)e  close  of  the 
year  1879,  and  to  the  west  line  of  the  state 
before  the  close  of  the  year  1880, 
/  Construction  was  begun  at  once.  The 
company  still  asked  a  bonus  from  Jackson 
county,  and  at  a  railroad  meeting  held  at 
Jackson,  called  at  the  instance  of  J,  C. 
Easton,  president  of  the  Southern  Minne- 
sota, it  was  the  sense  of  those  present  that 
the  township  of  Des  Moines  should  vote 
bonds  to  an  amount  of  ten  per  cent  of  the 
assessed  valuation,  provided  the  road 
should  be  in  operation  and  the  Jackson 
depot  built  that  season.  The  line  was  ex- 
tended to  Jackson  without  the  aid  of 
bonds,  however.  The  road  was  completed 
to  Fairmont  and  train  service  established 
on  July  1.  The  construction  work  pro- 
gressed rapidly,  and  on  November  27, 
1878,  the  iron  horse  reached  Jackson, 
tiiereby  causing  great  rejoicing.  Jackson 
was  the  terminus  until  the  next  year, 
when  it  was  extended  to  the  northwest. 

A  countr}'  into  which  it  is  known  a 
railroad  is  to  be  built  is  always  a  goal  for 
immigrants.  Tlie  belief  that  Ihe  grass- 
hopper scourge  was  a  thing  of  the  past 
also  added  to  the  inpouring  of  new  set- 
tlers.   Early  in  March  the  immigrants  be- 


gan arriving,  looking  for  land,  and  they 
continued  to  pour  in  during  the  whole 
.sj)ring  and  summer.'  As  a  general  thing 
the  newcomers  were  a  well-to-do  class. 
They  came,  not  to  take  homesteads,  but 
to  purciuise  land  and  make  improvements. 
Owing  to  the  removal  of  so  many  settlers 
during  the  grasshopper  jears,  there  was 
much  land  on  the  market  at  reasonable 
prices,  and  all  were  given  opportunity  to 
become  permanent  settlers.  Thousands 
of  acres  of  wheat  and  other  grain  were 
sown  that  spring.  Tlie  old  sod  shanties 
were  replaced  by  frame  structures,  and  in 
other  ways  the  advancement  was  marked. 
Not  only  in  the  southeastern  ])art  of 
the  county  was  the  revival  noticed,  but 
all  parts  of  tlie  county  responded  tn  the 
changed  conditions.  .\  gentleman  writing 
from  Heron  Lake  in  April  said : 

The  amount  <if  freiglit  received  al  this  depot 
is  surprising.  Car  load  after  car  load  continues 
to  come,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  end  of  it. 
Old  settlers  as  well  as  new  are  coming  and 
shipping  in  their  lioiisehold  goods,  and  mer- 
chants  are  receiving  freight  almost  daily.  Al- 
together it  makes  business  lively  around  the 
depot  every  time  the  eastern  freight  comes  in. 

Although  grasshoppers  in  diminished 
numbers  visited  Nobles  county  and  some 
iither  portions  of  southwestern  Minnesota 
ill  1S7S,  Jackson  county  was  free  from 
ilierii.  But  the  county  was  not  destined 
to  harvest  the  mammoth  crop  to  which 
it  was  entitled.  Two  weeks  of  excessive 
liot  weather  in  the  first  half  of  July,  fol- 
lowed by  a  week  of  excessive  rains,  injured 
the  wheat  crop  so  that  the  yield  was  not 
up  to  expectations.  Some  fields  yielded 
an  ordinary  crop,  but  ntliors  fell  as  low 
as  a  half  crop. 

More  railroad  building  in  1S79  added 
to  the  activities  and  prosperity  of  Jack- 
■son  county.  From  the  first  it  had  been 
till'  intention  of  the  Southern  ^Minnesota 


'■'Still  Ihe.v  come — new  men  hunllnR  new 
homes.  We  see  new  faces  all  around  us  until 
we  l)ej;rhi  to  feel  as  thntiK:h  we  had  got  away 
from   home." — Republic,   March  30,    1878. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


159 


Railroad  company  (now  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul)  to  extend  the  line  due 
west  from  Jackson  to  the  state  line,  pass- 
ing through  the  village  of  Worthingtou/ 
l)ut  early  in  the  spring  of  ISTO  the  plan.s 
were  changed  and  the  line  run  to  the 
northwest,  diagonally  across  the  county. 
The  survey  was  made,  the  point  of  cross- 
ing the  Sionx  City  road  designated  as  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  3-5,  LaCrosse 
township  (Miloma),  and  on  April  22 
work  on  the  extension  from  Jackson  was 
begun.  Tracklaying  was  completed  to 
the  junction  on  August  1,  and  regular 
train  service  was  begun  to  Fulda  IvTovem- 
ber  3.  As  a  result  of  the  extension  many 
new  settlers  located  in  the  central  and 
western  parts  of  the  county  and  the  vil- 
lage of  Lakefield  was  founded. 

Tlio  Sioux  City  &  St.  Paul  Eailroad 
company  resented  the  encroachment  on 
what  it  considered  its  own  territory  by 
the  extension  of  the  Southern  Minnesota 
to  the  northwest.  In  an  effort  to  head  off 
the  Southern  Minnesota,  the  Sioux  City 
road,  in  May,  made  a  hurried  survey  for 
a  branch  line  from  Heron  Lake  to  Pipe- 
stone, paralleling  the  survey  of  the 
other  road.  Then  began  a  lively  race 
in  construction.  Side  by  side  the  con- 
struction crews  of  the  two  roads  worked. 
At  times  violence  was  narrowly  averted 
between  the  workmen,  so  bitter  had  be- 
come the  strife  between  the  two  companies. 
It  was  admitted  that  it  was  a  cut-throat 
policy  to  continue  the  building  of  the  par- 
allel   roads,   but    neither   would    give    in. 


'"It  is  stiU  a  question  nt  doubt  wliere  tlie 
Snutiiern  Minnesota  railroad  will  cross  the 
Sioux  City  road,  and  we  understand  the  com- 
pany itself  is  undecided  upon  this  point.  The 
officers  are  already  discussing  the  question 
and  investigating-  the  'lay  of  the  land."  We  are 
quite  certain  it  is  the  desire  of  the  company  to 
cross  at  W'orthington.  and  if  engineering  olj- 
stacles  do  not  intervene  we  are  inclined  to 
think  that  will  he  the  point;  then  the  road  will 
strike  a  due  northwest  course  for  Pipestone 
county."— Republic,    June   S.    1S7S. 


liate  in  May  a  conference  was  held  in  St. 
Paul  between  representatives  of  the  Mil- 
waukee and  Sioux  City  &  St.  Paul  in- 
terests, when  an  attempt  was  made  to 
come  to  an  under.~tanding  and  to  recon- 
cile differences.  The  conference  served 
only  to  make  matters  worse,  and  the  work 
of  construction  on  both  roads  was  rushed 
to  completion.  Kot  only  did  they  run 
their  roads  side  by  side;  they  laid  out 
their  towns  almost  within  a  stone's  throw 
of  each  other. 

During  this  activity  in  railroad  build- 
ing the  village  of  Heron  Lake  and  its  sur- 
rounding territory  advanced  with  rapid 
strides.  Being  guaranteed  ample  rail- 
road facilities  and  good  markets,  people 
improved  many  farms  whicli  had  there- 
tofore been  unbroken. 

In  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the 
county  grasshoppers  did  some  little  dam- 
age in  1879  but  other  parts  were  entirely 
free  from  the  p&sts.  About  the  middle  of 
July  they  departed,  never  to  appear  again ; 
grasshoppers  had  eaten  their  last  Jackson 
county  grain.  While  grasshoppers,  hail 
and  storms  fortunately  passed  the  county 
by,  crops  were  only  fair.  In  some  locali- 
ties wheat  was  blighted ;  corn  and  oats 
were  good. 

The  federal  census  of  1880  gave  Jack- 
son county  a  population  of  4,80(>,''  a  gain 
of  1,300  in  five  years.  Of  the  total  popu- 
lation, 2,920  were  native  born,  while  1,886 
were  foreign  born."  The  population  was 
divided  by  precincts  as  follows: 


^Population  of  other  southwestern  Minnesota 
counties:  Blue  Earth.  22.889;  Faribault.  13.016; 
Watonwan.  5.104;  Mai-tin.  5.249;  Cottonwood. 
5.533;  Murray.  3.604;  Nobles.  4,435;  Pipestone, 
2.092;  Rock,  3,669. 

"Of  the  native  born  the  classification  by 
principal  states  of  birth  was  as  follows:  Min- 
nesota, 1,703;  Wisconsin,  352;  New  York,  275; 
Illinois,  94;  Penn.sylvania,  82;  Ohio,  79.  The 
countries  which  furnished  the  bulk  of  the  for- 
eign population  were  as  follows:  Sweden  and 
Norway.  l.nS4;  Germany.  186;  British  .A.merica, 
89;  England  and  Wales,  52;  Ireland,  40;  Scot- 
land,  21;   France,   4. 


160  HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 

A'bft      ■  130  county  in  October.    All  day  Saturday  the 

Belmont     36!)  ,  ,.       •,  ,      ^       ,        ,,  ,, 

I'liristiaiiia   433  ''lizzanl   raged;  Sunday   the  weather  was 

DilaiicM    32.'>  calmer,  but  cold  and  wintry.     When  the 

Kiitcrprise 17!)  •-lori"  subsided  great  drifts  of  snow  filled 

Kwintjtiiii    88  the  roads  and  other  places,  which  did  not 

lie™!  Lake  village' ::;:".::: :'.■.::::::::::  ml  'ii««prea'-  ""t'l  the  following  May.  ah 

Hunter    ■ 80  .Tack.^on  county  railroads  were  blockaded, 

/'i'fwl  .^-^  nu'l  the  Sioux  City  road  did  not  get  a 

l.*Il\.  1  OSt'P      .....................0(0  * 

Middlftown    154  train    through    until    Tuesday,    the    19th. 

l^''""<'f-'    119  Stock  in  different  iiarts  of  tlie  county  be- 

rctersbiug    243  ' 

Rost  124  came  lost  and  frozen. 

Round  Lake  110  p^j.   ^    j,^qj,j.,^    .jj^p,.    j,,g    ■^^■^^^^    gi^,.„^_ 

Sioux  \  alley   8!) 

Weimer  . . ." 2!)0  n'cc    weather  preyailcd  ;    then    winter   set 

West  Heron  Lake 90  j„    ]„   earnest,  and   from   that   time  until 

W  iseonsin     157 

Jackson  .TOi  late  in  A])ri],  it  was  winter  every  minute 

;  of  the  time.     Friday,  November  19,  a  cold 

snap  set  in,  and  on  the  night  of  the  20th 

Jackson  county  harvested  an  excellent  the  thermometer  went  to  10  degrees  below 
crop  in  1880,  siilTicient  in  many  cases  to  zero.  .\  blizzard  struck  the  country  De- 
clear  up  the  debts  contracted  during  grass-  ceniber  3,  which  blockaded  the  Sioux  City 
hopper  days.  More  No.  1  wheat  was  liar-  railroad  from  the  east  until  the  5th.  An- 
vested  in  southern  T^Iinnesota  that  year  otiier  blizzard  began  Sunday  noon,  Deceni- 
than  had  ever  been  the  case  before.  The  ber  26,  and  continued  its  boisterous  ways 
days  of  adversity  l)ecame  but  a  memory:  until  Wednesday  night.  Cold  weather 
the  prospects  were  bright,  indeed.  accompanied   the  .storm,  the  thermometer 

One  of  the  dates  fi'om  which  time  is  during  the  three  days  ranging  from  10  to 
reckoned  in  Jackson  county  is  the  win-  "'-1  degrees  below  zero.  The  Sioux  City 
ter  of  1880-81 — the  season  of  Siberian  Milwaukee  was  closed  until  January  3. 
frigidity.  There  have  been  worse  slorm.i  road  was  blockaded  until  the  .30th ;  the 
than  any  that  occurnd  that  winter;  for  Time  hundred  men  and  a  half  dozen  en- 
short  periods  of  time  Uierc  has  lieen  cold-  gines  were  required  to  break  (lie  'Milwau- 
er  weather.     Rut  tiieie  never  was  a  Avinter  kee  blockade. 

to  compare  wilji  tjiis  (,iu'  in  duration,  con-         Thereafter  tlie  winter  was  an  extreme- 

linued  severity,  depth  of  .snow  and  dam-  ly  severe  one,  the  thermometer  frei|uently 

age  to  property — possibly  excepting  those  registering  .'?0  to  3o  degrees  below  the  zero 

of  1856-57  and  1872-7:!.  jy.avk.     Rlizzard    followed   blizzard.     The 

While  the  gra.ss  was  yet  green  and  the  railroads  were  clo.^ctl  for  weeks  at  a  time, 

insect  world  active,  winter  .set  in.    On  the  Fuel  and   food  became  nearly  exhausted, 

afternoon  of  Friday,  October  15,  ISSO,  a  People  burned   hay  and   grain   and  went 

heavy  thunder  storm  began.     During  the  without  lights.     In  some  places  there  was 

night  a  strong,  chilling  wind  came  down  fufTering  for  lack  of  food.     Wagon  roads 

from  the  north,  turning  the  rain   into  a  remained    iinbroken    all    winter,   and   the 

fine  snow.     A   severe  blizzard    then    took  farmers  obtained  their  supplies  from  the 

the  place  of  the  rain,  and  winter  weather  villages  by  means  of  hand  sleds, 
continued    three  days.      It   was   the   first         Following  is   the  story  of   the   winter, 

and  only  blizzard  ever  experienced  in  the  told  in  brief  chronological  order,  from  the 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


161 


lieginning  of  tlie  year  18S1  until  the 
biL'akup  in  the  spring: 

January    '■).     Milwaukee  road   opened. 

January   4.     Eain. 

January  •">.  Terrific  blizzard.  ;\lil\vau- 
kcc  Idiickailed. 

Jaiiuar\-   IS.     ^Mihyaukce  road  cleared." 

January  liJ.  Snow  storm.  Milwaukee 
blockaded. - 

January  31.  Snovv  istorni.  Sioux  City 
road  tied  up  till  the  23rd. 

.lanuary  20.  Blizzard.  All  trains 
stopped. 

January  29.  La.sc  train  <>i  the  winter 
(jyer  the  ililwaukee. 

P'ebruary  1.  Sioux  City  road  tied  up. 
Weather  changeable — from  one  stormy 
day  to  one  a  little  more  stormy. 

February  3.  Longest  snow  storm  of 
season  begins,  coming  from  the  southeast 
and  lasting  four  days.  Fifteen  days' 
I'lockade  on  Sioux  City  road  begins.  Mil- 
waukee road  buried  from  AVells  to  Dell 
I'apids.^ 

'"Last  Tui?.sday  night  fJanuary  IS],  blockade 
No.  3  was  effectual^'  and  expensively  removed. 
Hundreds  of  men  were  employed  in  the  work, 
thousands  of  doUars  were  spent,  and  almost 
the  entire  enginery  of  the  road  was  on  the 
snowy  field  of  battle  against  the  blizzards.  The 
prospects  were  again  encouraging  for  a  resump- 
tion of  work  along  the  line." — Republic,  Janu- 
ary   22.    18S1. 

'"Wednesday  night.  [January  19]  the  trouble 
began  again,  and  drifts  upon  drifts  once  more 
enveloped  the  railroad.  The  state  of  affairs  is 
indeed  discouraging.  The  company  had  re- 
solved to  hasten  forward  the  tons  of  delayed 
freight  as  rapidly  as  possible,  and  five  heavily 
loaded  freight  trains  put  in  an  appearance  at 
this  point  within  one  day  after  the  blockade 
had  been  lifted.  The  earliest  train  left  Jack- 
son for  the  west  at  about  eight  o'clock  Wed- 
nesday evening,  the  19th,  but  a  drift  about  one 
mile  west  of  tile  bridge  prevented  further  prog- 
ress. Three  trains  followed  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, but  were  unable  to  move  the  one  ahead 
or  back  down  to  the  station,  and  at  this  writ- 
ing, Friday  night  [January  21],  are  wedged  in 
!iorth  of  town,  with  a  fair  prospect  of  staying 
there  for  several  days.  .\nother  freight  and 
one  passenger  train  are  laid  up  at  the  Jackson 
depot  and  two  passeuger  trains  are  at  Fulda. 
Fortunately,  through  the  indefatigable  en- 
ergy of  the  hardy  knights  of  the  throttle,  all 
of  these  snow  bound  iron  horses  are  yet  alive 
and    snorting." — Republic,    January    22,    1881. 

""The  storm  which  commenced  on  Thursdav 
of  last  week  [February  3]  and  continued  with 
scarcely  an  intermission  until  last  Monday  came 
from  the  southeast — blinding  in  its  fury,  pow- 
erful in  windy  force,  and  awful  in  its  aspect — 
but,  thank  heaven!  lacking  the  one  element 
which  would  have  made  it  terribly  and,  perhaps, 


February  8.  Lakefield  short  of  pro- 
visions. 

February  11.  One  of  the  worst  bliz- 
zards of  the  season  begins.  Lasts  two 
days. 

February  12.  ]\Iany  farmers  reported 
out  of  fuel.'" 

February  16.  First  train  from  the 
east  in  fifteen  days  reaches  Heron  Lake. 

February  18.  Blizzard.  Last  eastern 
train  reaches  Heron  Lake. 

February  32.     Snow  storm. 

March  1.     Mild  weather  for  two  days. 

March  4.     Fierce  lilizzard  all  day." 

]\rarcli  .J.  Fair  weather,  lasting  five 
days.  Sioux  City  road  opened  except  be- 
tween  St.  James  and  Windom.'- 

^larch  11.  Terrible  l)lizzard,  lasting 
two  days,  coming  from  the  east.  Heaviest 
snowfall  of  the  season.  All  railroads 
blockaded  worse  than  eyer. 


to  some  of  God's  creatures,  fatally  complete. 
The  storm  was  one  of  miraculous  warmth,  and 
throughout  its  dreary  prevalence  the  thermome- 
ter did  not  register  below  20  degrees  above  zero. 

"During  those  three  days  the  fall  of  snow- 
was  the  heaviest  ever  known  in  this  section 
of  the  state.  It  swooped  down  in  vast  clonds 
which  fairly  darkened  the  air  and  blanketed 
the  level  of  the  earth  to  a  depth  of  nearly  two 
feet-  Drifts  almost  mountainous  in  size  sprang 
up  like  mushrooms  o\er  fences  .and  groves, 
stables  and  stacks,  rail  and  wagon  roads,  com- 
pletely suspending  all  travel  across  the   prairies. 

"On  Monday  [Februarv  7]  a  sudden  halt  was 
called  on  the  elements,  and  then  followed  four 
days  of  warm  pleasant  weather,  beautified  with 
occasional  glim))ses  of  Old  Sol's  smiling  face, 
and  the  universal  prophesy  was  that  there  had 
come  a  jiermanent  'let-up.'  " — Republic,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  ISSl. 

'""Scores  of  prairie  fei'mers  are  known  to  be 
without  fuel,  and  the  present  storm  will  drive 
them  to  dire  extremities  to  protect  their  fami- 
lies from  the  cold.  It  is  a  bad — a  terrible — state 
of  affairs  and  is  made  worse  by  the  fact  that 
it  is  impossible  to  send  help  to  the  needv." — 
Republic,   February  12.   ISSl. 

""As  we  go  to  press  on^  Fridav  [March  4] 
the  elements  are  actively  "engaged  in  getting 
up  the  biggest  blizzard  of  the  year.  The  air 
is  thick  with  snow  and  the  wind  is  blowing  a 
perfect  gale.  Of  such  things  as  these  are  bliz- 
zards made,  and  so  well  developed  is  this  one 
that  at  times  it  is  impossible  to  see  across 
the  streets  of  the  village,  so  dense  are  the 
clouds    of    snow." — Republic,    March    5,    1881. 

"The  depth  of  snow  was  very  great.  It  was 
estimated  that  the  average  depth  in  the  cuts 
on  tlie  Milwaukee  line  between  Jackson  and 
Fulda  was  ten  feet.  During  the  w'inter  the 
Minneapolis  Tribune  printed  letters  from  Heron 
Lake  correspondents,  telling  of  the  wonderful 
depth  of  snow.  One  said  it  would  be  impos- 
silile  to  give  an  idea  of  the  appearance  of  the 
prairie  country  except  by  imagining  that  the 
ocean,     when     lashed     by     a     terrible     tempest. 


1«2 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


March  10.  ^lihvaiikec  opened  east  of 
Fairmont. 

ilarch  30.  Siou.x  City  line  clear  east 
of  Wortliinfiton  antl  first  train  in  six  weeks 
(laikinii;  two  davs)  readies  Heron  Lake. 

March  31.  Storm.  Three  hundred 
sliovolers  attack  drifts  on  the  Milwaukee. 

.Vjiril  1.     Milwaukee  road  open. 

.\[)ril  5.  First  train  from  Sioux  Citv 
arrives.  Carries  letters  dated  February 
21.    Road  open  three  days. 

A])ril  T.  Fuel  and  food  staples  meafrcr 
at  Heron  Lake.  Reports  only  one  train 
in  five  weeks. 

-Vpril  R.  Siiiiw.  .\11  inilroads  again 
l>lockadod. 

.\pril  11.     ^loiv  snow. 

April  1?.  North  wind  drifts  snow  and 
completely  fills  railroads. 

April  13.  Theniiometer  registers  zero. 
■  April  16.  Train  roaches  Heron  Lake 
from  the  east. 

April  17.  Sioux  City  road  opened 
whole  length.  First  freight  train  in  elev- 
en weeks  ilelivers  fieiglit  at  Heron  Lake. 
Milwaukee  road  opens  and  freight  is  re- 
ceived at  Jackson  and  Lakefield." 

For  a  few  days  there  was  fairly  regu- 
lar trafi'ic  on  the  railroads.  Then  came 
the  floods,  caused  by  the  melting  snow, 
and  traffic  was  again  suspended.  For  ten 
days  not  a  train  ran  over  the  Sioux  City 
&  St.  Paul  road  and  it  was  May  2  before 
regular  train  service  was  established.  Near- 
ly 1,000  feet  of  the  :Milwaukcc  track  was 
swept  away  by  Okabena  creek,  but  the  Des 

could  be  suddenl.v  congealed — waves,  breakers 
and  llyInK  .spray — and  hold  white  and  Icy.  The 
same  writer  said  that  a  Bro\  e  of  trees  near  hi;- 
place  (the  trees  being  nearly  'J5  feet  high)  was 
completely  covered  by  a  Kri'at  snow  drift,  which 
was  so  heavily  crusted  that  his  children  coastea 
down  the  drift  and  had  high  frolics  over  the 
burled  trees.  Another  correspondent  told  of 
houses  along  the  Des  Moines  river  being  bm-ied 
In  snow  so  that  the  occupants  had  to  cut  holi'S 
in  the  roof  for  Ingress  and  egress. 

'^"Freight  is  plenty  now.  Merchants  have 
been  out  of  nearly  all  kinds  of  supplies.  At  one 
time  they  were  out  of  oil.  candles,  sugar,  soap 
and  many  more  useful  articles.  It  has  been 
almost  Impossible  to  get  meat." — I.Akefleld  Cor- 
respondent, April  23.   1881. 


Moines  river  bridge  stood  the  test,  and 
train  service  was  established  after  a  few 
days. 

The  Des  Moines  river  suddenly  became 
a  raging  torrent,  leaped  out  of  its  banks, 
and  inundated  and  destroyed  valuable 
property.  The  river  began  to  rise  Sun- 
day, April  17,  and  continued  to  increase 
iu  volume  until  Saturday,  April  23,  when 
it  was  24  feet  above  low  water  mark — 
the  highiest  point  in  its  history.  It  left 
its  channel  to  sweep  over  meadows  ami 
fields,  covering  with  a  terrific  current 
nearly  one-half  the  valley,  and  in  some 
places  lapping  the  very  foothills  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  its  former  bed. 

The  greatest  damage  was  done  in  the 
village  of  Jackson.  The  100-foot  iron 
span  bridge  that  hai!  been  erected  two 
years  before  at  a  cost  of  $2,000  was  brok- 
en from  its  mooring  on  the  night  of  the 
21st  by  the  immense  cakes  of  ice  that  were 
battered  against  it.  It  was  reduced  to  a 
mass  of  broken  timbers  and  bent  steel. 
Imt  was  rescued  and  anchored  in  the  south 
part  of  town.  .\  wild  waste  of  raging 
water  lapped  the  very  dooryards  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  village.  Several  houses 
had  to  he  vacated,  and  many  barns  were  en- 
t'\w]\-  fioodcil.  Coliiiiiirs  hinilier  yard  was 
iu  many  places  covered  with  eight  feet  of 
water,  and  hard  work  was  done  to  save  the 
stock.  Paul's  liiiiihcr  yard  was  also  dam- 
aged with  water  t>>  some  extent.  On  Sat- 
urday and  Sunday  Jackson  hail  the  aji- 
pearance  of  a  lumbering  camp.  Thirty  or 
more  men  were  engaged  at  the  bayou  haul- 
ing out  luml)er  and  jiiling  it  on  shore. 

Bridges  at  Brownsburg,  Okabena  :in(l 
in  Sioux  Valley  were  carried  away  by 
the  railing  waters.  Skinner's  mill  was  al- 
so harmed  to  some  extent.  Otherwise  the 
damage  caused  by  the  floods  was  not  great ; 
there  were  a  few  losses  in  Jackson,  be- 
sides those  mentioned,  of  a  few  hundred 
dollars  each. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


16a 


An  average  crop  was  raised  in  1881, 
anil  tlie  fanners  were  placed  in  better  con- 
dition that  they  had  been,  perhaps,  at  any 
previous  time  in  the  county's  history. 
I'rii-cs  ranged  good  and  there  was  a  mar- 
ket  for  everything  i-aised. 

'.riie  last  built  railroad  to  touch  Jack- 
sun  county  soil  was  the  Burlington,  Ce- 
dar liapids  &  Northern  (now  the  Chicago, 
liock  Island  &  Pacific),  which  was  builded 
from  Spirit  Lake  to  Worthingtou  during 
the  summer  of  1882,  the  road  reaching 
A\'orthington  Octolier  T.  The  road  passes 
thriiugli  the  extreme  southwestern  corner 
of  the  county,  only  about  four  miles  being 
in  Jackson  county. 

There  was  a  health}-  increase  in  popu- 
lation during  18S'2.  There  was  no  rush, 
such  as  characterized  the  early  seventies, 
but  each  week  during  the  spring  and  sum- 
mer months  witnessed  the  arrival  of  a  few 
settlers.  A  county  immigration  associa- 
tion was  formed  in  the  spring,  which  set 
forth  the  advantages  of  the  county  in 
printed  matter  and  resulted  in  bringing  a 
few  new  settlers.  The  1882  crops  was  a 
good  one,  and  all  parts  of  the  county  en- 
joyed prosper  Dus  limes.  Thirty-six  hun- 
dred sexenty-six  acres  were  sown  to  wheat 
that  year,  from  which  were  harvested  46,- 
3G1  bushels,  an  average  of  twelve  and  two- 
thirds  bushels  per  acre.  Sixty-five  hun- 
dred seventy-four  acres  were  planted  to 
corn. 

Another  death  in  the  winter  storms — 
the  first  since  the  fatalities  of  1872 — oc- 
curred in  Wisconsin  iownship  January  19, 
1883.  The  victim  was  Henry  Curti.s,  an 
aged  man  who  made  his  home  with  Mrs. 
Miles  Lindsley.  He  was  proceeding  home 
from  John  K.  Johnson's  place,  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  distant,  when  he  evidently- 
became  fatigued,  and,  lying  down  to  rest, 
was  overcome  by  the  cold  and  perished. 

Scores  of  land  buyers  visited  Jackson 
county  in  the  fall  of  1883,  and  invested 


and  became  permanent  residents.  Crops 
were  good.  Corn  was  slightly  injured  by 
an  early  frost,  but  small  grain  and  vege- 
tables yielded  abundantly.  According  to 
the  official  returns,  the  cereal  acreage  for 
1883  was  as  follows:  Wheat,  5,009;  corn, 
.■").043;  oats,  0,977-;  barley.  1,4.52;  flax, 
4,2G2. 

In  the  whole  history  of  Jackson  county, 
up  to  tlie  late  nineties,  there  never  was 
such  a  year  for  advancement  as  1884.  It 
was  a  jubilee  year.  Several  causes  added 
to  the  effect.  Principal  among  them  was 
the  rapid  settlement  caused'  by  throwing 
on  the  market  the  railroad  lands  and  other 
lands  withdrawn  from  settlement  in  1866. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  this  boom  would 
have  occurred  years  before  and  the  coun- 
ty become  thickly  settled  and  divided  into 
small  farms  had  these  lands  been  available. 
The  lands  were  placed  on  the  market  at  a 
reasonable  price,  considering  their  eligible 
location  and  the  richness  of  the  soil.  The 
Jackson  Eepublic  of  August  15,  1884, 
told  of  the  changed  conditions : 

Land  is  no  lonsjer  a  drug  in  the  market  but 
is  rapidly  rising  in  value  and  .is  passing  from 
tlie  ownersliip  of  tlie  state  and  of  railroad  com- 
panies into  tlie  hands  of  hundreds  of  settlers; 
farms  are  no  longer  deserted,  but  new  estates 
are  lieing  opened  in  every  township:  people  are 
not  leaving — they  are  locating  in  this  county 
daily  and  by  the  score:  liig  crops  are  the  result 
of  better  farming  by  encouraged  farmers; 
thousands  of  cattle  and  sheep  graze  on  the 
])rairies,  and  nearly  every  farmer  yearly  sells 
enough  fat  stock  of  some  kind  to  give  him 
plenty  of  cash ;  mortgages  are  lieing  lifted  from 
the  farm  and  new  houses  and  barns  built  there- 
on ;  creameries  and  hay  presses  are  returning 
splendid  profits  to  the  farmers  from  sources 
which  have  hitherto  yielded  them  little  or  noth- 
ing; beautiful  groves  surround  their  homes  and 
diversify  the  surface  of  a  once  unbroken  prairie. 

The  rush  for  the  newly  opened  lands 
of  Jackson  county  began  early  in  the 
spring,  the  buyers  spreading  out  into  every 
township.  Cto  where  one  might,  one  found 
farms,  once  deserted  on  account  of  n-iisfor- 
tunes,  showing  fresh  furrows,  found  smoke 
arising    from    chimneys    of    new    houses, 


164 


HISTdUY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


found  landseekers  spying  out  clioice  pieces 
of  land.  Sioux  Yallev  to\vnslii]i,  wliitli 
bad  been  one  of  tbo  least  densely  popula- 
ted townsbips,  was  especially  fortunate  in 
securing  .settlers;  the  township  became 
rapidly  settled  witli  progressive  German 
families.  Very  little  of  the  land  passed 
into  tbo  hands  of  speculators;  nearly  all 
buyers  were  farmers  who  at  once  took  pos- 
session and  made  improvements.  As  a 
writer  of  tlie  time  expressed  it:  "The 
growth  of  Jackson  county  this  year  is 
ba.sed  upon  the  healthful  pulsations  of  nat- 
ural and  genuine  merit  and  appreciated  re- 
sources. Tt  is  a  hearty  bloom  of  vigorous 
youtli.  not  a  feverish  bloom  of  fickle  spec- 
ulMtioii.     It  has  romo  in  stay." 

Adding  to  the  [irevailing  prosperity 
was  an  enormous  crop,  wliich  commanded 
a  big  price.  It  had  hccn  fnuiid  that  ex- 
clusive wheal  f:;rniii;g  ckuIiI  nut  he  de- 
pended upon,  aiKi  farmers  had  turned 
iheir  attention  largi  ly  to  the  raising  of 
flax,  hay  and  livestock.  Flax  growing  be- 
cnme  <me  of  the  big  industries,  and  it 
yiel(k^d  a  liig  jn-ofit  in  this  year  nf  jnliilce. 
Hay  also  ruled  liigli  in  price,  and  large 
quantities  were  put  up.  Hundreds  of  car 
loads  of  flax.  Jiay  and  livestock  were  ex- 
ported during  tbo  ycai." 

The  rusli  of  landsr(kers  continued  dur- 
ing tiic  rid!  months,  and  the  land  agents 
were  kept  bu.M-  until  wiiiler  piloting  pros- 
pective buyers  over  the  count  v.'"'  Over 
TO.OOO  acres  of  land,  ciiuivalent  to  more 
than  three  full  townsliijis,  were  juii  ^n 
tlie  tax  rolls  for  the  lirst  time  in  l.ssi. 
The  70,000  acres  of  added  lands  were  di- 
vided as  follows: 


"The  acreage  sown  In  1884  was  as  follows: 
WTieat.    4.81B;    corn.    3..S4S;    oats.    8.546;    barley. 

a.asi;  nax,  7.241. 

''W.  T.  Hansen,  of  Chicago,  became  the  own- 
f'l'  of  larKP  tract.<<  of  Jack.son  county  land,  and 
the  bulk  of  the  sales  in  1SS4  wore  made  by  him 
through  his  agent.  G.  A.  Albcrtus. 


Acre*. 

IntiMiial  Improvement   hiiuls  >iilil :t0.78t; 

Sri 1   lands  sol.l 0.208 

I'inal  entries  <;overnment  lanils 4,085 

SI.  Paul  i  ('liiia}.'o  l!y.  hunls  ileeded 80 

Soutliern  Minnesota  Uy.  lands  deeded..  2,681 
St.  I'aul  &  Sioux  City  lly.  lands  deeded.  .21. :124 
Sioux  City  &  St.  Puil  Ky.  lands  deeiled.  ,  104 
Southern  Minnesota  Ky.  eontraeted  lands  1.080 
St.  Paul  &  Cliieago  contracted  land-  40 


Total 


Tii.iits 


The  icsults  of  prosperous  times  were 
seen  in  building  iinproveintnts  in  all  parts 
of  the  county  and  in  tlie  prompt  payment 
of  debts.  The  fanners  were  at  last  firmly 
nil  their  feet,  and  the  high  mad  to  wealth 
was  henccfortli  open.  The  recovery  from 
the  grassho|)per  scourge  was  almost  com- 
)il(te.  In  Di'ceiniH'r,  lf<8-l,  the  Jack.son 
liepublic  said  of  the  )irogress  during  the 
twelve-month  just  closing:  "The  year 
ISSI  is  dying.  Let  it  pass  away  honored 
and  beloved  by  the  people  of  Jackson 
enmity.  It  has  liroiight  them  more  peace, 
prnsperily  and  happiness  than  any  cycle 
since  the  county  was  organized." 

In  .hily,  1884,  came  the  promise  of  an- 
other railroad.  This  was  the  Iowa  (.<.•  Min- 
nesota Nnrtliein.  whiih  agreed  to  build  a 
rnad  from  some  ])nir.l  in  nnrtliern  Iowa  to 
the  village  <d'  .lacksnii.  Secretary  Hub- 
bel.  nf  the  I.  i.V  M.  N.,  staled  on  behalf  of 
the  corporation  thai  the  road  would  be 
liuilt  provid4Ml  llie  Inwnsbips  of  l'eter,s- 
liiirg,  ^liddlctown,  De.-  Moines  and  \\'\»- 
consin  would  vole  the  company  a  bonus  of 
five  per  cent  of  Ihcir  a.s.'^e.ssed  valuation  for 
1883,  less  till-  amount  of  Ibeir  indebted- 
ness. Tiiis  wimld  make  the  amount  each 
would  have  In  fiiini.-h  as  follows:  Peters- 
!niig,  $:?,0(lli:  :Middletowii.  $1,000;  Des 
.Moines.  $9,-200 ;  Wisconsin,  $1,000.  Elec- 
tions were  held  and  Ibe  bomls  voted  in 
fbrec  of  the  town.shijis.  In  lies  Moines 
the  bnnds  carried.  95  to  3:  in  Middlcfown. 
22  to  (i :  in  Petersburg,  1:5  to  '.) ;  while  they 
were  defeated  in  Wisconsin,  50  to  .l.'i.  For 
lack  of  capital  or  some  other  reasni),  the 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


165 


company  failed  to  carry  out  its  plans,  and 
nothing  more  was  heard  of  the  road. 

The  year  188-")  was  noted  for  its  im- 
provements. Those  who  had  purchased 
laud  in  the  fall  of  1884  built  their  houses 
and  began  farming  the  next  spring.  A 
good  crop  was  raised,  a.lding  to  the  finan- 
cial standing  of  Jackson  county  farmers. 
The  crop  statistics  for  the  year  were  as 
follows : 


Grain 

Acres 

Bushels 

Average 

Wheat 

4813 
9(113 
8748 
8259 
2338 

76,323 
317,167 

97,561 
105,19:-l 

5(),03S 

15  85 
38  40 
26  03 
12  72 
23.96 

Oals 

Corn 

Flax 

Barley 

Total 

28,171 

082,277 

The  populatiuu  in  1885  was  G,11U,  a 
gain  of  1,30-4  in  five  years.  By  precincts 
the  population   was  as  follows : 

Alba    136 

Belmont  419 

Cliristiania    485 

Delafield 401 

Des  Moines    348 

Enterprise  163 

Ewington    61 

Heron  Lake    440 

Heroii   Lake    Village 280 

Hunter  216 

Jackson    608 

Kimball   295 

LaCrosse    374 

Middletown    281 

Minneota 138 

Petersburg    358 

Round  Lake  1.53 

Rost    171 

Sioux  Valley   208 

AVeimer    278 

West  Heron  Lake  96 

Wisconsin   201 

Total    6,110 

Prosperous  titues  continued  during  the 
first  half  of  1886.  During  the  spring 
niontlis  many  new  settlers  came  and 
bought  Jackson  county  farms,  the  western 
part  of  the  county  receiving  the  bulk  of 


the  immigration.     The  Minnesota  Citizen 

(Lakefield)  said  on  March  26,  1886: 

More  settlers  are  coming  in  this  spring  than 
any  two  before.  It  seems  that  almost  every 
freight  train  brings  from  two  to  three  car  loads 
of  goods.  And  the  new  arrivals  are  the  very 
best  farmers.  A  goodly  number  of  them  are 
from  Illinois,  and  they  are  bringing  with  them 
good  teams,  farming  implements  and  consider- 
aide  money.  Load  after  load  of  lumber  is  be- 
ing hauled  from  this  place  this  spring,  and  the 
building  boom  is  liveh'. 

The  county  received  a  set-back  that 
fall — the  first  in  a  number  of  years.  Ow- 
ing to  a  drought  only  about  a  half  crop 
was  raised.  Not  since  the  grasshopper 
days  had  the  cry  of  hard  times  been  so 
general.  In  addition  to  the  crop  failure, 
what  was  raised  had  to  be  offered  on  a  low 
market.  The  cattle  and  hog  market  was 
also  ruinously  low. 

The  first  contest  for  the  removal  of 
the  county  seat  from  Jackson  to  Lakefield 
— the  beginning  of  a  twenty  years  contest 
for  county  seat  honors — come  in  188G.  It 
was  the  forerunner  of  some  of  the  most 
bitter  contests  ever  waged  for  county  seat 
removal  in  Minnesota,  contests  which  en- 
gendered ill  feeling  between  the  people 
of  the  two  towns  interested  and  caused 
a  division  between  the  east  and  west  ends 
of  the  county  in  many  things. 

Prior  to  188.5  there  had  been  no  satis- 
factory county  scat  I'emoval  law  on  the 
ilinnesota  statute  books.  That  year,  on 
March  .5,  the  legislature  passed  an  act 
providing  that  when  a  majority  of  the 
freeholders  who  were  legal  voters  and  res- 
idents of  a  county  shoidd  present  to  the 
county  commis,sioners  a  petition  asking 
for  a  change  in  the  location  of  the  county 
seat  it  became  the  duty  of  the  county 
board  to  submit  the  question  at  the  next 
genera]  election.  If  a  majority  of  all 
electors  voting  cast  their  ballots  for  re- 
moval, the  county  seat  should  be  moved. 
If  the  question  of  removal  was  not  decid- 
ed in  the  afi'irmative,  the  question  could 
not  be  voted  upon  again  for  five  years,  and 


166 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


if  the  question  should  once  be  decided  neg- 
atively it  rcqiiin'il  ii  tliieo-liftlis  vote  to 
accomplish  a  rciiioval  at  any  subsequ'rnt 
election. 

Soon  after  the  passage  oi'  this  bill  the 
people  of  Lakefield  began  to  agitate  ihc 
niattei"  of  removal  to  their  town.  During 
the  early  eighties  the  bulk  of  the  immigra- 
tion had  been  to  the  western  part  oi  ihe 
county,  and  Lakefield.  situated  almost  in 
the  exact  center  of  the  county,  had  grown 
to  be  a  vijlage  of  considerable  importance. 
The  fust  moulion  in  tlic  press  of  a  pos- 
sible attempt  being  made  to  remove  the 
county  seat  was  made  on  duly  31,  1885, 
wlicn  a  writer  signing  himself  "Brutus'' 
published  an  article  in  the  Minnesota  Citi- 
zen (Lakefield),  calling  upon  the  people 
of  the  north  and  west  [)arts  of  the  county 
to  bestir  themselves  in  an  attempt  to  se- 
cure the  county  seat  for  Lakefield  under 
the  provisions  of  the  now  law.  Among 
other  things,  "Brutus"  said  : 

Now,  you  that  arc  iiitcrestoil  in  t^akofiold 
want  to  go  to  Work  and  organize  a  socioty  tn 
put  this  thing  througli,  make  arrangements 
witli  yowr  lieavy  hmdiiM  iiers  to  sceiire  tlie  eoiin- 
ty  from  loss  on  buildings,  have  tlic  fool  killer 
to  operate  on  anyone  who  proposes  an  nnder- 
haiid  measure  of  any  kind.  Meet  sophistry  and 
cries  of  delay  with  sound  reasoning  and  patient 
but  determined  explanaliim:  in  due  tinu'.  when 
the  question  has  been  thoroughly  diseussed  and 
understood,  eireuhite  yoiu'  petitions  and  pre- 
sent them  to  the  eoniniissioners  at  their  nu>et- 
ing  next  January,  showing  sueli  .a  majority  in 
favor  of  the  ehange  that  the  matter  is  prae- 
tieally  settled  at  once. 

From  the  very  earliest  days,  until  the 
eighties,  Jackson  hail  been  the  county's 
center  of  population  and  business  life. 
On  its  townsite  the  first  settlement  had 
been  made,  and  for  years  jiractically  all 
the  settled  portions  of  Jackson  county 
were  in  close  proximity  to  tluit  village. 
While  in  later  years  the  bulk  of  the  set- 
tlement had  been  made  in  other  portions 
of  the  county,  Jackson  continued  to  hold 
the  position  of  leading  town  in  the  county. 
Therefore,   when    removal    agitation   was 


begun  the  people  of  Jackson  did  not  be- 
come much  alarmed.  The  Republic  treat- 
ed the  matter  in  a  spirit  of  levity  and  said 
(July  31,  1885)  : 

The  Lakefield  Citizen,  it  is  reported,  will 
eome  out  this  week  with  a  vigorous  light  in  il> 
eolumns  fur  the  removal  of  the  »-ouuly  seat,  and 
about  1,000  copies  will  be  circulated  througliout 
the  county.  If  this  is  true,  the  Citizen  is  cruel 
beyond  expression  of  words.  What  are  the 
sweltering  .lacksonites  down  in  this  breathless 
valley  going  to  do  witli  a  county  seal  light  on 
their  hands  and  the  Iheruiomeler  100  in  the 
shade';     lie  merciful,  lirother  Seely. 

Formal  action  was  not  taken  until  the 
spring  of  1886.  On  February  20  a  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Lakefield,  at  which  it  was 
decided  to  try  for  the  honor.  On.  March 
9  the  townships  of  Hunter  and  Heron 
Lake,  in  which  the  then  unincorporated 
village  of  Lakefield  was  located,  each  voted 
to  issue  and  donate  $1,000  bonds  to  aid  in 
the  construction  of  a  court  house  at  Lake- 
field,  the  same  proposition  being  lost  in 
Rost  township  by  a  vote  of  IT  to  10.  The 
Citizen  of  March  12  reported  that  the 
owner  of  the  Lakefield  townsite  olfered  to 
donate  $3,000  for  the  same  purpose  and 
that  other  citizens  of  the  village  would 
give  $1,500. 

During  the  month  of  May  petitions 
were  circulated,  asking  that  the  county 
commissioners  submit  the  question  of  the 
removal  of  the  county  seat  at  the  general 
election  on  November  2,  ISSG.  The  pe- 
tition received  604  signatures,  and  it  was 
]ircsented  to  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners July  27.  T«o  days  later  the  com- 
missioners considered  the  ijctition.  A  pe- 
tition a.sking  that  the  Itoard  do  not  take 
favorable  action  was  jircscntcd,  and  .lohn 
K.  Brown,  of  Jackson,  presented  a  writ- 
ten objection  to  having  the  petition  filed 
with  the  county  auditor — a  necessary  step 
if  the  question  were  to  be  submitted  at  the 
Xovendicr  election.  The  connuissi<mers, 
by  a  vote  of  three  to  two,  decided  to  de- 
liver the  petition  to  tiie  county  auditor  for 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


167 


publication.  Those  wiio  voted  in  the  affirm- 
ative were  Christian  Lewis,  J.  CI.  Fod- 
nes  and  A.  E.  Kilen ;  tliose  in  the  negative, 
J.  W.  Cowing  and  John  Baldwin.  The 
last  two  named  explained  their  reasons 
for  so  voting  as  follows :  That  no  proof 
had  been  produced  to  show  that  the  peti- 
tion had  been  signed  by  a  majority  of  the 
county's  freeholders  who  were  legal  voters. 

The  filing  of  the  petition  did  not  close 
the  question,  however,  and  the  matter  was 
again  taken  up  in  September.  The  Jack- 
son people  decided  to  contest  the  petition 
before  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
and  prevent  the  question  from  coming  to 
a  vote,  using  the  argument  that  many  of 
the  signers  were  men  who  were  not  free- 
holders, but  men  who  held  land  under 
contrael  ;  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  tlie  pe- 
tition did  not  contain  the  names  of  a  ma- 
jority of  the  freeliolders.  as  the  law  pro- 
vided. For  three  days  of  the  week  ending 
September  24  there  was  a  lively  discus- 
sion before  the  county  board.  Attorney  T. 
J.  Knox  appeared  for  the  Jackson  jjeople 
and  analyzed  the  weak  points  of  the  pe- 
tition. x\ttorncy  Betzer  appeared  for  Lake- 
field  in  defense  of  the  petition.  The  situ- 
ation was  complicated  by  the  resignation 
of  Commissioner  A.  E.  Kilen.  H.  C. 
Sether  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy,  and 
an   adjournment  taken   to   September  38. 

On  the  28th  the  commissioners  decided 
that  the  petition  did  not  comply  with  the 
law,  in  that  it  was  found  that  only  330 
freeholders  v.'ho  were  legal  voters  had 
signed  the  petition,  while  433  had  not 
signed.  On  the  final  vote  Commissioners 
Lewis  and  Fodnes  voted  to  have  the  ques- 
tion submitted,  while  Commissioners  Cow- 
ing, Baldwin  and  Sether  voted  not  to 
submit  it  at  the  general  election.^" 

^"The  official  proceedings  of  the  board  for 
September  28  are  as  follows: 

"4:30  p.  m.  Moved  by  Mr.  Lewis  and  second- 
ed by  Mr.  Fodnes  tliat  the  board  now  proceed 
to  count  the  names  of  the  legal  voters  and 
freeholders  on  the  list  for  and  against  the  re- 
moval of   the  county   scat.   ■ 


Not  much  of  historical  importance  oc- 
curred in  the  county  during  the  late  eight- 
ies. The  people  were  blessed  with  good 
crops,  and  prosperous  times  resulted.  A 
few  new  settlers  arrived  each  year,  new 
farms  were  put  under  cultivation,  and 
tlie   country   otherwise   improved. 

One  event  that  should  be  recorded  for 
this  period  was  another — and  the  last — 
severe  blizzard.  In  the  history  of  the 
northwest  there  have  been  a  few  winter 
storms  of  such  unnatural  severity  that 
they  stand  out  as  events  of  historical  im- 
portance. The  most  severe  of  these  awful 
storms  was  the  blizzard  of  January  7,  8 
and  9,  1873,  an  account  of  which  has  been 
given.  Banking  second  was  the  terrible 
blizzard  of  January  12,  ISSS,  when  scores 
of  people  perished  in  Minnesota  and  the 
Dakotas.  Fortunately,  there  was  no  less 
of  life  in  Jackson  county,  although  sev- 
eral were  caught  in  the  storm.  The  Lake- 
field  Standard  of  January  19,  1888,  told 
of  the  blizzard: 

Tliursday  of  last  week  [January  12]  one  of 
tlie  worst  snow  storms  known  for  years  raged 
over  the  entire  northwest.  AH  day  long  there 
was  a  heavy  snow-fall  and  a  mild  wind  from 
the  south.  In  the  evening  the  wind  suddenly 
changed  to  the  northwest,  and  the  temperature 
grew  colder.  The  air  seemed  filled  with  all 
the  snow  banks  of  the  country  and  it  was  not 
safe  to  venture  out  of  doors,  as  objects  could 

"The    motion    was    lost. 

"S    p.    m.     All   present. 

"Two  petitions,  containing  the  names  and 
signatures  of  26  freeholders  who  had  signed 
the  petition  for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat 
from  Jackson  to  I.akefleld,  were  presented, 
withdrawing  the  names  of  said  26  freeholders 
from  said  petition  for  all  purposes  whatever. 
Said  petitions,  after  being  presented,  were  tak- 
en by  the  attorney  representing  Lakefleld  and 
subsequently  lost.  All  parties  admit  that  such 
petitions  were  so  presented  and  contained  the 
names  of  such  number  of  freeholders  withdraw- 
ing their  names  xrom  said  petition  tor  the  re- 
moval  of   said    county   seat. 

"The  board  then  proceeded  to  count  the 
names  on  the  lists  of  freeholders  and  legal 
voters  within  the  county  for  and  against  the 
petition  to  remove  the  county  seat  from  Jack- 
son to  Lakefleld  and  found  that  330  legal  vot- 
ers and  freeholders  had  signed  the  petition  for 
the  removal  and  433  who  had  not  signed  said 
petition. 

"It  was  moved  by  Mr.  Lewis  and  seconded 
by  Mr.  Fodnes  that  the  question  of  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat  from  Jackson  to  Lakefleld  be 
submitted  to  the  ""'oters  of  Jackson  county  at 
the   next   general  election.    November   2,    1886. 

"The   motion  was  lost." 


168 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


not    be   dUtiiiju'iiishod    twenty    feet    away. 

.Jackson  cimiity.  so  far  as  lieard 
from,  escaped  luekily,  as  no  luinian  lives  have 
been  reported  lost.  A  number  of  farmers  were 
overtaken  on  tlic  prairie  by  tbe  storm  but  es- 
caped alive. 

The  county  seat  removal  question  was 
not  again  opened  during  the  late  eighties, 
hut  preparations  were  made  to  take  up 
the  fight  again  at  some  future  time.  The 
legi.«lature  on  April  13,  1889,  passed  a  hiw 
authorizing  tlie  townships  of  Heron  Lake 
and  Hunter  to  issue  bonds,  in  sums  not 
exteeding  five  per  cent  of  the  assessed 
valuation,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds 
to  apply  on  the  erection  of  a  court  house 
at  the  point  the  voters  of  the  county  might 
select  as  the  location  for  the  county  seat.'" 
As  the  people  of  Heron  Lake  and  Hunter 
townships  had  no  intention  of  furnishing 
money  to  build  a  court  house  at  Jackson 
— where  the  county  seat  remained — the 
i)onds  were  not  issued. 

The  federal  census  of  1890  gave  Jack- 
son county  a  population  of  8,924.  This 
was  a  gain  of  3,814  in  five  years,  the  larg- 
est gain  in  numbers  during  any  previous 
five  year  period.  I'rosperous  times  con- 
tinued during  the  first  few  years  of  the 
decade  beginning  with  1890.  Good  crops 
were  raised,  and  many  new  settlers  from 
the  middle  states  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty to  purchase  the  comparatively  cheaji 
lands.  Said  the  Jackson  ]?ppublic  of  Au- 
gust 14,  1891: 

A  little  in()uiry  among  tlie  real  estate  men 
develops  tbe  faet  that  tbe  ovitlook  for  Jaekson 
county  was  never  bri;;btcr  than  at  tbe  present 
time.  Tbe  bountiful  crops  bave  attracteil  tlie 
atfentif)n  of  eastern  pco|>le.  and  the  demand  for 
wild  land  is  unprecedented.  Tbe  greater  por- 
tion of  this  land  is  being  sold  to  newcomers 
for  actual  settlement  next  spring  and  the  bal- 
ance is  taken  by  resident  farmers  wbo  desire 
to  increase  the  size  of  their  farms— a  sure  in- 

"A  proviso  of  th<-  law  was  as  fullow.s: 
■'Said  boarrt  of  supervisor.*  sball  not  pul  such 
l>onds  upon  the  market,  nor  sell  anv  part  there- 
of, until  the  site  of  said  court  house  Is  legallv 
eslalMlshed  at  the  location  designated  in  sucli 
petition.  And  if  said  court  house  site  be  not 
cslalilishid  at  such  place  within  two  years  after 
such  tionds  are  voted  such  bonds  shall  l>ecome 
null  and  void  and  shall  be  canceiled  hv  such 
supervisors." 


dication  of  prosperity.  .  .  .  Register  Bald- 
win says  the  number  of  transfers  is  increasing 
rapidly,  while  the  number  of  mortgages  filed 
shows  a   bealthy  decrease. 

'J'hfie  was  a  slight  ripple  in  county 
seat  removal  matters  during  the  winter 
of  1892-93.  In  Nobles  county  the  village 
of  Adrian  was  trying  to  wrest  tlie  county 
seat  from  Worthington,  when  someone  de- 
veloped a  plan  to  settle  the  matter  in  both 
Nobles  and  Jackson  counties.  The  plan 
was  to  form  three  counties  from  the  two, 
with  Jackson.  Worthington  and  .\drian 
as  the  county  seats.  That  would  have  <;iv- 
eii  both  Nobles  county  towns  county  seat 
liDiiors.  and,  by  taking  part  of  western 
Jackson  county  for  the  new  county,  it 
would  undoubtedly  have  given  Jackson 
such  an  advantage  that  the  question  of 
removal  to  Lakefield  would  never  have 
been  brought  up  again.  Nobles  -county 
people  seriously  discussed  the  question  of 
taking  such  a  proposition  to.  the  legisla- 
ture of  1893,  but  Jackson  county  people 
never  .seriously  considered  the  matter,  and 
the  project  "died  a  bornin'."' 

\n  event  of  the  year  1893  was  a  cv- 
clone  which  visited  the  county  on  the  even- 
ing of  Wednesday.  Jtdy  5,  and  wliich  re- 
sulted in  the  destruction  of  many  ihoii- 
saiid  dollars'  wi.rtli  of  property.  The 
I>rincipnl  damage  was  in  (he  villages  of 
Ileioii  lijtke  and  Lakefield  and  in  the 
townships  of  Heron  Lake.  West  Heron 
Lake  and  Hunter.  Barn.«,  outhou.ees. 
fences,  chimneys  and,  in  some  instances, 
houses  were  demoli.shed  by  the  fury  of  the 
.-lorm. 

In  the  summer  of  1893  came  the  mem- 
orable panic,  followed  l)y  a  few  years  of 
hard  times.  Business  was  for  a  time  para- 
lyzed, several  business  houses  failed,  and 
a  period  of  depression  followed,  which 
was  not  entirely  broken  until  tlie  latter 
part  of  the  nineties.  But  this  period  of 
hard  times  was  not  so  keenly  felt  in  Jack- 
son county  as  it  was  in  inanv  of  the  less 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 


MTOR,  LENOX  A«M 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


169 


favored  portions  of  the  country.  The  panic 
was  preceded  hy  a  decade  of  flourishing 
timefi.  Nearly  all  had  prospered  ami  were 
in  a  position  to  weather  the  financial  crash 
and  its  resultant  period  of  depression. 

The  second  contest  for  the  removal  of 
the  county  seat  to  Ijakefield  came  in  the 
spring  of  1S94.  The  Minnesota  county 
seat  removal  law  at  that  time  (as  it  does 
now)  pnividiMl  that  the  petition  for  re- 
moval must  contain  the  signatures  of  at 
least  sixty  per  cent  of  the  number  of  elec- 
tors voting  at  the  last  preceding  general 
clectiun;  that  if  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  found  that  the  required 
number  of  signatures  had  been  oljtaincd 
ihey  should  call  a  special  election  to  vote 
upon  the  question:  that  if  fifty-five  per 
cent  of  the  voters  at  such  special  election 
should  declare  in  favor  of  removal,  the 
county  seat  should  be  changed.  Ever 
since  the  contest  of  eight  years  before  tlie 
people  of  Lakefield  had  been  making  jjrep- 
arations  and  laying  their  plans  for  i-enew- 
ing  the  conflict  when  the  conditions  were 
)iropititious.  They  believed  tlic  time  had 
iiiine  in  189-4. 

The  opening  gun  was  fireil  in  February, 
when  a  number  of  prominent  citizens  of 
Lakefield  and  vicinity  issued  a  call  for  a 
mass  meeting  to  decide  u))on  tlie  advisa- 
bility (d'  reopening  tlie  conflict.  The  meet- 
ing was  lield  at  Lakefield  Feljruary  '^4.  at 
which  time  it  was  unanimously  decided 
lo  proceed.  The  following  were  chosen 
an  executive  committee  to  have  charge  of 
the  campaign:  N.  J.  Scott,  John  Freder- 
ickson.  11.  J.  Hollister,  M.  E.  Cluss,  C. 
Young,  William  Searles,  George  Sawyer, 
('.  Govp,  John  Crawford  and  C.  Trade- 
well.  In  a  platform  adopted  it  was  stat- 
ed that  the  removal  forces  intended  to 
conduct  a  clean  and  honorable  cauipaign 
aiul  on  the  merits  of  the  issue.  The  of- 
ficial notice  to  circulate  tlie  petition  was 
drawn  up  on  Februa'y  2-1  and  signed  by 

10 


John   Crawford,   X.  J.   Scott  and   W.  A. 
Funk. 

The  work  of  circulating  the  petitiim 
was  begun  on  ilarch  I'i,  and  on  the  27th 
the  petition,  containing  the  signatures  of 
1.431  voters,  was  filed  with  the  cotinty  au- 
ditor. The  board  of  county  commission- 
ers, composed  of  Henry  Thielvoldt,  J.  W. 
Cowing,  H.  K.  Eue,  George  Erbes  and 
Thomas  Chesterson,  met  in  special  ses- 
sion April  16  to  determine  the  standing 
of  the  petition.  No  nnited  effort  was  made 
by  the  people  of  Jackson  to  secure  with- 
drawals from  the  petition  or  to  fight  the 
instrument  at  this  meeting  of  the  board, 
although  W.  B.  Sketch,  of  Jackson,  filed 
olijoctions  to  eai-h  and  every  aft'idavit  con- 
tained in  the  petition,  maintaining  that 
there  was  no  evidence  that  the  names  on 
the  petition  constituted  sixty  per  cent  of 
the  legal  voters  at  the  last  general  election, 
or  that  the  notices  of  publication  had  been 
legally  published.  On  the  seventeenth  the 
board  took  favorable  action  and  issued 
the  necessary  certificate,  calling  the  elec- 
tion for  May  15. 

So  soon  as  the  action  was  taken  that 
made  an  election  certain,  the  people  of 
Lakefield  opened  the  campaign  with  a 
clever  piece  of  work — the  building  of  a 
court  house  at  Lakefield.  A  special  meet- 
ing of  the  Lakefield  village  council  was 
lield  on  the  evening  of  April  17,  when  it 
was  decided  to  build  at  once  a  city  hall 
of  bi-ick  and  stone,  the  free  use  of  which 
should  be  given  to  Jackson  county  for 
court  house  purposes  in  the  event  of  the 
removal  of  the  county  seat.  Lots  one  and 
two,  in  block  five,  were  purchased  for  a 
site.  Architect  Thayer,  of  Mankato,  was 
telegraphed  for,  and  he  arrived  on  the 
evening  of  the  18th.  Plans  for  a  build- 
ing, .50x60  feet,  .30  feet  high,  were  drawn, 
and  the  contract,  calling  for  the  comple- 
tion of  tlie  building  by  ^lay  10,  was  made 
with  .V.  W.  Schwe]ipe  &  Company,  of  St. 


170 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


.lames.  Construction  was  begun  on  tlu' 
morning  of  the  19th,  and  it  was  rushed  to 
completion.  After  tlic  work  was  started 
a  special  village  election  was  held  and 
bonds  to  the  amount  of  $8,000  were  vot- 
ed to  pay  for  the  building.  This  struc- 
ture, much  praised,  much  maligned,  play- 
ed an  important  jwit  in  the  history  of 
Jackson  county.  Witii  the  possible  ex- 
ception of  the  old  court  house,  it  is  the 
most  thoroughly  di.scusscd  building  ever 
erected  in  the  county. 

That  the  offer  of  (liis  buililitiir  lor  court 
house  jjurposcs  should  lie  known  to  he 
made  in  good  faith,  a  i]uit  chiini  di'cd  to 
the  lots  upon  which  the  ImililinL''  wms  be- 
ing erected  was  given  to  II.  .1.  lloUistcr, 
(!.  G.  Sawyer  and  N.  J.  Scott,  and  these 
gentlemen  executed  a  bond  and  signed  a 
lease  to  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers, binding  themselves  to  provide  the 
Lakefield  court  house  for  county  purposes 
for  a  term  of  ten  years  for  a  nominal  ren- 
tal price  of  one  dollar  per  year.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers agreed  to  accept  the  lease  in  case  llic 
county  seat  was  moved.  The  olVrr  of  this 
building  doubtless  won  many  votes  for 
Jyakcticld  in  the  election.  One  of  tlie  prin- 
cipal aru'unu'nts  of  .lackson  bail  been  Ibat 
removal  would  necessarily  cause  the  ex- 
penditure of  considerable  money  to  build 
a  court  house. 


The  campaign  which  followed  was  an 
exciting  one  and  very  close.  When  the 
votes  were  counted  on  the  evening  of  ilay 
1").  it  was  found  that  Jackson  was  the 
victor  by  forty  votes.  The  total  vote  was 
•.i,S03.  of  which  Lakefield  received  1,502 
and  Jack-son  1,301.  To  have  won.  Lake- 
field  must  have  received  1,542,  or  fifty- 
five  per  cent  of  the  total  vote.  The  vote 
bv  prociticts  wa.-^  as  follow-; : 


PRECINCT 


Alba 

Belmont 

Christiania 

Delafield 

Des  Moines 

Enterprise  

Ewinf^ton  

Heron  Lake  Township, 

Hunter 

Kimball 

LaCrosse 

Middletown 

Minneota 

Petersburg 

Rost  

Round  Lake 

Sioux  Valley  

Weimer 

West  Huron  Lake 

Wisconsin 

.lackson 

Lakefield 

Heron  Lake  Village.... 

Total 


Lake-  Jack- 
field      son 


60 
47 
58 

138 

10 

8 

G6 

150 

ys 

12 
81 
17 
50 
9 

87 
99 
82 
«8 
5 
3 

i:ii) 

96 


1502 


103 

()« 

119 

91) 

1 

1 

22 

98 

31 

9.5 

27 

135 

1 

9 

li 


94 
322 

1301 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


CURRENT  E  VENTS— 1895-1910. 


THE  progress  of  a  community  is  re- 
tieetcd  to  a  considerable  extent  in 
its  census  returns.  That  Jack- 
son county's  progress  had  been  steady  is 
attested  by  the  fact  that  from  1800,  when 
enumerators  found  inhabitants  in  Jaclv- 
son  county  for  the  first  time,  up  to  the 
]n-escnt  time,  eacli  five  year  census  had 
shown  a  gain  in  population.     The  great- 


West   Heron  Lakr 

Wilder    

Wisconsin      


258 
2.52 

47y 


Total 12,324 

Considerable  railroail  history  was  made 
in  Jackson  county  during  1895  and  1896, 
but  no  railroads  were  built.  For  many 
years  the  people  of  the  county  had  tried 
to    secure   the   building   of    a    mu-th    and 


est  increase  during  any  of  these  five  year     t;outh    j'oad ;    they    had    approached   every 


periods  occurred  from  1890  to  1895.  Ac- 
cording to  the  state  census  for  the  last 
uientioned  year,  the  population  of  Jack- 
son county  was  r2,324.  Thi.s  was  an  in- 
crease of  3,400  in  five  years.  During  the 
decade  the  couniy  liad  more  than  doubled 
in  population.  Divided  by  precincts  the 
jiopulation  of  1895  was  as  follows: 

Alba     308 

Belmont     680 

Christiania    

Delafield    

Des    Moines    

Enterprise     

Kwington     

Heron  Lake   Township 
Heron  Lake  Villap;e  .  .  . 

Hnnter     

•Tackson      

Kimball     501 

LaC'rosse    510 

Lakeiield    51" 

Middletown     553 

Jlinneota     431 

Petersburg    659 

Rost 400 

Round  Lake 457 

Sioux  Vallev   496 

Weimer    .  . ." 391 


020 
279 
605 
463 
395 
608 
646 
452 
1.356 


company  in  the  country  to  the  south — 
both  those  with  lines  of  railroad  and  those 
withiiut:  they  liad  oft'ered  inducements  to 
ciini]>any  after  coiui.nuiy,  but  none  was 
fiiuud  who  would  build  into  the  Milwau- 
kee territory.  Finally,  several  capitalists 
of  Jackson  formed  a  company  and  obtain- 
ed a  charter  with  tlie  hope  of  some  day 
being  able  to  nuike  arrangements  to  build 
a  north  and  south  road.  The  proposed 
road  was  named  the  Jackson  Southern. 

In  1895  the  promoters  decided  to  un- 
dertake the  work  of  building  the  first  sec- 
tion, from  Jackson  south  to  some  point  on 
the  Burlington.  Several  of  the  precincts 
in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  county, 
whicli  would  be  most  benefited,  were  ask- 
ed to  issue  bonds  to  aid  the  work,  and  on 
October  8  the  following  voted  bonds :  Des 
]\Ioines,  $8,000;  Wisconsin,  $8,000:  Mid- 
dletown,  $9,000 :  Jackson,  $11,000.  Bonds 
(lid   not  carrv  in   Petersburg,  which   was 


171 


172 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


asked  to  give  $9,0UH.  A  iiieetiug  of  the 
stockholders  was  held  October  11,  when 
preliminary  arrangements  for  securing 
right-of-way  and  commencing  grading 
were  made.  Another  meeting  was  held 
at  Jackson  Octol)er  1!».  which  was  report- 
ed by  the  Jackson  County  Pilot  a.s  fol- 
lows : 

On  last  Satuiilay.  OcIhIiit  111.  tlic  liouid  of 
ilirci-tors  of  the  .laiks.ni  .Soutlicin  lailioiul  lield 
an  impoitiiiit  sisriinn  in  tliis  i-ity.  .Xmon;;  those 
present  were  Messrs.  .1.  K.  !!niwn,  K.  K.  Car- 
penter, Ah'xaiiihM-  I'i.ldes,  1>.  H.  l?erf;e.  .J.  W. 
Cowing,  T.  J.  Knox,  of  .laikson:  .1.  .1.  Itell,  of 
Ues  Moines,  Iowa:  and  Mah-olm  .lohnson.  of 
Galveston,    Texas. 

Ainont;  other  important  bnsiness  transaeted. 
an  assessment  of  ten  jier  eent  was  ma<ie  on  the 
stoekhohlers.  wliieli  it  is  presumed  will  meet 
with  a  liearty  response,  as  it  is  newssary  to 
have  funds  to  carry  on  the  work.  Arranjie- 
mcnts  were  also  perfected  for  building  the  road, 
work    on    whieli    has    already    l)e"un.    and    dirt 


will  be  llvin"  alonj; 


line  bv  next   week. 


The  company  Inis  made  arraiifjements  to 
push  the  work  to  completion  at  as  early  a  chite 
as  possible,  and  if  December  shall  be  an  open 
montli.  like  last  year,  the  iron  horse  will  neigh 
upon  the  suburbs  of  .Jackson  before  the  dawn- 
ing of   the  new   year. 

The  road  will  not  prove  so  great  a  blessing 
to  Petersbiug  township  as  it  would  have  done 
had  the  bond  proposition  carried  in  that  town. 
It  is  the  intention  of  the  company  to  locate  a 
station  in  Middletown  and  build  up  a  little 
village  there.  This  will  certainly  ]>rove  a  boon 
to  the  farnu'rs  of  Middletown  and  will  amply 
repay   them   for  the  aid  voted. 

Befdi'o  the  close  f»f  October  a  large  part 
of  the  right-of-way  had  been  secured  and 
surveyors  had  run  the  line.  Early  in  Xo- 
vemi)er  the  contract  for  grading  live  of 
the  eight  mili^s  between  Jackson  and  tlip 
state  line  was  let.  and  by  the  middle  of 
the  month  a  large  force  of  graders  was  at 
work.  The  winter  was  an  open  one,  and 
the  making  of  the  roadbed  was  continued 
nearly  all  winter,  and  most  of  the  heavy 
grading  was  completed.  The  company 
was  liandicajiped  for  lack  of  funds,  but 
early  in  March.  lSi)6.  Ti  contract  for  the 
sale  of  $"2r).000  worth  of  the  township 
bonds  was  made,  and  the  work  was  con- 
tinued. In  May  the  grading  was  com- 
pleted,  and    the    next    month    tracklaying 


was  begun.  Then,  suddenly,  the  work 
ceased ;  lack  of  paid-up  capital  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  failure. 

On  the  evening  of  Friday,  August  19, 
1898,  the  county  was  visited  by  a  destruc- 
tive wind  storm,  which  resulted  in  two 
deaths  and  destruction  to  property  to  the 
value  of  $100,000.  The  storm  came  from 
the  nortii  and  did  its  first  damage  in  the 
village  of  Wilder.  There  the  roof  df  tlie 
main  building  of  I'reck  college  was  Idown 
olf.  the  church  and  Woodman's  hall  were 
demolished,  and  D.  I..  IMcv's  lumber 
shed  was  wrecked,  as  well  as  several  other 
building.s  damaged. 

The  storm  then  lifted,  going  over  Deia- 
(ield  and  Ilenui  Lake  townsliijis.  but 
flroppcd  down  again  at  Lakelield.  There 
th.e  Jackson  County  State  Bank  building 
was  partially  unroofed,  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  churcji  was  moved  from  its 
foundation  and  wrecked  beyond  rejiair, 
William  Searles'  brick  store  building  was 
struck  by  lightning  and  damaged.  Charles 
Nelson's  house  was  completely  demojislietl, 
iii.iny  outhouses  and  barns  were  blown 
down.  At  Okabena  a  box  car  was  blown 
from  a  sidetrack  onto  the  main  line  and 
thence  eastward  on  tin-  main  line  i>f  the 
Milwaukee  eleven  miles.  The  wiml  then 
seemed  to  change  to  the  o]iposite  direction, 
for  the  car  was  blown  back  llic  saiiic  dis- 
tance, without  any  damage  whatever  hav- 
ing iieen  done  it. 

From  Lakefield  the  storm  |iroceednl 
south  through  Hunter  and  Minncota 
l"ivnshi])s.  Much  dannige  was  done  alonn 
its  course  through  lho.«e  precincts,  some 
farms  being  swept  entirely  clear  of  build- 
ings. In  Minneota  the  tornado  turned 
east,  al  right  angles.  Nearly  every  bit  ol 
property  along  the  course  of  the  st<irm  in 
Middletown  was  destroyed.  In  Petersburg 
the  damage  also  was  great,  and  in  that 
township  occurred  the  deaths.  Tlu'  vir- 
lims  were  ^Ir.  and   Mrs.  Herman   Kggen- 


HISTOEY  OV  JACKSOX  COUNTY.  173 

steiu,  who  were  temporarily  living  iu  Uie  ol  tlie  county  seat  of  Jackson  county 
upper  part  of  their  barn,  their  house  he-  came  in  1900.  The  five  years  which  the 
ing  under  construction.  The  barn  was  law  provided  should  intervene  between 
conipletelv  blown  to  pieces,  and  Mr.  and  elections  for  the  removal  of  county  seats 
Mrs.  Eggenstein  were  killed  instantly,  had  then  passed,  and  the  people  of  Lake- 
Xeighboring  counties  suffered  some  loss  field  and  their  friends  in  the  western  and 
as  a  result  of  the  storm,  hut  its  main  northern  parts  of  the  county  believed  they 
strength  seems  to  liave  been  expended  in  stood  an  excellent  show'  of  secui-ing  the 
Jackson  county.  lemoval  from  Jackson,  basing  their  be- 
After  the  hard  times  period  following  lii'i'  "h  ^h'  fact  that  Lakefield  was  located 
tlie  panic  of  189:5,  Jackson  county  en-  i"  almost  tiie  exact  center  of  tlie  connty, 
tered  upon  a  prosperous  era— the  most  "l"!''  ''ackson  \va,-  far  rroin  the  geograph- 
prosperous  iu  its  whole  history,  before  or  i'al  center  and  no  longer  could  claim 
since.  During  the  years  1897  to  1903,  in-  '"  1>^'  t'le  center  of  population.' 
elusive,  excellent  cro]jt  were  the  rule,  and  Eaidy  in  the  spring  .ionie  [ireliminary 
hundreds  of  new  settlers  came  to  .^hare  work  was  done  in  the  way  of  finding  out 
in  the  bounteous  times.  Laud  values  the  sentiment  of  the  people,  and  on  Wed- 
jumped  several  hundred  per  cent;  farm  ncsday  evening,  April  4,  the  business  men 
lands  that  liad  sold  for  $10  to  $20  per  of  Lakefield  met  and  fornuiUy  started  the 
acre  advanced  to  $35  to  $100  per  acre.  It  contest.  The  next  day  a  committee  corn- 
was  a  time  of  unprecedented  prosperity,  posed  of  IL  J.  Hollister,  iL  H.  Evans 
and  continued  until  the  disastrous  year  and  E.  T.  Smith  gave  notice  that  the  peti- 
1903.  tion  for  removal  would  be  circulated  on 
The  census  of  1900  showed  the  county  A])ril  ■3.'!.  This  was  published  officially 
to  have  a  population  of  14,793,  divided  April  7.  and  the  contest  was  started.  On 
among  the  several  precincts  as  follows:  April  Kl  the  people  of  Jackson,  reprcsent- 
^P^^  411  ed  by  T.  J.  Knox.  Alexander  Fiddes, 
Alpiia' ".'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.....    20!)  Xiels  Hande\  itt.  J.  C.  Edlin,  R.  S.  Eob- 

chriitl!^ia  ■;■'::::::;::::::::;:::::::::  5G0  *-rt-""-  r-  "^^'^  Ashiey,  g.  g.  Arontson,  c. 

Delafield    4.53  Tichacek  and  ^M.  B.  Hutchinson,  gave  no- 

^,"1  ■"*'".""■"    t>n  tice  that  thev  would  contest  the  removal, 

bntfriiiisc     0.20 

Ewiiifiton    478  this  notice  being  published  April  13. 

Heron  Lake   Townsliip 580  ,-,                     ^i    ii       t    i    ^   1  n          . !.„,.„  ,  ,^ 

Tj         ,    ,     ,-|,          -                                     noa  lor  a  month  the  Lakeneld  workers  can- 
Heron   Ijake  \  illage 'JiH 

Hnnter    -iTi  vassed   the  county   securing  signatures  to 

•,l"'''V",'i   ''ro-  the  petition  and  were  very  successful.    On 

Kniuiall    y<'ii  ^ 

I.aC'rosse   .>17  Tuesday,  ilay   23,  the   petition   was   filed 

'^f.';';';'''^^  ^I'i;  with    the    countv    auditor.      It    contained 

.Midclletown     otO 

Minnenta    506  1,(348  namcS' — 321  riiore  than  the  number 

Petersburg   u3  i^equired  to  bring  the  question  to  a  vote.- 

Rost      401  1.                            '^             ^ 

Round  Lake  513  Xoticc  was  at  once  given  of  a  special  ses- 

Sionx  Valley    503 

Weinicr                                                                             410  'The    center    of    population    at    the    time    was 

,,.     .    TT  '    '  '  T    1 ■J--  on   the  northwe-st  quarter  of  section  two.  .Hunt- 

wesl    Heron   l^alce ,ii^o  ^^   township.     The   census   of   1900   showed   that 

Wilder    174  there    were    7,118    people    in    the    north    half    of 

Wiscousiu    .525  the  county  and   7,675   in   the   south   half.     In   the 

two    western    tiers    of    townships    the    populntion 

_,   ,    ,                                                                        ,  ,  _„„  was    4,725;    in    the    two    eastern    tiers.    6,912:    in 

iotal     14,70.i  „,,p    middle    tier.    3.156. 

=The    total    vote    in    1898    was    2.211.    and    sixty 

The    third     struggle    for    the    possession  Per^ceiU^of   that  was   1,327-the  number   requlr- 


174 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


sidii  of  tlic  county  l)oar(l  to  be  liekl  June 
11,  to  take  aetion  in  the  matter  of  the 
petition. 

Wlien  the  eoniniissioners  nut.  \\  .  i'>. 
Sketch,  of  Jackson,  filed  a  written  ol)jee- 
tion  to  tlie  consideration  of  the  petition 
on  the  ground  that  tin-  notice  of  intention 
to  circulate  petition  was  not  in  tlic  fnrtn 
required  hy  law.  He  filed  furtiier  olijei- 
tion  on  the  ground  that  Coniniissioner 
Crawford  was  disqualified  from  sitting  as 
a  member  of  the  board  of  county  comnns- 
sioners:  also  on  the  ground  of  lirilieiy 
having  been  offered  by  the  village  of  Lake- 
field  :  also  that  County  .Vltorney  V..  'V. 
Smith  was  dis(|Uiilifiod  from  acting  as 
legal  advisor  to  tiie  board  on  account  of 
being  directly  interested  in  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat.  Tiie  commissioners 
decided  that  they  liad  jurisdiction,  and, 
after  having  stricken  tliroe  names  from 
the  ])etition,  they  held  that  the  required 
number  of  signatures  had  been  obtained 
and  that  it  was  in  accordance  with  tlic 
law.  The  proper  certificate  was  made  and 
filed,  and  July  10  was  named  as  the  date 
for  holding  the  election. 

The  campaign  which  ensued  was  spirit- 
ed. Workers  for  both  towns  canvassed 
the  county  thorougidy.  Ill  feeling  de- 
veloped between  the  two  communities,  and 
mud  slinging  was  not  bnrred ;  in  many 
instances  personal  aliiisc  was  used  in  place 
of  argument,  .\gain  the  peo]dc  of  Lake- 
field  offered  their  public  building  to  the 
county  for  a  rental  price  of  one  dnllnr 
per  year,  providing  tiu^  jieople  voted  them 
the  county  .seat.  A  bond  in  the  sum  of 
$30,000  guaranteeing  this  was  exeiiiicMl 
July  3.' 

Jack.son  was  again  succcssfid  at  the 
polls,  winning  by  the  narrow  margin  of 

'The  milkers  of  the  homl  were  M.  II.  ICviiiis. 
John  Fretlericksnn.  Wlllliim  Searles.  .7.  W. 
Dinilinev.  H.  J.  Hollister.  Thoma.s  i^rawford.  C. 
M.  Oage.  G.  W.  Curtls.x.  A.  F.  Haiif.  Adolph 
Bettin.  C.  H.  Wood,  George  Brltsch.  t".  S.  HeuU. 
S.  Searle.s.  W.  F.  TImm.  D.  I-.  Riley.  F.  I., 
l/oonard.  H.  A.  Rhodes.  .X.  A.  Fo.sness  and  Wil- 
Jlam   Kaiidcr. 


twenty-seven  votes.  The  total  vote  count- 
ed was  :{,.")58/  of  which  Lakefield  received 
l.'.i.Sii  and  JacLson  l,(i".i8.  To  have  won 
Lakclicld  must  have  received  1,957  votes 
— the  .J.")  ])er  cent  of  the  total  vote.  Fol- 
lowing is  the  result  by  jirociiirls: 


I'KECINCT 


Lake- 
field 


Alba    

Belmont 

(."hrisfiania    

DelalieUl     

Des  Moines 

Enterprise  

Ewin^ton 

Heron  Lake  Township 

Hunter 

Kimball 

LcCrosse 

Middletown 

Minneota 

Petersburg 

Rest    .    . 

Round  Lake 

Sioux  Valley 

Weimer 

West  Heron  Lake   . . . 

Wisconsin 

Jackson 

Lakefield    

Heron  Lake  Village  . . 

Total 


;o 

84 
157 

15 
4 

98 
14n 
108 

44 

71 
9 

84 

13 
116 

91 
108 
101 

94 

22 

265 


\9i0 


Jack- 


.\  lelcbratioli  in  hoiinr  of  llic  \icloiy 
was  held  at  Jack.son  on  .luly  1L  when 
the  exercises  were  held  in  a  downpour  of 
rain.  Fifteen  hundred  visitors  were  ]ires- 
cnl  to  assist  in  tlu'  jollification. 

'I'lie  vote  had  been  .so  close  that  the 
|)eople  of  Lakefield  decided  to  take  the 
iiuiiter  into  the  courts,  and  on  August  ID 
notice  of  a  ciuitest  was  served  on  the  board 
of  county  commi.ssioners.  It  was  alleged 
on  the  ])art  of  Tiakeficid  that  the  form  of 
ballot  u.sed  was  misleading  and  did  mis- 
lead voters,  that  voters  were  required  to 
vote  the  .\ustralian  system  when  the  law 
did    not   provide   for  so   voting,   that  .«ev- 

*The  tola)  numher  of  liallot.s  e.-isl  was  S.STfl. 
but  several  were  improperly  marked,  so  that 
only  3.55S  wire  eounti'd.  If  the  per  cent  should 
be  flRiired  from  the  tot.il  number  of  ballots  put 
in  the  Uillot  box.  Lakefield  was  short  thirty- 
eight    votes   of   winning. 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


175 


era!  elector.s  were  kept  from  voting  be- 
cause of  threats  and  intimidations,  that  in 
Middlotowu  township  voters  were  allowed 
to  take  ballots  away  from  the  polling 
place  before  voting,  that  in  some  precincts 
the  judges  counted  fewer  votes  for  Lake- 
fii'ld  than  had  been  cast  for  tliat  town, 
that  money  was  paid  certain  specified  per- 
sons for  voting  against  removal.  A  re- 
count was  demanded,  and  the  people  of 
Lakefield  asked  the  court  to  declare  the 
election  void  if  it  was  found  that  fraud 
had  been  practiced. 

In  their  answer  to  the  charges  the  peo- 
]ile  of  Jackson,  hy  M.  B.  Hutchinson,  filed 
iu  August,  denied  all  the  charges  and  al- 
leged irregularity  and  fraud  on  the  part 
of  the  people  of  Lakefield. 

The  case  came  to  trial  in  the  district 
court  before  Judge  James  H.  Quinn  on 
November  27.  Attorneys  George  W.  Wil- 
son and  IT.  G.  Latourell  appeared  for 
Lakefield  and  Attorneys  T.  J.  Knox  and 
George  W.  Somerville  for  Jackson.  A  few 
witne.sses  were  examined,  and  the  case 
was  submitted  by  briefs. 

In  his  decision  dated  January  30,  1901, 
Judge  Quinn  disnii^^ed  the  proceedings 
and  said  : 

LpDii  tile  trial  im  cvideiu-i'  was  ollcifil  in 
support  of  the  allegations  contained  in  the  no- 
tice of  contest  or  answer  of  the  contestee  as  to 
fraud,  brihery  or  other  misconduct  upon  the 
part  of  the  electors  or  others  interested  in 
said  election.  But  the  contestant  urges  that 
the  election  in  i|uestiou  is  void,  for  the  reason 
that  the  ballot  used  was  not  such  a  ballot  as 
the  law  provides  shall  be  used  in  case  of  a  re- 
moval of  a  county  seat;  that  the  Australian 
system  is  not  tlie  law  u.nder  which  the  vote  for 
the  change  of  a  county  seat  should  lie  con- 
ducted, and  tliat  there  has  never  been  a  legal 
canvass  of  the  votes  polled  at  such  electi<ui. 
and  that  therefore  the  election  so  held  should 
he  declared  null  and  void  by  an  order  of  this 
court,  for  the  reasons  above  set  forth. 

The  contestant  further  insists  that  if  the 
foregoing  referred  to  order  is  refused,  that  sec- 
tion one  of  article  eleven  of  the  constitution  is 
still  in  force,  and  that  under  it  a  bare  majority 
vote  is  sufficient  to  change  a  county  seat,  not- 
withstanding the  several  amendments  tliereto, 
and    that   an    order   should   be   made    for   that 


reason  changing  the  county  seat  from  tlie  vil- 
lage of  Jackson  to  the  village  of  Ijakefield. 

The  last  contention  on  the  part  of  the  con- 
testant, I  am  satisfied,  is  not  well  taken,  and 
that  the  legislature  has  power  to  pass  an  act 
fi.\ing  the  number  of  votes  required  to  remove 
a  county  seat. 

As  to  the  proposition  that  such  election 
should  be  declared  void,  it  appears  from  the 
petition,  as  well  as  the  evidence  and  admis- 
sions of  tlie  parties,  that  the  election  was  duly 
called,  and  that  it  was  held  under  and  pui- 
suant  to  chapter  one  of  the  general  statutes 
of  this  state:  that  the  ballot  used  was  such  as 
is  provided  for  in  that  chapter  and  that  it 
clearly  informed  the  elector  for  what  he  was 
voting,  and  I  am  unable  to  see  how  he  could 
have  been  mislead  or  in  anj-  manner  deceived 
by  the  use  of  such  ballot,  nor  is  the  manner  of 
the  return  by  the  judges  of  election  to  the 
county  auditor  questioned. 

The  county  commissioners  canvassed  tiie 
vote  on  the  13tli  day  of  July,  three  daVs  after 
the  holding  of  the  election,  presumably  under 
tiie  jirovisions  of  section  (i.50  of  the  general 
statutes   of   1894. 

Xo  claim  was  made  ujioii  the  trial  that  any 
fraud  was  ])erpetrated  at  any  stage  of  the 
election  or  in  canvassing  the  returns,  and  it 
clearly  appears  from  the  evidence  had  upon 
tlie  trial  that  there  was  a  total  of  3,570  votes 
cast  at  such  election,  less  than  55  per  cent 
of  which,  viz:  1931,  were  cast  in  favor  of  the 
proposition  to  change  the  county  seat. 

It  is  therefore  found  as  a  conclusion  of  law 
that  the  contestant  is  not  entitled  to  the  re- 
lief asked  for,  and  that  such  proceeding  should 
be  dismissed. 

Let    judgment    1h>    entered    accordingly. 

There  was  talk  of  appealing  the  case  to 
the  supreme  court,  but  for  several  months 
no  action  was  taken.  Then  exigencies 
ai-oso.  in  connection  with  the  campaign 
against  tlie  erection  df  a  jail  building, 
\\hicli  demanded  an  appeal,  and  in  July, 
liidl,  Lakefield  gave  notice  of  appeal. 
The  case  was  disposed  of  in  the  supreme 
court  January  32,  1902,  the  decision  be- 
ing favorable  to  Jackson. 

The  construction  of  the  county  jail 
building  at  Jackson  in  1901  and  1902 
was  an  event  of  im]iortancc  ijecause  of  its 
bearing  on  the  cotinty  seat  removal  ques- 
tion and  because  of  the  fact  that  it  paved 
the  way,  to  a  certain  extent,  for  tlie  future 
construction  of  a  court  house.  That  those 
who  favored  the  removal  of  the  county 
seat  to  Lakefield   realized  its  importance 


176 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


is  altfstcd  l)y  tiie  strenuous  iiglit  put  up 
against  its  coiistruttirm.  Several  injunc- 
tions were  secunMl  and  a  liitter  fight  con- 
tinued until  the  building  actually  jjassed 
into  the  hands  of  ihe  county. 

The  people  of  Jackson,  realizing  tliat 
the  construction  of  a  jail  building  would 
have  a  favorable  influence  upon  the  next 
county  seat  contest — which  was  sure  to 
conic — donated  to  the  county  a  site  for  a 
jail  building,  with  the  proviso  that  title 
should  revert  to  the  village  of  Jackson  in 
case  tlie  site  should  ever  cease  to  be  used 
for  county  jail  purpa-es.  The  first  of- 
ficial step  toward  erecting  the  building 
was  taken  early  in  July,  1001.  when  the 
county  commissioners  (Commissioners  P. 
H.  Berge,  John  il.  Olson  and  Henry 
Thielvoldt  voting  yes.  and  Commissioners 
David  Crawford  and  George  lu-bcs  voting 
no)  passed  a.  resolution  that  a  j:iil  lie  1)uilt 
according  to  plans  furnished  by  Archi- 
tect Kinney.  On  the  same  day  a  contract 
was  made  with  the  Pauly  Jail  &  Manu- 
facturing company,  of  St.  liouis,  for  the 
erection  of  the  building,  to  be  completed 
:March  1,  1902,  and  to  cost  $17,450. 

This  procedure  brought  the  friends  of 
Lakefield  to  immediate  activity.  It  was 
then  thfit  the  appeal  ol  the  county  seat  re- 
moval case  was  made  to  the  supreme  court. 
An  injunction,  jirohibiting  the  county 
commissioners  from  building  a  jail,  was 
asked  froiii  tlic  district  cmiit.'  ;ind  Judge 
Quinn  granted  a  temporary  restraining 
order.  Tlie  defemlants  niovc<l  to  dissolve 
the  writ  of  injunction,  and  nn  July  27 
Judge  Quinn  did  so. 

After  the  court  had  removed  the  legal 
liarrior.  the  county  commissioners,  in  spec- 
ial session  July  ^0  and  :il.  nuide  ar- 
rangements to  proceed  with  the  work.  It 
was  decided  to  raise  $10,000  bv  bonding. 


'The  case  wa.s  entitled  A.  M.  St.  Jnlin.  plain- 
tiff,  vs.  P.  D.  McKcllar.  county  aiulltor.  David 
CYawford.  P.  H.  BcrKC  Honry  Thielvoldt. 
Oeorge  Krbp.s  and  John  M,  Olson,  lunnty  com- 
missioners,   def^ndants. 


and  to  utilize  cash  in  tlie  treasury  for  the 
balance.  The  former  contract  was  n - 
scinded  and  bids  were  called  for.  to  be 
o])eiied  September  11.  Again  the  Lakc- 
ticld  people  appealed  to  the  district  court. 
l-larly  in  Sei)teniber  they  went  liefore 
.hidge  Quinn  and  askid  for  an  injunction 
restraining  the  commissioners  from  spend- 
ing county  money  for  a  jail  building  and 
for  other  relief.  This  hearing  was  held 
at  Fairmont  September  10  before  Judge 
Kingslev.  Ili>  ilccision  was  to  the  elTect 
that  the  commissioners  had  perfect  legal 
audiority  to  carry  out  their  proposed 
plans:  the  injunction  was  refused. 

Bids  for  the  construction  of  the  jail 
iiuilding  were  opened,  and  on  Scptenilier 
r.*  a  new  contract  was  made  wilii  the 
I'aulv  Jail  &  Manufacturing  company  at 
a  price  of  $1-1,2(10.  On  January  7.  1!I02, 
the  specifications  were  ciianged  and  $3,2iiO 
was  added  to  ihe  contract  jiricc  The 
supiemc  court  decision  of  January  22, 
[W2.  on  the  matter  of  bond.*  furnished 
by  the  Lakelielcl  people,  elTectually  dis- 
po.sed  of  the  claim  tliat  the  injuiution 
against  the  commissioners  building  a  jail 
was  still  in  force.  For  the  time  being  all 
legal  objection  to  proceeding  with  the  jail 
Iiuilding  was  Tcmoved. 

Having  received  nothing  but  unfavor- 
able ilecisions  in  their  efforts  to  pp-vent 
the  building  of  the  jail,  the  Lakcficld  peo- 
])le  next  demanded  an  injunction  |H-ohib- 
iting  the  commissioners  from  issuing  the 
$10,000  bonds,  and  in  this  they  were  sur- 
cessful.  The  case  was  entitled  William 
D.  Hill  vs.  the  county  commissioners,  and 
was  brought  Itefore  Judge  Quinn  in 
March,  1902.  On  the  2Sth  of  that  month 
the  judge  made  an  order,  holding,  among 
other  things,  that  the  county  .seat  was  at 
Jackson,  that  the  county  commissioners 
were  vested  with  authority  to  contract  for 
the  building  of  a  jail  to  the  extent  of  all 
inonev  in  the  troasurv  availalile  for  that 


HiSTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


17 


]nirpose,  but  that  they  must  not  enter  into 
,iny  contract  that  required  the  expendi- 
ture of  mure  money  than  wa?  so  availalile. 
Tliis,  of  co"iirse,  prevented  the  bond  is- 
sue, but  the  majority  of  the  county  board 
found  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty.  Oil 
April  18.  in  special  session,  on  the  prop- 
osition of  the  I'auly  Jail  &  Manufactur- 
in,;;-  company,  the  commissioners  abro- 
gated the  contracts  before  made  and  en- 
tering into  a  new  contract  with  the  same 
company  for  the  erection  of  the  Ijuilding 
(without  tlie  steel  cells,  etc.)  at  a  price 
of  $9,000.  wliich  amount  was  availal.de. 
The  building  was  completed,  accepted  by 
the  commissioners  July  24,  1902.  and  a 
^\■a^rant  drawn  for  the  contract  price.  On 
Septemlier  2.'^)  the  contract  for  the  cell 
'work  was  let  to  the  same  company  for 
$7,800,  that  aniount  then  being  available. 
The  completed  jail  was  accepted  July  13, 
190.J,  and  a  full  settlement  nvas  made  at 
that  time. 

As  has  been  stated  previously,  prosper- 
ous times  continued  in  Jackson  county 
until  the -year  1903.  That  was  a  year  of 
disasters  and  marked  the  beginning  of  a 
short  era  of  depression,  due  to  partial 
crop  failures  because  of  excessive  rainfall. 

The  disasters  of  the  3"ear  began  May 
22.  .  For  several  days  succeeding  there 
Kcve  continual  aiuj  awful  rain,  wind  and 
electric  storms  that  did  great  damage  in 
all  parts  of  the  county,  as  well  as  in  all 
southwestern  ^lionesota.  Creeks  and  riv- 
ers overflowed  and  sloughs  Ijecame  vast 
lakes.  Bridges  were  washed  away,  tele- 
phone and  telegraph  lines  were  destroyed, 
and  the  railroad  lines  were  put  out  of 
commission.  The  damage  to  crops  was 
great,  and  many  buildings  were  wrecked 
by  the  wind. 

The  most  disastrous  wind  storm,  in  the 
luatter  of  lo.ss  of  life  and  destruction  to 
property,  in  the  history  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty  occurred    Tuesday    evening,    June    30, 


11)03.  The  death  dealing  tornado  trav- 
ersed portions  of  LaCrosse  and  Weimer 
townships  and  entered  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  Delafield,  killing  seven  people  and 
destroying  property  to  the  value  of  $100,- 
00(1.     The  killed  were: 


Mrs.  Joseph  Fritscher 
Miss  Aurelia  Fritscher 
Mrs.  Fritscher's  baby  girl 
Joseph  Mathias 
Daniel  Gallagher 
Ellen  Gallagher 
Nettie  Gallagher 


The  Jackson  County  Times  of  July  -4, 
1!HI3.  tells  of  the  storm  as  .seen  from 
Heron  Lake : 

About  seven  o'clock  Tuesday  evening  a  dense 
lilack  cloud  was  seen  to  form  on  the  lower  hori- 
zon northwest  of  town  that  was  perfectly 
stationary,  but  almost  immediately  after  its 
formation  a  white  loud,  which  appeared  to 
come  from  beyond  the  vision  somewhere  in  the 
northeast,  started  towards  it  and  was  appar- 
ently engulfed  in  the  heavier  mass.  This  pro- 
cess continued  for  about  ten  or  fifteen  minutes, 
when  all  at  once  the  dense  black  mass  appear- 
ed to  leap  upward,  leaving  a  clear  space  of  a 
bright  red  tint  between  it  and  the  horizon. 
After  this  sudden  move  it  again  became  sta- 
tionar.v  for  a  few  seconds,  when  it  started 
again  at  a  terrific  speed  directl.y  towards  Heron 
Lake,  but  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  descrilie 
it,  in  fact  one  might  sa.v  the  twinkling  of  an 
eve,  it  chan.eed  its  course  to  almost  direct 
northeast,  when  the  work  of  destruction  to  life 
and    property    commenced. 

The  tornado  struck  the  earth  at  the 
farui  of  Jcry  Sixllivun,  on  the  southeast 
(juarter  of  section  1-5,  LaCrosse  township, 
threr  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Her- 
on Lake.  There  the  only  damage  was 
the  destruction  of  a  A\indmill  and  a  hen 
house.  .Terry  Sullivan  and  Martin  Lar- 
son, who  were  in  the  barn  at  the  time, 
stated  that  the  air  was  as  hot  as  a  blast 
from  a  furnace.  From  the  Sullivan  farm 
the  storm  traveled  northeast  to  John 
Beichner's  place,  where  it  demolished  the 
barn,   granary,   engine   house,  three  bug- 


178 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


gies  and  farm  niachinery  and  did  consid- 
erable damage  to  the  iioiise.  The  family 
were  in  the  hou-se  but  escaped  injury.  The 
home  of  Chris  Krieger,  on  the  I'owlit- 
cheek  I'ann.  \va>  struck,  but  the  damage 
there  was  not  gnuu.  The  hog  house  was 
torn  to  piece.-  and  the  barn  moved  off  its 
foundation.  The  family  sought  shelter  in 
an  out-door  cellar. 

Tlie  tnrnailn  hnil  gained  great  force 
when  it  icailird  ihe  farm  home  of  John 
Mathias,  and  nothing  but  splinters  of 
ruin  were  left  of  the  barns,  granaries  and 
otlier  outbuildings,  while  the  largo  resi- 
dence was  almost  a  total  wreck,  altliougli 
it  was  left  on  the  fnundation.  A  num- 
Ijcr  of  hogs  wen'  killed.  With  one  c.n- 
ceptioii  all  the  ini'iiihei's  <if  the  family 
were  in  the  house  during  the  storm  and 
ci^caped  injury.  Jose])li  ^lathias,  twenty 
years  of  age,  was  in  the  field  when  the 
storm  came  up  and  was  killed  when  (m 
his  way  to  the  h.ouse  by  being  struck  by 
Hying  timbers.  The  Hager  school  house, 
nearby,  was  entirely  destroyed  and  its 
ruins  scattered  over  a  large  area.  At 
Henry  Meyers'  home  all  sought  shelter  in 
the  cellar.  The  house  was  not  injured, 
but  all  the  other  buildings  were  destroyed. 
Cottonwood  trees,  12  to  lo  inches  in  diam- 
eter, were  twisted  nil"  and  hurled  in  :il! 
directions. 

'j'hree  human  live.'  were  lost  at  Joseph 
Frit.sclier's  home  on  (he  Louis  Hager  farm, 
where  the  storm  next  appeared.  Here  the 
house,  barns  and  siieds  were  blown  to 
jjieces  and  all  the  machinery  on  the  jilaee 
piled  in  one  heap,  while  many  of  the  trees 
in  the  grove  were  twisted  oif.  The  Kritscher 
family  saw  the  storm  approaching  and 
were  preparing  to  seek  safety  in  the  cel- 
lar, but  the  storm  struck  the  house  be- 
fore they  got  down.  Mrs.  Frit-scher  was 
killed  instantly,  her  head  being  nearly 
severed  from  her  body.  Her  little  baby 
girl  was  also  killed,  its  skull  having  been 


crushed.  Aurelia  Kritscher,  another  child, 
bad  her  back  broken  and  died  soon  after 
found.  Mr.  Krit.scher"s  father,  who  was  in 
the  liarn  at  the  time  of  the  storm,  had 
his  jaw  liroken  and  was  Ijadly  injured. 
The  childien  of  tiie  family.  e.\ce])ting  the 
two  killed,  were  not  badly  hurt.  Mr. 
Frit.sclier  was  rendered  unconscious  i)y  in- 
juries received,  and  wlien  he  came  to  his 
senses  found  himself  lying  in  a  grove. 

From  the  Fritscher  home  the  storm 
crossed  the  township  line  into  Weinier  and 
struck  Bernard  iliranowski's  home,  blow- 
ing down  the  l>arn  and  corniribs  and  tear- 
ing .some  of  the  shingles  olT  the  iiini>c. 
^fr.  iliranowski  received  a  slight  ga.-li  in 
the  head  and  was  the  only  one  on  the 
place  injured.  Wiicn  he  saw  thi'  storm 
a|)])roach  he  sought  .-afety  by  lying  lint  on 
tiie  ground  in  a  driveway  between  the 
corncribs.  Ai  Mrs.  Chepa's  place  the 
house  and  all  the  other  buildings  were  en- 
tirely destroyed  and  some  stoek  was  kill- 
ed, ilrs..  Chepa  and  a  daughter  sought 
shelter  in  the  grove,  where  they  clung  to 
a  tree,  iliss  Chepa  was  struck  by  a  fly- 
ing board,  wliicii  tore  off  a  piece  of  her 
scalp  and  a  braid  of  hair.  The  braiil  was 
later  found  a  half  mile  away. 

After  leaving  the  Chepa  place  the  storm 
broadened  its  course.  It  destroyed  a  barn 
and  hog  hou.sc  at  Frank  Stenzefs  and 
l)roke  most  of  the  windows  out  i>f  the  resi- 
dence. About  a  half  mile  from  there,  at 
Clement  SIcn/elV.  I  he  iiarn  was  destroy- 
ed. At  F.  l"'..  Streator's  farm  a  new  barn 
and  granary  were  destroyed  and  several 
cattle  killed,  some  of  them  being  carried 
to  the  Little  lies  ^loines  river,  a  half  mile 
awav.  The  bridge  over  the  l)es  Moines 
east  of  Streator's  was  destri>yed. 

.\bou(  a  mile  I'a.-t  of  the  bridge  the 
storm  .-fruek  tii.'  hmne  of  Dr.  Westernian 
and  demoli.'ihed  everything  on  the  place 
excepting  a  threshing  machine  engine. 
This  was  an  exceptionally  fine  farm  home, 


THE  MEW  YORK 

[public  LIBRARY 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


179 


iuul  lliL'  liissL's  amounted  to  over  $20,000. 
I'j^lit  liiiildiiigs  were  entirely  demolished, 
luuoli  macJiinery  and  several  vehicles  were 
destroyed,  se\eral  head  of  stock  were  kill- 
ed, and  the  fields  were  .stripped  as  clean 
a.~  tliougii  they  had  been  plowed.  The 
twehe  peojile  who  «ere  on  the  place  es- 
caped injuiy  liy  crouching  in  the  cellar. 

The  ne.xt  jjlace  to  feel  the  hand  of  the 
destroyer  was  the  home  of  Daniel  GalJa- 
glier,  on  tlie  south  bank  of  String  lake, 
and  here  the  three  inhabitants  on  tlie 
place  were  killed.  The  house  was  blown 
into  the  lake  and  tlie  other  Inuldings  torn 
to  iiieces.  Mr.  Gallagher  and  his  daugh- 
ter,  Ellen,  were  blown  into  the  lake  and 
drov.-ned.  Nettie  Gallagher,  another 
daughter,  was  found  on  the  bank  of  the 
lake,  a  mutilated  cor])se.  Wilder,  a  mile 
south  of  the  scene  of  this  disaster,  was 
unharmed.  From  the  Gallagher  place  the 
storm  continued  eastward  toward  Win- 
dom,  but  soiui  lost  its  force. 

While  the  whole  season  of  lIlOo  was 
rainy,  it  was  not  until  Septeml)er  that  the 
deluge  came.  Beginning  with  Friday, 
September  11,  and  continuing  several 
days,  came  an  awful  downpour  of  water, 
the  greatest  in  the  history  of  the  county, 
and  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  dam- 
age was  done.  The  Des  Moines  river  and 
the  many  creeks  rose  to  great  heights, 
carrying  away  bridges  in  all  parts  of  the 
county.  Heron  lake  was  reported  to  be 
rising  at  the  rate  of  eight  inches  an  hour 
on  Sunday,  the  ISth — sometliing  entirely 
without  precedent.  Two  thousand  feet  of 
Milwaukee  track  were  washed  out  between 
Okabena  and  Jliloma,  and  the  grade  at 
the  Ijridge  at  Okabena  was  washed  down 
from  three  to  eight  feet.  Whole  sections 
of  the  county  were  nnder  water,  the  north 
part  of  Alba  township  and  the  south  part 
of  LaCrosse  township  being  a  vast  lake. 
Grain  and  hay  stacks  in  many  parts  of 
the    county    were    nnder    water,    and    in 


places  the  water  was  so  high  the  stacks 
floated  away.  Heavy  winds  accompanied 
the  rains  in  some  townships,  and  many 
wrecked  buildings  resulted.  The  losses 
from  all  causes  were  enormous  and  had 
a  disastrous  efl:ect  on  the  county's  prosperity. 

The  first  official  step  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  Jackson  county's  new  court  house 
was  taken  July  23,  1903,  when  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  in  special  ses- 
sion resolved  to  raise  the  sum  of  $50,000 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  and  furnish- 
ing the  building  and  provided  for  hold- 
ing a  special  election  to  vote  on  the  ques- 
tion of  bonding  for  that  amount.  The 
division  of  the  voters  on  the  question  was 
about  the  same  as  it  had  been  on  the 
county  seat  removal  question.  The  west 
side  of  the  county  a]id  the  country  tribu- 
tary to  Lakefiold  voted  almost  solidly 
against  the  bonds,  while  the  people  fav- 
orable to  Jackson  retaining  the  county 
seat  voted  as  solidly  for  the  bonds.  The 
bonding  proposition  was  defeated  by  a 
vote  of  1.551  to  1,316.  By  precincts  the 
vote  was  as  follows : 


PRECINCT 

For 
Bonds 

Against 
Bonds 

Alba 

Belmont 

Christiania    

Delafield        

Des  Moines  

Entei-prise 

Ewington. .          ....          

Heron  Lake  Township   

Hunter 

3 

72 

46 

1 

122 

104 

8 

i 

19 
54 
13 

100 
22 

113 

"i 

17 
2 
5 

93 

453 

6 

27 

■34 

87 

43 

32 

105 

6 

9 

74 

138 

90 

7 
47 

5 
58 

7 
119 
46 
70 
94 
85 

5 

5 

237 

143 

30 

9 

Kimball 

Middletown 

Minneota 

Petersburg      

Rost 

Round  Lake  

Sioux  Valley 

Weimer 

West  Heron  Lake 

Wisconsin 

Jackson  

Lakefield   

Heron  Lake  Village 

Wilder 

Alpha 

Total            

1316 

1551 

IHO 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


again   early   in    100(>   there  was  available 
$2;5.()()0. 

Uiirinj;  the  ])erii)(l  of  stngnation  canned 
hy  the  nnfavoral)le  eroj)  conditions  dur- 
inj:  tile  few  yeai>;  of  the  last  deeade, 
the  eensus  of  l!t(l."> — llie  hist  before  the 
j)ublieation    of    this    volume — was    taken. 

in 
of  only  1.")  in  five  years — the  only  five  year 
period  in  the  countyV  history  when  a 
sidjstiintial  gain  was  not  recorded. '  Of 
the  till  d  |po|)u!iitiiin,  7,S44  wen-  nialo 
,ind  (>,!l!»4  females.  By  townshijis  the  di- 
\  isioii   was  as  follows  : 


Althoiigji  the  i)ond  proposition  was  de- 
feated, the  majority  of  the  county  board, 
su.stained  by  the  sentiment  of  the  people 
(d'  Jackson  and  southeastern  Jackson 
county,  decided  to^  go  on  with  prepara- 
tions for  securing  the  county  building. 
The   ])eople   of    Lakefield    (who    had    not 

given  up  the  idc-a  of  trying  again  for  The  population  was  then  14,838.  a 
county  scat  honors,  by  any  means)  and  of 
other  ])ortions  of  tiie  county  naturally 
did  everything  in  their  power  to  l)lock  the 
moves  made  liv  tlie  countv  boai'd,  am!  a 
lively  contest  ensued.  In  July,  1!>0I!.  the 
commissioners  bad  voted  a  tax  of  $10,000 
for  court  house  ]mr])oses.  but  when  Couu- 
ty  Auditor  P.  1 ).  M,  Kelhir  extended  the 
taxes  on  the  tax  book^  he  did  not  include 
tliis  court  house  tax.  The  commission- 
ers on  .huuutry  o,  1904.  took  action  to 
cnm])el  him  to  do  so.  a.skiiig  a  writ  of 
mandamus  from  the  district  court.  On 
^larcb  3  Judge  Quinn  denied  the  motion 
for  mandamus.  h<dding  that  it  was  prop- 
er that  the  counts  auditor  should  not  ex- 
tend the  $lfi,000  upon  the  tax  books. 

In  consequence  of  this  decision,  tlie 
county  was  witho\it  court  hou.«e  funds, 
and  the  matter  was  of  necessity  dni])ped 
temporarily.  In  Jidy.  I'.hii.  the  commis- 
sioners passed  a   resolution  declaring  the 

old  court  house  unsuital)le  and  inade(|uate     W  iUli-r-  ... 
,.        ,,  f  1  •  1      i.  1        Wisconsin 

lor   the  purposes    tor  wliieh    it   was  used, 

and   providing  for  tiic  erection  of  a  new 

building  to  cost  not  over  $ri."),00(l  and  for 

the  procuring  of  plan.*  and  specifications 

for  such  a  building."     Keejiing  within  the 

amount  ])rovided  by  law,  the  connnission- 

crs   in    1904   levied    a   lax   of  $9,000    for 

court   house  purposes  and  the   next   year 

levied  $14,000   for  the  same  purpose,  so 

thai    when    the    matter    was   brouirbl    un 


AIha   

Alpha     

I'elmont     .  .  . 
Cliristianiii 

IVlaliel.l    

l)rs  Moines   

Knter|)ii.*e     

Kwington     

Heron    Luke    Towns!ii|>. 
Heron  Luke  Village  .... 

Hunter     ..: 

.Iiuk^nii 
Kimball 
LaC'rosse    .  . 
Liikeliel.l    . 
.MiililleloWM 

.Miiuieota      

I'eterslMUg 

Kost    

Hound  Lake    

Sicmx  Valley    

Weimer    

W'i'st   Heron  Lake 


Total 


J4I 
■J  11 
'i77 
.MM 
401 
(!fi.i 

.-.:i4 

i:.s 

{•,1S 
s!»S 
.'>7n 
1.77(1 
.-..lO 
4.><.-i 

!iir, 
."i."iii 
1--7 
7.'»o 
.'i.i-.' 
.•i.M 
.■i<Ml 
42!1 

IJl 

I  i.sss 


"CommfssUiner.**  MeinT  Ci.  .Vndersnn.  Henry 
Georse  Erlje.s  in  Ihc  pepatlve.  This  was  the 
ThIelvolcU  and  J.  M.  Olson  voted  In  the  aftlrm- 
atlve,  Commlssioner.s  David  Crawford  and 
vote  alway.**  recorded  in  eourl  house  matters 
while  this  board  wa.s  in  office. 


Ill  tile  matter  of  leiiglh  of  icsideiice  in 
the  state  the  census  showed  Jackson  coun- 
ty to  be  well  represented  with  |)ioneers. 
There  were  10")  persons  who  had  resided 
in  ilinnesota  since  before  it  was  admit- 
ted as  a  state  in  l.sJ.'iS — a  period  of  over 
47  years.  There  were  l.S4!i  who  had  been 
continuous  residents  of  Minnesota  for  he- 


'The  population  of  Jackson  eountv  in  census 
years  "since  the  dale  of  settle-neni  ha.*«  been  jo* 
follows;      ISGO.    ISl:    ],<J65.    2.H :    ISTfl.    1.S25:    IST"'. 

3S0fi;    issn.   4. SOS:   l.s.ss.   (i.iio:    issn.   g.!i24:   is:"r.. 

12. .324:    1900.    14.703;    1005.    14,838. 


HISTORY  OT?  JACKSON  COtnSTTY. 


181 


tween  25  and  47  years,  8,415  for  between  The  places  of  birth  of  the  residents  of 
five  and  25  years,  and  3,569  wlio  came  Jackson  county  enumerated  in  the  1S105 
less  than  five  vears  before.  census  are  shown  in  the  followine;  table: 


PRECINCT 

o 

a 

Z 

s 
0 

n 

d 
a 

i 

a 

d 

S 
u 

V 

0 

a 
a 
■a 
at 

CD 

0 

c 

0 

•0 

a 

£ 

E 
1 

■a 
c 
<a 

a 
W 

e3 

1 

1 

3 
P3 

a 
a 

a 

OS 

3 

si 

<8 

1 

0  S 

0 

fc. 

Alba 

im 

75 
113 

!W 

SI8 
156 
166 
2iHl 
US 
176 
1:14 
553 
100 

9S 
316 

:;io 
101 
2.37 
171 
23il 
184 

9ti 
124 

3H 
177 

4345 

142 
124 
308 
295 
263 
328 
240 
153 
305 
504 
2U1 
857 
287 
281 

245 
162 
2114 
218 
].')(•> 
212 
218 
177 
6!) 
223 

66 
22 
21 
8 
36 
25 
30 
6',l 

113 
19 
40 
67 
48 
24 
66 
61 
15 
76 

132 
68 

178 
41 
50 

2 

5 

4 
.  23 
3 
5 
4 
11 
12 

00 
22 

4 

18 
4 
8 
8 
3 

20 
1 

12 
6 
3 

12 

13 
3 
196 
125 
62 
54 
38 
5 
59 
70 

125 

4.5 

7 

47 

J 

1 

.53 

10 

31 

IS 

7 

9 

3 
3 

1 

5 
4 
9 
4 
3 
5 
26 
11 

6 

3 

8 
8 

27 

1 

2 

108 
42 
258 
158 
130 
181 
12S 
105 
195 
21s 
157 
36)6 
163 
106 

ld3 

95 
134 
219 
143 
159 
200 
115 
93 
14 
126 

Belmont  

Christiania    

Delafield 

Dps  Moines     

Enterprise 

Ewington 

HeronLake  Twp. 
Heron  Lake  Vil. 

i" 

1 
5 
3 
2 
4 
1 
5 

3 

13 

1 
1 

0 

i 

IS 
2 

21 

84 
24 

2 

4 
0 

I 
5 
5 
1 
9 
3 

1 

5 

3 
2 

48 
55 

21 

2 
1 
1 
3 

17 

6 

15 

4 
36 

7 
2 

5 

7 

11 

31 

65 
51 

Jackson 

Kimball 

La  Crosse 

Lakefleld 

Middletown  

2 

IS 

1 

0 

3 
2 
1 

8 

2 

8 

6 

1 
3 

65 

1 

i" 

3 

10 

8 

7 
6 
'2 
9 
2 

2 

"■■"ss"' 

Petersburg  

Host      

Round  Lake 

Siou.v  Valley 

Weimer       - 

4 

1 
2 

i 
1 
1 

24 

5 

9 

1 

i 

1 

1 

4 
4 

2 
1 

4 

18 

West  Heron  Lake 

Wilder      

2 
2 

3 

1 
2 

Wisconsin 

42 

1 

23 

33 

3 

Total  

6717 

1317 

212 

1071 

78 

26 

225 

.58 

269 

42 

26 

362 

9(1 

3776 

The  building  of  the  cnurt  house  again 
liecame  a  live  issue  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1906.  The  coniniissioners  then 
had  $23,000  in  the  court  house  fund  and 
decided  to  begin  the  woiiv.  At  the  first 
meeting  of  the  lioard  that  year — on  Jan- 
u.i'.y  4 — it  was  resolved  that  a  court  house 
shmilil  lie  built  at  once  which  should  cost, 
including  furnishings,  not  over  $100,000. 
The  resolution  was  carried  by  the  affirm- 
iiiive  \(ites  (if  t'oininissidiu'is  .Vnderson, 
'I'iiielvoldt  and  Olson,  Coniniissioners  ]\Ic- 
Xab"  and  Crawford  voting  no.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  to  secure  ]dans  and' 
specifications,  and  on  February  2  the 
board  accepted  the  plaa^^  of  Buechner  & 
Orth.  who  estimated  the  cost  of  the  pro- 
posed building  at  not  over  $80,000,  not 
including  vault  fixtures,  electric  light  fix- 
tures or  decorations. 


~Diincan   McNab    had    .succeeded    George   Brbes 
as  commissioner. 


The  action  of  the  county  board  in  de- 
claring for  immediate  construction  of  the 
building  precipitated  another  county  seat 
removal  contest,"  which  proved  to  be  one 
of  the  most  bitter  and  hardest  fought  con- 
tests for  county  seat  honors  ever  waged 
in  ^Minnesota.  Over  five  years  had  elapsed 
since  the  (juestion  had  been  voted  upon 
and  there  was  no  legal  liarrier  to  jiring- 
ing  another  contest.'"  Tlie  people  of  the 
west  end  of  tlic  county  had  been  success- 
ful in  didaying  the  commencement  of 
work    on    a    new    court    house    until    sucli 


■■"■Thi.s  movement  i.s  the  logical  result  ot  the 
action  ot  the  majority  of  the  members  of  the 
board  of  county  comniissioners  at  their  annual 
meeting  a  month  ago,  when  they  passed  a 
resolution  for  the  erection  of  a  new  court  house 
at  Jackson  to  cost  $100,000.  It  is  very  appar- 
ent that  the  taxpayers  of  the  count.v  do  not 
approve  the  action  of  the  board;  and  as  we 
said  three  weeks  ago.  the  only  way  to  prevent 
them  from  carrying  out  their  plans  is  to  move 
the  county  seat  to  Lakefleld." — Lakefleld  Stand- 
ard,  February   1,    1906. 

'"The  Minnesota  law  governing  county  seat 
removals  provides  that  Ave  years  must  elapse 
after  a  vote  has  been  taken  on-  the  question  be- 
fore it  can  again  be  brought  to  a  vote. 


182 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


time  as  they  were  free  to  try  agaiq  for 
removal  to  LakctieUl. 

Inimoiliately  after  the  lommissioners 
ret^olved  to  proceed  with  the  huihling  the 
eontest  was  started.  On  January  T.i  tlie 
following  notice  was  served  "n  tl>''  ci'unly 
board : 
To  the  Hoanl  of  County  Coniiiiissioiiers  ot   tlu' 

County  of  Jackson.  State  of  .Minni-sota: 

We,  the  undersigned,  legal  voters  of  the 
county  of  .lackson.  state  of  .Minnesota,  inay 
that  tlie  county  seat  llieieof  he  cliaiif-ed  to  the 
vilhif,'!'  of    Lakelield.  in  said  .laekson  county. 

NOTICE. 
To  all   whom  it   may  concern: 

Notice,  is  heiehy  fiiveii  by  t!ie  undersi-;]!!!! 
legal  voters  of  .lackson  county,  Minnesota,  that 
the  foregoing  petition  will  he  circulated,  hegiu- 
ning  not  earlier  thaji  I'ehruary  13.  l!H)fi.  nor 
later  than  February  l.i,  I'.XHi.  in  said  .lackson 
county.  Minnesota,  for  signatures  of  the  legal 
voters  of  said  county  for  a  change  of  the 
county  seat  thereof  to  the  village  of  Lakelield. 
Jackson  county.  Minnesota. 

Dated  at  Laketiekl.  Minnesota,  this  I'Md  day 
of  .lanuary.   l!)m>." 

The  people  of  Jackson  on  Febriiiuv  1 
gave  legal  notice  of  ilieir  iiUriilidn  to  inii- 
test  the  removal  of  the  eoiinty  seat,'-  and 
the  hitter  contest  was  on.  In  two  of  the 
former  contests  the  question  had  lieen 
hrought  to  a  vote  without  much  clTort  on 
the  part  of  Jackson  to  pi'evcnt  it.  In 
this  conflict  tactics  were  changed.  .lack- 
son  determining  to  tight  the  petition  and 
prevent,  if  jjossible,  the  qucjition  from  be- 
ing submitted  to  the  voters,  by  securing 
withdrawals  of  signatures  from  the  origi- 
nal petition  and  by  attacking  the  validity 
of  the  petition.'^    Jacksim's  line  of  action 

"This  notice  was  signed  by  L.  F.  I.ammers. 
G.  C.  Buckeve.  Jerry  Sullivan.  G.  E.  Morrl.son. 
John  Bcsscr.  S.  Dahl.  August  Seheppnian.  J.  C. 
Ruthcnbpck.  F.  C.  Ahrens.  Ferdinand  Mllbnith. 
C.  F.  Uossow.  G.-  B.  McMurtry.  S.  R.  Dubetz. 
Fred  \V.  Eder.  John  FivdiTlekson.  Joseph  F. 
Golllko.  Henrv  Hohensteln.  Charles  Wlnzer. 
■William  A.  Bleter.  E.  J.  Grimes.  F.  J.  Stcnzel. 
C.  R.  J.  Kellam.  J.  F.  LIcpold  and  F.  A.  Cooley. 

"The  notice  was  signed  by  \V.  C.  Portmann. 
Henry  Cook.  H.  G.  .Xnderson.  I.ouls  Iverson. 
John!-.  Dunn.  W.  D.  Hunter.  H.  H.  Bcrge.  M. 
D  .\shlev.  O.  M.  Ashley.  Dan  McNamarn.  Jos- 
eph Smvkal.  l.eon  Davis.  Harry  Sandon.  Charles 
L  Coll.V.  John  I..  King.  W.  E.  Manchester.  P. 
C  Nelsim.  A.  C.  Serum.  C.  \V.  Withers.  Ray- 
monil  Biirloseh.  F.  J.  Hruby,  J.  S.  FIddes  and 
A.    H.    Strong. 

"I'nder  the  law.  sixty  per  cent  of  the  num- 
ber who  voted  at  the  last  general  election  must 


in  the  early  part  of  the  contest  v*as  t<i 
prevent  people  favorable  to  Jackson  from 
signing  the  Lakelield  petition.  "Refusr 
to  sign  the  petition,"  was  the  slogan.  "If 
vflu  refuse  to  sign,  there  will  be  no  vote." 
.\i\  agreement,  of  no  legal  standing,  how- 
ever, was  drawn  up  and  circulated  for  th' 
signatures  of  those  who  would  agree  not  i" 
sign  the  Lakelield  petition,  and  many  s- 
bound  themselves." 

The  workers  for  each  town  dccland 
their  intentions  ot  conducting  an  honor- 
able campaign,  but  each  seemed  to  think 
ijic  other  side  was  not  going  to.  Early 
in  the  campaign — on  January  30 — the 
people  of  Lakelield  olVered  a  reward  of 
three  liundred  dollars  for  evidence  that 
would  lead  to  the  conviction  of  any  par- 
ties for  bribery  or  corrupt  practice  in  the 
election,  the  offer  being  signed  by  many 
of  the  leading  men  of  Lakefield.  The 
people  of  Jackson  countered  by  proposing 
ihal  the  people  <d"  each  town  deposit  five 
hundred  dollars  in  a  Windom  bank,  to  be 
paid  on  the  order  ol  the  district  jud-. 
after  the  conviction  of  anyone  for  briiieiv 
or  corruption  in  connection  with  the  con- 
test.    There  were  ivi  lonvictions. 

.Vgaiii  Lakelield  (dlercd  its  city  hall  for 
court  house  uses  if  the  removal  should  he 
accomplished.  This  was  done  by  resolu- 
tion of  the  village  council  February  ■>. 
The  building  was  offered  for  a  term  of 
ten  years  at  an  annual  rental  of  one  dol- 

slgn    the   petition   In  order  to  bring  the  (lueatlon 
to  a  vote.     .\t  the  general  election   In    Unit  thti. 
had  been  ca.st  .1.055  votes;   therefore  il   was  ii.  ■ 
essary    for    l.S:;i    legal    voters    t»    sign    the    p.ii 
tlon    liefore    the   commissioners    were   autboriZ'  I 
to  call  an  election  ami  submit  the  iiuestloti. 

"The  agreement   was  as  follows: 

"In  view  of  the  fact  that  Jackson  e.iunly  hi' 
alreadv  bail  three  eontests  for  tbi'  removal  ••< 
the  county  seat  to  l.aketleld.  and  that  such  coii- 
te.<its  are  a  cause  of  heavy  expensi'  to  the  tax- 
pavers  of  the  county  and  stir  up  strife,  en- 
geiider  bitter  feelings  and  ti-nd  to  demoralize 
the  people,  we,  the  undersigned,  legal  voters 
of  Jackson  countv.  Minnesota,  hereby  state 
that  we  are  not  in  fav  ir  of  another  comity  .seal 
contest  and  for  that  reason  we  hereby  pi>om- 
ise  and  agree  with  each  other  that  we  will  not  • 
sign  a  iietitlon  for  th-  ihange  of  the  county 
seat,  notice  of  the  intention  to  circulate  whiih 
is    now    being    published. 

"Dated  Jannar>-   29,    1906," 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


183 


Inr,  with  privilege  of  renewal  for  another 
ten  year  period  at  the  same  price.  Pri- 
vate parties  also  agreed  that  "if  the  vaults 
in  the  above  mentioned  building  are  not 
sufficient  to  contain  all  the  records  of  said 
Jackson  county,  wo  will  build  onto  the 
a!)Ovc  mentioned  building  additional 
vaults,  fire-proof  and  water-proof,  neces- 
sarv  for  the  use  of  the  officers  of  Jack- 
son county,  Minnesota,  without  any  cost 
to  Jackson  county.'"'  This  oifer  was  char- 
acterized as  l)ribery  by  the  opposing  work- 
ers, and  authorities  were  cited  to  show 
that  sncli  an  offer  constituted  hriliery  of 
the  voters. 

The  Lakcficld  workers  covered  all  parts 
of  the  county  in  their  campaign  for  sig- 
natures. The  newspapers  waged  a  mnd- 
slinging  campaign,  full  of  personalities, 
and  charged  rank  corruption  and  irregu- 
larity on  the  part  of  the  opposing  forces.'" 
On  Mai'ch  30  the  Lakefield  workers  com- 
]ileted  their  campaign  and  filed  the  peti- 
tion   with    the   countv    auditor.      It    con- 


'■■'The  offer  was  .signed  by  J.  M.  Putman.  S.  R. 
Dubetz.  Thomas  Crawford,  C.  B.  Edwards.  H. 
M.  Clark.  Fred  W.  Eder.  R.  .-Vrtman.  G.  R.  \'an 
Dike.  A.  Jackson.  H.  A.  Rhodes.  George  Mil- 
burn.  .\.  Bettin.  E.  Schumacher.  A.  J.  Sparks. 
Gilbert  Rue.  M.  McGlin.  Hans  J.  Hauge.  J.  G. 
Hellen.  .\ugust  Blankenburg.  Sr..  R.  D.  Pietz. 
J  W.  Daubnev.  E.  Erickson.  Emil  Zarling.  Hen- 
rv  .\lbers.  .Albert  .Armstrong.  E.  E.  Collins.  C. 
M.  Gage.  L.  J.  Britsch.  George  J.  Britsch.  C 
M.  Tradewell.  Ross  W.  Daubney.  Joseph  Kolash. 
E.  Lewis.  James  D',-\rcy.  J.  A.  Anderson.  L.  K. 
.\nderson.  John  G.  Gage.  George  Payne.  Martin 
Dahl.  Lars  J.  Johnson,  William  Lockner.  Jos- 
eph J.  Jones.  William  Frees.  J.  W.  Crisman. 
Andrew  J.  Johnson,  F.  R.  Hansen,  Lo  Fader, 
John  Frederickson.  Edward  Kolander.  A.  L. 
Baehus.  D.  Crawford.  J.  A.  Mansfield.  H.  L. 
Bond.  B.  Weppler.  B.  W.  Payne.  M.  B.  Hotstad. 
J.  G.  Christie.  John  G.  MiUer.  J.  C.  Caldwell. 
H  P.  Thompson.  Joseph  F.  Golitko.  A.  A.  Fos- 
ness.  William  Hecht.  Claus  Wiese,  .\ugust 
Lockner.  G.  B.  McMurtry,  Henry  Comnick.  Au- 
gust Blankenburg.  Charles  Blankenburg.  F.  F. 
Rilev.  William  Rost.  .A.  M.  St.  John.  O.  Thore- 
son.  E.  p.  Maldaner.  Ed.  .\rnold.  J.  A.  Leven- 
ick.  S.  Searles.  John  McGlin.  E.  A.  Gage.  George 
Winzenburg.  George  .\.  Wesner.  Z.  M.  Turner. 
John  Grein.  D.  L.  Riley.  A.  S.  Foslie.  Herman 
Schnltz.  James  Rost.  F.  B.  White.  H.  P.  Stone. 
C.   .\.   Bell.   Henry   Tank  and  G.   H.   Wood. 

"Said  the  Jackson  County  Pilot  on  February 
22:  "Well  founded  reports  of  men  known  not 
to  be  yoters  being  urged  and  in  many  instances 
induced  to  sign  the  petition  for  removal  are 
common.  In  several  instances  men  have  de- 
liberately been  made  intoxicated  and  while  in 
'that  condition  induced  to  sign.  Bulldozing 
seems  to  be  a  favorite  method  and  has  become 
so  common  as  to  almo.st  cease  to  excite  com- 
ment." 


tained  the  names  of  3,000  persons — 339 
more  than  the  sixty  per  cent  recjuired  by 
law  to  bring  the  matter  to  a  vote.  April 
y  was  the  date  set  for  the  consideration  of 
the  petition  by  the  county  board. 

With  the  filing  of  the  petition  came  the 
campaign  of  the  Jackson  workers  to  se- 
cure withdrawals  from  the  petition. ''' 
They  also  went  to  all  parts  of  the  count}' 
in  their  efforts  to  secure  enough  with- 
drawals to  beat  the  petition.  These  work- 
ers were  openly  charged  with  bribery  by 
the  press  favorable  to  Lakefield.'* 

When  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers met  on  April  9  to  act  on  the  petition 
intense  excitement  prevailed ;  the  nerves 
of  everyone  were  at  high  tension.  George 
W.  Somerville  appeard  before  the  board 
for  the  petitioners  and  T.  J.  Knox  and 
H.    H.    Dunn    for   the    contestants.     The 


''The  withdrawal  is  a  legal  document  provid- 
ed for  in  the  county  seat  removal  law.  It  is 
acknowledged  before  a  notar.v  public,  justice  of 
the  peace  or  other  public  official,  and  when  pre- 
sented to  the  county  board  at  the  consideration 
of  the  original  petition  removes  the  name  of 
the  signer  from  the  petition.  After  the  with- 
drawal is  presented  it  may  be  revoked  by  the 
proper  legal  procedure.  Following  was  the  form 
used   by  Jackson   in   this   contest: 

"Having  heretofore  signed  the  petition  pray- 
ing that  the  county  seat  of  Jackson  county, 
Minnesota,  be  changed  to  the  village  of  Lake- 
field  in  said  county,  the  circulation  of  which 
petition  was  begun  on  or  about  February  13, 
1906,  I  desire  to  and  do  withdraw  my  name 
from  said  petition  and  request  the  county  board 
of    said    county    to    strike    my    name    therefrom, 

and  I   hereby  authorize to  appear 

for  me  before  the  county  board  of  commission- 
ers of  said  county  and  in  my  name  and  stead 
and  as  my  attorney  but  without  expense  to  me, 
to  withdraw  and  strike  my  name  from  said 
petition  and  to  act  in  and  about  said  matter  as 
fully  to  all  intents  and  purposes  as  I  could  do 
if  personally  present,  hereby  ratifying  and  con- 
firming all  that  my  ,said  attorney  shall  do  or 
cause  to  be  done  by  virtue  hereof. 

"Witness    mv    hand    this day    of 

1906, 

"Witnessed    by    " 

"Said  the  Lakeiield  Standard:  "The  Jackson 
workers  are  out  through  the  country  using  the 
most  dishonest  tactics  to  get  the  yoters  to 
withdraw  their  names  from  the  petition.  If  you 
know  of  anyone  who  has  been  induced  by  Jack^ 
son's  dishonest  tactics  to  sign  a  withdrawal, 
bring  him  to  Lakefield  AT  ONCE,  or  let  us 
know  who  it  is.  so  he  can  have  a  chance  to 
sign  a  paper  putting  his  iiame  back  on  the 
petition.  .  .  .  Out  in  Round  Lake  township 
the  Jaci<son  canvassers  have  tried  to  make  the 
signers  of  the  Lakefield  petition  believe  that  it 
is  against  the  law  to  pay  more  than  five  dol- 
lars for  withdrawals.  We  have  consulted  the 
revised  statutes,  but  can  find  no  such  provis- 
ion." 


184  HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 

attonu'vs  lor  the  people  of  Jack-  tract  lor  tlie  new  court  house.  On  tli.' 
son  offered  to  prove  fraud  and  l)rihery  in  !>tli  of  May  a  resohstioji  was  passed  l.y 
ohtaininj;  signatures  to  tiic  i)etition  and  the  hoard  to  advertise  for  bids  for  tlie 
revocations  of  withdiawals;  tlie  attorney  ere-tion  of  the  building  iu  accordance 
for  Lakelield  offered  to  prove  fraud  and  «ith  the  plans  selected,  the  bids  to  he 
bribery  in  securing  witi!<lrawals.  Hut  opened  June.  11.  On  that  date,  there  be- 
this  evidence  was  not  introduced,  tlie  ing  no  satisfactory  bids,  the  board  rea.l- 
board  ruling  that  it  had  power  only  to  vertised  for  bids,  to  be  openc^d  July  9.  Be 
consider  those  matters  committed  to  its  fore  the  new  bids  were  opened  the  conn- 
consideration  by  the  statute  and  that  it  again  took  a  hand  in  the  proceeding, 
had  not  power  to  consider  matters  not  so  Oii  June  9   papers  were  served  on  the 

defined.'"  For  one  >\eek  the  boan!  was  in  hoard  of  county  commissioners,  giving  no- 
scssion  determining  the  standing  of  the  tiee  of  injunction  proceedings,  brought  in 
])etition.       Five    hundreil    twelve    names     tbe   name  of  John   Nestrud.  asking  that 

they  be  forbidden  to  let  the  contract  for 
the  erection  of  a  court  house.  The  ea>' 
came  to  trial  June  2.">  i)efore  Judges  Jaim  - 
H.  Quinn  and  Lorin  Cray,  sitting  tn- 
gcthei-.  In  a  decision  dated  June  2!>  anil 
tiled  July  5  tiie  injunction  was  dissolved, 
the  court  holding  tlial  the  commissioner- 
would  not  be  exceeding  their  rights  in 
proceeding  with  the  building  of  a  court 
iiouse  or  any  part  of  it.  .so  long  as  i\u\ 
did  not  make  the  pecuniary  liability  ■■; 
the  county  exceed  .$2;i.00(l.  the  am<iunl 
then  available  for  the  purpa-;e:  that  be- 
yond that  aiiiouni  lliey  could  not  ccnitract 
until  miu-e  funds  were  available. 

Court  bouse  building  and  county  simi 
removal  matters  were  eomidieated  at  tin- 
st.ige  of  the  procc^'dings  by  llie  temporary 
suspension  from  office  of  Commissioner 
Henry  (!.  .Vnderson.  ("barges  were  (iUhI 
againsi  Mr.  .\ndei.-on  before  (;r)vernor 
Jolm    .\.   .lolmson    i.n    .lulv    .".,--   and    tlio 


were  stricken  from  the  jietition  for  va- 
rious reasons,-"  leaving  1,.")48.  or  ^TS  less 
than  the  sixty  per  cent  of  voters  as  re- 
ipiired  l)y  law.  The  roniini.ssioners  denied 
tlie  ]iraver  of  the  petiticmers ;  another 
county  seal  contest  was  ended. 

No  sooner  did  it  liecome  evident  tiiat 
the  petition  would  (ail  before  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  than  steps  were 
taken  to  circulate  a  new  petition  anil  re- 
open the  contest.  Official  notice  to  this 
etTect  was  given  \\m\  IS.  it  being  an- 
nounced that  the  jietition  would  be  cir- 
culated beginning  not  earlier  than  May  7 
nor  later  than  May  9.='  While  this  new 
petition  was  being  circulated  during  the 
months  of  ;May  and  Juno  the  county 
board    was   taking   steps  to   let   the   c(ui- 

"Spotlon  3»S  revised  code  reads  as  follows: 
■•Dulles  of  the  roimt>-  board  at  the  time  and 
place  speiltUd  in  the  notice,  proof  of  its  service 
havlnK  been  liUil:  the  board  shall  meet  to  act 
on  said  petition  and  shall  in.iaire  ami  deter- 
mine which,  if  any.  i>f  the  sinners  thereof  were 
not.  at  the  time  of  siKoiiiB  tiie  sjimc.  legal 
voters  of  said  count.v.  and  which,  if  any.  of  the 
sienatures  thereto  were  not  attached  within 
«ixtv  days  preceding  the  tilliiB  thereof;  and 
which  If  any.  have  been  wllhilrawn.  all  snch 
slKnatures  shall  be  stricken  from  the  petition 
iind  deducted  from  the  count,  and  a  list  there- 
of certltled  by  the  board,  shall  be  filed  forth- 
with    with     the    county     auditor.      .      .      ." 

=»These  512  names  stricljen  off  were  tabulated 
as  follows:  1!«  duplicate  siitnatures.  22S  with- 
drawals. 8S  minors,  non-residents  and  aliens.  1 
woman. 

"The  notice  was  signed  by  John  Nestrud.  G. 
T.  Juveland.  ll.-rman  I'ohlman.  N.  A.  Johnson. 
Jan  S'tinar.  John  Koch.  John  M.  Hovelsrud.  F. 
F.  Murphv.  B.  M.  Hovelsrud.  Ole  O.  Sandager. 
Tronil  O.  Trondson.  B.  V.  Elverum.  W.  1..  Frost. 
Wilhelm  Hohenstein.  .\ugust  Hubner.  Matt 
Gentrv.    .Vxel    Sandberg  and   C.    F.    Rossow. 


=^Jackson  people  contended  that  the  IllitiB  "f 
the  charges  against  Mr.  .Vndersoa  was  a  ilc- 
liberate  attempt  on  the  part  of  l.akefield  to  at- 
tain advantagi's  which  the  court  denied  them. 
The    Republic   on   July    13   .said: 

".Vfter  the  Ijikerteld  county  seat  removHl 
schemers  failed  in  Iheir  ambition  to  induce  the 
courts  to  interfere  by  injunction  to  prevent  the 
building  of  a  new  c<uirt  house,  they  proceeded 
to  carry  out  a  prearranged  scheme  to  carry 
the  matter  before  the  governor  and  under  the 
guisi-  of  lUlng  charges  againsi  County  ("ommls- 
sloner  H.  (i.  Anderson,  and  securing  his  tem- 
porarv  susp.usicui  from  office  until  after  the  reg- 
,il:ir  Julv  meeting  of  thi-  county  l)oard  and 
the  meeting  called  for  July  23  to  consider  and 
act   upon    the  second   removal    i"iitiMn     they  at- 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


183 


same  day  the  governor  suspended  Mr.  An- 
derson, pending  the  determination  of  the 
iliarges  in  a  final  hearing  August  1.  On 
.Inly  G  a  delegation  went  from  Jackson 
to  St.  Paul  and  interviewed  the  governor, 
with  the  result  that  the  state  executive 
revoked  his  order  and  reinstated  Mr.  An- 
derson. At  the  hearing  of  the  Jackson 
county  officer  before  Commissioner  Pow- 
er.s  on  July  13  the  proceedings  were  dis- 
missed on  tlie  motion  of  George  W.  Som- 
erville.  Lakefield's  attorney. 

The  l)ids  for  the  construction  of  the 
court  house  were  opened  July  9.  Charles 
Skooglum,  of  St.  Paul;  was  the  successful 
bidder,  his  bid  for  the  building  complete 
being  $91,082.  Because  of  tlie  injunction 
of  the  court  not  to  contract  for  a  greater 
sum  than  was  available  in  cash  for  the 
jnirpose,  the  commissioners  let  the  con- 
tract only  for  the  fonndation,  up  to  and 
including  the  water  table,  the  bid  for  this 
part  of  the  building  being  $10,330.=^  July 
10  another  levy  for  conrt  house  purposes 
of  $13,000  was  made.  The  work  of  tear- 
ing down  the  old  court  house  was  begun 
July  2.5,  the  county  officers  utilizing  the 
Jackson  city  liall  for  offices.  Excavation 
work  for  the  new  building  was  begun  Sep- 
ten;!ber  4. 

Before  the  court  house  program  had 
lieen  carried  tliis  far,  however,  the  last 
county  seat  contest  liad  been  brought  to 
a  close.  The  county  scat  removal  people 
fded  their  petition  July  3.  It  contained 
1,881  names — sixty  more  than  the  num- 
ber required  by  law.  The  date  of  consid- 
ering the  petition  was  July  23.  The  Jack- 
son forces  again  canvassed  the  county  for 
withdrawals    and    were    successful    in    se- 

tempted  and  nearly  succeeded  in  ending  the 
decision  of  the  court  and  securing  tlie  same  re- 
sults that  they  attempted  to  secure  in  their 
injunction   suit." 

^Owing  to  failure  to  post  the  proper  notices, 
the  letting  of  the  contract  was  found  to  be  in- 
valid. Bids  were  again  called  for.  and  on  .Au- 
gust IS  a  new  contract  was  entered  into  with 
Charles  Skooglum  on  a  bid  of  $10,225  for  the 
foundation. 


curing  more  than  enough  to  defeat  the 
petition. 

At  the  meeting  of  tiie  county  board  on 
July  23  to  detcrniinc  tlie  sufficiency  of  the 
petition  Attorneys  J.  A.  i\lansfield  and 
Ole  Thoreson  i-epresented  Lakefield  and 
Attorney  T.  J.  Knox  represented  Jackson. 
The  work  of  striking  names  from  the 
petition  because  of  withdrawals  was  con- 
tinued until  the  24th.  Then  it  was  an- 
nounced tliat  106  names  had  been  taken 
off,  leaving  1,775  on  the  petition — not 
enough  to  warrant  bringing  the  question 
to  a  vote.  ProceeJirgs  were  discontinu- 
ed. The  twenty  years  county  seat  war 
was  at  an  end. 

There  not  being  enough  funds  available 
to  complete  the  court  house  Iniilding,  on 
January  7,  1907,  the  county  commission- 
ers decided  to  again  put  the  question  of 
issuing  bonds  to  the  people.-'  The  special 
election  was  held  Febnuiry  19,  the  ques- 
tion at  issue  being  the  issuance  of  $65,000 
worth  of  bonds.  A  majority  of  129  in 
favor  of  the  proposition  was  given,  the 
precincts  voting  as  follows : 


PRECINCT 

For 
Bonds 

Against 
Bonds 

Alba    

■"87 

70 

4 

135 

126 

18 

34 

90 

6 

111 

27 

154 

2 

20 

39 

7 

12 

100 

434 

2 

18 

9 

41 

65 
52 
35 

87 
7 
5 

70 

(i6 

142 

(i 

86 
1 

64 

4 

119 

29 

39 

77 

81 

3 

16 

227 

121 

14 

3 

1419 

Christiania      

Delafield    

Des  Moines 

Ewington 

Hunter 

Heron  Lake  Twp     ... 

LaCrosse         

Middletown   

Minneota 

Rost 

Round  Lake 

Weimer 

West  Heron  Lake 

.Jackson  .             

Lakefield 

Heron  Lake  Vil 

Wilder      

Alpha                          

Total 

1.548 

='A     similar    resolution    was    passed    July     25, 


11 


186 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


From  that  time  all  was  smooth  sailing. 
Contracts  were  let  April  16,  1907,  as  fol- 
lows: Charles  Skooglum,  court  house 
above  basement,  $7-J,438;  Cuddy  &  Cav- 
anaugh,  lieating  plant  and  plumbing, 
$7,317;  Nemis  &  Nemis,  electrical  work, 
$740;  Diebold  Safe  &  Lock  company, 
vault  doors  and  shutters,  $1,700.  March 
3,  1908,  a  contract  was  let  to  Crown  Elec- 
trical Manufacturing  company  for  elec- 
tric light  fixtures,  on  a  bid  of  $1,475. 
This  brought  the  contract  price  up  to  a 
little  less  than  $100,000.  When  the  build- 
ing was  finally  completed  and  furnished 
the  total  cost,  excluding  sidewalks,  was 
$117,43.5.32." 

The  corner  stone  of  the  court  house  was 
laid  with  ceremonies  July  9,  1907,  United 
State  Senator  Moses  E.  Clapp  and  Hon. 
T.  J.  Knox  being  the  principal  speakers. 

1906,   but  on    the   same   day   the   resolution   was 
revoked. 

=^Statement  of  cost  made  by  Henry  G.  An- 
derson, chairman  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners,  at   dedication.   June   22.    1909. 


The  building  was  finally  completed  early 
in  1909  and  the  dedicatory  exercises  werf 
held  June  22,  1909.  The  dedicatory  ad- 
dress was  delivered  by  Judge  P.  E.  Brown 
and  the  other  speakers  were  Judge  James 
ir.  Quinn,  T.  .1.  K\\o\  and  Henry  0.  An- 
derson. 

The  events  of  the  last  few  years  of 
Jackson  county's  histoiy  can  be  told  in  a 
few  words.  For  thice  or  four  years  fol- 
lowing 1903  the  cumparative  dull  times 
continued.  Then  came  better  times.  A 
bountiful  crop  was  rai.sed  in  1907,  good 
prices  prevailed,  and  the  financial  flurry 
that  fall  caused  no  anxiety  among  the 
people  of  Jackson  cr,\in(y.  .V  good  crop 
was  raised  in  1908,  and  in  1909  the  most 
bountiful  harvest  of  a  decade  was  gather- 
ed. The  year  1910  opens  witli  the  people 
of  Jackson  county  liappy,  contented  and 
])rosperous.  They  inhabit  the  best  county 
the  bright  light  of  heaven  ever  shown 
upon. 


thenewyopk 
\P^BUC  LIBRARY 


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:3 


y. 


•r. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


POLITICAL— 1858-1882. 


JACKSON  county's  political  history 
covers  a  period  of  time  from  1858  to 
tlie  present,  excluding  the  years  1863 
to  1865.  The  county  was  organized  in 
1858  and  its  organization  continued  until 
tlio  Siou.x  massacre  of  186"2 ;  then  the 
county  became  deserted  and,  of  course, 
the  government  was  discontinued.  The 
second  organization  was  brought  about  in 
1865  and  has  continued  without  interrup- 
tion to  the  present. 

As  has  been  stated  before,  very  little  is 
known  of  the  first  organization  or  of  the 
government  under  tliat  organization.  With 
only  a  few  exceptions,  all  its  records  have 
been  destroyed,  and  there  is  no  one  now 
living  wlio  was  intimate  enough  with  the 
local  political  affairs  of  that  day  to  give 
us  any  reliable  data;  we  must  content 
ourselves  with  the  meager  records  that 
have  been  saved. 

When  the  first  settlers  came  and  found- 
ed the  Springfield  settlement  they  were 
under  the  local  government  of  Brown 
county,  but  there  is  no  evidence  to  show 
that  these  pioneers  had  any  county  busi- 
ness to  attend  to,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  the 
county  officials  at  New  Ulm,  the  county 
seat,  even  knew  of  the  exi.stence  of  the  lit- 
tle settlement  on  tlie  extreme  southern 
edge  of  their  county.  The  act  of  the  leg- 
islature of  May  23,  1857,  created  Jackson 


county  and  removed  it  from  tlie  jurisdic- 
tion of  Brown  county. 

There  were  only  a  few  residents  of 
Jackson  county  at  the  time  of  its  crea- 
tion, and  no  effort  was  made  to  bring 
about  its  organization  until  some  time  in 
1858.  Then  the  people  of  the  new  coun- 
ty chose  John  B.  Fish,  Alexander  Wood 
and  a  Mr.  Britton  to  act  as  commissioners 
to  perfect  the  organization  under  the  act 
of  1857.  But  that  act  had  provided  that 
the  governor  should  name  the  commis- 
sioners, and  the  state  official  did  not  rec- 
ognize the  commissioners  named,  but  ap- 
pointed others,  and  these,  in  turn,  named 
the  other  county  officers,  and  the  political 
machinery  of  Jackson  county  was  started. 
Who  the  first  officers  of  the  county  were 
is  unknown;  in  fact,  tlie  names  of  only  a 
few  of  the  officers  under  the  first  orsrani- 
zation  are  known. 

The  first  election  was  held  in  the  fall 
of  1858,  when  a  full  set  of  county  officers 
was  chosen,  who  succeeded  those  holding 
office  by  appointment.  Of  these  officers 
the  name  of  only  one  is  known — Charles 
W.  Clark,  the  sheriff.^  By  the  time  the 
presidential  election  of  1860  came,  there 
were    thirty-two    electors    in    tlie    county 

'Jackson  county  order  No.  89,  dated  Septem- 
ber 9,  1862.  a  short  time  after  the  massacre, 
was  for  $28.50  and  ^as  drawn  in  favor  of 
Charles  W.  Clark  "for  services  as  sheriff  of 
said   county    for   1859." 


187 


188 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSONT  COUNTY. 


who  voted  (out  of  a  total  populiitiou  of 
181) — and  all  were  cast  for  Abraliam  Lin- 
coln for  jirc^ridcut.-  Tiie  polling  place  was 
at  (he  village  of  llelniont,  which  (lieu 
served  as  the  coun(y  seat.  \  full 
set  of  county  olTiccrs  was  chosen  at 
thai  time,  including  the  following: 
II.  i?.  Trobridgc.  chairman  of  the 
hoard  of  county  coniniissioncrs;  Edward 
Davies,  commissioner;  Simon  Olson,  com- 
missioner; Stiles  JI.  West,  sheriiT  (al- 
Ihongh  he  was  only  nineteen  years  of 
age)  ;  ('.  0.  Whitney^  clerk  of  llic  hoard; 
and  James  E.  Palmer,  assessor  of  Danby 
township.  Those  officers,  according  to  a 
sera])  of  record  preserved,  were  serving 
during  the  summer  of  18(il.  The  same 
record  would  indicate  that  the  following 
were  (he  election  officers  for  the  18(j0 
election:  U.  M.  West,  H.  \l.  Trobridge, 
James  E.  Palmer,  B.  ]\IcCarthy  and  ('.  0. 
Whitney,  judges;  Edward  Davies  and  C. 
().  Whitney,  clerk.-.  .\notlier  election 
seems  to  have  been  held  in  IStil,  for  dur- 
ing the  months  of  Xovembcr  and  Decem- 
ber of  that  year  bills  were  paid  to  (^le 
Burreson  and  .Tosepii  Thomas  lor  ser- 
vices as  judges  of  election,  and  to  S.  T. 
Johnson  as  clerk  of  election.  During 
18()2  Joseph  Thomas  was  county  auditor 
and  Olo  Peterson  was  treasurer. 

When  the  massacre  occurred  in  .\ugust, 
18(!2,  (he  countv  officers  tied  with  the 
other  settlers,  and  their  records  were  eith- 
er lost  or  destroyed.  At  the  time  of  the 
attack  the  treasurer  buried  the  county's 
money  in  the  timber  and  fled  without  it. 
However,  he  returned  at  night  and  secured 
i(.  From  that  time  until  late  in  the  fall 
of  180.5  (when  there  were  2.3-1  people  in 
Jackson  county,  according  (o  the  census 
of  that  year)  the  residents  of  the  county 
were  without  loial  government. 

15i'foic    t:ikin'_'    up    till     storv    of    the    scc- 


=Simi'M   nisiin   in  J.Tiksmi   li.-piil'Hi',    August    L'1, 
1891.      Stiles  M.    \Ve.>!t. 


ond  organization,  let  us  consider  (he  icg- 
islativi^  history  of  Jackson  counfy. 

Under  the  legislalive  appor(iounien(  of 
18G0  (lie  counties  of  Faribault,  llartin, 
Jackson.  Cottonwood,  Nobles,  Pipestone, 
Rock  and  a  jjart  of  Brown  were  made  (o 
form  (he  (wentieth  district,  entitled  to 
one  senator  and  one  meml)er  of  (he  hoibe. 
The  district  was  so  coiistitutcd  until  iJStiC) 
anil  was  represen(ed  iiy  the  following  leg- 
ishUors: 

IStil  Sonalc.  I.wy  K.  (■j.'vciaiiil:  liinisi".  .\. 
Stiocl<er. 

18(52-  Senati'.  Ciiv  l\.  (Ii'vi'lanil :  liiiiisi-.  H. 
().   Kciiipfcr. 

ISIi.i  Si'iiatc.  I),  i;.  Sliill.uU;  liotis.-.  .1.  It, 
Wakili.-jil. 

ISill  Sciial.'.  1).  C.  Sliilli.ck;  li.iusr.  .f.  A. 
I.a  timer. 

l,Sli.">- Senate.  I),  i;.  .Sliilloi-k ;  lioii-e.  J.  A. 
l\iosler. 

lS(i(i  .S,-iiate,  I).  C.  Sliilloek:  liou^e.  .1.  II, 
WaUelield. 

.\  sliglit  change  was  made  in  district 
No.  20  in  18(i(i,  i(  being  then  made  (o  coiu- 
prise  the  counties  of-  Faribault,  Martin, 
Jackson,  Pottonwood,  Murray.  Pi|>estone 
and  Rock,''  and  entided  to  one  senator 
and  one  representative.  Tlii-  ,ippoi|ion- 
meni  was  in  force  until  ISTl.  I'ndcr  it 
the  district  was  represented  as  follows: 

ISliT  -Senate,  .J.  H.  Wakeliel.l:  Imiise.  A. 
.\nilie\v.<. 

lSt!.S- Senate.  .1.  1!.  Wakelield:  lioiise.  A.  H. 
C<ilti>n. 

ISCll  S-nate.  .1.  U.  Wakelield:  lion>e.  .7,  \V. 
Hunter. 

1S7I1  Senal.'.  .1.  .\.  I.atinier:  lnuise.  .\1.  K,  I-. 
Sliaiiks, 

1S71  -Senate,  C.  U".  ■JlionipMUi;  Inni-e.  .A,  I.. 
Patelien. 

In  1871  the  counties  of  Martin,  Jack- 
son, Nobles,  Rock,  Watonwan,  Cotton- 
wood, ^lurfay  and  Pipestone  were  forniod 
into  the  tliirty-eighlh  district  and  so  re- 
mained until  1881.  The  district  was  giv- 
en one  senatcu-  and  (hree  reprcscn(a(ivef 
and  was  served  by  the  following  gentle- 
U'cn : 

1S7-2 -Sinale.  \\  illiaui  1).  IJiee:  liouae.  K. 
Iterry,   W     W.    Murpliy.  (;eor;ie   (',  Clinnilierlin. 

"N'llibs  iiiiintv  is  not  nanieil  in  this  «i)|>or- 
tlonmont,   but  It  became  a    part  nf  the  district. 


IlISTOliY  OF  .lACKSOX  COUNTY. 


189 


1S73— Senate,  William  D.  Rice:  liouse,  J.  \\  . 
Seager,   E.   Berry,   Sleplieii   Miller. 

1.S74 — Senate,  E.  P.  Freeman;  house,  J.  F. 
Daniels,  Ole   0.  How,  N.  H.   Manning. 

1875 — Senate,  E.  P.  Freeman;  house,  Charles 
!•'.  Crosby,  E.  Berry,  Thomas  Rutledge. 

1S7G — Senate,  I.  P.  Durfee;  house,  J.  A. 
Everett.  Lee  Ilensley,  W.  H.  Mellen. 

1877 — Senate.  1.  P.  Durfee:  hou.se.  H.  N. 
Kiel'.  Lee  Hensley.  C.  H.  Smith. 

1878— Senate.  C.  H.  Smith:  liouse,  Frank  A. 
Dmv.   L.    H.   Bishop,    Alexander    Fiddes. 

1S7'.I — Senate,  A.  }).  Perkins;  house,  M.  E. 
L.  Slianks,  T.  Lambert,  P.  J.  Kniss. 

ISSl — Senate,  A.  D.  Perkins;  house,  J.  A. 
Armstrong.  W.  D.  Rice.  P.  J.  Kniss. 

I'lic  ajipiirtiiiiiiniiit  oE  1881  created 
.lacksnn  and  ^lartin  counties  into  the  sixth 
district,  entitled  to  one  memlier  of  each 
house.  Tliev  remained  in  tliis  district  un- 
til 18;)9  and  were  represented  as  follows: 

1883— Senate.  H.  M.  Ward;  liouse.  J.  E. 
riiild. 

]SS.>— Senate.  R.  J[.  \\'ard;  house.  Alexan- 
ilcr  Fiddes. 

1887 — Senate.  Frank  A.  Day;  house,  E.  Se- 
vatson. 

1880— Senate.  Fraid<  A.  Day;  house.  E.  Se- 
vatson. 

Jackson  and  Cottonwood  counties  were 
made  to  form  the  eighth  district  in  1889, 
and  that  district  was  represented  as  fol- 
lows ; 

1SI11 — Senate,  E.  Sevatson;  house,  Henry  F. 
Tucker. 

1803 — Senate,  E.  Sevatson:  house.  .Tolin 
Paulson. 

1S0.> — Senate,  E.  Sevatson;  house,  E.  .J. 
Meilicke. 

1SII7 — Senate,  E.  Sevatson;  house.  Ceorge  iL 
T.;iin^. 

The  present  foiii'tcenth  dislrict,  com- 
|iiising  Jackson  and  Cottonwood  counties, 
was  formed  in  ISOT,  is  entitled  to  one 
seiuitor  and  two  representatives,  and  has 
heeu  represented  hy  the  following: 

1899— Senate,  E.  J.  Meilicke;  house,  D.  L. 
liiley.   .John   E.   .Johnson. 

1901— Senate..  E.  J.  Meilicke;  house,  D.  L. 
Uilcv,  W.  A.  Potter. 

inns— Senate.  W.  A.  Smith;  house,  A.  M. 
Schroeder,  .J.  D.  Schroeder. 

190.5— Senate,  W.  A.  Smith:  house,  L.  O. 
'i'cigen.  R.  H.  .JeflFerson. 

1907— Senate,  H.  E.  Hanson;  Ikiu.-c.  Charles 
Winder.  R.  H.  .Jefl'erson. 

1909 — Senate,  H.  E.  Hanson;  house.  John 
Baldwin,  D.  A.  Stuart. 


In  the  fall  of  186.j  the  population  of 
llie  unorganized  county  of  Jackson  had 
reached  nearly  three  Inmdred  people,  and 
])rospects  for  a  large  immigration  the  fol- 
lowing year  were  so  good  that  steps  were 
taken  to  hring  about  a  reorganization  un- 
der the  original  act  of  1857.  Another  rea- 
son that  led  to  the  undertaking  at  that 
time  was  the  desire  of  the  voters  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  state  and  district  elec- 
tions that  fall.  Upon  the  petition  of  the 
residents,  Governor  Stejjhen  ^Miller  ap- 
pointed Israel  F.  Eddy,  Charles  Belknap' 
and  Jared  Palmer  commissioners,  vested 
witli  authority  to  call  an  election  for  No- 
vember 7,  18().").  for  liie  purpose  of  choos- 
ing county  officers  and  of  voting  for  state 
and  district  officers.  These  commission- 
ers were  not  to  net  as  a  law-making  body ; 
their  duties  were  simply  to  call  and  pre- 
side over  the  first  election. 

Events  so  shaped  themselves  that  elec- 
tion day  very  nearly  passed  without  an 
election  being  held.  So  isolated  was  this 
settlement  in  Jackson  county  that  it  ac- 
tually did  not  know  the  date  of  the  gen- 
eral election,  and  only  for  a  fortunate  cir- 
cumstance were  the  people  of  the  new 
county  kept  from  being  disfi'anchised.  Ma- 
jor 11.  S.  Haily  has  written  of  this  circum- 
stance: 

but  instead  of  calling  the  election 
for  t]ie  7th,  as  the  governor  directed,  they 
called  it  fcM-  the  17th  of  November.  I  hap- 
pened to  go  down  to  Winnebago  City  in  the 
first  week  in  November  and  learned  that  out 
in  civilization  the  election  was  to  be  held  on 
Tuesday,  the  7th.  T  arrived  home  on  Satur- 
day evening,  the  4th.  On  Sunday  I  went  to 
see  Mr.  Eddy  and  asked  his  authority  for  call- 
ing the  election  for  the  17th.  and  he  replied 
that  the  governor  directed  it.  He  brought  the 
governor's  letter  and  was  surprised  to  find 
that  lie  had  read  it  wror.g.  So  on  Monday  he 
went  through  the  settlement  and  notified  the 
voter.s  that  there  would  be  an  election  the 
next  day. 


'Major  H.  S.  Bailov,  in  an  article  written  in 
ISSS,  .stated  that  I.  N.  Belknup  was  the  com- 
missioner; the  recnrcls  show  that  Charles  Bel- 
knap served  as  judge  of  the  election,  indicating 
that   he    was    the    commissioner. 


l',)0 


IIISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


^lauy  tlitricultio;;  beset  these  pioneers  iu 
tlii'ir  clforts  to  organize  the  county.  The 
election  was  to  be  liekl  at  the  home  of 
.Tared  Palmer,  who  liveil  on  a  farm  a-short 
distance  soutli  of  the  jjrescut  village  of 
Jackson.  When  it  came  time  for  the  open- 
ing of  tlie  polls,  Jfr.  Eddy,  one  nf  the  com- 
missioners, was  absent.  In  his  place  Jla- 
jor  H.  S.  Bailey  was  chosen  by  the  other 
commissioners  to  act  as  one  of  the  judges; 
W.  C.  Garratt  was  selected  clerk  of  the 
election  board.  In  the  whole  of  Jackson 
county  there  was  not  a  man  who  had  au- 
thority to  administer  an  oath,  and  the 
judges  were  confronted  with  the  serious 
question  of  how  to  qualify.  Some  time 
previoTis  Major  Bailey  had  held  the  office 
of  justice  of  the  peace  in  another  county, 
and  he  took  the  responsibility  of  swear- 
ing in  the  other  two  judges  and  dork  of 
election,  although  he  had  no  legal  authori- 
ty lo  do  so.  One  of  the  other  judges  then 
administered   the  oath   to  JIajor  Bailey. 

No  convention  had  been  held,  no  can- 
vass made,  and  the  election  was  a  quiet 
affair.  Thirty-.six  votes  were  cast  and  the 
following  officers  elected:  H.  S.  Bailey, 
Simon  Olson  and  M.  S.  Clongh,  county 
commissioners;  Clark  Baldwin,  auditor; 
William  Webster,  treasurer;  W.  C.  Gar- 
ratt, register  of  deeds;  Orin  Belknap, 
judge  of  probate;  I.  V.  Eddy,  shcrilf; 
James  E.  I'alnier,  surveyor;  John  McCor- 
mick,  county  attorney;  Joseph  Price,  clerk 
of  court;  Peter  Baker,  coroner. 

After  the  cleciion  the  question  of  what 
to  (lo  with  the  returns  arose.  No  pro- 
vision had  been  made  for  canvassing  the  re- 
turns or  issuing  certificates  to  the  success- 
ful candidates.  There  was  no  person  in 
Jackson  county  authorized  to  do  so,  and, 
as  the  county  had  once  been  organized,  it 
was  now  attached  to  no  other  county,  the 
officers  of  which  might  perform  this  ser- 
vice. It  was  finally  decided  to  send  the 
returns   to   Martin    county,    and    Major 


Bailey  was  chosen  to  take  them  to  the 
county  officials  at  Fairmont.  The  auditor 
of  Martin  county,  Galiten  Brown,  at  first 
refused  to  accept  them,  but  he  was  per- 
suaded to  do  so,  and  Jackson  county's  vote 
for  state  and  district  officers  was  counted. 
Tlic  auditor,  however,  refused  to  issue 
certificates  of  election  for  the  new  offi- 
cers of  Jackson  county,  believing  that 
such  a  course  would  be  exceeding  his  au- 
thority. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  wait, 
and  the  formal  organization  of  the  county 
was  postponed  until  there  had  been  leg- 
islative action.  James  B.  Wakefield,  wlm 
had  been  elected  to  the  lnwcr  luauih 
of  the  legislature,  was  informed  of  the 
situation,  and  he  promptly  introduced  a 
liill  to  legalize  the  election  of  November 
T  and  to  authorize  the  auditor  of  Mar- 
tin county  to  issue  the  necessary  certifi- 
cates. The  bill  was  passed  and  became 
effective  in  .Tanuary,  ISOfi,  being  among 
the  first  bills  passed  by  the  ilinnc^ota 
law  making  body  that  session.  Upon  re- 
ceiving notice  of  the  passage  of  this  bill 
Ifajor  Bailey  made  another  trip  to  Fair- 
mont, took  the  oath  of  office  as  commis- 
sioner, and  brought  back  with  him  the 
election  certificates  of  the  other  officers. 

So,  after  many  discouraging  setback^. 
everything  was  in  readiness  for  the  formal 
beginning  of  county  government.  The  first 
meeting  of!  the  l)oanl  of  county  conunis- 
sioners  was  luhl  at  tiie  home  of  Jlajni- 
11.  S.  Bailey,  dated  Des  Moines,  Minnesota, 
on  January  27,  ISCC.  ]\Fajor  Bailey  pre- 
sided as  chairman.  The  (Uily  business 
transacted  at  this  initial  nu'cting  was  the 
ajipoinlmcnt  of  a  few  officers  "to  fill  va- 
cancies of  the  officers  not  yet  qualified." 
Nearly  all  the  officers  elected  took  the 
oath  and  entered  u])on  their  duties,  but 
a  few  did  not,  William  Webster,  who  had 
been  elected  treasurer,  refused  to  have 
anything    to    do    with    so    responsible   an 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


191 


office,  and  F.  E.  Lyman  was  appointed 
to  the  position,  holding  the  office  two 
years  under  the  appointment.  Joseph  Price 
did  not  qualify  as  clerk  of  court,  and  B. 
H.  Jolmson  was  appointed  to  the  office. 
Peter  Baker  did  not  qualify  as  coroner, 
and  Jared  Palmer  v.as  named. 

There  were  but  few  duties  for  many  of 
these  first  county  officials,  and  some  of 
them  had  absolutely  no  duties  during  their 
entire  term.  One  blank  book  was  piir- 
chased  for  county  use,  and  that  sufficed 
for  all  the  records.  The  principal  duties 
fell  upon  the  county  commissioners,  Clark 
Baldwin,  the  auditor,  wlio  drew  a  salary 
of  $50  for  his  services  for  1866;  I.  F. 
Eddy,  the  sheriff;  James  E.  Palmer,  the 
surveyor,  who  took  the  oath  of  office  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1866 ;  W.  C.  Garratt,  the  regis- 
ter of  deeds,  who  gave  bond  on  February 
23,  1866 ;  and  the  justices  of  the  peace, 
H.  S.  Bailey,  Martin  D.  Metcalf  and  Si- 
mon Olson,  who  took  their  oaths  early  in 
April. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  was  held  March  13, 
1866,  at  which  time  the  county  was  divid- 
ed into  three  commissioner  districts.  The 
first  district  was  composed  of  the  south- 
ern tier  of  townships:  the  second,  the  tier 
just  north  of  it :  the  tliird  district  com- 
prised the  whole  north  half  of  the  coiTnty. 
When  the  division  was  made  it  was  found 
that  all  three  of  the  commissioners  were 
from  the  same  district.  They  continued 
to  serve,  however,  until  the  first  of  the 
year  1867. 

To  choose  new  commissioners  and  a 
few  officers  who  were  then  elected  in  even 
numbered  years,  provision  was  made  for 
holding  an  election  on  November  G,  1866. 
A  county  convention  was  held  at  Joseph 
Thomas'  hotel  on  the  hill  in  September, 
when  a  partial  set  of  candidates  was  put 
in    nomination.      At    the    election    Eev. 


Peter  Baker,^  of  Petersburg,  was  chosen 
commissioner  from  the  first  distict;"  B. 
H.  Johnson,  of  Des  Moines,  from  the  sec- 
ond; and  Simon  Olson,  of  Belmont,  from 
the  third.  Mr.  Johnson  became  chair- 
man of  the  board  and  served  during  1867 
and  1868;  Mr.  Olson  served  a  two  year 
term;  Mr.  Baker  resigned  after  serving 
less  than  one  year  and  John  Bichardson, 
of  Minneota,  was  appointed  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. Mr.  Johnson's  election  as  commis- 
sioner caused  a  vacancy  in  the  office  of 
clerk  of  court,  and  Joseph  Price,  who  had 
been  elected  in  1865  but  had  failed  to 
qualify,  was  named  for  that  office.  H.  S. 
Bailey  was  appointed  "examiner  of  teach- 
ers and  visitor  of  schcmls"  for  the  year 
1867,  and  thus  became  the  first  superin- 
tendent of  schools  for  Jackson  county,  the 
oft'ice  not  being  an  elective  one  at  that 
time. 

As  the  majority  of  county  officers  were 
chosen  in  odd-numbered  years  during  the 
early  days,  the  election  of  November  5, 
1867,  was  an  important  one,  and  many 

="I  well  remember  the  first  time  I  ever  saw 
that  good  man  [Rev.  Peter  Baker].  Where, 
friends,  do  you  think  it  was.  Actually  presid- 
ing at  a  political  convention  instead  of  a  pray- 
er meeting-.  It  was  up  at  the  old  log  hotel  in 
Jackson.  I  remember  him  as  he  sat  by  the 
table — had  on  his  blue  army  overcoat  with 
brass  buttons,  I  presume  all  the  coat  he  had 
in  the  world.  There  were  but  four  organized 
towns  in  the  county — Petersburg,  Minneota.  Des 
Moines  and  Belmont.  Major  Bailey  was  mak- 
ing the  motions,  the  elder  putting  the  questions, 
and  they  were  conducting  the  convention  by 
very  fair  parliamentary  principles  or  rules.  The 
delegates  occupied  the  chairs  and  benches,  and 
the  rest  of  us  stood  up  or  sat  on  the  floor.  I 
remember  I  sat  flat  upon  the  floor,  close  to 
the  muddled-up  fireplace,  when,  imagine  how 
suddenly  puffed  up  I  became— actually  nomi- 
nated for  county  attorney  of  Jackson  county. 
Three  weeks  a  resident  of  the  county,  and  knew 
just  about  as  much  of  law  as  Allen  of  the  Re- 
public knows  of  theology:  and  Jackson  county 
at  that  time  needed  a  county  attorney  about  as 
much  as  a  Methodist  minister  needs  a  safe." — 
George  C.  Chamberlin  in  speech  delivered  Sep- 
tember   5,    1S89. 

"In  after  years  Rev.  Peter  Baker  told  of  this 
board  (his  memory  failed  him  in  regard  to 
some   of   the   facts): 

"As  I  was  the  first  settler  in  the  town  of 
Petersburg,  I  well  remember  when  the  county 
was  organized.  Mr.  Johnson.  Mr.  Wood  and 
myself  were  the  first  commissioners.  As  Mr. 
Baldwin  was  auditor,  we  met  at  his  house  to 
transact  business.  How  wise  and  dignified  we 
'county  dads'  looked.  I  must  confess  that  I 
knew  nearly  as  much  about  law  as  a  horse 
does  about  grammar." 


192 


IIISTOKY  OF  .lALKSUX  COUNTY. 


lU'W  county  olficors  were  cliosen.  Those 
elected  were:  tieorgc  C.  Cliainbcrlin,  aii- 
(iitor;  Joseph  Tlionias,  treasurer;  Joseph 
S.  Kiiton,  ^ofri^te^  of  tleed? ;  Williiim  V. 
KiiifT,  judue  of  probate;  A.  Miner,  sheriif; 
Jame-s  E.  Palmer,  surveyor;  W.  S.  Kini- 
ball,  clerk  of  court. 

There  were  a  few  changes  iu  adminis- 
tration during  the  ne.\t  two  years.  George 
C.  Chamberlin  resigned  tlio  office  of  au- 
ditor October  !),  1869,  and  M.  A.  Strong 
was  appointed  to  complete  the  slioit  un- 
e.xpired  term.'  Owing  to  the  removal  of 
Joseph  S.  Eaton  from  the  county,  the  of- 
fice of  register  of  deeds  became  vacant, 
and  Jojin  \X.  Cowing  was  appointed  Sep- 
tember 22,  1SC8,  fo  serve  until  the  first 
of  the  next  year.  William  V.  King  served 
by  appointment  as  superintendent  of 
schools  during  ISfiS.  and  I'm.  E.  Savage 
during  ISG!). 

M  the  election  on  November  3,  18G8, 
an  entire  change  was  made  in  the  board 
of  county  commissioners.  O.  J.  l?ussell 
was  elected  from  the  first  district;  Nathan- 
iel Frost,  who  served  as  chairman  in  1869 
and  1870,  from  the  second  :  and  P.  P.  llav- 
erberg  from  the  third.  W.  C.  Garratt, 
who  had  been  the  first  register  of  deeds, 
was  chosen  for  that  office  at  this  election, 
the  election  being  held  in  an  even  num- 
bered year  on  account  nf  the  removal  of 
Joseph  S.  Eaton. 

■Jlany  new  men  took  office  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1870  as  a  result  of  the 
election  of  Novend)er  2,  ISfiO.  There  were 
two  tickets  in  the  field  at  that  election, 
and  the  result  on  some  of  the  principal  of- 
fices was  close.  Those  elecled  were:  M. 
A.  Strong,  auditor;  J.  W.  Hunter,  treas- 
urer; W.  C.  Garratt,  register    of  deeds; 

'There  had  been  a  contest  between  Mr. 
Chamberlin  and  WilHam  V.  Klnft  for  the  office 
nf  county  auditor,  which  was  tried  under  the 
title.  C'hamlierliii  vs.  KliiK  The  commissioner.'* 
declared  the  office  va.-ant  March  '>.  isfis.  and 
appointed  Mr.  Kinc.  but  a  little  later  Mr.  rham- 
herlln  was  sealed.  On  .Tune  27.  ISfiS.  Mr.  King's 
bill  of  JT'l.oO  "for  disbursements  in  cotii(>;tiiii,' 
title   to   auditor's   office"   was   allowed. 


Anders  Koe,  sheriff;  William  V.  King, 
judge  of  i)robate;  James  E.  Palmer,  sur- 
veyor; W.  8.  Kiinliall.  cliik  of  c.iurt;  !'. 
P.  llaverlwrg,  commissioner  third  dis- 
trict. Of  these  otTicers,  all  served  their 
terms  of  two  years  except  Anders  Roe.  He 
resigned  September  .1.  1870,  and  A.  E. 
Wood  wiLs  appointed  sheriff  Septemlier  Ki. 
to  serve  until  the  first  of  the  year.  Of  tln' 
ajjpointive  offices.  Dr.  C.  P.  Morrill  wa> 
chosen  superintendent  of  schools  January 
4,  1870.  rie  served  under  the  appoint- 
ment until  May  11,  1871,  when  he  re- 
signed:  then  William  ^'.  King  was  ap- 
pointed and  served  nearly  one  year.  J.  W. 
Seager  was  named  county  attorney  liy  iIk 
commissioners  February  1,  1870,  to  sei\' 
the  balance  of  the  year.  He  resigned  1"  - 
fore  that  time,  however,  and  on  Septein- 
ber  16,  1870,  Emery  Clark  was  ajipoinfi'l 
and  served  under  the  appointment  init^ 
he  took  the  office  at  the  beginning  of  ih. 
year  1871  as  a  result  of  the  election  "f 
1870.  There  having  been  previou.-;ly  n- 
court  commissioner,  G.  K.  TitTany  wii- 
appointed  in  May,  1870. 

During  the  entire  early  political  history 
of  Jackson  county  there  was  only  one  |in- 
litical  organization  maintained,  and  U'' 
until  1886  was  there  organized  oppo.^i- 
tioii  to  it.  Nearly  all  the  first  settlers  W(  n 
republicans,  as  were  the  first  settlere  "f 
all  tiie  neighboring  counties.  At  most  "f 
the  early  day  elections  there  were  t«" 
tickets  in  the  field,  one  nominated  by  the 
regular  republican  organization,  the  other 
put  up  by  bolters,  the  candidate's  i)eing 
eilher  nominated  in  an  independent  con- 
vention or  ])laeed  on  the  ticket  by  those 
interested.  Many  exciting  contest.*  for 
political  honors  occurred  under  this  ar- 
rangement. The  few  democrats  generally 
allied  them.«elves  with  the  independents 
and  were  occasionally  rewarded  with  a 
county  office. 

fn  1870  the  democrats  formed  an  or- 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


193 


ganizatioii  and  named  candidates  for  a 
(cw  county  offices,  but  the  organization 
was  not  made  permanent.  This  was  ac- 
complished on  July  IG,  1870,  when  a  few 
(if  tile  minority  met  at  Jackson.  Milton 
Mason  was  ehairnuni  of  tlie  meeting  and 
J.  J.  Porter  was  secretary.  Tlie  follow- 
ing county  central  committee  was  named : 
1?.  X.  Woodward,  of  Wisconsin;  George 
]).  Stone,  of  Petersburg;  R.  D.  Lamed,  of 
Middletown:  H.  M.  Doubleday,  of  Bel- 
mont; I.  A.  iloreaux,  of  Minneota;  J. 
A.  Myers  and  William  Xorman.  of  Des 
iloines. 

At  the  1870  election  o!)3  votes  were  cast. 
The  republicans  were  successful  in  carry- 
ing the  county  for  congressional  and  leg- 
islative officcis  and  elected  their  county 
ticket  with  one  excejition.  The  official 
vote : 

Congressman — ^1.  If.  Dunnell  (rep.). 
:!29;  Daniel  Buck  (dem.),  04: 

Senator— G.  W.  Whallon  (rep.),  -208: 
C.  W.  Thompson  (dcm.),  1().5. 

Eepresentative  —  G.  C.  Chamberlin 
(rep.),  2G5;  A.  L.  Patchin  (dem.),  102. 

Sheriff— B.  W.  Ashley  (rep.),  123; 
ilichael  Miller  (dem.),  TG :  E.  Sevatson 
(ind.),  17G. 

Clerk  of  Court— W.  8.  KimbalP  (rep.), 
witliout  opposition. 

Court  Commissioner — H.  S.  Bailey 
(rep.),  274;  Milton  Mason  (dem.),  98. 

County  Attorney — E.  Clark"  (rep.), 
without  opposition. 

Coroner — A.  E.  \\'o(id,  without  opposi- 
tion. 

Commissioner  First  District — William 
C.  Bates'"  (rep.),  oO;  George  D.  Stone 
(dem.),  21. 

"Clerk  of  court  is  elected  for  four  year  term. 
Mr.  Kimball  resigned  in  1874.  and  on  October  7. 
of  that  year.  Alexander  Fiddes  was  appointed 
to   complete   the   short   i:nexpired   term. 

"County  .Attorney  CTark  was  arrested  at  Jack- 
son February  17.  1871.  and  taken  to  Wisconsin 
to  answer  the  charges  of  forgery  and  jail 
breaking.'  He  was  exonerated  and  returned  to 
bis  duties  early  in  March.  He  served  until  Oc- 
tober 4,  1871.  when  he  resigned;  his  successor 
was    elected    the    next    month. 


There  wa.s  a  large  increase  in  tlie  vote 
in  1871,  there  being  531  votes  polled.  The 
dominant  party  carried  tlie  state  and  leg- 
islative tickets  by  overwdielming  majori- 
ties. In  county  politics  there  were  sev- 
eral close  contests,  although  the  organ- 
ized party  again  elected  all  but  one  officer. 
Nearly  all  the  independent  candidates 
were  republicans ;  their  names  were  placed 
on  the  opposition  ticket  by  their  friends 
and  thev  were  not  nominated  in  conven- 
tion. The  result  according  to  the  official 
canvass : 

Governor — Horace  Austin  (rep.),  447; 
Winlhrop  Y'oting   (dem.),  48. 

Senator— William  D.  Pice  (rep.),  430; 
C.  C.  Sylvester  (dem.),  94;  O.  Nason,  7. 

Eepresentative  —  G.  C.  Chamberlin 
(rep.),  315;  0.  Nason  (dem.),  175. 

.Vuditor— M.  A.  Strong  (rep.),  3G0;  L. 
().  Beck  (ind.),  1G2. 

Trea.surer— J.  \V.  Hunter  (rep.).  2G8; 
E.  P.  Skinner   (ind.),  243. 

Eegister  of  Deeds  —  W.  C.  Garratt 
(rep.),  309;  J.  A.  Myers   (ind.),  198. 

County  Attorney— William  V.  King, 
(rep.),  234;  G.  K.  Tiffany  (ind.),  283. 

Sheriff — Henry  Knudson  (rep.),  358; 
C.  H.  Sandon   (ind.).  IGO. 

Judge  of  Probalc — William  Y.  King 
(rep.),  423;  J.  C.  lloovel   (ind.),  G4. 

Surveyor — J.  M.  Tanner"  (rep.),  397; 
James  E.  Palmer  (ind.),  li;. 

Commiscsioner  Second  District — \\  .  A. 
Fields'"   (i-ep.).  8^:  J-  "^^^  Tompkins,  15. 

The  political  complexion  of  the  coun- 
tv  at  the  time  is  well  shown  in  the  result 
of  the  presidential  election  of  1872,  when 
out  of  a  total  of  G20,  Horace  Greeley  re- 
ceived only  5G  votes.  For  county  offi- 
ces there  was  no  opposition  to  the  re- 
publican  ticket.     Tlie  vole: 

^''Was   chairman    in    1871-72-73. 
"Resigned   October.    1S72.    and  successor  elect- 
ed  next   month. 
'-Was  chairman   during  1874. 


194 


mSTUlfV  Ul"  JACKSON  LOL.NTY. 


President— U.  S.  Grant  (rep.),  5fi4 ; 
Horace  Greeley   (dem.),  oG. 

Congressman — M.  H.  Dunnell  (rep.), 
56C:  M.  S.  Wilkiasou   (dem.).  33. 

Eepre^entative — Stephen  ililler  (rep.). 
283:  JI.  Anderson,  284." 

County  Attorney — (I.  K.  Tiffany  (rep.), 
607. 

Coroner- — J.   F.   Force    (rep.).   (>13. 

Survej'or — James  E.  Palmer  (rep.), 
508. 

Commissioner  Tliird  District — Tlan;; 
Knudson'*  (rep.),  308;  W.  Jacobs,  14. 

The  opposition  to  the  republican  nia- 
cliine  liad  gained  such  strength  by  1873 
that  the  organized  party  met  with  a  par- 
tial defeat  in  the  election  of  that  year. 
The  independents  elected  four  of  the  prin- 
cipal county  officers  and  the  other  can- 
didates gave  a  good  account  of  them- 
selves at  the  voting.  Five  hundred  sixty- 
five  votes  were  polled,  a  slight  falling 
off  from  tlio  last  election.  Following  is 
the  vote  each  candidate  received : 

Governor — C.  K.  Davis  (rep.),  47"> : 
Ara  Barton  (dem.),  90. 

Senator —  E.  P.  Freeman   (rep.),  552. 

'Representative — X.  H.  Manning  (rep.), 
409:  Warren  Smith   (dem.),  IG. 

Auditor— M.  A.  Strong  (rep.),  197: 
William  V.  King  (ind.).  359. 

Treasurer  —  Henry  Knud.«on  ( rep.) . 
381:   Clark   Baldwin    (ind.).    Kl. 

Slieriff— C.  H.  Sandon  (rep.).  T-U  :  A. 
C.  Scrum   (ind.),  329. 

"Register of Deed.s — Edward  Orr  (rep.). 
240:  W.  C.  Garratt  (ind.).  \->.0:  Hans 
Knudson  (ind.),  20."i. 

Surveyor— E.  P.  Skinner  (rep.),  274; 
James  E.  Palmer  (ind.).  281. 

Judge  of  Probate  —  John  Davies" 
(rep.).  559. 

"Mr.    Miller    was    elected. 

"Was  chairman  during  1875. 

"ReslKned  January  7.  1S74.  In  June.  1S74.  T. 
J.  Knox  was  appointed  by  Governor  Davis  to 
complete  the  term. 


(-'ourt  Commis.sioner  —  John  Davies 
(rep.),  559. 

Commissioner  First  District — J.  W. 
Dunn  (rep.).  37;  H.  J.  Phelps'«  (ind.). 
39. 

Tiie  grasshoppers  and  the  prevailing 
hard  times  had  an  effect  on  the  politics 
of  tile  county  iu  1874.  Owing  to  these 
causes  and  the  fact  that  only  a  few  officers 
were  to  be  chosen,  not  a  great  deal  of 
interest  was  manifested,  and  there  was 
another  falling  off  in  the  vote — 551  being 
the  highest  number  cast  for  any  one  of-, 
tice.  Two  independents  were  elected ; 
otherwise  Tcpublicans  were  chosen  for 
county  office.  In  place  of  the  democratic 
ticket,  for  congress  and  the  legislature  ap- 
jieared  tlic  ticket  of  the  anti-mono])oly 
])arty.  wliicli  made  a  fair  showing  against 
the  repul)liean  forces.    The  vote: 

Congressman — ^I.  H.  Dunnell  (rep.). 
379;  F.  H.  Waite  (a-m).  1G4. 

Judge  Sixtli  District— D.  A.  Dickinson 
(rep.).  431:  Daniel  Buck   (a-m),  120. 

Senator— E.  P.  Freeman,  149;  Neill 
Curric,  112. 

Ke])resentativc  —  Charles  F.  Crosby 
(rep.),  34G;  L.  Aldrich  (a-m).  166. 

County  .\ttorney — T.  J.  Knox  (rep.), 
239:  William  V.  King  (ind.),  308. 

Court  Commissioner — W.  W.  Hamilton 
(rep.).  485. 

Probate  Judge — Henry  Knudson  (rep.), 
.-.O.".. 

Clerk  of  Court — Alexander  Fiddes 
( lep.),  247  ;  0.  A.  Brown  (ind.).  304. 

Coroner— J,  F.  Force  (rep.).  530. 

Commissioner  Second  District — A.  D. 
Palmer''  (rep.).  82:  William  A.  Fields 
(ind.).  48. 

Political  conditions  were  unique  in 
1875.  For  several  years  many  republicans 
had  refused  to  affiliate  with  the  regular 
party  organization  and  had  been  responsi- 

"Was  chairman  during  1876. 
"Was   chairman    from    July    IB.    1877,    to   Jan- 
uary 1,   1878. 


HISTORY  0¥  JACKSOF  COUNTY. 


195 


ble  for  the  independent  candidates  that 
made  tlie  race  eacli  year;  in  1875  the 
party  organization  refused  to  affiliate 
with  itself.  After  the  committee  on  cre- 
dentials of  the  republican  county  con- 
vention. Avhich  was  Jield  at  Jackson  in  Sep- 
tember, Jiad  made  its  report,  the  conven- 
tion broke  ii]j  in  a  row.  without  naming  a 
candidate.  Tiie  Jackson  Kepublie,  in  its 
report  of  the  convention,  said: 

Upon  that  report  commenced  a  disgraceful 
and  disreputable  wrangle  as  to  tlie  admission 
of  a  set  of  contesting  delegates  from  several 
towns,  and  as  to  who  is  the  guiltj-  party  or 
parties  for  this  we  for  the  present  remain 
silent.  Suffice  it  to  say  that,  after  a  long  fight 
over  the  admission  of  delegates,  the  conven- 
tion adjourned  sine  die,  and  candidates  are 
free  to  go  in  on  their  muscle  as  independents. 

From  that  time  on  it  was  each  one  for 
himself,  ilany  announced  themselves 
as  candidates  for  the  several  offices,  no  one 
of  whom  had  an  organization  back  of  him 
or  the  prestige  that  goes  with  a  party 
nomination.  Six  hundred  twenty-three 
votes  were  cast — the  largest  number  ever 
voted  in  the  county  up  to  that  time.  The 
republicans  had  their  old  time  majorities 
for  state  officers.  '  Following  is  the  vote . 

C4overnor — J.  S.  Pillsbury  (rep.),  563; 
I).  L.  Buell  (dem.),  52;  R.'  F.  Humiston 
(reform),   8. 

Senator— I.  P.  Durfee  (rep.),  568;  G. 
S.  Thompson    (reform),   54.^* 

Representative — W.  H.  ilellen  (rep.), 
322;  E.  L.  Browndl    (reform),  290. 

Auditor— AVilliam  V.  King,  358;  G.  B. 


Franklin,  257. 

Treasurer — Henry  Knud.'^on,  436  ;  Hans 
Knudson,  183. 

Register  of  Deeds— Edward  Orr,  463; 
W.  H.  Ashley,  156;  Ira  G.  Walden,  4. 

Sheriff— Jens  J.  Johnson,  293;  Wil- 
liam Rost,  147;  H.  A.  Williams,  36:  I. 
A.  Moreau.\,  78;  John  Richardson,  62. 

"Mr.  Durfee  received  a  majority  of  the  votes 
in  the  district,  but  owing  to  the  failure  of 
some  of  the  county  auditors  to  make  return 
to  the  .state  authorities  Mr.  Thompson  was 
seated.  Mr.  Durfee  began  a  contest  before  the 
senate,  and  in  January,  1876.  was  given  the 
seat  by  a  unanimous   vote. 


(I'fP-), 


Surveyor — James   E.    Palmer,    609. 
Court      Commissioner — Carl      Hirdler, 
419:  Charles  Winzer,  188. 

Commissioner  Third  District — A.  C. 
Serum,'"  278;  A.  Quivili,  90;  Charles 
Winzer,  2. 

Tlic  presidential  election  of  187G  was 
a  very  (juict  one  in  Jackson  county,  owing 
largely  to  the  hard  times  caused  by  the 
grasshopper  invasion.  Only  591  votes 
were  cast.    The  result  in  figures : 

President — Rutherford  B.  Hayes  (rep.), 
522;  Samuel  Tilden  (dem.),  69. 
Congressman — M.    H.    Dunnell 
520;  E.  C.  Stacy  (dem.),  64. 

Rcpre-sentative — C.    H.    Smith 
474;  B.  N"   Carrier    (iud.),   97. 

County  Attorney — W.  W.  Hamilton 
(rep.),  535. 

Judge  of  Probate — W.  A.  Fields  (rep.), 
164:  Anders  Roe  (ind.),  369;  Hans  Rolf- 
son  (ind.),  12. 

Coroner — J.  F.  Force   (rep.),  551. 
Court     Commissioner — G.     R.     Moore 
(rep.),  498;  A.  H.  Strong,  18. 

Commissioner  First  District — A.  B. 
Stimson-"  (rep.),  69:  Jareb  Palmer 
(ind.),  25. 

Five  hundred  forty-three  votes  were 
polled  in  1877.  A  few  independent  can- 
didates made  the  race  against  the  repub- 
lican nominees.  An  independent  com- 
missioner and  county  treasurer  were  elect- 
ed, there  being  no  republican  nominee  for 
the  latter  office.     The  official  vote: 

Governor — John  S.  Pillsljury  (rep.), 
512;  William  L.  Banning  (dem.),  31. 

Senator— C.  H.  Smith  (rep.),  437;  W. 
R.  Bennett  (dem.),  67. 

Representative  • —  Alexander  Fiddes 
(rep.),  497;  C.  T.  Clifford  (dem.),  6. 

Auditor— G.  B.  Franklin  (rep.),  291; 
William  V.  King  (ind.),  251. 

Treasurer — John  Paulson   (ind.),  314; 

"Was  chairman  from  Januarj;  1,   1877.   to  July 
18;  1877,  and  during  the  year  1878. 
^Was   chairman   during  1879. 


l'J6 


IIIS■|'(M;^    n|-  JACKSON  (Ol   N  I  ^ 


Olo  E.  Olson    (iiitl.).  1st  ;  Jareb  Palmer 
(iml.).  36. 
Ki'jLfistcr  of  Doecls — Edward  Orr  (np."). 

.vin. 

SlierilT— .1.  J.  Joliiison  {n'|).).  :M2; 
diaries  llic-helson  (iud.~).  117:  V.  TT. 
Paulson  (ind.),  18. 

Surveyor — Jaines  ¥..  1 'aimer  (lep.), 
523. 

Superintendent  of  Schools^' — ,1.  F. 
Force  (rep.),  515. 

fommissioner  Second  Pistriet — II.  S. 
liailev  (rep.).  3:5:  :\r.  S.  Barney  (ind.),  9; 
.loliii  Cowing'  (ind.),  34;  C.  P.  Randall" 
(iml.).   IP. 

In  1ST8  the  republicans  were  a,i,'ain 
jrenerally  successful,  electinjr  the  wliole 
county  ticket  witli  one  exception.  Five 
liundred  forty-.^ix  votes  were  cast,  and  the 
vote  in  detail  was  as  follows: 

('on<iressnian — Jf.  II.  Bunnell  (rep.). 
413:  William  Meiglien   (deni.),  55. 

Senator — A.  D.  Perkins  (rep.),  533; 
William  V.  King  (greenback),  10. 

l\epre.«entativo — P.  J.  Kniss  (rep.), 
47":  J.  TI.  Brooks  (greenback),  43;  Wil- 
liam v.  King,  27. 

County  Attorney — E.  Y).  Brigg.<  (rep.). 
318;  W.  W.  TTamilt(m   (ind.),  22S. 

('lri-l<  (if  Court — George  \l.  Mnore 
(ic]).),  22S:  E.  \V.  Davies  (ind.),  2  15. 

Judge  of  Probate — Simon  Ol.-on  (re|i.). 
53(5. 

Coroner — L.  L.  Tidball   (re]i.),  53(). 

Commissioner  yPliird  District — Chris- 
tian Lewis  (re]).),  SI  :  A.  I'^  Kiicn  (ind.), 
IKi:  Obed  Omberson  (ind.),  47;  Ole  Tol- 
lefson  (ind.).  52:  Charles  Winzer  (ind.), 
35. 

There  were  indepcndciil   candidates  for 


"The  olTIci"  of  superlnlcMUlent  of  school.s  liiul 
now  become  :in  elprtlvo  one.  Upon  t]ie  reslgrna- 
llon  of  Wiin.im  V.  King  ii.s  siiiierintondeiil 
Miireli  21!.  1S72.  Dr.  E.  1^.  Hiownill  hnd  been 
niMH>lnte<l  and  .served  until  tlie  first  tif  the  year 
1876.  Then  Dr.  J.  F.  Fone  i-eeeived  the  ap- 
pointment and  served  nnder  the  .appointment 
until   after   this   election   of   1877. 

==\Vas   chairman   during  1880. 


most  ot  the  county  offices  in  1H70,  and 
an  interesting  election  wa.e  the  result. 
There  was  a  large  increase  in  the  vote,  802 
ballot-  being  cast,  altlKUigh  the  highest 
number  for  any  one  olTice  was  790.  This 
was  a  larger  vote  than  that  cast  l)y  any 
other  county  of  the  thirly-cigbtii  legisla- 
tive district.  With  the  exception  of  the 
nominees  for  superintendent  of  schools 
and  county  commissioner,  the  republican 
titket  was  elected.    The  vote: 

(iovernor — J.  S.  Pillsbury   (lep.),  523: 
Edmund  IJice  (deiii.),  00:  Scattering,  12. 
.Vuditor — \^'illiam  \  .  King  (rep.),  528; 
v..   !'.  Skinner  (ind.),  2(!7. 

'I'lcasurer — dobn   Paulson    (rep.),   795. 
Iiegister  of  Deeds — Edward  Orr  (rep.), 
3S2  :  Obed  Omberson    (ind.),  311:  Sam- 
ma  LaPue  (ind.),  97. 

SlierilT — Cliarles  Malchow  (rep.).  iS7: 
:\liciKicl  Miller  (ind.),  30(;. 

Suijerintendent  of  Schools — .1.  F.  Force 
(rep.),  315:  T.  J.  Knox  (ind.),  408. 

Surveyor — James  E.  Palmer  (rc]).). 
752. 

Court  Commissioner — 11.  S.  Bailey 
(rej).),   753. 

CoiiHiiissioncr  l-'iist  District  —  Peter 
Baker  (icp.),  24:  II.  W.  Chandler  (iml.). 
37:  Martin  Eooiie  find).  :>i; :  .I.ni'b 
I'lilmiT    (ind.).   22. 

Tlic  law  provided  that  wlini  a  i-nmtv 
pnllcil  SIMI  vdlis  it  should  liav(<  i'wv  enun- 
ty  ciimmissioners.  .\s  that  number  had 
been  cast  at  the  l.s;9  eli^etioii.  tiic  board 
of  .county  commissioners,  on  July  23, 
1880.  redistricted  the  county  in  accord- 
ance with  that  law.  as  f(dlows :  No.  1. 
I'ctcr.'burg,  'Middlclown,  ^Minneota,  Sioux 
Valley  and  IJotind  Lake:  No.  2.  Dcs 
^[oim-i  and  Wisconsin;  No.  3,  Hunter, 
1,'ost.  luvington.  .\lb.i.  We>l  Heron  Lake 
and  Heron  I^akc:  No.  I,  La('ro.<se,  Weiin- 
er  and  Dclafield  ;  No.  5,  Belmont,  Cliri-s- 
tiania,   Kimball   and   Enterprise.     .\t  the 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


197 


succeeding  eiectiou  an  entire  new  set  of 
commissioners  was  elected. 

There  was  aimtlu'r  increase  in  the  vote 
.in  1880,  and  914  votes  were  cormted  for 
presidential  electors.  In  national  politics 
the  coinitv  was  found  to  be  again  strongly 
lepublican.  In  local  politics  the  party 
did  not  fare  so  well.  Of  the  five  com- 
]nissionors  elected,  three  were  independ- 
ents, and  an  independent  was  also  elect- 
ed judge  of  probate.    The  result: 

President — James  A.  Garfield  (rep.), 
767;  Winfield  S.  Hancock  (dem.),  126; 
James  B.   Weaver   (greenback).   11. 

Congressman — W.  G.  Ward  (ind.), 
1.54;  H.  R.  Wells  (dem.).  12.5;  :\r.  II. 
Bunnell  (rep.),  619. 

Reiiresentative — P.  J.  Kniss  (rep.), 
270;  M.  A.  Strung   (peoples),  586.=^ 

Judge  of  Probate — W.  W.  Hamilton 
(rep.),  355:  Simon  Olson  (ind.),  517. 

County  Attiii'ney — J.  I).  Bowditch-^ 
(rep.),  845. 

Court  Commissioner — Jareb  Palmer 
(rep.),  857. 

Coroner — E.  P.  Gould  (rep.),  875. 

Commissioner  First  District — H.  W. 
Chandler  (rep.),  60;  JMartin  Logue 
(ind.),  66. 

Commissioner  Second  District — A.  C. 
Whitman-"'  (rep.),  119;  Joseph  Thomas 
(ind.),  79. 

Commissioner  Third  District — William 
Host  (rep.),  56;  Cliristian  Lewis  (ind.), 
Sti. 

Commissioner  Fouitli  District — L.  0. 
Beck  (rep.),  94:  J.  G.  Fodues  (ind.), 
11.3. 

Commissioner  Fiftli  District — A.  E. 
Kilen  (rep.),  124:  .f.  J.  Tagley  (ind.), 
8.5. 

The   election    of    1881    almost   went  bv 


^Mr.   Kni.s.s  was   elected. 

^'Resigned  November  1.  ISSl.  L.  W.  Seely 
was  appointed  January  -f,  1SS2.  to  complete  the 
term. 

^Was  chairman  from  1S81  to  1S85.  inclusive. 


default  and  was  the  quietest  one  ever  held 
in  the  c-ounty.  There'were  only  two  in- 
dependent candidates  against  the  nomi- 
nees of  the  republican  convention^  and 
only  489  votes  were  cast.  Although  state 
officers  were  voted  for,  in  only  one  pre- 
cinct (Ewington)  was  there  a  vote  cast 
for  the  democratic  nominee  for  governor. 
The  vote  follows : 

Governor— L.  F.  Hubbard  (rep.),  467; 
P.  W.  Johnson  (dem.),  7. 

Judge  District  Court-" — JI.  J.  Sever- 
ance (rep.),  477. 

Auditor — William  A'.  King  (rep.),  482. 

Treasurer — John  Paulson  (rep.),  483. 

Slieriff — Charles  Malchow    (rep.),  478. 

Register  of  Deed.s — A.  C.  Serum  (rep.), 
303;.  Samuel  LaRire  (ind.),  120. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — T.  J.  Knox 
(rep.),  470. 

Surveyor — James  E.  Palmer  (rep.), 
447. 

Commissioner  First  District — Martin 
Logue  (rep.),  53;  H.  W.  Chandler  (ind.), 
43. 

For  the  first  time  in  history  Jackson 
county  gave  a  democratic  nominee  for  con- 
gress a  majority  in  1882.  There  was  no 
opposition  to  the  republican  county  ticket. 
Six  hundred  fifty  votes  were  cast,  as  fol- 
lows : 

Congressman — J.  B.  Wakefield  (rep.), 
238;  J.  A.   Latimer    (dem.),  392;   Felix 

A.  liorcr  (pro.),  19. 

Senator— R.  M.  Ward    (rep.),  308;  J. 

B.  Dukes    (ind.),.  340.=" 
Representative — James  E.  Child  (rep.), 

638. 

Clerk  of  Court — George  R.  Moore 
(rep.),  394;  E.  J.  Orr  (ind.),  249. 


-''Judges  were  elected  for  six  year  terms,  hut 
the  legislature  of  1885  created  a  new  district — 
the  13th — composed  of  the  counties  of  N'obles, 
Rock,  Pipestone.  Murray.  Cottonwood  and  Jack- 
son. In  March.  1885.  Goyernor  Hubbard  ap- 
pointed .\.  D.  Perkins  judge  of  the  new  dis- 
trict, and  Judge  Severance  served  only  until 
that   date. 

-'Mr.  Ward  was  elected. 


198 


HISTdRV  III'  .lACKSdX  {  nlNI  ■^• 


County  Attorney— L.  \V.  Sooly  (rep.), 
fi32. 

Judge  of  Probate — Simon  Olson  (lop.), 
G41. 

Coroner— E.  P.  Gould   (rep.),  GoO. 

Court  Commissioner — C.  L.  Campbell 
(rep.),  634. 


Commissioner  Second  District — A.  C. 
Whitman^"  (rep.),  103. 

Commissioner  Third  District — Ciiris- 
liaii  Lewis  (rep.),  109. 


="ReslKned  October.  1S85.  nnd  loft  the  county. 
J.  W.  Cowlnjr  was  then  appointed  and  served 
as  chairman  durlnB  1S86  under  the  appointment. 


i 


CHAPTER  XV. 


POLITICALf— 1883-1910. 


ANOTHER  abortive  attempt  was 
made  to  organize  the  democratic 
party  of  .Jackson  county  in  1883. 
A  call  for  a  mass  convention  was  issued 
liy  a  few  of  tlie  party  leaders  on  October 
11/  and  tlie  convention  was  held  in  Jack- 
son Tuesday  evening,  October  23.  D.  M. 
LeVore  was  chairman  of  the  meeting  and 
F.  Jj.  Driggs  was  secretary.  A  county 
committee  was  named,  but  no  candidates 
were  placed  in  nomination. 

The  election  of  1S83  was  quite  hotly 
contested  for  the  few  ofEices  for  which 
there  were  independent  candidates.  A 
pretty  four  cornered  tight  for  the  office 
of  sheriff  developed  among  independent 
candidates.  The  republican  convention 
had  deadlocked  over. the  nomination  and 
had  adjourned  without  selecting  a  nomi- 
nee for  that  important  office.  Seven  hun- 
dred forty-four  votes  were  cast.  Under  the 
new  plan  of  holding  elections  only  on 
even-numbered  years,  the  officials  elected 
in  1883  served  three  years.  The  vote : 
Governor— L.  F.  Hubbard  (rep.),  560; 


'"The  democrats  of  Jackson  county  are  here- 
by called  and  requested  to  meet  in  mass  con- 
vention at  Owens'  hall  in  Jackson,  Minnesota, 
on  Saturday,  October  20,  1SS3,  at  one  o'clock 
p.  m.,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  for  the 
coming  campaign.  Let  every  democrat  who  has 
the  love  of  hir-  country  at  heart  rally  and  lend 
his  voice  to  strengthen  and  upbuild  his  party 
in  Jackson  county.  (Signed)  F.  L.  Driggs,  D. 
M.  DeVore,  R.  K.  Craigue,  M.  Miller,  G.  A. 
Albertus." 


Adolph  Bierman  (dem.),  173;  Charles  E. 
Holt  (pro.),  11. 

Auditor— William  V.  King  (rep.),  713. 

Treasurer — John  Paulson  (rep.),  727. 

Sheriff— Charles  Malchow  (ind.),  332; 
C.  A.  Wood  (ind.),  174;  H.  W.  Peck 
(ind.),  141;  P.  E.  Bailey  (ind.),  78. 

Register  of  Deeds — A.  C.  Serum  (rep.), 
731. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — T.  J.  Knox 
(rep.),  706. 

Surveyor — James  E.  Palmer  (rep.), 
709. 

Court  Commissioner — M.  A.  Strong 
(rep.),  724. 

Commissioner  Fourtli  District — Jul  G. 
Fodnes  (rep.),  106;  John  P.  Brakke 
(ind.),  56;  Charles  Winzer  (ind.),  25. 

Commissioner  Fifth  District — A.  E. 
Ivilen-  (rep.),  148. 

James  G.  Blaine  carried  Jackson  coun- 
ty over  Grover  Cleveland  for  president  by 
a  large  majority  in  1884.  There  were  859 
votes  east,  and  with  one  exception,  the  re- 
publican ticket  was  elected.  The  vote  as 
officially  canvassed: 

President — James  G.  Blaine  (rep.), 
652;  Grover  Cleveland  (dem.),  146;  Ben- 
jamin F.  Butler  (a-m.),  43;  John  P.  St. 
John  (pro.),  18. 


^Resigned     September    20,     1886,     and    H. 
Sether  appointed  in  his  place  September  23. 


C. 


199 


•200 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Congressman — 1.  li.  Wakelield  (rep.), 
est;  .J.  J.  Thornloii  (.loin.).  l.")8;  Wil- 
liam Copp  (pro.),  li. 

h'l-presontative  —  -Me.xander  Fiddcs 
(rop.),  liOO;  Eric  Olson  (ind.),  1-J7. 

County  Attorney— E.  D.  Briggs  (rep.), 
■.i2-i;  D.  M.  DeVore  (ind.),  514. 

Judge  of  Probate— Simon  Olson  (rop.), 

800. 

Coroner- E.   P.  Gould    (rep.),  848. 

Commissioner  First  District — C.  ^I. 
Tlardy'   (rep.),  I'O. 

For  llie  lirst  time  in  the  political  hi;^- 
tory  of  the  county,  in  1886  the  democrats 
had  reached  a  point  where  they  believed 
they  had  sufficient  strength  to  warrant 
entering  the  field  of  county  politics  and 
put  up  a  ticket.  Accordingly  a  conven- 
tion was  convened  at  Lakefield  October  3 
and  organized.  Then  it  was  found  that 
there  were  many  present  who  did  not  care 
to  participate  in  a  democratic  convention, 
labeled  as  such,  but  who  were  opposed  to 
the  republican  organization  and  would 
take  ]iart  in  the  deliljcrations  of  the  con- 
vention if  another  name  were  given.  So 
the  following  resolution  was  adopted : 

Tliat.  inasmuch  as  there  are  many  imle- 
pendent  voters  present  and  many  persons  not 
identilied  with  the  democratic  i.arty.  but  who 
are  united  with  us  in  our  opposition  to  rings 
and  ring  ruh>.  now  be  it  resolved  tliat  \ve  do 
not,  as  a  democratic  convention,  nominate 
anvone  for  (ounty  olTicc.  but  that  we  invite 
all"  independent  voters  and  all  such  as  arc  in 
sympathy  with  the  common  people  and  against 
rings  and  bossism.  to  join  with  us  in  nominat- 
ing a  proper  ticket,  laying  aside  all  political 
partisanship. 

After  the  passage  of  this  re.-ohitiou  tlie 
democratic  convention  adjourned  and  im- 
mediately reconvened  as  the  "peoples" 
convention.  A  full  county  ticket  was 
placed  in  nomination,  a  pcrnutnent  or- 
ganization nuidc,  and  a  determined  can- 
vass made.  The  election  was  hotly  con- 
tested and  exciting.  All  the  nominees  of 
the  new  party  polled  fair  votes  and  three 

'Re.slgTied  and  John  Baldwin  appolntiil  March 
4.    1S86,    to  complete  the   term. 


of  them  were  elected.  By  far  the  largest 
vote  ever  polled  was  cast,  l,3:iG  being  the 
liighesl  fur  any  one  olTice.  'i'he  stoiy  in 
figures : 

Governor — .\.  li.  iktiill  (rep.).  '.Mii ; 
A.  A.  Ames  (dem.).  :J.V.' :  J.  E.  Ciiild 
(pro.),  3G. 

Judge  District  Couil— A.  D.  I'crkins* 
(all  parties),  elected. 

Congressman  —  .John  Lind  (rep.), 
I.iiii.'):  A.  H.  Bullis  (dem.),  2.57;  George 
.i.  iJay   (pro.),  1. 

Senator — Frank  A.  Day  (rep.),  01)3; 
W.  11.  Giliiert  (dem.),  G:?!. 

IJeiircsentative — Erick  Sevatson  (rep.), 
I.IISS:  Elder  Berry  (dem.),  22G. 

Auditor- William  V.  King  (rep.),  908; 
J.  A.  Spafford  (peo.),  -110. 

Treasurer — John  JV.ulson"'  (rep.).  !U.'; 
John  Frederickson  (peo.),  413. 

Sheriff— C.  A.  Wood  (rep.),  T!).-);  Ole 
.Anderson   (peo.),  ."jSO. 

Register  of  Deeds — .\.  C.  Sennn  (rep.). 
S,S0:  L.  B.  I^ernd   (poo.).  44G. 

J\idgc  of  Probate — Simon  Olson  (rep.), 
-ll.");  llcnry  Kniidson  (pi'ii.).  y.Vi  :  II.  S. 
Kailey   (ind.),  3G2. 

County  Attorney — T.  J.  Knox  (np.), 
S.53;  D.  M.  DeVore  (peo.),  4iio. 

Surveyor — L.  L.  PaliiuT  (rep.),  elect- 
ed ;  John  G.  Miller  (peo.) 

Coroner — E.   1'.  Gould"   (rep.),  elected. 

Clerk  of  Court — \.  II.  Strong  (re]).). 
';G!t:  John  P.  Brakke  (peo.),  .').')1. 

Court  Commissioner — S.  C.  K'ca  (rep. 
and  peo.),  elected;  1?.  D.  Ijjirned  (ind.) 

.Superintendent  of  Schools — E.  F.  Lam- 
mers  (rep.),  .^IS;  Flora  J.  Frost  (peo.), 
i:!3:  W.  B.  Sketch  (ind.).  194;  Joseph 
J.  Jones  (inil.1.  1i;3:  J.  W.  Dnnn  (ind.). 
I.VI. 

'Kc^ignert  February.  1S91.  and  ]'.  K.  Tlrown 
appointed  liy  fJovernor  Merrlam  to  llnish  the 
term. 

"Reslitneii   in    November.    ISSS. 

"Remnveil  from  the  i-ounty  .ind  \V.  i '.  I'eil- 
mann  appointed  January  li.  1.>>S7.  The  latter 
also  removed  from  the  rounty.  and  on  Mnrcn 
21.  1S8S.  W.  AV.  Heffellinger  received  the  ap- 
pointment. 


Commissioner     First 
Baldwin  (peo.),  elected. 

Commissioner  Second  District — J.  W. 
Cowing"  (rep.),  elected. 

Commissioner  Third  District — William 
]?ost  (rep.),  elected;  A.  D.  Palmer  (peo.) 

Commissioner  Fourth  District — J.  J. 
Johnson  (rep.)  ;  Jolin  Powlitschek**  (peo.), 
elected. 

Commissioner  Fifth  District — H.  C. 
Sether  (rep.),  elected;  Gustav  Meilicke 
(i^eo.) 

Fifteen  hundred  seventy-eight  votes 
were  cast  in  Jackson  county  for  president 
in  1888.  For  national,  state  and  district 
officers  the  democrats  made  the  best  show- 
ing in  the  county's  hi.<tory  up  to  that  time, 
(i rover  Cleveland  receiving  475  votes  for 
president.  The  republicans,  democrats 
and  prohibitionists  each  had  tickets  in  the 
field  of  local  politics,  the  prohibitionists 
having  for  the  first  time  met  in  conven- 
tion at  Lakefield  September  2.  The  re- 
publicans were  generally  successful,  al- 
though a  few  met  defeat.    The  vote: 

President — Benjamin  Harrison  (rep.), 
1,017;  Grover  Cleveland  (dem.),  475; 
Clinton  B.  Fi.-k   (pro.),  8G. 

Governor — William  E.  Merriam  (rep.), 
032;  Eugene  M.  Wilson  (dem.),  519; 
Hugh  Harrison  (pro.),  120. 

Congressman  —  John  Lind  (rep.), 
1,025;  Morton  S.  Wilkinson  (dem.),  4G4; 
D.  W.  Edwards   (pro.),  88. 

Representative — Erick  Sevatson  (rep.), 
1,029;  C.  W.  Hall  (dem.),  330;  Babcock 
(pro.),  95. 

Auditor— William  V.  King  (rep.),  924; 
J.  A.  SpafEord   (dem.-pro.),  652. 

Treasurer — Christian  Lewis  (rep.), 
805;  H.  H.  Berge  (ind.),  G55;  Anders 
Roe  (pro.),  100;  H.J.  Hoovcl    (dem.),  5. 

Register  of  Deeds— S.  0.  Hagen  (rep.). 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY, 
District  —  John 


201 


(180;  John  Baldwin  (dem.),  701;  E.  J. 
Orr  (pro.),  113. 

County  Attorney— T.  J.  Knox  (rep.), 
848:  W.  A.  Funk   (ind.),  717. 

Sheriff— C.  A.  Wood  (rep.),  1,078;  M. 
:\liller  (dem.),  487. 

Judge  of  Probate— Henry  Knudson 
(rep.), -848;  A.  D.  Palmer  (dem.-pro.), 
3()0;  Simon  Olson  (ind.),  358. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — L.  F.  Lam- 
mers  (rep.),  88G  :  Flora  J.  Frost  (dem.), 
804. 

Coroner— W.  W.  Heffelfmger"  (I'ep.), 
883;  W.  C.  Portmann  (dem.),  603  ;  Nath- 
aniel Frost  (pro.),  80. 

Surveyor— L.  L.  Palmer  (rep.),  1,431; 
J.  0.  Miller  (pro.).'  94;  G.  A.  Albertus 
(dem.),  24. 

Commissioner  First  District  —  Oriin 
Jones'"  (rep.),  159:  Robert  Gruhlke 
(dem.),  126. 

Commissioner  Third  District— William 
Post  (ind.),  47;  Matt  Tollefson  (pro.), 
6:  Richard  Suker  (dem.),  49;  H.  K. 
Rue  (ind.),  114;  Olson,  30;  Lufron 
(in<l.),  73. 

Commissioner  Fourth  District — J.  E. 
Jones  (dem.-rep.),  137;  Frank  Wazlahow- 
sky  (ind.),  84;  Henry  Hohenstein  (ind.), 
71. 

Commissioner  Filth  District— Hans 
Sether  (rep.),  278;  B.  A.  Brown  (pro.),  6. 

There  was  a  political  revolution  in 
1890,  caused  by  the  entrance  into  politics 
of  the  farmers'  alliance.  The  result  was 
the  almost  complete  overthrow  of  the  re- 
publican party,  which  had  been  in  control 
since  the  organization  of  the  county.  The 
alliance  candidate  for  governor  carried 
the  county;  the  alliance  candidates  for 
state  senator  and  representative  carried 
the  county  and  were  elected ;  the  alliance 
candidate  for  congress  lost  the  county  by 


'Served    as    chairman    from    1S86    to 
elusive. 


1894,    in- 


•Died  February  23.   1887.     J.  E.   Jones  appoint- 
ed to  the  vacancy  April  6,  1887. 


'Resigned     and     W. 
coroner  April  30,   1SS9, 

'"Resigned     and      Walter 
July,   1891. 


C.     Portmann     appointed 
Withers     appointed 


202 


IIISIOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


only  a  small  plmalit}.  Of  tlie  county  of- 
ficers only  two  or  three  were  elected  who 
liad  not  been  nominated  or  endorsed  by 
the  alliance  party.  The  legislative  situa- 
tion was  complicated  by  a  bad  split  in  the 
republican  convention.  The  delegates  from 
Cottonwood  county,  which  was  then  for 
tlie  first  time  districted  with  Jackson 
county.  r<'fustHl  to  participate  in  tlic  con- 
vention. Tlie  Jackson  county  delegates 
proceeded  to  place  in  nomination  T.  J. 
Kno.x  for  senator  and  8ilas  Blackman  for 
representative.  'I'he  Cottonwood  county 
delegates  met  and  nominated  i-hick  Sevat- 
son  for  senator  and  11.  F.  Tucker  for  rep- 
resentative,, and  tliese  were  later  endorsed 
by  the  alliance  party.  Fifteen  liundred 
si.xty-eight  votes  were  polled.    Tlie  result : 

Governor — William  11.  Jlerriam  (rep.), 
434;  Thomas  J.  Wiison  (dem.),  504;  Sid- 
ney M.  Owen  (all.),  595;  J.  P.  Pinkham 
(pro.),  35. 

Congressman — Joliii  Lind  (rep.),  781; 
James  11.  Baker  (all.),  754:  Tra  Reynolds 
(pro.),  20. 

Senator — T.  J.  Kno\  (,itli.),  594; 
i:iick  Sevati^on  (all.),  737;  W.  C.  Port- 
niium  (dcm.),  •.'19;J.  1.  Wallace  (pro.),  7. 

L'eprcsentative — Sihis  Blackman  (rep.), 
503;  Edward  Savage  (dem.),  314;  H.  F. 
Tucker  (all.),  680. 

Auditor — .\.  C.  Scrum  (rep.),  591; 
William   V.  King   (all.),  937. 

Treasurer — Christian  Lewis  (rep.-den).- 
all.),  1,507. 

Sheriff— C.  A.  Wood  (rep.).  099;  S.  J. 
Moe  (all.),  843;  L.  O.  Bock  (pro.).  22. 

Register  of  Deeds  —  John  Baldwin 
(dem.-rop.-all.),  1,505. 

Judge  of  Probate— C.  IT.  Sandon 
(rep.),  739;  J.  G.  Miller  (dem.).  189; 
Ole  0.  Engen   (all.).  007. 

County  Attorney — W.  A.  Funk  (re]i.- 
all.).  1,207. 

Surveyor — L.  L.  Palimv  ( np.-ilrm.- 
all.),  1.531. 


Coroner— C.  11.  J.  K.41am.  (190:  W.  C. 
Portmann,  820. 

Clerk  of  Court— A.  H.  Strong  (rep.), 
803:  II.  J.  Hollister  (dem.-all.).  757. 

Court  Comniissioner — J.  .\.  (iooilridi 
(all.-dem.),  1.333:  T.  A.  Alexander 
(rep.),  220. 

Superintendent  of  School* — Eugene 
IJuckor  (re]).).  'III. :  l-"loia  .1.  Frost 
(dem.),   1.180. 

Commissioner  Second  District — '.  W. 
Cowing  (rep.).  127:  .'.  \\ .  lliintcr 
(ind.),  97. 

An  outgrowth  of  tlie  alliance  party  was 
the  peoples  party,  otherwise  known  as  the 
populist  party,  which  made  its  first  ap- 
pearance in  Jackson  county  p(ditics  in 
3  892.  Now  only  a  memory,  the  peoples 
party  was  an  importiint  factor  in  the  poli- 
tics of  the  county  iluring  the  nineties.  Its 
strength  was  such  that  during  several 
cam[)aigns,  by  forming  alliance  with,  and 
cn<lorsing  nominees  of,  the  democratic 
party,  it  was  able  to  dominate  county  poli- 
tics. 

The  county  was  carried  by  the  ri'pub- 
licans  in  1892  for  jiresident  by  the  snuill- 
est  ]ilurality  the  nominee  of  tiiat  ]iarty 
ever  reci'ived,  before  or  since.  The  nomi- 
nees of  that  party  for  governor  and  con- 
gressman also  carried  the  county  by  small 
pluralities.  Fusion  Itetween  the  demo^ 
crats  and  peoples  party  was  alTected  for 
re]tresentative.  and  the  nominee  of  those 
jiarties  carried  the  county  ami  was  elected. 

In  county  politics  the  democrats  and 
peoples  party  also  combined,  their  con- 
ventions being  liehl  on  the  same  day.  By 
mutual  understanding  the  democrats 
named  the  nominees  for  register  of  deeds, 
superintendent  of  schools,  judge  of  pro- 
bate, coroner  and  county  commi.<sioners 
from  the  first  and  fourth  districts,  while 
the  peoples  party  selected  the  nominees 
for  auditor,  treasurer,  county  attorney, 
sheriff,  survevor  and  commi.ssioners  from 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


203 


the  third  and  fifth  districts.  At  the  elec- 
tion the  fusion  forces  elected  auditor,  sher- 
iff, register  of  deeds,  .surveyor,  coroner  and 
commissioners  from  the  first,  third  and 
fifth  districts.  The  republicans  elected 
treasurer,  judge  of  probate,  count)'  attor- 
ney and  commissioner  from  the  fourth 
district.  The  nominee  for  superintendent 
of  schools  wa.s  endorsed  by  all  parties. 

The  vote  had  now  increased  to  ■,',(i'.iCi, 
a  far  greater  number  1han  had  ever  bef(n'e 
been  cast.  The  Australian  ballot  system 
was  employed  for  the  first  time  in  this 
election.     The  vote  in  detail : 

President — Benjamin  Harrison  (rep.), 
900;  Grover  Cleveland  (dem.),  852; 
James  B.  Weaver  (pp.),  370;  Silas  Bid- 
well  (pro.),  Hi. 

Governor — Knute  Nelson  (rep.),  839; 
Daniel  W.  Lawler  (dem.),  680;  Ignatius 
Donnelly   (pp.),  313;  Dean   (pro.),  54. 

Congressman — James      T.      McCleary 
(rep.),  883;  W.    S.    Hannnond    (dem.), 
G90;  L.  C.  Long  (pp.),  344. 

Judge  District  Court— P.  E.  Brown" 
(non-partisan),   1,339. 

Kepresentative — John  Paulson  (rep.), 
933;  E.  J.  Meilicke  (dem.-pp.),  1,017. 

Auditor— J.  D.  Wilson  (rep.),  814; 
William  V.  King  (dem.-pp.),  1,156. 

Treasurer  —  Christian  Lewis  (rep-). 
1,116;  Charles  Malchow  (dem.-pp.),  835. 

Sheriff— D.  S.  Stoddard  (rep.),  653; 
Die  Anderson  (dem.-iip.),  856;  S.  J.  Moe 
(ind.),  431. 

Register  of  Deeds  —  Jarcb  Palmer 
(rep.),  (M4  ;  Jolin  Baldwin  (dem. -pp.), 
1,301. 

Judge  of  Probate — C.  H.  Sandon 
(rep.),  1,143;  E.  Babcock  (dem.-pp.), 
785. 

County  Attorney — W.  A.  Funk  (rep.), 
9S3:  W.  B.  Sketch   (dem.-pp.),  975. 

"In  1897  the  legislature  changed  the  boundar- 
ies of  the  Judicial  districts,  and  Jackson  coun- 
ty became  a  part  of  the  17th.  James  H.  Quinn 
became  judge  of  the  17th  and  presided  over  his 
first  Jackson  county  court   in   April,   1S97. 


Surveyor — A.  C.  Serum  (rep.),  749; 
C.  W.  Gove  (dem.-pp.),  810;  L.  L.  Pal- 
mer  (ind.),  377. 

Coroner — Scott  Searles  (rep.),  779; 
W.  C.  Portmann   (dem.-pp.)    1,143. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — Flora  J. 
Frost    (rcp.-dem.),   1,797. 

Commissioner  First  District — W.  H. 
.\uslin   (rep.),     134:     Henry     Thielvoldt 

(drill. -pp.),   334. 

Commissioner  Thud  District — W.  C. 
Hauer  (rep.),  139;  H.  K.  Eue  (dem.-pp.), 
316. 

Commissioner  Fourth  District — George 
Erbes  (rep.),  181;  J.  E.  Jones  (dem.- 
pp.),  141;  G.  T.  Juvland  (ind.),  58. 

Commissioner  Fifth  District — Thomas 
Chesterson  (pp.),  383. 

The  election  of  1894  was  one  of  great 
excitement  in  local  circles,  and  the  cam- 
paign was  one  of  tlie  most  bitter  ever 
waged  in  the  county.  All  three  parties 
were  in  the  field  with  tickets,  the  demo- 
crats and  peoples  party  combining  on  only 
a  few  officers.  In  addition  to  the  regular 
party  iiominees  tliere  were  a  number  of 
independent  candidates,  who  added  their 
sliare  to  the  liitterness  of  the  strife.  The 
republican  county  ticket  was  generally 
successful,  although  a  few  offices  went  to 
the  other  parties.  The  peoples  party 
nominees  for  senator  and  representative 
carried  the  county  and  were  elected. 
Twenty-four  hundred  nineteen  was  the 
higliest  number  of  vote.s  cast  for  the  nomi- 
nees of  one  office.     Tlie  result: 

Governor — Knute  Nelson  (rep.),  1,243; 
George  L.  Becker  (dem.),  438;  Sidney  M. 
Owen  (pp.),  701;  Hans  S.  Hilleboe 
(pro.),  43. 

Congressman  —  James  T.  McCleary 
(rep.),  1,195;  James  T.  Baker  (dem.), 
416  ;L.  C.  Long  (pp.),  685;  H.  S.  Kel- 
1am    (pro.),   53. 

Senator— H.  F.  Tucker  (rep.),  1,086; 
Erick   Sevaston    (])p.),   1,326. 


204 


HISTOUV  ol'  .lACKSON  col  NIV 


Representative— C.  K.  J.  Kellnm  (rep.), 
997;  E.  J.  Meilickc  (pp.),  1/2S1. 

Auditor— V.  E.  Butler  (rep.),  «37; 
Joseph  J.  Jones  (deni.),  403  ;  J.  A.  Spaf- 
fonl  (pp.).  538;  William  Y.  King  (ind.), 
707. 

Treasurer- John  Paulson  (rep.),  580; 
G.  A.  Albertu.?  (dcm.),  559;  Malt  Tollef- 
son  (pp.),  ;558;  Christian  Ia-wIs  (ind.). 
560;  Charles  Malchow  (ind.),  'M\-l. 

Register  of  Deeds— John  P.  Biakke 
(rep.),  555;  John  Baldwin  (doiu.),  1,103; 
C.  W.  Gove  (pp.),  729. 

Sheriil— Clark  A.  Wood  (rep.),  999; 
M.    Miller    (dem.),   489;    Ole    Anderson 

(pp.),  930. 

Clerk  of  Court— Eugene  Rucker  (rep.), 
1,081 ;  John  M.  Voda  (pp.-dom.).  712  ;  A. 
H.  Strong   (ind.),  494. 

Judge  of  Probate— C.  H.  Sandon 
(rep.),  1,521;  Marvin  Ilollister  (dcm.), 
535;  Isaac  Durham   (pp.).  300. 

Surveyor— J.  L.  Hoist  (rep.),  1,018: 
John  G.  Miller  (dem.),  587;  James  Pal- 
mer  (ind.),  748. 

Coroner  — W.     ('•     P'>ilin;inn     (dcm.). 

1,G93.  I    I 

Count.v  Attorney— W.  .\.  Funk'-  (rep.), 

1,049;  T.  A.  Alexander  (dem.),  380;  W . 

B.  Sketch  (pp.),  975. 

Superintendent  of  Schools— Lizzie  A. 
Price  (rep.),  1,350;  Flora  J.  Frost  (dera.- 
pp.),  1,543. 

Court    Commissioner — I.    .\.    Goodncli 
(rep.),  1,345;  S.  D.  Sumner  (dem.),  82G. 
Commissioner    Second    District— Alex- 
ander Fiddes"   (rep.),  426. 

In  1896  tlie  free  silver  issue  gained 
many  adherents  in  Jackson  county,  and 
Willian\  Jennings  Bryan,  the  democratic 
standard  hearer,  received  a  large  vote, 
although  William  McKinley  had  a  ma- 
jority.   The  democratic  and  peoples  party 

"Left  the  countv  In  November.  1895.  and  L. 
F.  Lammers  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy  in 
January.  1896. 

"Wa.i  chairman   from   1S95   lo   1898.  Inclusive. 


nominee  for  governor  came  witiiiii  two 
votes  of  carrying  the  county;  the  congres- 
sional and  legislative  offices  were  also 
carried  hy  the  republicans.  Twenty-eight 
hundred   fitty-eight  votes  were  cat^t. 

As  in  1892,  the  democratic  and  peoples 
parly    combined    on    their   county    ticket. 
The     nominees     for     representative    and 
sheriff  were  named  in  joint    convention ; 
the  other  nominees  were  selected  by  sep- 
arate conventions,  the  democrats  naming 
candidates  for  register  of  deeds,  judge  of 
probate,  county  attorney,  coroner  and  com- 
missioners from  the  first  and  fourth  dis- 
tricts, and   the  peoples  party  candidates 
for  auditor,  treasurer,  superintendent  of 
schools,  surveyor,  court  commissioner  and 
commissioners   from    the   third   and    fifth 
districts.     The  fusion  forces  elected  reg- 
ister of  deeds,  coroner,  superintendent  of 
schools  and  two  of  the  four  commission- 
ers ;  the  other  offices  were  captured  by  the 
republicans.     The  vote  as  canvassed  : 

President— William  McKinley  (rep.), 
l..").".S;  William  J.  Bryan  (dem.),  1.1.50; 
Levering  (pro.),  29;  Palmer  (nal.  dem.), 
21:  Matchett  (soc.-dem.),  0. 

Governor — David  M.  Clough  (rep.), 
I.:i28:  J„hn  Lind  (dem.-pp.),  1.326;  Wil- 
liam J.  Dean  (pro.),  26;  A.  A.  .\mee, 
(ind.),  5;  William  B.  Haiinnnnd  (foc. 
lab.),  4. 

Congressman  —  .lames  T.  MiCleary 
(rc|i.).  1,555;  Frank  A.  Day  (dem.-]>p.), 
1.21i;:  Richard  Price   (pro.).  38. 

Representative  —  George  M.  Laing 
(rep.),  1,438;  E.  J.  Meilicke  (dem.-pp.), 
1 ,368. 

Auditor— Y.  E.  Butler  (rep.),  1,4.30; 
William   V.    King  (dem.-pp.),  1,428. 

Treasurer — John  Paulson  (rep.).  L477; 
11.  K.  Rue  (dem.-pp.),  1,377. 

Register  of  Deeds— G.  T.  .hi  viand 
(rep.),  1,344;  John  Baldwin  (dem. -pp.), 
1.512. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


205 


Sheriff— C.  A.  Wood  (rep.),  1,615  ;01e 
Anderson   (dem.-pp.),   1,230. 

Judge  of  Probate — C.  H.  Sandon(rep.), 
1,843;  George  C.  Cooley  (dem.-pp.),  970. 

Surveyor— J.  L.  HoM  (rep.),  1,514;  F. 
E.  Stanley  (dem.-pp.).  1,299. 

Coroner — C.  E.  J.  Kellam  (rep.), 
1,328;  W.  C.  Portmann  (dem.-pp.),  1,524. 

County  Attorney — E.  T.  Smith  (rep.), 
1,623;  F.  B.  Faber  (dem.-pp.),  1,205. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — Lizzie  A. 
Price  (rep.),  1,663;  Flora  J.  Frost  (dem.- 
pp.),  1,664." 

Commissioner  First  District — T.  J. 
Russell  (rep.),  250;  Henry  Thievoldt 
(dem.),  256. 

Commissioner  Third  District — D.  Craw- 
ford (rep.),  438;  Alex  Brown  (pp.),  272. 

Commissioner  Fourth  District — George 
p]rbes  (rep.),  455. 

Commissioner  Fifth  District — Thomas 
Clipperton  (rep.),  214;  Thomas  Chester- 
son."  (pp.),  268. 

The  off-year  1898  showed  a  falling  off 
in  the  total  vote,  the  number  being  2,145. 
The  two  free  silver  parties  again  combined 
their  forces  against  the  republican  ticket, 
but  they  were  not  very  succassful  at  the 
polls.  The  fusionists  carried  the  county 
for  representative  and  elected  the  register 
of  deeds ;  otherwise  the  republicans  were 
successful.     Following  was  the  vote: 

Governor — William  H.  Eustis  (rep.). 
1,502  ;  John  Lind  (dem.-pp.),  964;  George 
W.  Higgins,  (pro.),  35 ;  William  B.  Ham- 

"Miss  Price  served  notice  of  a  contest  for 
the  office  of  superintendent  of  schools  on  No- 
vember 23.  1S96.  The  case  came  to  trial  before 
Judge  P.  E.  Brown  of  the  district  court  on 
Monday.  December  27.  Attorney  \V.  A.  Funk 
appearing  for  the  contestant  and  Attorney  T.  J. 
Knox  for  the  contestee.  Over  thirty  witnesses 
were  examined  and  many  votes  were  thrown 
out  as  illegal.  Twenty  ballots  that  had  been 
cast  for  Miss  Price  were  thrown  out  and  five 
or  six  that  had  been  cast  for  Miss  Frost  met 
the  same  fate.  After  the  case  had  reached 
this  stage  Miss  Price  aslted  that  the  contest 
be  dismissed,  which  was  done. 

"In  February.  189S.  Charles  Tichacek  was 
chosen  commissioner  from  the  fifth  district  to 
succeed  Mr.   Chesterson. 


mond  (soc.-lab.),  11;  L.  C.  Long  (middle 
of  the  road  populist),  8. 

Congressman  —  James  T.  McCleary 
(rep.),  1,188;  D.  H.  Evans  (dem.-pp.), 
803;  T.  P.  Grout  (pro.),  61. 

Judge  District  Court — James  H.  Quinn 
(rep.-ind.),  1,270;  Andrew  C.  Dunn  (ind. 
and  non-partisan),  789. 

Senator — Alexander  Fiddes  (rep.),  970; 
E.   J.    Meilicke    (dem.-pp.),   1,142. 

Representative — D.  L.  Riley  (rep.), 
1,330;  James  Manning  (dem.-pp.),  740. 

Auditor— V.  E.  Butler  (rep.),  1,340; 
William  V.  King  (dem.-pp.),  805. 

Treasurer — .John  Paulson  (rep.),  1,099; 
H.  K.  Rue   (dem.-pp.),  1,041. 

Sheriff— M.  B.  Dunn  (rep.),  1.422; 
John  W.  Muir  (dem.-pp.),  703. 

Register  of  Deeds — S.  N.  Olson  (rep.), 
1,017;  John  Baldwin  (dem.-pp.),  1,115. 

Judge  of  Probate — C.  H.  Sandon 
(rep.),  1.360;  Y.  B.  Crane  (dem.-pp.),760. 

County  .Attorney — E.  T.  Smith  (rep.), 
1.163;  W.  B.  Sketch  (ind.),  921. 

Coroner — F.  J.  Ledbrook  (rep.),  1,045; 
W.  C.  Portmann  (dem.-pp.),  1,018. 

Clerk  of  Court  —  Eugene  Rucker^® 
(rep.),  1,360;  J.  F.  Laumann  (dem.-pp.), 
1,018. 

Superintendent  of  Schools  —  David 
Brown  (rep.),  1,303;  Flora  J.  Frost, 
(dem.-pp.),  1,181.. 

Court  Commissioner — J.  A.  Goodricli, 
(rep.-dem.-pp.).  1,733. 

Surveyor— J.  L.  Hoist  (rep.),  1,723. 

Commissioner  Second  District — P.  H. 
Berge^'  (rep.),  255;  J.  I.  Wallace  (dem.- 
pp.),  223. 

Commissioner  Fifth  District — J.  ^I.  Ol- 
son (rep.),  206;  Charles  Tichacek  (dem.- 
pp.),  161. 

The  higli  mark  in  total  vote  cast,  in  the 
entire  history  of  the  county,  was  reached 

"■•Resigned  and  William  D.  Hunter  appointed 
by  Judge   Quinn   in  June,   1902. 

''Was  chairman  from  January,  1809,  to  July, 
1904. 


206 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


in  1900,  when  2,988  ballots  were  cast  for 
the  candidates  for  one  office.  The  repub- 
licans carried  tlie  county  afjainst  the  fus- 
ionists  for  all  state  and  district  ofTicers 
and  elected  the  county  ticket  with  the  ex- 
ception of  treasurer,  register  of  deeds  and 
one  commissioner.     The  vote: 

President— William  ^McKiiilev  (rep.), 
1,757;  William  J.  Bryan  (dem.-pp.),  9!)3 ; 
John  G.  Wolley  (pro.),  S3:  Eugene  V. 
Debs  (soc.  deni.),  '24:  :\ralloney  (soc. 
lab.),  7. 

Governor  —  S.  E.  VanSant  (rep.), 
1,433;  John  Lind  (dem.-pp.),  1,303; 
Bernt  B.  Haugen  (pro.),  45;  S.  M.  Fair- 
child  (middle  of  the  road),  6  ;  Thomas  H. 
Lucas  (soc.-dem.),  39;  Edward  Kriz  (soc. 
lab.),  4. 

Congressman  —  James  T.  McCleary 
(rep.),  1.799:  'SL  E.  Matthews  (dem.- 
pp.),  1,059:  S.  D.  Works  (pro.),  72. 

Representative— D.  L.  Riley  (rep.), 
1,609:  William  V.  King  (dem.-pp.). 
1,241. 

Auditor— P.  D.  McKellar  (rep.) ,  1,52G  ; 
Jo.seph   J.  Jones    (dem.-pp.),   1,421. 

Trea.surer — John  Paulson  (rep.).  1,475; 
H.  K.  Rue  (dem.-pp.),  1,513. 

Sheriff— M.  B.  Dunn  (rep.),  1,911:  S. 
J.  Moe  (dem.-pp.),  1,070. 

Register  of  Deeds— T.  A.  Dieson  (rep.), 
1.35S:  John  Baldwin   (dcni.-pp.).  1,008. 

Judge  of  Probate- C.  TT.  Sandon  (rop.), 
2,444. 

County  Attorney— E.  T.  Smith  (rep.). 
1.803;  W.  B.  Sketch   (ind.),  1,042. 

Surveyor— J.  L.  TTolst  (rep.).  l.r..">9; 
J.  J.  Babcock   (dem.-pp.).  1.209. 

Coroner- F.  J.  Tx'dbniok""  (rep.). 
2,243. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — Laura  T. 
Olson  (rep.),  1,404;  Flora  J.  Frost 
(dem.-pp.),  1,38G;  David  Brown  (ind.), 
901. 

"Rfmovfcl  from  county  and  ofTlcf-  flpcl.ircd 
vacant  July  10.  1901.  W.  C.  Portmapn  appoint- 
ed  to  complete   the  term. 


Commissioner  First  District — ^Dennis 
Stoddard  (rep.),  240;  Henry  Thielvoldt 
(dem.-pp.),  289. 

Commissioner  Third  District— David 
Crawford  (rep.),  445;  Herman  Tank 
(dem.-pp.),  291. 

Commissioner  Fourth  District— George 
Erbes'"  (rep.),  309;  Jerry  Sullivan  (dem.- 
pp.),  185. 

The  primary  election  law  went  into  ef- 
fect in  1902,  and  since  that  time  party 
nominations  have  been  made  by  direct 
vote  of  the  people  instead  of  the  old  style 
comity  conventions.  This  has  resulted  in 
revolutionizing  county  politics.  Jackson 
county  being  normally  strongly  republi- 
can, the  principal  campaign  is  now  nuide 
for  the  republican  nomination.  Fnder 
the  law  anyone  can  become  a  candidate 
liy  jiaying  a  small  fee  and  filing  his  name, 
and  there  are  often  several  candidates  for 
one  office.  Generally  there  are  only  a 
few  contests  for  county  office  at  the  gen- 
eral election. 

At  tlie  first  primary  election,  held  Sep- 
tember 16,  1902,  the  following  were  named 
on  the  republican  ticket  without  opposi- 
tion :  Congressman.  James  T.  McCleary  ; 
representative,  L.  F.  Lammers;  register  of 
deeds,  Ole  E.  Olson :  judge  of  probate.  C. 
n.  Sandon:  commissioner  second  dis- 
trict. P.  H.  Berge:  eommissioner  fifth  dis- 
trict, J.  i[.  Olson.  The  result  where 
tlicrc  was  more  tluin  one  candidate  wtis  as 
follows: 

Senator— D.  L.  Riley.  V.'?:  W.  .\. 
Smith,  621.=" 

Auditor— P.  D.  :^rcKcllnr.  S79:  E.  O. 
Hanson,  459. 

Shoriff— M.  B.  Dunn,  711;  C.  M. 
Tradcwell,  647:  R.  H.  Austin,  38. 

Clerk  of  Court— William  Crawford, 
722 :  R.  H.  Lueneburg,  519. 

"Rc^ienrd   .\prll   IS.    190J.     T.   J.   Egge   named 
to  complete  the  term. 
=«Mr.   Smith  carried  the  district. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


207 


Superintendent  of  Schools — Laura  T. 
Olson,  1,111;  W.  E.  Bertels,  298. 

All  tlic  democratic  nominees  were  chosen 
without  opposition,  as  follows :  Congress- 
man, Charles  N.  Andrews;  representative, 
A.  M.  Sehroeder;  treasurer,  H.  K.  Eue; 
register  of  deeds,  John  Baldwin ;  clerk 
of  court,  John  M.  Voda. 

At  the  general  election  3,350  votes 
were  polled.  The  republicans  elected  their 
ticket  with  the  exception  of  representa- 
tive, treasurer  and  register  of  deeds,  and 
carried  the  county  for  state  and  congres- 
sional candidates  by  big  majorities.  The 
peoples  party  went  out  of  existence,  so  far 
as  county  politics  was  concerned,  with  the 
election  of  1900.  The  vote  of  the  1903, 
general  election  in  detail : 

Governor — Samuel  E.  VanSant  (rep.), 
1,493;  Leonard  A.  Eosing  (dem.),  690; 
Thomas  J.  Meighen  (pp.),  26;  Charles 
Scanlon  (pro.),  70;  Jay  E.  Nash,  4; 
Thomas  Van  Lear  (soc.  lab.).  9. 

Congressman  —  James  T.  McClearv 
(rep.).  1,.536;  Charles  N.  Andrews, 
(dem.),  737. 

Senator— W.  A.  Smith  (rep.),  1,713. 

Eepresentative — L.  P.  Lammers  (rep.), 
899:  A.  M.  Sehroeder  (dem.),  1,433. 

Auditor— P.  D.  McKellar  (rep.) ,  1963. 

Treasurer— H.   K.  Eue    (dem.),   1,8.59. 

Eegister  of  Deeds- Ole  E.  Olson  (rep.), 
797;  John  Baldwin  (dem.),  1,134;  J.  E. 
Foss   (ind.),  3S3. 

Clerk  of  Court— William  Crawford 
(rep.),  1,191;  John  M.  Yoda  (dem.), 
1,1.59. 

Judge  of  Probate— Charles  H.  Sandon 
(rep.),  1,834. 

County  Attorney— E.  T.  Smith  (rep.), 
1,864. 

Sheriff— M.  B.  Dunn   (rep.),  1,839. 

Superintendent  of  Sehools^ — Laura  T. 
Olson    (rep.),  1,793. 

Surveyor— J.  J.  Babcock   (ind.),  1,631. 


Court    Commissioner — .J.    A.    Goodrich 
(ind.),  1,.578. 

Coroner— D.  P.  Maitland  (ind.),  1,623. 

Commisioner  Second  District — P.  H. 
Berge-^   (rep.),  446. 

Commissioner  Fifth  DL'^trict — J.  M. 
Olson   (rep.),  323. 

At  the  1904  republican  primary  elec- 
tion the  following  were  chosen  without 
o]iposition:  Judge  district  court,  James 
H.  Quinn;  auditor,  P.  D.  McKellar; 
county  attorney,  E.  T.  Smith;  commis- 
sioner second  district,  Henry  G.  Ander- 
son; commissioner  third  district,  Dacid 
Crawford.  The  result  for  those  offices 
where  there  were  more  than  one  candi- 
date : 

Congressman  —  James  T.  McCleary, 
1,13.5;  H.J.  Miller,  747. 

Eepresentative — L.    F.   Lammers,   432; 

B.  P.  St.  John,  629 ;  L.  0.  Teigen,  788. 
Eegister  of  Deeds— Ole  E.  Olson,  738; 

0.  J.  Wagnild,  897. 

Judge  of  Probate— B.  P.  Elverum,  739 ; 

C.  H.  Sandon,  1,08.5. 
Superintendent  of  Schools — E.  B.  Mc- 
Colm, 508;  Laura  T.  Olson,  1,080  ;  Eliza- 
beth Eouse.  879. 

Sheriff— M.  B.  Dunn.  1,050;  Dan  Mc- 
Namara,  318;  C.  M.  Tradewell,  659. 

Coroner— H.  L.  Arzt,  738 ;  D.  P.  Mait- 
land, 1,005. 

As  in  1903,  there  was  no  opposition  to 
those  who  filed  for  the  democratic  nomi- 
nation.?, and  the  following  were  chosen: 
Judge  district  court,  Frederick  A.  Math- 
wig  ;  congressman,  George  P.  Jones ;  audi- 
tor, Joseph  J.  Jones;  register  of  deeds, 
John  Baldwin ;  treasurer,  H.  K.  Eue ;  sur- 
veyor, J.  J.  Babcock ;  commissioner  first 
district,   Henrv  Tbielvoldt.^^ 


^'Resigned  July,  1904,  and  Henry  G.  Anderson 
wa.':  appointed  to  serve  until  January  1,  1905. 
He   was   cliosen  chairman  July  11.   1904. 

-The  highest  number  cast  for  any  one  office 
on  the  democratic  ticket  was  7.3.  The  small- 
npss  of  tliis  vote  is  easily  accounted  for.  Ttiere 
being  no  contests  in  their  own  party,  the  dCTno- 
crats   assisted   the   republicans    In    the    selection 


208 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


'I'wn  tliou.Siind  nine  Inindn'rl  t'i>rty-si.\ 
votes  were  cast  at  the  general  election  of 
1904.  Tiieodore  Roosevelt  received  a  rec- 
ord-breaking majority  for  president,  and 
the  republicans  carried  the  county  for  all 
state  and  di.strict  officers.  Of  tlie  county 
offices  only  treasurer  and  one  commis- 
sioner went  to  the  democrats.    Tiie  vote : 

President — Theodore  Ro(wevelt  (rep). 
•2M2:  All. Ill  n.  Tarkcr  (.Iciii.).  .").')4.--     ' 

Governor — Kohcrt  ('.  I'linii  (rf|i. ). 
1,505;  .Inlin  A.  Johnson  ((Iciii.),  l,l!Mi; 
Charles  Dorsett  (pro.).  4;{:  J.  E.  Nash 
(pub.  own.),  13;  A.  W .  M.  .\iuIerson  (soc. 
bib.),  13. 

Congressman  —  James  T.  Met  "U>ary 
(rep.),  1,S"1;  George  V.  Jones  (dem.), 
1,001. 

Judge  District  Court  —  James  If. 
(Juinn  (rep.),  1,817;  Frederick  A.  Matli- 
wig,  (dem.).  1,000. 

Rci)resciitative — L.  0.  Teigen  (rep.), 
1,460;  A.  M.  Scliroeder  (dem.),  1,413. 

Auditor — P.  T).  ^fcKcllar  (rc]!."). 
l.(!3S;  Jo.scpb  J.  Jones  (deui.).  1,308. 

Treasurer— n.  K.  Rue  (dem.),  2,330. 

Register  of  Deeds — 0.  J.  Wagnild 
(rep.).  1,738;  .Tnlni  Baldwin  (dem.). 
1.178. 

Sheriff— :\I.   I'..   Duiin    (rep.).  2.408. 

Judge  of  Proliate — ('.  11.  Sandoii 
(rep.),  2,3fi5. 

County  Attorney— E.  T.  Smith  (rep.), 
2.270. 

Surveyor— J.  J.  Bnbcock  (dem.).  2.007. 

Coroner-  1».  1'.  Maiilninl  (ivp.).  2.1S1. 

Supcrinfendent  of  Scliools — Laura  '1". 
Olson  (rep.),  2,257. 


Commissioner  First  llistrict-* — Henry 
Thielvoldt  (dem.),  323;  Charles  Fried 
(ind.),  125. 

Commissioner  Second  District — llcury 
(!.  .\nder.~on-''  (rep.),  485. 

Commissioner  Third  District — David 
Crawford   (rep.).  555. 

Coiiiiiiissioner     Fiiiirlb     District — Duii- 

iMli    MrXab    (  rr]i.).    l.so. 

The  IJMKi  republican  ])riniary  resulte<l 
in  selecting  the  folh.wing  without  oppo- 
sition: Treasurer.  FT.  1\.  Rue;  register 
of  deeds.  ().  .1.  Wngnilil :  judge  of  probate, 
John  Woolsteneroft ;  county  attorney.  L. 
F.  Lamniers ;  coroner,  D.  P.  Maitland ; 
clerk  of  court,  William  Crawford ;  com- 
nii.'^<ioner  second  district.  Henry  G.  Aii- 
der.son.  Those  selected  widi  opposition 
were  as  follows : 

Congressman  —  .latnes  'I".  MiClcary. 
835;  Gilbert  Gutter,scn.  799. 

Senator— L.  O.  'I'eigen.  931  ;  Henry  K. 
Hanson,  494  ;  C.  W.  Cillam.  213. 

Representative — Charles  Winzer,  87(! ; 
Jolin   E.   Kilen.  531. 

Auditor— P.  1).  .MiKrllar,  l.li:;  A.  H. 
SI  long,  502. 

Sheriff- G.  W.  Kveland,  453;  Emory 
Olson.  2S2;  Henry  Beck.  352;  J.  J.  Egge. 

Sii|)eriiit('ndent  of  Schools  —  .1.  .\. 
Mansfield.  S73 ;  Gilbert  Hovelsrud.  530. 

Commi.ssiouer  Fifth  District — A.  C.  Ol- 
son. 330;  A.  J.  Lindberg.  182. 

Tli(^  democrats  cliosc  the  following  with- 
oiii  o|)]io<itioii :  Congressman,  W.  S. 
Ihinimond;  representative,  A.  P.  Van- 
Dam;   treasurer,   Bruno   Poppitz:  sheriff. 


of  their  noniinoos.  and  undor  tho  primary  law 
they  are  Icpally  entttlt-d  tn  do  .so.  For  in- 
stance: Thr  law  provkles  that  a  primary  voter 
shall  vote  the  ticket  of  that  party,  the  major- 
ity of  whos.'  nominees  he  supj>orled  at  the  pre- 
eedlntr  Keneral  election.  A  democrat  might 
have  voted  for  every  nominee  of  his  party  In 
the  ceneral  election  of  1902  (also  votitiR  for  the 
republicans  who  had  no  opposition)  and  yet 
vote  the  republican  ballot  at  the  primary  elec- 
tion  of   1904. 

"Vote  of  other  candidates  not  given. 


='The  county  commissioners  on  July  22,  1904. 
ri'dlstricted  tlie  county  into  commissioner  dis- 
tricts as  follows:  No.  I.  Sioux  Valley.  Min- 
neota.  MIddletown.  retersburir.  Wisi-onsin  and 
Alpha;  No.  2.  Pis  Moiaes,  Hiinlir  and  Jackson: 
No.  S.  Kost.  Wcsl  Hiroii  lake.  Welmer.  Heron 
Lake  township.  Lakdleld  and  Wilder;  No.  4. 
Hound  Lake.  KwinRlon  .Mba.  LnCrosse  and 
Heron  Lake  villaR.-;  No.  5.  Delandd.  Chris- 
tlania.    Kimball,    Belmont   and    Enterprise. 

"Has  served  as  chairman  from  July  H.  1904. 
to  the  present  time. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


209 


Henry  TerHaar;  clerk  of  court,  A.  M. 
Schroeder;  surveyor,  J.  J.  Babcock. 

The  prohibitionists  selected  David  A. 
Tucker  for  congressman,  and  Charles  M. 
Fornian  for  representative. 

So  far  as  county  politics  were  concern- 
ed, party  lines  were  ignored  at  the  elec- 
tion of  190().  The  election  closely  follow- 
ed the  bitter  county  seat  contest,  and  the 
jiolitical  affiliation.s  of  the  candidates  had 
little  weight  with  the  voters.  But  the  ac- 
tions and  sympathies  of  the  various  nomi- 
nees during  the  iiglit  and  their  geographi- 
cal location  had  considerable  weight;  resi- 
dents of  the  north  and  west  parts  of  the 
county  voted  almost  solidly  for  men  who 
had  been  in  sympathy  with  Lakefield  in 
its  attempts  to  remove  the  county  seat, 
while  those  of  the  east  and  south  part  of 
tlie  county  voted  as  solidly  for  men  who 
had  favored  Jackson.  Many  political  ob- 
ligations were  paid  at  the  election  of 
190fi  ;  friends  were  rewarded,  enemies  were 
punished. 

For  tlie  first  and  only  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  Jackson  county  a  democrat  car- 
ried the  county  for  governor,  John  A. 
Johnson  receiving  a  plurality  of  102  over 
A.  L.  Cole.  The  republicans  carried  the 
county  for  the  other  state  and  district  of- 
fices. In  the  county  election  the  republi- 
cans elected  seven  nominees,  the  democrats 
three,  and  two  independent  candidates 
were  chosen.  Twent\ -seven  hundred  for- 
ty-seven votes  were  cast.  The  official  vote 
was  as  follows : 

Governor — A.  L.  Cole  (rep.),  1,3.53; 
John  A.  Johnson    (dem.).  1,355. 

Congressman  —  James  T.  McCleary 
(rep.),  I,4(i9;  W.  S.  Hammond  (dem.), 
1,149. 

Senator — Henry  E.  Hanson  (rep.), 
•2,194. 

Representative — Charles  AVinzer  (rep.), 
iA2-i:  A,  P.  VanDam  (dem.).  1,037;  C. 
M.  Forman  (pro.),  191. 


Auditor— P.  D.  Mclvellar  (rep.),  1,549; 
John  Baldwin   (ind.),  1,198. 

Treasurer— H.  K.  Rue  (rep.),  1,453; 
Bruno  Poppitz   (dem.),  1,198. 

Register  of  Deeds — 0.  J.  Wagnild 
(rep.),  1,380;  L.  J.  Dostal  (dem.), 
1,333. 

Clerk  of  Court — William  Crawford 
(rep.).  1,138;  A.  M.  Schrocder  (dem.), 
1,548. 

Sheriff  —  Henry  TerHaar  (dem.), 
1,403;  M.  B.  Dunn  (ind.),  1,310. 

Judge  of  Probate — John  Woolstencroft 
(rep.),  1,311 ;  C.  H.  Sandon  (ind.),  1,375. 

County  Attorney  —  L.  F.  Lammers 
(rep.),  1,377;  E.  T.  Smith  (ind.),  1,335. 

Superintendent  of  Schools  —  J.  A. 
Mansfield  (rep.),  1.117:  J.  B.  Arp  (ind.), 
1,830;  Laura  T.  Olson  (ind.),  773. 

Coroner— D.  P.  Maitland  (rep.),  3,047. 

Surveyor — J.  J.  Babcock  (dem.),  1,999. 

Commissioner  Second  District — Henry 
G.  Anderson  (rep.),  457. 

Commissioner  Fifth  District — Andrew 
C.  Olson   (rep.),  397. 

At  the  primary  election  of  1908  the  fol- 
lowing republicans  were  nominated 
without  opposition :  Auditor,  P.  D.  Mc- 
Tvellar;  sheriff,  0.  C.  Lee;  superintendent 
of  schools,  J.  B.  Arp ;  commissioner  fourth 
district,  Duncan  McNab.  Where  there 
was  more  than  one  candidate  for  the  same 
office  the  results  were  as  follows : 

Congressmae — Paul  A.  Ewert,  317;  Gil- 
bert Guttersen,  583  ;  James  T.  MeCleary, 
C87. 

Representative — A.  A.  Fosness,  966; 
Charles  Winzer,  541. 

Treasurer — Henry  Knudson,  486;  H. 
K.  Rue,  1,131. 

Register  of  Deeds — A.  J.  Nestrud, 
834;  Peter  J.  Reinen,  693. 

Judge  of  Probate— C.  H.  Sandon,  950; 
T.  H.  Stall,  597. 

County  Attorney — L.  F.  Lammers,  633 ; 
J.  A.  Mansfield.  955. 


210 


HlSTOl.'V  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Corouci  — ir.  T..  Ar/t.  TKi:  Tver  S.  IV'ii- 
6on,  635. 

Coiiimissioaor  Tliinl  DistriuL — David 
Crawford.  258;  William  Eost,  157. 

Again  a  few  democrats  filed  for  I  he 
nomination  and  were  selected  without  op- 
j)o.sition.  Tlicy  were:  Congressman,  W. 
S.  Hammond ;  representative,  Jolin  Ralil- 
win ;  sheriff,  Henry  Tcrllaar:  register  of 
deeds,  L.  J.  Doslal ;  surveyor,  J.  J.  Bab- 
eock ;  superintendent  of  schools,  !Mrs.  Del- 
ia Best;  commissioner  first  district,  Hen- 
ry Thielvoldt. 

At  the  last  general  election  lu'l<l  in 
Jackson  county  before  tlic  ])ul)lication  of 
this  liistorv,  that  held  in  Xoveniber,  1908, 
2,831  was  tlie  higliest  number  of  votes 
ca.st  for  any  one  office.  The  republicans 
carried  the  county  for  the  national  and 
state  tickets  and  elected  the  auditor,  treas- 
urer, judge  of  probate,  county  attorney, 
.superintendent  of  schools,  coroner  and  two 
commissioners;  the  democrats  carried  the 
county  for  congressman  (the  second  time 
in  the  county's  history)  and  elected  the 
representative,  register  of  deeds,  sheriff, 
surveyor  and  one  commi.s.sioncr.  The  of- 
ficial vote  of  the  general  election  of  1908: 

President— William  H.  Taft  (rep.), 
1,575;  William  J.  Bryan  (deni.).  1.013.=" 

Governor — Jacob  F.  Jacobson  (rep.), 
1.364:  John  A.  Johnson  (dem.).  1.289. 

Congressman  —  James  T.  McCleary 
(rep.).  1.187:  W.  S.  Hammond  (dem.), 
1.626. 

Representative — .\.  A.  Fosness  (rep.), 
1,340;  John  Baldwin  (dem.).  1.481. 

Auditor— P.  D.  'McKcllar  (rep.).  2.433. 

Treasurer— H.  K.  IJue  (rep.),  2,352. 

Register  of  Deeds — Albert  J.  Nestrucl 
(rep.).  1.337;  L.  J.  Dostal  (dem.),  1.13S. 

Sheriff— 0.  C.  Lee  (rep.),  1,099;  Hen- 
ry TerHaar  (dem.).  1.709. 

Judge  of  Probate — C.  H.  Sandon 
(rep.).  1,863;  Eafdabl   (ind.),  810. 

=»Thc   vole   is   given    for  only   the   two   leading 
c-indidates. 


County  Attorney — J.  A.  .M:iiisfield 
(rep.),  2,378. 

Surveyor— J.  .1.  Haiicock  (dem.).  1,919. 

Superintendent  of  Schools — J.  B.  Arji 
(rep.),  1,885:  Mrs.  Delia  Best  (dem.). 
1.772. 

Coroner-    11.  !..  Arzt  (rep.),  2,077. 

Commissioner  First  District — Henry 
Thielvoldt  (dem.),  384. 

Commissioner  Third  District — David 
Crawford   (rep.),  474. 

Commi.-sioner  Fourth  Distrct — lluncan 
McNab  (rep.),  375. 

And  now  the  political  history  of  Jack- 
son county  is  brought  to  a  close.  H  cov- 
ers a  period  from  the  time  in  1858  when 
the  first  county  official  took  the  oath  of 
office — when  there  was  a  mere  handful  of 
men  in  tlie  county  who  availed  themselves 
of  the  ]irivileges  of  voting — up  to  and  in- 
cluding the  last  general  election  before  the 
date  of  publication  of  this  volume,  at 
which  time  the  total  vote  reached  nearly 
3,000.  A  brief  summary  of  the  condi- 
tions during  thi.«  time  may  not  be  out  of 
place. 

The  county  has  always  been  normally 
republican.  In  the  early  days  it  was  con- 
sidered a  disgrace,  and  almost  a  crime, 
to  have  other  political  affiliations.  There 
liavc  111  in  county  elections  held  when  every 
vole  was  for  tlie  re])ul)lican  ticket.  .M- 
though  tlie  party  of  Jefferson  polled  1,150 
votes  at  one  election,  it  has  never  carried 
the  county  for  the  national  ticket :  the 
nearest  it  came  was  in  1892,  when  the 
Cleveland  electors  were  only  48  votes  be- 
liind  those  of  Harrison. 

During  the  entire  early  history  of  the 
county  and  up  to  1886,  the  republican 
party  was  the  only  one  maintaining  an 
organization.  But  during  this  time  tliere 
was  a  strong  indeiicndent  movement,  kept 
alive  by  one  faction  of  the  republican  par- 
ty and  tlie  few  democrats,  which  opposed 
the  republican  organization   and   on  sev- 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


211 


eral  occasions  gained  control  of  county 
politics. 

With  the  later  settlement  of  the  coun- 
ty came  the  organization  of  the  demo- 
cratic part}' — in  the  middle  eighties — and 
since  that  time  it  lir.s  been  a  factor  in 
cimnty  ])olitics,  although  always  as  the 
minority  jjarty.  On  one  occasion  it  car- 
ried the  county  for  its  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor; at  two  elections  it  has  returned 
majorities  for  its  nominees  for  congres.s- 
man ;  on  several  occasions  it  has  secured 
majorities  for  legislative  candidates. 

During  the  free  silver  days  of  the  nine- 
ties the  people*  party  came  into  existence, 
and  for  a  few  years  was  a  power  in  coun- 
ty politics.  Wlien  ils  power  began  to 
wane,  fusion  was  accomplished  with  tlio 
democrats,  and  for  some  time  longer  the 
combined  forces  furnished  strong  opposi- 
tion to  the  dominant  party. 

The    prohibitionist-    liave    never    been 


very  strong  in  Jackson  county.  In  one 
or  two  campaigns  they  placed  nominees 
for  county  offices  in  the  field,  but  they 
liave  not  maintained  a  permanent  organi- 
zation. The  socialists  and  other  minor 
parties  have  little  or  no  strength  in  the 
county,  and  have  never  had  organizations. 

While  the  county  is  normally  republi- 
can, normal  conditions  are  rarely  normal 
(if  such  an  expre.ssion  may  be  used). 
There  is  a  strong  independent  vote,  not 
bound  to  any  party,  which  sways  the 
county  from  the  dominant  party  frecjuent- 
ly  when  it  is  believed  better  candidates 
npi)ear  u]ion  another  ticket. 

Jackson  county  has  been  fortunate  in 
its  selection  of  county  officers.  During  its 
political  hi.story  of  51  years,  there  has  not 
been  a  defaulting  county  officer,  so  far  as 
I  am  able  to  learn.  Xor  has  there  been  a 
removal  Ijecause  of  criminal  action  or  in- 
competence. 


3 
03 


9 


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CHAPTER  XVI. 


JAC'RSOX— 185(;-1869. 


JACKSON,  the  capital  of  Jackson 
county,  is  the  oldest  and  largest  town 
in  the  county.  It  is  located  on  the  Des 
.Moines  river,  and  its  elevation  ahove  sea 
level  is  1,353  feet.'  It  is  on  tlie  Southern 
Minnesota  division  of  the  CHiicago,  Milwau- 
kee it  St.  Paul  ladroad,  and  is  a  division 
l)oint  of  that  roaih  Otherwise  described, 
Jack.'^on  is  in  tlie  soutlieastern  part  of 
Jackson  county,  the  business  center  of  the 
village  being  fifteen  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  northern  boundary,  eight  and 
one-half  miles  from  the  southern  bound- 
ary, six  and  three-quarters  miles  fronr  the 
eastern  liorder,  and  twent3"-three  and  one- 
quarter  miles  from  the  western  boundary 
line  of  the  county. 

The  population  of  Jackson,  according 
to  the  census  of  1905,  was  1,776,  but  there 
has  been  an  increase  since  that,  and  a 
census  today  would  sliow  a  population  of 
about  2,000.  Jackson  is  one  of  tlie  progres- 
sive and  prosperous  towns  of  southwestern 
Minnesota.  All  lines  of  business  that  are 
to  be  found  in  the  towns  of  the  agricultur- 
al communities  of  the  upper  Mississippi 
valley  are  represented.  It  is  noted  for 
its  schools,  churches  and  social  organ- 
izations, and  in  this  respect  it  is  the  peer 
of  any  town  of  its  size  in  the  state. 

'This  is  the  elevation  of  the  business  part  of 
town.  The  elevation  of  Depot  hill  is  1,446  feet. 
while  the  Des  Moines  river  at  Jackson  is  1.288 
feet  above  sea  level. 


The  location  of  Jackson,  considered  in 
its  natural  state,  is  one  of  unusual  beauty; 
southwestern   Minnesota   has   not   a   more 
lovely  spot.     Here  the  Des  Moines  river 
forms  a  semi-circle,  and  on  the  hills  and 
benches  on  either  side  of  that  stream  is 
Iniilded   the   city.      On   the   east   side   are 
Iiills   and    bluffs,      covered   with   a   heavy 
growth  of  natural  timber ;  on  the  west  side 
are  a  succession  of  benches.     On  the  lower 
bench    is    the   business   part   of   the   city, 
while  on   the  higher  ground  of  the  ne.xt 
rise  is  the  residence  portion.    The  bluffs 
and   hills    surrounding   protect    the   little 
city  from  the  wintry  winds  of  the  prairies. 
In  the  summer  season,  when  the  beau- 
tiful natural  parks  that  surround  the  town 
are   clothed   in   emerald   foliage,   even   he 
who  has  not  the  esthetical  nature  is  moved. 
Tlie    lover    of    landscapes,    as    he    stands 
upon  one  of  the  tree-crested  hill  tops  of 
the  east  side  and  gazes  upon  the  little  city 
of   Jackson,    nestling   in   the    valley    and 
perched    upon   the    sunny    hillsides,   with 
the   sparkling   water   of   the   Des   Moines 
flowing  below  him,  sees  a  picture  of  beau- 
ty and  is  led  to  exclaim,  "What  a  beauti- 
ful sight!"'     In  its  natural  state  and  with 
the  embellishments  added  by  the  hands  of 
man,  Jackson  stands  at  the  present  time 
as  one  of  the  prettiest  little  cities  of  a  state 
distinguished  for  its  pretty  towns.  Especi- 


213 


214 


lIlSTnllV  OK  JACK  SOX  rorXTY 


ally  !.•;  one  clianiu'd  with  its  lovcliiuss  in 
the  punimor.  Tlu'ii  tlic  hroad  avcnuo.s  and 
|iark.<  art'  ilntlicd  in  liiiijlitest  fn't'i'"-  Trees 
are  everywhere. 

One  can  liardly  rcidize  that  only  a  lit- 
tle over  a  lialf  c-entury  ago  this  spot  was 
an  iineharted  wilderness,  praetieally  un- 
known to  white  men;  yet  such  is  the  case. 
Time  was  when  the  du.sky  red  man  pitch- 
ed his  tepee  where  now  our  churches  are 
located  ;  vast  herds  of  bison  inhal)itcd  the 
Des  Moines  river  country  and  made  their 
wallows  where  now  our  courts  are  held ; 
timid  deer  browsed  whore  now  the  pupil 
studies  his  natural  hi.^tory:  elk  in  count- 
less numbers  roamed  the  adjacent  prai- 
ries and  saw  their  antlers  reflected  in  the 
clear  waters  of  the  I)es  Moines  as  they 
bent  down  to  drink. 

When  the  tirst  white  man  set  foot  on 
the  soil  of  the  present  site  of  Jackson  is 
unknown.  Probably  he  was  some  adven- 
turous trapper  who  liad  pushed  out  beyond 
his  associates  in  an  endeavor  to  locate  new- 
grounds  in  which  to  ply  his  trade.  Possi- 
bly he  was  one  of  the  early  explorers  of 
southwestern  l^Iinnesota. 

When  the  first  ])ermancnt  settler  came 
to  Jackson  county  he  selected  the  spot  u])- 
on  which  Jackson  now  stands  as  a  town- 
site,  haviiifT  practically  the  whole  of  south- 
western ilinncsota  to  choose  from,  ft  was 
durinj:  the  summer  of  18.")(i  that  the  Wood 
brothers — William,  (ieorge  and  Charles — 
selected  their  claims,  built  a  cabin,  opened 
a  store  and  clirisfened  the  site  of  their  pro- 
posed town  Springfield.  The  store  was 
built  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  pres- 
ent incorporated  town,  but  their  claims 
took  in  practically  all  of  the  present  Jack- 
son west  of  the  river  and  a  part  of  that  on 
the  cast  .side.  The  same  year  other  pio- 
neers settled  along  the  Des  Jloines  river 
in  Jackson  county,  but  none  of  them  lo- 
cated on  the  Wood  l)rotliers'  claims.  A  few, 
however,  took  claims  and  built  their  cab- 


in.-; within  the  jiivsent  corporate  limits  of 
the  town,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river. 
Among  these  wnv  William  Church,  who 
l(X-ated  with  his  family  just  south  of  the 
present  location  of  tlie  elevators;  Josluia 
Stewart,  who  with  his  family  lived  in  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  present  town; 
William  T.  Wheeler,  who  erected  a  cabin 
south  of  the  Jackson  dcjiot  and  then  de- 
parted. 

It  is  not  necc.=sary  lo  tell  again  of  the 
tragedies    that    occurred    on  the    Jackson 
townsite  on  that  eventful  2Gth  of  JFarch. 
IS,") 7 — of  the  murder  of  the  Wood  l)rothers 
and  the  sacking  of  their  store,  of  the  other 
murders  in  the  vicinity,  and  of  the  flight 
from    Springfield.     On   that  day  the  ,«oil 
of  Jackson  was  drenched  in  human  blood. 
Very  soon  after   the  massacre  Ale.xander 
Wood,  a  brother  of  the  murdered  storekeep- 
ers, came  to  take  ])ossession  of  his  broth- 
ers' claims.    He  formed  a  partnership  with 
a  company  of  townsite  boomers,  with  the 
intention  of  building  a  town  on  the  land. 
Elaborate  plans  were   made  for  the  new- 
town,  which  was  to  bo  named  Jackson.  Mr. 
Wood    was   to   hold    the   land    claim,   the 
other   members  of  the  company   were  to 
make    certain    stipulated     improvement', 
and  they  were  to  acquire  a  half  interest  in 
(he  site.     On   the  .>;(rength  of  these  i)ro- 
posed   improvements,  Jackson — then  only 
a   name — was  designated  the  county  .^eat 
of  .Tack.*on  county  when  it  was  created  by 
act  of  the  legislature  on   May   2:],   1857. 
Des])ite  the  jirestige  (his  legislation  gave, 
the   townsite   company   did    not    fulfil    its 
promises  by    making    the    improvements. 
Jfr.  Wood  did  not  care  to  endure  the  bard- 
ships  incident  to  a  w-inter  jja.^sed  on  the 
frontier,  go  he  gave  up  the  idea  of  becom- 
ing the  founder  of  a  tow-n  and  filed  on  a 
(piarter  section  only  of  his  brothers'  claims, 
not  as  a  townsite  claim   but  as  a  farm 
claim." 

-Tlii.s    claim    included    the    north    part    of    the 
present    business   and    residence    part    of   Jack- 


HISTOm^  OF  .TACKSON  COUNTY. 


215 


F(iv  several  years  thereafter  immigra- 
tion to  Jackson  count}-  was  not  great,  and, 
Mlthmigh  the  belief  was  often  expressed 
that  a  town  would  some  day  he  liuilt  on 
the  site,  no  attempt  to  found  a  town  was 
made  until  after  the  war.  Mr.  Wood  con- 
tinued to  hold  !iis  claim  and  made  some 
nnprovemcnts  on  it.  It  is  said  that  the 
first  plowing  on  (iie  townsite  was  done  by 
Stephen    ^[uck,    «ho    aftei'wards    became 


blind.     He  was  the  son  of  Joseph  ]\Iuck 
and  was  employed  by  Mr.  Wood. 

During  the  late  fifties  and  the  sixties  all 
of  the  land  now  included  in  the  corporate 
limits  of  the  village  was  filed  on,  but  ti- 
tle was  not  received  fiom  the  government 
to  the  last  tract  until  early  in  1873.  Fol- 
lowing are  the  names  of  those  who  re- 
ceived patents  to  tlic  land,  the  date  of  the 
patents,  the  'description  and  acreage  of 
the  claims : 


NAME 

DATE  OF  PATENT 

ACRES 

DESCRIPTION 

Stephen  F.  Johnson 

Sept.  15,  1864 
June  1.  1868 
May  1,  1863 
Dec.  1,  1865 
Aug.  1,  1872 
April  20,  1862 
May  1,  1866 
Sept.  1,  1860 
Sept.  15,  1864 
April  2,  1866 
June  1,  1868 
Aug.  1,  1872 

March  4,  1865 
May  1.  1863 
Aug.  1,  1872 
Aug.  1,  1872 
Feb.  1,  1873 

40 
40 
40 
80 
40 

160 
80 

160 
40 
40 

120 
80 
40 

160 

120 
40 
80 
80 

nw  14  of  nw  14  24 

sw  14  of  nw  I4  24 

se  14  of  sw  ti  24  1 

n  !'2  of  seU  24 

sw  14  of  sw  '4  24 

ne  U  24 

s  tj  of  se  '4  24 

n  1 7  of  sw  1 4  and  e  ^7  of  n w 

ne  I4  of  ne  4  23 

nw  14  of  se  14  23 

s  '2  and  "w  \i  of  ne  4  23 

s  V2  of  se  I4  23 

ne  4  of  se  4  23 

s  !  2  of  ne  I4  and  s  ',2  of  nw 

n  1 2  of  ne  4  and  ne  4  of  nw 

nw  14  of  nw  14  25 

e  1 ,  of  ne  4  26 

w  14  of  ne  4  26 

M24 

14  25 
425 

Hiram  S    Baitev  

Israel   F    Eddy   

Bartholomew  McCarthy 

Stephen  F.  Johnson 

Arthur  L    Crane 

State  of  Minnesota  <  .... 
Stiles  M.  West 

Hii'am  S.  Bailey 

Benj.   D.  Dayton 

Wilson  C.  Garratt 

During  the  time  these  claims  were  being- 
filed  upon  and  before  Jackson  was .  plat- 
ted a  few  cabins  were  erected.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  river  stood  the  old  fort 
whicli  had  lieen  erected  by  the  soldiers  after 
the  massacre  of  18(52  :  the  Joseph  Thom- 
as cabin,  whicli  had  been  erected  by 
William  'r.  Wheeler  in  lS5<i ;  and  the  cal)- 
in  ol'  Israel  F.  Eddy  on  Depot  hill.  The 
iirst  Iniilding  erected  on  the  west  side,  ex- 
cej)t  Wood  brothers'  store  and  a  cabin  built 


son.  described  a.s  the  north  half  of  the  south- 
west quarter  and  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  24.  Mr.  "W^ood  received 
his  patent  from  the  government  September  1. 
1860. 

^The  oldest  deed  on  record  in  Jackson  county 
is  dated  May  2S.  18S4.  when  James  B.  Palmer 
and  his  wife.  Aminda  Palmer,  conveyed  this 
land  to  Jane  R.  Bailev  for  a  consideration  of 
$500. 

'This  tract  was  conveyed  by  the  state  of 
Minnesota  to  the  Southern  Minnesota  Railroad 
company  as  a  part  of  the  grant. 


near  by  in  1858  by  Dr.  E.  B.  N.  Strong, 
was  a  house  built  by  Major  H.  S.  Bailey 
in  1865,  on  his  claim  just  south  of  the 
town  proper. 

After  the  civil  war  there  was  quite  a 
large  immigration  to  Jackson  county, 
nearly  all  settling  along  the  river.  Among 
tliose  w-ho  came  to  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Jackson  was  William  Webster,  who 
constructed  a  dam  across  the  river  and 
began  the  erection  of  a  saw  mill  in  1865. 
Owing  to  lack  of  capital,  he  did  not  com- 
plete it  that  year,  but  in  1866  AVelch  Ash- 
ley took  over  the  property  and  completed 
it.  In  this  mill  was  sawed  nearly  all  the 
lumber  used  in  the  construction  of  Jack- 
son's first  buildings. 

Two  arrivals  at  the  site  in  1865  who 
were  to  play  an  important  part  in  the  ear- 


216 


HISTOUY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


ly  history  of  Jackson  were  Major  Hiram 
S.  Bailey,  who  filed  upon  a  claim  now  ly- 
ing within  the  corporate  limits  of  the 
town,  and  Welch  Ashley,  who  came  from 
Pennsylvania  looking  for  a  location  in  the 
western  country.  They  were  impressed  by 
the  beauties  of  the  site  and  decided  that 
the  prospective  immigration  to  the  vicin- 
ity would  warrant  the  founding  of  a  town. 
Accordingly  they  bought  the  Alexiuider 
Wood  farm,  platted  it  in  the  fall  of  1866, 
and  named  their  town  Jackson.' 

The  dedication,  which  was  acknowl- 
edged December  1,  1866,  and  recorded  a 
few  days  later,  was  made  in  the  follow- 
ing language: 

Tlie  towiisite  of  Jackson,  in  Jackson  county, 
in  tlio  state  of  .Minnesota,  as  it  is  laid  out 
and  platted  by  Messrs.  \V.  Ashley  and  II.  S. 
Bailey  is  described  as  follows,  towit:  Com- 
mencing at  a  point  (3;))  thirty -five  rods  west 
of  the  center  of  section  No.  ('24)  twenty -four, 
in  town  Xo.  (102)  one  hundred  and  two  north 
of  range  No.  (35)  thirty-live  west;  thence 
running  south  (110)  one  hundred  and  ten 
rods;  thence  west  7.5  rods;  thence  north  (110) 
one  hundred  and  ten  rods;  thence  east  (75) 
seventy-five  rods  to  place  of  heginninf?,  con- 
taining (51  11-10)  fifty  one  nine  sixteenths 
acres,  all  on  land  owned  by  W.  Asliley  and  II. 
S.  nailey.  The  above  described  land  is  divid- 
ed into"  (35)  thirty-five  blocks  of  (8)  eight 
lots  each.  Each  lol  is  (3  by  5)  three  by  five 
rods.  The  streets  between  the  blocks  are 
four  rods  wide.  There  are  also  alleys  between 
the  lots  running  north  and  south  of  one  rod 
in  width. 

WELCH  ASHLEY, 
H.  S.  BAILEY, 

Proprietors. 

Jackson,   Minn.,   Deccnibcr   1.   ISCili. 

I  hereby  certify  that  the  within  is  a  correct 
description  of  the  townsite  of  Jackson,  in 
Jackson  county,  and  state  of  Minnesota,  as  it 
is   survevcd   and   platted. 

IIIRAM   S.   BAILEY. 
Notary  Public.  Jackson  County,  .Minnesota. 
Recorded  December  10,  9  o'clock  a.  m.,  1860. 

'The  name  of  the  county  was  prolKibl.v  re- 
sponsible for  the  name  of  the  town.  It  will  be 
rememlierod  that  so  early  as  the  spring  of  1857 
Alexander  Wood  had  named  the  site  Jackson 
and  that  the  Minnesota  legislature  of  that 
year  had  designated  "Jarkson"  as  the  rounty 
seat  of  Jaek.son  county,  .so  that  the  name  of 
the  townslte  Is.  In  fact,  older  than  the  county. 
Possibly  the  fact  that  n  township  near  Welch 
Ashley's  old  home  In  Pcnn.sylvania  was  so 
named  had  Its  Innucnce  In  the  selection  of  the 
name  by  Messrs.  Ashley  and  Bailey. 


The  original  plat  con.sijtcd  of  tliirty-five 
blocks.  The  streets  running  east  and  west 
were  named  Sheridan,  Grant,  Sherman, 
-Vshley,  White,  I^aiicy  and  South.  Those 
running  north  and  south  were  named  Kiv- 
er.  Second,  Third,  Fourth,  Fifth  and 
Si.xth.  A  stone  was  .'^et  in  the  ground  to 
mark  the  center  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  21,  and  this  was  at  the  inter- 
section of  Fourth  and  White  streets.' 

Some  two  or  three  months  before  the 
plat  became  of  record  the  tirst  building 
was  put  up  and  the  Jackson  townsite 
boasted  its  fir.st  inliabitants.  These  were 
Thomas  H.  WJiite  and  George  C.  Cham- 
berlin.  They  first  came  to  the  site  one 
(lay  in  the  month  of  August,  1866,'  in- 
vcstigatetl  the  prospects  of  the  new  town, 


'.Vddltlons  to  Jackson  have  been  platted  a.i 
follows: 

Baileys— Surveyed  by  C  Chamberlln;  dedi- 
cated   by   Hlmm    S.    Bailey   October   27.    1S69. 

Dum()nt's  Subdivision — Surveyed  l)y  James  E. 
Palmer;  dedicated  bv  John  B,  Dumont  Septem- 
ber II.   1S84. 

P.  Brown's — Surveyed  by  L.  L.  Palmer;  dedi- 
cated   by    P.    Brown    August   13,    1885. 

Ashley  &  Moore's  Subdivision— Surveyed  by 
L.  I..  Palmer;  dedicated  by  Benjamin  W.  Ash- 
ley  and    George   R.    Moore   October   8,    1892. 

Anderson  &  l.lndsley's— Surveyed  by  J.  I-. 
Hoist;  dedicated  bv  H.  G.  Anderson  and  F.  W. 
l.indsley   June    19,    1895. 

Krause's — Surveyed  by  J.  L.  Hoist;  dedicated 
by    William    Krauso    June    21.    1895. 

Highland  Park — Surveyed  bv  J.  L.  Hoist;  ded- 
icated by  George  W.  Priest  and  William  C. 
Portmann    September   30.    1895. 

Owens' — Surveyed  by  J.  1.,.  Hoist;  dedicated 
by    Even    Owens    October    17,    1899. 

Louis  Klesel's  Second — Surveyed  by  J.  L. 
Hoist;  dedicated  by  Louis  Klesel  January  9, 
1900. 

Ashley  &  Moore's  Second — Surveyed  by 
(ieorge  E.  Sawyer;  dedicated  by  B.  W.  Ashley 
and    George   R.    Moore   December    4,    1900. 

Central  Park — Surveyed  by  J.  L.  Hoist;  ded- 
icated   by  John    Paulson  July   8,    1901. 

Brown's  Terrace — Surveyed  hy  J.  L.  Hoist; 
dedicated   by  J.    K.   Brown   June   16,    1902. 

'"  .  .  .  Previous  to  making  Jack.son  my 
home  I  bad  resided  for  a  short  time  at  Blue 
Earth  ("ity.  and  it  was  here  I  first  met  my 
friend  t'liamberlin  in  Minnesota,  although  I  had 
known  him  for  sevi-ral  >'ears  In  the  east.  Dur- 
ing our  tlrst  interview  I  told  him  of  a  recent 
trip  to  Jackson  and  of  my  determination  to  lo- 
cate there.  I  described  the  townslte  as  one  of 
nature's  wonders — the  surroundings  as  all  that 
could  be  desired — and  expressed  the  opinion 
that  Jackson  would  at  no  distant  day  be  a 
prosperous  and  growing  town.  I  also  informed 
him  that  I  had  engaged  Jim  Pratt  to  take  out 
,1  load  of  building  material  and  that  I  would 
return  in  four  or  Hvc  days  to  erect  a  buildlnp 
and  prepare  for  winter.  It  was  soon  arranged 
that  he  should  accomp.an.v  me  to  the  promised 
land."— Thomas  H.  White  In  Jackson  Republic 
March  9.  1888. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


217 


and  returned  to  their  temporary  homes  at 

Blue    Earth    City    the    next    day.*      Mr. 

Chamberlin    was  absent  two    weeks    and 

then  came  back  to  Jacksou  on  September 

1.     lie  tells  of  the  new  town  as  he  found 

it  on  that  date: 

1  found  tliat  during  my  absence,  by  virtue 
of  tlie  surveyors'  eliain,  Jackson  liad  made  a 
wonderful  advancement  toward  metropolitan 
iniiportions.  It  now  actually  contained  150  or 
20U  corner  lots,  several  hundred  lot  stakes. 
street  stake's  and  alley  stakes. 

Mr.  White  returned  to  his  new  home 
some  time  in  September,  bringing  with 
him  more  stock  for  the  store  which  he 
]iro posed  to  open.  He  also  brought  a  wife, 
having  been  married  since  his  previous 
visit  to  Jackson.  Welch  Ashley's  saw  mill 
li.i\  iui;  bi'i'ii  )int  in  operation  by  this  time. 
.Mr.  Wliite  at  once  began  the  erection  of 
his  store  building,  the  first  load  of  lumber 
having  lipcn  hauled  in  the  site  by  ^lenzn 
Ashley.  For  temporary  quarters  a  shelter 
wa.s  made  by  taking  four  joists  and  nailing 
rough  boards  around  tlu"'m  six  or  seven 
fi'ct  liigli:  two  shelter  tents  provided  the 
roof.  When  this  was  completed  Mrs.  AVhite 
prepared  sup])er.  a  table  was  made  by 
]ilaeing  a  board  on  a  tool  chest  and  box, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  and  Mr.  Cham- 
berlin sat  down  to  partake  of  the  first  re- 
]iast  served  in  the  village  of  Jackson. 

The  store,  which  was  erected  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Second  and  White  streets,  where 
Robertson's  implement  house  now  stands, 
was  completed  in  October.  It  still  stands, 
forming  a  part  of  the  implement  house.   It 

'"We  [Chamberlin  and  White]  arrived  in 
Jackson  the  next  afternoon  [in  August.  lS6fi] 
and  stopped  at  Thomas'  old  log  hotel,  the  only 
stopping  place  of  the  kind  in  the  country.  The 
next  morning  we  went  down  through  the  tim- 
ber, crossed  the  river  lo  Jackson — yes.  to  Jack- 
son. All  there  was  then  of  Jackson  was  tall 
prairie  grass,  but  we  pronounced  the  surround- 
ings and  situation  good  and  left.  The  next  day 
we  set  out  on  our  return  to  Blue  Earth.  Some- 
where on  the  prairie  after  we  started  out  we 
met  a  company  of  engineers  on  their  way  to 
survey  a  line  for  the  Southern  Minnesota  rail- 
road. I  was  unsophisticated  then  and  supposed 
that  surveying  a  railroad  meant  a  railroad  In 
the  near  future,  and  right  then  and  there  decid- 
ed to  cast  my  lot  in  the  new  town.  .  .  ." — 
George  C.  Chnmlierlin  in  a  speech  delivered 
September  5,    1889. 

13 


is  built  entirely  of  native  lumber  and  is 
about  18x20  feet  in  size,  with  a  small  up- 
stairs rocnn.  The  store  was  opened  as  .soon 
as  the  building  was  completed,  and  soon 
customers  came  with  their  muskrat,  mink 
and  other  pelts  to  exchange  for  calico  and 
groceries."  Mr.  White  conducted  the  store 
until  February,  1868.  Then  J.  W.  Hunter 
Ixiught  the  stock  at  sheriff's  sale  and  con- 
tinued the  store. 

The  White  store  was  the  only  building 
erected  in  Jackson  in  1866,  and  during  the 
following  winter  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  were 
the  only  residents  on  tlie  town,  Mr.  Cham- 
berlin having  spent  the  winter  in  St.  Paul. 
Upon  his  return  to  Jackson  he  took  charge 
of  the  store  while  the  proprietor  and  his 
wife  s|)ent  two  months  visiting  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  state.  Mr.  Chamberlin 
has  written:  "Hence  from  the  "^'^nd  of 
March  to  the  'i'^nd  of  Mav,  1867,  I  was 


"Concerning  events  of  this  time  Mrs.  W.  L. 
White   in    1S95   wrote: 

•■Twenty-eight  years  ago  last  September  I 
left  my  old  home  in  Faribault  county  for  the 
wilds  of  the  west — even  as  far  out  as  Jackson 
county.  We  took  but  few  household  goods 
with  us.  expecting  to  have  them  come  later 
with  a  small  stock  of  goods  for  the  store.  It 
was  our  intention  to  board  at  Mr.  Thomas' 
hotel  until  our  store  and  dwelling  combined 
could  be  built;  but  when  we  arrived  we  learned 
to  our  disappointment  that  the  lumber  was  not 
all  sawed  yet.  I  have  forgotten  now  what 
was  the  cause,  but  think  it  was  either  the 
great  demand  for  lumber  or  they  were  waiting 
for  the  timber  to  grow.  Anyway,  our  plan 
of  getting  plenty  of  help  and  rushing  the  build- 
ing rl.ght  along  had  to  be  given  up.  After  stay- 
ing at  the  hotel  a  few  days,  we  decided  to  go 
to  house-keeping  in  a  tent  pitched  on  the 
bcaiuiful    townsite    of   Jackson. 

"The  weather  favored  us.  being  perfectly  de- 
lightful during  October.  Not  having  been  in 
the  house-keeping  business  very  extensively  for 
some  time  previous,  and  necessarily  having  very 
few  conveniences  in  so  small  ciuarters,  I  did 
not  find  it  the  all-absorbing  pleasure  it  is  sup- 
posed to  be — by  the  men.  Of  course,  if  I  could 
have  washed  windows  and  doors  and  scrubbed 
floors,  and  so  kept  real  busy  all  the  time.  I 
might  have  enjoyed  tenting  better  tnan  I  aid. 
Finally,  after  taking  the  boards  as  they  dropped 
oft  the  logs  as  the  saw  plowed  through  them, 
we  got  our  building  enclosed,  the  roof  on.  the 
loose  boards  down  for  the  floor,  and  moved 
into  the  up-stairs  of  the  first  building  in  Jack- 
son. But  in  spite  of  our  late  fall,  the  whole 
structure  was  so  very  green  that  it  was  badly 
frost-bitten.  I  wonder  quite  frequently  at  the 
present  time  how  we  managed  to  exist  in  the 
building  that  winter,  unfinished,  as  it  was;  but 
I  remember  how  our  sheet-iron  stove  used  to 
blaze  with  heat,  and  I  presume  the  parties  who 
sold  us  the  wood  we  burned  realized  that  we 
were  not  at  all  economical  in  that  line. 

"There  was  no  necessity   for  night-watchmen 


218 


lllSTUUV  OF  .lACK.SO.N  CULWl'V 


tho  only  inliaMtniit  of  Jackson.  Certainly 
society  circles  were  select  (luring  those 
two  months,  waiving  iill  ilainis  to  respec- 
tahility."  During  these  early  tlays  of 
Jackson's  history  Mr.  C'iianiherlin  acted  in 
the  ca])acity  of  advertising  agent,  and  (juite 
a  number  nf  the  town's  early  residents 
came  as  a  result  of  his  representations.  He 
opened  u])  a  correspondence  with  thirteen 
newspapers  in  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try from  Minnesota  to  the  far  east,  telling 
nf  the  vacant  government  lands  to  be  se- 
cured and  advantages  in  the  new  country, 
with  a  view  to  attracting  new  settlers. 

During  the  winter  of  186t)-G~  the  first 
bridge  at  Jackson,  located  where  tlie  low- 
er bridge  is  now,  was  built.  It  was  built  of 
oak  piles  and  hewn  himlier,  furnished  by 
Welch  -Vsldey,  and  tiie  work  of  building 
the  structure  was  donated.  The  bridge 
was  not  long  in  commission,  for  the  ice 
took  it  out  in  the  spring  of  1867.'" 

In  those  days.  We  had  quite  a  number  of 
boxes  of  goods  outside  our  tent  (from  which  we 
sold  to  an  occasional  customer  Ihrnugh  the 
da.v).  and  they  never  were  disturbed  in  any  way. 
.    *.  Jackson    in    those    days    was    noted    for 

one  thing — scarcity  of  money — and  as  a  conse- 
quence too  much  credit  was  asked  to  insure  a 
successful  business.  While  some  asked  credit 
with  the  assurance  of  millionaires,  once  In  a 
while  a  man  offered  some  security.  I  have  in 
mind  one  case;  a  man  with  a  large  share  of 
the  alphabet  for  Initials  came  Into  our  store 
one  day  and  asked  for  a  few  things  on  time, 
insisting  on  leaving  as  security  a  couple  of 
plated  wine  goblels.  They  might  have  cost 
$2.50  wholesale.  .-Vfter  this,  on  one  promise  or 
another,  he  ran  that  little  bill  up  to  J25.00.  and 
the  goblets  were  all  we  ever  had  for  it.  As 
soon  as  he  ran  out  of  securities  he  left  the 
county.  And  yet  in  many  other  cases  men  were 
not  able  to  give  any  security.  So.  as  some  of 
the  present  residents  well  know,  our  venture 
In    business    was    not    a    success. 

"In  the  spring  of  1S67  we  went  oft  on  a 
sort  of  a  wild  goose  chase  and  left  mir  Jolly 
friend  Chamberlln  to  look  after  our  interests 
during  our  absence;  and  he  did  it  well.  loo. 
judging  from  one  Item  I  now  remember  we 
found  on  the  book:  'To  one  darning  needle,  ten 
cents.'  1  do  not  recall  other  mistakes.  If  there 
were  any.  and  being  'booked'  could  easily  be 
corrected,  and  our  few  cash  customers  did  not 
suffer  to  any  great  extent.  Mr.  Chamberlln 
used  to  tell  the  Joke  on  himself,  so  probably 
remembers  It.  Having  lived  there  three  and 
one-half  years.  1  became  attached  to  the  peo- 
ple and   place  and   was  loth  to  leave." 

"The  second  brlilge  over  the  Des  Moines  riv- 
er at  Jackson  was  put  ui)  during  186!)  and  1870 
where  the  upper  bridge  is  now.  It  was  a  bent 
bridge  and  the  stringers  were  whipped  out  by 
hand.  The  county  stood  pari  of  the  expense 
of  its  construction  and  residents  of  Jackson 
the     rest.       It     was     in     commission     about     ten 


In  the  sjiring  of  ISfiT  Thomas  H. 
Wliiti'  wa>  appointed  pa<tmaster  of  Jack- 
son, and  at  once  entered  ii|)oii  his  duties. 
Previous  to  this  tiim-  the  postolfice  had 
been  at  the  Thomas  hotel  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river,  and  Joseph  Thoina.''  hail  been 
the  postmaster.  During  those  time.<  the 
office  was  ^upplied  iiy  weekly  mail  from 
Emmet  (Estherville).  the  carriers  iieing 
Major  II.  S.  Bailey  and  his  son,  Frank 
Bailey.  .\t  the  old  hotel  on  the  hill  the 
settlers  were  wont  to  congregate  every 
Thur.sday  to  witness  the  arrival  of  the 
mail,  which  contained  the  St.  Paul  Week- 
ly Pre.ss.  two  weeks  old,  as  the  latest  in- 
telligence from  the  outside  world.  What 
letters  anil  ])a|)ers  were  not  handed  out  on 
the  s|)ot  to  the  owners  would  l)e  laid  back 
on  a  shelf  to  await  the  call  of  tlie  owners. 
Mr.  White  has  wrilton  nf  his  appointment 
as  postmaster : 

It  was  a  laniental)le  fact  tliat  while  we  liv- 
ed in  tlie  city  we  liail  to  po  three-quarters  of 
a  mile  into  the  country  for  our  mail.  A 
friend  of  Mr.  .\iken  iliner.  from  Killmorc 
county,  had  stopped  at  my  place  for  an  hour 
or  so  durinj;  the  winter  and  liud  comprehended 
our  wants.  On  his  return  to  Fillmore  county 
lie  immediately  took  steps  to  have  the  writer 
appointed  postmaster,  and  this  was  apiinst 
my  wishes  at  that  lime.  However,  the  ap- 
pointment came,  and  in  due  time  the  olTicc  was 
moved   to   town." 

Jackson's  second  building  was  erected  in 
the  spring  of  18(u.  It  was  built  by  Welch 
.\shley  for  his  son-in-law.  Palmer  Hill,  on 
the  site  nf  the  ]>ri'Si'nl  .iaikson  National 
H.iiik  liiiililiiig  on  Scmnil  .-Irert.     It  was  a 

years.  A  combined  Iron  and  wood  bridge  took 
its  place,  and  that  was  washed  away  during 
the  high  water  of  ISSl.  From  its  wreck  an- 
other was  consiriHlid.  The  jiresent  ui>per 
bridge  was  put  in  tin  or  more  years  ago  by 
the  county  and  township.  The  iireseni  lower 
bridge  was  built  by  the  county  and  village 
about   1889. 

"Mr.  White  served  as  postmaster  until  ISGS. 
Then  J.  W.  Hunter  received  the  appointment 
and  conducled  the  ofTlce  at  his  store  until  IS7il. 
On  April  li;  of  that  year  Moses  A.  Strong  be- 
came postmaster  and  served  until  October  4. 
1877.  In  May.  1S71.  the  Jackson  office  was  des- 
ignated a  nioniy  order  office,  but  it  was  not 
until  July  that  this  department  began  oT>era- 
tlons.  Alexander  FIddes  succeeded  Mr.  Strong 
and  served  until  March.  ISSfi.  That  month 
John  Fiddes  became  the  Jackson  postma.ster. 
He  .served   until   his  death,   which  occurred   May 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


219 


two-story  building,  built  of  native  lumber, 
and  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Hill  for  a  wagon 
shoi3  for  three  or  four  years.  The  family 
lived  up-slairs.  It  was  in  this  building 
that  Jackson's  first  banlc  was  started.  It 
now  stands  on  Third  street  and  forms  a 
part  of  one  of  the  buildings  of  the  K.  S. 
Robertson   lumber  yard. 

The  season  of  1867  was  wet  and  back- 
ward, and  it  was  not  until  July  or  August 
that  the  little  saw  urill  could  furnish  suf- 
ficient hnnber  for  the  few  contemplated 
buildings  of  that  year.  Every  board  was- 
taken  possession  of  almost  as  soon  as'  it 
left  the  .saw.  The  cause  of  the  activity  in 
the  building  line  was  tlie  arrival  of  two 
families  in  July,  who  came  to  engage  in 
business  and  become  permanent  residents 
of  the  village.  These  were  the  families  of 
VV.  S.  Kimball  and  Samuel  M.  Clark,  who 
increased  the  population  of  the  Jackson 
townsite  from  three  to  eleven — a  gain  of 
over  200  per  cent  in  one  day. 

Owing  to  the  scarcity  of  lumber,  these 
new  arrivals  were  obliged  to  take  tem- 
porary quarters  in  an  improvised  board 
shanty  located  where  the  Ashley  house 
now  stands.  George  C.  Chamberlin,  who 
was  about  to  erect  a  building,  generous- 
ly surrendered  lumber  and  carpenter  priv- 
ileges, and  those  gentlemen  began  the  con- 
struction of  business  houses.  Mr.  Kimball, 
who  later  became  one  of  the  best  known 
business  men  of  the  village,  erected  a  .store 
building  on  the  corner  south  of  the  Ashley 
house  and  opened  a  hardware  store.  His 
was  a  two-story  liuilding,  and  he  and  his 

24.  1S87.  D.  M.  DeVore  served  under  appoint- 
ment bv  President  Cleveland  from  August. 
18S7,  to  August  1.  18S9.  From  that  date  until 
November.  189,3.  Alexander  Fiddes  was  again 
in  charge  of  the  oftice.  From  that  time  until 
November  2,  1S97.  the  office  was  under  demo- 
cratic admini-stration  and  V.  B.  Crane  was  the 
postmaster.  Herman  Strom  then  became  the 
postoffice  official  and  served  until  February  1. 
1902.  He  resigned  and  Alexander  Fiddes  again 
received  the  appointment.  Mr.  Fiddes  has  since 
conducted  the  office.  He  has  served  nearly 
twenty-three   years   as   Jackson's   postmaster. 


family  resided  upstairs.^-  Mr.  Clark  erect- 
ed a  dwelling  house  on  the  site  of  the 
jjresent  Cowing  block,  and  a  blacksmith 
shop  just  to  the  ca?t  of  his  house.  An- 
other building  erected  in  Jackson  in  1<SG7 
was  the  office  and  dwelling  house  put  up 
by  .Ml'.  Cliaiiibci'liu.  This  stood  at  tlie 
corner  of -Second  and  Ashley  streets.  When 
it  was  moved  in  1889  to  make  room  for 
llic  IJcrge  block,  ilr.  Chaiiilicrliu  gave 
the  history  of  the  liuilding,  as  follows: 

Conseciuently  this  v.as  miniber  foiu'  in  tlie 
order  of  areliiteetiu'al  enterprises  during  the 
starvation  season  of  1807.  Tlie  half  iiicli  bass- 
wood  boards  used  as  siding  were  unloaded  on 
tlie  grass  just  south  of  Cowing's  old  store,  and 
nearby  stood  a  carpenter's  bench,  where  one 
side  of  those  boards  was  smoothed  by  the 
acting  carpenter.  I  suppose  one  hundred 
teams  now  pass  to  and  fro  within  the  time 
then  occupied  by  that  brevet  carpenter  in 
dressing  one-half  dozen  boards,  but  he  gave 
as  a  reason  for  the  slow  progress  that  the 
l]oards  should  be  thoroughly  seasoned  before 
using. 

^-Mrs.  Frances  M.  Kimball,  wife  of  W.  S. 
Kimball,  in  1S95  wrote  of  her  arrival  to  Jack- 
son: 

"The  little  cottage  in  the  village  of  Austin 
had  been  sold,  tlie  last  goodbyes  spoken,  and 
we  had  started  on  our  westward  journey  in 
the  good,  old-fashioned  way.  hoping  to  build 
our  fortune  by  supplying  the  early  settlers 
with  the  stock  of  hardware  that  had  been  pur- 
chased for  the  new  town.  On  the  outskirts  of 
the  city  which  had  'oeen  our  home  for  years, 
we  were  joined  by  the  family  of  an  honest 
blacksmith,  familiarly  known  as  Sam  Clark. 
The  season  was  an  unusually  rainy  one.  the 
newly  laid  out  roads  almost  impassable  and 
the  streams  unbridged.  Only  those  who  have 
traveled  in  like  manner  can  realize  the  joy  we 
felt  as  our  train  drew  up  before  the  log  cabin 
of  Uncle  Joe  Thomas,  and,  although  almost 
twenty-eight  years  have  elapsed  since  we 
reached  the  wooded  bluffs  on  the  Des  Moines, 
I  remembei'  still  the  good  warm  meal  that  was 
set  before  us,  and  that  bed!  It  may  not  have 
been  down,  but  it  seemed  as  such  to  us  after 
those    long    nights    of   camping. 

"But  where  was  Jackson?  This  was  the 
ciuestion  I  asked  my  husband  as  we  stood  on 
the  banks  of  the  bridgeless  river.  Silently  he 
pointed  to  the  little  sawmill  at  our  feet  and 
the  small,  unfinished  dwelling  in  the  valley. 
These  were  the  only  signs  of  habitation  as  far 
as  the  eye  could  see;  not  a  roadway  to  tell  of 
neighboring  villages;  only  the  redman's  path, 
a  too  vivid  reminder  of  the  terrible  mas.sacre 
that  had  so  recently  swept  our  borders.  Trees 
were  felled,  and  soon  the  little  mill  had  pro- 
vided us  with  boards  enough  for  a  small  one- 
room  shanty,  which  we  shared  In  common  with 
the  blacksmith.  September  came,  and  the  north 
half  of  the  building  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Ole  F-.  Olson  was  ready  for  occupancy,  and 
the  two  families  were  moved  to  the  second 
stor.v.  To  be  sure  it  was  neither  lathed  nor 
plastered.  There  were  no  partitions,  and  the 
roof  rose  like  the  dome  of  a  church  over  our 
heads,  but  we  did  not  complain  though  the 
winter  was  long  and  severe,  for  such  is  the  life 
of  pioneers." 


220 


iiisi()i;v  (ti-  .i.\(  i\S()N  corxTV. 


It  was  the  home  of  ulie  wrili-r  for  sevi-nil 
years;  eoiinty  olTiiers  and  comity  commission- 
ers here  transacted  their  duties;  dilTcrent 
business  yatherings  were  wont  to  convene 
within  its  walls;  social  chit-chats,  town  gos- 
siping, and  local  loafing  generally  seemed  for 
a  tirae  to  drift  to  that  building  as  headquar- 
ters. 

At  one  time  Kev.  Peter  IJaker  lield  pro- 
tracted meetings  there,  and  the  tunes  and 
))salms  sung  on  that  occasion  were  far  more 
sacred  tlian  those  sung  by  the  carpenter  boys, 
who  almost  every  evening  during  the  autumn 
of  1808  assembled  tlicre  for  intiTchange  ol 
songs  and  stories.  That  was  a  busy  season, 
and  every  room  was  occupied.  The  boys  would 
not  only  remain  during  the  evening,  but 
brought  "in  their  blankets  and  covered  the  Hoor 
(luring    the   night.      ... 

.Justice  courts  were  freciucntly  held  in  this 
building,  and  in  this  connection  many  curious 
coincidents  have  already  been  recorded.  The 
first  land  trial  after  the  United  States  land 
oll'ice  was  moved  to  Jackson  in  1869  was 
licld  in  this  building  and  laste.l  until  long 
into  the  night.  As  rather  a  strange  circum- 
stance in  this  connection,  tlie  one  before  whom 
the  trial  was  had,  the  two  contestants  and 
the  h.ilf  ilo/en  or  more  witnesses  have  all  lell 
for  distant  parts.  The  two  who  acted  ns  at- 
torneys, however,  are  still  residents  of  Jack- 
gon— "one  of  whom  can  appear  on  your  streets 
only  with  the  aid  of  two  crutches,  while  the 
other  is  infirm  and  blind. 

In  the  autumn  of  ISti!)  another  building 
formed  an  addition  to  this  structiue,  where 
early  in  187(1  the  Kepublic  was  born  and  llour- 
isheil  until  1874.  .  .  .  The  ol.l  .puirtcrs 
were  then  used  for  a  justice  office  and  pea- 
nut stand— as  a  gentleman  crossing  the  street 
read  the  sign.  "".lustice  and  Peanuts  for  Salel" 
In  IStJfl  this  building  was  the  nIVicc  of  conn 
tv  auditor  anil  register  of  deeds;  in  18S!t  it 
serves  the  same  purpose  for  court  commission- 
er and  county  surveyor;  and  I  suppo.se  in  1  !•()!• 
it  will  be  occupied  by  whoever  may  be  the 
scholastic  and  cultured  persons  filling  the  of- 
fices of  superintendent  of  schools  and  county 
attorney,  and  the  same  oak  shingles  split  and 
.shaved  "by  JI.  S.  Clough  in  lSil7  "ill  ].nilc,l 
them  from  rain  and  storm. 

Millun  Masciii  has  described  .linksnn  as 
he  found  it  in  the  fall  of  18(57: 

In  October.  18t)7.  myself  and  family  landed 
nt  Jackson,  on  the  20th.  The  first  persons 
whom  I  met  were  .losepli  Thomas.  Jr.,  and  R. 
1).  Larnard.  They  assisted  me  down  the  sleep 
embankment  just"  below  the  mill.  We  crossed 
the  river  and  made  straight  for  Aiken  Miner's. 
I  found  ipiite  a  change  in  the  townsite.  1 
found  a  general  store,  well  stocked.  W.  S. 
Kimlmll's  hardware  store,  Clark's  blacksmith 
shop,  anil  Joseph  Thomas'  hotel  near  by.  I 
also  found  the  following  families  living  near 
by:  .Major  II.  S.  Uailey.  Welch  Ashley.  Clark 
Baldwin.  R.  X.  Woodward.  W.  V.  King.  Darby 


\\h;ileii.   Hen  .lohnson,  Henjamin   Dayton,  Wil 
~on  tiarratt,  Simon  Olson  and  S.  S.  Ilregg. 

During  these  pioneer  times  evcrv  addi- 
tion to  tiie  town  wa.s  cause  for  niui-ii  coin- 
iiienl  and  tonifralulation.  'Die  residents 
would  jialiter  around  tlie  carpenters  as 
thov  would  begin  some  little  liuilding.  and 
that  would  be  the  princijial  re.sort  until 
the  building  was  completed. 

.\u  iinportaiit  addition  to  the  communi- 
tv  in  tiic  spring  of  ISCS  was  John  W. 
Cowing,  who  founded  the  town's  second 
general  store,  erecting  a  building  in  the 
middle  of  tlie  block  between  the  jiresent 
locations  of  the  Kobert.son  iniplement 
house  ami  the  .\lbcrlus  clothing  store." 
.\nother  arrival  in  IStiS  was  John  A. 
.Mvcrs.  who  o|icncd  a  store  in  a  building 
sitiiaU'd  wlure  the  First  National  Hniik 
now  stands.  This  building  was  one  and 
one-half  stories  high  and  was  erected  ilur- 
ing  the  summer  by  Welch  .\shley.  It  was 
llic  first  lath  and  plastered  edifice  erected 
in  Jackson  county,  the  lime  and  lath  hav- 
ing been  hauled  by  ox  team  from  Mankato 
by  Menzo  L.  Ashley.  This  old  store  build- 
ing si  ill  stands,  to  the  east  of  the  First 
N'ational  Raidc. 

Duriiiii  the  late  si.xties  rivalry  .sprang 
up  between  the  communities  of  the  east 
and  west  sides  of  the  liver.  It  was  learned 
tliat  the  original  jihit  as  laid  nut  by 
Messrs.  Ashley  and  Bailey  wa.s.  defective 
for  some  cause  or  other,  and  in  Jlay.  18t>S. 


''■•Tliirtv  years  nRo  last  sprliiR  a  slim  young 
man  drove  over  the  hrow  of  the  hill  in  front 
of  the  Thomas  place  and  tool<  a  look  at  the 
lownslle  of  Jackson.  He  liatl  liccn  traveling 
In  a  covered  wagon  and  camping  by  the  road- 
side, looking  for  a  location  to  commence  life 
for  himself.  The  .sight  was  a  pleasant  one. 
and  before  descending  the  steep  hill  to  the  ford 
he  lind  decided  that  this  was  the  place  he  had 
heeii  looking  for.  lie  had  live  hundred  dollars 
In  cash  and  some  persm.al  property.  Securing 
a  lot  he  milnadid  his  plunder,  and.  Inlying  an 
ax  he  starled  out  to  Iniy  trees  enougli  to  tinild 
a  store.  Cutting  and  hauling  the  logs  himself, 
he  soon  had  enough  lumber  to  put  up  ;i  small 
liullding  lf.x24  feet,  on  the  lot  now  occupied 
liy  .\.  K.  Ol.son'.s  store.  It  was  .in  Immense 
store  iHiildIng  at  that  time,  and  Juhn  \V.  Cow- 
ing soon  had  a  small  stock  of  goods  displayed, 
and  his  career  as  a  merchant  commenced." — 
Republic.    Octolier    II.    1S98. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


221 


Joseph  Thomas  platted  a  townsite  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river,  \vhich  he  also  named 
Jackson.  Tliereafter  for  a  year  or  more 
there  was  some  feeling  between  the  two 
communities  and  much  speculation  as  to 
wiiich  would  finally  become  "the  town."' 
The  plat  of  the  east  side  Jackson  was  dedi- 
cated in  the  following  language  : 

I.  Joseph  Thomas,  do  hereby  certify  this 
May  2(5,  1868.  that  I  have  oavised  a  survey  and 
plat  to  he  made  of  lands  belonging  to  me  and 
situated  on  the  north  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  24,  town  102,  range  35,  to 
be   called    the    town   of   .lackson. 

JOSEPH  THOJIAS, 

Proprietor. 

The  plat  was  surveyed  by  James  E. 
Palmer.  It  extended  from  the  Des  Moines 
river  to  the  Wisconsin  township  line  and 
consisted  of  eight  blocks,  in  addition  to 
a  Jiomestead  reservation  by  Mr.  Thomas 
and  small  unplatted  areas  in  tlie  names 
of  P.  Brown  and  C.  Chamberlin.  The  east 
and  west  streets  were  named  Front  street 
and  Oakland  avenue :  those  running  north 
and  south  were  River.  First.  Second, 
Tliird,  Fourth.  Fifth  and  Sixtli.  The  plat 
was  filed  for  record  May  26,  1868. 

To  rectify  the  errors  of  the  original 
plat  of  the  west  side  Jackson,  Messrs.  Ash- 
ley and  Bailey  had  a  new  survey  made  on 
October  30,  1868,  by  J.  A.  Dean.  It  was 
practically  the  same  as  the  old  plat,  but  it 
complied  with  the  law,  and  was  filed  in 
the  office  of  the  register  of  deeds  Novem- 
ber 4,  1868.  That  there  might  be  no  ques- 
tion as  to  the  validity  of  town  property 
titles,  tlic  matter  was  taken  before  the 
state  legislature,  and  on  March  3.  1869.  an 
act  was  approved  whicli  legalized  all  deeds 
and  conveyances  made,  by  the  townsite 
proprietors  under  the  old  plat.''^ 

"Section  one  of  the  act  reads  as  follow.s: 
■'That  the  plat  of  the  town  of  Jackson,  in  the 
county  of  Jackson,  as  offered  for  record  by- 
Welch  Ashley  and  Hiram  S.  Bailey  and  re- 
corded in  the  office  of  the  register  of  deed.s  of 
said  county  on  the  first  day  of  December.  1S66. 
and  as  resuryeved  and  corrected  by  a  plat  made 
by  John  A.  Dean  on  the  30th  day  of  October. 
1S68.  and  filed  for  record  in  the  office  of  the 
register  of  deeds  of  said  county  on  the  4th  d^y 


Moses  A  Strong,  wlio  came  to  the  vil- 
lage in  January,  1869,  has  entertainingly 
described  the  town  as  he  found  it  at  that 
lime." 

Tliere  was  then  strife  between  east  and 
west  .Jackson,  and  it  was  mixed  which  would 
come  out  aliead.  The  cast  side  had  the  hotel, 
and  the  west  side  the  postofTice.  In  some  re- 
spects it  looked  as  if  the  west  side  had  the 
adyantage  and  a  little  blue  for  the  east  siders. 

After  dinner  we  went  "over  the  river;"  they 
did  not  call  it  "over  town''  then.  On  the  way 
I  took  in  the  towns.  On  the  east  side  was — 
or,  rather,  had  been — a  store  kept  by  one  Rad- 
ford, then  retired,  played  out.  closed  out,  lock- 
ed out.  He  still  liyed  in  an  old  house  near  by, 
waiting  for  something  to  turn  up.  Charles 
Chamberlin.  a  big  mugwump  of  the  east  side, 
had  an  unfinished  house  in  the  suburbs.  One 
Arkle  was  a  shoemaker  and  pegged  away  in  a 
small  house  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  Philander 
Brown  owned  a  patch  of  land  on  eacli  side  and 
didn't  care  whicli  way  the  cat  jumped.  Do\vn 
at  the  river  at  the  end  of  an  old  mill  dam  was 
an  old  saw  mill,  and  the  proprietors,  Cardwell 
&  Wiltsie,  lived  in  an  old  house  near  by.  This 
was  about  all  tliere  was  to  the  east  side  [ex- 
cept  .Joseph   Thomas'   hotel]. 

We  crossed  the  river  on  the  ice,  there  being 
no  bridges  then.  'When  there  was  no  ice  and 
tlie  water  was  low  they  crossed  at  the  ford 
lielow  the  pond;  when  it  was  high  they  didn't 
cross  at  all. 

Up  on  the  west  side,  toward  where  the 
bridge  is  now  located,  was  a  house  owned  by 
B.  W.  Ashley.  "  Xext.  the  house  of  Palmer 
Hill;  across  the  way,  Sam  Clark's  residence 
and  blacksmith  shop:  then  a  small  store  kept 
li,v  .J.  A.  Myers,  a  one-armed  ex-soldier;  across 
the  street  was  the  hardware  store  of  W.  S. 
Kimball.  His  family — wife,  two  young  daugh- 
ters and  wife's  sister — lived  over  the  store. 
Then  came  George  Chamberlin's  little  oflfice 
and  bedroom  combined.  It  was  occupied  by 
Chamberlin  and  Garratt,  as  county  auditor 
and  register  of  deeds  office,  and  when  both 
were   in   there   was   no   room    for   others.    Mr. 

01  Noyember.  1S6S.  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby, 
legalized  and  established  and  declared  to  be 
of  the  same  force  and  effect  in  the  law  as  if 
the  same  was  in  strict  conformit.v  with  the 
statutes  upon  the  subject  of  the  laying  out  of 
towns  and  the  suryey  thereof,  and  of  the  mak- 
ing, certifying  and  recording  of  the  plats 
thereof:  and  the  said  plats  are  hereby  de- 
clared to  be  lawful  and  competent  eyidence  of 
the  contents  thereof  in  all  courts  and  places  in 
the  same  manner  and  with  the  same  force  and 
effect  as  if  the  same  had  been  in  all  respects 
certified,  acknowledged  and  recorded  in  strict 
conformity  with  the  statutes  upon  that  subject 
in  force  at  the  time  when  said  plats  were  re- 
spectiyely  made.  Proyided.  that  whenever  the 
said  two  plats  differ  from  each  other  in  any 
respect,  the  said  plat  made  by  the  said  John 
A.  Dean  for  the  said  Welch  Ashley  and  Hiram 
S.  Bailey,  town  proprietors,  shall  be  deemed 
paramount,  and  .shall  to  that  extent  supersede 
the  former  plat." 
"Published  in  Jackson  Republic  .\pril  25.  18S9. 


?.22 


lll.sT(ti;Y  oy  .IAL'K8U.\  I'UlW'TV. 


Chamlicrliii    was    tlioii    in    .St.    Pinil.   a    rlcrk    in 
till'    li';;is!atiii«'. 

Across  1)11  till'  (ippiisitc  loriu'r  was  tin-  stori.' 
f)l"  llimtcr  Hriitlicis -.1.  \V.  ami  Daviil.  Tlie 
family,  tlioii  coiisistiiif;  of  .1.  W..  David,  Agnes 
and  tlieir  motlier,  lived  in  an  addition  to  llie 
store.  .Tame.s  W.  Hunter  was  postmaster. 
Elder  |K(hvard|  Sjivage  assisted  David  and 
had  a  room  over  llie  store.  Dr.  Foster  had  a 
little  drug  shop  aiross  the  way  and  he  and 
his  wife  lived  in  one  end.  A  little  farther 
along  was  the  store  of  Cowing  &  White.  They 
lived  over  tlie  store.  Then  came  the  residemc 
and  photograph  gallery  of  T.  II.  White  and 
wife.  Across  the  way  was  the  feed  store  and 
harness  shop  of  Male  &  M\inger  and  wife. 
Down  at  the  en<l  of  the  street  lived  Alex  Hall, 
who  ran  the  .lacksim  &  Blue  Earth  t'ity  stage. 
Down  by  the  bayou  was  the  V.xft  frame  school 
house.  Xearby  lived  Chris,  a  half-<Ta/.y  Nor- 
wegian. This  love-crackeil  old  man  lived  alone 
and    ma<lc   furniture. 

A  little  out  of  town  lived  Major  Hailey  and 
family  in  a  log  house,  and  Wilson  (Jarratt  and 
the  Dayton  families  a  little  farther  up  the 
creek.  Pliilandir  Brown  and  wife  lived  on  the 
bench,  and  Nathaniel  Frost  and  family  near 
by. 

This,  if  I  remember  correctly,  was  all  llieri' 
was  to  the  west  side. 

An  event  of  the  greatest  importance  oc- 
eiirrwl  in  the  spring  of  1809 ;  then  the 
T'nitod  Slate.s  land  office  was  moved  from 
Wiimcbago  City  to  Jackson  U])cin  :iu  order 
issued  hy  ('omniissioner  Wil.son."'  That 
event  brought  iiapi)ine.ss  to  (he  liearts  of 
the  people  of  the  little  idiniininity  :  tliey 
knew  then  that  JaeKson  was  to  become 
a  town.  It  also  settled  the  matter  of  the 
supremacy  of  the  two  towns  of  Jackson, 
as  tlie  office  was  located  in  the  west  side 
village.     A  number  of  new  residents  were 

"This  office  hail  luen  opened  at  Brownsville, 
on  the  Mississippi  river.  In  1S.')4.  with  Messrs. 
McKlnna  and  Welch  In  charge.  In  IS.Sfi  It  was 
moved  to  rhaltielrt.  and  In  ISiil  to  Winnebago 
Citv.  When  the  last  named  change  was  maile 
Mr."  HolUy  w.is  receiver  and  Mr.  RuUis  regis- 
ter. When  till'  office  was  movi'il  to  Jackson 
in  18BSI  !•;.  1".  I'recman  went  In  as  register  and 
J.  B.  Wakellilil  as  receiver.  After  the  colony 
Immigranis  began  to  arrive  and  settle  In  the 
Wiirthlnglon  countr.v.  the  bulk  of  the  huBlnesa 
was  In  the  west  end  of  the  district,  and  In  the 
spring  of  1874  the  government  ordered  the  re- 
moval   from    Jackson    to   Worthlngton. 

Soon  after  the  removal  Mr.  Kreeman  retired 
as  register.  He  was  succeeded  b.v  Dr.  Leonard, 
of  Rochester,  who  held  the  office  for  a  lime. 
Thi'  latler's  appointment  was  not  conllrmcd. 
however  and  Captain  ilons  Grinager  became 
register  in  August.  1S74.  He  resigned  June  1. 
l.ssi;.  having  lield  the  office  nearl.v  tw<lve  years. 
In  Januarv.  187.5.  J.  P.  Moulton  look  the  place 
of  Mr.  Wakefield  as  receiver,  and  held  It  until 
June.   1881.     C.   H.   Smith  was  the  next  receiver, 


added  to  tlie  town  iu  180!).  Among  them 
were  Moses  A.  Strong,  who  opencnl  a  drug 
store:  I>r.  ('.  1*.  .Morrill,  the  town's  first 
doctor:  AltxaniKr  Kiildes  and  several 
others. 

During  the  year  Jackson  became  the 
trading  center  of  an  immense  territory. 
Settlers  from  twenty  miles  up  the  river 
and  the  same  distance  down  came  to  .lack- 
son  for  their  mail  and  to  do  their  trad- 
ing: from  thf  numerous  lakes  and  stream.* 
lo  the  west  am!  northwest,  around  which 
homestoaders  were  locating,  came  the 
settlers  frtuii  long  distances:  those  on 
llenui  and  (iraliam  lakes  did  all  their 
trading  in  Jackson;  from  beyond  the  west 
line,  of  the  state  they  came.  The  few 
people  living  in  the  Siou.x  Falls  country 
came  lo  .lackson  to  mill,  and  it  is  said 
that  riiilo  llawe.-,  who  then  lived  on  the 
present  .site  ol'  l.iivirne,  once  made  the 
little  trip  to  Jackson  to  have  a  sickle  re- 
jiairetl.  Jackson  became  a  great  market 
for  fur,  which  was  in-actically  the  only 
iiieiliuni  of  exchange  in  the  country  and 
brought  good  prices. 

W.  S.  Kimball  was  llie  leading  business 
man  of  the  town,  and  be  carried  (Ui  an 
enormous  hardware  tra<le.  His  goods  were 
shipped  to  the  end  of  the  railroad,  at 
Owatonna,  Mankato  or  Winnebago  City, 
in  ear-load  lots.  Fi-om  those  points  they 
were  hauled  to  .Jackson  by  ox  or  horse 
teams,  it  taking  a  week  or  more  to  make 
the  trip.  The  freighting  teams  would  ar- 
rive  at   their  destination,   looking  like  a 

occui>vlng  the  office  until  Septcml)cr  1.  1885. 
when  August  Peterson,  of  Albert  lea.  took  the 
office.  Me  held  it  nnlil  after  the  remiival  from 
Worlhinglon.  C.  V.  Shepherd  succeeded  fai>- 
lain  Griiiiiger  as  register  In  June.  lSSt>.  and 
held  the  position  whil.'  the  office  was  located 
in  Wi>rlhington.  The  land  office  was  closed 
Februarv  28.  18SB.  there  having  been  a  con- 
solidation among  the  .iffices  in  Minnesota.  Thosi- 
al  Benson.  Worthlngton  and  Redwood  halls 
were  discontinued  and  the  jiapers  turned  over 
to  the  office  at  Tnicy.  The  Tracy  office  was 
then  moved  to  Marshall.  The  land  office  was 
under  democnitic  management  from  18S4  to 
1861-  the  republicans  were  In  charge  from  ISfil 
to  1885  Then  each  )iarty  had  one  official  in 
the  office  until  1SS6.  when  .Mr.  Shepherd  look 
office;  thereafter  it  wa.s  democratic. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


223 


circus  procession.  .Moses  A.  Strong,  in  a 
;5peech  made  at  a  .Masonic  banquet  in 
Jackson  in  January,  1S.S4.  told  of  "Mr. 
Kimball's  business : 

People  wondered  wliere  lie  sold  so  many 
goods,  but  to  those  who  knew  him  it  was  no 
wonder.  A  settler  from  Graham  or  Heron 
lake,  or  somewhere  away  up  north  or  west, 
would  hitch  up  a  yoke  of  steers  to  an  old 
wagon,  pile  in  a  lot  of  fur,  and  start  for 
.Tackson.  Wliere  he  came  in  sight  of  town  over 
the  hill  Mr.  Kimball  would  see  him  and  com- 
mence striking  up  a  trade,  and  the  first  thing 
you  knew  he  would  have  the  wagon  loaded 
with  hardware,  a  stove,  plow.  cofTee  mill,  jack 
knives,  etc.,  take  all  the  money  he  had  and 
notes  for  the  balance.  He  would  embrace  his 
customer  heartily,  shake  his  hand  warmly,  ask 
liim  to  come  again,  send  his  love  to  all  the 
neighbors,  and  bid  him  adieu. 

When  the  first  number  of  the  Jackson 
Republic  was  issued  on  February  2G,  1870, 
the  following  local  business  and  profes- 
sional firms  were  represented  by  advertise- 
ments : 

]\r.  A.  Strong  &  Co.,  drug  store. 

Hunter  Brothers,  general  store. 

W.  S.  Kimball,  hardware. 

H.  S.  Bailey,  general  store. 

J.  W.  Cowing  &  Co.,  general  store. 


Cluinilierlin  &  Avery,  Jackson  Republic. 

J.  W.  ]\Iyers,  general  store. 

J.  \V.  Seager,  attorney. 

G.  K.  Tiffany,  attorney. 

C.  P.  ^lorrill,  doctor. 

John  H.  Grant,  notary  public. 

James  E.  Palmer,  surveyor. 

G.  C.  Chamberlin,  notary  public. 

Charles   Frisbie,  cabinet  maker. 

Joseph  Thomas,  Jackson  House. 

William   C.  Jackson,  livery  stable. 

I.   A.   Moreaux,  saloon. 

In  addition  to  this  list  there  were  in  the 
little  village  a  feed  store,  two  blacksmith 
shops,  a  second  eating  house,  a  shoe  shop, 
a  meat  market,  a  saw  mill,  the  United 
States  land  office,  a  school  house  and  a 
churcli.  Several  mail  and  stage  routes 
were  operated  to  the  town,  as  follows: 
The  through  line  from  Blue  Earth  City 
to  Yankton,  the  line  from  Winnebago  City, 
another  from  iladelia,  connecting  with 
one  from  Sioux  City  and  forming  a 
through  route  from  Mankato  to  the  Union 
Paeifie  railroad. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


A 


i1iW4 


JACKSON 
SCENES 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


JACKSON— 1870-1910. 


DUEING  tlie  first  six  years  of  its 
liistory  Jackson  was  the  only 
town  in  Jacl^son  county.  Dwt- 
ing  tiiis  time  it  was  also  without  a  rival 
in  many  neighboring  counties.  Thousands 
of  settlers  were  pouring  into  the  country 
and  locating  upon  the  government  lands. 
Because  of  this  extensive  settlement,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  it  was  the  only  town 
within  many  long  miles  in  all  directions, 
and  because  of  the  progressive  spirit  of 
the  founders  and  first  business  men 
(nearly  all  of  whom  were  American  born), 
Jackson  developed  into  a  place  of  impor- 
tance. During  tlie  years  18G5  to  1869 
its  growth  had  been  slow,  but  beginning 
with  1870  it  took  a  start,  and  its  growth 
continued  until  tlie  beginning  of  tlie  ter- 
ribble  grassliopper  scourge. 

The  year  1870  was  a  lively  one  in  all 
lines  of  business.  Several  new  Ijusiness 
houses  were  started  and  many  new  build- 
ings were*  erected.  The  improvements  for 
the  year  footed  up  to  $17,()r)0,  itemized  as 
follows : 

J.   A.   Myers,  store .$  800 

Dr.  C.  P.  Morrill,  residence 750 

Miss   T.   M.   Rice,   residence 4.50 

Ilnnter   Brotliers,   improvements 200 

E.    P.    Freeman,    improvements 100 

W.   S.   Kimball,   store 1,500 

J.  W.  Cowing  &  Co.,  improvements 200 

Ashley   &    Co.,   liotel 3.500 

Ashlev   &    Co.,    stable 200 

H.  S."  Bailey,  store 1.700 


I.   A.   Moreaiix,   improvements 350 

Methodist   church,   parsonage 700 

S.   M.    Clark,    improvements 1.50 

Chamberlin   &   Avery,  improvements....  150 
Dr.    K.    K.    Foster,    hotel    and    improve- 
ments   2,200 

D.  Cardwel!,  improvi^nients  on   saw  mill  1,500 

J.   H.   Grant,   improvements 300 

Griggs   &   Chubb,  steam   mill 1,.500 

St.   Paul   &   Sioux  City   Ry.  Co.,   otTice..  150 

I.   <;.   Walden,   imi)rovements 50 

D.    Kirkpatriek,    residence 200 

Freeman    &    Wakefield,    improvements..  250 

Nathaniel    Frost,    improvements 100 

P.   Brown,   residence   and   stable 2.50 

Welch    Ashley,    improvements .50 

R.  K.  Craigue,  residence 2.50 

Milton   Mason,   stable 100 


Total    $17,650 

Business  was  better  in  1871  than  it 
had  been  the  year  before,  and  several  new 
enterprises  were  put  under  way.  We  gain 
an  idea  of  the  size  of  the  little  town  that 
year  from  the  writing  of  a  resident,  who 
declared  tliat  in  June  the  village  con- 
tained a  total  of  about  fifty  buildings,  in- 
cluding residences,  shops  and  public  build- 
ings. 

With  tlie  building  of  the  St.  Paul  and 
Sioux  Cily  railroad  in  the  fall  of  1871  and 
the  founding  of  the  towns  of  Windom, 
Heron  Lake  and  Worthington,  the  im- 
mense trade  territory  of  Jackson  was 
greatly  reduced.  This  was  offset,  how- 
ever, by  the  rapid  settlement  and  develop- 
ment of  the  immediate  surrounding  coun- 
try, and    Jackson    continued    to    advance 


225 


226 


lll>  Tdin'  (»l'  .IA(  KS()\  CulN'rv 


(luiiii,ir  till'  .vi'iir  1.S7-J.  K'cal  ost;itp  sales 
had  never  before  been  so  lively,  l^'mtv  or 
fiftv  residence  and  biisines-s  lots  weru  sold 
diirinfj  the  siiinnier.  The  building  im- 
provements for  llie  yeai-  amounted  to  over 
$5J3,(1(I0.  many  of  tiie  struetures  erected 
l)ein<i  superior  to  those  of  former  j-ears. 
'i'lie  impro\eiiients  of  18~3  were  as  fol- 
lows : 

.Jackson    (.'oiinty,   luiirt    liiiiise $  r),4()0 

\V.   S.   Kimball,   ri'sidpnce S.Odd 

s.noi) 
1  .sou 
I  .r>no 

850 
800 


.1.   W.  C'Dwiii};.  store  and   liall... 

Simon   Avery,  resiilciui' 

I.  A.   Moieaiix,   hilliiir.l   ImII 

Dr.  K.  I,,  lirownell,  residenie  and  stable 
V.  M.  Sniitli,  residence  and  ffranary.... 
S.   M.   flark.  blacksmith   shop ' .'iOO 

noo 

4.->0 
400 
.•?.-)0 

■Air, 

,300 
.300 
300 
965 


.1.    !•'.    Ashley,   residence. 

."scliool    Dist.   \o.  2.   furniture 

.\.    H.   Tompkins,   residence 

•I.    II.   (irant.    improvements 

-Mexandcr    Kiddi's.   wareliousc  and  stable 

1 1.    Anderson,    imjiroveraents 

(.'lark   .Marshall,  residence 

Simon   Avery,   barn 

Other    ilcins     


'I'olal  $2^,140 

So  far  the  history  of  Jackson  had  been 
one  of  prou'res.s.  Kacl.  year,  from  the  date 
of  founding,  there  had  been  additions  to 
the  po])ulation  and  to  business  enterprises. 
Befrinninj;  with  ]S7:i  came  a  eomjilete  re- 
versal of  conditions.  .From  that  time  un- 
til 187S  there  was  iiol  oiil\  a  eessatioii 
of  projjrcss,  there  was  retrogression.  This 
chanfie  was  brought  about  wholly  by  the 
terrible  conditions  caused  by  the  ravages 
of  the  grassho])pers.  .V  town  depending 
solely  upon  an  agricultural  country  for 
its  su])port  is  left  in  ]n'elty  bad  eircmn- 
stances  when  ibe  enuntry  has  had  a  siu'- 
ce.ssion  ol'  nearly  tot.tl  cro]i  failui-es,  and 
.lackson  was  no  e.\cc])tion  In  (be  rule.  'I'lu 
country  was  cdose  to  the  starvation  point, 
and  .lackson  soon  came  to  the  same  condi- 
tion. Business  men  exteiuled  credit  until 
they  lost  tlieir  own;  several  failed  ami 
moved  away.  The  depression  continued 
several  years,  and  Jackson  received  a  set- 
back  which   it    took    years  to    overcome. 


However.  Jackson  sutlered  less  severely 
than  many  of  tin.  neighboring  towns.  It 
was  the  center  of  an  older  settled  country 
than  weie  jnost  of  the  town?  of  .southwest- 
em  Minnesota,  and  many  of  the  farmers 
had  lived  in  the  country  long  enough  to 
make  some  headway  toward  financial  in- 
dependence. The  other  towns  had  been 
founded  as  a  result  of  the  immigration  of 
IS'".',  and  not  one  crop  had  been  harvested 
b(liire  the  devastation.  Therefore  Jack- 
son withstood  the  awful  calamity  better 
than  those  towns  less  fortunately  situated. 
.\s  the  story  of  the  grai^^hopper  times  has 
been  told  in  previous  chapters,  I  shall  not 
eiitiT  into  its  details  in  this  history  of 
Jackson. 

.Mlhough  the  bard  times  liad  not  dis- 
apjieared.  in  l.STS  came  a  revival  of  busi- 
ness in  Jackson.  This  was  caused  by  the 
building  of  the  Southern  .Minnesota  rail- 
i"ad  (now  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
I'aul).  which  reached  the  county  -seat  No- 
vendier  ",.';.  It  was  a  time  of  rejoicing. 
-Ml  fall  times  were  lively  in  the  little  vil- 
lage, due  to  definite  knowledge  that  the 
road  was  coming.  The  arrival  of  the  iron 
horse  caused  the  .Iacl<son  Hepublic  (No- 
\ember  -.iO,  is:s)  to  e.xult  as  follows: 

.\fter  twelve  Ion','  years  of  waitinj;  .Jackson 
has  a  ri};ht  to  exult  over  the  auspiiions  opcn- 
inj;  of  so  excellent  a  line  of  road.  Sitnated  on 
one  of  the  grandest  lhoro\ij;hfares  in  the  west, 
surrounded  by  as  line  a  country  as  was  over 
inhabited  by  men.  environed  by  its  {jrand  old 
blutt's.  in  easy  reach  of  a  succession  of  l)c- 
witching  lakes,  containing  a  population  noted 
for  in<lustry.  inlclliiience.  thrift  and  responsi- 
bility, it  is  sure  to  march  olV  in  rapid  strides 
to  prosperity.  In  adversity,  even,  we  have 
lii'cn  reasonably  prosperous,  and  now.  with  the 
liri;.'hles!  outlook,  let  everyone  rcjoii'c  that 
l;is  lines  have  fallen  here  and  put  forth  re- 
ncwiil  elVorts  to  nnike  onr  town  surpass  in 
every  fealiui'  that  jjoes  to  make  U)>  a  lively, 
moral,  enterprising,  cooperating,  happy,  benev- 
olent, peaceful  and  industrious  community. 

Owing  to  the  topographical  features  of 
the  town's  location,  difficulty  was  encoun- 
tered in  getting  the  road  built  into  the 
town,  and  the  depot  was  located  nearly 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


227 


a  mile  from  the  Ijusiness  center.  It  was 
later  movetl  still  fartlier  away.  The  rail- 
road e.xtended  from  Jackson  in  18T9. 

The  coming  of  the  road  proved  a  great 
like-awakening  agency.  Before,  the  town 
had  been  scattered  over  a  large  area,  with 
several  vacant  lots  intervening  between 
the  business  houses  and  residences. 
Many  of  these  vacant  places  now  be- 
came iilled  with  new  buildings.  The  sound 
of  the  saw  and  hammer  was  heard  all  day 
long:  the  streets  were  thronged  witb  new 
arrivals.  During  the  five  months  from 
September  1,  1878,  to  February  1,  1879, 
the  following  new  buildings  were  erected: 
Sargent  &  Collins,  store  building;  Lars 
Nelson,  saloon  building:  Vandaworker  & 
Seip,  blacksmith  shop ;  Brewster  Bros., 
store  building;  F.  T.  Brayton,  livery  barn  : 
C.  L.  Colman,  lundier  office,  sheds  and 
barn  ;  John  Paul,  lumber  office  and  sheds  ; 
A.  N.  Tompkins,  John  Paulson,  F.  A. 
Chittenden,  George  C.  Chamberlin,  E. 
Owens,  Jesse  Wood,  W.  J.  Case,  Mr.  Moe, 
Welch  Ashley  and  H.  White,  residences ; 
Thoma.s  O'Neill,  boarding  house;  M.  H. 
Smith,  harness  shop;  Dr.  Tidball,  office 
building;  E.  A.  Hatch,  ice  house;  railroad 
company,  engine  Louse ;  Bonner  &  Hyde 
and   Cargil   &  Van,  warehouses. 

During  the  same  .''eason  the  following 
new  business  enterprises  were  started  in 
Jackson :  JI.  H.  Smith,  harness  shop ; 
Vandaworker  <!t  Scip,  blacksmith  shop;- 
Clark  &  Hartness,  hardware  store;  Sar- 
gent &  Collins,  clothing  store  ;  Olson  Bros., 
general  store  ;  Ole  Eognas,  furniture  store  ; 
Brewster  Brothers,  grocery  store ;  J.  A. 
Rhodes,  photograph  gallery ;  Thomas 
O'Neill,  boarding  house ;  W.  E.  Powers  & 
Co.,  saloon ;  Ira  Walden,  butcher  shop ;  E. 
A.  Hatch,  saloon  ;  A.  Haskins,  barber  shop  : 
A.  N.  &  I.  D.  Converse,  real  estate  and 
insurance  office;  W.  N.  Brayton,  meat 
market;  0.  A.  Sathe,  wheelwriglit's  shop; 
F.    T.    Brayton,    livery    barn;    John    K. 


Brown,  bank ;  C.  L.  Colman  and  John 
Paul,  lumber  yards;  M.  B.  Odell,  jewelry 
store;  O.  \j.  Patch,  paint  sho]) ;  F.  Quon- 
tin,  F.  il.  Smith,  F.  A.  Chittenden,  R. 
Hanson,  carpenter  shops. 

So  great  had  been  the  increase  in  popu- 
lation that  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1879  steps  were  taken  to  bring  about  the  in- 
corporation of  tlio  village.  On  January 
(I  a  mass  meeting  was  held  at  the  court 
house  to  take  the  preliminary  steps.  The 
meeting  was  ])resided  over  by  Major  H.  S. 
Bailey,  and  George  C.  Chamberlin  was  the 
secretary.  When  tiie  question  was  discus- 
sed, it  was  found  that  there  was  consider- 
able oppo.'^ition  to  taking  the  important 
step  at  that  time.  It  appeared,  however, 
Ihat  a  majority  was  in  favor  of  beginning 
munici]ial  government.  A  committee, 
composed  to  T.  .1.  Knox,  J.  W. 
Cowing,  Alexander  Fiddes,  P.  Brown  and 
Joseph  Thomas,  was  selected  to  draft  a 
charter.  A  charter  was  drawn  up  and  re- 
))orted  to  another  meeting  hchl  January 
11. 

The  matter  was  placed  before  the  legis- 
lature, and  on  March  6,  1879,  the  Min- 
nesota law  making  body  enacted  into  law 
a  bill  providing  for  the  incorporation  of 
Jackson,  with  the  boundaries  it  now  has. 
The  act  provided  that  before  it  should 
become  operative  it  must  be  ratified  by 
a  vote  of  the  people  residing  within  the 
proposed  limits  of  the  village.  For  the 
jnirpose  of  calling  and  presiding  over  such 
election  the  act  named  J.  W.  Hunter,  B. 
W.  Ashley,  M.  A.  Strong,  Alexander  Fid- 
des and  J.  W.  Cowing  as  commissioners. 

There  the  matter  was  allowed  to  rest  for 
two  years,  and  the  village  of  Jackson 
was  governed  by  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners and  the  Des  Moines  township 
board  of  supervisors  until  1881.  Why  im- 
mediate action  was  not  taken  is  lucidly 
explained  by  the  Jackson  Republic  of 
March  20,  1880,  as  follows : 


228 


HISTORY  OF  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


Why  siioli  meeting  wns  not  called 
is  all  on  acconnt  of  llic  oondition  upon  wliidi 
our  town  bonds  were  voted  for  the  IVs  Moines 
river  liridye  and  in  conscqnenie  of  a  derision 
of  the  supreme  emirt.  lioliliu};  thai  wlien  towns 
I  townships  I  liad  voted  bonds  and  sulise(|uent- 
!y  a  ninni(i|ial  iiu'orporation  was  created  with- 
in such  town  limits,  the  townsliip  outside  of 
the  incorporation  was  compelled  to  pay  the 
full  amount  of  the  bonds  so  voted.  Now,  the 
village  lias  no  desire  to  shirk  the  obligation 
of  its  portion  of  the  bonds  voted  and  we  nnike 
this    public   explanation. 

Tlio  building  activity  pontinucfl  ciur- 
iiiff  1879.  From  early  spring  until  late  in 
llic  tall  carpcntcr.s  were  lui.sily  engaged 
in  erecting  the  new  struetiire.s.  Unlike 
tlie  cliea|)  iitnicture.?  .soinetiines  ])ut  iij) 
ill  iiiiislirooni  towns  I'nlldwing  the  cniniiig 
(if  the  railroad,  niaiiy  siih.stantiiil  edifices, 
costing  several  thousand  dollars,  were  add- 
ed to  the  village.  The  iinprcivi'mciits  I'nr 
the  year  aniouiiled  to  $.'!7,l)."iO,  itemized 
as  follows : 

John    K.   Hrown.  brick   IkuiU    tiuililing    .    i?  4,0111) 

.1.   W.   Cowing,   house .l.fi.'iO 

A.  C.  Whitman  &  Co..  brick  store  build- 
ing       ,3.000 

Southern  Minnesota   Railway  Co.,  depot  2.r)00 

Des   Moines   river  bridge 2.200 

CoUis    i     Laniont,    addition    to    Ashley 

house      1  .SOO 

E.   Owens,   business   block 1.400 

Mrs.   if.   B.   Bowditch.  house 1.000 

:^r.   A.    Strong,   addition 1.000 

Olson  Bros.,  store  building 1.000 

Ole    Tiognas,    store    b\iilding SOO 

M.    11.    Smith,   harness   shop SOO 

T.    .1.    Knox,    house 72."i 

().    K.   Olson,    house 700 

C.    A.    CanipbiOl.    house TOO 

U.    S.    liiiilcv.    improvements    at    brick 

yard    .....' TOO 

.1.   li.   Tjindsay.   hotise 000 

Jesse    Wood,    house fiOO 

Tlionnis  O'Neill,   improvements  on   hotel  HTH 

Alexander    l'"iddes.    postoffice    building.  .  .WO 

.1.  W.  Hunter.  im])rovements  grist  mill,  .WO 

O.   A.    Sathe.   bouse .lOO 

U.  W.  Ashley,  improvements  and  stahh'  ")00 

Honner  &    Hyde,   warehouse "lOO 

Cargill   &    Van,   warehoiise .WO 

Fred   Qnentin.  house tiOO 

(J.    fJnnderson.    house 400 

C.    Sei)!.    house 400 

Brewster   Uros..  improvements  on  store.  400 

Mrs.    C.    Haldwin.    house 32."> 

K.  A.  Hatch,  barn 300 

P.    Brown,    house .300 

Peter  Kvenson.  house 2.iO 

Rev.  J.  K.   .\lexaiidcr.  parsonage  MOO 

W.   S.   Kimball,   house .300 


1.  D.  Converse,  house.                          275 

(ieorge   C.   Chaniberlin,    imjirovements.  .  2.50 

J.    !•".    Ashley,    house 250 

I'",   'r.    Hrayton.    improvements 200 

-Mrs.  K.  h!  Wilson.  rcsta\uant 200 

(uorge    1).    Stone,   addition 200 

Ashley   Bros.,  livery   barn 200 

Charles    Cutting,    house 150 

A.   \.  Tompkins,   improvements 150 

F.   A.   Chittenden,   improvements 150 

Dr.  E.  P.  Gould,  addition 125 

Mrs.    Rost,    addition 125 

John   Paulson,  improvements 125 

Nathaniel    Frost,    barn 125 

Moore   &    Kummcr,   improvements 110 

Other   items    1,190 


Total  .. $.37,650 

According  to  the  federal  census  of  1880 
— the  first  in  which  the  population  of 
.lackson  was  enunterated  separately  from 
tlie  tnwnslii]) — the  town  was  found  to  have 
:i  pnpidaticin  of  501,  making  it  rank 
I'liurtli  anintig  the  towns  of  soutlnve.stern 
M  iiiiicsdta.' 

Tile  matter  of  incorporation  again  bo- 
raiue  a  live  issue  during  the  winter  of 
l,S8fl-Sl.  A  mass  meeting  was  held  on 
the  last  day  of  the  year  ISSO.  of  which 
M.  .\.  Strong  was  chairman  and  J.  W. 
i  I  lintel-  secretary.  Tiiere  was  luore  un- 
animity of  opinion  than  there  had  been 
two  years  before,  and  it  was  the  sen.se 
of  the  meeting  that  immediate  steps  shotild 
lie  taken  to  incorporate,  freorge  C.  Cham- 
berliii.  T.  J.  Knox  and  J.  T.  Bowditch 
were  ap|viinted  a  committee  to  draft  a 
rliarter,  and  .T.  W.  ITunter.  .7.  \V.  Cowing. 
II.  S.  r.ailev.  W.  S.  Kimball,  V>.  \V.  Asli- 
lc\,  .Icix'pli  Thomas  and  11.  II.  Hughes,  a 
<oiiimitlee  to  decide  on  the  boundaries. 

.\  charter  was  prepared,  and,  in  order 
to  obtain  the  views  of  the  citizens  an  in- 
formal election  was  held  at  the  postoffice 
on  .lanuary  12,  at  which  time  55  votes 
were  registered  in  favor  of  incorporation 
Milder  the  charter,  while  ten  voted  against 
it.  The  charter  was  introduced  as  an  act 
in  the  legislature.     It  passed  both  bouses, 

'Population  of  other  towns  in  the  vicinity  was 
:is  follows:  Windom.  443;  Fairmont.  541;  St. 
.Irim.s.  I.'i4:  Mridclia.  4.<;»;  Heron  I-ake.  22fi; 
Worthlngton,    636;    Luvcrne.    697;    Pipestone.   222. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


•229 


and  then,  in  some  unaccountable  mau- 
8q;  JO  aoiyo  aqj  uioaj  paaeaddBsip  'ida 
secretary  of  state  and  was  never  seen 
again.  It  is  pos.-^ible  that  it  was  burned  in 
the  capitnl  fire,  which  occurred  about  that_ 
time. 

Tlie  disappearance  of  the  bill  put  mat- 
ters back  to  where  tiiey  liad  been  before 
the  legislature  took  action,  but  the  people 
of  Jackson  were  determined  to  incorpor- 
ate as  a  municipality  and  took  other  meas- 
ures. Messrs.  Hunter,  Strong,  Fiddes  and 
Cowing,  of  the  commissioners  named  in 
The  act  of  18T9.  posted  notices  for  an  elec- 
tion to  be  held  April  12,  18.81,  to  decide 
the  question  as  to  wliether  or  not  Jackson 
sl'.uuhl  be  incorjiorated  under  the  provis- 
ions of  the  general  hiw  pi-nvided  fur  in- 
corporating villages.  There  was  no  elec- 
tioneering either  for  or  against  the  qucvs- 
tion,  and  of  the  80  vot&s  cast,  08  were  in 
favor  and  13  against  incorporating. 

The  first  village  election  was  held  on 
April  19,  when  a  seL  of  village  officers 
was  chosen.  Those  who  were  chosen  at 
this  initial  election  and  at  each  succeed- 
ing election  were  as  follows: 

1881=— President.  J.  W.  Cowing;  trustees,  J. 
W.  Hunter,  Ole  E.  Olson,  C.  A.  Campbell;  re- 
coixler,  M.  A.  Strong;  treasurer,  John  K. 
Brown;  justice.  H.  S.  Bailey;  constable,  Ira  G. 
Walclen. 

1882— President,  M.  A.  Strong;  trustees,  G. 
C.  Cliamberlin,  Paul  H.  Berge.  J.  W.  Hunter; 
recorder.  C.  L.  Campbell;  treasurer,  .John  Paul- 
son; justice,  M.  A.  Strong;  constable,  R.  P. 
Matteson. 

1883'— President.   M.   A.   Strong;    trustees,  J. 

^Eighty  votes  were  polled  at  the  first  election. 
There  were  contests  lor  only  two  offices:  C. 
A.  Campbell  defeated  M.  A.  Strong  for  trustee 
by  a  vote  of  42  to  35:  M.  A.  Strong  defeated  A. 
C".  Whitman  for  recorder  by  a  vote  of  44  to  35. 

"Before  the  incorporation  of  the  village  the 
matter  of  licensing  saloons  had  been  in  the 
hands  of  the  county  commissioners.  Some 
years  they  had  granted  license  tor  the  opera- 
tion of  saloons  in  Jackson;  some  years  they 
had  refused  license.  After  incorporating,  up  to 
18S3.  the  matter  had  been  left  in  the  hands  of 
the  village  council,  which  had  granted  license 
during  ISSl  and  1SS2.  In  1S.S3  the  question  was 
submitted  to  the  voters  for  the  first  time. 
Thereafter  up  to  the  present  time,  it  has  been 
voted  on  nearly  every  year.  The  following 
shows  the  results  of  these  elections,  a  vote  not 
having  been  taken  in  the  years  not  given,  but 
license  having  been  granted  during  those  years: 


\V.  Cowing,  Ale.xander  Fiddes,  .Jolui  Paulson;* 
recorder,  C.  A.  Cani|)l)ell;  treasurer,  .John  K. 
lirown.'' 

1884 — President,  Ale.icander  Fiddes;  trustees, 
A.  C.  Wliitman.  tile  Kognas,  C.  A.  Campbell; 
recorder.  K.  P.  Skinner;  treasurer,  .John  Fid- 
des; justices,  H.  W.  Peel:,  J.  A.  Goodrich;  con- 
stable,  F.   Quentin. 

188.5— President.  .J.  W.  Hunter;  trustees,  H. 
H.  Huglies,  A.  C.  Wliitman.'''  S.  Swenson;  re- 
corder. Ole  Rognas;  treasurer.  .Jolin  I'iddes; 
justice,  H.  S.  Bailey. 

1880— President,  "i'aul  H.  Berge;  trustees,  S. 
Swenson,  !•'.  Quentin,  H.  H.  Hughes;  recorder, 
Burt  W.  Day;'  treasurer,  J.  W.  Hunter;  jus- 
tice, H.  W.  Peck;   constable,  M.  L.  Ashley. 

1887 — President,  Ale.xander  Fiddes;  trustees, 
Ole  E.  Olson,  J.  W.  Cowing,  George  C.  Cham- 
berlin;'  recorder,  E.  J.  Orr;  treasurer,  J.  W. 
Hunter;  justice,  -J.  A.  Goodrich;  constable,  R. 
.J.  Henderson. 

1888 — President,  Alexander  Fiddes;  trustees, 
H.  H.  Berge,  .Jr.,  A.  H.  Strong,  G.  A.  Albertus; 
recorder,  !•'.  Quentin;  treasurer.  J.  W.  Hunter; 
justice,   H.  W.   Peck;    constable,   Henry   Olson. 

1889 — President,  Alexander  Fiddes;  trustees, 
W.  A.  Conrad,  H.  H.  Berge,  G.  A.  Albertus;  re- 
corder, E.  .J.  Orr;  treasurer,  .J.  W.  Hunter;  jus- 
tices, Josepli  Bushnell,  J.  A.  Goodrich;  con- 
.stables,  R.  J.  Henderson,  Rasmus  Hanson. 

1890 — President,  J.  W.  Cowing;  trustees,  H. 
G.  Anderson,  B.  W.  Asldey,  George  R.  Moore; 
recorder.  M.  B.  Hutchinson;  treasurer,  .J.  W. 
Hunter;  assessor,  W.  R.  Ellsworth;  justice,  A. 
C.  Serum. 

1891 — President,  Alexander  Fiddes;  trustees, 
H.  (i.  Anderson,  J.  K.  lirown,  Henry  Hoovel; 
recorder,  II.  B.  Hutcliinson;  treasurer,  .J.  W. 
Hunter;  assessor,  W.  R.  Ellsworth;  justices,  J. 
A.  fioodrieh,  V.  B.  Crane;  constables,  R.  Han- 
son, I.  S.  Barrett. 

1892— President,  M.  B.  Hutchinson;  trustees, 
A.  E.  Olson,  H.  H.  Berge,  W.  R.  Ellsworth; 
recorder,  Henrik  Strom;  treasurer,  J.  Iv. 
Brown. 

1883- For,    46;    against,    64. 

1884— For,    65;    against.    67. 

1885 — For,   59:    against,    53. 

1886— For.    86;    against.    48. 

1887- For,     62;     against,     56. 

1888 — License   by    4    majority. 

1889 — License    by    5    majority. 

1890 — For.    73;    against.    110. 

1891- For.    81;    against.    94. 

1892 — License  by  big  majority. 

1894- For,    164;    against.    64. 

1896- For,    200;    against.    115. 

1897— For.    132;    against,    103. 

1899— For.    208;    against,    87. 

1901 — For,    242;    against.    63. 

1902- For.    202;   against.    104. 

1903— For.    243;   against.    94. 

1909— For,   192;  against.   171. 

"Resigned  June  5.  1883.     No  successor  selected. 

'Did  not  qualify.  John  Fiddes  appointed 
June.    1883. 

"Removed  from  county.  C.  B.  Tuttle  appoint- 
ed December  15,  1885. 

•Resigned  January  10.  18S7.  and  E.  J.  Orr 
appointed. 

'Resigned  June  7.  1887.  and  O.  A.  Sathe  ap- 
pointed. 


230 


HISTOHY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


1893— President.    \V.   V.    rorliiiaiiii:    tnistfos,  1!M)5— Presi.l.'iit.    (.'.    I,.    Miiki-v:    tnihiU-cs,    11. 

H.    (i.    Anderson.    \V.    II.   .larvis,    t».    A.    Siitho;  U.    i;illes|>ii-.   C.    A.    AiUi-n.'=    F.'  H.    KaUer;'  re- 

recorder,  lleurik  .'^triini:   treasnrer,  .1.  \V.  Ilnn-  cordi-r.  .lolin  liiirnliani:  treasurer,  .1.  K.  Hrown- 

ter;   a.ssessor,  C.  11.  Sandon.  assessor,  K.   A.  Cnildke:    justiee.  .Iiisepli   .Sniy- 

18'J4 — President,    li.    (i.    Anderson;     trustees,  kal;    eonstalde.    Hen    -Matteson. 

U.  \V.   Priest,  (;eor};e   liurnliam.  \V.   H.  Sketeh;  llMIt;     President.   C.    L.    .Miekey :    trustees,   H. 

reeorder,    Alexander    l-iddes;     treasurer,    .).    K.  H.  (;ill<'s|iic,  K.   H.  Kalier.  A.  S.  Kinj;;   recorder, 

Hrown;    assessor.    Neils    Ludviijsen;    justice.   .1.  .lohn   Hurnliani:   treasurer..!.  K.   Itrown:  asses- 

J.   Walhicc;    constal>li'.    A.  .1.    Patt<Tson.  sor.    I!.  .A.   tiruldke:    justices.    W.    P.    Kinj;,  Jo- 

1K!I.")     I'resident,  W.  H.  Sketch;   trustees.  (Hi  •-epli  Sniykal. 

ver   Hrown.   II.    H.   lier^'C,  .Ir.,   K.   \V.    Lindslc\  ;  l!l(i;      President,   K.  T.  Sinitli;   trustees,  .lolin 

recorder,    Alexander    Kiddes;     treasurer,    J.     K.  .\lc.\lartin,    Clarence    (ireenwood,    Ceorge    Kel- 

Hrown:  assessor,  A.  H.  Strong;  justices,  James  sey;    reeorder,   .John    Hnrnham;"   treasurer,   W. 

Burnliani,    .J.    A.    Coodrich:    constables.    J.    \V.  D.    Hunter;    assessor,   .lohn    Haldwin:"   justice, 

iluir,  (lie  Anilcrson.  .Iose|)h  Sniykal;  constables,  .M.   li.   Du I'rank 

1891)— President.  \V.  B.  Sketeh;  trustees,  Oli-  tiillespie. 
ver  Brown,   K.    W.  Lindsley,   11.    11.    Herge.  .Ii.;  liMlH     President.    II.    M.    Burnliam;     trustees, 
recorder.    Alexander    Fiddes;     treasurer,    .J.    K.  lolin   .\lc.\lartin.  C.  W.  (.reenwood.  Frank   Phil- 
Brown;    assessor,   C.    H.   Sandon.  Ii|is;    rcccmler.  .J.   (i.   Robertson;    treasurer,    W. 

1897— President,    John     L.     Uann;     trustees,  U.  Hunter;  justice,  \V.  P.  King;  asses,sor,  Wil- 

Frank  Phillips.  .lames  Lowe.  A.   il.  Strong;   re-  liam  \'.   King. 

corder.    F.    B.    Faber;    treasurer,   .1.    K.    Brown;  19119-  President,    Chris    Ludvig.scn:     trustees, 

assessor,   C.    il.    Sandon:    justices,   .1.    A.    (lood-  John   Mc.Martin,  C.   W.  (ireenwood,  \V.   H.  An- 

rich,  JIark   D.  Ashley;    (onstables,  .1.   \V.   .\Iuir.  nis;  recorder,  J.  (i.  Kobertson;  treasurer,  W.  I). 

.Joseph  Trca.  Hunter;    assessor,  J.   \'.   Beyer;    ju.stiee,   F.   E. 

1898     President.  John  L.  Dann;   trustees.  A.  Bailey;   constables,  II.  B.  Dunn,  O.  C.  I^ee. 

H.  Strong,  .lames  Lowe.  Charles  \Vasld)urn:  re-  n,,        i      i               -n 

corder,  F.  B.  Faber;   treasurer.  .1.  K.  Brown.  '  '""  .'ncksou   Vllla<;e  govemnient   was 

1899 -President.  .lohn   L.   Uann;    trustees.  (!.  liojillll    nl    nine   o'c'loi'k    in    till'    morililli;   of 

11.  Sawyer,  F.  F.  Harlow.  .Jolin  X'oda;    recorder,  li--;  i.,,.      4,,,.;i    o.i     looi         i          ii                   -i 

F.   B.  Faber:    treasurer.  J.   K.  Brown;   assessor!  *"''">•     ^'nl    i^,   IShl,   when  the  council 

William    V.    King:    justices.    J.    A.   (Joodrich.  met  for  the  first  tiiuo.     The  first  o(ricial 

Mark   I).  Ashley;"  constables,  Benjamin   llarri-  „_f     „<■*„_  +.,|.:„  ,   »i, ,    „.,ti.,      t      it- 

son.  J.  W.  Sluir.  takinjj  tlie  oatiis  of  otlue,  wa.s 

1900— President.  M.  B.  Hutchinson;    trustees,  to   appdilU     1".    T.    Ilnntiin.   Street   COinniis- 

r,:    M!r["';r\''nV'7'"'  '''•''•  r'r'-,r'"''*'  ^'""<'>--      -^    c-.tninituv    was    appointed    to 

er,   Mark    I).   Ashley;    treasurer.  .1.    1\.    Brown:  '' 

a.ssessor.  William   V.  King:   <(instalih's.  .loseph  notify   the   saloon    keepers   that   tlicv   must 

^T^i'^'lV  '"r^V   I  ,      M    V    I      .      .        .-  '■'■'''*''  sellinjj  intoxicating  liquors  until  li- 

liHll  —  President,  .lohn    M.   \  cnhi ;    trustees.   1'.  p-        i 

F.    Harlow,"    H.    II.    Bcrge,    Chris    Ludvigsen;  cen.sed   hy   the    vilhl-^e   council.      At    a    SCC- 

recorder,    Mark    »•    A-^l<le.v;    treasurer,    J.    K.  nml    meet  in-  of   tiie   council,   held   on   the 

Hrown;  assessor,  William  \.  King:  justices.  .1.  . 

A.  (Joodrich,  C.  J.  Wethe:  constable.  Ben  Mat-  cvenincr  of  the  Same  day,  ordinance  Xo.  1, 

^'^umo    T.       I     ,    A^-    1)    fi    .  .      .      .        Ti  fi-^ing  liquor  licenses  at  $200  ]K>r  annum, 

1902— Presidi'iil .   \\  .    H.   Skctih:    trustees,   H.  '                        ' 

H.    Berge.    II.    .M,    Ihiniham.    F.    II.    Phillips;"  "'1*^   passed. 

recorder.  W.  II.  Miller:  treasurer.  J.  K.  Brown;  The    first     village     linaiuial     Statement 

assessor,    William    \.    King:    constable.    M.    L.  . 

Frost.  shows  the  receipts  and  expenditures  from 

ino.s-Presidcnt.  K.  K.  stui.bs;   trustees.  M.  the  date  of  organization,  April  22,  18«1, 

L.   Frost.   II.    .\I,    Burnliam.  John    Peterson.  Jr.;  .,            ,          ,  ,     ,      ,,            ,    •            ,  „ 

recorder.  W  .  II.  Miller:  treasurer.  J.  K.  Brown:  ''^    Deceniiier  .iO.    l.SSl,  and   is  as   follows: 

assessor.    William    V.    King;     justices,    J.    A.  KKCEIPTS. 

fJoodricli.  C.  .1.  Wethe;   constables,  Ben  Matte-       Fcrrv     fees     $242.90 

son,  V.   W.  Avery.  Sale"  of    boat '.3o!oO 

1904  — President.    II.    M.    Burnhani;     trustees.       Liquor    licen.se    243.2,5 

H.  B.  Cillespie.  .lohn  Peterson.  .Ir..  M.  L.  Frost ;       Peddler    licen.se     0.00 

recorder.  W.  II.  .Miller;  treasurer,  J.  K.  Hrown;       Butcher    license    20.00 

assessor.  \\'illi;im  \'.  King:  justici',  W,  P.  King,       Dog  license    30,00 

.Auctioneer   license 2.00 


•Resigned  March  H.  liiOO.  to  accept  olTice  of 
recorder.  C.  J.  Wethe  appointed  March  27. 
1900. 

'"Resigned,  and  on  May  31.  1901.  F,  II,  Phil- 
lips a|>polnted. 

"Resigned  June  20.  1902.  and  .Andrew  Nelson 
appointed  June  2t,  1902.  Mr.  Nelson  resigned 
January  5.  19n3.  and  Jf)hn  Peterson.  Jr..  was 
appointed. 


$589.1. 5 

"Died  In  June.  1905.  and  on  June  6  A.  S.  King 
appointed. 

'■'RcslKned  and  Gordon  Robertson  appointed 
September  3.    190". 

"Resigned  in  April.  1907.  and  R.  A.  Gruhike 
appointed. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


231 


EXPENDITURES. 

Books  .iml  bliiiiks    $     3.51 

Kerry   boat    50. (X) 

liunnini!   ferry   boat 110.50 

lielmikliiis  bridge    250.00 

Saving  old   bridge .'i .  50 

Planks   for  bridges 47   110 

Lumber  and   nails  for  crossings 71   30 

Work  on  streets  and  crossings 44. 50 

Attorney's   fees    5 .  00 

Doctor's    fees    5.00 

Recording     7.50 

Cash  overpaid  by  Heiiter 12.00 

$610.59 

There  was  not  such  great  activity  in 
I)uik1ing  operations  during  1881  as  there 
liarl  been  for  a  few  years  preceding,  and 
the  town  .settled  down  to  a  normal  basis, 
(iood  times  came  upon  the  country,  and 
Jackson  developed  into  an  excellent  trad- 
ing point  in  consequence.  An  indication 
of  the  town's  business  is  shown  by  a  state- 
ment of  tlic  impoiti  and  exports  by  rail. 
During  the  year  1881  there  were  imported 
7^893,912  pounds  of  freight.  This  in- 
cluded 42  cars  of  coal  and  169  cars  of 
lumber.  The  exports  reached  a  total  of 
3.:)02,TT4  pounds,  including  40  cars  of 
wlieat,  32  of  oats,  8  of  barley,  5  of  flax, 
31  of  iiogs,  2T  of  cattle  and  3  of  butter. 
The  following  table  shows  the  exports  by 
pounds : 

Wheat     842,830 

Barlev     171.340 

Oats  ■ 072.040 

( Jrass    seed    2,800 

Kla.v    seed    106,370 

Flour     11,350 

Egg.s                                     13,260 

Butter     61,2.37 

Tallow     1,330 

Wool    10,045 

Hides     32,226 

Horses     3,.500 

Cattle    .546,000 

Hogs    632.000 

Sheep     32,000 

Other    items    119,844 

Total 3,302,774 

Over  $17,01)0    wortli    of    l)uilding    im- 
provements were  made  in  1882,  as  follows: 

.John   K.   Brown,   five  cottages $  4,500 

.J.  Gould,   millinery   store 1,000 

S.    Swenson,    residence 1,000 


Ole    Anderson,    residence 1,000 

.lackson    mill,    addition.' 700 

Ely  &   Brooks,  improvements  on  mill...  2,000 

Berge    Bros.,    store 1,800 

U.   W.   Stone,  residence 1,000 

K.    >I.    Ward,    residence 900 

Krick    Olson,    cottage 225 

K.  .1.   Henderson,  blacksmith   shop 200 

F.   W.   Lindsley,  barn 200 

W.    1'".   Turner',    barn 500 

Scliool    District,    improvements 250 

I!.    P.    ilatteson.   addition 200 

B.    W.    .\shley,    improvements 450 

O'Connell   &    Joyce,   saloon 500 

W.  A.   Pepper,  residence 300 

0.    A.    Sathe.    addition 150 

Levi    Davis,   improvements 60 

M.    S.    Clough,    residence 400 

Total     .$17,535 

A  business  and  prolessional  directory  of 

Jackson,  jirepared   in  tin-  sju'ing  of  1884. 

was  as  follows: 

KEXERAL   MERCHANDISE. 
.J.  W.  Cowing. 
().   E.  Olson. 
Berge  Brothers. 
.1.  W.  Hunter. 
H.  W.  Peck. 

GROCERIES. 
A.  C.  Whitman. 
A.  E.  Olson. 
William   Smith. 

DRUG   STORES. 
A.  C.   Whitman. 
,T.  W.  Cowing. 
Berge  Brothers. 

HARDWARE. 
Alexander   Fiddes. 

E.  P.  Skinner. 

BLACTCSMITH  SHOPS. 
Swenson  &   Sathe. 
R.  .J.  Henderson. 
.John  Jiuigbauer. 

HOTELS. 
Ashley  House,  William  Lamont. 
American   House.   .Jacob    Hoesli. 

LUMBER  YARDS. 
Colman    Lumber    Company,    H.    H.    Hughes, 
Agent. 

Paul    Lumber    Company,    C.     A.    Campbell, 
Agent. 

IMPLEMENT  DEALERS. 

F.  W.  Lindsley. 
Ale.xander  Fiddes. 
E.  P.  Skinner. 

A.  H.  Strong. 

REAL   ESTATE   DEALERS. 
George  R.   Moore. 
Fredericksen  &  Company. 
W.  T.  Hansen. 
Horton.  Gillerup  &  Horton. 
Willis    Drummond. 

ATTORNEYS. 
T.  J.  Knox. 
D.  M.  DeVore. 


232 


IIISTOIiY  dl' .IA(  KSON  ('(»!  NTY, 


MISCKLLANEOUS. 
Joliii  K.  Uriiwii,  Hank  of  Jackson. 
K.  I',  (ioiiki,  iilivsiiian. 
Hrooks  &   Kalv,  lloiiiiiif,'  mill. 
Koiitliil  t'leaiMoiy  (-'iiiiipaii_v,  crcainory. 
-Miss  K.  II.  Gould,  niillinciy. 
Olo  Ixogiias,  fiiiiiitiiie. 
Swenson   &    Sallie,   wa{;oii   fai'tory. 
G.   \\'.  Arcntsoti,   shoo  .shop. 
Oeoige  A.  Stark,  coo|i('r  shoj). 
Levi    Davis,  tailor  shop. 

I.  (1.  Waldeii,  iiuNU  iiiaiki't. 
<:.   .\.  Alhcrtiis.  harness  shop. 

II.  W'hiti'.  dray   line. 

!•'.    1..   l!raylon,  livery  anil   Ims   linr. 
I.  Kvcnson.  paint  shop. 
Krcd  (^uciilin.  carpenter. 
14\irt   W.   Day,  newspaper. 
Henry    Iloesli,  barher  shop. 

During  tlie  iiiiddli!  and  later  eighties 
Jaek.son  (tdiitimied  to  grow  slowly,  and 
prosperous  times  were  enjoyed.  Tiie  iiii- 
proveiiieiits  for  tile  year  IS.St  amounted  to 
a  little  over  $l.").l)00.  The  jjopidation  in 
1885  was  608. 

ivirly  in  ISS.S  Jaekson  beeame  a  divis- 
ion point  of  the  t'hieago,  Jlilwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  railroad,  and  thereby  added  lo 
its  impoiiaiire.  This  event  was  brought 
about  largely  through  the  elVorls  of  ,Iaek- 
soii  citizens,  j)artictilarly.  .1.  K.  Brown, 
Alexander  Fiddes,  V.  II.  Berge,  T.  J. 
Knox  and  .7.  W.  Cowing.  Over  $100,000 
worth  of  rnilroail  buildings  were  ereeted, 
including  an  eight-stall  round  hmise.  'J'he 
securing  of  the  divi.sion  point  was  not 
accomplished  without  a  concession  on  the 
part  of  the  village.  This  was  the  permis- 
sion given  the  railway  company  to  move 
the  passenger  and  freight  depots  from  the 
original  location  to  a  point  farther  from 
the  business  part  of  town. 

By  the  term?  of  an  agreement  nuide  in 
187!),  incorporated  in  a  legislative  act,  the 
railroad  ciimpnny  had  agreed  to  forever 
maintain  its  de])ot  on  the  spur  track  wliore 
it  had  been  originally  located,  but  when 
the  proposition  of  establishing  a  division 
|>oint  at  .lackson  arose,  the  company  de- 
nuinded  the  right  to  move  the  depot  to 
the  main  line.  A  mass  meeting  of  the  citi- 


zens of  .lackson  decided  to  permit  this, 
and  on  .\iigust  «.  iN.s;.  the  village  coun- 
cil  jiassed  an  ordinance  granting  the  de- 
itiand  of  the  railroad  company,  provided 
the  town  be  made  division  headquarters 
and  an  eight-stall  round  house  built  and 
maintained.  'J'he  ae.xt  spring  the  Minne- 
sota legislature  legalized  the  municipal  act, 
and  the  depot  was  moved. 

Among  the  improvements  of  the  early 
nineties  wa.s  the  water  works  system, 
which  was  put  in  during  1892.  The  year 
before  the  legislature  had  authorized  the 
village  to  vote  on  the  question  of  issuing 
l)onds  for  the  purpose,  and  at  the  election 
on  Xovend)er  ;i,  1891,  by  a  vote  of  81  to 
19,  the  electors  authorized  the  council  to 
issue  $10,000  bonds.  The  bonds  were  .sold 
in  the  fall  of  1S9'..'  at  a  premium  of  $:?.")9, 
and  the  system  was  installed. 

Prosperous  limes  ciiiue  upon  the  village 
in  1892.  and  great  strides  forward  were 
made.  More  building  improvements  were 
made  that  year  than  in  the  five  years  pre- 
ceding and  were  of  a  total  value  of  $9;?,- 
17"),  A  few  of  the  principal  items  were 
as  follows:  Water  works  system,  $13,000; 
.\shley  house,  $10,000;  Harlow  house. 
$9,000;  Boston  block,  $6,500;  P,  H, 
Berge,  residence,  $4,000 ;  C.  L.  Colby,  resi- 
dence, $3,500;  G.  B.  Paddock,  residence, 
$3,000;  Catholic  church,  $3,000;  C.  A. 
Portmann,  residence,  $3,200 ;  J,  V.  Ma- 
kovicka  saloon  luiilding  $3,100;  Presby- 
terian parsonage,  $1,600;  William  V. 
King,  residence,  $1.50();  Sakcdik  &  Co., 
store  building.  $1,500:  I'.  1'.  Ifaverberg, 
residence,  $1,100;  Hiiiry  llixivel,  resi- 
dence. $1,300. 

In  1893  the  improvements  amounted  to 
$71,300,  and  among  the  principal  items 
were  the  State  Bank  of  Jackson  building 
at  $15,000  and  the  J.  W.  Hunter  brick 
block  at  $7,000.  Tn  the  summer  of  1893 
came  the  memorable  panic  and  the  result- 
ant  hard    times   period,   and  the   village 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY.  233 

was  at  a  standstill  for  a  few  years.  Busi-  sewerage  begun.     The  improvements   for 

ness  was  jjaralyzed  ;  the  town  was  without  Ihe  year  amounted  to  $103,0G.5.,    Among 

life.     The  setback  proved  only  temporary,  those  wlio   contributed    to    this    amount 

and    within    a    few   years,    owing    to    the  were: 

laising  of  magnificent  crops  and  the  big     .Jackson  Village,  light  plant $15,000 

TL«e    in    real    estate   values.    Jackson    was     ^""'^  ^^''""^^ lO'^f 

Oliver    Brown    8,000 

again  on   the  forward  march.  Ilieleman   Brewing  Company 7,000 

The  town  had  reached  a  population  of     f"  Matteson  . .   " ti.ooo 

^    J^  Raymond   Bartosch    G.OOO 

1,3.5G  when  the  census  of  1895  was  taken.     Alexander   Fiddes    5^000 

Despite  the   fact   that   complete   recoverv     ^^-  «■  Rol^f-rtson 4,000 

'  .  ^  -       .Joseph    Berry    3.500 

from  the  hard  times  period  had  not  been     Berge   Brothers    3,000 

reached    and    that  times  were  considered     V'V"  ^'"l^!"   ■■■.• -300 

.Jackson   village,  city  sewer 2.000 

dull,  the  record  of  improvements  for  1895     Ross  JJvengood  2.000 

was  flattering.     An  estimate  made  by  the     '^^'■«-   Hamlon    2,000 

Pilot  placed  the  total  at  $81,330.  This  The  first  steps  toward  installing  the 
included  $31,000  for  two  new  school  electric  lighting  system  were  taken  on 
buildings,  $11,000  for  the  Jackson  Queen  ilarch  16,  1899,  when,  at  a  special  elec- 
mill,  $7,400  for  the  Livcngood  &  Co.  mill  tion,  by  a  vote  of  194  to  38,  it  was  de- 
aiiil  $3,500  for  city  improvements.  Busi-  cided  to  issue  $10,000  bonds  for  the  pur- 
uess  depression  and  commercial  stagnation  |iose.  The  contract  for  the  construction 
continued  during  1S9G.  The  improvements  of  the  plant  was  let  September  8,  1899, 
for  the  year  were  valued  at  $35,800.  By  to  the  Northwestern  Electric  Light  com- 
1898  times  had  become  much  better.  That  pany  of  St.  Paul,  and  to  the  Ideal  En- 
year  were  erected  the  .\nderson  &  Lindsley  gine  company  of  the  same  city.  The  plant 
block  at  a  cost  of  $14,000  and  the  M.  B.  was  completed  within  a  few  nionth.s,  and 
Hutchinson  block  at  a  cost  of  $11,000.  Jackson  was  lighted  by  electricity  for  the 
Other  improven.ents  brought  the  total  to  first  time  in  January,  1900. 
$58,375.  Building  operations  were  not  prosecu- 
The  years  1899  to  1903,  inclusive,  con-  ted  so  vigorously  in  1900.  The  principal 
stituted  a  most  prosperous  era  in  Jackson,  buildings  put  up  that  year  were  the  M. 
as  well  as  in  the  county  and  the  whole  J.  Olsen  block,  $9,000;  the  H.  G.  Ander- 
nortliwest  country.  Land  values  soared  son  block,  $3,000  ;  the  Oliver  Brown  block, 
and  hundreds  of  new  settlers  came  to  $3,000;  and  several  fine  residences.  I'he 
Jackson  county.  The  effect  on  Jackson  population  in  1900,  according  to  the  fed- 
was  a  healthy  growth  in  all  lines  of  busi-  eral  census,  was  l,75fi. 
ness.  New  enterprises  came  into  existence  Nineteen  hundred  one  was  a  good  year 
and  prosperity  abounded.  The  first  year  in  the  building  line,  the  expenditures 
of  this  era  was  the  most  prosperous  one  amounting  to  $84,400.  Some  of  the  prin- 
in  the  history  of  the  village  and  almost  cipal  items  were  as  follows :  Presbyterian 
took  the  nature  of  a  boom.  Many  brick  church,  $13,000 ;  J.  K.  Brown,  business 
blocks  were  erected  and  the  main  street  block.  $10,000 ;  A.  C.  Seniin,  residence 
was  in  a  state  of  confusion  all  summer  as  $5,500 ;  W.  E.  Manchester,  residence,  $5,- 
a  result  of  building  operations.  In  addi-  000 ;  Lind.sley  &  Anderson,  business  block, 
tion  to  other  enterprises,  a  municipal  elee-  $4,500 ;  H.  H.  Berge,  residence,  $4,000 ; 
trie  lighting  system  was  installed,  a  tele-  Y.  W.  Avery,  residence,  $3,500;  Episcopal 
phone  system  was  put  in,  and  a  system  of  church,   $3,000;   F.   B.    Faber,   residence, 

14 


234 


HISTOJ;\  ol 


AC  K.SO.N  UOINTV. 


$3,000;  John  Muir.  residence,  $3,000; 
John  A'acek,  shoji  and  residence,  $2,000; 
Ross  Livengood.  mill  improvements,  $2,- 
000:  T.  T.  Thniiip>on.  residence,  $2,000; 
]-"rani<  Koli'ran,  residence,  $2,000. 

In  1902  the  money  expended  in  Jackson 
on  new  buildincs  was  $!)r).G00.  some  of  the 
larger  items  being:  Jackson  county,  jail, 
$17,750;  Jackson  flour  mill,  $15,000;  H. 
]\I.  Burnham  &  Co.,  brick  block,  $12,000; 
T.  J.  Knox,  residence,  $10,000;  Jackson 
Telephone  compam,  $6,000 :  H.  B.  Gilles- 
pie, residence,  $3,400. 

The  prosperous  times  which  Jackson 
had  lieen  enjoying  for  a  nundrer  of  years 
tcruiiuaii'd   in   lOO.'J.  and   fur  a   few  years 


thereafter  tlie  advancement  was  slower. 
I)ue  to  an  abnormal  rainfall,  there  were 
a  few  years  of  partial  crop  failures,  and 
but  little  progress  was  made.  The  census 
of  1905  gave  a  population  of  1776,  a  gain 
of  only  twenty  in  five  years.  This  was 
a  better  showing  than  most  towns  of 
southwestern  Minnesota  made  during 
those  five  years,  many  showing  a  loss. 

Conditions  returned  to  a  normal  basis 
in  1908,  and  in  thus  year  of  our  Lord 
191(1  Jackson  is  again  in  prosperous  cir- 
cumstances. Among  the  events  of  re- 
cent year.s  is  to  be  recorded  the  completion 
of  the  Jackson  county  court  house  in  1909 
at  a  cost  cif  over  ^llT.iiOd. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


JACKSON'S  ENTERPEISES. 


THE   SCHOOLS. 


OXE  of  the  first  institutions  to  be 
provided  after  the  founding  of  a 
town  is  the  public  school.  In 
Jackson  the  school  came  two  years  before 
the  town.  The  first  school  conducted  with- 
in the  limits  of  the  village  was  taught  by 
iliss  Anna  Thomas,  daughter  of  Joseph 
Thomas,  in  1864.  The  term  was  a  short 
one,  just  long  enough  to  secure  the  money 
of  the  state  appropriation.  The  students 
who  attended  this  initial  school  were  Hal- 
vor  Halverson,  Lewis  Halverson,  Annie 
ilalverson,  John  Halverson,  Joseph  Thom- 
as, Mary  Thomas,  Alice  Tucker,  Weda 
Woodard,  Mary  Woodard,  Lucina  Wood- 
ard  and   George  Palmer. 

During  1865  and  1866  quite  a  number 
of  families  located  in  the  vicinity,  and  in 
the  latter  year  the  village  of  Jackson  was 
founded.  Although  the  platted  town  was 
on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  for  some 
time  the  Jackson  school  was  conducted  in 
district  No.  1,  on  the  east  side.^  Mrs.  B. 
H.  Johnson  taught  the  school  during  the 
winter  of  1866-67  at  her  home  in  the  old 
stockade,  south  of  tlie  Thomas  home.  The 


*The  county  commissioners  created  district 
No.  1,  including:  several  sections  in  Wisconsin 
township  and  in  that  part  of  Des  Moines  east 
of  the  river,  on  March  13.  1S66.  No  2,  including 
all  of  Des  Moines  west  of  the  river,  was  created 
September  4,   1S66. 


pupils  attending  were  Ida  Clough,  Joe 
Clough,  Joe  Thomas,  Johnnie  Halverson, 
Leonard  F.  A.shle_y,  Halvor  Halverson, 
Lewis  Halverson,  George  Palmer,  Perry 
Eddy,  Frank  Bailey,  Wallace  Bailey,  Eol- 
lin  Johnson,  John  Charles  Ashley,  Lee 
Palmer,  Mary  Earned  and  Will  Dayton. 
The  next  winter  William  V.  King  taught 
the  school  at  his  home  on  the  east  side 
of  the  river. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  a  school  house  was 
built  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  near 
the  bayou  at  the  foot  of  Third  street.  It 
wa.s  built  of  native  lumber  and  its  di- 
mensions were  16.xl8  feet,  with  eight  foot 
posts.-  Major  H.  S.  Bailey  provided  the 
money  to  build  it,  and  he  was  later  reim- 
bursed by  the  school  district.  School  was 
taught  in  the  building  during  the  winter 
of  1868-69  and  the  summer  of  1869  by 
Miss  Mandy  Mario,  who  received  a  salary 
of  $1.5  per  month.  The  winter  terra  was 
of  three  months  duration,  and  there  were 
enrolled  thirty-four  pupils — nineteen  boys 
and  fifteen  girls;  the  average  daily  at- 
tendance was  twenty-five.  There  was  also 
three  months  school  during  the  summer, 
and  the  total  cnroliment  was  twenty-eight 
— nineteen  boys  .ind  nine  girls — with  an 

=This    building   still   stands   in    the    village   and 
is  now  used  as  a  chicken  house. 


235 


236 


HlSTOiiY  OF  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


averajre  daily  attendance  of  twent}'.^  There 
wcrr  li:!  ell  ill!  run  bciwccn  tlie  ages  of 
(ivo  and  twenty-one  years  in  tlie  district 
at  the  close  of  the  school  year  in  Scpluni- 
bep-,  1869,  according  to  the  report  of  the 
clerk,  W.  S.  Kiniball.|  The  financial  state- 
ment for  the  lirst  year  of  the  scliool's  his- 
tory, made  hy  W.  S.  Kimball,  clerk,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1869,  is  an  interesting  docu- 
ment.    It  is  as  follows: 


.Aiiiount  on  liaiid  September  30, 
1868   

Received  from  coiuity   treasurer 

Received  from  tax  voted  l)y  dis- 
trict      

fioneral    sinking    fund 

Amount  received  from  otlicr 
sources    


$  00.00 
00.00 

191.42 
54.42 

8.05 


Total  amount  received. 


,..$2.50.17 


'According  to  a  list  of  property  owners  in 
the  district  made  by  the  school  clorlt  Septem- 
ber la.  lS6ii.  there  were  fifty-two  residents  lia- 
l,le  to  school  district  tax.  They  were  as  fol- 
lows: B.  W.  .Vshley.  Mcnzo  Ashley.  P.  Brown. 
H.  S.  Bailey.  C.  HaUlwii..  Orin  Belknap.  A.  J. 
Borland.  Richanl  Bowden.  S.  M.  Clark.  J.  W. 
Cowing.  G.  C.  Chamberlin.  M.  S.  Clough.  Ed- 
ward Davics.  B.  D.  Dayton.  Hi-nry  K.  Kvans. 
I.  F.  Eddv.  Nathaniel  Frost.  S.  E.  Ford.  R.  R. 
Foster.  \V.  C.  Garratt.  Palmer  Hill.  J.  W.  Hun- 
ter. I.ars  Halverson.  B.  H.  Johnson.  W.  S. 
Kimball.  Baldwin  Kirkpatrick.  F.  K.  Lyman. 
Lewis  Lvman.  Gimubo  P.  Lee.  H.  Lyman.  J.  M. 
Miller.  .Michael  MilUr.  J.  .\.  Myer.  Munger  & 
Hale  Andrew  Monson.  J.  R.  Palmer.  Jaretl 
Palmer,  C.  H.  Rcdford.  Edward  Savage.  C.  H. 
Sandon.  Joseph  Thomis.  H.  L.  'IMiomas.  A.  B. 
Tompkins.  H.  T.  Trnmblc.  Joseph  F,.  Thomas. 
S.  E.  Trask.  .\  E.  Wood.  Willard  Wiltso.  T.  H. 
White,  Isaac  Wheeler.  B.  N.  W'oodard.  J.  C. 
Young. 

'The  names  and  ages  of  these  were  as  fol- 
lows: RoUa  Johnson  10.  Joseph  Thomas.  Jr.. 
■m.  Alonzo  Wilsev  9.  Edwin  Wilsey  11.  Elmer 
Wllsey  G.  Lewis  Halverson  in,  Ilalvor  Halver- 
son 20,  .Mva  Clough.  George  Palmer  11.  Lee 
Palmer  S,  Harrv  Fields  8.  John  Fieliis  5.  Ben 
Woodard.  I,  H,  Barnes  18.  John  ll.alverson  12, 
Arthur  Halverson  .■>,  William  Smith  15,  Perry  E. 
ICddv  8,  Joseph  Palmer  17.  Frank  Bailey  1,^, 
Wallace  Bailev  12,  Nett  Wood  C.  Rollln  Trum- 
bull 7,  R.  Trumbull  12,  Orin  Lindsley  12,  Leon- 
ard Ashlcv  16.  William  C.  Trumbull  U.  George 
Evans  17.  John  Davis  12.  Oscar  Alexander  7, 
J  B  Frost  5.  F.  W.  Lindsley  IS.  Delanny  Linds- 
ley !1  W.  W  Topin  12.  W.  S.  Dayton  17.  S.  F. 
D.ayton  19.  Louis  Miner  20.  Gus  Wood  Ifi,  David 
Reed  Ifi  Ellas  Reed  12.  Adelbert  Reed  11.  GIr- 
shim  Foster  19.  D.  K.  Bard.  Richard  Bowden 
14  Daniel  Bowden  10.  Samiiel  Peter  Bowden  S, 
Ira  A  Walden  Ifi,  Marv  Thomas  IS,  Ida  Clough 
12,  Maggie  Baldwin  5.  Mary  Woodard,  Doratha 
Mon.son  7.  Marv  Monson  11,  Anna  Monson  7, 
Christina  Mon.son  5,  Anna  Halverson  IS,  Carrie 
Halverson  10,  Lorlnda  Fields  In,  Marian  Fields 
1"  Kate  Fields  10.  Emma  Lee  13,  Hattie  Lee  S. 
Flora  Frost  7,  M,  E.  Trumbull  IS.  Winifred 
Llndslev  S.  Edith  Lindsley  fi,  Mary  Lindsley  S, 
Eva  Eddv  7,  Mnrv  A.  Miller  S,  Agnes  Davton 
20  Ida  Peterson  17,  Laura  Evans  10,  May  Evans 
8  Emma  Evans  fi.  Frances  Davis  10.  Jane 
Davis  S,  F.  A.  Lindsley  16.  Laura  Lindsley  14. 
A     B.   Lindsley   12,    Alice   Lindsley.    Ada   Llnds- 


Paid   for  teacher's  waj^es   durinj; 

year     GO  on 

Paid  for  rejjairs  on  scliool  house 

and    jiremises    411.71 

I'aiil   for   fuel,  etc .5!). 41 

Paid  for  all  other  purposes 42,50 


Total   paid  durinp   year $212,12 

Money   on   lian.l  .  .$  41 .73' 

For  several  years  after  tlie  little  Imild- 
ing  (the  seating  capacity  of  which  was 
about  25)  had  outgrown  its  usefulness  it 
was  used  for  school  purposes.  In  the  fall 
of  1869  Miss  Theresa  Rice  was  employed 
as  teacher,  and  in  1870  A.  H.  Strong  was 
employed  to  conthict  the  school.  As  is  so 
often  the  case,  efforts  to  provide  ample 
scliool  facilities  met  with  discouragement. 
On  December  A,  ISIO.  the  voters  of  ilie 
district  decided  to  build  a  new  school 
house  at  a  cost  of  not  over  $4,000.  On  the 
•.^(itli  of  tlie  same  montli  another  meeting 
was  held,  wbeii  a  building  coniniittee  was 
named  to  construct  a  .school  house  at  a 
cost  of  not  more  (ban  $4,500  or  less  than 
$l,.")(in.  Hut  for  \arious  reasons,  the  prin- 
cipal one  being  the  opposition  of  some  of 
the  tax  payers,  the  work  was  not  prosecu- 
ted. As  a  result  no  school  was  held  dur- 
ing the  winter  months,  the  old  building 
being  declared  unfit  for  school  purposes. 

Early  in  187-2  the  question  of  budd- 
ing a  school  house  again  became  a  live  is- 
sue. The  building  committee  named  in 
1870  made  preparations  to  begin  constnu- 
tion.  but  at  a  school  meeting  held  in  Feb- 
ruarv  the  voters  reconsidered  the  action 
taken  and  decided  to  jiostpone  the  work. 
'{'be  action  was  taken  (Hi  account  of  strong 
opposition  because  of  dread  of  increased 
ta.xes.  Wiien  the  court  house  was  complete 
ed  in  December,  1872,  arrangements  wer(> 

lev  5.  Ella  Topin  S,  Ida  Topin  6,  Amelia  Kel- 
logg IB,  Hnttle  Benton  15.  P.  M,  Kimball  11, 
Lizzie  Kimball  5.  Minnesota  Freeman  Tt.  Hat- 
tie  G,irralt  S,  IL'.nna  (^lwlng  19,  Luenea  A. 
Foster  IS.  Laura  B.  Hill  20.  Sarah  Bard  Ifi, 
.\ima  S.  B.ird  14.  Ruhmina  Bard  S.  Bard  10, 
Sarah  A.  Bowden  fi.  Jenia  Lyman  19,  Freeman 
Sweden    12,    Emma   Gilbert    6, 

'The  ability  of  the  clerk  to  add  and  subtract 
Is  open  to   doubt. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COTTNTY. 


237 


made  to  occupy  one  of  the  rooms  in  it,  but 
dissensions  arose,  and  the  idea  was  aban- 
doned. Then  the  hall  over  J.  W.  Cowing's 
>toTe  was  rented  and  school  was  begi.m 
there  December  30,  1872. 

Again  in  tlie  spring  of  1873  the  dis- 
trict decided  to  Iniild  a  frame  house  at  a 
cost,  including  grounds  and  furniture,  of 
not  more  than  $4,000,  but  because  of  the 
stringency  of  the  money  market,  funds 
-•ould  not  be  obtained,  and  the  work  was 
postponed.  Favorable  action  was  again  tak- 
en February  5,  1874.  wlicn  the  school  of- 
ficers were  authorized  to  bond  for  $3,600 
for  the  purpo.se  of  providing  Jackson  with 
a  suitable  school  house,  and  this  time  the 
work  was  accomplished.  The  contractor 
was  J.  0.  Grout,  and  he  completed  the 
building  (now  used  as  the  city  hall)  late 
in  November.  Its  cost  was  $3,600,  and  it 
i.s  said  to  have  been  the  finest  school 
building  in  southwestern  Minnesota,  out- 
side of  Mankato,  at  the  time. 

By  act  of  the  legislature  in  1881  school 
district  No.  2  was  made  an  independent 
district,  and  it  was  organized  May  10, 
1881."  The  first  board  of  education,  chos- 
en on  that  date,  consisted  of  J.  W.  Hun- 
ter, H.  H.  Hughes,  J.  W.  Cowing,  Alex- 
ander Fiddcs  B.  W.  Ashley  and  A.  H. 
Strong. 

For  twenty-one  years  the  iiuilding  erec- 
ted in  1874  served  as  Jackson's  school 
house.  Then  the  population  had  so  far 
outgrown  the  accommodations  that  a  new 
building  became  necessary,"  and  the  hand- 
some brick  structure  now  in  use  was  erec- 
ted. The  matter  of  a  new  school  house 
was  first  officially  discussed  in  June,  1893, 
but  on  account  of  the  panic  then  in  force 
it  was  decided  to  postpone  building  until 
the  next  year.  In  March,  1894,  the  vo- 
ters decided  against  bonding  for  $25,000 
for  a  new  school  house  by  a  vote  of  63 

•"The  district  included  all  of  sections  13.  24, 
25.  26  and  35  and  parts  of  sections  12,  14,  23, 
27,   34  and  36,   all  in  Des  Moines  township. 


to  91,  but  there  was  a  change  of  senti- 
ment the  next  year,  for  at  the  regular 
school  meeting  in  March,  1895,  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $35,000  were  carried  by 
a  vote  of  131  to  39.  The  structure  was 
erected  during  the  summer  of  1895  by 
Decks  &  Company,  contractors.  The  same 
season  a  ward  school  house  was  built  on 
Depot  hill,  the  cost  of  the  two  buildings 
being  $28,500. 

A  high  school  course  was  added  to  the 
common  branches  taught,  and  the  Jack- 
son schools  rank  among  the  best  in  the 
state  of  Minnesota. 

THE    CHURCHES. 

Of  the  many  church  organizations  in 
Jackson,  the  oldest  i.>  that  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal.  So  early  as  1860  or  1861 
Kev.  Peter  Baker,  that  pioneer  preacher 
of  the  gospel,  organized  a  Methodist  class 
fi-om  the  scattered  settlers  residing  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  present  day  village  of  Jack- 
son, and  ever  since  the  organization  has 
been  maintained.  For  years  the  class  was 
without  a  regular  pastor  and  without 'a 
house  of  worship.  For  a  time  in  the  late 
sixties  seiwices  were  held  only  every  third 
Sabbath,  the  pulpit  being  occupied  by  Eev. 
l\ichardson,  of  Okoboji. 

A  quarterly  conference  was  held  at 
Jackson  on  May.  1,  1869,  presided  over 
by  Norris  Hobart,  presiding  elder,  with 
T.  H.  White  acting  as  secretary,  at  which 
time  the  following  persons  were  named 
trustees  of  the  First  Methodist  church 
of  Jackson:  Aiken  Miner,  H.  S.  Bailey, 
Welch  Ashley,  M.  S.  Clough,  Stillman  S. 
Barrett,  Chancy  W.  Cornish  and  William 
C.  Campbell.  From  that  time  a  strong 
organization  was  maintained,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1870  the  church  had  a  member- 
ship of  over  one  hundred.  During  its 
entire  early  history  the  Methodist  church 
was  without  a  house  of  worship,  but  after 


238 


ins'i'oin'  oi' .lAcKsox  corx'i'V. 


the    Presbvterian   chuvcli    was   erected    in 
1869  the  Methodists  worshipped  tliere. 

Not  until  1880  was  the  Methodist 
church  building  erected.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year  the  church  members  solicited 
money  from  the  people  of  Jackson,'  the 
building  was  erected  during  the  summer, 
and  the  dedication  exercises  were  held  Oc- 
tober 3.  The  cost  of  the  building  was 
$2,000. 

Jackson's  second  oldest  church  organ- 
ization and  the  first  to  erect  a  house  of 
worship  in  the  village  is  the  First  Presby- 
terian clnircli.  which  was  organized  in 
18G8.  During  the  summer  of  that  year 
the  Presbyterian  Synodical  missionary, 
"Rev.  David  C.  Lyon,  accompanied  by  Eev. 
Edward  Savage,  who  had  just  been  gradu- 
ated from  college  and  who  was  looking 
fur  a  local  inn,  came  to  the  little  village 
of  Jackson.  Here,  in  J.  W.  Cowing's  un- 
finished store  building,  on  June  14,  18fi8, 
the  first  Presbyterian  sermon  was  preach- 
ed.'    Rev.  Savage  made  preparations  for 

'FoHowlnjr  Is  the  list  of  rnntrllnitlons  roreivod 
In  M.-irrh,  ISSO:  Wplcli  .Ashley.  J150;  "Friend 
of  the  r.iuse."  R.  W.  .AshUv  and  J.  .\.  Russell. 
JlOO:  Simeon  .\verv.  $75;  .\.  C.  VVhitm.Tn.  F.  M. 
Smith.  K.  Owens  and  H.  H.  Hnshes,  $50;  F,d- 
ward  Oir.  .T.  VV.  Hunter,  T.  J.  Knox.  .Mexander 
FIddes.  IX.  M  .\verv.  S.  F.  Krskine.  P.  F.  Rrown 
&  Son  and  William  Y.  Kim;:.  $:.'>:  H.  A.  Mor- 
gan V.  \V.  Smith.  $2n:  G.  C.  Chamberlin.  n.  F. 
Chandler  and  K.  P.  Gould.  JIB;  T.  A.  Camphell. 
W.  J.  Case.  John  JiinRbauer.  A.  H.  StronK.  John 
Paulson.  H.  W.  Chandler.  G.  R.  Moore.  Alfred 
A-shdown,   O.  I.   I.indsley  and  M.   L.   Ashley.  JIO. 

"Rev.  Kdward  Savapre.  in  1S95.  wrote  as  fol- 
lows of  his  eomlnir  to  Jaekson  and  the  hegin- 
ninc  of  his  serviee; 

"My  eomlnp  to  J.iekson  was,  to  use  a  Tliber- 
niclsm.  almost  'unbeknownst  to  mesilf.*  Rev. 
D.  C.  Lynn,  then  Synodieal  missionary  for  the 
old  school  of  the  Presbyterian  ehurch.  had  vis 
ited  me  at  the  theolopleal  seminary  at  Alle- 
gheny. Pennsylvania,  and  had  talked  Minne- 
sota to  me.  .\s  he  was  an  old  friend  of  our 
family  and  eall.'d  himself  one  of  my  father's 
bovs.  I  naturally  notified  him  when  I  was  ready 
with  mv  mustang  ponv  and  buggy  for  a  field 
of  labor.  Tnder  his  direetlons  I  was  to  meet 
him  at  T.aCrosse  and  strike  west  until  we  came 
to  unnecunled  ground.  This  was  about  January 
1.  18fiS.  Mr.  T.ynn.  having  other  work,  rear- 
ranged to  meet  me  later  at  .\ustin.  ^vhleh  he 
did.  and  together  we  Journeyed  on  in  the 
oourse  of  the  star  of  the  empire,  finding  Pres- 
byterian or  Congregational  organizations  until 
w-e  passed  Fairmont.  Mr.  I.yon  renewed  eaeh 
day  Greeley's  eounsel.  'Go  west,  young  man." 
We  reaehfd  Jaekson  on  June  11.  IStlS.  and  found 
J.  W.  Tinnier  In  a  modest  store,  with  Thomas 
White  residing  in>-st,iirs.  G.  C.  Chamberlin. 
as  I  remember,  was  the  prinoiiial  legal  light. 
Mr.  Lvon.  In  his  happy  way.  soinided  the  char- 


tlie  early  organization  of  a  church  so- 
ciety, and  on  August  30,  1868,  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  of  Jackson  was  for- 
mally organized.  At  the  time  there  was 
not  another  church  of  the  old  school  west 
or  south  of  Waseca  and  none  of  the  new 
school  west  of  Blue  Eartii  City. 

Kev.  David  C.  Lyon,  Rev.  Sheldon  Jack- 
son, then  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
iliurch  of  Roche.ster,  and  Rev.  Edward  Sav- 
age conducted  the  organization  services. 
John  W.  Cowing  was  ordained  ruling  el- 
dor,  and  the  following  persons  were  re- 
ceived into  membership:  John  W.  Cowing, 
William  Miller,  Mrs.  Mary  Miller,  M.  A. 
Seymour,  Jlrs.  Mary  Seymour,  Jfrs.  Sally 
]\r.  Bailey,  all  by  letter;  Mrs.  Frances  ^I, 
Kimball,  Miss  Helen  A.  Dunn,  Mi.s.s  Eu- 
phrasia A.  Cook  and  George  H.  Vinall." 

Tlie  early  services  of  the  church  were 
held  in  the  little  school  house  which  stood 
near  the  bayou  in  the  south  part  of  town.'" 
Inif  in  ISi'iD  tlio  congregation  raised  mon- 
ev    and    erected    Jackson's    first    church 


aeter    of    the    place.  .      ,     Mr.     Hunter    was 

found  to  he  a  T'nited  Presbyterian.  The  hotel 
keeper.  Mr.  Hall,  stated  that  Mr.  Cowing,  n 
young  man  who  had  started  a  store  building 
and  was  then  away  aftc  goods,  was  a  Pres- 
byterian. Major  Bailey  was  a  Free  Will  Bap- 
tist, but  had  a  christian  .sympathy  for  a  tired 
horse  and  loaned  us  a  large  hay  marc  to  can- 
vass  the   crnintr>'  W'^st  of  town. 

"On  Sabbath.  Jtme  l-l.  our  first  service  was 
held  in  Mr.  Cowing's  I'.nfinished  store  building. 
Mr.  Cowing  not  yet  having  arrived.  Mr.  l.von 
pr'\ached  In  the  morning  and  the  subscriber 
In  the  .ifternoon.  .Vfl.'r  service  Mr.  I.yon  stat- 
ed that  the  young  man  he  proposed  leaving  had 
nothing  Inil  himself  and  his  mustang  pony,  and 
he  hoped  the  people  would  stand  by  him  In  his 
work.  The  next  morning  he  said  to  me;  'Here. 
Rd.  is  your  place.  It  is  a  clear  field.  The 
Methodist  brother  comes  onlv  once  in  three 
weeks.  Oceupv  the  vacant  Sabbaths.  Po  your 
best,  and  the  lord  be  with  you.'  .\nd  leaving 
me  ten  dollars,  he  took  the  stage  for  Winne- 
bago." 

"James  W.  Hunter  and  family  were  members 
of  another  Presbyterian  church  and  had  not 
received  their  letters  of  dismissal  at  the  time. 
A  little  while  after  the  organization  the  fol- 
lowing were  received  Into  memhershi|):  Mrs. 
.\gnes  T-Iunter.  Miss  Agnes  Hunter  (now  Mrs. 
.Mixander  FIddesV  Pavid  Hunter  and  James 
W.    Hunter. 

•""One  more  word  for  the  Inspiring  environ- 
ment that  T  neglected  to  mention  It  was  the 
pulnit  It  was  a  boot  case  that  Mr.  Cowing 
and  I  dhe  session  of  the  Presbyterian  church^ 
gohbbd  from  the  front  of  Mr.  Hunter's  store 
one  Sunday  morning  on  our  way  to  chinch, 
carried  It  between  u.'!i  to  the  school  house,  stood 
It  on   end   and  covered  It  with   a   copy   of  the 


/U  J^u  LIBRARY 


/"iTCn,  L- 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


2;-{9 


building.  In  tliis  building  (now  trans- 
formed into  the  D.  W.  Pulver  residence) 
the  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
worshipped  until  the  present  beau  I  if  ul 
church  took  its  place  in  1902.  The  build- 
ing was  put  up  largely  through  the  un- 
tiring efforts  of  Rev.  Savage,  assisted  by 
J.  W.  Cowing,  J.  W.  Hunter  and  others." 
The  board  of  trustees  at  the  time  the 
fluireh  was  built  consisted  of  James  W. 
Hunter,  John  W.  Cowing,  W.  S.  Kimball, 
George  C.  Chamberlin,  Everett  P.  Free- 
nuiii  and  John  H.  Grant. 

At  tJie  time  the  church  was  built  all 
finished  products,  such  as  shingles,  brick 
and  other  building  material,  had  to  be 
hauled  from  Mankato  at  an  expense  of 
$1.00  to  $3.50  per  hundred  pounds.  Na- 
tive lumber  was  used,  and  was  cut  in  the 
woods  along  the  Des  Moines  river.  A  single 
walnut  log  furni.^hed  ibe  sills  of  the  en- 
tire building — 40x24  feet.  This  log  was  cut 
just  north  of  the  I\.  S.  Robertson  farm, 
about  two  miles  from  town,  and  it  took 
Rev.  Savage  and  Elder  John  W.  Cowing 
two  days  to  roll  this  log  up  the  steep  ra- 
vine. Five  ox  teams  were  required  in  per- 
forming this  feat.  The  cost  of  the  build- 
ing was  $2,500,  and  it  was  dedicated  Sep- 
tember 18,  1870.  Ten  years  later  im- 
provements to  the  value  of  $500  were 
made. 

The  Presbyterian  church  society  was 
incorporated  February  12,  1877,  at  which 
time  the  following  trustees  were  elected : 
James  W.  Hunter,  Thomas  J.  Knox,  M. 


Northwestern  Presbyterian,  a  Chicago  paper 
edited  by  Rev.  Ebenezer  Erskine.  Mr.  Hunter 
came  to  church  and  got  his  return  for  lost 
property  Ondeed  it  was  quite  valuable  as  a 
seat  for  the  politicians  of  the  day.  outside  the 
store)  in  the  improved  sermons." — Rev.  Edward 
Savage.   1895. 

^'"He  [Rev.  Savage]  succeeded  in  securing 
funds  for  building  the  church.  He  gave  notice 
one  Sunday  that  he  would  preach  no  more  for 
a  time,  but  proposed  to  go  to  work  and  help 
build    the    church.  .     He    'rigged    up'    for 

work,  got  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  an  old  wagon  and 
went  to  hauling  material  for  the  building." — 
M.    A.    Strong.    April   18,    1888. 


A.  Strong,  Alexander  Fiddes,  George  C. 
Chamberlin  and  A.  H.  Strong. 

Rev.  Savage  remained  the  pastor  of  the 
church  for  eleven  years,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  year  while  he  was  in  Wisconsin. 
During  that  year,  1872-73,  the  church  was 
served  by  Rev.  Edward  J.  Hamilton,  a 
professor  of  Hanover  college,  Indiana.  In 
1879  Rev.  Savage  was  .succeeded  by  Rev. 
J.  K.  Alexander,  who  was  pastor  four 
years.  In  1883  Rev.  H.  C.  Cheadle  be- 
came pastor  and  served  the  church  eight 
years,  until  the  close  of  the  year  1891, 
when  he  resigned.  During  the  next  five 
years,  from  1891  to  1896,  the  following 
three  pastors  served  th^e  church  in  the  or- 
der named :  Rev.  W.  E.  Morgan,  Eev.  W. 
Weatherstoue  and  Rev.  E.  S.  McClure. 
During  Mr.  Morgan's  pastorate  the  manse 
was  erected.  In  1896  Rev.  Russell  B.  Ab- 
bott, D.  D.,  was  called  to  the  pastorate, 
and  he  remained  until  the  summer  of 
1900.  During  the  five  years  pastorate  of 
his  successor.  Rev.  T.  N.  Weaver,  the  pres- 
ent beautiful  brick  church  edifice  was  con- 
structed at  a  cost,  including  furnishings, 
of  about  $16,000.  It  was  built  in  1901  and 
was  dedicated  free  of  debt  June  22,  1902. 
In  the  fall  of  1905  Rev.  Weaver  resigned, 
and  March  1,  1906,  the  present  pastor. 
Rev.  Walter  M.  Swann,  began  his  minis- 
try in  Jackson. 

At  the  present  time  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Jackson  has  an  active  member- 
ship of  138,  and  the  Sunday  school  180. 
The  trustees  are  Fred  D.  Sawyer,  presi- 
dent;  H.  L.  Arzt,  secretary;  W.  D.  Hun- 
ter, treasurer ;  George  R.  Moore.  A.  H. 
Strong  and  J.  E.  Barrett.  The  elders  are 
John  W.  Cowing,  Joseph  Bushnell,  W. 
A.  Pepper,  J.  B.  Arp,  clerk  of  session ;  C. 
C.  Baker  and  H.  R.  Laugen. 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Evangelical 
church  was  organized  May  5,  1880,  and 
several  vears  later  a  church  edifice  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $2,500. 


240 


HISTORY  OF  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


The  Xonveginn  Lullieiaiis,  early  iu 
lSS(i,  decided  to  erect  a  building  in 
.Jackson  on  a  lot  owned  in  the  western 
part  of  town.  Enougli  money  was  raised 
l)y  subscription  to  warrant  beginniiifj  work, 
wliich  was  done  in  the  summer.  The  liard 
times  prevailinji;  that  year  prevented  its 
furnishing,  but  the  bare  building  was  used 
as  a  house  of  worsliip  so  soon  as  it  was 
completed — in  November,  1886,  for  the 
first  time. 

St.  Wcuccslaus  Catholic  church  was 
built  in  1893.  So  earlv  as  188-2  Catholic 
services  were  held  in  Jackson,  and  in  188.") 
the  first  efTorts  to  raise  money  to  put  up 
a  building  were  made.  In  .\pril,  1889,  it 
was  announced  that  a  church  would  be 
built  that  year,  but  it  was  not.  Again  in 
May,  1891,  a  meeting  was  held  at  Jack- 
son, presided  over  by  Fathers  Legday,  of" 
Winona,  and  Reichel,  of  Heron  Lake, 
v.hen  it  was  decided  to  commence  build- 
ing operations  at  once.  A  finance  com- 
mittee, composed  of  Father  Reichel,  Frank 
Motl  and  Frank  Skalisky.  and  a  building 
committee,  compo.sed  of  William  HulTman. 
Martin  Klarncr  and  Tuni  Vancura.  were 
ajijiointed.  The  foundation  wa.*  laid  that 
fall,  but  work  on  the  superstructure  was 
not  begun  until  tJie  spring  of  1892.  (in 
June  I."),  of  that  year,  a  wind  storm  blow 
down  the  building,  then  in  course  of  con- 
struction, entailing  a  loss  of  about  $500. 
Tlie  Catholic  cluirch  was  finally  complet- 
eil  in  tiie  spring  of  189;?.  The  church 
edifice  is  valued  at  $2,400  and  the  parson- 
age at  $1,.500. 

The  German  Lutheran  church  was  erec- 
IimI   in   1898. 

The  Episcopal  church  was  erected  in 
1901  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  In  1898  the 
Ladies  Guild  of  Christ  church  was  or- 
ganized with  ten  members,  witii  the  object 
of  purchasing  a  lot  upon  which  to  build 
so  soon  as  a  church  should  he  organized. 
Bishop  Whipple  organized  the  mission  and 


appiiinlcd  tlic  bishop's  committee,  com- 
pa*ed  of  the  following:  1{.  F.  Robertson, 
.\.  E.  Serum,  F.  B.  Fabcr.  W.  A'.  King 
and  Eugene  Rucker. 

Tin:  i.otKiKs. 

The  first  secret  order  to  be  organized  in 
Jack.son  wa.<  the  Masonic.  On  February 
■.*;5,  1871,  a  number  of  JIasons  met  and 
took  the  ])reliminary  steps  toward  or- 
ganizing, .^electing  as  the  name  of  their 
lodge  Des  Moines  ^'alley  Lodge.  Over 
twenty  members  were  enrolled,  and  the 
rolloA\ing  were  chosen  officers  to  serve 
V.  bile  the  lodge  was  working  under  dis- 
pensation: E.  P.  Freeman.  W.  M. :  Alex- 
ander Fiddes.  S.  W. :  G.  C.  Chamberlin, 
J.  W. ;  H.  'Wliite,  treasurer:  J.  W.  Cowing, 
secretary:  S.  C.  Thayer.  S.  D. :  Harvey 
Klock.  .1.  1).:  Willian  King,  Thomas 
Ilumpjircy.  stewards:  W.  S.  Kind)all,  ty- 
Icr.  The  dispensation  arrived  in  .\pril,  the 
lodge  being  named  Good  Faith  Lodge  No. 
90,  and  having  thirteen  members. 

The  charter  for  Good  Faith  Lodge  was 
granted  in  Februarv,  1872,  and  on  Febru- 
ary 1.5  the  following  officers  were  installed  : 
E.  P.  Freeman,  W.  M. :  Alexander  Fiddes, 
S.  W. :  J.  H.  Wakefield,  J.  W. :  J.  J.  Por- 
ter, treasurer:  J.  W.  Cowing,  secretary  ; 
William  King.  S.  D. ;  Thomas  Humph- 
reys, J.  D.:  jr.  A.  Strong.  S.  D. ;  C.  B. 
Tuttle.  J.  S. :  W.  S.  Kimball,  tyler. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  also 
began  its  local  organization  in  1871.  Au- 
gust 15  veterans  of  tlie  civil  war  met  and 
decided  to  petition  the  authorities  for  the 
establishment  of  a  post  in  Jackson.  The 
|in,-;t.  naiiieil  Wa<lswor(b  Post  No.  30,  was 
niustcnMl  in  l)y  Major  .T.  C.  Hamilton, 
comniandcr  of  the  department  of  Minne- 
sota. Tuesday  evening.  September  .").  1871. 
'i'licre  were  thirty-two  charter  members, 
and  the  ])ost  was  the  largest  ever  before 
mustered  in  by  Jlajor  Hamilton  in  the 
state.     Following   were  the   first  officers 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


241 


and  charter  members:  John  A.  Myers, 
commander;  H.  S.  Bailey,  senior  vice  com- 
mander; W.  A.  Fields,  junior  vice  com- 
mander; William  King,  adjutant;  M.  A. 
Strong,  quartermaster;  Dr.  E.  L.  Brown- 
ell,  surgeon;  Charles  Frisbie,  chaplain;  C. 
H.  Sandon,  sergeant :  Henry  Knudson, 
quartermaster  sergeant ;  W.  S.  Kimball, 
officer-  of  the  day;  A.  E.  Wood,  officer 
of  the  guard ;  0.  F.  Alexander,  A.  S. 
Brooks,  E.  E.  Bowden,  G.  C.  Chamber- 
lin,  S.  jr.  Clark,  S.  E.  Ford,  A.  0.  Hoov- 
da,  Alex  Hall,  N.  B.  Hall,  C.  H.  Heath. 
J.  K.  Johnson,  A.  D.  King,  M.  Miller,  H. 
Miller.  I.  A.  Moreaux,  J.  J.  Smith,  I.  G. 
Walden,  Walter  Withers,  M.  L.  Ashley,  J. 
J.  Patterson,  M.  S.  Barney. 

Wadsworth  post  flourished  for  a  time  and 
rapidly  increased  its  membership.  Then 
interest  lagged  iu  the  organization  and  it 
become  dormant.  A  reorganization  was 
effected  February  7,  1875,  the  lodge  was 
active  a  short  time,  but  the  organization 
was  disbanded  in  1877.  Commanders  of 
Wadsworth  ])ost  were  John  A.  Myers,  E. 
L.  Brownell,  M.  A.  Strong,  H.  S.  Bailey 
and  G.  B.  Franklin. 

Interest  in  G.  A.  R.  matters  was  revived 
during  the  prosperous  days  of  the  early 
eighties,  and  during  that  period  a  local 
organization  came  into  existence  which 
has  ever  since  been  maintained.  The  in- 
itial meeting  was  held  December  29,  1883, 
when  it  was  decided  to  organize  a  lodge 
to  be  named  John  A.  Myers  post,  in  hon- 
or of  the  first  commander  of  the  earlier 
organization  who  had  since  died.  John 
A.  Myers  Post  No.  60  was  mustered  in 
January  23,  1884,  by  Commander  L.  M. 
Lange,  of  Worthington.  Following  were 
the  first  officers  and  charter  members :  H. 
S.  Bailey,  commander ;  G.  C.  Chamberlin, 
senior  vice  commander;  C.  II.  Sandon, 
junior  vice  commander;  M.  A.  Strong,  ad- 
jutant; M.  L.  Ashley,  quartermaster;  E. 
J.  Orr,  chaplain;  I.  6.  Walden,  surgeon; 


Fred  Quentin,  oll'icer  of  tiie  day;  0.  F. 
Alexander,  officer  of  the  guard;  W.  S. 
Kimball,  sergeant  major;  H.  W.  Peck, 
ijuartermaster  sergeant ;  W.  Y.  King,  Wil- 
liam Lamont,  J.  A.  Goodrich,  N.  Hall,  W. 
\.  Fields,  John  Paulson,  Levi  Davis,  I. 
S.  Barrett.'-  Duiing  tlie  twenty-six  years 
the  post  has  maintained  an  active  organi- 
zation, the  officers  have  been  prompt  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties,  and  the  post 
has  frequently  been  mentioned  by  the  de- 
partment off'icers  and  its  ott'icers  com- 
mended. The  post  has  a  membership  at 
present  of  about  thirty-five. 

John  A.  Myers  Corps  No.  34,  Woman's 
Relief  Corjjs,  was  organized  August  23, 
1887,  with  the  following  officers  and  char- 
ter members :  Mrs.  Lizzie  M.  Dunn,  presi- 
dent ;  Mrs.  A.  Wilson,  senior  vice  presi- 
dent ;  Mrs.  A.  Sandon,  junior  vice  presi- 
dent: ilrs.  E.  A.  Barney,  secretary;  Mrs. 
A.  L.  King,  treasurer ;  Mxi^.  Joseph  Bush- 
nell,  chaplain  :  ]\Irs.  Anna  Dunn,  conduc- 
tor; Mrs.  0.  Alexander,  assistant  conduc- 
tor; Mrs.  Ann  Miller,  guard;  iliss  Lelia 
Nourse,  assistant  guard  ;  ]\Ie.*dames  E.  H. 
Pepper,  Anna  L.  SmitJi,  JIartha  V.  Allen, 
Ruth  R.  Orr,  Helen  A.  Logue,  Thomas 
Clipperton,  Anna  Thomas. 

Among  the  pioneer  secret  societies  of 
.Tackson  is  Jackson  Lodge  No.  49,  Ancient 
Oj-der  United  Workmen,  which  was  organ- 
ized July  8,  1879,  with  the  following  first 
officers  and  charter  members :  Alexander 
Fiddes,  past  master  workman ;  Robert 
Sergant,  master  workman ;  T.  J.  Knox, 
foreman;  A.  H.  Strong,  overseer:  A.  C. 
AVliitman,  recorder;  L.  0.  Randall,  finan- 
cier; P.  H.  Berge,  receiver;  E.  P.  Gould, 
guide;  G.  K.  Tiffany,  inside  watch;  Fred- 
erick Quinlin,  outside  watch ;  J.  A.  Rob- 

'=Others  who  became  members  within  a  few 
months  after  the  organization  were  M.  L. 
Bromashim.  W.  A.  Pepper.  J.  A.  Wilson.  G. 
Cole.  Edward  Gruhlke.  J.  A.  Patterson.  Jareb 
Palmer.  S.  MiddauRh.  Charles  B.  Rouse,  M.  S. 
Seelv.  C.  M.  Hardv.  Walter  Withers.  George 
Biewer.  J.  C.  Davis.  H.  S.  Schlott.  William 
Ballard.  J.  B.  Moses,  M.  S.  Barney  and  Alexan- 
der Spencer. 


242 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


inson,  U.  F.  Alo.xiuuler,  II.  II.  lluglies,  F. 
M.  Smith,  Evan  Owens,  E.  A.  Hatch.  M. 
H.  Smith. 

Tlie  present  nienibership  of  A.  0.  U. 
W.  lodge  is  si.xty.  Following  are  the  offi- 
cers: .7.  H.  Nourse,  P.  M.  W. :  John  Ean- 
(lall.  M.  W.:  E.  W.  Broniagliim,  F. ;  R.  \V. 
Brown,  0.;  John  Qualev.  recorder;  Alex- 
ander Fiddes,  financier;  Y.  W.  Avery,  re- 
ceiver; Charles  R.  Gee,  guide;  Robert 
Bartoseh,  I.  W. ;  li.  .\.  Husbv,  0.  W. 

Des  Moines  Yalley  Lodge  No.  I'iG,  In- 
dependent Order  Odd  Fellows,  was  organ- 
ized May  20,  1889,  with  si.x  charter  mem- 
bers as  follows:  A.  H.  .Mien.  W.  A.  Funk. 
W.  \.  Conrad.  .\.  .1.  Patterson,  R.  Van 
Orniau  and  H.  .Vudrewsen.  The  follow- 
ing were  chosen  as  the  first  officers:  A.  B. 
Allen,  noble  grand ;  W.  A.  Conrad,  vice 
grand;  H.  Andrcwsen,  secretary;  R.  Van 
Orman,  treasurer.  At  the  present  time  the 
lodge  has  a  membership  of  forty-seven. 
It  owns  real  estate  and  lodge  property  to 
the  value  of  $3,500. 

:Maplc  Grove  Camp  No.  1069,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  was  organized  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1891.  with  seventeen  charter 
members.  Following  w-ere  the  first  offi- 
cers: \.  B.  Crane,  consul;  H.  H.  Hughes, 
advisor;  John  Muir,  banker;  E.  C.  Wilson, 
clerk;  William  Trumbull,  escort;  A. 
Gruhlke.  watchman;  A.  O.  Berg,  sentry; 
Douglas  Pulvcr,  H.  11.  Hughes  and  T. 
'I\  Gronland,  managers. 

I  Idly  Trinity  Court  No.  694.  Catholic 
Order  Foresters,  was  granted  a  charter 
June  2T.  189T,  and  it  has  ever  .since  main- 
tained an  organization.  The  first  officers 
and  charter  members  were  as  follows:  J. 
M.  Voda.  C.  n.;  Jo.-eph  Klemm.  V.  C.  R. ; 
Kev.  P.  I'.  Kloss.  P.  (  .  1!.:  .1.  .T.  Pribyi. 
I{.  S. ;  Wensel  .Motl,  F.  S. ;  .Martin  Arndt. 
treasurer;  John  ^lagyar,  Louis  Kiesel, 
J.  .\.  Timko.  John  Hassing,  William  Motl, 
Bernard  C.  Lilly.  Frank  Benda.  Frank  J. 
Bertels,  Emii  Calta,   Henry   J.    Hassing, 


Frank  Svoboda,  Henry  Wilhalm.  Edward 
Willialiii.  J.  \'.  Makovieka,  John  Steiner. 
'i'lie  lodge  has  a  present  membership  of 
si.\ty-two. 

Jackson  Lodge  No.  Hin.  Knights  of  Py- 
thias, was  instituted  :\rareli  22,  1900,  with 
the  following  first  officers:  A'.  I".  P.\itler. 
C.  C;  W.  P.  King,  V.  C. ;  W  .  (  .  ilait- 
son.  P.;  Charles  F.  Albertus.  M.  W.:  Bert 
tjillespie,  K.  R.  S.;  M;nk  1).  Ashley,  M. 
v.:  Frank  Phillips,  .\1.  .\.:  William  Bal- 
lan).  1.  G.;  Joe  Trca,  0.  G. 

TllK    1S.\NKS. 

Ill  Jackson  are  three  banking  institu- 
tions, all  organized  under  the  national 
banking  laws.  These  are  the  Brown  Na- 
tional Bank,  the  First  National  Bank  and 
the  Jackson  National  Bank. 

The  first  financial  institution  to  begin 
business  in  Jackson — and  in  .lackson 
county — was  the  Bank  of  Jackson,  a  pri- 
vate institution  ojiened  by  John  K.  Brown, 
who  had  formerly  been  ciniuected  with  the 
Southern  Minnesota  Railroad  company, 
late  in  January.  ISIO."  ^Mr.  Brown  was 
sole  owner  of  the  Bank  of  Jackson  until 
]\[arch  1,  1892,  when  the  owners  became 
John  K.  Brown  &  Company.  Cashier  Hen- 
rik  Strom  having  taken  an  interest.  In 
litOl  Herman  L.  Strom  purchased  the  in- 
terests of  Henrick  Strom,  the  firm  name 
remaining  the  same.  In  1905  the  institu- 
tion was  reorganized  under  the  name  of 
Brown  National  Bank,  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $40,000.  and  began  business  under  the 
new  title  July  1.  The  officers  at  that 
time  were  John  K.  lirown.  president;  J. 
W.  Cowing,  vice  president ;  IT.  L.  Strom, 
cashier.    The  present  officers  of  tlie  Brown 

'■'••The  Rink  of  Jackson,  is  now  one  of  onr 
proud  Instltiitions  nnH  i.s  li.v  far  the  neatest 
anil  nobbiest  istablishmcnt  in  town.  It  may 
be  found  in  the  hulUlinc  north  of  the  Ashley 
hou.se  where  the  Rood  lookinp.  courteous  and 
centlemanlv  presidinp  Renins.  Mr.  John  K. 
Brown  will  be  Rlad  to  accommodate  patrons  in 
his  line  and  transact  a  strict  IjankinK  business 
on  strict  business  principles."— Jackson  Repub- 
lic.  February  1.   1879. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


243 


National  Bank  are  J.  W.  Cowing,  presi- 
dent; T.  J.  Knox,  vice  president;  H.  L. 
Strom,  cashier;  J.  J.  Pribyl,  assistant 
cashier. 

Jackson's  second  bank  was  a  private 
bank  opened  by  George  E.  Moore  De- 
cember 1.  1887,  under  tlie  title,  G.  E. 
Moure,  Banker.  J.  K.  Skarberg  was  the 
cashier.  It  was  reorganized  as  the  State 
Bank  of  Jackson  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$25,000  April  1,  1890,  beginning  business 
under  the  new  style  May  15.  The  incorpor- 
ators were  George  E.  Moore,  P.  H.  Berge, 
J.  W.  Cowing,  T.  .1.  Knox,  Alexander 
Fiddes,  G.  A.  Albertus,  A.  H.  Strong,  F. 
W.  Lindsley  and  M.  B.  Hutchinson.  The 
State  Bank  of  Jackson  was  reorganized  as 
the  Fir.?t  National  Bank  in  June,  1901, 
with  the  following  board  of  directors : 
George  E.  Moore,  0.  B.  Olson,  T.  J.  Knox, 
Alexander  Fiddes  and  P.  H.  Berge.  The 
capital  and  surplus  of  the  First  National 
is  $45,000.  The  present-  officers  are  George 
R.  Moore,  president ;  P.  H.  Berge,  vice 
president;  A.  B.  Cheadle,  cashier;  0.  B. 
Olson,   assistant   casliier. 

The  Jackson  National  Bank  was  organ- 
ized in  1903,  beginning  business  January 
4,  1904,  with  tlie  following  officers  and 
board  of  directors:  H.  G.  Anderson,  presi- 
dent ;  W.  C.  Portmann,  vice  president ;  A. 
W.  Quinn,  cashier ;  W.  D.  Hunter,  assist- 
ant cashier ;  F.  W.  Lindsley,  J.  H.  Quinn 
and  H.  H.  Berge.  The  officers  at  present 
are  H.  G.  Anderson,  president;  W.  C. 
Portmann,  vice  president ;  W.  D.  Hunter, 
cashier;  Asher  0.  Nasby,  assistant  cash- 
ier. 

Another  financial  institution  of  Jack- 
son is  the  Jackson  Building  and  Loan  As- 
sociation, which  was  organized  in  1891, 
and  which  has  been  instrumental  in  tlie 
building  of  many  of  the  beautiful  liomcs 
of  Jackson. 


THE   FIRE    DEPARTJ[E\T. 

Prior  to  1883  Jackson  was  absolutely 
without  protection  from  fire.  Then  the 
village  council  began  to  consider  the  mat- 
ter of  affording  protection.  The  Jackson 
Republic  of  October  13,  1883,  reported  a 
meeting  of  the  village  council  as  follows: 

At  tlie  meeting  of  tlic  village  council  last 
Tuesday  [October  9]  the  subject  of  fire  pro- 
tection in  Jackson  was  discussed  at  length. 
Councilman  Fiddes  was  requested  to  corre- 
spond with  dealers  as  to  the  cost  of  buckets, 
hooks,  ladders,  etc.,  and  W.  S.  Kimball  was 
appointed  fire  warden  with  instructions  to  ex- 
amine chimneys  and  enforce  the  provisions  of 
ordinance  No.  8.  Upon  motion  of  Councilman 
Cowing  it  was  proposed  that  the  residents  or 
owners  of  every  l>lock  who  would  put  in  a 
well  be  supplied  with  a  pump  and  hose  by  the 
village. 

From  this  legislation  developed  the 
Jackson  fire  department.  In  1885  more 
advanced  measures  were  taken.  In  April 
the  contract  was  let  for  tlie  digging  of 
four  wells  on  Second  street,  at  tlic  corners 
of  Grant,  Sherman,  Ashley  and  White 
streets,  and  in  May  the  council  purchased 
of  Baldwin  Brothers,  of  Winona,  a  hand 
fire  engine,  300  feet  of  common  hose  and 
25  feet  of  suction  hose,  the  total  cost  of 
which  was  $ti27.  To  handle  this  equip- 
ment a  fire  coiiipany  with  48  members 
was  organized  July  23.  The  first  officers 
of  this  pioneer  company  were  as  follows: 
H.  H.  Hughes,  fire  warden ;  A.  C.  Serum, 
captain ;  S.  Swenson,  chief  engineer ;  Gil- 
bert Seilstad,  hose  foreman ;  J.  W.  Jen- 
son,  secretary.  The  company  was  given  of- 
ficial recognition  August  8,  when  the  vil- 
lage council  approved  the  officers.  This 
organization  was  not  long  maintained. 
Witli  few  duties  to  perform,  the  members 
soon  lost  interest,  and  the  company  was 
finally  disbanded. 

When  the  water  works  system  was  in- 
stalled in  1892  came  the  demand  for  an 
up-to-date  fire  department.  The  village 
authorities  purchased  new  equipment,  and 
on  January  2,  1893,  there  was  organized 


244 


IllsroUY  OF  .lACKSON  COUNTY. 


the  present  department.  Following  were 
the  first  officers  and  the  charter  members: 
H.  G.  Anderson,  foreman;  Georfjo  Burn- 
ham,  assistant  foreman ;  0.  A.  Sathe,  sec- 
ond assistant  foreman :  S.  J.  Dunn,  sec- 
retary;  H.  O.  Brown,  treasurer;  V.  W. 
Avery.  L.  Leeocq.  H.  M.  Burnham,  Ed. 
Bophi.  Alhert  {iriililkc.  'SI.  L.  Asjiloy,  Sam 
Wooiworth,  1).  P.  Maitlaiid.  Henry  Iloe.^li. 
Clarence  Ellsworth.  .\rt  l-",lls\Mirlh,  i''rMiii< 
Gerlach.  John  (Jualey.  Lewis  Iverson  and 
Nels  Ludviffseii.  l-'niire  new  equipment 
was  bought  in  ilarch.  18!)."),  including 
hose  cart,  hook  and  ladder  truck,  Imse  and 
uniforms. 

AGRICULTURAL  .SOCIETY. 

The  agricultiiral  MH-iety  cd'  dack-son  i? 
one  of  the  oldest  in  southwestern  Minne- 
sota. It  was  organized  in  IScif).  when  the 
first  county  fair  was  held.  For  years  the 
society  was  maintained  with  meager  finan- 
cial support,  and  tiie  annual  fairs  were 
l)rimitive  aflFairs,  held  generally  in  some 
vacant  Imildiiig  in  tiic  vilhig(\ 

A  reorganization  was  brought  about  in 
1897,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  put  tlie 
society  on  a  .sound  financial  footing.  Life 
memberships  were  sold  at  fifteen  dollars, 
and  over  one  hundred  people  subscribed, 


but  only  a  small  number  were  paid  for. 
The  same  year  twenty-five  acres  of  laud 
were  purchased  from  B.  \V.  Ashley  and 
George  R.  lloore,  south  nf  the  depot, 
indldings  were  erected,  and  a  race  track 
was  built,  the  total  cost  of  which  wa& 
about  $2,500.  The  society  went  into  debt 
for  nearly  all  the  improvements  and  the 
land,  hoping  to  wipe  out  the  indebtedness 
later  by  successful  fairs.  Weather  condi- 
tions were  unfavorable,  and  as  a  result  no 
headway  was  made.  The  conditions  had 
reached  such  a  stage  at  the  beginning  of 
tlic  year  1908  that  bankruptcy  threatened, 
and  then  it  was  the  new  society  was 
formed. 

The  agriiultural  society  wa.s  reorganized 
anil  incorporated  in  May,  1908,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $20,000  and  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers  and  board  of  directors:  W. 
\V.  Wold.  ]iresident ;  Noah  Uaniey,  vice 
pnsiiicnt :  II.  B.  Gillespie,  secretary:  H. 
L.  Stuck,  treasurer;  George  Weise,  Harry 
M.  Burnbani.  ('.  1'.  Xisscn.  llans  Sether. 
II.  .1.  Yeadicke  and  II.  L.  Strom.  The 
sdciciy  is  now  on  a  sound  financial  basis, 
recently  improvements  have  been  made  at 
the  grounds,  and  the  fairs  in  recent  years 
have  lieeii  highlv  successful. 


THE  NEV/  YORK 

^^BLIC  LIBRARY 


l: 


*«T0»1,  LENOX   AMO 
T«-  =  £N   FOu,-.-D*T„ 


"•iC 


main:street,  lakefikld 


SOUTH  MAIN  STREET,  LAKEFIELD 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


LAKEFIELD— 1879-1910. 


RAXKING  second  in  size,  according 
to  tlie  last  census,  among  Jackson 
county  towns  is  Lalcefield.  The  vil- 
lage is  situated  in  Heron  J.ake  and  Hun- 
ter townships  and  is  in  almost  the  exact 
geographical  center  of  the  county,  its  busi- 
ness center  being  less  than  one  mile  from 
the  central  point.  It  is  only  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  head  of  Heron  lake,  that 
great  expanse  of  water  which  is  noted  tlie 
country  over  as  a  hunters'  paradise.  Lake- 
field  is  on  the  Southern  Minnesota  divi- 
sion of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
lailroad,  and  is  twelve  miles  west  and 
north  of  Jackson.  The  population  in  190.T 
was  91G,  inn  the  census  of  1910  will  un- 
doubtedly show  an  increase. 

As  regards  trade  territory,  Lakefield  has 
a  stragetic  location,  drawing  its  trade  from 
an  immense  area  of  exceptionally  prosper- 
ous country.  To  the  north,  northeast,  south 
and  southwest  there  are  no  towns  for  many 
miles,  and  to  Lakefield  comes  the  trade 
from  long  distances  in  those  directions. 
The  town  is  compactly  built  and  presents 
an  attractive  appearance.  It  has  broad 
streets,  lined  with  substantial  busine.~s 
houses  and  handsome  residences. 

No  more  beautiful  site  for  a  town  could 
be  found.  It  is  located  on  high,  rolling 
ground,  of  a  greater  elevation  than  the 
surrounding  country,  exactly  on  the  divide 


or  watershed  which  separates  the  two  great 
watercourses  of  the  west — the  Mississippi 
and  the  Missouri.^  There  is  plenty  of  room 
fin'  the  town  to  grow  without  taking  in  a 
foot  of  low  or  swampy  ground.  All  the 
improvements  to  bo  found  m  Minnesota 
towns  of  its  size  are  in  Lakefield.  It  ha.s 
an  excellent  waterworks  system,  electric 
light  plant,  good  schools  and  churches. 

Of  the  three  principal  towns  of  Jackson 
county,  Lakefield  was  the  last  to  come  in- 
to existence.  Jackson  had  been  founded  in 
1866,  Heron  Lake  in  1871,  as  a  result 
of  the  building  of  the  Sioux  City  road; 
Lakefield  did  not  take  its  place  on  the  map 
until  1879,  when  the  Southern  Minnesota 
(later  the  Milwaukee)  railroad  extended 
to  the  northwest  from  Jackson. 

During  the  early  seventies  quite  a  num- 
ber of  homesteaders  had  located  upon  the 
government  lands  surrounding  the  future 
town  of  Lakefield,  but  during  the  terrible 
grasshopper  days  no  improvements  were 
made,  many  people  moved  away,  and  the 
actual  settlement  of  that  part  of  the  coun- 
ty may  be  said  to  have  begun  only  in  the 
late  seventies.     In  1878,  when  it  was  be- 

'"Nearly  seventeen  years  ago  [1S67]  we  first 
traveled  the  road  between  Graham  lakes  and 
Jackson,  and  on  the  route,  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  from  lake  Heron,  was  a  piece  of 
country  elevated  above  that  surrounding  it  and 
known  as  'the  first  mound,'  We  little  thought 
that  it  would  be  as  it  is  today  the  site  for  a 
flourishing  little  village." — Judge  B.  W.  Wool- 
stencroft    in    Fulda   Republican,    June,    1S84, 


245 


246 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


lieved  tlie  grasshoppers  had  left  the  coun- 
try for  good  aud  it  was  kuowu  that  the 
railroad  was  to  be  pushed  on  to  the  west, 
come  a  change  in  conditions.  New  settlers 
poured  in,  bought  lands  in  the  theretofore 
thinly  settled  townships,  made  improve- 
ments and  became  permanent  settlers. 
When,  in  the  spring  of  1879,  the  line  for 
the  extension  west  of  Jackson  was  defi- 
nitely made,  came  more  settlers,  who  lo- 
cated upon  the  choice  lands  along  the  right 
of-way.  The  work  of  grading  the  roadbed 
M'as  begun  April  22,  the  track  was  laid  to 
tlie  junction  with  the  Sioux  City  road  Au- 
gust 1,  and  regular  train  service  was  es- 
tablished November  3.  But  some  months 
before  tlie  road  was  completed  two  towns 
had  been  founded  near  the  liead  of  Heron 
lake. 

Henry  Knudson,  wlio  owned  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  32,  Heron  Lake 
township,  which  was  crossed  by  the  sur- 
veyed line  of  the  new  road,  laid  out  a  tow^n 
on  his  land  early  in  May,  which  he  named 
Jackson  Center.^  The  plat  of  the  town- 
site  was  drawn  on  paper,  but  the  land 
was  not  surveyed.  Mr.  Knudson  made  prep- 
arations for  building  a  little  town  at  that 
point,  expecting  tliat  the  railway  company 
would  put  in  a  side  track  and  establisli  a 
station  there.  He  erected  a  store  building, 
in  which  he  opened  a  general  store,  and 
built  a  residence,  which  were  the  only 
building  improvements  made  on  the  site, 
and  he  and  his  family  and  Knud  Thoreson 
and  his  family  wore  tiie  only  inhabitants. 
Late  in  September  the  Jackson  Center 
postoffice  was  establisiied  with  Mr.  Knud- 
son in  charirc.  The  postoffice  was  main- 
tained until  the  spring  of  1880;  then  the 
Lakefield  ofTico  was  established  and  Mr. 
Knudson  resigned,  the  office  being  then 

'"Henry  Knudson  has  commenced  platting  a 
town  at  the  .south  end  of  Heron  lake,  near  the 
Southern  Minnesota  railroad.  It  Is  located  on 
the  northwest  fiuarter  of  section  32.  Heron 
t.ake  township.  We  learn  he  l.s  nhout  to  erect 
a.  hotel  bulldini;  on  the  plat." — Jackson  Repub- 
lic,   May   10.   1879. 


discontinued.  In  the  spring  of  1882,  Mr. 
Knudson  moved  his  store  building  to  the 
new  town  of  Lakclield,  and  the  history 
of  Jackson  Center  came  to  an  end. 

Differences  between  Mr.  Knudson  and 
the  Southern  Minnesota  railway  officials 
were  responsible  for  the  failure  of  the  com- 
pany to  locate  a  station  at  Jackson  Center 
and  also  the  building  of  a  town  at  Lake- 
field,  a  mile  southwest  of  Jlr.  Knudson's 
site.  J.  C.  Easton,  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany, was  willing  to  locate  a  station  at 
Jackson  Center  providing  he  could  pur- 
chase Mr.  Knudson's  210  acre  farm  for 
five  dollars  per  acre.  The  owner  refused 
to  sell  at  that  figure,  but  he  offered  to  deed 
to  Mr.  Easton  and  the  other  officials  a  half 
interest  in  forty  or  eighty  acres  for  rail- 
road purposes  free  of  charge,  the  balance 
of  the  farm  to  bo  divided  into  lots  to  be 
owned  jointly  by  Mr.  Knudson  and  the 
officials.  These  terms  were  refused,  and 
negotiations  were  brought  to  a  close  early 
in  the  summer. 

A.  IJ.  Kilen,  who  was  in  the  vicinity, 
learned  of  the  rupture  between  Jlr.  Knud- 
son and  the  railroad  officials  and  was  not 
slow  to  take  advantage  of  the  conditions. 
He  looked  over  the  ground  and  decided 
that  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  .'53,  Heron  Lake  township,  would 
make  an  excellent  location  for  a  townsite. 
Not  knowing  who  was  the  owner  of  the 
.-ightly  eighty  acre  tract,  "Sir.  Kilen  walked 
to  the  county  seat,  consulted  the  records, 
learned  in  whose  name  the  land  was  as- 
sessed, and  then  walked  to  Windoni,  where 
he  boarded  a  train  for  St.  Paul.  There  he 
located  the  owner  of  the  site,  bought  the 
])roperty,  and  rpturuod  with  the  deed  in 
his  pocket. 

The  prospective  town  founder  mailc 
terms  with  the  railroad  officials,  and  in 
the  latter  part  of  July  the  company  lo- 
cated a  side  track  on  the  land.'  Mr.  Kilen 

'"The   side    track    next    west    of    Jackson    has 
been  located  on  the  west  half  of  the  southwest 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


2i7 


at  once  set  about  having  the  land  sur- 
veyed, and  in  a  short  time  a  little  village 
appeared  on  liie  prairie. 

The  original  townsite  of  Lakefield,  locat- 
ed on  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  33,  was  surveyed  by  James 
E.  Palmer  September  3,  1879,  and  the 
dedication  was  made  by  Anders  K.  Kilen 
September  5.  It  consisted  of  eight  blocks 
only,  the  streets  running  north  and  south 
being  named  Bush,  Main  and  Plum,  and 
the  east  and  west  streets,  Broadway,  Sec- 
ond and  Third.'  The  land  upon  which  it 
was  located  was  a  part  of  the  grant  to  the 
St.  Paul  &  Sioux  City  Eailway  company.* 

Before  the  site  was  surveyed  there  was 
considerable  activity  at  the  new  station 
and  several  had  made  arrangements  to  en- 
ter into  business  in  the  new  town.  The 
name    lirst    selected    for    the    village    was 

quarter  of  section  33  and  the  south  half  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  32.  in  Heron  Lake 
township.  It  is  on  land  belonging  to  Anders 
R.  Kilen,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  head  of 
Heron  lake,  and  about  twelve  miles  from  Jack- 
son A  town  is  already  being  platted,  and  soon 
a  good  business  point  will  spring  up  at  that 
station."— Jackson   Republic,   July   26,   1879. 

'.Additions  to  Lakefield  have  been  platted  as 
follows: 

South  Lakefield.  November  28,  1882;  surveyed 
by  James  E.   Palmer. 

Griffin's,  by  Joshua  H.  Brady  November  li, 
1SS5;    surveyed   by    L.    L.   Palmer. 

Funk's,  by  Louis  F.  Menage  August  10,  1S92; 
surveyed  by  L.   L.   Palmer. 

Frederickson's  Addition  to  South  Lakefield, 
by  John  Frederickson  April  5,  1894;  surveyed 
by  C.  W.  Gove. 

Hollister's,  by  H.  J.  Hollister  June  17,  189a; 
surveyed  by  J.  L.   Hoist. 

A.  R.  Kilen's.  by  A  R.  Kilen  September  li, 
1898;   surveyed  by  J.   L.  Hoist. 

Park,  by  W.  A.  Funk  August  8,  1899;  sur- 
veyed  bv   J.    L.   Hoist. 

Mrs.  Bergh's,  by  Mrs,  A.  M.  Bergh  May  13, 
1901;   surveyed  by  J.   L.  Hoist. 

=Titles  to  lands  embraced  within  the  present 
boundaries  of  Lakefield  were  received  from  the 
government  as  follows:  Rasmus  Larson  home- 
steaded  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  32,  Heron  Lake  township,  and 
received  his  patent  December  20,  1881.  Chris- 
topher B.  Rubert  received  his  patent  to  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
the  same  section  October  10,  1876.  Edward  E. 
Bergh  received  his  patent  to  the  southeast 
quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  same 
section  March  1,  1877.  The  west  half  of  section 
33  was  railroad  land,  granted  to  the  St.  Paul  & 
Siou-x  City  company.  The  northwest  quarter  of 
section  4,  Hunter  township,  was  homesteaded 
by  James  W.  Forrest,  and  he  received  title  June 
20.  1875.  The  northeast  quarter  of  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  5  was  received  by  the 
St  Paul  &  Sioux  City  company  from  the  com- 
missioners of  the  state  land  office  March  31, 
1876. 


'"Bethauia,"  by  v/hich  it  was  known  for 
only  about  one  week,  however."  Then 
'■Lakefield"  was  substituted  by  the  town 
proprietor,  and  that  was  the  name  used 
in  making  the  dedication.  So  early  as 
the  latter  part  of  July  the  Colman  Lumber 
company  and  the  Paul  Lumber  company 
selected  sites  for  lumber  yards,  and  sev- 
eral others  made  arrangements  to  build 
and  engage  in  business. 

The  first  building  erected  was  the  of- 
fice   of    the    Colman    Lumber    companj, 
which    war^    put    up    in    August.      E.    W. 
Davies  was  the  first  local  manager.  This 
first  building  was  also  used  as  the  tele- 
graph office  until  the  depot  was  erected. 
A  few  other  buildings  were  started  about 
the  same  time,  and  before  the  close  of  the 
year  1879  there  were  five  or  si.x  business 
houses  in  operation.     The   Paul  Lumber 
company  had  its  sheds  completed  early  in 
September,  and  both  companies  had  lum- 
ber in  stock  to  supply  all  the  demands. 
Lewis  Chesterson  and  Charles  Chesterson 
opened  a  general  store  in  September,  which 
they   conducted  under  the  firm  name  of 
Chesterson  Brothers.    John  Kilen  put  up 
a  building  and  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness.    Bonner  &  Hyde  built  a  warehouse 
and  engaged  in  the  grain  business.     The 
railroad  company  erected  a  depot.     M.  A. 
Foss  erected  a  store  building  late  in  the 
fall,  but  did  not  open  his  general  store 
until  the  ne.\t  spring.  This  concludes  the 
list  of  improvements  for  the  year   1879, 
and  Lakefield  did  not  assume  metropolitan 
proportions  that  year.  John  Davies,  writ- 
ing from  the  little  town  October  21,  1879, 
said:   "There  are  only  two  ladies  in  the 
town  to  absorb  the  smiles  of  about  twen- 
ty bachelors." 

The  people  of  Lakefield  petitioned  for  a 
postofl'ice  in  the  fall  of  1879,  and  an  of- 

«"A  change  has  come  over  the  dreams  of 
Bethanians.  It  has  been  decided  to  call  the 
new  town  out  west  Lakefield." — Jackson  Re- 
public, August  16,  1879. 


246 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COQNTY. 


fice  was  granted  them  the  next  spring. 
It  was  opened  in  April  witii  M.  A.  Foss 
as  postmaster.'  A  few  new  husine.ss  en- 
terprises were  started  in  1880:  M.  A.  Foss 
opened  his  general  store,  Johnson  &  Ho- 
henstein  started  tlio  town's  third  general 
store,  Cargill  &  Van  built  the  second  grain 
warehouse,  Obed  Omberson  engaged  in  the 
general  merchandise  and  hardware  l)usi- 
ness,  Barney  Froelinger  opened  a  saloon, 
a  blacksmith  shop  was  started,  and  K.  B. 
Wood  worth  was  installed  as  the  depot 
agent. 

The  growth  of  Knkfield  during  the  lirst 
three  or  four  years  was  not  groat,  but  each 
year  witnessed  ihv  ii|>(>ning  of  one  or  two 
new  business  houses;,  and  the  small  growth 
was  healthy.  Conrad  &  Snure  engaged  in 
the  general  merchandise  business  in  1882, 
and  Larud.  ^lorland  i1-  Company  engaged 
in  the  hardwari'  liusiness  the  same  year. 
.\ninng  tlcc  other  improvements  of  the 
same  year  were  the  hay  jiressing  and  tow 
manufacturing  establishments  of  M.  A. 
Foss.  In  IS83  X.  J.  Scott  started  a 
liardware  store,  and  the  same  year  witness- 
ed the  founding  of  the  town's  first  newspa- 
per, the  Minnesota  Citizen  by  Carl  S. 
Kastwood.  There  were  .several  changes  in 
the  proprietorship  of  the  several  stores  and 
shops,  and  we  find  the  business  houses  on 

•Mr.  Foss  sprvod  as  T  iikedpld's  postmaster 
until  March.  1.SS2.  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
ITenry  Knudson.  who  moved  down  from  Jack- 
son Center.  Mr.  Knudson  sold  out  his  business 
a  short  time  later  and  resigned  the  office,  be- 
ing succeeded  in  July.  l.SS2i  by  H.  G.  Conrad. 
The  latter  served  until  Noveml)er,  ISSH.  when 
K.  Lewis  received  the  appointment.  There  was 
quite  a  contest  for  the  honor  In  1884.  which  was 
won  b.v  Carl  S.  Eastwood,  the  editor  of  the 
Minnesota  Citizen,  he  receiving  the  appointment 
In  June.  Mr.  Kastwood  sold  his  paper  and  re- 
moved from  I-akedeld  In  the  latter  part  of 
1885.  and  from  that  time  until  his  successor 
was  named  In  February.  ISSfi.  the  olTlce  was  In 
charge  of  Deputy  I..  \V.  Seely.  John  G.  Miller 
succeeded  Mr.  Eastwood  .as  postmaster  .-ind 
served  until  January  17.  1S8S.  On  that  date  S. 
J.  Mop  became  T>ake(b'Id's  postmaster,  serving 
until  January.  1S90.  Then  W.  I..  Funk  was  ap- 
pointed and  held  the  office  until  1803.  H.  J. 
Jlollister  served  from  that  lime  until  October. 
ISfiT.  under  the  democratic  administration.  John 
Crawford  was  appointed  at  the  expiration  of 
Mr.  Holilster's  term  and  held  the  office  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  by  drowning  in  June. 
1904.  Mrs.  John  Cr.iwford  was  then  appointed 
and  has  ever  since  conducted   the  office. 


Xoveniber  30,  1883,  as  represented  in  the 
advertising  columns  of  the  first  i.ssiie  of 
(he  local  paper,  to  be  as  follows: 

(Jeneral  stores— A.  Hohenstein,  K.  Lewis, 
William    Snure.   f).  Oniborson. 

Ilolel     .J.    U.   Stone. 

Implement    dealer— John    Krcilerickson. 

Newspaper  and  real  estate— Carl  S.  East- 
wood. 

IJver.v  -  A.   Hohenstein. 

Waeksmitlis— H.  1'.  Pietz.  T.  A.  .Sanders. 

Harness  simp— W.  11.  Randall. 

I>awyer  and  real  estate—!.,.  Walter  Seely. 

Hay  press — Omberson  Brotbers. 

The  general  prosfiority  which  bles,<ed 
Jackson  county  in  1884  brought  rapid  ad- 
vancement to  tlie  little  town  of  Lakeficld. 
It  was  a  season  of  solid  and  prosperous 
growth.  A  resident  of  Jackson  who  visi- 
lecl  the  village  in  July  wrote  as  follows: 
"A  few  hours  spent  by  the  writer  in  Lake- 
field  this  week  convinced  him  that  Jack- 
.'^on's  sister  village  is  up  to  the  tiincj;. 
Xiw  buildings  are  going  up,  a  large  acre- 
age of  prairie  turf  is  being  reduced  to  a 
state  of  cultivation  near  by,  and  prosperity 
prevails.  Within  the  past  year  Lakeficld 
has  seen  a  newspaper,  a  creamery,  a  hard- 
ware store,  a  drug  store  and  doctor  'spring 
u])  in  her  midst.'  " 

Factors  in  the  increased  activity  were 
the  [lurchase  of  the  townsitc  by  James  T. 
Griffin  and  the  platting  of  South  Lake- 
field  by  John  Frederickson.  These  gentle- 
men placed  lots  on  (lie  market  at  reduced 
in-ices  and  induced  men  with  capital  to 
locate  and  invest  in  the  new  town.  The 
Lakeficld  Citizen  boasted  that  more  new 
buildings  were  erected  in  Lakeficld  that 
yt^ir  than  in  any  otiicr  town  in  the  county, 
and  that  the  business  interests  and  popu- 
lation more  than  doubled  in  the  twelve 
months.  Despite  the  ,«howing  made,  an 
estimate  of  the  town".-  population  in  1884 
placi^d  the  figure  at  between  seventy-five 
and  one  hundred.  A  business  directory 
for  1884  listed  the  following  business 
houses  in  operation: 


LAKEFIELD  HIGH  SCHOOL 


MAKING    A    COUNTY   DITCH 


\ 


J■S&cUSK^S 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


249 


William  Snure,  general  merchandise. 
E.  Lewis,  general   merchandise. 
Obed   Omberson,   general   merchandise. 
Albert   Hohenstein,   general   merchandise. 
E.  J.  Viall,  Viall  hotel. 
J.  D.  Stone,  Lakefield  hotel. 
N.  J.   Scott,  hardware   store. 
J.  M.  Strickler,  drug  store. 
John    Frederickson     (Colman    Lumber    Co.), 
lumber  and   machinery. 

C.   M.   Tradcwell,   agricultural    implements. 

Charles  Randall,  harness  shop. 

L.  W.  Seely,  land  agent. 

Carl   S.  Eastwood,   newspaper. 

Robert  Pietz.  blacksmith   shop. 

Thomas   Sanders,   blacksmith   shop. 

Hiss  Tilda  Hamerstad.  millinery  store. 

John  Sr.rber,  coal  dealer. 

Omberson  Brothers,  hay  dealers. 

G.  A.  Stanton,  Lakefield  nursery. 

W.  W.   HefTelfinger,   ]diysician. 

John  G.  ililler,  contractor. 

S.  Christenson,  contractor. 

B.  .Johnson,  contractor. 

Lakefielcl's  first  confiagration  occurred 
February  12,  1884,  when  the  depot  with 
all  its  contents  was  burned  to  the  ground. 

The  progress  in  1884  was  onh'  the  be- 
ginning of  the  forward  movement  in 
Lakefield's  history.  During  the  later  eigh- 
ties every  year  was  one  of  increase.  In 
1886  building  improvements  to  the  value 
of  $19,160  were  made,  the  items  of  this 
amount  being  as  follows : 

F.   E.  Wesner,  residence $    800 

E.   D.   Briggs,   improvements 1,100 

A.  M.  Johnson,  warehouse 300 

Standard  office   700 

C.  L.   Colman,  addition 725 

Fred   Nestrude,   feed   mill 425 

A.   W.  Ward,  residence 365 

Julius    Broeger,   residence 400 

John  Lueiieburg,  furniture   store 1,100 

Rhoda    Pollock,    residence 450 

N.  J.  Scott,  residence  and  barn 1,075 

Jackson   Countv   Bank 1,800 

E.  J.  Viall,  barn 600 

Burgess  Jones,  residence  and  coal  house  1,150 

Frank  White,  residence  and  barber  shop  700 

T.  A.  Sanders,  residence  and  barn 500 

William    Britsch,    residence 400 

Ludwig   Lueneburg,    residence 775 

C.    M.    Trade  well,    office    and    machine 

shop      700 

.J.  H,  Luse,  hardware  store 800 

E.  D.  Briggs,  improvements 175 

H.  P.  Stone,  addition 250 

Matt   Schram,   addition 100 

0.  Omberson,  addition 800 

Minor    improvements    2,000 

Total    $19,160 

12 


A  census  of  Lakefield,  taken  July  14, 
1887,  showed  a  population  of  260.  It  was 
then  the  residents  petitioned  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  for  incorpora- 
tion.* The  county  board  took  favorable 
action  on  the  petition  July  25,  1887,  when 
it  provided  for  holding  a  special  election 
September  1  to  vote  on  the  question  of  in- 
corporation. The  election  was  held  in 
the  Lakefield  school  house,"  and  "for  in- 
corporation" carried  by  a  vote  of  26  to 
2."  The  first  election  for  the  selection 
of  village  officers  was  held  October  1,  when 
forty-five  votes  were  cast.  The  council 
elected  at  that  time  met  and  organized 
October  21,  and  the  municipal  government 
of  Lakefield  began  on  that  day.^^  Fol- 
lowing is  a  list  of  tliose  who  have  been 
elected  to  municipal  office  in  Lakefield 
from  tlie  date  of  incorporation  to  the  pres- 
ent time.'- 

'The  petitioners  were  L.  J.  Britsch.  H.  J. 
HoUister.  M.  E.  Lawton.  N.  J.  Scott,  Burgess 
Jones,  William  Britsch.  E.  Lewis,  W.  W.  Hef- 
felflnger.  S.  Christiansen.  Carl  Omberson,  Gust 
Goplin.  D.  Crawford.  R.  A.  MeUmber,  C.  O. 
Tradewell,  F.  B.  White.  William  Snure.  T.  A. 
Sanders.  H.  P.  Stone,  Hans  J.  Hauge,  S.  J.  Moe. 
J.  N.  Edwards.  John  Hale,  James  Keenan.  R. 
H.  Lueneburg.  A.  Hohenstein.  A.  Ellison,  J.  I. 
Anderson.  A.  Norgrant.  J.  H.  Luse,  C.  H. 
Young,  L.  W.  Crowl.  E.  J.  Viall.  Robert  Pietz, 
R.  S.  Luse,  John  Frederickson,  F.  E.  Wesner, 
W.  A.  Funk.  W.  L.  Funk.  F.  W.  Weeks.  T. 
Omberson,    C.    M.   Tradewell. 

■■■John  Frederickson.  John  G.  Miller  and  N.  J. 
Scott  were  the  inspectors  of  the  election  and 
F.  W.   Weeks  was  the  clerk. 

•John  Frederickson,  John  G.  Miller  and  N.  J. 
Scott,  H.  J.  HoUister,  W.  W.  Heftelflnger.  W. 
L.  Funk.  W.  A.  Funk,  C.  L.  Bratager.  Alfred 
Ellison,  Andrew  Norgrant,  John  Miller.  R.  H. 
Lueneburg,  C.  P.  Carlson,  M.  E.  Lawton,  L.  J. 
Britsch.  R.  A.  McUmber.  C.  H.  Young.  Burgess 
Jones.  John  Frederickson.  F.  W.  Weeks,  Wil- 
liam Snure.  David  Crawford.  William  Viall.  R. 
S.  Luse,  E.  J.  Viall.  T.  A.  Sanders.  Frank 
White.  August  N.  Goplin.  S.  J.  Moe,  Robert 
Pietz. 

"Lakefield  remained  a  part  of  Heron  Lake 
and  Hunter  townships  for  assessment  and  elec- 
tion purposes  until  1SS9.  On  April  22  of  that 
year  the  legislature  provided  for  its  separation 
tor  all  purposes. 

'=At  many  of  the  annual  village  elections  the 
license  question  h.as  been  submitted  to  the  vot- 
ers. Following  is  the  result  In  those  years 
when  the  question  was  submitted,  the  question 
not  having  been  voted  upon  in  the  years  omit- 
ted: 

ISSS— For,    40:    against.    19. 

1889 — For   license    by    9    majority. 

1890 — For.    51:    against.    15. 

1892— For,    53;   against,   20. 

1894 — For.    71;    against,    20. 

1895 — For,    67;    against,    70. 

1896 — For  license  by  26  majority. 


250 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


1887— Prosident.  W.  A.  Kiiiik;"  trustees,  N. 
J.  Scott.  William  Smirc.  Hiirgcss  Jones;"  re- 
corder, a.  II.  l,ui-iicbiir{.';  treasurer,  Jolin  Fred- 
erickson:  justices,  K.  Lewis,  \V.  L.  Funk;  con- 
stables. K.  Krickson.  .John    [.  .Anderson. 

1888— President,  L.  W.  Crowl;  trustees,  F. 
E.  Wesner,  E.  J.  \iall,  W.  \V.  HeirelUnger;  re- 
corder, R.  H.  Lueneburg;  treasurer,  M.  E. 
Lawton;  justices,  E.  Lewis,  John  G.  Miller; 
constables,  R.  P.  Pietz,  E.  D.  Sanders. 

1889- President,  IL  J.  liollister;  trustees, 
John  Frederickson,  .\els  Olson,  S.  J.  Moe;  re- 
corder, Frank  White;  treasurer,  X.  J.  Scott; 
justices,  E.  Lewis,  John  Ci.  .Miller;  constables, 
II.  P.  Stone,  R.  P.  Pictz. 

18U0— President,  Jolin  Frederickson;  trus- 
tees, J.  X.  Co.\,  (.-.  .\1.  Xiadewcll,  Nels  Olson; 
recorder,  Cieorge  Sawyer;  treasurer,  M.  J. 
Scott;  assessor,  S.  J.  iloe;  justices,  John  G. 
Miller,  O.  11.  Spofford;  constables,  George  Win- 
ter, 11.  P.  Stone. 

1801— President,  John  Frederickson;  trus- 
tees, M.  11.  Evans,  William  Searles,  Xels  Ol- 
son; recorder,  R.  li.  Lueneburg;  treasurer,  N. 
J.  Scott;  constables,  George  Winter,  E.  Erick- 
son. 

1892— President,   L.    W.   Crowl;    trustees,   S. 

D.  Sumner,  C.  W.  Gove,  Joe  Winter;  recorder, 
J.  W.  Calta;"  treasurer,  X.  J.  Scott;  assessor, 

E.  J.  Viall;  justices,  X.  B.  Spiceard,  G.  G.  Saw- 
yer; constable,  R.  P.  Pietz. 

1803— President,  L.  W.  Crowl;    trustees,  W. 

F.  Timm,  A.  A.  Fosness,  F.  E.  Wesner;  re- 
corder, John  Crawford;  treasurer,  John  Fred- 
erickson; assessor,  A.  Park;  constables,  S.  J. 
Moe,  Ed  Hanson. 

18D4— President,  X.  J.  Scott;  trustees,  W.  F. 
Timm,  A.  Xorgrant,  F.  B.  White;  recorder, 
John  Crawford;  treasurer,  John  Frederickson; 
assessor,  D.  Crawford;  justices,  John  G.  Miller, 
George  Sawyer;   constable,  James  Kula. 

18'J5— President,  X.  J.  Scott;  trustees,  Wil- 
liam Searles,  Henry  Winter,  W.  D.  Hill;  re- 
corder, F.  E.  Wesner;  treasurer,  John  Freder 
ickson;  assessor,  J).  Crawford;  constable,  L.  M 
White. 

1896— President,  N.  J.  Scott;  trustees,  Wil- 
liam Searles,  W.  C.  Bauer,  N.  P.  Heintz;  re- 
corder, F.  E.  Wesner;  treasurer,  John  Freder- 
ickson: assessor,  O.  Crawford:  justices,  John  «. 
.Miller.  Jar.?b  Palmer:   constable.  .lames  Kula. 

1. S!I7— President,  M.  H.  Evans:  trustees,  S. 
I).  Sumner,  W.  F.  Timm.  .T.  E.  McGill;  recor- 
der. 'J'homas  Crawford;  treasurer,  John  Fred- 
erickson; assessor,  F.  B.  White;  constable,  L. 
-M.  White. 

1898- President,  David  Crawford;  trustees, 
A.  U.  Palmer,  S.  D.  Sumner,  E.  Erickson;  re- 
corder, J.  M.  Thompson;  treasurer.  John  Fred- 

1S97— For.   77;   against,   49. 

1898— For.   99;    against.   47. 

1899— For.    106;    ngalnst,    70. 

1901— For.    105:   against.    79. 

1902— For.    120;    against.    60. 

1903— For,   128;    against.    43. 

"Resigned    and   M.    E.   Lawton   appointed. 

"Did  not  qualify;  L.  W.  Crowl  appointed. 

"Did  not  qualify;  H.  J.  Holllster  appointed. 


crick.son;  as.sessor,  S.  J.  Moe;  justices,  William 
Crawford,  Jarcb  Palmer;  constables,  A.  L. 
Bachus,  August   Milbrath. 

1899- President,  Oavid  Crawford;  trustees, 
X.  J.  .Scott.  John  Frederickson,  J.  E.  McGill- 
recorder,  S.  R.  Dubetz:  treasurer,  William 
Searles;  assessor,  S.  J.  Moe;  constable,  Henry 
Wood. 

1900— President,  A.  M.  St.  John:  trustees,  C. 
M.  Gage,  Emil  Erickson.  W.  F.  Timm:  recor- 
der, G.  W.  Curtiss;  treasurer,  William  Searles; 
as.sessor.  S.  J.  Moe;  justices,  M.  liollister, 
.Jareb  Palmer;  constables,  J.  L.  Rakerd,  .Mil- 
ton Morse. 

1901— President,  A.  M.  St.  John:  trustees,  C. 
M.  Tradewell,  A.  A.  Fosness,  August  Olson: 
recorder,  Charles  Xorgrant:  treasurer.  William 
Searles:  assessor.  S.  J.  Moe. 

1902— President.  David  Crawford;  trustees, 
II.  J.  liollister.  A.  A.  Fosness.  C.  M.  Gape;  re- 
corder, Charles  Xorgrant :  treasurer,  F.  L. 
Leonard:  justices,  M.  Hollister,  John  G.  Mil- 
ler: constables,  J.  L.  Rakerd,  George  H.  Win- 
ter. 

1903— President,  David  Crawford:  trustees. 
C.  if.  Gage,  A.  A.  Fosness.  James  Rost :  re- 
corder, Charles  Xorgrant:  treasurer,  A.  Bettin: 
assessor.  S.  J.  Moe:  constable,  F.  L.  Grannis. 

1904— President,  H.  J.  liollister:  trustees, 
James  Rost,  S.  R.  Dubetz,  G.  B.  McMurtrie; 
recorder,  Charles  Xorgrant:  treasurer,  Adolph 
Bettin:  assessor,  S.  J.  Moe;  justices.  John  G. 
-Miller,  Jareb  Palmer;  constable.  Albert  Rue. 

190.5- President,  D.  L.  Riley;  trustees, 
George  Winzenburg,  J.  C.  Caldwell,  James 
Rost;  recorder,  Ed  Arnold;  treasurer,  Adolph 
Bettin;  assessor,  S.  J.  Moe:  justice,  Henry 
Wood:  constables,  Ed  Collins,  II.  G.  Latourell." 
1906— President,  J.  W.  Daubney:  trustees, 
George  Wood,  f^orge  Britsoh,  John  Anderson; 
recorder,  W.  I.  Alcott:  treasurer.  Adolph  Bet- 
tin; assessor,  S.  J.  Moc;  justices,  John  G.  Mil- 
ler, Jareb  Palmer;  constables,  Ed  Collins, 
George   Milburn. 

1907— President.  A.  M.  St.  John;  trustees, 
-M.  Mctilin.  James  Rost,  H.  L.  Bond:  recorder, 
W.  I.  Aloott:  treasurer,  Adolph  Bettin:  asses- 
sor, S.  J.  Moe;  constables,  Charles  Blankcn- 
burg,  Henry  Tank. 

1908— President.  M.  McGlin;  trustees,  J.  A. 
Anderson.  .J.  J.  Jones,  John  Grcin:  recorder, 
Ed  .\riiold:  treasurer.  Adolph  Bettin:  asses- 
sor. S.  J.  Moe;  justices.  John  G.  Miller.  Jareb 
Palmer;  constables,  J.  B.  Wagner,  G.  R.  Van- 
Dyke. 

1909- President.  M.  McGlin;  trnstees,  John 
Grein,  J.  M.  Putman,  William  Hecht:  recor- 
der, Ole  Thorcson:  treasurer,  Adolph  Bettin; 
assessor,  S.  J.  Moe:  constables,  Charles  Blan- 
kenbnrg,  IL  A.  Rost. 

Lakefield  continued'  its  forward  move- 
ment until  the  panic  year  1R93.  During 
these  years  it  advanced  from  the  little 
hamlet  of  pioneer  days  to  one  of  the  im- 
portant towns  of  Jackson  county.     The 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


251 


year  1895  was  one  of  exceptional  progi-ess. 
Many  new  buildings  were  erected  and  sev- 
eral new  enterprises  were  put  under  way, 
principal  anumg  them  being  the  flouring 
mill.  Tlie  panic  put  a  temporary  stop 
to  the  progress  of  the  town,  and  for  a  few 
years  there  was  little  advance.  The  popu- 
lation in  1895  was  519. 

Beginning  with  1896  came  improved 
conditions,  and  the  town  once  more  took 
up  its  forward  march,  entering  upon  the 
most  prosperous  era  in  its  history.  The 
building  improvements  in  1896  amounted 
to  nearly  $.50,000,  and  the  ne.xt  year  they 
exceeded  that  amount,  the  items  of  im- 
provement for  1897,  being  as  follows: 

High   school   building $23,000 

Norwegian    Lutheran    i-hurch 1,800 

E.  Schumacher,  brick  Ijuihling 2,000 

St.  John  Brothers,  elevator 3,000 

Leonard  &  Company,  furniture  store...  1,700 

Pietz  &  White,  livery  barn 1,200 

M.  E.  church,  addition 800 

M.  E.  churcli,  parsonage 1,500 

L.  L.  Stewart,  residence 1,300 

C.  M.   f^ge,   residence 1,800 

D.  L.   Riley,   residence 2,000 

Thomas   Crawford,   residence 1,200 

0.    Orleski,    residence GOO 

H.  .T.  Hollister.   residence 600 

E.  T.   Smith,   residence 1,200 

A.  E.  Skillingstad,  residence 800 

John    Milbrath,    residence 700 

S.  D.   Sumner,  residence 600 

Fred    Bergman,    residence 2,000 

Milton    Morse,   residence 1,200 

V.  McColm,  residence 500 

F.  B.   White,   residence 1,300 

J.   F.   Montman,   residence 1,400 

Mrs.  S.  H.  Beall,  residence 1,800 

Henry    Wood,    residence 1,200 

A.   J.  Johnson,   residence 500 

W.   F.  Timm,  residence 1,200 

L.  N.  Duchaine,  office  and  residence....  300 

August   Olson,  addition 200 

William   Host,   addition 200 

George  G.  Johnson,  machine  shed 500 

C.  L.   Colman,  addition 300 

Lakefield    village    600 

Sidewalks    600 


Total    $59,600 

Again  in  1898  the  residents  of  the  vil- 
lage spent  large  sums  in  erecting  new 
homes  and  business  houses.  In  1899  the 
total  amount  so  expended  was  nearly  $70,- 
000,  divided  as  follows : 


Citizens  State  Bank,  building $  8,507 

L.  J.  Britsch,  business  block 4,800 

N.  J.  Scott,  business  block 4,800 

Frederickson  &  Gage,  business  block. . .  .  3,.500 

Baptist    church    1,800 

John    (jrussing,    residence 800 

P.  E.  Olson,  residence 1,500 

H.  A.  Rhodes,  meat  market 800 

John   Wefel,   residence 1,400 

A.   E.   Norgrant,   residence 1,200 

H.   Schultz,   residence 800 

A.  E.  Guertien,  residence 1,300 

Eugene  Bedient,  residence 800 

Rev.    D.   Swanson,  residence 1,200 

J.   N.  Bradley,  residence 1,600 

Norwegian   Lutheran    church 2,500 

Ole  Sandager,  residence 1,800 

Henry  Timm,  residence 1,500 

J.   K.  Turner,   residence 1,800 

Laketield    Village,   electric   light   plant..  10,500 

Joe    Winter,    residence     1,200 

W.  F.  Timm,  residence 1,500 

D.    Timm,    residence 1,500 

J.   Kalash,  residence 1,200 

Henry  Rost,   residence 1,500 

Mrs.  J.  B.  McClintock,  residence 1,000 

Globe   Milling  Co.,  addition 500 

S.    R.    Dubetz,   addition 400 

William   Lochner,   residence 1,500 

William   Bertels,   residence 600 

M.    Sandager,   barn 200 

A.  Hagerson,   addition 500 

Albert    Rue,    residence 1,000 

L.   Lueneburg,   addition 500 

Julia  Johnson,  residence 600 

C.  L.   Colman,   addition 200 

George    Britsch,    improvements 300 

A.   Hohenstein,   improvements 400 

German  Lutheran  parsonage 1,500 


Total    $69,267 

In  May,  1899,  by  a  vote  of  96  to  44,  the 
electors  declared  in  favor  of  bonding  for 
the  installation  of  an  electric  lighting  and 
water  works  plant.  The  electric  lighting 
plant  was  installed,  and  the  lights  turned 
on  for  the  first  time  in  January,  1900. 
The  water  works  system  was  added  in 
1902.  The  population  of  Lakefield,  ac- 
cording to  the  federal  census  of  1900,  was 
8G2. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  De- 
cember 1,  1900,  a  fire  was  started  that 
did  considerable  damage  and  threatened 
the  destruction  of  the  town.  The  town 
liad  no  fire  department,  and  the  flames 
were  fought  with  bucket  brigades.  After 
lieroic  work  the  conflagration  was  sub- 
dued.   The  losses  were  as  follows : 


2y2  HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 

Lakefield    Mercantile    Compuny    (S.    R.  meet  till'  (Iciiiniids,  a  special  election  was 

Diilietz.    XIaiirt<'er).    stock $14,000  .    ,,          ,      .       ,            ,oi>,>    i          i            ii 

E.  Schumacher,  siori-  building 4,000  '"eW  f''"l>    I"  -'une-  18S)6,  to  vote  on  tlie 

K.  Schuniiuhcr,  saliMiii  liuildin^' nnd  stock    1,000  questioii  of  issuing  $20,000  bonds  for  the 

Jacob  Kalf,  saloon  buildiiiL'  and  stock..        350  .           ,.                  i       i  i-            mi           i 

A.  Uoass,  tailor  shop. ...   600  ^Tectioii  ol  a  new  building.    1  he  vote  was 

"2  in  favor  of  tiic  bonJs  to  (j9  against,  but 

Total    loss    $19,950  .,             .     ,         ,        .i  •    i            •     -i.      a 

as    it    required   a    (v.o-thirds   majority   to 

Again  on  July  25,  1904,  fire  visited  the  carry  the  proposition  it  was  lost.  On  June 

town,  destroying  the  building  occupied  by  2'>,  189(5,  the  question  was  again  subinit- 

Otto    Brothers,    general    monluints,    and  ted,  and  this  time  it  carried  by  a  vote  of 

an  $18,000  stock  of  goods.  -^liT  to  48.     The  contract  for  the  erection 

THK  scaiooLS  "^  *'^^  "^^^'  '^"'''''"S  ^^"*  1^'  August  15, 

.      ,        ,,     .   '  '        .  .,  '  T   ,    n  , .  I'^OC,  to  Fred  Norlander,  of  St.  Paul,  at 

In  till'  fall  ot  1881,  wliile  Lakefield  was  .       ,       .        ,*,.,.„.    hm            i      c 

'             .,  ,      .^    3  a  contract  price  of  $lo,()2.').  The  work  of 

vet   in  its  infancy,  Messrs.  John  Fredcr-  ,       ^.                ,             ■       .       i     ,>..n~ 

■"     ,,     .     „         T  ,      ,-,  construction   was   begun    in    April,    ls9i, 

ickson,  Anders  Roe.  M.  A.  loss,  John  d.  ,   ,,              i    -n-                i   v     .   i  x- 

,,  and   the  new  building  was  dedicated  iSo- 

.Millcr  and  Ole  Anderson  called  a  meeting  ,        ^^    ,„,_       ,       ,         ,     ,„,,,, 

,      ,  viMiilior    19.    1897.      In    .August,    1900.    a 
for  t  lie  purpose  nl  taking  steps  towards  the  ,.  ,       ,      ,                        ,,    , 
'      '                      ,    .       .           _    ,  high  school  cour.se  was  added, 
organization  of  a  school  district  at  Lake- 
field.     Their  efforts  were  successful,  and  the  cm  kciies. 
that  same  fall  school  district  No.  38  was  Lakefield  supports  seven  church  organ- 
organized.     Among  the  first  members  of  ^.-itions,  one  to  each  131  inhabitants.  They 
the  school  board  were  M.  A.  Foss,  John  .,j,p_   j^   ^be  order  of   their  organization: 
Frederickson  and  John  G.  Miller.  A  one-  Swedish   ]>utheran,   Presbyterian,  Jletho- 
room  school  house,  24x36  feet,  was  erected  ^y^^^^   German   Lutheran,   Norwegian   Lu- 
and    Lakefield's    first    school    was   taught  ,]„,,..,„.  Norwegian  Lutlieran.  Raj.tist  and 
during  the  winter  of  1881-82  by  Miss  War-  ('.itholic.    All  liave  clnirch  edifices.  During 
ner,  only  a  few  pupils    being    in    atten-  ^^^^  fl,.g(.  ^^^  yg^^g  ^f  j^s  e.xistence  Lakefield 
dance.'"     The    little    one-room     building  ^..^^  witjinut"  a  church  building,  although 
served  as  Lakefield's  school  building  until  ,.eiigious  services  were  fixHiueiitly  licld  in 
1890,  when  a  two-story,  four-room  build-  (he "school  house. 

ill"  was  put  up,  which  was  used  until  tlie  rpv      />    i.       i-   •               ■  i      i.           t  ^t 

"          '         "  The   first   religious    societv   to    perfect 

handsoine  brick  structure  now  in  u.se  was  ...       ■     t    i    c  ii  "      no     ^ 

an  organization  in  Lakefield  was  the  bweil- 

'^^^^  ^  '                                    .     ,               .  ish    Lutheran,    which    was    organized    un- 

Tbo  district  wa.?  rcor;;anized  as  an  in-  ,      n      i-      i-         i-  r>       a   n   i?    „    „     f 

'^                .,11  '''■''  "'"'  direction  ol  Rev.  S.  C.  Iranzen,  of 

dependent  district  at  a  school  meeting  held  ,,.     ,,  .      ,        .>-         ,    „  oo    ioq~    t^  «.„, 

'                                                          "  \\  orthington,  November  2.i.  1887.  It  wa.s 

April  20,  1895,  the  change  being  made  bv  i    ■  i   i  .     .      ■     ^i           t-  „  „f  „    i  „„„i, 

'           '          '                 e>           b              .  decided  to  begin  the  erection  of  a  church 

a  vote  of  67  to  6.    On  May  3  the  following  ^^^.^^^  ^,^^  ^^^^  ^^^.^^^  ,^^^^  .^  ^^.^  .^  ^^^^,^ 

were  chosen  as  the  first  school  board  under  ^^^^^  ,^^f^^.^  Lakefield's  first  church  build- 

the  new  organization:  D.  L.  Rilev,  chair-  11*1 

"                                           ....  ing  was  dedicated, 

man:    F.    E.     Wesner.    clerk:    \\  illiam  ,      ,.    ,     ,  r,     ,      ,        ,„„,^ 

„      ,       ,                   4    \     17              T  1  About   (ho  first  of  September,  1890,  a 

Searles,  treasurer;  A.  A.   Fosncss,  John  .              ,    , ,   ^      ,,                     <■   i- 

„     ,    .  ,          T  1      /^    -nr-ii  meeting  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 

Fre<lerickson,  John  G.  Miller.  .    "    ,               .    ,.       '     '       „     ,.  1 

~,       n  ,    -IT               •       -1        i    i.„  cussing   the   organization    of   an    Lnglish 

The  old  building  proving  inadequate  to  p              f     .      ,   ,    „  , ,        .        ^ 

speaking   church    in    Lakeheld.      A   vote 

"Other    early    day    terichers    of    the    l-nkencld  i,p|„n.    »«!;„«     if    „.«,    found    the    sentiment 

.school  were   I..   Wniter   Sceiy.   Dora   M.   niiid.  "eing  laKcn,  11  was  louno  me  seuiimcui 

Julln   Stone.  Jarcb  Palmer.  John  G.  Miller,   Miss  nlniost  imnnimOlIS  in  favOF  of  a   PfCS- 

Standwlck.    Julia    Hammer.stoek.    Will    Marou.-ie.  " ''•*  aimosl  unanimous  in  ia\or  01  a  1  ira 

Warren   Funk.   Elmer   Best.   Maria   J.   Schrelncr  hyterian    cliurch.       A    requcst    for    the    OT- 

and   Laura   Cooper.  -"                                                   ' 


LAKEFIELD'S  CHURCHES 


THE  MLW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


»«TOH,  LEKOX   »H0 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


253 


ganization  of  a  church  of  tliat  faith  was 
signed  by  nineteen  persons  who  declared 
their  desire  to  nnite  with  such  a  church. 
About  thirty  other  people  signed  an  agree- 
ment to  aid  a  Presbyterian  church  with 
their  moral  and  financial  support  and  to 
identify  themselves  with  a  society  connec- 
ted with  the  church.  The  state  organiza- 
tion was  conferred  with,  and  on  November 
7,  1890,  the  Presbyterian  church  was  for- 
mally organized  by  Eev.  E.  N.  Adams, 
assisted  by  Eev.  H.  C.  Cheadle  and  K.  F. 
Sulzer.  Tlie  follo\ving  members  were  ad- 
mitted by  letter  on  the  day  of  organization : 
Mrs.  Sailie  H.  Beall,  W.  A.  Funk,  Mrs. 
Nettie  L.  Funk,  Mrs.  Hattie  Evans,  Emil 
Erickson,  Mrs.  A.  Erickson,  Hart  N. 
Douglas.  W.  A.  Funk  was  ordained  el- 
der. The  first  election  of  trustees  was 
held  November  11,  IS'JO,  the  meeting  be- 
ing presided  over  by  M.  H.  Evans,  with 
W.  A.  Funk  as  secretary.  The  board  of 
trustees  chosen  at  that  time  was  composed 
of  Emil  Erickson,  Hart  N.  Douglas  and 
M.  H.  Evans. 

Funds  were  raised  by  subscription,  and 
on  January  SI,  1S91,  the  following  build- 
ing committee  was  appointed  to  superin- 
tend the  erection  of  a  church  edifice:  N. 
J.  Scott,  M.  H.  Evans  and  Emil  Erick- 
son. Building  operations  were  begun  in 
June  and  the  building  was  completed  in 
October,  the  total  cost,  with  furnishings, 
being  $1,880.  The  dedication  of  the 
house  of  worship  occurred  February  38, 
1892,  conducted  by  Eev.  N.  H.  Bell,  of 
Minneapolis,  assisted  by  Eev.  H.  C.  Chea- 
dle, of  Blue  Earth  City. 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  pastors 
who  have  supplied  the  Presbyterian  pulpit 
at  Lakefield  with  the  dates  of  their  minis- 
try :  H.  C.  Cheadle,  November  7,  1S90,  to 
December,  1894;  Hugh  Alexander,  1894- 
95;  M.  B.  Myers,  1895-96;  J.  F.  Mont- 
man,  1890-98 ;  0.  G.  Dale,  1898-99 ;  C.  C. 


HofEmeister,  1899-03;  S.  E.  P.  White, 
1903-05;  J.  S.  P.  Pinney,  1907-08. 

The  next  church  organized  in  Lakefield 
was  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  which  erec- 
ted a  church  building  in  1892.  The  build- 
ing was  dedicated  May  28,  1893,  the  ser- 
vices being  conducted  by  Presiding  Elder 
Hare,  of  Manlvato.  The  building  was 
dedicated  free  of  debt. 

The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  so- 
ciety was  organized  during  the  nineties, 
and  the  church  building  was  erected  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1896.  It  was  dedicated 
September   27,   1896. 

Another  religious  organization  that 
came  into  existence  in  the  nineties  was 
the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church.  For  sev- 
eral years  the  members  worshipped  in  the 
other  church  edifices,  but  in  October,  1897, 
the  contract  was  let  for  the  erection  of  a 
building  at  a  cost,  excluding  furnishings 
and  heating  plant,  of  $1,300.  The  build- 
ing was  destroyed  by  a  cyclone  in  August, 

1898,  but  it  was  rebuilt  in  1899  at  a  cost 
of  $3,500. 

The  Baptist  church  society  wa.s  organ- 
ized May  11,  1S9S,  with  the  following 
cluirter  members:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milton 
Meltchert,  Mr.  and  :Mrs.  James  Kilen,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henry  Shaw,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Taylor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  D.  Palmer, 
Mrs.  Frederickson,  Mrs.  Z.  M.  Turner, 
Eev.  and  Mrs.  George  MacDougall.  In 
September,  1898,  the  call  of  recognition 
and  ordination  was  issued,  and  in  June, 

1899,  the  church  was  admitted  to  the 
Minnesota  Valley  association.  For  a  year 
services  were  held  in  the  council  room  of 
the  city  hall;  then  in  March,  1899,  it  was 
decided  to  erect  a  liouse  of  worship.  The 
l)uilding  was  erected  that  summer  and  was 
dedicated  October  22.  The  cost  of  the 
building  was  $1,620.50.  The  following 
have  served  as  pastors  of  the  Baptist 
church  of  Lakefield:  George  MacDougall, 
1898-00;   F.    C.    Peck,   1900-03;   Charles 


254 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Walsh,  1902-03;  Rev.  Pengally,  1903-04. 
Owing  to  the  removal  of  so  many  of  the 
members,  church  services  are  not  new 
held,  although  tiie  Sunday  school  is  still 
maintained. 

The  Catholic  cluncli  was  the  last  to 
organize  in  Lakefield.  So  early  as  August, 
1898,  steps  were  taken  to  bring  about  the 
erection  of  a  house  of  worship,  Messrs. 
Hugli  Gallagher,  Albert  Vancura  aiul  Jo- 
seph Cirhan  being  appointed  a  committee 
to  solicit  funds.  Services  were  held  in 
the  city  hall  for  several  years,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1902  the  church  edifice,  costing 
$2.50n,  was  completed.  It  was  dedicated  by 
Right  Kev.  Bishop  Joseph  B.  Cotter,  of 
Winona,  September  26,  1902. 

Tin:  i.ODOES. 

Tn  the  matter  of  secret  societies  Lake- 
field  is  well  represerted.  The  following 
societies  maintain  organizations:  Odd  Fel- 
lows, Rebekalis.  Workmen,  Modern  Wood- 
men, Royal  Neighbors,  Maccabees,  Modern 
Brotherhood,  Masons  and  Eastern  Star. 

Lakefield  Lodge  No.  178,  Independent 
Order  Odd  Fellows,  was  organized  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1891,  with  twenty  members.  A 
prosperous  Rebekah  lodge  is  also  nuiin- 
tained,  it  having  been  organized  July  19, 
190.",  with  20  members. 

Lincoln  Lodge  ^o.  Kii,  Ancient  Order 
United  Workmen,  was  organized  March  9, 
189;?,  hv  Deputy  (irand  Master  Workman 
0.  H.  Mason  with  the  following  first  of- 
ficers and  charter  members:  W.  A.  Funk, 
P.  W.  M. ;  N.  J.  Scott,  M.  W. ;  John  Fred- 
orick.son,  foreman ;  A.  A.  Fosness,  overseer ; 
C.  W.  Gove,  recorder;  CM.  Tradewell. 
receiver;  A.  Park,  financier;  Joe  Winter, 
uuide ;  N.  B.  Spieeavd,  I.  W. ;  E.  E.  Col- 
lins. 0.  W. ;  A.  Bedient,  S.  M.  Child,  Sam 
Fader,  C.  M.  Cage,  W.  \.  Ludtke,  IL  K 
l?ue,  Scott  Searles.  Fred  Winter,  Calvin 
Young.  The  first  trustees  were  C.  M. 
Gage,  Fred  Winter  and  11.  K.  Hue. 


Prairie  Camp  No.  1970,  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  wa.'  organized  May  13, 
189;?,  with  the  following  first  officers  and 
charter  members:  Jlrs.  F.  J.  Ledbrook. 
JL  White,  advisor;  Henry  Winter,  bank- 
er; Thomas  Crawford,  clerk;  C.  TI. 
Young,  watchman;  R.  Willing,  escort  ;^L 
C.  Bcdient,  sentry;  Scott  Searles,  phy- 
sician; N.  J.  Scott,  M.  R.  Clu.ss  and  C. 
M.  Tradewell,  managers;  W.  V.  Bout- 
well,  .loliii  Crawford,  A.  E.  Ilolmberg, 
Eriek  Kilen,  W.  F.  Ludtke,  A.  Phelps,  H. 
A.  Rhodes,  William  Searles,  A.  J.  Solo- 
monson,  G.  G.  Sawyer.  The  camp  has  a 
present  membership  of  10(1  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  S.  J.  Moe,  consul;  Wil- 
liam Bertels,  advisor;  J.  A.  Mansfield, 
banker;  A.  Dahl.  clerk;  H.  Sucker,  es- 
cort :  J.  B.  McMurtrie,  sentry ;  George 
Sfeiner.  watchman;  William  Taylor,  Mike 
]\IcGlin  and  C.  ]M.  Tradew^ell,  managers. 

Piairio  Lilly  Camp  No.  808.  Royal 
Xeiglibors.  was  organized  November  2fi, 
1897,  with  the  following  first  officers  and 
charter  members:  S.  J.  Aloe,  consul;  L. 
"racle;  Mrs.  Calvin  Young,  vice  oraelo-. 
Mrs.  .T.  T.  Johnson,  recorder;  Mrs.  .T.  M. 
Thompson,  receiver;  Airs.  C.  V.  Trade- 
well,  chancelor ;  Airs.  George  Sawver. 
marshal;  Mrs.  J.  E.  McGill.  inner 
sentinel ;  Mrs.  IT.  J.  Hollister,  outer  sen- 
tinel ;  D.  F.  Ledbrook,  diysician ;  Mrs. 
Frank  White,  Mrs.  Albert  Nieman  and 
J.  E.  McGill,  managers;  J.  T.  Johnson,  IT. 
J.  Hollister.  George  G.  SSawyer.  J.  M. 
'riioiiiiisnn.  C.  M.  Tradewell,  William 
Searles.  Thomas  Crawford,  Mrs.  Thomas 
Crawford,  Mrs.  Fred  White.  Only  three 
of  tiie  charter  members  are  residents  of 
Lakefield  at  the  present  writing. 

Lakefield  Tent  No.  4A,  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees,  was  organized  August  1.5,  1901. 
Iiy  State  Commander  I.  N.  Chellew.  Fol 
lowing  were  the  first  officers  and  charter 
memi)ers:  Charles  M.  Tradewell,  past 
commander;   Robert    11.    Lueneburg,    Sir 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


255 


Knight  Commander;  William  Kerr,  lieu- 
tenant; S.  E.  Dubetz,  record  keeper;  James 
W.  Daubney,  finance  keeper;  Joseph  Cir- 
han,  chaplain ;  Orma  E.  Nevitt,  physician ; 
Edward  S.  Lader.  sergeant;  Charles  E. 
Cooper,  master  at  arms;  Otto  Weise,  first 
master  of  guard;  Fred  H.  Healey,  second 
master  of  guard ;  Henry  W.  Eost,  sentinel ; 
F.  E.  Peffer,  picket;  James  W.  Daubney, 

A.  E.  Dubetz  and  E.  H.  Lueneburg,  trus- 
tees; F.  W.  Weise,  Martin  J.  Frederick- 
son. 

The  Masonic  order  was  organized  in 
1902,  was  conducted  under  dispensation 
one  year,  and  received  its  charter  March 
26,  1903.  There  were  twenty-six  char- 
ter members.  Following  were  the  first 
officers:  F.  L.  Leonard,  W.  M. ;  W.  E. 
Haukey,  S.  W.;  E.  A.  Gage,  J.  W.;  D. 
L.  Eiley,  treasurer ;  W.  D.  Hill,  secretary ; 
Ed.  Arnold,  S.  D. ;  M.  M.  Moore,  J.  D.; 

B.  W.  Payne,  S.  S. ;  Hoken  Eamsborg,  J. 
S. ;  A.  A.  Fosness,  chaplain ;  S.  D.  Sum- 
mer, tvler.  An  eastern  Star  lodge  is  also 
maintained. 

THE   BANES. 

Two  banking  institutions  are  conducted 
in  Lakefield.  They  are  the  Jackson  Coun- 
ty State  Bank  and  the  First  National 
Bank.  The  town's  banking  history  an- 
tedates the  founding  of  either  of  these  in- 
stitutions, however,  by  several  years.  The 
Jackson  County  Bank,  a  private  institu- 
tion, was  the  first  to  open  its  doors.  It 
began  business  September  8,  1886,  with 
the  following  officers:  J.  S.  VanWinkle, 
president ;  T.  F.  Barbee,  vice  president ; 
M.  E.  Lawton.  cashier.  Mr.  Lawton  was 
in  charge  of  the  bank  and  conducted  it 
until  April,  1889,  when  it  went  out  of 
business.  In  August,  1889,  the  Bank  of 
Lakefield  was  opened  by  Graves,  McClin- 
tock  &  Company,  with  Wyatt  H.  Graves  in 
charge.  It  did  not  have  the  confidence 
of  the  people,  and  its  life  was  short. 

The  first  permanent  banking  institution 


organized  was  the  Jackson  County  Bank 
(succeeded  by  the  Jackson  County  State 
Bank),  which  opened  its  doors  September 
2,  1890,  with  subscribed  and  pledged  capi- 
tal of  $50,000.  The  officers  and  board  of 
directors  consisted  of  the  following  named 
gentlemen :  A.  L.  Ward,  president ;  H.  J. 
Hollister,  vice  president;  M.  H.  Evans, 
cashier;  E.  Sevatson,  N.  J.  Scott,  John 
Frederickson,  James  Kilen.  The  incor- 
porators and  stockholders  were  W.  A. 
Funk,  David  Crawford,  C.  M.  Tradewell, 
N.  J.  Scott,  H.  J.  Hollister,  James  Kilen, 
Calvin  Young,  -James  Kula,  John  Freder- 
ickson, A.  E.  Kilen,  L.  J.  Britsch,  E. 
Sevatson,  A.  L.  Ward  and  M.  H.  Evans. 

The  Jackson  County  Bank  was  conduc- 
ted as  a  private  institution  until  May  8, 
1893,  when  it  was  reorganized  as  the 
Jackson  County  State  Bank,  with  a  paid 
up  capital  of  $25,000.  The  officers  and 
board  of  directors  under  the  new  organi- 
zation were  A.  L.  Ward,  president;  N.  J. 
Scott,  vice  president;  M.  H.  Evans,  cash- 
ier; David  Crawford,  H.  J.  Hollister,  Cal- 
vin Young  and  John  Frederickson.  There 
was  a  change  in  management  in  May, 
1895,  when  the  following  officers  and  di- 
rectors were  chosen :  N.  J.  Scott,  presi« 
dent;  Calvin  Young,  vice  president;  M. 
H.  Evans,  cashier;  F.  L.  Leonard, 
assistant  cashier ;  John  Frederickson, 
David  Crawford,  D.  L.  Eiley,  William 
Searles.  The  handsome  brick  building, 
which  is  still  the  home  of  the  bank,  was 
erected  in  1896. 

In  July,  1901,  Messrs.  J.  M.  Putman 
and  H.  L.  Bond  bought  the  majority 
stock  of  the  bank  from  M.  H.  Evans  and 
have  since  had  the  active  management. 
The  present  officers  are  J.  M.  Putman, 
president;  A.  A.  Fosness,  vice  president; 
H.  L.  Bond,  cashier;  J.  G.  Branch,  as- 
sistant ca.«hier.  That  the  business  of  this 
financial  institution  is  increasing  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  in  1901  the  deposits  were 


25e 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


$133,000,  while  according  to  the  state- 
ment of  February  5,  1909,  they  were 
$229,193.08. 

The  Citizens  State  Bank  (succeeded 
by  the  First  National  Bank)  was  organ- 
ized May  30,  1899,  witli  a  paid  up  capital 
of  $26,000  and  with  the  following  officers 
and  directors:  F.  W.  Thompson,  presi- 
dent; J.  W.  Daubney,  ea.shier;  N.  J. 
Scott,  H.  J.  HoUistor,  Scott  Searle-s  B. 
Bear  and  C.  J.  Weiser.  The  Citizens 
State  Bank  was  the  name  of  the  institu- 
timi  until  Januarv.  1903.  when  it  was  re- 


organized as  the  First  National  Bank  of 
I^jikefield.  January  17,  1907,  J.  C.  Cald- 
well was  made  president  and  P.  W.  Blan- 
ker! cashier,  the  latter  being  succeeded 
by  A.  .T.  Nestrud  a  year  later.  Through 
the  efforts  of  the  president  most  of  the 
stock  passed  into  the  hands  of  farmers  re- 
siding in  the  vicinity  of  Lakefield,  so  that 
it  is  now  practically  a  farmers'  l)ank. 
From  the  date  of  Mr.  ('aid well's  aciejit- 
ing  the  presidency,  the  deposits  have  in- 
creased from  $180,000  to  about  $250,- 
000. 


*«T0.    U^^  *M0 


T«.aEN  Foo.vn^. 


lo.^ 


MAIN  STREET,  HERON  LAKE 


llEKiiN   LAKE.    WINTER  VF  IW^-W 


CHAPTER  XX. 


HEKON  LAKE— 1871-1910. 


HERON  Lake,  an  incorporated  vil- 
lage of  about  1,000  inhabitants 
(898,  according  to  the  1905  cen- 
sus), is  the  second  oldest  town  in  the 
county.  It  is  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  county,  in  Weimer  township,  not 
far  from  the  foot  of  the  lake  after  which 
it  is  named.  It  is  on  the  main  line  of 
the  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  & 
Omaha  railroad  and  is  the  terminus  of  the 
Black  Hills  branch  of  that  line.  As  a 
railroad  point  Heron  Lake  surpasses 
every  other  town  in  Jackson  county.  The 
village  is  surrounded  by  a  very  fertile 
farming  country,  and  it  has  always  been 
a  prosperous  municipality. 

While  the  country  along  the  Des  Moines 
river  in  Jackson  county  was  settled  in 
a  very  early  day,  the  prairie  country  re- 
mained unsettled  until  long  afterward.  In 
fact,  only  a  few  had  builded  homes  in 
that  part  of  the  county  surrounding  the 
future  village  of  Heron  Lake  until  a  year 
or  two  l)ef ore  the  town  was  founded. 
When,  in  1870,  there  was  great  activity  in 
railway  circles  and  it  was  rumored  that  the 
St.  Paul  &  Sioux  City  road  would  extend 
its  line  through  southwestern  Minnesota, 
passing  just  to  the  north  of  Heron  lake, 
some  far  sighted  people  began  to  locate 
homesteads  in  the  prairie  country  about 
Heron  lake.     Said  the  Jackson  Republic 


of  April  2,  1870 :  "At  Heron  lake,  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  county,  there  is 
quite  a  settlement;  the  prospect  of  the 
early  completion  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Sioux 
City  railroad  and  the  possibility  that  it 
will  pass  in  this  vicinity  have  called  here 
a  good  number  of  settlers." 

The  track  of  the  Sioux  City  &  St.  Paul 
railroad  was  not  laid  through  Jackson 
county  until  the  fall  of  1871.  but  in  the 
spring  of  that  year  the  route  was  selected 
and  sites  for  stations  chosen.  It  was  ap- 
parently the  first  intention  of  the  com- 
pany to  locate  the  principal  town  on  sec- 
tion 9,  Alba  township,  which  was  to  be 
called  Sibley.  The  first  mention  the  press 
makes  of  this  site  was  on  June  10.  A  little 
later  the  Heron  Lake  site  was  chosen  and 
the  intention  of  establishing  the  Sibley 
station  was  given  up.^  The  Heron  Lake 
site  was  selected  late  in  June,=  but  nothing 
was  done  toward  platting  or  building  a 
town  there  until  a  short  time  before  the 
tracklaying  was  completed  in  the  fall. 

The  roadbed  was  gi-aded  to  the  site  in 

'■■.\t  Siblev.  the  new  railway  town  on  section 
9  township  10,3.  range  3S,  we  learn  a  store  has 
been  built  and  filled  with  a  stock  of  goods.  Thus 
is  the  'wilderness  made  to  blossom  as  the 
rose.'  " — Jackson    Republic,    July    29,    1871. 

="West  of  Heron  lake,  three  miles,  another 
station  has  been  located,  and  from  here  it  is 
expected  will  be  accommodated  the  Graham 
Lakes  community,  and  the  large  settlements 
that  are  now,  and  destined  to  be,  made  west 
and  northwest  will  make  an  important  town 
here." — Jackson    Republic,    July   1,    1871, 


257 


258 


HISTOBY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


September,  and  surveyors  appeared  late  in 
that  month  to  survey  tlie  townsite,  al- 
though the  plat  was  not  put  on  record 
until  the  next  spring.  The  town  was  sur- 
veyed by  Alex  L.  Beach  and  the  dedica- 
tion was  made  by  the  Sioux  City  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  company,  by  Elias  F.  Drake, 
it.'!  president.  The  dedication  was  made 
April  22,  1872,  the  original  plat  consist- 
ing of  eleven  blocks.''  It  was  located  on 
.■section  19.  Weiiucr  townsliip,  which  was 
included  in  tlie  land  grant  to  the  Sioux 
City  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  company.* 

While  the  surveyors  were  yet  dividing 
the  land  into  blocks  and  lots  and  before 
the  railroad  was  completed  to  the  pros- 
pective town,  in  the  month  of  October, 
the  first  inhabitants  came.  They  were 
John  T.  Smith  and  C.  H.  Carroll,  who 
had  been  conducting  a  store  at  Big  Bend, 
in  Cottonwood  county,  to  which  place  it 
had  been  believed  the  railroad  would 
build.  The  route  having  been  changed 
and  Heron  Lake  selected  as  a  site 
for  a  town,  Jfessrs.  Smith  and  Car- 
roll abandoned  their  location  at  Big  Bend 
and  came  to  engage  in  business  in  the  new 
town.  They  found  the  site  raw  prairie 
land,  without  a  stick  on  it,  and  had  to 
burn  a  strip  of  prairie  grass  to  get  a 
place  to  pile  thoir  lumber.  Mr.  Smith 
bought  a  lot  on  ]\Iain  street— the  first 
lot    sold    in    (he    new    town — but    had   to 

'Addition.s  to  Heron  Lake  have  been  platted 
as   follows: 

First,  by  the  S.  C.  &  St.  P.  Rv.  To.  Julv  15. 
ISSO;   siirve.ved   by   John   O.    Brunlii.s. 

Smith's,  by  John  T.  Smith  Janiinrv  30.  1S94- 
siirvcvert    by    I..    I,.    Palmer. 

Iirakes  First,  by  Harry  T.  Drake.  Alex  M 
Unikf  and  William  H.  LiKhtner.  as  executors 
of  the  will  of  Ellas  F.  Drake.  November  7 
1S!I4;    surveyed    by    Orrln    Na.son. 

Benson's,  by  John  W.  Benson  August  31 
1S95:   surveyed   by   J.    I,.    Hoist. 

Wood's,  by  riark  A.  Wood  May  19.  1S9B;  .siir- 
veved    by   J.    I,.    Hoist. 

Smiths  Subdivision  of  Blocks  1.  10  and  11, 
First  .Addition,  by  John  T.  Smith  May  4.  1897: 
surveyed   by  Orrln  Nason. 

'The  l)oundaries  of  Heron  Lake  now  Include 
the  northeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  .10.  as  well  as  the  whole  of  section 
19.  Thai  forty-acre  tract  was  homcsti'aded  hv 
John  T.  Smith,  who  received  his  patent  Decem- 
ber  30,    1878. 


wait  for  the  surveyors  to  subdivide  block 
seven  before  he  could  locate  his  lot,  which 
was  number  fifteen.  The  partners  haul- 
ed hiniber  from  Mankato  to  start  tlieir 
store  building,  but  before  it  was  finished 
the  railroad  was  completed  and  luiiil)cr 
was  shipped  in. 

.\Imost   simultaneously    the    three    first 
buildings  were  put   up.     These  were  the 
general    store   of    Smith   &    Carroll,   tlie 
drug   store   of   Dr.    R.    R.  "Foster,   which 
was  located  on  lot  fifteen  of  block  seven, 
and  the  depot,  which  occupied  the  present 
location  of  the  Heron  I^ke  depot.  Only 
two  other  business  houses  were  started  be- 
fore tiie  close  of  the  year  1871.    The  lum- 
ber yard  of  Crocker  Brothers  &  Laiiior- 
eaux,  with  J.  A.  Town  as  manager,  was 
opened    for  business   early   in   November. 
.\  little  office  building  was  erected,  but 
the  lumber  stock  was  piled   in  the  open. 
The  other  enterprise  wa.«  the  Pioneer  ho- 
tel, which  was  built  by  John  Robson  on 
the    present    site  ■  of    the    Farmers    State 
Bank  building  and  which  was  opened  for 
l>usiness   late  in    the    fall.      The    Heron 
Tiake  postoffice  was  established  in  Novem- 
ber.    John  T.  Smith  was  the  pastmaster, 
and  he  cojiducted  the  office  in  his  store." 
The   village  of   Heron   Lake  had   been 
founded  too  late  in  the  fall  to  make  much 
progress  during  1871.  and  the  four  busi- 
ness houses  before  nieniioned  were  the  on- 
ly enterprises  started  in  the  year  of  found- 
ing.    But  in  1872,  when  train  service  was 
e.i|ablished  on  the  new  road  and  the  sur- 
rounding   country    was    rapidly    settling 
with   new   arrivals,  the  little   village   was 
the  scene   of   much   activity.    During   the 
summer      months      nearly      every      train 

-John  T.  Smith  served  as  postmaster  from 
November.  1871.  to  May.  1ST7.  He  wa.s  suc- 
ceeded by  Dr.  J.  F.  Force,  who  served  several 
years,  GeorRe  C  Cooley  was  the  next  post- 
master, holding  the  office  \intll  K.  D.  BrlgRs 
took  eharpe  September  I.  ISS.').  Carl  S.  East- 
wood was  appointed  in  AuRust.  1889.  served 
several  ye  irs.  and  was  succeeded  by  B.  Pop- 
pllz.  C.  A.  Wood  became  postmaster  In  March. 
1SS9.  and  served  until  Carl  S.  Eastwood  was 
appointed  on  his  present  term. 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


259 


brought  new  comers  to  locate  iipou  the 
fertile  lands  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  town 
grew  in  proportion.  A  correspondent  to 
one  of  the  twin  city  papers,  writing  in 
September,  said:  "This  village,  which 
sprang  into  existence  last  fall,  is  rapidly 
growing  and  becoming  the  center  of  trade 
for  a  large  tract  of  country.  New  build- 
ings are  constantly  being  erected,  and  the 
place  bids  fair  to  be  a  town  of  consider- 
able importance  ere  long." 

Knute  Thompson  opened  a  small  hard- 
ware store — a  branch   for  H.  L.   Parker, 
of   St.   James— in   the    spring    of    1873, 
which  was  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Thompson   for  a  time  and  later   of   ]\Ir. 
Graves.     The  stock  was  bought  by  Smith 
&  Carroll  in  September.     J.   W.  Benson 
&    Company   erected   a   commodious   two- 
story    building    during   the    summer    and 
opened    a    general    merchandise    store    in 
September.  Smith  &  Carroll  built  a  four- 
teen foot  addition  to  their  store  to  meet 
the  increasing  demands  of  their  trade  and 
erected  tlie  town's  first  warehouse,  which 
was  ready  to  receive  grain  in  September. 
Pixley   &    Stone   opened   a   saloon   where 
the   First  National    Bank    building    now 
stands   in   August,   Mr.    Pixley   becoming 
sole  owner  next  month.   Dr.  Foster  bought 
the   Pioneer    house   and    made    improve- 
ments on  it.     Mr.  Jones  became  the  land- 
lord.    Ealph   Town  became  the  manager 
of  the  Crocker  Brothers  &  Lamoreaux  lum- 
ber   yards.     George    Hubbs    opened    the 
town's  second  lumber  yard  in  November 
and    erected    a   residence.      J.    B.    Pixley 
opened  a  furniture  store.  H.  J.  Bosworth, 
the    station    agent,    took    tlie    agencv    for 
agricultural  implements  and  vehicles  and 
put  in  a  small  stock.     William  Dahl  built 
a    residence    and    ran    a    boarding   house. 
John    Weir    erected    a    building    next    to 
John  T.  Smith's  store  late  in  the  fall  and 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business.     So  far 
as  I  am  able  to  learn  this  completes  the 


list  of  jH'ivate  impro\ements  in  the  youth- 
ful town  during  1872.  During  the  year  a 
mail  route  was  established  between  Heron 
Lake  and  Currie,  by  way  of  the  Graham 
Lakes  country,  which  was  in  operation  un- 
til 1879.  The  citizens  dug  a  public  well 
in  the  middle  of  Main  street,  which  was 
considered  quite  an  improvement  at  tliat 
early  date.  The  fir.-t  birth  m  the  village 
occurred  in  1872,  when  a  child  was  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  J.  Bosworth.  Heron 
Lake  had  a  population  of  about  fifty  peo- 
ple when  it  was  one  year  of  age. 

The  number  engaged  in  business  and 
the  population  of  the  town  during  the 
first  year  of  its  history  does  not  convey 
a  trutliful  idea  of  its  importance  as  a 
trading  point.  Its  merchants  drew  trade 
from  an  immense  territory.  For  long 
distances  nortli  and  south  Heron  Lake  was 
the  only  railroad  town,  and  retail  trade 
came  there  from  countries  now  tributary 
to  Slayton,  Avoca  and  Fulda,  from  half 
way  to  Worthington,  half  way  to  Windom, 
half  way  to  Jackson,  and  for  a  time  from 
tlie  Big  Bend  country.  In  addition  to 
having  the  retail  trade  of  this  large  ter- 
ritory, Heron  Lake  was  the  distributing 
point  for  a  much  larger  territory,  much 
of  the  goods  sold  to  merchants  of  Jackson, 
Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  and  other  interior 
points  coming  by  way  of  Heron  Lake. 
During  the  first  two  years  of  the  town's 
history  its  merchants  did  an  immense  bus- 
iness and  prospered. 

Several  new  business  houses  were 
founded  in  1873.  N.  Dahl  opened  a  sa- 
loon in  the  hotel  building.  Mrs.  Fremer 
opened  a  photograph  gallery.  John  Jung- 
l)auer  started  a  blacksmith  shop  in  July. 
Johnson  &  Dieson  started  the  third  gener- 
al store  in  August.  A  directory  of  the 
business  houses  in  September,  1873,  listed 
the  following: 

.John  T.  Smith,  general  store. 

J.  W.  Benson  &  Company,  general  store. 

Johnson  &  Dieson,  general  store. 


260 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


.lolin   Weir,  liardwaie. 

R.  U.   Foster,  drug  and   furniture   store. 

K.  E.  Town,  lumber  yard. 

Mr.  Larson,  lumber  vard. 

.1.  P.  Prescott,  hotel.' 

.1.  F.  Koree,  pliysician. 

.T.  H.  Pi.vlcy,  saloon. 

Mr.  .Johnson,  shoe  shoii. 

As  (lid  tlio  other  towns  of  soutlnvestern 
Minnesota  during  the  terrible  grasshop- 
per scourge,  Heron  Lake  suffered  severely. 
During  tliese  years — 1873-1878 — no  prog- 
ress was  made :  the  town  was  at  a  stand- 
still and  tiie  merchants  lost  their  profits 
of  former  years.  In  1875  the  population 
was  estimated  at  nearly  100,  and  the  fol- 
lowing lines  of  business  were  represented : 
Three  general  stores,  one  hardware  store, 
two  hotels,  warehouse,  photograph  gal- 
lery, shoe  sho]),  furniture  store,  macliin- 
ery  depot,  two  lumber  yards,  one  fuel 
yard. 

The  year  1879  marked  the  turning 
point  to  better  times.  The  disappear- 
ani'o  of  the  grasshoppers  and  the  build- 
ing of  two  new  lines  of  railroad  in  the 
vicinity  were  the  causes  of  the  return  of 
prosperity  and  advancement.  The  failure 
of  the  Southern  Jlinne.sota  railroad  to 
cross  the  Siou.x  City  road  at  Heron  Lake 
was  a  disapixjintmcnt,"  but  the  building 
of  the  Black  Hills  branch  of  the  Sioux 
City  &  St.  Paul  fioni  Heron  Lake  to  the 
northwest  more  than  offset  this.  While 
the  roads  were  building  new  settlers  came 
to  locate  upon  lands  along  the  new  roads, 
and   the  effect   ujion   the  t<iwn   was  good. 


"■•It  has  been  suKTSestcd  that  should  the  South- 
ern Minnesot.i  railroad  cross  l>etween  this  plare 
and  Hersey  1  Brewster]  the  two  towns 
would  be  moved  to  the  crossing.  As  for  Her- 
.sey  we  are  not  able  to  sav.  but  as  for  Heron 
Lake,  we  think  the  idea  absiu-d.  and  we  are 
quite  sure  It  will  not  affect  the  town  In  the 
least.  It  will  cut  i>IT  but  a  small  ami>unt  of 
the  trade  now  tributary  to  this  town,  which  will 
be  more  than  supplied  by  the  Increase  In  sef- 
tlemi'iit.  The  country  surroundInK  is  fertile, 
and  We  think  this  town  will  be  sustained,  and 
whether  the  Southern  Minnesota  cros.ses  here 
or  not  this  town  will  hold  Its  own  at  least  and 
will  undoubtedly  Increase  In  Importance."— 
Heron    Lake   Correspondent.    April    19,    1879. 


A  Heron  Lake  correspondent,  writing  in 
November,  1879,  said : 

Twelve  new  buildings  to  represent  nearly  as 
many  departments  of  business  are  now  in  pro- 
cess of  construction.  Never  in  the  history  of 
this  place  have  its  merchants  experienced  "such 
business  activity  as  the  past  summer  and 
present  fall.  Week  in  ami  week  out  since  early 
spring  have  they  been  taxed  to  their  utmost 
to  procure  help  and  stock  to  supply  the  im- 
mense demand  for  merchandise. 

During  the  last  half  of  the  year  ISTO 
nearly  $2.5,000  were  spent  in  building  im- 
provements, as  follows: 

Chapman    &    Drake,   hotel    building .*  S.OOO 

.T.  T.  Smith,  hay  pressing  establishment  ^.'tOO 
.7.  AV.   Benson   &  Co.,  hay  pressing  es- 

tablisliment     3.000 

St.    P.   &   S.   C.   Ry.   Co.,   depot,   engine 

house,   ete 3.500 

IT.   S.  Oraves.  hotel  building 1. 000 

•T.   P.   Prescott,   residence 1.000 

K.  T).  Prigtrs,  residence  and   oflTiec 1.000 

M.   TTazelton,   residence  and    -ihop 1.000 

Mikelson.   residence   and    barn 800 

B.  .J.  Svennes.  residence  and  shop 300 

rjeorce    Cope,    residence 300 

Catholic   chtirch    ,300 

Sidewalks     : 300 

•T.   F.   Force,   improvements ZaO 

T,.    C.    Wood,    improvements 2.50 

T.  A.  Dieson.  store IO.t 

f!radinff   streets    100 

Iv.  B.  Foster,  improvements              75 

Total    ft24.740 

In  1880  a  census  of  the  town  showed  a 
population  of  Ifi,"?.  The  building  improve- 
ments ke])t  pace  with  the  growth  in  pop- 
ulation. It  was  reported  in  .Inly,  1880, 
that  twenty  now  buildings  had  been  erec- 
ted since  spring  opened.  One  of  the  most 
important  events  in  Heron  Lake's  historv- 
occurred  in  the  fall  of  1881,  when  .Tolin 
T.  Smith  l)uilt  the  first  tow  mill  in  the 
state  of  Minnesota  and  established  a  busi- 
ness which  has  added  much  to  the  town's 
jirosperity.  The  main  building  was  84x 
100  feet,  and  it  was  said  to  have  been 
the  largest  tow  mill  in  the  world. 

.Vltbough  their  town  was  yet  a  mere 
hamlet,  the  citizens  of  Heron  Lake,  in 
the  fall  of  1881.  asked  the  legislature  for 
a   charter  granting  tliein   municipal   gov- 


THE  HERON  LAKE  SCHOOL  HOUSE 


DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  OLD  BUILDING 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  U3RARY 


AtTOR,  LCWOX    AHt 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


261 


ernuient.  An  act  was  approved  Novem- 
ber 17,  1881,  providing  for  the  incorpo- 
ration of  section  19,  Weimer  township/ 
and  naming  T.  A.  Dieson,  C.  A.  Wood 
and  J.  F.  Force  commissioners  to  conduct 
the  preliminaries.  The  first  village  elec- 
tion was  held  January  3,  1882,  and  the 
first  village  council  met  and  organized 
January  9. 

Following  is  a  list  of  all  who  have  been 
elected  to  village  office  from  the  date  of 
incorporation    to   the   present   time:' 

1882— President,  E.  J.  Graves;  trustees,  G. 
H.  Perry,  John  Weir,  E.  D.  Briggs;  recorder, 
S.  S.  Haislett;  treasurer,  L.  F.  Lammers;  jus- 
tice, -J.  E.  .Tones;  constable,  B.  J.  Svennes. 

1883— President,  C.  A.  Wood;  trustees,  E.  D. 
Briggs,  Ole  SeJeen,  J.  W.  Benson;  recorder, 
Jliles   Hazelton;    treasurer,   L.   F.   Lammers. 

1884— President,  E.  D.  Briggs;  trustees,  B. 
J.  Svennes,  A.  J.  McSehooler,  W.  S.  Freer;  re- 
corder, T.  A.  Dieson:  treasurer,  L.  F.  Lam- 
mers; justices,"  C.  A.  Wood,  P.  F.  McNair; 
constable,   R.   E.  Dickens. 

1885- President,  E.  D.  Briggs;  trustees,  E. 
J.  Graves,  A.  J.  McSliooler,  A.  A.  Lommerland ; 
recorder,  T.  A.  Dieson;  treasurer,  L.  F.  Lam- 
mers; constable,  A.  J.  McShooler.  Joseph 
Knott. 

1886— President,  E.  D.  Briggs;  trustees.  E. 
J.  Graves,  T.  A.  Jones,  A.  A.  Lommerland;  re- 
corder, G.  C.  Cooley;  treasurer,  T.  A.  Dieson; 
justices,  C.  R.  J.  Kellam,  J.  E.  .Jones;  con- 
stable, J.  F.  Knott. 

1887- President,  T.  A.  .Jones;  trustees,  J.  D. 
Wilson,  C.  A.  Wood,"  A.  A.  Lommerland;   re- 

'-■it  a  special  election  held  June  27.  1899, 
the  corporate  limits  were  increased  by  the  ad-^ 
dition  of  Smith's  addition- the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  30.  The 
vote  was  ten  in  favor  of  annexation  to  six 
against. 

'The  license  question  has  often  been  voted 
upon  at  the  annual  village  elections  under  the 
local  option  law.  With  the  exception  of  the 
year  1SS3  license  was  granted  during  all  the 
early  history  of  the  town.  Since  1893  the  vote 
has  been  as  follows: 

1893— For,    73;    against,    55. 

1894 — License    carried. 

1895 — License  carried. 

1896— For,    91;    against.    69. 

1897— For.   62;  against,   73. 

1898— For.    64;    against,    104. 

1899 — License  carried  by  36  majority. 

1900 — License  carried  by   G  majority 

1901— For.   135;   against.   72. 

1902— For,    111;    against,    73. 

1903 — Tie  vote;  license  granted. 

1904— For,    115;    against,    92, 

1905— For.    95;    against.    SO. 

1906— Fo»i   96:  against.   108. 

1907— For,    84:   against,    78. 

1908— For,    123:    against,    74. 

1909 — Not   an   issue. 

'At  a  special  election  in  Ma.v,  1884,  C.  R.  J, 
Kellam  and  J.  E.  Jones  were  elected  justices. 


corder,  C.  S.  Eastwood;  treasurer,  T.  A.  Die- 
son,  assessor,  J.  E.  Jones;  constable,  W.  S. 
Freer. 

1888— President,  J.  D.  Wilson;  trustees, 
Henry  Knudson,  H.  J.  Arnold;  John  Trimble; 
recorder,  C.  S.  Eastwood;  treasurer,  T.  A.  Die- 
son;  justices,  C.  R.  J.  Kellam,  J.  E.  Jones; 
constables,  W.   S.  Freer,  !Mike   Larson. 

1889- President,  J.  D.  Wilson;  trustees, 
Jienry  Knudson,  H.  J.  Arnold,  John  Trimble; 
recorder,  C.  S.  Eastwood;  treasurer,  T.  A.  Die- 
son  ;   constable,  W.  S.  Freer. 

1890— President,  J.  D.  Wilson;  trustees,  T. 
A.  Jones,  Henry  Knudson,  H.  J.  Aronld:  re- 
c;order,  C.  S.  Eastwood;  treasurer,  T.  A.  Die- 
.son;  justices,  John  E.  Jones,  Joseph  J.  .Jones; 
constable.  D.  N.  Miller,  W.  S.  Freer. 

1891— President,   H.   j.   Arnold;    trustees,   T. 

A.  Jones,  B.  Poppitz,  ^^'.  J.  Jones;  recorder,  C. 
S.  Eastwood;  treasurer.  T.  A.  Dieson;  con- 
stable, D.  N.  Miller. 

1892 — President,   Joseph   J.   Jones;    trustees, 

B.  Poppitz,  W.  J.  Jones,  T.  A.  Jones;  recorder, 
Henry  Knudson;   treasurer,  T.  A.  Dieson. 

1893— President,  Joseph  J.  Jones;  trustees, 
T.  A.  Jones,  B.  Poppitz,  John  McGlin;  recor- 
der, T.  A.  Alexander;  treasurer,  T.  A.  Dieson; 
justice,  John  McCarvel;  constable,  John  Nor- 
ton, R.  H.  Kidney. 

1894 — President,  John  L.  Gessel;  trustees,  B. 
P.  St.  John,  J.  F.'  Humiston,  W.  N.  Williams; 
recorder,  W.  J.  Jones;"  treasurer,  J.  S.  Kib- 
bey;  justice,  G.  C.  Cooley;  constables,  C.  A. 
Wood,  E.  O.  Auberg. 

1895 — President,  John  McGlin;  trustees,  P. 
D.  McKellar,  B.  P.  St.  John.  W.  N.  Williams; 
recorder,  F.  A.  Stenert;  treasurer,  C.  H.  Ca- 
liot;    justice,   .John    Woolstencroft. 

1896 — President,  John  McGlin;  trustees,  Jos- 
eph J.  .Jones,  .John  McCarvel,  B.  B.  Sontag;  re- 
corder, F.  A.  Steuert;  treasurer,  C.  H.  Cabot; 
justice,  C.  R.  J.  Kellam;  constables,  W.  E. 
Spaulding,  £.  O.  Auberg. 

1897— President,  D.  Brown;  trustees,  J.  F. 
Humiston,  G.  A.  Fairfield,  B.  B.  Sontag;  re- 
corder, William  J.  .Jones;  treasurer,  C.  H. 
Cabot;  justices,  W.  E.  Spaulding;  constable, 
Elmer  Spaulding. 

1898— President.  B.  B.  Sontag;  trustees,  B. 
P.  St.  John,  W.  N.  Williams,  John  McGlin;  re- 
corder, W.  J.  .Jones;  treasurer,  C.  H.  Cabot; 
justices,  G.  A.  Fairfield,  W.  H.  Kessler;  con- 
stables, Elmer  Spaulding,  Erick  Auberg. 

1899— President,  John  McGlin;  trustees,  B. 
P.  St.  .John,  B.  B.  Sontag,  Frank  Humiston; 
recorder,  W.  J.  Jones;  treasurer,  Bruno  Pop- 
pitz; justices,  W.  H.  Kessler,  John  Woolsten- 
croft; constables,  Fllmer  Spaulding,  E.  0.  Au- 
berg. 

1900— President,  J.  J.  Jones;  trustees,  B.  B. 
Sontag,  B.  P.  St.  .John,  E.  J.  Grimes;  recorder, 
W.  J.  Jones;  treasurer,  B.  Poppitz;  assessor, 
W.  L.  Callison;  justice.  C.  R.  J.  Kellam;  con- 
stables, Mike  Wood,  Elmer  Spaulding. 

1901— President,  B.  P.  St.  John:  trustees,  B. 
•"Resigned  April  17,   1887;   T.  E.  Hill  appointed 
April  19. 

"F.  A.  Steuert  appointed  recorder  February 
19.   1895.   W.  J.  Jones  having  left  town. 


262 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY 


B.  Soiitng,  C.  H.  Caliot,  V.  K.  Hansen;  recor- 
der, J.  K.  Koss;  treasurer,  15.  I'oppilz;  justiee, 
G.  A.  Fairfield. 

1902— President,  B.  P.  St.  John;  trustees,  B. 
B.   Sontag,   C.   U.   Cabot,   William   Bieter;    re 
corder,  J.   E.   Foss;    treasurer,   C.   A.   Kobsoii; 
assessor,  W.  L.  Caliison;  justico,  C.  R.  J.  Kel- 
1am;  constables,  Jl.  Jl.  Wood,  W.  S.  Freer. 

1903— President,  C.  11.  Cabot;  trustees,  B. 
P.  St.  John,  William  Bieter,  B.  B.  Sontag;  re- 
corder, J.  K.  Foss;  treasurer,  C.  A.  Robson; 
assessor,  Frank  Uumiston;  justice,  J.  J.  Jones; 
constables,  Peter  MikUclson,  E.  F.  Bartholo- 
mnw. 

1904 — President,  \'.  K.  Butler;  trustees,  J. 
J.  Jones,  E.  J.  tirinies,  B.  Poppitz;  recorder, 
F.  J.  Humiston;  treasurer,  J.  F.  Liepold;  as- 
sessor, Albert  Dieson;  justices,  C.  R.  J.  Kel- 
Uim,  C.  S.  Eastwood;  constables,  G.  J.  Alexan- 
der, W.  S.  Freer. 

1903 — President,  L.  F.  Lammers;  trustees, 
John  L.  (iessell,  15.  Poppitz,  Joseph  J.  Jones; 
recorder,  Frank  Humioton;  treasurer,  J.  F. 
Humiston;  assessor,  Chris  Johnson;  justice,  C. 
R.  J.  Kellani:   constable.  J.  E.  Rider. 

190G — President,  L.  F.  Lammers;  trustees,  15. 
B.  Sontag,  T.  A.  Behronfeld.  S.  H.  Berkness; 
recorder,  J.  W.  Young:  treasurer,  C.  A.  Rob- 
son;  assessor.  Chris  Johnson;  constables,  W. 
S.  Freer,  Elmer  Spaulding. 

1907 — President.  L.  F.  Lammers;  trustees,  C. 
H.  Cabot,  John  Woolstencrnft.  B.  B.  Sontag; 
recorder,  Fred  Cooley;  tieasurer.  Albert  Rob- 
son;  assessor,  Chris  .Johnson:  justice.  C.  R.  .1. 
Kellam;  constables,  W.  H.  Myers,  Max  Hart- 
neck. 

1908— President,  J.  F.  Liepold;  trustees,  A. 
J.  Moe.  W.  J.  Ross,  B.  B.  Sontag;  recorder,  F. 
A.  Cooley:  treasurer.  Albert  Robson;  assessor, 
Chris  Johnson;  justice,  John  Woolstencroft; 
constables.  (!.  J.  Alexander,  Ernest  Rippon. 

1909— President.  J.  F.  Liepold:  trustees,  A. 
J.  Moe,  B,  B.  Sontag,  Will  Drews:  recorder,  F. 
A.  Cooley;  treasurer.  Albert  Rnhson;  assessor. 
Chris  Johnson;  justice,  C.  R.  J.  Kellam;  con- 
stables, F.  .Jarmer,  Max  Hartneck. 

The  e.«tiiblis1imcut  of  the  tow  mill  and 
the  prevailing  prosperous  times  made  the 
year  1882  a  memorable  one  in  Heron 
Lake's  history.  Said  a  writer  who  visited 
the  town  in  March:  "We  were  consider- 
ably surprised  at  the  many  evidences  of 
thrift,  enterprise  and  go-aheadativeness 
displayed  in  Heron  Lake,  and  we  doubt 
if  any  town  of  like  size  in  southern  ^lin- 
nesota  can  surpass  or  even  equal  the  town 
in  these  respects.  Many  new  buildings 
have  made  their  appearance  within  the 
past  year  and  evidences  of  thriving  trade 
are    plentiful,"     The    building    improve- 


ments completed  during  the  year  amount- 
ed to  over  $17,000  jhuI  were  itemized  as 
follows: 

•  I.   \V.  Benson  &   Co.,  creamery   (includ- 
ing fixtures)    " $  5,000 

John     T.     Smith,     fourteen     tenement 

houses    4,200 

T.  A.   Dieson,   residence 1,500 

L.  F.  Lammers,  residence .000 

L.  F.  Lammers,  millinery  store 300 

tJohn    Robinson,   residence 600 

John  Woolstencroft,  billiard  hall 850 

.1.   F.   Force,  store 1,500 

Mrs.    Nelson,    residence 300 

T.  A.  Dieson,  tenement  house 500 

J.   F.  Force,  tenement  house 600 

E.  1).  Briggs,  addition 200 

Johnson  &,  Dieson,  store  improvements.  300 
C.    R.   J.   Kellam,   drug  store    improve- 
ments       200 

J.   T.  Smith,   improvements 200 

P.   McNair,   residence 500 

L.   Readle,   barn loii 

N.  Edbamer,  barn K'li 

J.  E.  Jones,  improvements 200 

Total    $17,750 

But  the  amount  expended  in  improve- 
ments gives  little  idea  of  the  voluuio  of 
busine.«s  done.  Three  thousand  tons  of 
llax  straw  were  marketed  in  the  village, 
manufactured  into  tow.  and  shipped  to 
tlio  eastern  markots,  while  four  thous;ind 
ton.-  of  )ny  were  baled  and  sliippeci.  The 
vohime  of  business  done  during  the  year 
(not  including  professional  business) 
amounted  to  a  quarter  of  a  million  dol- 
lars, divided  among  the  several  firms  as 
follows:''' 

John    T.    Smith,   general    merchandise. 

baled   tow,  hay,  etc $100,000 

.T.  W.  Benson  &   Co..  general  merchan- 
dise, creamery,  hay.  etc tiO.Oiin 

.Tohnson  &  Dieson,  general  merchandise  2(1,000 
J.    F.    Force,   drugs   and    general    mer- 
chandise       16,000 

Hazelton     &     Frecmire,    general     mer- 
chandise       6,000 

C.  R.  J.  Kellam.  drugs,  notions,  etc.  .    .  2..500 

E.  J.  Craves  &  Co.,  lumber 18,000 

J.   E.  Jones,  grain 2.000 

J.   S.    Titus,   saddlery 2.0(>(» 

Wood  &   Freer,  liverv 1,00(1 

C.  E.   Marsh.  Chapman   hotel 6,000 

C.  A.  Wood,  Pioneer  hotel 3,500 

,Tohn  Woolstencroft.  billiard  hall <.  5,000 

C.  O.  Michelson,  meat  market 3,000 

L.  Sitzcr,  meat  market 2,500 

"As    prepared    by   a    Heron    I^kc    resident    In 
December. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY.  263 

B.    J.    Svennes,    shoe    shop,    boarding  min   and    a   hay   barn,   coal   sheds,   stock 

T.  A.  Jones^  blacksmith  shop.' '.'.'....'.'.'.        900  J^^d  and  oil  house  burned,  entailing  a  loss 
John  Robson,  blac-ksmitli  shop 900  of  $75,000,  of  which  only  $20,000  was  re- 
Total    $249,300  covered  in  insurance.  The  fire  was  a  fierce 

one,  and  only  the  favorable  direction  of 
During  the  entire  decade  of  the  eighties  ^j^^  ^^.j^j  ^^^^j  ^j^^  ^^^^,^  ^^^^^  destruction. 
Heron  Lake  prospered,  as  did  the  country  g^^j^g  ^f  ^^g  buildings  on  the  north  side 
at  large.  There  was  no  feverish  boom,  „f  t^^  ^rack  took  fire  from  flying  sparks, 
but  the  growth  was  steady  and  of  a  sub-  b,,^  th^  flames  were  extinguished  before 
stantial  character— keeping  pace  witli  the  j^.^ggg  resulted.  The  second  disastrous 
progress  of  the  .surrounding  country.  In  fi,^  occurred  in  October,  1904,  when  the 
1884  the  following  were  engaged  in  busi-  ,0^3^,  amounted  to  al)out  $6.5,000.  The 
ness  m  Heron  Lake :  John  T.  Smith,  gen-  g^.  John  elevator,  the  Benson  elevator  and 
era!  merchandise  and  tow  mill;  J.  W.  ^^g  Western  Implement  company's  store- 
Benson,  general  merchandise  and  cream-  jj„„,g  ,^.gi.g  g^tirely  destroyed  with  all 
ery:  Johnson  &  Dieson,  general  merchan-  their  contents.  Eighty  thousand  bushels 
dise;  John  Weir,  hardware;  Lammers  &  „f  g^^ij,  ^^j  gj^^ggj,  f,gight  g.^^.^  ^^.g^e  also 
Wood,  general  merchandise;  J.  F.  Force,  i^urned 
drug  store;  C.  E.  J.  Kellam,  drug  store; 

E.  J.  Graves,  lumber  and  real  estate;  C.  the  schools. 
E.  Marsh,  Chapman  house;  W.  S.  Freer,  During  the  first  year  of  its  history  Her- 
Pioneer  house;  B.  J.  Svennes,  La  Crosse  on  Lake  had  only  a  private  school.  On 
house;  E.  D.  Briggs,  attorney.  December  17,  187?,  a  meeting  of  citizens 
In  1885  the  population  of  Heron  Lake  was  held  at  John  Weir's  store  to  take  steps 
reached  280.  That  year  there  was  some  toward  the  organization  of  a  district  and 
advance,  the  building  improvements  the  building  of  a  public  school  house.  Eev. 
amounting  to  $9,500.  Comparative  dull  John  Benson  was  chairman  of  the  meeting 
times  prevailed  in  1886,  but  the  next  year  and  John  Dalziel  was  secretary.  As  & 
the  Heron  Lake  News  reported  the  expen-  result  of  this  meeting  the  next  session  of 
diture  of  $48,000  in  new  buildings  in  the  the  legislature  passed  a  bill  authorizing 
village.  The  hard  times  period  following  the  organization  of  an  independent  dis- 
the  panic  of  1893  temporarily  checked  the  trict  at  Heron  Lake — the  first  independ- 
growth  of  the  town,  but  the  recovery  was  out  district  in  Jack.'ion  county.  The  or- 
quick,  and  we  find  that  in  1895  the  pop-  ganization  of  the  district  was  perfected  in 
ulation  had  increased  to  646.  During  the  March,  1873,  when  the  following  named 
next  five  years  there  was  another  increase,  gentlemen  were  elected  as  the  first  board 
the  census  of  1900  giving  the  town  a  pop-  of  education :  E.  C.  Sanders,  George 
ulation  of  928.  There  has  been  but  little  Hubbs,  A.  McSchooler,  Ralph  Town,  John 
increase  since  that  census,  but  in  a  busi-  Weir  and  Zebulon  Judd. 
ness  way  Heron  Lake  has  prospered  and  A  school  election  was  held  at  Jones' 
today  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  progressive  hotel  April  12,  1873,  at  which  time  a  ma- 
little  cities  of  southern  Minnesota.  jority  of  the  voters  declared  in  favor  of 
In  the  history  of  the  town  there  have  bonding  the  district  in  the  sum  of  $2,000 
been  two  bad  fires.  The  first  of  these  to  raise  funds  for  the  immediate  construc- 
occurred  Tuesday  afternoon,  November  tion  of  a  school  house.  The  bonds  were 
10,  1898,  when  the  John  T.   Smith  tow  issued  and  a  building  erected,  in  which, 


264 


iTT^^Trnn'  of  .t atkron  county. 


liowc'ver,  the  B!)])tist  cliurth  soiicty  Ima  an 
interest." 

Jn  the  spring  ol'  188G  the  district  de- 
cided to  sell  the  nld  school  lioii.-;e  to  the 
village  and  issue  honds  to  the  amount  of 
$3,000  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  suit- 
able building  on  the  lots  donated  by  E. 
F.  Drake.  At  an  election  in  June  the  bonds 
were  voted,  C7  to  52.  \  school  building 
costing  about  $5,000  was  put  up  during 
the  suninier  of  188?.  It  was  used  as  a 
public  school  house  until  189G,  w'hen  it 
was  sold  to  the  Catholic  church  society, 
and  it  is  now  utilized,  with  additions,  as 
a  parochial  school  building  by  that  church. 

By  a  vote  of  258  to  59,  at  a  special 
election  April  1,  1896,  bonds  to  the 
amount  of  $20,000  were  voted  for  a  new 
school  house.  The  contract  for  the  erec- 
tion of  the  building  wa.s  let  May  19,  1896, 
to  J.  D.  Carroll  on  a  bid  of  $18,-147,  the 
corner  stone  was  laid  with  ceremonies 
July  18,  and  it  was  dedicated  in  Novem- 
ber. This  handsome  ])rick  structure,  one 
of  the  finest  public  school  buildings  in 
southwestern  Minnesota,  was  totally  de- 
s.troyed  by  fire  Decendier  31,  1901,  to- 
gether with  about  $5,000  worth  of  equip- 
ment. It  was  insured  for  $18,300.  There- 
after for  several  months  school  was  con- 
ducted in  the  various  cliurches,  halls  and 
.=tore  buildings.  The  school  house  w^as  re- 
built during  the  summer  of  1002  and 
was  occujiied  for  the  first  time  lato  that 
year. 

THE  CHURCHES. 

Four  cluirch  societies  maintain  active 
organizations  in  Heron  T^ake,  namely: 
Methodist  Episcopal,  Catholic,  Salem  Lu- 
tiieran  and  Norwegian  Lutheran.  Several 
other  church   societies   have  been   formed 

""The  Baptist  church  Is  all  enclosed  and  Is 
a  fine  bulldlnR.  It  Is  to  be  used  as  a  school 
house  for  three  venrs.  when  It  will  become  ex- 
chislvelv  a  church.  All  denomlnntions  will  wor- 
ship In' It  for  the  present.  thouRh  It  Is  controll- 
ed by  the  Baptist  society."— Heron  Lake  Cor- 
respondent, July  9,   1873. 


at  diU'ereiil  times  in  the  town's  history, 
but  aiv  now  dormant.  Very  soon  after  tiie 
founding  of  the  village  the  residents  took 
steps  to  secure  religious  worship,  and  in 
tiie  summer  of  1872  some  money  was 
raised  to  help  build  a  church,  but  it  was 
the  next  year  before  a  house  of  worship 
was  erected. 

The  oldest  church  organization  is  the 
.Methodist  l'>i)iscopal.  Services  were  held 
as  early  as  1872,  conductetl  by  Rev.  W. 
yi.  Bear,  but  it  was  not  until  June  9, 
1873,  that  an  organization  was  perfected. 
On  that  date,  Presiding  Elder  G.  W.  T. 
Wright  appointed  as  trustees  Rev.  J.  Ben- 
son, P.  M.  Jones,  J.  F.  Force,  (i.  H. 
liublis  and  John  T.  Smith,  ''they  to  be  a 
body  corporate  under  the  name  and  style 
the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of 
Heron  Lake."  .\mong  the  charter  mem- 
hers  were  C.  A.  Wood,  Lucinda  Wood,  J. 
T.  Smith,  Sarah  J.  Smith,  J.  F.  Force, 
Sarah  J.  Force,  J.  Benson,  Mrs.  J.  Ben- 
son, David  W.  Edwards.  Martha  Edwards, 
Sarah  (iibbs,  Elizabeth  Parish,  Mrs. 
Rupert,  George  Aldrich,  V.  G.  Mott, 
Edward  Rodgers,  ^Martha  iL  Rodger?,  Eli 
11.  Bowman  and  EIroda  Bowman. 

For  several  years  the  society  worship- 
ped in  the  Baptist  church  building,  which 
was  the  first  erected  in  the  town.  Through 
the  efforts  of  Rev.  H.  S.  Eldied  and  oth- 
ers, $1,000  toward  the  erection  o(  a  church 
edifice  had  been  raised  in  January,  1SS(>. 
One-half  of  this  was  secured  by  sub- 
scription, the  balance  from  the  church  ex- 
tension society.  In  June,  1S87,  the  build- 
ing was  completed,  and  the  Methodists 
liad  a  hnme  of  their  own.  .V  jiarsonage 
was  erected  in  1895.  The  old  church 
Uuililing  answered  the  purposes  until  1902. 
when  it  was  replaced  by  the  present  hand- 
some building,  which  cost  $8,000.  The  cor- 
ner stone  of  the  new  structure  was  laid 
July  21,  1902,  and  the  dedication  services 
were   held    December   7,    1902,   conducted 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


MTOX,  LENOX    *NB 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


265 


by  Bishop  1.  W.  Joj-ce.  The  Methodist 
society  has  prospered  and  has  a  large 
membership.  It  maintains  a  Sunday  school, 
Epworth  League,  Ladies'  Aid  Society  and 
Womens'  Foreign  Missionary  society.  Rev. 
W.  H.  Irwin  is  the  present  pastor  and  the 
following  constitute  the  board  of  trustees : 
J.  W.  Benson,  J.  I).  Wilson,  E.  L.  Ecker, 
C.  A.  Wood,  C.  K.  Willard,  B.  B.  Sontag, 
B.  P.  St.  John,  ]\[ilo  Smith  and  Pascal 
Vought. 

Following  is  a  list  of  tlie  jjastors  who 
have  supplied  tlie  pulpit  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  cluirili  of  Heron  Lake  and  the 
dates  of  their  appointment:  W.  j\I.  Bear, 
1873;  W.  H.  Mock,  1873;  D.  Stone,  1874; 
W.  M.  Bear,  1876;  H.  J.  Vanfossen, 
1877;  W.  L.  Demorest,  1878;  J.  C.  Ogle, 
1879;  F.  Smith,  1880;  W.  M.  Bear,  1881; 
L.  Glea.son,  1882.;  W.  Wilkinson,  1883; 
H.  S.  Eldred,  1884;  M.  J.  Godfrey,  1886; 
J.  Haubridge,  1887;  D.  P.  Olin,  1888 
(part);  William  Gibson,  1888;  E.  W. 
Haley,  1891;  G.  W.  Burtcli,  1893;  L.  A. 
Wilsey,  1894;  J.  F.  Porter,  1896;  J. 
W.  Raveille,  1897;  J.  F.  Van  Camp, 
1900;  D.  C.  McColm,  1903;  C.  W.  Morse, 
1904:  W.  C.  Sage,  1905;  W.  H.  Irwin, 
1908. 

The  Baptist  society  was  the  second  to 
perfect  an  organization.  On  July  21, 
1873,  a  meeting  was  lield,  presided  over 
by  R.  E.  Town,  at  which  the  organization 
was  completed  with  the  selection  of  E.  C. 
Sanders,  John  AVeir  and  R.  E.  Town  as 
trustees.  The  society  erected  a  church 
building  the  same  year,  which  was  used  as 
A  house  of  worship  by  all  denominations, 
as  the  public  school  building,  as  a  place 
for  public  entertainment,  and  by  all  so- 
cieties. The  church  society  was  main- 
tained for  several  years. 

The  Scandinavian  Lutherans  had  a 
church  organization  in  Heron  Lake  in  tlic 
early  seventies,  but  it  was  later  when  the 
organizations    were   perfected.     In    1886 


money  was  raised  for  the  erection  of  a 
church  building.  For  several  years  the 
Salem  Lutheran  and  Norwegian  Lutheran 
congregations,  although  maintaining  sep- 
arate organizations,  worsliipped  in  the 
same  church  alternating  Sundays.  This 
continued  until  Se23tember  3,  1894,  when 
the  Norwegian  Lutherans  separated  from 
the  other  church  and  selected  Candidate 
0.  C.  Mylire  as  their  pastor.  Shortly  aft- 
er its  organization  it  was  admitted  as 
■one  of  the  congregations  of  the  United 
church  of  America.  A  church  edifice  was 
erected  in  1898.  The  church  society  now 
consists  of  about  thirty  families.  Servi- 
ces are  held  every  other  Sabbath,  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  IT.  H.  Holte.  Sunday 
school  is  held  every  Sunday  with  an  at- 
tendance of  about  thirty-five. 

The  Catholic  church  was  organized  in 
the  early  eighties,  and  the  church  building 
was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1884.  In  con- 
nection with  the  church  is  maintained  St. 
Cyril's  parochial  school,  which  was  es- 
tablished in  1896  by  Rev.  Fr.  Von  den 
Berg.  It  is  conducted  by  the  Sisters  of 
St.  Francis,  of  Rochester,  and  is  in  a 
flourishing  condition. 

The  Episcopal  cliurch  also  maintained 
an  organization  in  the  eighties. 

THE    LODGES. 

The  Grand  Army  post  at  Heron  Lake, 
No.  148,  was  mustered  in  March  31,  1886, 
by  the  chief  mustering  officer.  General 
ifark  D.  Flower.  Following  were  the 
po.st"s  first  officers :  C.  R.  J.  Kellam,  com- 
mander; William  McNair,  senior  vice 
commander;  John  Behrenfeld,  junior  vice 
commander;  John  Woolstencroft,  quarter- 
master; C.  M.  Merly,  adjutant;  Rev.  H. 
S.  Eldred,  chaplain ;  B.  J.  Svennes,  offi- 
cer of  the  guard;  A.  H.  Freer,  officer  of 
the  day;  V.  G.  Mott,  sergeant. 

A  Wonians  Relief  Corps  was  organized 
April  2,  1887,  of  which  Mrs.  Kellam  was 
president  and  Miss  Beede  secretary. 


15 


266 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Heron  Lake  Lodge  No.  93,  Ancient  Or- 
der United  Woricmen,  was  organized  Oc- 
tober IG,  188G,  witli  twenty-ciglit  cliartcr 
members  and  tlic  following  first  officers : 
J.  D.  Wilson,  master  workman;  W.  E. 
Daniels,  overseer;  IT.  A.  Robinson,  fore- 
man; L.  F.  Lammers,  recorder;  T.  A. 
Dieson,  financier;  J.  W.  Benson,  re- 
ceiver; John  Hubcr,  guide;  W.  J.  Jones, 
inside  guard;  Lawrence  Readle,  outside 
guard ;  C.  A.  Wood,  past  master  workman  ; 

B.  A.  Swartout,  J.  T.  Smith,  C.  D.  Urc, 
trustees. 

Manzanita  Camp  No.  125G,  ilodern 
Woodmen  of  America,  was  instituted  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1891,  with  twenty-six  cliarter 
members  and  the  following  officers:  A. 
H.  Clark,  V.  C;  L.  F.  Lammers,  W.  A.: 
T.  \.  Dieson,  E.  B.;  C.  S.  Eastwood,  C; 
J.  E.  Foss,  E.;  T.  A.  Alexander,  watcli- 
man :  W.  E.  Kiessel,  sentry;  A.  H.  Clark, 
physician;  T.  E.  Hills,  L.  B.  Lerud,  and 
J.  Trimble,  managers. 

Columbian  Lodge  No.  210,  A.  F.  &  .\. 
yi.,  began  its  organization  under  dispen- 
sation in  1893.  On  February  14,  of  that 
year,  a  petition  w^as  forwarded  to  the 
grandmaster  asking  for  a  dispensation.  It 
was  signed  by  thirteen  persons,  namely,  L. 
F.  Lammers,  John  L.  Gessell,  John  F. 
Humiston,  LeRoy  Brown,  C.  E.  J.  Kellam, 
W.  X.  Williams,  L.  B.  Lerud,  S.  A.  Pease, 

C.  M  Doughty,  G.  C.  Cooley  and  Davict 
Brown.  The  petition  was  approved  liy 
tlie  grandmaster  April  24,  and  the  dispen- 
sation was  issued  the  next  day.  On  July 
13,  1S93,  a  special  session  was  held  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  under  dispensation. 
Deputy  Grandmaster  John  Hutlass  pre- 
siding. TJie  following  were  chosen  as  the 
first  officers:  LeRoy  Brown,  W.  M. ;  J.  S. 
Kibbey,  S.  W.;  J.  F.  Humiston,  J.  W.: 
L.  F.  Lammers,  secretary;  L.  B.  Lerud, 
treasurer;  C.  R.  J.  Kellam,  S.  D.;  C.  M. 
Doughty.  J.  D. ;  G.  C.  Cooley.  tyler :  J.  L. 
Gessell,   S.    S.;   W.    N.    Williams,   J.    S. 


The  charter  was  granted  and  the  lodge 
was  instituted  March  1,  1894.  Tlie  fol- 
lowing have  held  tlie  office  of  pastmaster: 
LeRoy  Brown,  John  L.  Gessell,  John  F. 
Humiston,  J.  H.  Dudley  and  C.  R.  J. 
Kellam. 

St.  Cyril  Court  No.  970,  Catliolic  Or- 
der Foresters,  was  organized  April  20, 
1899,  by  William  A.  Bieter.  Following 
were  the  first  officers  and  charter  mem- 
bers: William  A.  Bieter,  C.  R.;  John  ile- 
Glin,  V.  C.  ]{.;  V.  \\.  Lynch,  recording 
secretary;  Herman  J.  Rader,  financial  sec- 
retary; George  G.  Gelir,  treasurer;  John 
I^IcCarvel,  P.  C.  R.;  Frank  Haa.s,  Jerry 
Sullivan  and  Frank  Liepold,  trustees;  Jo- 
seph Thnmas.  Xichola.^  Wcinant.  Joseph 
J.  Mirg.l,  William  X.  Klaur,  Edward  D. 
Flanagan,  Joseph  E.  Fritschir.  |[.  ('. 
Herreau.  John  G.  Liepold,  X.  J.  Ihnkcls, 
Richard  Burke,  Alex  Sullivan,  Joseph  H. 
iCnott.  Joseph  F.  Hartman,  Adolph  Rei- 
chel,  F.  R.  Heger,  X.  J.  P.  Murphy,  Ed- 
ward Wienicke.  The  order  has  a  present 
membership  of  about  fifty-five. 

Tiii:  haxks. 

Heron  Ljike  has  two  banking  institu- 
tions, the  Farmers  State  Bank  and  the 
First  National  Bank.  The  former  is  the 
older,  having  been  organized  as  a  private 
bank  by  P.  E.  Hill  in  the  fall  of  1S8G— 
the  first  financial  institution  of  the  town. 
It  continued  to  be  conducted  as  a  private 
bank  mitil  June  1.  1892,  when  it  was  re- 
organized under  the  state  banking  laws 
as  the  bank  of  Heron  Lake,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $25,000.  T.  A.  Dieson  was  presi- 
dent and  J.  S.  Kibbry  vice  president  at 
the  time  of  reorganization.  January  1, 
1894,  there  was  a  change  in  management 
when  J.  N.  McGregor  became  president, 
B.  Poppitz,  vice  president,  and  E.  J. 
Grimes,  cashier.  In  1896  B.  Poppitz  be- 
came president,  and  J.  N.  JIcGrcgor  vice 
president.      L.    F.    Lammers    was    made 


HISTORY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


267 


president  June  1,  1898,  and  one  year  later 
15.  Poppitz  became  vice  president.  Tlie 
name  of  the  institution  was  changed  to 
State  Bnnli  of  Heron  Lake  July  30,  1900, 
and  on  January  1,  1901,  W.  P.  St.  Jolm 
l)eeame  president  and  held  the  office  until 
his  death,  October  21,  1905.  John  T. 
Smith  was  made  vice  president  June  1, 
1901.  After  tlie  death  of  Mr.  St.  John, 
\V.  A.  Bieter  became  president  and  W.  P. 
JJrews  was  made  assistant  cashier. 

The  State  Bank  of  Heron  Lake  was 
reorganL-^ed  in  July,  1906,  when  the  ma- 
jority stock,  wliich  had  been  held  by  Mr. 
St.  John,  was  bought  by  the  farmers  of 
the  surrounding  country  and  the  business 
men  of  Heron  Lake  and  the  name  of  the 
institution  changed  to  the  Farmers  State 
Bank.  The  profits  and  surplus  were  paid 
over  to  the  old  stockholders,  and  the  new 
owners  took  over  the  business  of  the  bank, 
continuing-  it  under  tlie  old  charter.  Tlie 
otficers  renuiined  the  game  except  that 
John  Mathias  succeeded  John  T.  Smith 
as  vice  president.  January  1,  1907,  offi- 
cers were  clioseu  as  follows:  John  Math- 
ias, president;  0.  E.  Dieson,  vice  presi- 
dent; W.  A.  Bieter,  cashier;  W.  F.  Drews, 


assistant  cashier.  One  year  later  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  chosen:  Jerry  Sulli- 
van, president;  N.  J.  Henkels,  vice  presi- 
dent; W.  F.  Drews,  cashier;  P.  W.  Moore, 
assistant  c:i.shier.  From  the  date  of  reor- 
ganization into  the  Farmers  State  Bank 
the  deposits  have  increased  from  $60,000 
to  $1.50,000  and  a  surplus  of  $3,000  has 
been  accumulated.  The  bank  was  moved 
into  its  present  commodious  quarters  in 
June,  1901,  the  cost  of  the  building  and 
furnishings  being  $12,000. 

The  First  National  Bank  was  organ- 
ized as  the  Peoples  State  Bank  in  Sep- 
tember, 1892,  with  rl.  W.  Benson  as  presi- 
dent. The  organization  into  the  'First 
National  Bank  was  made  June  9,  1900. 
The  new  institution  started  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $2.5,000,  but  this  was  later  in- 
creased to  $35,000.  The  capital  and  sur- 
plus at  the  present  time  are  $45,000.  The 
officers  are :  J.  W.  Benson,  president ;  C. 
M.  Doughty,  vice  president;  W.  H.  Jar- 
mutli,  cashier;  Paul  Benson,  assistant 
cashier.  The  bank  building  now  occupied 
was  erected  in  1901  at  a  cost,  including 
fixtures,  of  about  $15,000. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


ALPHA,  WILDER,  OKABENA,  ETC. 

ALPHA. 


IN  WISCOiSrSlN  (ownsliiji,  on  the  east 
line  of  .Jackson  county,  is  the  little 
village  of  Alpha,  an  incorporated 
town  of  about  250  inhabitants.  It  is  on 
the  Milwaukee  railroad  and  is  five  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  Jackson.  Several 
lines  of  business  are  carried  on  here,  and 
its  merchants  enjoy  a  prosperous  trade 
from  a  limited  area  of  Jackson  and  Mar- 
tin counties.  Alpha  is  the  -youngest  of 
Jackson  county  towns. 

In  189'2  a  country  postoffice  named 
Earl  w-as  established  near  the  point  where 
the  village  of  Alpha  was  afterwards  built, 
but  it  was  not  until  the  closing  days  of 
1894  that  it  was  announced  a  town  would 
be  founded  in  the  vicinity.  Then  the 
Milwaukee  road  placed  the  name  Wiscon- 
sin on  its  time  card  as  the  name  of  a  new 
station  on  section  thirteen,  Wisconsin 
township.  At  the  same  time  it  was  an- 
nounced that  Messrs.  Williamson  and 
Paddock,  the  owners  of  the  site,  were 
about  to  survey  a  townsite  and  that  prep- 
arations had  been  made  to  build  an  ele- 
vator and  establish  a  lumber  yard.  Not 
much  j^rogress  toward  town  building  was 
made  during  the  winter,  but  early  in  the 
spring  of  1895  several  buildings  were  put 
up,  a  few  business  houses  were  established 


and  the  town — known  for  a  time  as  Wis- 
consin— came  into  existence. 

The  name  of  the  Earl  postoilice  was 
changed  to  Irwin,  in  honor  of  the  super- 
intendent of  the  Southern  Minnesota  di- 
vision of  the  Jlilwaukee  road,  in  April, 
and  for  a  few  months  the  town  was  known 
by  that  name.^  During  the  spring  and 
summer  the  following  gentlemen  engaged 
in  business  at  Irwin :  Charles  Ean- 
dall,  grain  buyer  and  lumber  dealer; 
Edward  Schoewe,  general  store;  Eack- 
ness  &  Ellis,  general  store;  M. 
A.  Rhodes,  general  store;  I.  D'Mersse- 
man,  elevator.  In  August  the  postofiice 
wa.s  reestablished  and  named  Alpha,  with 
P.  0.  Rackness  as  postmaster,  and  late 
in  the  year  a  school  house  and  church  were 
built. 

The  plat  of  the  townsite,  also  named  Al- 
]iha,  was  put  on  record  November  27, 
1895.  It  was  surveyed  by  Arthur  Gibson 
for  George  B.  Paddock,  who  made  the 
dedication.  The  original  plat  was  on  the 
north  side  of  the  railroad  track  and  con- 
tained only  eight  blocks.  The  streets  run- 
ning north  and  south  were  named  Hunter, 

'"  .  We    visited    the   little  town   of  Ir- 

win, six  miles  east,  and  found  it  small  but 
busy.  The  city  has  six  families  at  present. 
The  town  has  no  postoffice.  One  was  estab- 
lished a  short  time  ago.  but  the  postmistress  is 
at  present  teaching:  school  thirty  miles  west  of 
town." — Jackson   Republic,   May   31,   1895. 


269 


ro 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Knux.  Miiiii.  riiliner  nnd  Bcacli :  tlie  east 
anil  west  avenues  were  naiiH'il  Railroad. 
Pacldoek  and  Williamson. - 

Durinjr  the  next  three  years  the  {:rowth 
of  Alpha  was  not  great,  although  a  few 
new  enterprises  were  started.  But  hegin- 
iiing  in  the  fall  of  ]898  and  continuing 
during  the  year  1899  the  village  enjoyed 
a  l)Ooni.  due  to  the  prosperous  times  and 
bountiful  crops,  and  advanced  rapidly  to 
the  front.  JIany  new  buildings  were  erec- 
ted and  many  new  business  enterprises 
were  started.  Au  Alpha  correspondent 
stated  that  the  building  improvements  for 
the  year  1899  amounted  to  over  $35,000, 
itemized  a''  follows : 

Cliiist   Kfa.li.r.  store !?  2,800 

Alplia    liiuik   Imildiiig 3,000 

A.   (;ii>tli.  iMiilwiue  store 2,500 

L.  Colli),  liardware  store 1,500 

W.  h.  Cobb,  bhicksmilh  shop 400 

W.  L.  Cobb,  addition 800 

Bohlander    &    Boelil,    addition 000 

L.  II.  llafieman.  livery  barn I.IKIO 

.1.  T>.  Yoiinji  iSc  Co..  improvements 2(10 

Frcy   &   Klein,  store 4,000 

C.   C.   Xorgren,    store 1.000 

.'<.   M.  Olson,   bntelier  shop .WO 

C.   H.  Whissemore.   wapon    shop :tOO 

L.   Hageman,   Sr..    rosidcnee 800 

Tj.   Hafienian,   .Jr..   residence 1 .000 

Henry    Belini,   residence 1,000 

Chiiries  Combes,  residence 1.200 

Henry    finslafson.    residence 800 

K.    Krii-kson.    residence 1.200 

I.  D'Mersseman.  residence l.HOO 

William    L.   Hull,   residence.  1.200 

William   Hintborn.   residence  1.100 

William    E.   Carr.    residence .  .100 

Conrad    Freeman,    residence.  .  000 

.Tohn   Warliter.  residence 600 

K.    Kodeck.    improvements .^OO 

A.  1).  Packard  &  Son.  improvements....         fiOO 

A.  1).   Packard  &    Son.  (wo  stores l.SOO 

P.   (1.    Hackness.    improvements 200 

Theodore   Jasper,    improvements 100 

Depot    2,000 

Frey    &   Klein,   improvements 200 

Total    !f.35.IOO 

So  great  was  the  growth  of  Alpha  that 
the  residents  believed  the  time  had  come 
to  incorporate.    In  April,  1S99,  a  petition 

'Additions  to  Alpha  have  l)een  platted  as  fol- 
lows: 

Louis  Klosel's  First,  b.v  I.ouis  Klesel  Septem- 
ber 2fi.    ISflfi:  survcved   liv  Orrin  Nason. 

A.  P.  Packard's,  by  A.  Tt.  Packard  &•  Son 
Mav  5.   1S99:  survcved  bv  .1.   I..  Hoist. 

Packard's.  l>v  A.  U  Packard  and  G.  D.  Paclf- 
nrd  July   12,   1899;   surveyed  by  J.   L.  Hoist. 


was  circulated  asking  the  county  commis- 
sioners to  take  tlie  necessary  steps  to  bring 
iili'iut  tlie  desired  change  in  government. 
The  ]jetition  was  granted  ^lay  25,  it  was 
ordered  that  a  special  ek>ction  to  vote 
on  the  question  of  ineoiporalion  be  held 
July  3,  and  P.  0.  l?ackncss.  J.  S.  Rhodes 
and  Charles  P.  Pandall  were  named  as  the 
inspectors  of  the  election.  "For  incor- 
poration" carried.'  and  the  first  village 
officers  were  chosen  at  another  ela-tion 
held  July  25. 

Following  is  a  list  of  all  who  have  been 
decled  to  office  during  the  time  Alplia 
ha.s   been  a  municipal  corporation: 

1809 — President.  Charles  Combes;  trustees, 
William  Carr.  Auj;nst  flroth.  L.  Hapeman:  re- 
corder, William  l\ni<;er:  treasurer.  E.  A. 
Poehl:  justices.  P.  M.  Getty.  .1.  S.  Rhodes; 
constables.  L.  Cobb.  Theodore  Jasper. 

1000  -President,  C,  L.  Combes;  trustees. 
William  Carr.  Theodore  Jasper.  I,.  Ha'-eman: 
recorder.  E.  C.  Kru<;er:  treasurer.  E.  A.  Hoeld : 
justice.  L.  Cobb:  constable.  C.  II.  fJustafson. 

1001— President.  F.  J.  Hassing;  trustees, 
Theodore  .Jasper.  Henry  Behm.  L.  Hapeman; 
recorder.  P.  M.  Oetty:  treasurer.  E.  A.  Boehl: 
assessor.  H.  E.  Bohlander;  justices,  Nels  N<'1- 
son.  I.  D'Mersseman;  constables,  R,  Cormack, 
Oscar  Rackness. 

1902— President.  I.  D'Mersseman;  trustees,  L. 
Ilaseman,  C.  P.  Hartwij;.  Henry  Belini :  recor- 
der, P.  M.  fJetty;  treasurer.  II.  E.  Bolilamler: 
assessor.  Georpe  Becker:  justices,  W.  H.  Hass- 
inp.  C.  A.  Portmann;  constables.  H.  Leverson. 
Gust   Bork. 

100.'?— President.  I.  D'Mersseman;  trustees, 
F.  J.  Hassinp.  C.  P.  Hartwip.  Theodore  Jas- 
per: recorder,  P.  M.  Getty;  treasurer.  H.  E. 
Bohlander;  assessor.  A.  A.  Kruper;  justices, 
C.  yi.  Packard.  L.  Burton:  constables.  Gust 
r>ork.  C.  IT.  Gustafson. 

1004  President.  T.  D'Mersseman;  trustees. 
II.  H.  Ilapcman.  Theodore  .Jasper.  Otto  Bor- 
chardl:  recorder.  P.  M.  Getty:  treasurer.  .John 
Waswo:  assessor.  Charles  Evers:  justice. 
Christ  Geddie;  constables.  A.  K.  Simms,  Tom 
Fisher. 

1005— President.  B.  K.  Ellis;  trustees.  J.  J. 
McXiimara.  Theodore  .Jasper.  Frank  Matson; 
recorder.  W.  F.  .Vuten;  treasurer.  John  Was- 
wo: assessor.  Charles  Evers;  justices.  C.  M. 
Packard.  John   Diers;    constable.  Gust   Bork. 

mot;- President.  F.  J.  Hassinp;  trustees. 
Theodore  .Jasper.  C.  H.  Gustafson.  J.  T-  Ober 
ineyer;  recorder.  P.  ^t.  Getty;  treasurer.  John 
W:is\vo;  assessor,  Charles  Evers;  justices.  Otto 

'By  a  vote  of  50  to  11.  in  1901.  the  vlllafrc  was 
separated  from  Wisconsin  township  for  all  pur- 
poses. 


HISTOEY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


271 


Kackncss,  J.  S.  Crawle.y;  constables,  A.  K. 
Sinims.  John  Steincr.     . 

1007— President,  V.  J.  Hassing;  trustees,  C. 
H.  Gustafson,  Tlieotlore  Jasper,  E.  A.  Boehl; 
recorder,  H.  E.  Bolilander;  treasurer,  John 
Waswo:  assessor,  Charles  Evers;  justice,  Carl 
J.  Swonson;   constable,  L.  A.  Dorr. 

mos— President,  E.  C.  Klatt:  trustees,  E.  A. 
Boehl,  Gust  Bork,  E.  H.  Vickerman:  recorder, 
H.  E.  Bohlander:  treasurer,  E.  A.  Boehl;  as- 
sessor, Charles  Evers:  justice.  Otto  Rackness; 
constables,  A.  K.  Simms.  Carl  J.  Swenson. 

1909— President.  F.  J.  Hassing;  trustees.  E. 
A.  Boehl,  John  Steiner,  C.  Whismore;  recorder, 
H.  E.  Bohlander;  treasurer,  J.  S.  Crawley:  as- 
sessor, P.  M.  Getty;   justice,  J.  J.  Kukliik. 

The  federal  census  of  1900  gave  Alpha 
a  population  of  '309;  five  years  later  the 
number  of  inhabitants  had  increased  to 
241.  Since  its  boom  days  Aljiha's  growth 
has  been  slow,  but  there  have  been  a  num- 
ber of  additions.  For  several  years  a 
newspaper  was  supported,  and  a  bank  has 
been  conducted  there  for  several  years. 
Tills  was  founded  as  the  Bank  of  Alpha, 
but  in  July,  1904,  it  was  reorganized  as 
the  State  Bank  of  Alpha,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $10,000  and  with  George  E. 
Moore  as  president  and  J.  S.  Crawley  as 
cashier.  Bonds  to  the  amount  of  $4,000 
were  voted  in  1904  for  the  purpose  of  in- 
stalling a  water  works  system. 

WILDER. 

Wilder  is  an  incorporated  village  on  the 
main  line  of  the  Omaha  railroad,  seven 
miles  northeast  of  Heron  Lake.  It  is  lo- 
cated on  section  seven,  Delafield  town- 
ship, near  the  north  line  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty. Here  is  a  little  town  of  perliaps  two 
hundred  inhabitants,  in  which  are  car- 
ried on  several  lines  of  business.  It  is 
situated  on  a  slight  elevation,  sloping  in 
all  directions,  and  is  surrounded  by  an 
excellent  farming  country. 

The  village  of  Wilder  is  about  a  quarter 
of  a  century  old,  but  AVilder  as  a  Jack- 
son county  place  name  was  bestowed  in 
1871.  During  the  month  of  June  of  that 
year,  while  the  grade  for  the  Sioux  City 
&:  St.  Paul  railroad  was  being  made,  the 


officials  selected  the  site  of  tlio  present  vil- 
lage of  Wilder  as  a  station  on  the  new 
line  of  road.  The  Jackson  Eepublic  of 
July  1,  1871,  .said  of  the  selection  of  this 
point  for  a  station : 

In  the  township  of  Delafield,  in  the  north 
part  of  this  count}-,  a  sidetrack  has  been  grad- 
ed where  it  is  no  doubt  intended  to  plat  a 
town.  No  better  farming  country  can  be  found 
in  our  whole  state  than  in  the  same  township 
of  Delafield  and  the  townships  adjacent.  Tlie 
Heron  lake  community.  Big  Bend  and  even  to 
lake  Shetek.  in  Murray  county,  are  naturally 
tributary  to  the  station  to  Ije  located  here. 
Excellent  roads  in  every  direction  tend  to  draw 
business  to  this  point,'  and  although  the  set- 
tlement in  the  vicinity  is  of  comparative  re- 
cent date,  the  farms  ah'eady  being  opened  and 
in  contemplation  will  make  this  one  of  the 
most  im])ortant  shipping  points  on  the  line. 
.  We  predict  jicre  will  grow  up  one  of 
the  best  towns  on  the  road. 

The  sidetrack  was  laid  during  the 
month  of  September,  but  no  depot  was 
put  up,  and  the  railroad  officials  made 
no  effort  to  found  a  town  at  that  point. 
For  a  short  time  the  station  was  known 
as  Timber  Lake,  but  in  November  it  was 
officially  designated  Wilder,  in  honor  of 
A.  H.  Wilder,  who  was  connected  with  the 
new  railroad.  For  fourteen  years  Wilder 
was  nothing  but  a  name,  and  retained  that 
only  by  virtue  of  the  railroad  company's 
time  card. 

The  awakening  came  in  1885.  Then  it 
was  announced  that  a  fai'm  college  was  to 
be  built  at  Wilder  by  the  Episcopal  church 
and  that  a  town  was  to  be  founded  un- 
der the  mauageriient  of  Close  Brothers 
&  Company.  The  effect  of  this  announce- 
ment was  to  make  Wilder  a  magic  word; 
it  was  on  everybody's  lips.*  The  ac- 
tivity was  Ijrouglit  about  through  the  ef- 
forts of  Eev.  D.  n.  Gunn,  of  the  Episco- 
pal church,  w-lio  had  for  several  years  had 
in  mind  the  founding  of  a  farm  school. 
Early  in  1885  Colonel  John  L.  Merriam, 
A.  H.  Wilder  and  Mrs.  Carrie  Thompson 

'■'Wilder    is    the    magic    word    we    often    hear 
to   lie   the   shrine   to   which   pilgrims 


now.      It 

to   the    northwest   will   wend    their  way 
rest  and  plenty  in  its  happy   precincts. 
Lake   Correspondent,   June  26,    1SS5. 


and   find 
-Heron 


272 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


offered  to  donalo  two-tnirds  of  their  land 
lioldiiior,s  on  scetioii  <evcn,  Dolafield,  to  the 
Kiii.-.((i|ial  church  of  Minnesota,  on  condi- 
lioii  thai  a  .■ollcfrc  he  Iniilt  tliere.  A  cor- 
poration was  formed  witii  Bislioj)  Whipple 
as  president  and  Ifev.  (Jnnu  as  secretarv. 
and  the  secretarv  at  once  set  ahont  rais- 
in;,^ money  to  hnihl  tlie  scliool.  The  exc- 
cntion  of  Ihi'  ]ilans  for  the  foundiii-r  of  tlie 
town  ipf  Wihicr  was  phieed  in  otlier  liands. 
Concerning'  tlie  selection  of  tlic  site  and 
the  early  history  of  the  movement.  Die 
Windom  Citizen  in  June,  l.SH."),  said: 

Rev.  v.  OrifTiii  (iuiiii.  wlio  has  within  tlir 
past  five  years  l)uilt  and  liad  direot  cliaif;p  of 
six  churches  in  the  lilue  (Jiass  refjion.  has 
ever  since  his  arrival  anionj;  us  hpen  jahorin;; 
for  the  PstaMislinient  of  a  honu-  and  farm 
school  for  iiis  l.oys.  His  first  idea  was  to 
huild  the  scliool  on  Cottonwood  lake,  adjoin- 
ing Windom,  hut  upon  priicinj;  the  land  found 
that  east  of  the  lake  to  he  '$10  per  acre  and 
that  on  the  west  $2.').  He  soon  afterwanl 
houfiht  tlie  I'omcroy  tree  claim,  the  southwest 
cpiartcr  of  l\w  nortlii'ast  (unirter  of  section  (i. 
IJelalield  township,  and  took  occasion  to  look 
over  Wilder  wliil,.  waitiuf;  for  a  train.  He  was 
struck  with  the  heauty  of  the  nortliea^t  i|uar- 
ter  of  section  7,  and  upon  inipiirv  found  it 
to  be  held  hy  Messrs.  .Mcrriam  and  Wilder  and 
Mrs.  Thompson,  of  S(.  I'aul.  The  |)rice  was 
put  at  $!)  per  acre,  hut  when  it  was  known 
for  what  purpose  it  was  intended  they  promj)!- 
ly  anil  generously  otVered  not  only  this  hut  all 
their  interests  in  section  7  free."  Hut  Uishop 
Whipple  did  not  feel  justified  in  acceptin;.'  at 
that   time. 

.\fter  thi,  not  hill-;  was  done  for  ahont  two 
years;  then  the  matter  was  ajjain  lirou;;lif  ]„.. 
fore  the  hishop.  who  approved  it.  hut  nothin<r 
was  to  he  done  hefore  his  return  from  Kiirope. 
Since  his  return  the  friends  have  hecn  linsy 
pi<'parinf;    for    the   work. 

The  site  for  the  school  and  farm  contains 
.1.'),1  acres  on  Timlier  lake,  and  the  doners  are 
well  known  here  as  intensive  land  owners  in 
Cottonwood  and  .lackson  counties.  The  spot 
selected  for  the  school  linildintr  is  on  a  heau- 
tifnl  rise  of  ground,  whiili  overlooks  the  whole 
snrroundin/,'  country,  imludin;;  tin'  piitur- 
CMjUc  Tiniher  hike.  I'rom  the  summit  can  also 
he  seen  Uw  village  of  Heron  Lake,  six  miles 
distant,  and  on  ilear  days  l.akcfield.  twelve 
miles   distant. 

The  school  building  when  completed  is  to 
coat  .$1.5,000.  .  ,  .  The  main  or  uprifjlit 
part  is  to  he  completed  hefore  llecember  ,T1, 
work  to  be  eommeiueil  at  once.  The  trustees 
are  Hishop  Whipple,  Rev.  K.  S.  Thomas,  rector 
of  St.  Paul's  church.  St.  Paul;  l?ev.  .lames  Dob- 
bins, rector  of  the  Shattuek  school,  Karihault: 
Kev.  U,  G.  Gunn,  S.  M.  Cnrev,  of  thp  firm  of 


Hobinson.&  Carey,  St.  Paul;  George  H.  Chris- 
tian, of  the   Minneapolis  mills. 

.Mr.  tiunii  will  he  resident  supervisor  and 
general  superintendent  of  the  school.  Kcsidcs 
tlie  .school  building'  there  will  follow  helonj;- 
in;;  to  the  Kpiscopil  eliurch  the  nssoc-iale 
mission   school,  Kpiscopal   c-hurch  and   rectory. 

The  movement  is  now  ready.  !•'.  H.  Close  & 
Company  will  look  af.er  the  business  interests, 
while  .Mr.  liunn  <;oes  alieail  with  the  school 
buildinf;.  .Mr.  Gunn  has  been  appointed  by 
the  trustees  to  select  the  sclioid  buihlin<;  and 
town  site.  The  town  will  be  jdattcd  and  de- 
pot  ^'rounds   located    in  a    few   days. 

We  are  authoritatively  informed  that  the 
f(dlowinf;  business  buildinjjs,  besiiles  numerous 
residences,  are  only  awailin;;  the  plaiting; 
hotel,  harness  shop,  hank,  elevator,  general 
store,  shoe  shop,  hanhvare  store  an<l  land  of- 
fice. 

The  ])arties  interested  in  the  town  besides 
the  doners  (who  reserve  luie-third  of  the  gift 
lots)  are:  Frank  .M.  Rookwaltcr,  of  the  Uook- 
walter  Kn;;iiic  lonipany.  Sprin^'t'ield.  Ohio: 
Fuller  Trump.  Sprin;;lield.  (Ihio;  Senator  A. 
-M.  Crosby.  Adrian.  .Minnesota:  V.  I!.  Close  i 
Company.  Pipestone,  and  a  host   of  others. 

.Mr.  (.'mill  attributes  his  suec-oss  at  Wilder 
mainly  to  the  ell'orts  of  Jlessrs.  ,T.  J.  Kendall 
and   E.  S.  Thomas. 

'i'iic  liuildiiiir  of  liio  school  and  of  the 
town  was  begun  in  the  suininer  of  ISS.'j, 
and  times  were  lively.'^  The  foundation  of 
the  college  was  completed  in  the  fall,  and 
work  on  the  superstructure  was  hegun 
early  in  Decemher.  Before  the  <lose  of 
liic  year  the  following  had  erected  build- 
ings and  engaged  in  l)u.<iness:  Dufour  & 
Fiiidjey.  o<.|,(.riil  merchandise ;  J.  F.  Cass, 
restiiurant  and  boarding  hou.«e;  W.  IT. 
Higelow  it  Company,  lumber  and  wood; 
H.  !\rocde.  slioe  shop;  Cyrenius,  black- 
smith shoji:  Klock  &  Bay.  feed  (store; 
Juveland,  meal  market.  The  postofTice 
was  estaiilished  laic  in  the  year. 

'I'lic  growth  of  Wilder  during  ISS.")  and 
ISSil  was  checked  to  some  extent  because 
of  the  inability  to  secure  title  to  lots. 
Deeds  to  the  site  were  not  turned  over  to 


'•'Ueports  from  Wilder  sa.v  that  II  Is  the 
liveliest  burs  In  a.  hundred  miles  and  that  me- 
chanics can  Ret  stead.v  emplovment  until  It 
freezes  up:  that  the  eollcKc  hulldluK  Is  beliiK 
rushed  with  a  laiKe  force  of  workmen:  that 
J.  J.  Kendalls  house  and  niKclow  &  (^ompanv's 
store  bulldlnes  b.'sin  to  loom  up  In  mammoth 
proportions:  that  inore  than  fortv  new  biilld- 
iuKs  arc  already  planned."— Lakeflcld  Citizen, 
July  31.   J885, 


i  THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 


TILDtN   FOUND*' 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


273 


Bishop  Wlup])lo  and  the  trustees  until 
late  in  188(j,  and  prior  t(.)  that  time  clear 
title  could  not  be  given  to  lot  purchasers. 
The  town  wa.s  platted  Deeeml^er  7,  1886, 
by  John  AV.  Merriani,  it  liaving  been 
surveyed  by  Orriu  Nason  in  the  spring  of 
that  year,  and  was  recorded  in  January, 
1887.  The  plat  consisted  of  72  blocks,  di- 
vided into  ().38  lots.  The  platted  town  in- 
cluded the  north  half  of  the  northeast 
quarter,  the  east  Iialf  of  the  northeast 
quarter,  the  east  lialf  of  the  northwest 
quarter,  lot  one,  tlie  northeast  quarter  and 
hit  two,  of  section  7,  Delafield. 

A  few  new  business  enterprises  were 
added  during  188G.  In  .Tune  it  was  re- 
porteil  tluit  there  were  alxait  a  lialf  dozen 
houses  in  the  town  and  that  the  popula- 
tion was  about  fifty.  At  the  close  of  the 
year  there  were  aljout  thirty  buildings, 
including  the  college,  the  depot,  a  gen- 
eral store,  hardware  store  and  a  hotel.  The 
Breck  school  was  incorporated  in  Decem- 
ber, 188G,  by  the  following  persons:  D.  G. 
Gunn,  of  Jackson  county;  E.  S.  Thomas, 
S.  M.  Carey,  Y.  JI.  Watkins  and  Harvey 
Officer,  of  Ramsey  county ;  James  Dob- 
bins, of  Rice  county;  George  H.  Chris- 
tian of  Hennepin  county.  The  school 
opened  and  entered  upon  a  prosperous 
career,  Ijut  there  was  not  much  advance 
in  the  town  for  a  decade  after  its  found- 
ing. It  simply  held  its  own  as  a  little 
trading  point  until  the  properous  times 
of  tlie  late  nineties  caused  it  to  develop 
into  a   liustling  little  village. 

On  the  last  day  of  tlie  year  1898  a  cen- 
sus was  taken  whicli  showed  a  population 
of  195  23cople.  The  taking  of  the  census 
was  the  first  step  toward  incorporation. 
On  the  same  day  a  petition  wa.s  prepared 
asking  for  the  incorporation  of  all  of 
section  7,  except  the  south  half  of  the 
southeast  quarter — 5G0  acres^ — into  the  vil- 
lage of   Wilder.    The   petition   was  pre- 


sented to  the  board  of  county  commission- 
ers," and  that  Ijody  took  favorable  action, 
naming  Marcli  28,  1899,  as  the  date  for 
voting  (m  the  question.  The  election 
was  held  at  the  office  of  D.  L.  Riley,  and 
"for  incorjioration"  carried.  Soon  after- 
ward municipal  officers  were  elected  and 
qualified,  and   local  government  began. 

There  were  174  iidiabitants  in  Wilder 
wlien  the  federal  census  of  1900  was 
taken,  and  in  190.5  the  population  was 
131.  The  town  is  a  good  trading  point, 
and  while  it  has  not  attained  great  size, 
it  is  numbered  among  the  prosperou.s  com- 
munities of  Jackson  county. 

Wilder  supports  one  bank,  the  Farmers 
State  Bank.  It  was  organized  with  a  paid 
up  capital  of  .$10,000  October  1,  1900, 
with  the  following  officers:  M.  H.  Evans, 
president:  E.  P.  Coleman,  vice  president; 
F.  H.  Vail,  cashier.  The  institution  con- 
tinued under  this  management  until  1902, 
when  the  controlling  interest  and  major- 
ity stock  was  bought  by  Cliarles  Mal- 
chow.  F.  E.  JIalchow  and  William  G, 
]Malchow.  The  officers  then  became  Au- 
gust Wolf,  president;  Charles  IVIalehow, 
vice  president ;  William  G.  ilalchow, 
cashier.  The  onlv  change  in  management 
since  then  occurred  in  1906,  when  Au- 
gust Wolf  was  succeeded  as  president  by 
W.  J.  Clark.  The  directors  of  the  Farm- 
ers State  Bank  of  Wilder  are  Charles 
:Malchow,  Jolm  T.  Powell,  F.  E.  Mal- 
chow.  Charles  Winzer,  Ciiai-les  B.  Clicadle, 
W.  J.  Clark  and  William  G.  Malchow. 

OK.VnEXA. 

Okaliena  is  an  unincorporated  little  vil- 
lage located  on  tiie  ^lilwaukee  railroad 
and  on  section  7,  West  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship,   four   miles    south    of   Heron   Lake. 

"Thi>  petitioners  were  H.  F.  Tucker.  F.  G. 
Rilev,  W.  G.  Malchow.  S.  L.  Rank.  J.  A.  Thorn, 
W.  I..  Trowtjridge,  F.  H.  Vail.  E.  P.  Colman. 
C.  L.  Moodin.  J.  J.  Iiitz.  John  Hall.  W.  S.  Pi-ice, 
F.  D.  Silliman.  John  McQuigg,  W.  B.  Frj-. 
Ezra  Winslow.  I.  G.  Reed,  O.  A.  Patter,  A. 
Egeland,   H.   R.   Trowbridge.   George   Koontz.   F. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Okabcna  makes  no  pretL-iise  of  nictropoli- 
ian  jirc'iitiu^ss.  bul  il  is  a  i)rospori>iis  litllc 
liaiiilet,  buastinjr  a  dnzfii  or  more  Ijusiiu'ss 
enterprises.  In  llic  town  arc  a  l)ank, 
school,  fliuivii,  general  store,  liardwarc 
store,  creamery,  lumber  yard,  hotel,  livery 
barns,  blacksmith  shop,  implement  deal- 
ers, elevators,  restaurant,  billiaril  hall,  etc. 
Okabena  was  founded  as  a  station  of 
the  Southern  ilinnesota  railroad  in  Sep- 
tember, 187!t,  and  when  t!)c  tracklayers 
reached  that  point  they  laid  a  sidetrack. 
The  same  fall  a  warehouse  was  built,  and 
the  next  February  a  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished with  K.  C.  Jackson  as  postmaster. 
^Ir.  Jackson  opened  a  small  store  in  No- 
vember, 18S0,  wliich  he  conducted  until 
the  summer  of  18S4.  Okabena  did  not 
develop  into  a  town  until  the  nineties. 
Tlie  townsite  was  surveyed  in  ilay.  1892," 
altliontrh  the  records  show  that  the  plat 
was  not  ])ut  on  record  until  October  30, 
1897.  It  was  surveyed  by  .).  L.  Hoist  and 
platted  by  Henry  J.  Schumacher.  The 
jilat  consisted  of  six  blocks  located  on  the 
north  side  of  the  I'ailroad.  Ea.«t  and  west 
streets  were  named  Jackson,  Exchange 
and  Jlarket ;  those  north  and  south  were 
named  P'ront,  ilinnesola.  Grove  and  Oka- 
bena. With  the  prosperous  times  of  the 
late  nineties  and  of  the  present  decade 
came  the  building  of  the  town,  wliich  is 
recognized  as  an  excellent  trading  point 
by  thoie  residing  in  the  vicinity. 

MILOM.\. 

Milcinui  is  the  railroad  center  of  ,lack- 
Min  I'ounty — and  that's  all.  Here,  three 
miles  southwest  of   Heron   Lake  and   the 


G.  Belts,  T.  OijfKlwiii.  Hiiicc-  Bumgurclncr.  E.  n. 
Hi>n<Ifr.son.  How.ird  Wliislow.  G.  Crotzcr. 
rhiirlcs  I).  Clhb.  K.  H.  Wells.  K.  X.  I-'rv.  .\.  B. 
Phillips.  J.  R  (^isf.  J.  1,.  Hiilst.  Willi:im  Crot- 
zvr.  II.  V.  Bliss.  H.  .\.  White.  H.  U  While  .Tiul 
A.   Iverson. 

■"A  townsllp  is  to  lie  platteil  .il  Okulienu  this 
^priiiK-  N<»  doubt  we  shiill  see  a  pre.il  city 
there  some  dn.v.  Stirh  enterprise  Is  linble  to 
bust  the  commercial  business  of  Its  neighbor. 
Prairie  Junction." — Jackson  County  Pilot,  April 
2S.    1S92. 


same  distance  northwest  of  Okabena,  on 
section  .'5."i,  I.,a('ri)s.';e  township,  the  main 
line  of  the  Omaha  railroad  and  the  South- 
ern Minnesota  division  of  the  Milwaukee 
roail  cross.  A  union  depot  is  maintained: 
the  other  enterprises  consist  of  a  post- 
office,  a  small  store  and  eating  house,  com- 
bined, and  a  ^varehou^e. 

In  the  early  days,  Avhen  railroads  were 
building  through  the  virgin  country  of 
sontliwcstern  Slinnesota,  the  location  of 
towns  depended  upon  the  routes  the  rail- 
road.s  took,  and  years  before  the  Southern 
Minnesota  was  extended  it  was  predicted 
tliat  the  ])rincipal  town  of  .southwestern 
^linncsota  would  be  at  the  point  of  cross- 
ing 'if  the  Sionx  City  &  St.  Paul  and  the 
Soutlieni  Minnesota  railroads — but  the 
|iredi(tioii  did  not  conif^tnie."  It  was  in 
April.  18T9.  that  officials  of  the  Southern 
^Iinne.«ita  railroad  gave  out  the  informa- 
tion that  tlieir  road  would  cross  the  Sioux 
City  road  on  the  south  half  of  section  35, 
LnCrosse  town.ehip.  Tracklaying  was 
coniiileted  to  that  jioint  .\ngiisr  1  of  the 
sarhe  year. 

The  litiilding  of  a  metropolis  at  the 
junction  did  not  eveiitiiati';  in  fact  for 
over  a  year  absolutely  nothing  was  there," 
and  the  place  did  not  even  boast  a  name, 
being  referred  to  as  "the  Sioux  City  junc- 
tion" or  '•'the  junction."  'i'lie  monotony 
ol'  ilie  ])Iace  was  broken  during  the  win- 
ter of  18S0-S1  by  the  erection  of  a  joint 
depot,  and  in  .August.  ISSl,  arrangeinents 
w (■!■<'   iiwulc   for  transferring  the  mails  at 

>The  Worlhington  .Advance  of  Janunr.v  1.1. 
1S76.  said:  "The  Southern  Minnesota  Is  Worth- 
Ingtnn's  oppdi'lnnitv.  If  the  ritad  comes  here. 
WorthlnKtnn  becomes  from  that  day  a  rjillroad 
('i'nliT  aiul  an  important  inland  city.  If  il  goes 
north  of  ns.  the  nilli'oad  center  for  this  section 
of  conntr.v  will  be  at  the  point  of  crossing  the 
SI0U.X   City   rr>ad." 

In  the  light  of  preSMil  conditions,  this  pre- 
diction is  amusing.  'I'he  Southern  Minnesota 
railroad  did  builil  north  of  Worthington;  the 
point  of  crossing  thi'  Sioux  City  road  is  at 
Slilomn:  and  anyone  who  has  .spent  his  time 
there  waiting  for  trains  will  corroborate  the 
slatrment    that  It   Is  not   a   metropolis. 

•"  .  .  .  Then  comes  the  "Junction"  with 
Its— nothing." — Jackson  Republic,  November  1. 
1S70. 


HISTOEY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


2^5 


tliat  point.  Then  eame  an  official  name 
— Prairie  Junction.  In  tlie  spring  of 
1885  James  H.  Drake,  who  owned  forty 
acres  of  land  at  the  junction,  set  out  the 
grove  of  trees  which  is  located  just  to  the 
east  of  the  depot.  It  was  rumored  at  the 
time  that  a  site  was  to  be  platted  there 
and  a  town  founded,  but  if  anyone  had 
such  intentions  he  abandoned  them.  J. 
W.  Barber  became  postmaster  in  188G, 
and  two  years  later  Thomas  Sweeney  built 
the  little  store  building  near  the  depot 
and  opened  a  restaurant.  The  depot  at 
Prairie  Junction  was  struck  by  lightning 
on  tlie  night  of  Sunday,  May  21,  1893, 
and  burned  to  the  ground  together  with 
all  the  contents.  Agent  Cooper  and  fam- 
ily barely  escaped  with  their  lives.  The 
depot  was  I'ebuilt.  In  recent  years  the 
name  of  the  station  and  postoffice  was 
changed  from  Prairie  Junction  to  Miloma, 
the  first  syllables  of  the  names  Milwau- 
kee and  Omaha  being  used  to  form  the 
name. 

PETERSTJURG. 

Petersburg  is  a  little  inland  hamlet  lo- 
cated near  the  center  of  Petersburg  town- 
ship, boasting  a  creamery,  a  store,  school 
liouse  and  a  few  residences.  In  the  six- 
ties a  postofEice  named  Petersburg  was 
established  on  section  28,  with  Kev.  Peter 
Baker  as  postmaster.  Like  most  country 
postoffices  it  had  an  intermittant  exist- 
ence, being  discontinued  and  reestablished 
several  times.  Ajidrew  Everson  became 
postmaster  in  Decendjer,  1876,  and  at  an- 
other reestablishment  in  July,  1888,  0. 
W.  Edgecombe  became  postmaster.  The 
office  was  discontinued  for  good  in  1904, 
and  Ix'ginning  wit'n  October  the  patrons 
were  supplied  by  rura!  free  delivery. 

Some  of  the  farmers  of  Petersburg 
township  in  1897  organized  the  Peters- 
burg Dairy  association,  purchased  a  site, 
erected  a  creamery  building  and  started  a 


creamery  under  the  management  of  Chris 
Sorenson.  The  next  year  B.  A.  Kittle- 
son  erected  a  building  and  opened  a  store, 
which  he  conducted  until  the  spring  of 
1'902,  wlicn  he  sold  to  the  Nasby  Mercan- 
tile company.  The  townsite  was  platted 
April  13,  1898,  by  William  Schroeder. 

BERGEN. 

Bergen,  named  after  a  city  in  Norway, 
is  a  little  hamlet  located  on  sections  23 
and  2(j,  Cliristiania  township,  where  is  a 
store,  creamery  and  blacksmith  shop.  It 
was  founded  in  1895  and  for  several  years 
maintained  a  postoffice. 

OTIIEK  PLACES. 

Before  tlie  days  of  rural  mail  delivery 
there  were  several  country  postoffices  in 
Jackson  county.  At  other  places  in  the 
county  abortive  attempts  have  been  made 
from  time  to  time  to  found  towns.  Among 
the  nuniljcr  were  Springfield,  Belmont  and 
Odessa,  the  history  of  which  have  been 
given  in  preceding  chapters. 

Des  Moines  City,  located  on  tlie  river 
in  the  nortli  part  of  Des  Moines  town- 
ship, was  another  early  day  village.  Here 
was  located  the  only  grist  mill  in  the 
county  and  a  sawmill.  Griggs  &  Com- 
pany, the  owner  of  the  mills,  platted  a 
town  in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  for  a 
time  the  village  was  a  weak  rival  of 
Jackson. 

Belmont  was  a  country  postoffice  locat- 
ed in  tlie  township  of  the  same  name.  It 
was  first  established  in  April,  1872,  and 
Ole  Tollefson  was  postmaster.  The  office 
was  not  on  a  stage  line  but  was  supplied 
by  special  carrier.  In  March,  1875,  the 
office  was  discontinued,  and  the  one  at 
Brownsburg  took  its  place.  Tlie  Belmont 
office  was  reestablished  in  April,  1877, 
when  Peter  A.  Sandvold  was  named  post- 
master, but  it  was  later  discontinued. 
Again  in  February,  1883,  a  postoffice 
named  Belmont  was  established  at  a  point 


276 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


two  miles  north  of  Bi-o\vn's  mill,  with 
Olo  Kik'ii  as  j)ii.>;tiii!).-:ti'r.  lie  was  suc- 
ceeded In'  Koliert  Kiien.  The  postQfTiec 
was  discontinued  in  DeceiiihiT,  ISSG.  The 
name  is  still  preserved  in  the  Belmont 
(Jreamery  assoiialion,  ineorporated,  whieh 
has  its  plant  on  section  '^7.  The  com- 
pany was  organized  in  1898  hy  farmers  in 
lielinont.  Enterprise  and  the  northern 
])art  of  Des  Moines  townships.  Follow- 
in};  are  the  olTieers  and  directors:  A.  J. 
Liudbero:,  president;  John  Elfsou,  vice 
president;  L.  0.  Tcigcn,  secretary;  John 
Lilleberg,  treasurer;  William  Johnson, 
Lewis  Anderson,  J.  K.  Ofstad. 

The  Round  Lake  postoffice,  in  the 
township  of  that  name,  was  established 
in  July,  187 •^,  with  W.  A.  Moslier  as 
postmaster.  The  office  was  supplied 
from  Worthingtoii.  \\'.  X.  Havis  and  .1. 
X.  Dodge  later  held  llic  ollice,  and  it  was 
discontinued  when  the  viWcc  of  the  same 
name  was  established  at  the  railroad  sta- 
tion in  Xobles  county. 

In  1872  parties  in  the  interest  of  a 
French  colony  attempted  the  founding  of 
a  town  on  section  l-"),  Petersburg  town- 
shi]i,  but  were  unsuccessful. 

i'llilnra  [xistolTice  was  maintained  in 
bhiterprisc  townshi]i  for  a  short  time.  It 
was  discontinued  in  July,  1873. 

Orr  postoffice,  in  Hunter  township,  had 
ail  existence  of  many  years.  It  was  es- 
ta])]ished  in  July.  187:3.  and  Thad  Rucker 
was  the  first  postmaster. 

Williamsburg  was  the  name  of  a  Jack- 
son county  village  on  the  south  shore  of 
Loon  lake  which  had  a  brief  existence  in 
the  seventies.  A  tnwnsite  was  surveyed 
on  the  southeast  (juarter  of  section  25, 
Minncofa  township,  in  October.  1874,  for 
William  McClellan.  Ii  was  announced 
that  later  the  site  would  be  made  to  in- 
clude land  belimging  to  Messrs.  Rathban 
and  Read  and  that  several  business  enter- 
prises would  be  started.     Mr.   McC'Iellan 


opened  a  store  there  in  May,  1875,  and 
maintained  it  for  a  time.  The  Williams- 
hiirg  jiostolTice  was  established  the  same 
sj)ring. 

Hrownsburg  was  a  little  village  on  the 
lies  Moines  river  in  southern  Belmont 
township  that  gained  sonic  iniportance. 
The  Brownsburg  postolficc  was  establish- 
ed in  JLircb,  187.J.  having  been  moved 
from  Belmont,  and  Ole  A.  Urown  was 
the  first  ]iostmaster.  Brown  &  (_'i>inpany's 
mill  was  located  at  that  point.  Bredc  A. 
Brown  became  postmaster  in  1880  and 
held  the  office  several  years.  A  store  was 
started  in  the  eighties,  and  in  1888  it  was 
learned  the  village  consisted  of  a  flouring 
mill,  cheese  factory,  school  bouse  and 
cliurih. 

Xamsos  was  tlie  name  of  a  postoffice  in 
i\iiiili;i]l  tiiwnship  which  existed  many 
years.  Jt  was  estaidisiicd  in  June.  187."i, 
and  Carl  Frovarp  was  the  fii-st  postmaster. 

Somerset  postoffice  was  established  in 
Cbristiani  1  township  in  September,  187.5, 
witli  .T.  W.  .Tacdbs  as  ))ostmaster.  It  was 
discontinued  .lanunry  1.  lS7i>.  but  was  rc- 
establislicd   in  March  of  the  same  year. 

Sioux  A'alley  postoffice  was  established 
ill  tl:i'  |n\Mislii|i  (if  tli^it  name  .lanuary  1. 
188(1.  with  ('.  ^I.  Hardy  in  ciuirge. 

Loon  Lake  consisted  of  a  store  and 
postoffice  started  in  Minneota  townshi]) 
in  1882.  Jfr.  Creed  was  the  first  post- 
jnaster.  The  office  was  discontinued  in 
September,  188."),  but  was  later  reestab- 
lished. 

l-'laliorate  plans  were  made  for  the 
rciiiMding  of  a  tiiwii.  Treiion  by  name,  on 
the  south  sliore  of  Clear  lake  in  188.").  The 
))lan  was  develo]ied  by  a  colony  of  Bo- 
hemians, headed  by  Joseph  Trca.  of  Chi- 
cago. Money  was  raised  to  start  tlic 
town  and  to  b\iild  a  brewery,  which  was 
to  lie  tiie  ])rincipal  industry.'"    A  plat  was 

'•"The  Boliemlan  villaiio  on  Iho  pastern  slinie 
of  near  ial<e.  fnnr  mlle.^  west  iif  Jackson.  wlU 
doubtless  this   spring  materialize    Into  a   visible 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


277 


surveyed  in  the  spring  and  a  few  build- 
ings were  put  up.  The  brewery  enter- 
prise was  abandoned,  and  tlie  townsite 
before  very  long  reverted  to  farming 
lands. 

Another  Bohemian  colony  laid  out  the 
town  of  Arlington  on  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  27,  Kimball  township,  in 
1885,  but  this  did  not  advance  so  far  as 
did  Trebon. 

N. 'C.  Frederickson  platted  the  town  of 
Karlin  October  13,  1888,  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  one,  Belmont  township.  Over 
4,000   acres   of  land  in   tlie  vicinity   had 

fact.  Joseph  Trca,  of  Chicago,  is  proprietor  of 
the  townsite.  He  is  now  preparing  to  have  the 
ground  platted.  In  the  center  of  the  town  wiU 
be  a  pubUc  square.  600x600  feet.  The  business 
lots  will  be  30x100  feet  and  residence  lots  eight 
rods  square.  A  large  number  of  families  are 
preparing  to  become  citizens  of  the  new  vil- 
lage, and  the  frugal  and  hard  working  Bohem- 
ians will  doubtless  build  up  a  thriving  and  live- 
ly community.  It  is  intended  to  make  the 
manufacture  of  Bohemian  beer  an  extensive  in- 
dustry."— Jackson   Republic,    March   27,    1S85. 


been  sold  by  Frederickson  &  Company  to 
Bohemians,  and  the  platting  of  the  town 
was  for  their  benefit.  Tlic  town  did  not 
materialize. 

Gold  Leaf  postoffiee  was  opened  in 
Kimball  township  in  November,  1888, 
and  bad  a  siiort  life. 

Elm  postoffice  was  established  on  the 
east  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 10,  Enterprise  township,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1894,  with  Peter  M.  Getty  as  post- 
master. The  oifice  was  later  moved  and 
had  a  life  of  several  years. 

Spofford  postoffice,  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  26,  Ewington  township, 
was  started  in  January,  189.5,  with  J.  A. 
Spafford  as  postmaster.  A  little  later  Mr. 
Spaflord  opened  a  store  there,  which  he 
conducted  several  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1909  Mr.  Spafford  again  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  on  his  farm. 


P^UBLICUBRAKY, 


'^TOfl,  LENOX 


*•»• 


:.<: 

c 

< 

s 

c 

2 

Q; 

o 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


DESCKIPTIVE. 


JACKSON  county  is  situated  iu  the 
southern  tier  of  Minnesota  counties, 
and  only  two  counties  intervene  be- 
tween it  and  tlie  South  Dakota  line.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Cottonwood 
county,  on  the  east  by  Martin  county,  on 
the  south  by  the  counties  of  Dickinson, 
Emmet  and  Osceola,  Iowa,  on  the  west 
by  Xoblcs  county.  The  geographical  cen- 
ter of  the  county  is  in  latitude  43  degrees, 
47  minutes  and  30  seconds  north  and  in 
longitude  95  degrees  and  7  minutes  west 
of  Greenwich.  Jackson  county  is  rectan- 
gular in  form,  contains  twenty  townships, 
and  its  dimensions  are  twenty-four  by 
thirty  miles.  Its  area  is  722.66  square 
miles,  or  462,501.20  acres — over  one-half 
the  area  of  the  state  of  Ehode  Island.  Of 
its  total  area  696.98  square  miles,  or  446,- 
06G.45  acres,  are  land;  25.68  square  miles, 
or  16,434.75  acres,  are  water. 

A  glance  at  the  map  of  Minnesota  and 
the  political  division  designated  thereon 
as  Jackson  county  will  furnish  the  infor- 
mation above  given.  But  there  will  be 
found  nothing  to  distinguish  Jackson 
county  from  the  other  divisions  in  the  vi- 
cinity except  that  there  are  many  lakes 
and  watercourses,  indicating  excellent 
possibilities  for  drainage.  The  lithograph- 
ed piece  of  paper  does  not  convey  much 
idea  of  the  country;  a  personal  inspection 


is  required  to  learn  what  it  is  and  what 
it  may  become. 

The  general  surface  of  Jackson  county 
is  a  high,  gently  undulating  plateau, 
though  considerably  diversified  by  streams 
and  lakes,  which  have  bluffy  shores  and 
more  or  less  natural  timber.  While  this 
describes  the  general  contour,  it  varies 
considerably  in  difierent  parts  of  the 
county.  The  whole  surface  is  so  deeply 
covered  by  the  glacial  drift,  deposited 
thousands  of  years  ago,  that  there  are  no 
outcrops  of  the  underlying  rocks;  there  is 
no  stony,  waste  land.  The  county  is  cross- 
ed through  the  center,  north  and  south, 
by  a  belt  of  knolly  and  hilly  and  more 
prominently  rolliag  land.  This  is  from 
three  to  si.x  miles  in  width  and  includes 
nearly  all  of  the  townships  of  Delafield 
and  Heron  Lake  and  about  one-half  of 
Hunter  and  Minneota.  The  same  knolly 
and  broken  contour  is  also  found  in  the 
southern  parts  of  Sioux  Valley  and  Eound 
Lake  townships.  Excepting  these  higher 
and  more  rolling  stretches  of  country, 
known  to  geologists  as  moraine  tracts, 
the  county  is  smoothly  undulating,  and  in 
a  few  places  noticeably  quite  flat,  ascend- 
ing with  a  very  gentle  slope  from  east  to 
west,  enclosing  lakes  here  and  there  in  the 
depressions,  slightly  channeled  by  creeks 
and  deeply  cut  by  the  Des  Moines  river. 


279 


280 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Tlie  mean  elevation  of  tlie  county  above  "oo'l   <miii(yl    varies   from   nothinp  to  prob- 

,        If    ,o,>    !•     1        MM       111      li-  iil'ly   littv   fict  or   inoro,  mul   in  otlior  portions 

sea   level   is   1,430   Icet.       1  he   lllgliest   altl-  „f   tl„.,^.   coui.lirs   it   probably    varies   inmx  one 

tilde   is  attained   in   the  hilly  belt  which  imiulroil  to  two  )mii<lro<l  foct   in  <ioi)tli.    Tin- 

,        ,                      ,,                 i       1-                   ti     i  moraines   to   be   lU-seribed    were   fornieil   at    tlif 

extends    across    the    CO.inty    I  mm    north    to  „^,tern    bonier    of    the    i.e    sheet    of    the    last 

south    and    in    the    belt    in    the    southwest  };lacial    epocti,   the   first    when    this   ire   eovereil 

,  .   ,      ■          1               •         i      1   jwr    J.  't*  niaxiinuni  area,  and  the  second  after  it  had 

.orner.  whicli  m  places  rises  to  1,475  to  ,„.^.,,,.,,  ,„„,i,,,.r„i,iv  from  its  farthest  limits. 

l..")50   feet   above   the  sea.      The   lowest  al-  when  its  retreat  was  interrnpted  liy  a  halt  and 

,•.      1       •       ,,                  t       •      1  n-n    r     i         J    •  iH'rluips  even  bv  some  reailvanee. 

litudc  in  the  county  is  1,2..0  leet  and  is  '  ^.-^^  -j,.,,.,,,.,-,,  ^,„^,.,,^.     ^.,,^  „„^..^  „^  ^^^^_ 

at  the  point  in  Petersburg  township  where  cm    moraini.-    belt   of    the    eoteau    des    prairies 

the  Des   Moines  river  leaves  the  county.  ''/^''"''^  '"'"  ')"  -'<""'■'•?-"•.■.-[  ^^f  -""^'  "'""g 

•'  Its  course   next    west   of  Spirit   lake,  where  the 

The  mean   elevations  of   the  several   town-  <,'reater  part   of   its   width   lies  in   lowa.     Krom 

ships   are   a.«   follows  :i  the  Little  Sionx  river  at  the  west  side  of  Min- 

'  neota,   throujj;!!   Sioux   \  alley   and   Hound   Lake 

Kimball                                                                 L.'i.iO  townships,  to  Indian  lake  in  southeastern  No- 

Knterprise                                                            1.375  '"''"*'    eounty,    the    part    of    this    formation    in 

Wisconsin                                                             L400  Minnesota  is  characterized  by  numerous  small 

I'etersburff                                                               1  37.T  ridges,  liilloiks  and   swells  of  till,  and   is  from 

C'hristiania 1400  ""*   ^"''   one-half   to   five   miles   wide,   reaching 

Helmont         1410  north    to   .Skunk    lake,   to   a    half   mile    beyond 

Des   Moines          .               ..                              1,420  Kush   lake,   to   I'liim   Island   and   Hoiinil   lakes, 

.Middlctown                                                              1,425  ""•'  t"  ^'''^  northeast  of  Indian  lake.     Its  ■jreat- 

ilelafield 1.440  '"^'^    extent    north    in    this    distance    is    at    the 

Heron    Lake                                                             1,400  north  side  of  Kmiiul  lake;   but   south  of  this  a 

Hunter                                                                      1.475  trad    about    two    miles    wide    and    three    miles 

Minneota                                                                  1.4tiO  '"")-'  ''^'  '^'"'  '""*'  from  Slate  Line  lake  is  smooth 

Weinier                                                                     1,4.")0  '*'"'   only   sli^iitly   undulating,   though   enclosed 

West    Ilcron    Lake! ..  ..V. ...... .......  .    L420  'O'  rolling  or  kiiolly  morainic  areas. 

j^Qgf    _    \ 1,440  Second    TiMuiiiial     Moraine.      The    inner    or 

Sioux    Valley    1,460  eastern    of    the    two    terminal    moraines    upon 

LaCrosse   1  425  t''^  eoteau  des  juairics  extends  from  the  west 

\\\,g^   1.450  side  of  Spirit   lake  north   through   the  central 

Ewin^ton    1,500  range   of   townships   in   .Jackson   county.     The 

Round  Lake  1520  width  of  this  belt  is  from  three  to  six  miles. 

„„         ,        ,.              f.    ,1                   1-11  'ts   surface   is   i)romincntlv    ndling,   niostlv    in 

'Ihe    elevations    of    the    several    villages  massive    swells,    twenty    t,.    forty    feet    above 

are  as   follows;  ''""  depressions,  but   at   many  places  in  small, 

■,,..,,                                                                           I  ,.Q  steep    knolls    and    liillocks    of    similar    height. 

Wilder    1.44H  ,,■          t,.                     .          ,i                   i 

,,           T    1                                                                1  117  41ie   elevation   of   the   range  above  the  general 

Heron  Lake   1.417  ,,.,           c     t      ,               ,     r        i-.T. 

,     ,            /T-i       I    1  -111                                           1  i,ifi  level    IS    from    forty    to   seventv-fivc    feet.      Its 

Jackson    (Depot   hill) 1.44()  .                       •. 

,,,.,'.,                                                  1  Q-,.>  material  is  till,  which  here  contains  more  grav- 

(Mam  street)    l.d.w  •         ■    .      ,.         ,.               •,               .i       i-  i  .i 

T    ,    ,.  , ,                                                               1  Alii  el   and    boulders   than   on   its   smooth,  sliglitlv 

T.akelield    1 ,41).}  ,    i   ,  ■                         i  ■  .         »      i       .          i       •  j". 

,,,    ,                                                                       ,  no  iindiilating   areas    which    extend    at   each    side 

Okabena     1.4111  ,    ,,       ,•     ■,         .-    ii                i          i      ai- 

,,.,                                                                         1  111  bevoiid    the   limits  ot    the   county.     In   Jlinne- 

!Milonia    1,414  .■     ,,  •               ■   •      >    i.    •        i      ",    ,i              -i  _ 

Ota    this    moiainic    belt    is    about    three    miles 

Concerning   the   drift   and    contour   of  '^}'^^-   >™'''i»f;   f;"""    ^'i"";'   ^l"--!!    lake   and 

"^                                      _                .  Clear  lake  west   to  the  Little  Sioux  river.     It 

Jackson    county    and    the    creation    of    its  here  has   many   knolls  and  short   riilges.  which 

l-hvsical  features.  I  riuote  at  length  from  '""tinuc  into 'llunter  and  are  crossed  seven  to 
'  •  '  "^  .  ten  miles  west  of  .Jackson  bv  tlie  road  to 
the  writings  of  lion.  Warren  TJpham  in  Worthington.  Farther  to  the  "north  the  mo- 
tile geological  and  natural  history  survey  ':""<'  .f;"■"'^','  l>';"'ni"fn'lv  rolling  tract,  about 

"^         "                _   .                                -^  SIX   miles  wide,   between   the   Des   Jloincs  river 

of  Minnesota,  edition  of   1884 :  and    Heron    lake,    rising    in    smooth,    massive 

,     ,               ,   ,,  ,,  swells  fifty  to  sevcntv-five  feet  above  the  gen- 

Ihe  drift   spread  over  •Tnckson   and  (  otton-  p,.^,  u-vel  "at  the  top  "of  the  bluffs  of  the  river 

wood   counties   IS  principally   till,   in   part   mo-  ,^,j,,    ^p^entv-fiye    to    one    liundred    feet    above 

rainic.  being  acciiniulateil  in  knolls  and  lulls,  or  .^^^  hike 

with  a   proniinently  rolling  surface  in   massive.  t^     ,       r  \i                  .                        ii                , 

smoothh-    sloping  Vwells.   but    for   the   greater  Eas     of    the    second    n.onune     th..    country 

part    it  "is   onlv   gentlv   undulating   in   contour.  ^tending  from   it   to   the  Des   Moines   river   in 

'.,     .,  ■  ,             •     Vi        "       i.i„-:i   „  r;.,  r.^ftn„  southern    .lackson    county    is    till,    nearly    flat 

Its  thickness  on  the  quartzitc  ridgc  lin  (.otton-  ,                                           \      ^    ■«.■  i  n  ,     "      r 

'                       '^  through    the    central    part    of    Jliddlelown    for 

I.      _!..       w.  .!,» 1^ i„„i   „„.!  ..„<., ,..,1   hi-  five   or  six  miles  northeast   from   Spirit    lake; 

'As  given   bv  the  geological   and   natural   nis-  ,       ^   ,            ,    ,   ,•        ■      j,             ,          ,    ir      r 

tory  survey  of  Minnesota,   1884.  moderately   undulating    in    the   eastern    half   of 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


281 


Miniieota;  and  in  the  western  part  of  Des 
Moines  township  massively  rolling,  in  paral- 
lel swells  that  trend  nearly  from  the  north 
to  south,  sloping  gently  down  on  their  east 
and  west  sides  to  the  intervening  depressions 
which  are  thirty  to  fifty  feet  lower,  the  dis- 
tance between  the  tops  of  these  undulations 
being  from  a  half  mile  to  one  or  two  miles. 

The  surface  of  the  part  of  Jackson  county 
east  of  the  Des  Jloines  river  is  a  smooth, 
nearly  flat,  but  everywhere  more  or  less  un- 
dulating, sheet  of  till,  sloping  eastward  ten  to 
twenty  feet  per  mile.  Its  descent  on  the  line 
of  the  .Southern  Minnesota  railroad  is  173 
feet  in  eleven  and  one-half  miles  from  the 
junction  of  the  branch  to  Jackson,  at  the  top 
of  the  eastern  bluff  of  the  Des  Moines. 

West  of  the  second  moraine,  the  eastern 
shore  of  Heron  lake  mainly  rises  in  gradual 
slopes  of  till,  reaching  the  summits  of  the 
morainic  belt  at  a  distance  of  three  or  four 
miles;  the  south  end  of  this  lake,  lying  within 
the  edge  of  the  moraine,  is  enclosed  by  banks 
about  forty  feet  high;  but  on  the  west  and 
southwest  is  a  very  Hat  expanse  of  till,  ten 
to  twenty  feet  above  the  lake,  only  undulat- 
ing five  to  ten  feet  in  slopes  a  mile  long, 
stretching  with  slowly  increasing  height  as 
far  as  the  view  extends  westward.  On  the 
Sioux  City  [C,  St.  P.,  M.  and  0.]  railroad,  in 
the  ten  miles  southwest  from  Heron  Lake  to 
Hersey  [Brewster],  the  ascent  is  sixty-eight 
feet;  in  eight  miles  on  its  branch  from  Heron 
Lake  northw-est  to  Dundee,  twenty-six  feet; 
and  on  the  Southern  Minnesota  railroad  north- 
west from  its  intersection  with  the  Sioux  City 
line  to  DeForest  [Kinbrae],  is  thirty-two  feet. 
This  smooth  plain  of  till  continues 
south  through  Rost  and  Ewington  townships, 
having  the  same  slight  ascent  to  the  west,  and 
crossed  from  nortii  to  south  or  southeast 
by  occasional  watercourses  and  sloughs  ten  to 
twenty  feet  below  the  general  level. 

Interglacial  Drainage.  Heron  lake  lies  in 
the  continuation  of  the  southeast  course  of 
the  upper  Des  Moines  river  below  lake  Shetek. 
There  seems  to  be  good  reasons  for  believing 
that  lake  Shetek,  this  part  of  the  Des  Moines, 
Heron  lake  and  Spirit  and  Okoboji  lakes  in 
Iowa  resemble  the  chains  of  lakes  in  Martin 
county,  in  occupying  portions  of  what  was  orig- 
inally a  continuous  valley  excavated  by  in- 
terglacial drainage  in  the  thick  till  of  the  ear- 
lier and  severer  glacial  epoch,  before  the  time 
of  the  last  ice  sheet  by  which  the  terminal 
moraines  in  this  and  adjoining  states  were 
formed.  It  is  po.ssible  that  the  Des  Moines 
river  then  contiiuied  southeast  where  Heron 
lake  is  now,  and  onward  in  the  same  course 
through  Hunter,  where  the  rolling  and  hilly 
drift  of  the  second  terminal  moraine  now 
forms  a  watershed  one  hundred  feet  above 
Heron  lake;  thence  southward  at  the  east  side 
of  Minneota  to  Spirit  lake  and  the  Okoboji 
lakes;  [and  thence  on,  reentering  the  present 
valley  of  the  Des  Moines  at  Emraetsburg.j 
Drainage  During  the  Last  Glacial  Epoch. 
Very    significant    changes    in    the    drainage   of 


this  region  have  been  produced  by  the  lobe  of 
the  ice  sheet  which  covered  these  counties  and 
a  width  of  about  a  hundred  miles  eastward 
during  the  last  glacial  epoch.  From  the  south 
end  of  Heron  lake  to  Okoboji  township,  in 
southern  Dickinson  county,  low'a,  the  inter- 
glacial channel  of  the  Des  Moines  has  been 
princii)ally  lost  by  being  tilled  with  the  drift 
of  terminal  moraines,  accumulated  at  the  west 
border  of  the  ice.  The  outer  border  of  these 
deposits  extends  in  Iowa  from  Storm  Lake, 
in  Buena  Vista  county,  northward  through 
eastern  Clay  county  to  the  Okoboji  lakes,  and 
thence  westward  to  Ocheyedan  mound  in  Os- 
ceola county.  Thence  passing  into  Minnesota, 
it  reaches  northwesterly  through  the  central 
part  of  Nobles  county,  western  Murray  coun- 
ty to  the  most  northeasterly  township  of  Pipe- 
stone county,  forming  there  and  farther 
northwest  the  highest  part  of  the  coteau  des 
prairies.  The  present  basin  of  the  Des  Moines 
river  from  central  Iowa  northwestward  was 
entirely  covered  with  this  ice  sheet;  but  a 
small  portion  of  its  interglacial  valley,  in 
southern  Dickinson  and  northern  Clay  county, 
Iowa,  and  most  of  the  basin  of  Ocheyedan 
creek,  here  tributary  from  the  northwest,  were 
outside  the  ice  lobe,  by  which  they  were  dam- 
med and  their  drainage  in  the  old  course  to 
the  east  and  southeast  was  made  impossible. 
A  lake  about  one  hundred  fifty  feet  deep  and 
covering  the  greater  part  of  Clay  county  was 
thus  formed  at  the  west  side  of  the  ice  lobe, 
until  its  overflow  cut  the  deep,  trough-like 
valley  or  channel  in  which  the  Little  Sioux 
river  now  flows  along  the  south  side  of  Clay 
county  and  in  northeastern  Cherokee  county, 
one  hundred  fifty  to  two  hundred  feet  deep, 
and  in  some  places  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
wide  between  the  tops  of  its  bluffs,  which  con- 
sist wholly  of  glacial  drift.  This  outlet  was 
so  deeply  excavated  while  the  ice  sheet  lay 
as  a  barrier  on  the  east  that  after  the  de- 
parture the  stream  continued  to  flow  by  this 
passage  to  the  Missouri  through  a  broad  area 
of  till  which  has  its  surface  one  hundred  to 
one  hundred  fifty  feet  higher  than  the  divide 
between  the  Little  .Sioux  and  Des  Moines  riv- 
ers east  of  Spencer. 

In  northern  Clay  county,  wliere  the  Little 
Sioux  river  takes  the  place  of  the  interglac- 
ial Des  Moines,  the  broad  and  deep  valley 
eroded  by  that  stream  before  the  last  glacial 
epoch  has  become  nearly  filled  with  modified 
drift,  which  forms  an  extensive  plain,  ten 
miles  long  and  two  to  four  miles  wide,  bor- 
dering the  Little  Sioux  river  through  Summit, 
Eiverton  and  Spencer,  reaching  west  to  Stony 
and  Ocheyedan  creeks.  These  fluvial  beds  of 
gravel  and  sand  were  deposited  after  the  ex- 
cavation of  the  channel  of  the  Little  Sioux 
river,  by  which  the  lake  that  previously  ex- 
isted here  had  been  drained  into  the  Missouri; 
and  they  are  thus  shown  to  have  been  sup- 
plied during  the  latter  ])art  of  this  epoch, 
while  the  ice  sheet,  in  which  they  had  been 
held,  was  being  melted  away. 

The   decline  and  departure   of   this   ice   was 


10 


282 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


interrupted  by  a  halt  and  probably  by  a  re- 
advance,  forming  a  second  or  inner  line  of 
terminal  moraine,  wliicli  reaches  through  Mur- 
ray, Cottonwood  and  Jackson  counties,  from 
the  east  side  of  lake  Shctek  southeast  to  the 
nine  mounds  west  of  ^\'indom,  and  thence 
south  to  Spirit  lake,  and  continues  southeast 
in  Iowa  witliin  a  few  miles  west  of  the  Des 
Aloines  river  to  Pilot  Mound  and  Mineral 
ridge.  At  this  time  the  drainage  from  the 
licad  of  the  Ues  Moinos  basin  in  Murray  coun- 
ty and  the  waters  of  Heron  lake  and  its  trib- 
utaries went  southward  through  West  Heron 
Lake,  Kost  and  .Sioux  X'alley  townships  and 
were  carried  by  the  Little  Sioux  to  the  Mis- 
souri river,  instead  of  going  southeast  as  now 
to  the  Mississippi.  Heron  lake  stood  about 
twenty  feet  higher  iiicn  than  now,  probably 
covering  three  times  its  area.  The  shallow 
channel  of  its  overllow  has  become  jiartiy 
filled  by  the  silt  of  tributaries  and  contains  a 
suggestion  of  sloughs  and  small  reedy  lake- 
lets, connected  at  time  of  high  water  by  a 
stream  which  is  the  head  and  most  northern 
source  of  the  Little  Sioux  river. 

Further  recession  of  the  ice  gave  to  the  wa- 
ters of  JJeron  lake  and  the  upper  Des  Jloines 
river  a  lower  outlet  liy  the  present  course 
northeast  across  the  second  terminal  moraine 
at  the  north  side  of  the  Bine  mounds,  and 
thence  southeasterly  along  the  cast  side  of 
this  moraine.  This  avenue  of  drainage  be- 
came marked  by  a  considerable  valley  eroded 
while  the  ice  jet  lay  as  a  barrier  upon  the 
cast  part  of  Cottonwood  and  Jackson  coun- 
ties; for  the  top  of  the  bluffs  and  the  gen- 
eral surface  of  the  country  bordering  the  Des 
Moines  in  eastern  Jackson  county  are  slightly 
higher  than  the  watershed  between  Heron  lake 
and  the  Little  Sioux  river;  and,  furthermore, 
tlie  natural  slope  in  eastern  Cottonwood  and 
northeastern  Jackson  county  is  eastward,  so 
that  this  river  could  not  How .  here  to  the 
south-southeast  unless  its  valley  had  been  thus 
formed  before  the  ice  sheet  was  melted  at  its 
east  side,  being  excavated  sulTiciently  deep  to 
hold  the  stream  afterward  in  its  course. 

As  has  been  stated,  the  soil  of  Jackson 
county  is  a  drift  deposit.  It  has  the  same 
nearly  uniform  fertility  tliat  character- 
izes all  southern  and  western  Minnesota, 
Jackson  and  Martin  counties  having  a 
trifle  more  sandy  soil  than  those  counties 
adjoining  them  on  the  east,  north  and 
west. 

The  surface  soil  is  a  black  sandy  clay, 
with  some  intermi.xture  of  gravel,  colored 
to  a  depth  of  from  a  few  inches  on  tiie 
blufTs  to  two  and  three  feet  in  other  parts 
by  decaying  vegetable  matter.  The  de- 
posit contains  many  fragments  of  mag- 


nesi;in  limestone,  red  quartzite,  granite 
and  ci-ystalline  schists.  Its  fine  detritus  is 
a  mixture  of  these  rocks  pulverized,  pre- 
senting in  the  most  advantageous  propor- 
tions the  mineral  elements  needed  by 
growing  plants.  It  produces  abundantly 
each  year  without  perceptibly  losing  any 
of  its  fertility.  The  sub-soil  is  the  same 
as  the  surface  soil,  except  that  it  is  not 
enriched  and  blackened  by  organic  decay. 
It  is  of  a  yellowish-gray  color  to  a  depth 
of  from  ten  to  twenty  feet,  and  of  a  dark 
bluish  color  below. 

The  great  depth  of  soil  contributes  to 
its  durability,  and  its  fertile  properties 
appear  almost  inexhaustible.  One  of  its 
peculiarities  is  its  remarkable  ability  to 
resist  droughts.  In  time  of  exceedingly 
dry  weather,  a  thin  crust  forms  on  the 
surface  and  retards  evaporation  below 
without  being  firm  enough  to  interfere 
seriously  with  the  gi-owth  of  vegetation. 
The  loam  is  free  from  surface  water  and 
ready  for  cultivation  as  soon  as  the  frost 
leaves  the  ground  in  the  spring. 

Several  scientific  analyses  of  the  soil 
liave  been  made,  and  by  all  authorities  it 
has  been  pronounced  as  containing  ele- 
ments of  extraordinary  fertility.  Y'ears 
ago  David  Dale  Owen,  after  an  examina- 
tion of  Jackson  county  soil,  described  it 
as  of  "excellent  quality,  rich  as  well  in 
organic  matter  as  in  those  salts  which 
give  rapidity  to  the  growth  of  plants  and 
tluit  durability  which  enables  it  to  sus- 
tain a  long  succession  of  crops."  Another 
scientist,  who  examined  the  soil  before  its 
fertility  had  been  proven,  said:  "It  is  a 
dark  colored,  fine-textured  soil,  abound- 
ing in  organic  matter  and  highly  fertile. 
It  has,  in  fact,  a  large  amount  of  natural 
manures  mixed  with  soil  and  cannot  fail 
to  produce  great  and  permanent  fertility." 

But  the  magnificent  crops  which  the 
soil  of  Jackson  county  produces  speak 
more   eloquently  than    the   scientist   can. 


HISTOEY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


283 


Tlie  testimony  of  farmers  who  have  accu- 
mulated wealth  and  independence  affords 
unquestionable  proof  of  the  richness  of 
the  soil. 

There  is  no  section  of  country  in  the 
United  States  which  has  a  smaller  pro- 
portion of  waste  lands.  Except  for  the 
area  actually  taken  up  by  the  waters  of 
lakes  and  creeks,  all  is  tillable,  even  to 
the  tops  of  the  hills  and  knolls  and  in  the 
bottom  lands.  Jackson  county  has  not 
the  rocky,  untillable  land  of  many  of  the 
eastern  states;  it  has  not  the  marshy,  un- 
tillable lands  of  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. 

Sand  and  building  stone  are  found  by 
digging-  into  the  bluffs  of  streams  and 
lakes.  Good  clay  for  the  manufacture  of 
brick  and  tile  is  found  in  many  parts 
of  the  county. 

The  climate  is  healthful.  Owing  to 
the  more  perfect  drainage  afforded  by  the 
Des  Moinos  and  Little  Sioux  rivers,  Jack- 
son county  surpasses  the  neighboring  en- 
tirely prairie  counties  in  point  of  health- 
fulness  as  a  result  of  the  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere.  This  natural  drainage  not 
only  prevents  an  accumulation  of  stag- 
nant water,  which  breeds  disease  germs, 
but  it  purifies  the  air  as  only  rapid 
streams  can. 

While  Jackson  county  is  classed  as  a 
prairie  county,  in  places  it  supports  a 
heavy  growth  of  natural  timber,  and 
thereby  has  the  advantage  over  all  the 
counties  of  extreme  southwestern  Minne- 
sota. This  timber  is  not  a  mere  fringe 
of  trees  along  the  banks  of  the  streams, 
but  in  many  places  it  extends  back  over 
the  bluffs  and  forms  dense  woods.  It 
was  this  character  of  the  county's  physical 
features  that  led  to  its  early  settlement 
and  gives  Jackson'  county  a  historical  im- 
portance above  any  of  the  exclusively  prai- 
rie counties.  About  three  thousand  acres 
are  covered  with  natural  timber,  which  in- 


cludes black  walnut,  sugar  and  soft  maple, 
ash,  elm,  oak,  linden,  iron-wood,  box 
elder,  cottonwood  and  poplar. 

Jackson  county  has  one  of  the  most 
perfect  and  complete  systems  of  drainage 
of  any  section  of  the  west.  It  is  located 
on  the  great  divide  or  watershed  separat- 
ing the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  systems 
of  rivers.  The  southwestern  portion  of 
the  county  is  drained  by  the  Little  Sioux 
and  tributaries  to  the  Missouri;  the  east- 
ern and  northern  portions  are  drained  by 
the  Des  Moines  and  its  tributaries  and  by 
Elm  creek,  by  way  of  the  Minnesota  river, 
to  the  Mississippi. 

The  most  important  stream  is  the  Des 
Moines  river.  It  rises  in  lake  Shetek,  in 
Murray  county,  and  flows  in  a  general 
southeasterly  direction  to  its  junction 
with  the  Mississippi,  385  miles  from  its 
source.  Of  this  length  a  little  less  than 
one-fourth  is  in  Minnesota  and  about  26 
miles  in  Jackson  county.  About  420 
square  miles  of  Jackson  county  land  lie 
its  basin.  There  is  no  stream  of  any 
consequence  flowing  into  it  within  Jack- 
son county  and  its  only  important  affluent 
in  the  vicinity  is  the  outlet  of  Heron 
lake,  which  enters  it  nine  miles  west  of 
Wiudom.  The  descent  of  the  Des  Moines 
in  the  county  is  estimated  to  be  eighty 
feet — from  1,330  feet  at  the  north  line  to 
approxinuitely  1,250  feet  where  it  crosses 
the  state  line.  The  river  provides  a  num- 
ber of  good  water  powerSj  several  of  which 
are  utilized. 

The  valley  of  the  Des  Moines  is  one 
hundred  to  one  hundred  fifty  feet  below 
tJie  average  height  on  each  side  and  is 
between  one-third  and  two-thirds  of  a 
mile  wide  between  the  tops  of  its  bluffs. 
In  the  north  part  of  the  county  these 
bluffs  take  the  form  of  knolly  and  irregu- 
lar slopes  of  morainic  drift,  but  at  Jack- 
son and  southeast  from  that  town  they 
have  generally  the  nearly  straight  course 


284 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


and  steep  ascent  characteristic  of  fluvial 
erosion.  At  Jackson  the  immediate  river 
bluflFs  are  about  one  liundred  feet  liigh, 
but  there  is  a  further  rise  of  moderately 
undulating  expanse  of  till  on  each  side, 
amounting  to  fifty  or  seventy-five  feet 
witliLn  a  mile  or  less  from  the  top  of  the 
bluffs. 

About  ninety  square  miles  of  the  north- 
cast  part  of  the  co\inty  are  drained  by 
Elm  creek,  whicli  has  its  sources  in  Bel- 
mont and  Christiauia  townships,  only  two 
to  four  miles  from  the  Des  lloines  river. 
Elm  creek  flows  eastward  tlirough  Martin 
county  and  enters  the  Blue  Earth  after  a 
course  of  forty  miles. 

The  northwest  part  of  the  county  is 
drained  by  Jack  and  Okabena  creeks, 
which  flow  into  Heron  lake,  and  whose 
waters  ultimately  join  the  Des  Moines 
by  way  of  Heron  lake  outlet. 

Some  two  hundred  ten  square  miles  of 
Jackson  county,  lying  in  the  southwest 
part  of  the  county,  are  in  the  basin  of  the 
Mi:-souri  river,  being  drained  by  the  head- 
waters of  the  Little  Sioux,  which  rise  near 
the  center  of  the  county  and  flow  south- 
westerly, joining  the  Missouri  thirty-eight 
miles  north  of  Omaha. 

The  sixteen  tliousand  odd  acres  of 
Jackson  county  that  are  water  surface  are 
taken  up  by  about  seventy-five  lakes,  great 
and  small.  Many  of  these  are  beautiful 
bodies  of  water,  clear  and  sparkling, 
abounding  with  fish. 

Of  the  lakes  of  any  importance  to  the 
east  of  the  Des  Moines  river,  all  are  in 
Christiania  township:  Fish  lake,  two 
miles  long,  is  in  the  extreme  north  part 
of  the  county,  half  of  it  being  in  Cot- 
tonwood county;  lake  Otto,  one-half  mile 
long,  is  on  the  boundary  between  Chris- 
tiania and  Kimball  townships:  Indepen- 
dence lake,  a  half  mile  long,  is  on  the 
boundary   between    Christiania   and    Bel- 


mom  ;  Lower's  lake,  of  similar  size,  is  in 
the  center  of  Christiania  township. 

The  largest  body  of  water  in  Jackson 
county  and  the  largest  in  the  whole  of 
southwestern  Minnesota  is  Heron  lake, 
located  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  coun- 
ty, in  Weimer,  ^\■est  Heron  Lake  and 
Heron  Lake  townships.  Heron  lake  is 
eleven  miles  long  and  has  a  width  of  two 
and  one-half  miles  in  its  central  part,  di- 
minished to  one-half  or  one-quarter  of  a 
mile  at  either  end,  giving  it  an  area  of 
about  fourteen  square  miles.  The  water 
of  Heron  lake  is  mainly  clear,  but  it  has 
some  portions  that  are  reedy  and  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  wild  rice,  with 
marshy  shores.  This  affords  a  paradise  to 
geese,  ducks  and  otlier  wild  water  fowl, 
as  well  as  to  tlie  hunter  of  this  game. 
Heron  lake  has  a  reputation  far  and  wide 
as  a  hunters'  paradise,  and  each  season 
hundreds  of  sportsmen  visit  it. 

There  arc  a  number  of  pretty  little  lakes 
in  north  central  Jackson  county,  among 
them  being:  Lake  Carroll,  one-half  mile 
long  from  northeast  to  soutliwest,  in 
northern  Delafield;  Miuneseka  lake,  a 
mile  long  from  east  to  west,  located  just 
south  of  Wilder;  Flalierty's  lake,  named 
in  honor  of  an  Irish  trapper  who  operated 
in  the  vicinity  in  the  early  days,  located 
in  sections  six,  seven  and  eight.  Heron 
Lake  township,  over  a  mile  in  lengtii  from 
north  to  south  and  over  a  half  mile  wide 
from  east  to  west;  Boot  lake,  located  in 
section-  31,  Belmont.  A  few  miles  west 
of  Jackson,  in  the  west  part  of  Des 
Jloines  township,  is  Clear  lake,  having  di- 
mensions of  about  one  mile  each  way. 

In  the  southeast  corner  of  Minneota 
townsliip.  extending  into  Middletown,  is 
a  group  of  pretty  little  lakes,  on  the  shores 
of  which  some  of  the  early  day  settlers  lo- 
cated. The  principal  one  of  these  bodies 
of  water  is  Loon  lake,  nearly  two  miles 
across  from  north  to  south.     Others  in 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON"  COUNTY. 


285 


the  vicmity  are  TJush  lake,  Pearl  lake  and 
Little  Sprit  lake. 

In  Sioux  Valley  township  are  two  lakes 
of  size.  Skunk  lake,  a  mile  long  from 
east  to  west,  is  in  sections  22  and  27: 
Iiush  lake,  smaller  in  size,  is  in  tlio  south- 
western part  of  the  township.  Eonnd 
Lake  township  has  a  number  of  pretty 
little  bodies  of  water,  the  principal  one 
being  Bound  lake,  a  mile  and  a  half  in 
diameter,  situated  in  the  northwest  part 
of  the  township.  The  others  are  Plum 
Island  lake  in  sections  10  and  15 ;  Illinois 
lake,  about  the  center  of  the  township ; 
and  a  portion  of  Stale  Line  lake,  in  the 
extreme  southwest  corner  of  the  county. 

Jackson  is  an  agricultural  county.  The 
principal  products  are  corn,  barley,  oats, 
wheat,  rye,  flax,  hay,  livestock,  dairy  pro- 
duets,  poultry,  fruit  and  vegetables.  In 
the  early  days  the  settlers  confined  their 
energies  almost  exclusively  to  grain  farm- 
ing and  largely  to  wheat  raising.  Now 
diversified  farming  is  the  rule.  Every 
farmer  raises  stock  and  many  engage  in 
dairying  on  a  large  scale.  While  agricul- 
ture is  the  principal  pursuit,  manufac- 
turing occupies  an  important  place  among 
the  county's  industries.  The  manufac- 
tories include  tow  mills,  grist  mills,  brick 
and  tile  factories,  creameries  and  garment 
manufacturing  plants. 

With  transportation  facilities  Jackson 
county  is  not  so  well  supplied  as  it  should 
be.  The  Southern  Minnesota  division  of 
the  Chicago.  jMilwaukee  &  St.  Paul  rail- 
road traverses  the  county  from  southeast 
to  northwest,  passing  through  the  town- 
ships of  Wisconsin,  Des  Moines,  Belmont, 
Hunter,  Heron  Lake,  West  Heron  Lake, 
Alba  and  LaCrosse,  on  which  line  are  lo- 
cated the  villages  of  Alpha,  Jackson, 
Lakefield,  Okabena  and  Miloma.  The 
main  line  of  the  Chicago,  St.  Paul,  ilin- 
neapolis  &  Omaha  railroad  passes  through 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  co^mty,  pene- 


trating the  townships  of  Delafield,  Wei- 
mer,  LaCrosse  and  Alba.  On  this  line 
are  the  villages  of  Wilder,  Heron  Lake 
and  Miloma.  A  branch  of  the  Omaha 
road  extends  northwestward  from  Heron 
Lake.  Through  the  extreme  southwest- 
ern corner  of  the  county  and  of  Round 
Lake  township  passes  the  line  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Eock  Island  &  Pacific,  upon  which 
there  are  no  stations  within  the  county. 

Local  and  long  distance  telephone  lines 
form  a  complete  network  over  the  county, 
and  every  community  is  reached.  There 
are  about  fifteen  rural  free  delivery  mail 
routes  from  Jackson  county  postoffices, 
and  lines  from  several  outside  towns  pene- 
trate the  county.  There  are  few  farms  to 
which  mail  is  not  delivered  daily. 

The  soil  of  the  county  is  uniformly  fer- 
tile and  productive.  Owing  to  better 
drainage  and  the  configuration  of  the  land 
a  few  of  the  townships  surpass  the  others 
in  the  value  of  the  farming  lands.  This 
is  particularly  true  during  seasons  of  ab- 
normal rainfall.  The  following  is  a  very 
brief  description  of  the  physical  features 
of  each  of  the  townships: 

Kimball,  the  northeast  township,  is 
moderately  rolling,  with  broad,  dry  and 
fertile  prairies.  A  branch  of  Elm  creek 
flows  across  the  southern  part. 

Enterprise  is  composed  of  rather  level 
land,  especially  the  southern  part.  Elm 
creek  flows  across  the  township  and  car- 
ries off   the  surplus  water. 

Wisconsin  is  drained  by  small  tributar- 
ies of  the  Des  Moines  and  a  branch  of 
Ten-Mile  creek.  Part  of  the  surface  is 
rolling;  the  rest  is  flat. 

Petersburg,  the  southwestern  township, 
is  rated  as  one  of  the  county's  best  town- 
ships, and  it  .supports  the  largest  farming 
population.  Every  acre  of  its  surface  is 
drained  by  the  Des  Moines  river,  which 
flows  diagonally  across  the  township,  and 
its   tributaries.      Several   creeks   of  good 


286 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


size  and  perpetual  flow  diversify  the  sur- 
face, wliicli  is  geiu'rally  very  dry  and  roll- 
ing. The  broad  Des  Moines  valley,  with 
its  tiiiiher-erowned  bluffs  and  fertile  bot- 
toms and  benches  of  table  land  rising 
back  fniiii  the  river  shores,  is  a  mag- 
nificent feature. 

Sliddletown  is  anotlier  good  township. 
The  surface  is  gently  rolling,  and  there  is 
no  waste  land.  It  is  drained  chiefly  by 
tributaries  of  the  Des  Moines,  although  a 
portion  of  the  township  slopes  toward  the 
west,  and  the  watercourses  of  that  pi)r- 
tion  empty  into  the  group  of  lakes  near 
its  western  boundary. 

Des  Moines  is  the  oldest  settled  town- 
ship and  one  of  tlio  most  prosperous.  The 
Des  Moines  river  flows  through  it,  afford- 
ing several  water  powers  within  the  town- 
ship. There  is  a  considerable  wooded  tract 
on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The  land  is 
high  and  dry. 

Belmont  is  crossed  diagonally  by  the 
Des  Moines  river,  npon  the  bluffs  of  which 
are  heavy  growths  of  natural  timber.  It 
is  in  every  respect  a  township  made  ricli 
by  the  hand  of  providence  and  was  one  of 
the  first  settled  jiortions  of  the  county. 
Tlic  land  i.^  rolling  and  fertile. 

{'hristiania  is  the  northermost  of  the 
river  townships,  and,  like  those  farther 
soutii.  is  rich  in  all  that  nature  contrib- 
utes. The  river  valley  diversifies  the  west- 
ern part.  The.  surface  is  gently  rolling 
but  has  some  bottom  lands.  Within  the 
township  arc  a  numlici-  of  line  little  lakes. 

Delafield  is  quite  rolling  and  is  drained 
by  tributaries  of  the  Des  Moines,  which 
flows  close  to  its  eastern  border. 

Heron  Lake  townshi))  ranki;  fourth  in 
population,  and  its  land  is  high  and  roll- 
ing. Iferon  lake  ])enotrates  the  township; 
another  fine  body  of  water  is  lake  Fla- 
herty in  the  northwestern  part. 

Hunter  is  located  on  the  ridge  that  ex- 


tends across  the  center  of  the  county. 
From  some  of  its  hills  water  runs  to  the 
wejst  and  finds  its  way  into  the  Missouri 
river:  from  others  it  flows  to  the  east 
and  iiy  way  of  the  Des  Moines  reaches 
the  ilississippi.  The  system  of  drainage 
is  unsur])a.ssed,  and  the  land  is  all  rolling. 

Minneota,  by  reason  of  its  many  charm- 
ing lakes,  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
townships  of  Jackson  county.  The  lakes 
were  responsible  for  ^linneota  becoming 
one  of  tiie  early  settled  townships.  The 
T^ittle  Siou.x  river  flows  through  the  west- 
ern part.    The  farming  land  is  rolling. 

Sioux  Valley  is  rated  among  the  best 
and  most  prosperous  townships.  It  is 
drained  by  the  T.iille  Siou.x  river  and  con- 
tains broad  and  abundant  acres.  It  is 
\ciy  ricli  and  fertile. 

K'ost  is  well  drained  by  the  Little  Sioux, 
which  runs  through  the  center  of  the 
town.ship.     The  land  is  generally  rolling. 

West  Heron  Lake  is  the  smallest  town- 
ship in  the  county.  In  addition  to  the 
lass  of  several  sections  taken  out  of  its 
fanning  land  by  Heron  lake,  that  portion 
of  its  natural  boundaries  lying  east  of 
the  lake  has  been  given  to  Heron  Ijake 
township.  The  land  is  the  most  level  of 
all  the  townships. 

Wcimer  loses  nnich  of  its  farming  land 
by  reason  of  liciini  lake  anil  the  village 
of  tiie  same  name.  Portions  of  the  sur- 
face are  undulating;  other  portions  arc 
bottom   lands. 

T>aCros.se,  the  northwest  corner  town- 
ship, has  more  miles  of  railroad  within 
its  boundaries  than  any  other  of  the  twen- 
ty townships.  The  surface  i.<  moderately 
rolling  and  is  drained  by  Jack  and  other 
creeks  flowing  into  Heron  lake. 

.Mba  township  is  crossed  diagonally  by 
Okabena  creek,  which  furnishes  good 
drainage.     The  land  surface  is  level. 

Ewington  has  no  lakes,  no  streams  and 
no  waste  land.     It  is  strictly  a  prairie 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


287 


township  of  ricli.  tillnble  land.     The  sur- 
face is  level. 

The  total  taxable  valuation  of  the  coun- 
ty, according  to  the-  figures  for  1908,  is 
.$8,005,0.53,  of  which  $7,067,044  is  on  real 
property,  w^hile  $998,000  is  on  personal 
property.  These  amounts  are  divided  by 
precincts  as  follows : 


more  than  the  difference  in  price  to  bring 
those  countries  up  to  the  condition  of 
tliis. 

The  farmer  in  tiie  older  states  east  and 
south  can  dispose  of  an  eighty  acre  farm, 
and  with  the  proceeds  purchase  a  quarter 
section  in  Jackson  county,  and  in  making 
the  chancre  will  lose  none  of  the  advan- 


PRECINCT 


Alba 

Belmont  

Christiania 

Delafield 

Des  Moines 

Enterprise 

Ewington 

Heron  Lake 

Hunter 

Kimball , ..... 

LaCrosse 

Middletown 

Minneota  

Petersburg 

Rost 

Round  Lake 

Sioux  Valley 

Weimer 

West  Heron  Lake.... 

Wisconsin 

Jackson 

Heron  Lake  Village  . 

Lakefield 

Wilder 

Alpha 


Total 
Value 


$347 
369 
363, 
367, 
339, 
360, 
360, 
387, 
3.59, 
360, 
343, 
360, 
329 
380 
367, 
342, 
373, 
283, 
282, 
353, 
479, 
198, 
250, 
38, 
65, 


Real 


,356 

,7971 

9611 

364j 

.5611 

577 

714i 

0441 

179; 

304 

648 

634 

509 

966 

185 

488 

166 

838 

364 

143 

267 

728 

255 

369 

635 


$315,365 
333,909 
328,631 
330,111 
307,288 
331,755 
333,285 
352,109 
329,161 
331,799 
312,178 
324,572 
301,112 
342,490 
332,179 
308,590 
330,118 
260,738 
242,847 
319,964 
328,748 
123,561 
180,910 
25,831 
39,793 


Personal 


$  31,990 
35,888 
35,330 
37,2.53 
32,273 
28,822 
27,429 
34,935 
30  018 
28,505 
31,470 
:^6,062 
28,397 
38,476 
35,006 
33,898 
43,048 
23,100 
39,517 
33,179 
150.519 
75.167 
69,345 
12,538 
25,842 


Av.  Val. 
Per  Acre 


$14.05 
14.48 
14.47 
14  94 
14  56 
14.40 
14.58 
14  91 

13  95 
14.48 
14.15 

14  28 

13  93 

14  85 
14  31 
14., 52 
14  :>8 
14.47 
13  96 
14.46 


Round  Lake,  the  southwest  corner 
township,  is  supplied  with  a  number  of 
beautiful  lakes.  The  surface  is  high  and 
quite  rolling. 

Jackson  county  land  can  be  purchased 
at  from  $40  to  $115  per  acre,  according 
to  improvements  and  proximity  to  mar- 
kets,, and,  considering  the  richness  of  the 
soil,  the  excellent  markets  and  the  edu- 
cational and  social  advantages  offered,  it 
is  not  easy  to  understand  why  any  home- 
seekers  pass  through  this  country  to  the 
bleak  prairies  of  the  Dakotas  or  Canada. 
Jackson  county  land,  at  the  price  at  which 
it  can  now  be  obtained,  is  cheaper,  all 
things  considered,  than  the  Dakota  or 
Canada  land  at  the  present  prices,  for  the. 
settlers  there  will  be  compelled  to  spend 


tages  and  cnnvenienecs  enjoyed.  There 
will  tie  no  frontier  hardsliips  to  endure, 
no  years  of  lonely  toil  in  a  sparsely  set- 
tled country,  nothing  lacking  in  the  way 
of  social  pleasures  or  the  advantages  of 
schools  and  churches. 

Another  advantage  of  Jackson  county 
tliat  must  not  be  lost  sight  of  is  its 
proximity  to  the  great  primary  markets. 
It  is  witliin  easy  reach  of  the  great  Min- 
neapolis, St.  Paul,  Sioux  City,  Omaha 
and  Chicago  markets.  Their  nearness  and 
the  low  freight  rates  in  effect  insure  high 
prices  for  farm  products  sold  there  and 
low-  prices  for  commodities  purchased 
there. 

Jackson    county    holds    most    alluring 


288 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


prospects  for  farmers  who  are  in  searcli 
of  rich  and  productive  lands  close  to  mar- 
kets, where  they  may  establish  homes 
amid  schools  and  churches  and  congenial 
surroundings.  There  arc  a  few  tracts  yet 
to  be  put  under  cultivation,  and  there  are 
large  farms  that  may  be  subdivided,  while 
other  farms  that  arc  now  in  the  hands  of 
renters  might  be  improved  by  resident 
owners. 


The  county  is  capable  of  supporting 
more  than  tlircc  times  as  many  farmers 
as  it  now  has.  The  local  creameries  want 
more  cream,  the  merchants  want  more 
eggs  and  ]toultry,  the  elevators  want  more 
grain,  tlie  stock  buyers  want  more  cattle 
and  hogs,  and  all  around  is  a  demand  for 
the  products  of  Jackson  county — a  de- 
mand that  cannot  be  taken  away. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


\ 


THE  PEESS. 


DUKING  the  forty  years  of  Jack- 
son county's  newspaper  history 
only  nine  papers  have  been  es- 
tablished— a  remarkably  small  number 
when  compared  with  neighboring  coun- 
ties. Of  these  nine,  five  are  still  publish- 
ed, as  follows:  Jackson  Republic,  by  the 
estate  of  the  late  C.  F.  Mallahan;  Lake- 
field  Standard  (founded  as  the  Minnesota 
Citizen),  by  E.  H.  Lueneburg  and  J.  W. 
Daubney;  Jackson  County  Pilot,  by  John 
L.  King;  Heron  Lake  News  (founded  as 
the  Heron  Lake  AVave),  by  Carl  S.  East- 
wood; Jackson  County  Times  (Heron 
Lake),  by  John  S.  Woolstencroft.  The 
newspapers  which  have  l)cen  discontinued 
were  the  Heron  Lake  Guardian,  Lakefield 
Herald,  Jackson  County  Argus  (Alpha) 
and  the  Jackson  Tribune. 

The  first  newspaper  to  be  taken  from 
the  press  in  Jackson  county  was  the  Jack- 
son Eepublic.  Its  establishment  was  due 
largely  to  the  removal  of  the  United 
States  land  office  from  Winnebago  City 
to  Jackson  and  the  consequent  rise  in 
importance  of  that  little  town.  George  C. 
Chamberlin  and  Henry  M.  Avery  were  the 
founders  and  the  date  of  the  first  issue 
was  February  26,  1870. 

Considerable  difficulty  was  encountered 
in  getting  the  paper  started.  Jackson  was 
then   the  only   town   in    the   county,   and 


there  was  not  a  railroad  within  many 
long  miles  of  the  place.  Mr.  Chamberlin 
set  out  from  Jackson  in  November,  18G9, 
on  his  way  to  select  the  material.  He 
made  a  hundred  mile  stage  ride  to  the 
railroad  at  Janesville,  went  to  Chicago, 
selected  his  material,  and  in  due  time  the 
plant  arrived.  The  '"ready-prints"  were 
made  in  Chicago  and  sent  by  express,  but 
failed  to  arrive  in  time  and  a  man  had 
to  be  sent  to  find  them.'  The  birthplace 
of  the  Eepublic  was  a  little  building  of 
]uiti\c  lumber  which  stood  on  the  corner 
where  the  P.  H.  P>erge  &  Company's  store 
is  now,  one  of  the  first  buildings  erected 
in  Jack.'^on. 

The  Eepublic  was  established  as  a  seven 
column  folio,  of  which  two  pages  were 
printed  at  home.  Every  family  in  the 
town  and  vicinity  subscribed  and  all  the 
business  men  gave  it  support.-     The  peo- 

'••11  -Has  a  cold  and  stormy  week  and  snow 
drifts  were  almost  insurmountable.  Railways 
were  one  hundred  miles  away,  and  mails  and 
stages  were  irregular  and  uncertain.  Our  ready- 
print  package  failed  to  arrive  and  J.  F.  Ashley 
was  dispatched  for  it.  with  instructions  to  meet 
it  if  he  had  to  go  to  Chicago.  He  found  the 
paper  at  Albert  Lea  and  in  due  time  arrived 
home,  richly  earning  the  $25  that  the  printing 
paper  for  the  first  issue  cost  us  for  bringing 
from  that  point.  ...  All  night  long  did 
we  work  to  get  the  first  number  ready  for  the 
press,  warming  pieces  of  boards  on  which  to 
stand  as  we  worked,  and  placing  a  kettle  of 
live  coals  under  the  press  while  printing." — 
George  C.  Chamberlin  in  Republic.  March  21, 
1890. 

="Thc  local  subscribers  to  the  Republic  during 
the  first  year  of  its  existence  were  as  follows: 

Jackson— Hon.    J,    B.    Wakefield,    Hon.    E.    P. 


289 


290 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


pie  seemed  to  he  as  imu-li  intcr&ited  in 
the  success  of  the  venture  as  did  the  pro- 
prietors. Messrs.  Clianiherlin  &  Avery, 
in  their  introductorv.  said : 

We  tliis  wot'k  jircsent  our  loaih-is  tlio  first 
miniber  of  the  .lai'ksoii  Ki'publir.  \Vc  eiilor 
>i|)On  its  inililiralidii  not  pnlirply  ii;norant  of 
tlie  carps  and  ri'sponsilijlitios  of  an  editor — 
not  wholly  unfamiliar  with  the  many  perplex- 
ing duties  witli  which  an  editor  must  contend. 
Xot  even  the  most  ripe  in  e<litorial  lore  can 
suit  all  liis  readers,  yet  faithful  efforts  are 
always  appreciated  and  honest  exertions  will 
meet   their  reward. 

In  making  our  bow  we  do  not  propose  to 
lumber  up  our  valued  col\uiins  with  promises 
impossible  to  fulfil,  but  prefer  to  let  our  pa- 
per from  week  to  week  speak  for  itself.  Tf 
we  succeed  in  making  the  Republic  a  live,  lo- 
cal paper,  a  credit  to  .Jackson  and  .Tackson 
county,  our  object  will  have  been  accomplish- 
ed. That  will  be  our  chief  aim  and  to  that 
end  we  pledge  our  earnest  efforts. 

Polities  will  not  be  entirely  ignored  but 
touched  upon  as  lightly  as  circumstances  will 
permit.  What  few  words  we  may  venture  in 
this  direction  will  most  certainly  be  viewed 
from  a  republican  standpoint,  yet  we  will 
endeavor  to  not  advocate  them  in  such  vehem- 
ence as  to  offend  even  the  most  fastidious  of 
the  twenty-five  democrats  who  have  cast  their 

Freeman.    Vv.    C.    I..    Morrill.    J.    W.    Cowlns    & 
Co.,  M.    A.   Strong.   S.   M.   Cl.irk,   W.   S.    Kimball. 
W.  Ashley.   Major  H.   S.   Bailey.   J.   B.   Reynolds. 
J.    A.    Myers.    Isadore   A,    Moreaux,    W.    C.    Gar- 
ratt.    Mrs.    C.    A.    Bishop.    J.    W.    Seager.    J.    N. 
Thompson.   David   Kv.'ins.   Jr..  Harvey  Klock.   K. 
M.    Peterson.    E.    T.    Mather.    O.    E.    Bennett.    P. 
P.   Havcrberg.   Simon  Olson.   A.  .I>.  King,   Chris- 
tian   InerlH-rtson.     Halver    I..     Halverson.     A.     E 
Wood.    \V.    S.    Curtis.    Alex    Hall.    J,    K.    Palmer. 
Is:iac     Wheeler.      Hcni-imln      Harrison,      Michaei 
Miller.    D.    .\.    Reed,    .\tiilers    Roe.    W.    A.    Stew- 
art. E.    P.    Skinner.   Charles  Frisliie.    S.   W.   Bur- 
gess.   O.     Burgess.    A.    Miner.    Nathaniel    Frost. 
I^ewls    Parker.    George    P.    I,ee.    Joseph    Thomas. 
Rev.    E.    Savage.    Rev.    .T.    Poor.    J.    W.    Hunter 
Alex   FIddcs.   R.    R.   Norton.   M.   S.    Bnnev.   Hol- 
ster   Olson.    Clark    Marshall,    ly.    E.    Mar.shall     S 
K.    Trask.    S.    S.     Barrett.    M.    J.    Clough.    I.    F. 
Eddv.     Hans    Kniidson.     G.     G.     Ashlev.     Samuel 
rinvis.     William     King.     J.     K.     P.     T.von.     .Tared 
I'almer.    James    Kerr.    Cnlvin    Chandler.    W.     P 
Card.   John   Ttter.  G.   K.   Tiffany.  Milton  Ma.son 
Pr     O.    M.    Burhans.    Samuel    TT:ilI     William    W. 
Wiltse,   A.   N.    Thonipkli.K    C.    H.    Sandon.    C.    H. 
Hei.th.    J.     K.    Johnson.     A.    J.     Bnreland.    John 
Richardson.    Thad   Ruek»r.   Ira    G.   Wnlden.   T.   B. 
Grcenwnnd.     T..    W.     Seely.    Palmer    Hill.     Philip 
Yates.    W.    H.    P.    Tx'coeq.    Stephen    Ford.    James 
W.    Thorn.    Andrew    T.nlrd.    Georce    W.    Wnndln 
Pr.  R.  R.  Foster.  S.  1..   Pitcher.  M.   Fisher.  Wil- 
liam   C.    Bates.    J.    J.    Porter.    C.    Chamberlln.    J. 
P.  Preseott.   A.  Gruhlke.  Hans  Stall.  Clark  Bald- 
win.    Inr.s     Rnsmus.»"n.     Ole     E.     Olson.     J      W. 
Uunn.   S.   C.  Thayer.   O.   J    Rnssell.   B.   H.  John- 
son.   Nath.    B.    Hall.    B.    W.    Ashlev.    Peter    Ber- 
s^w.     B.     P.     Pavlon.     Jemes     Clayton.     R      K. 
Cralgue.   J.    >f    Henry.    John    I  ncne.   Rev.   W.    F. 
Rsse.    A.    E.    Wheeler.    T,.    J.    Wlxson.    Henry    S, 
Graves.    I.    Bordwell.    H.    P.    Wllhnr.    George     \ 
Bush,   A.  Galhrnith.  E.  U.  Klork    G.   E.   Stewart. 
O.     F.     Alexander.     B.     N.     Woodward.     Herman 
Miller.     George    W.     Stevens.     J.     W.     Benlamln. 
Allen  Gardner,  Jr..  Clark  LIndsley.  E.  Scvatson, 


lot   in  tiie  republican  county   of  Jackson, 

Our  paper  will  be  the  organ  of  no  one  in- 
dividual, eliipie  or  faction,  and  its  aim  will  be 
to  faithfully  chronicle  passing  events  in  .lack- 
son  county-  to  lay  before  its  readers  from 
week  to  week  the  beauties  and  advantages  of 
our  broad  prairies,  and  to  contribute  its  portion 
to  directing  hither  our  lull  share  of  westward 
immigration. 

All  we  ask  is  a  support  commensurate  with 
our  desires.  If  the  people  of  our  youthful 
town  and  county  duly  appreciate  the  advan- 
tages to  them  of  a  good  local  paper  and  will 
give  us  the  patronage  and  cooperation  they 
indicate,  to  make  such  will  be  the  uniting  ef- 
forts of 

Till-:  ITBUSHERS, 

Chaiiiberlin  &  Avery  publislted  the  Re- 
public until  December  7,  1872,  when  the 
junior  ])artncr  l)ecaine  the  sole  proprie- 
tor, Mr.  Avery  conducted  it  until  April. 
1S7-"),  when  he  sold  out  to  hi.'J  former  part- 
ner. ^Ir,  Chaml)cilin  was  the  editor  and 
proprietor  until  .Tanuary  1.  ISSl.  and  un- 
der his  iiianatrciiient  it  was  enlarged  to 
an  eight  cnhinin  folio.  Mr.  Chainberlin 
was  one  of  the  ablest  journalists  that  ever 

.\.  J.  Frost.  L.  O.  Beck.  L.  W.  Whitney,  Charles 
Malchow.  Walter  Withers.  Francis  Ingraham. 
George  Elliott.  E.  C.  Houston.  C.  B.  Rubert.  J. 
D.  Chi:bb.  N.  E.  Arms.  R.  K.  Johnson.  R.  E. 
Bowden.  Charles  F.  Sheldon.  E.  Clark,  B.  A. 
Brown.  Julia  I.  Chandler.  U.  Cardwell.  Henry 
RIakey.  George  R.  Moore.  Laura  I..  Orwolle. 
Barney  Langhran.  Rev.  .\.  H.  SImonton.  Wil- 
liam Gray.  J.  \V.  Ray.  John  Ri>bhisoi),  O.  Cooki'. 
W.  H.  .Xshlcy.  Ezra  WInslow.  S.  S.  Johnson. 
P.  P.  Finch.  Ceorgi'  P.  Foss.  I,.  I,.  Thompson. 
H.  T.  Triimliall.  E.  T..  McQuillan,  C.  I>.  Deni- 
son.  John  Pavies.  I.evI  Camneld,  H.  Haley.  R. 
P.  I.arnid.  Willlim  Blaisdell.  H.  M.  MeGaugh- 
ey.  Orrin  Nasnn.  Parbv  Whallon.  James  Thack- 
ti-\-.  J.  H.  Willing.  Anders  R.  Kilen.  Thomas 
Goodwin.  Charles  Holmes.  T.  Rucker.  Menno 
Kby.  Miutln  I.,  Rromaghlm.  A.  O.  Hovda, 
John  I  iefsoii.  Lewis  Kikel.  T.  C.  Richmond.  .\. 
G.  Hall.  H.  W.  Chandler.  Fl-ank  I'arso.  Thnmas 
Brooks.  C.  Gummerson.  Ira  Camtield.  Charles  F. 
Sheldon. 

Summit— H.  A.  Williams.  H.  H.  Stone.  1  \V 
Whitney.  Mrs.  M.  I.  Topping,  H.  Halev,  J.  H. 
Willing. 

Mhnuota  — O.  Burgess.  John  Rlchard.son.  I.  B. 
Greenwood.  William  C.  Bates,  L.  Bordwcll, 
George  Ellet.  H.  P.  Wilbur,  H,  P,  Ballard,  S. 
W.  Burgess.   A.   B.  Stimpson. 

Graham  Lakes — John  Crapsev.  Benjamin  Har- 
rison. IT  C.  Hallell.  Charles  Prurv.  S.  U.  Har- 
ris, I  .  W.  Oikes.  F.  A.  Poore.  H.  F.  T.inner.  H. 
1  .  Wallaci'.  J.  H.  Cunningham.  E.  W.  Hessel- 
roth.   W.    IT.    Brown. 

Norwegian— A.  A.  Soub.  M.  F.  Hlggins.  Ro- 
zell   Seager. 

Petersburg— J.  H.  Baker.  C.  W.  Corni.sh.  A. 
Gruhlke.  Ezra  Fortner.  George  p.  Stone.  Rev. 
P.  Baker.  J.  A.  MIddaugh.  S.  MIddavigh.  J.  C. 
IToovel. 

Big  Bend — OrrIn  Nason.  IT.  M.  McGaughey. 
George  P.  Foss.  S.  S.  .Tohnson.  Ezra  Winslow. 
William  Gray,  Charles  Sheldon,  R.  K.  John- 
son. Allen  Gardner.  Jr..  C.  Chambcrlln.  David 
Evans,  Jr„  Barney  T.^aKhran, 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


291 


published  a  paper  in  southwestern  Minne- 
sota. Under  his  management  the  paper 
was  always  bright  and  newsy,  sparkling 
with  good  humor,  bringing  cheer  to  the 
frontier  settlers. 

Burt  W.  Day  owned  and  edited  the  Re- 
public from  January,  1881,  to  April  1, 
1887.  It  then  passed  into  the  hands  of 
A.  B.  Allen,  who  presided  over  its  desti- 
nies over  twelve  years.  Soon  after  taking 
(iiutrol  he  enlarged  the  paper  to  a  six  col- 
umn quarto,  and  during  part  of  the  time 
it  was  an  all  home  print  paper.  Sher- 
man J.  Dunn  bought  a  half  interest  from 
Mr.  Allen  the  fir^t  of  the  year  1893,  and 
was  a  part  owner  until  June,  1894. 

W.  C.  Hartson  bought  the  Republic 
October  1,  1899.  In  1902  he  increased 
the  size  to  a  seven  column  quarto,  and  on 
May  5,  1903,  began  the  publication  of  a 
semi-weekly,  issuing  Tuesdays  and  Fri- 
days. The  ownership  of  the  paper  passed 
into  the  hands  of  0.  C.  Gould,  of  Fair- 
mont, in  September,  1903,  and  Nelson  P. 
G.-Wright  was  installed  as  manager.  The 
semi-weekly  was  discontinued  at  that 
time.  Mr.  Wright  left  the  paper  in  June, 
1904.  From  Jackson  lie  went  to  Moun- 
tain Lake  and  then  disa]ipeared  from  the 
face  of  the  earth;  nothing  has  even  been 
heard  of  him  since. 

Mr.  C.  F.  Mallaliau,  who  had  been  pub- 
lishing the  Jackson  Tril)une,  bought  the 
paper  from  Mr.  Gould  in  June,  1904,  con- 
solidated the  two  plants,  and  was  the 
publisher  and  editor  of  the  Republic  until 
his  deatli,  which  occurred  August  29, 
1909.  Mr.  Mallahan  was  a  publisher  of 
many  years  experience  and  published  a 
very  creditable  paper.  The  Republic  has 
been  republican  in  politics  during  its  en- 
tire life  of  forty  years. 

Jackson  county's  second  newspaper  was 
the  Heron  Lake  Guardian,  which  was 
founded  by  S.  S.  Haislet  early  in  Octo- 
ber,  1880.     It  was   a   little  five  column 


paper  and  started  out  with  considerable 
patronage,  but  Heron  Lake  was  a  small 
place  in  which  to  successfully  conduct  a 
newspaper,  and  after  many  trials  and  trib- 
ulations it  was  discontinued.  It  was  pub- 
lished until  April,  1883.  Mr.  Haislet 
shipped  the  plant  to  Adrian  and  com- 
menced the  publication  of  the  Adrian 
Guardian,  with  which  paper  he  was  iden- 
tified many  years. 

The  third  paper  to  begin  life  in  Jack- 
son county  was  the  Minnesota  Citizen, 
started  at  Lakefield  by  Carl  S.  Eastwood, 
now  of  the  Heron  Lake  News,  on  Novem- 
ber 30,  1883.  The  Citizen  was  a  seven 
column  folio,  was  independent  in  politics 
and  sold  for  $1.-50  a  year.  Mr.  Eastwood 
published  a  very  good  paper  and  it  was 
heartily  welcomed  by  the  little  village  of 
Lakefield.  On  July  1,  1885,  Mr.  East- 
wood sold  to  L.  W.  Seely,  and  that  gen- 
tleman conducted  the  publication  until 
October  9,  1885. 

R.  H.  Lueneburg  became  the  editor  and 
publisher  on  the  last  named  date.  On 
April  14,  188G,  lie  clianged  the  name  to 
Lakefield  Standard  and  the  form  from 
a  seven  column  folio  to  a  five  column 
quarto.  Mr.  Lueneburg  sold  the  Stand- 
ard September  25,  1890,  to  H.  N.  Doug- 
las and  W.  A.  Funk,  but  bought  it  back 
again  December  11,  of  the  same  year. 
John  and  Thomas  Crawford  became  the 
owners  October  15,  1891,  and  conducted 
the  paper  as  partners  until  January  1, 
1895,  when  John  Crawford  withdrew  and 
Thomas  Crawford  became  the  sole  pub- 
lisher. William  Crawford  bought  a  half 
interest  August  21,  1897,  and  the  firm  be- 
came Crawford  &  Crawford,  William 
Crawford  being  editor  and  Thomas  Craw- 
ford business  manager.  There  were  many 
changes  in  the  form  of  the  paper  under 
the  management  of  the  Crawfords.  They 
published  an  excellent  paper  and  took  a 
leading  part  in  looking  after  Lakefield's 


292 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


interests  during  the  county  seat  fights. 

Crawford  Brothers  retired  September  1, 
190G,  and  were  succeeded  by  R.  II.  Lucne- 
burg  and  J.  W.  Paubnoy,  the  present  pro- 
prietors. Jlr.  Luciiulnirg  is  the  active 
member  of  the  firm  and  issues  a  good  pa- 
per. It  is  a  seven  cohinin,  six  page  paper 
and  is  printed  entirely  in  the  iiome  office. 
The  plant  from  which  it  is  issued  is  a 
model  one. 

The  Heron  Lake  Wave  was  founded  by 
H.  L.  Frost  Januarj'  23,  1886.  It  was 
started  as  an  independent  paper  and  was 
a  seven  column  quarto.  Mr.  Frost  pub- 
lished an  able  paper  but  he  and  his  pa- 
trons could  not  agree,  and  he  sold  out  in 
August,  1886.  Carl  S.  Eastwood  was  the 
buyer  of  the  good  will  and  subscription 
list  of  the  Wave,  tlie  former  publisher 
removing  tlie  plant.  Jlr.  Eastwood  put 
in  a  new  plant,  clianged  the  name  lo 
Heron  Lake  News  and  the  politics  of  tl:c 
paper  from  independent  to  straight  re- 
publican. The  ne.xt  June  he  enlarged  the 
News  to  an  eight  cohimn  folio  and  added 
to  tlie  equipment  of  tlie  office. 

August  l.j,  1893,  Mr.  Eastwood  bought 
the  Worthington  Advance  and  moved  to 
that  city.  From  that  date  until  March, 
1894,  the  News  was  conducted  by  C.  F. 
Mallahan,  late  of  the  Jackson  Republic, 
under  a  lease  from  Mr.  Eastwood.  The 
paper  was  then  bought  by  G.  A.  Fairfield, 
who  continued  its  publication  until  De- 
cember, 1903.  wlicn  'Mr.  Eastwood,  the 
former  owner,  again  moved  to  Heron 
Lake  and  purcha.«ed  tlie  plant.  The  News 
is  republican  in  politics  and  is  one  of  the 
strong  papers  of  the  party.  .\  linotype 
was  installed  in  the  office  in  January, 
190S,  from  wliich  is  set  the  matter  for 
many  of  the  papers  in  the  vicinity. 

For  a  short  time  in  18Sr  the  Wilder 
Clobe  had  an  existence.  It  was  edited  by 
Rev.  D.  GritTin  Gunn.  of  Wilder,  and  was 
printed  in  the  office  of  the  Heron  Lake 


Now=.  The  first  number  was  issued  in 
June. 

The  next  paper  to  consider  in  the 
dironological  order  of  founding  is  the 
Jackson  County  Pilot,  which  was  started 
at  Jackson  by  Y.  B.  Crane  on  September 
12,  1889.  The  ])!ant  was  brought  from 
Spirit  Lake,  where  ^fr.  Crane  had  been 
publishing  the  Spirit  Lake  Pilot.  At  the 
time  of  its  founding  it  was  a  seven  column 
folio  and  democratic.  It  was  enlarged 
to  an  eigiit  column  paper  in  October, 
1891.  ^fr.  Crane  conducted  the  Pilot  un- 
til April  12,  1894,  wiicn  W.  Stanley  Kim- 
liall  liecame  the  owner  and  publisher.  He 
made  the  paper  a  five  column  quarto  and 
presided  over  its  destinies  until  August 
8.  189.5.  On  that  date  James  Manning 
became  the  editor  and  publisher.  On 
^fnrch  26,  1896,  he  enlarged  the  journal 
to  a  six  cohimn  quarto,  a  form  it  has  ever 
since  retained. 

Jojm  L.  King  and  J.  C.  McCroden 
bought  tlu'  Pilot  from  i^fr.  ^fanning  No- 
vcmlii'r  2().  1896.  and  conducted  it  as 
partners  until  Novcml)cr  10.  1900,  at 
wliich  time  Mr.  King  bought  his  partner's 
interest.  Since  that  date  Mr.  King  has 
been  sole  publisher.  lie  conducts  an  ex- 
cellent journal  and  receives  good  support 
from  the  people  of  Jackson  county.  The 
Pilot  is  democratic  and  has  been  ever  since 
its  founding. 

'J'lic  first  numl)cr  of  the  Jackson  Cmin- 
ty  Times  was  taken  from  tlie  press  at 
Heron  Lake  September  20,  189.5.  It  was 
founded  as  a  democratic  paper,  was  a 
seven  column  folio,  and  Harry  G.  Max- 
field  was  the  proprietor.  John  S.  Wool- 
stencroft  1>ought  the  paper  January  24, 
189(1.  ami  continued  to  conduct  it  as  a 
democratic  journal.  C.  L.  Wing  was 
managing  editor  for  a  time,  but  in  July 
Mr.  Woolstencroft  assumed  full  manage- 
ment. The  paper  was  made  a  five  column 
quarto   in   February,   1896,   and    in   May, 


HISTOEY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


293 


1899,  was  enlarged  to  a  six  column  quar- 
to, the  form  it  still  retains.  From  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1903,  to  Seplember,  1908,  0.  C. 
Hansell  owned  a  half  interest  in  the 
Times,  the  firm  name  being  Woolslencroft 
&  Hansell  diiring  this  period.  Mr.  Wool- 
stencroft  again  became  the  sole  owner  and 
has  since  managed  it  alone.  He  wields  a 
trenchant  pen  and  lias  made  the  Times  a 
factor  to  be  reckoned  with  in  the  affairs 
of  Jackson  county. 

The  Lakcfield  Herald  was  founded 
November  15,  1895,  by  Louis  N.  Du- 
chaine  as  a  republican  paper.  E.  H.  Luene- 
burg  became  the  publisher  in  May,  1900, 
and  put  in  a  new  oHice.  Clifford  S.  Bell 
bought  the  Herald  September  1,  1902, 
and  conducted  it  until  May,  1904.  At 
tliat  time  Crawford  &  Crawford,  publish- 
ers of  the  Standard,  bought  the  Herald 
and  consolidated  the  two  plants. 

For  a  iew  years  the  little  village  of 
Alpha  supported  a  newspaper.     This  was 


the  Jackson  County  Argus  and  was  found- 
ed May  30,  1901,  by  W.  H.  Hassing.  A. 
A.  Kruger  became  the  editor  and  pro- 
prietor in  May,  1903,  and  conducted  the 
paper  until  Marcii,  1905.  On  that  date 
(t.  E.  Eobinson  bought  the  plant.  He 
conducted  it  until  October,  1905,  when 
publication  was  suspended,  the  field  prov- 
ing too  small  to  properly  support  a  news- 
paper. The  subscription  list  and  good  will 
were  bought  by  the  proprietor  of  tlie  Jack- 
son Eepublic,  and  the  plant  was  moved 
away. 

The  Jackson  Tribune  was  the  name  of 
a  paper  which  had  an  existence  of  one 
year.  It  was  a  six  column  quarto  and  was 
founded  June  5,  1903,  by  C.  F.  Mallahan, 
who  conducted  it  as  an  independent  re- 
publican journal.  One  year  later  Mr.  Mal- 
lahan purchased  the  Eepublic,  consolidat- 
ed the  two  and  continued  publication  un- 
der the  name  of  Jackson  Eepublic. 


XXIV. 


REMINISCENT. 


IN  GATHERING  data  for  a  volume 
of  this  kind  one  runs  across  many 
stories  of  the  early  days  for  whieli  no 
place  can  be  found  in  the  historical  part 
but  which  are  truly  interesting  and  in 
many  instances  throw  vivid  light  on  early 
day  conditions.  These  have  been  pre- 
served and  are  here  incorporated  under  the 
chapter  heading  "Reminiscent."  Most  of 
these  stories  have  been  written  by  early 
day  residents  and  published  in  the  local 
newspapers  in  years  gone  by;  others  are 
original,  prepared  by  the  author  from 
data  gathered  from  various  sources. 

INKPADUTA's    INDIANS. 

After  the  massacre  at  Springfield  Ink- 
paduta  and  his  Indians  proceeded  west  in- 
to Dakota,  taking  with  them  their  white 
women  captives.  One  of  these  was  Abbie 
Gardner  (now  Mrs.  Gardner-Sharp),  the 
fourteen  year  old  girl  taken  from  the 
Spirit  lake  settlement.  She  was  with  the 
Indians  over  three  months  before  being 
ransomed  and  had  opportunity  for  gain- 
ing insight  into  the  customs,  manners 
and  beliefs  of  this  rutliless  band  of  sav- 
ages. In  her  valued  History  of  the  Spirit 
Lake  Massacre,  she  tells  of  many  things 
learned  during  this  enforced  sojourn 
which  proved  of  great  value  to  those  in- 
terested   in    gaining    intimate    knowledge 


of    this    bloodthirsty   band.      I    quote    at 
length  from  Mrs.  Sharp's  history: 

"A  male  Indian  never  does  anything 
tliat  can  be  called  labor;  it  is  against  his 
principles,  and  would  lower  his  dignity. 
Work  is  only  fit  for  women.  Such  is  an 
Indian's  sense  of  lienor.  The  women  are 
only  slaves;  and  we,  poor  captives,  were 
slaves  of  the  slaves. 

"The  Indians  have  no  equal  as  gorman- 
dizers; they  are  perfectly  devoid  of  any- 
thing like  delicacy  of  appetite  or  taste  or 
decency  in  the  matter.  Every  part  of  an 
animal  is  devoured,  cooked  or  raw,  clean 
or  unclean ;  the  smaller  game  is  sometimes 
cooked  without  opening;  and  if  the  en- 
trails are  taken  out  they  are  thrown  on 
the  fire  and  roasted  and  eaten  by  the 
squaws,  this  being  considered  the  right  of 
the  cook.  Animals  that  have  lain  dead 
until  putrescence  has  well  begun  are  de- 
voured with  avidity.  Fish  found  along 
the  beach  that  have  lain  until  the  flesh 
was  actually  dropping  from  the  bone  were 
eaten  without  even  being  cooked,  and  pro- 
nounced Svash-ta-do !'  (very  good!).  It 
was  no  unusual  thing  indeed  to  see  the 
most  delicate  belles  in  Inkpaduta's  train 
picking  from  the  head  of  a  papoose  ver- 
min— such  as  Burns  saw  on  the  lady's 
l)onnet  at  church — and  cracking  them  in 
their  teeth. 


295 


296 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


"Tliey  have  no  regularity  about  their 
meals.  It  is  always  ilinuer  lime  if  they 
have  anything  to  eat.  They  will  eat  un- 
til they  can  eat  no  longer;  and  tlien  lie 
down  and  grunt  and  pull'  like  cattle  gorg- 
ed with  grass  in  the  spring  time,  or  like 
overfed  swine.  Tiius  they  will  lie  and 
sleep  and  snore  for  an  hour  or  two;  then 
get  up  aud  smoke,  and  eat  again.  This 
is  e.speeially  the  habit  of  the  'gentlemen' 
of  the  party;  the  'ladies'  contenting  them- 
selves witii  what  tiieir  lords  cannot  eat, 
and  resting  their  weary  bodies  by  cutting 
wood  and  backing  it  up;  or  by  preparing 
something  more  to  please  the  taste  of  their 
"better  halves.' 

"The  Indian  is  an  inveterate  smoker, 
and  if  he  had  whisky  would  go  to  the 
same  extremes  with  that.  They  got  a 
large  quantity  of  tobacco  from  the  whites, 
more  especially  at  Springfield ;  but  all 
tills  would  not  have  lasted  long  if  they 
had  not  extended  it  by  a  free  use  of  kin- 
nikinic — a  species  of  red  willow  that 
grows  abundantly  on  wet  soil  throughout 
the  northwest.  They  frequently  smoke 
the  leaves,  but  prefer  the  bark,  which  is 
much  stronger.  It  acts  as  a  narcotic. 
The  squaws  prepare  the  bark  by  scraping 
it  off  the  twigs  and  drying  it,  in  the  win- 
ter by  tiie  fire  on  a  grate  inade  of  strips 
of  bark  woven  across  a  frame,  and  in 
summer  on  a  piece  of  buckskin  in  the  sun. 
We  were  frequently  compelled  to  help  pre- 
pare it. 

"Their  lodges  or  tepees  are  conical 
tents  and  vary  in  size  from  fourteen  to 
twenty  feet  or  more  in  diameter;  they  are 
made  of  tlie  thickest,  heaviest  kind  of 
cloth,  or  skins,  and  kept  in  shape  by  nine 
poles.  The  fire  is  Ijuilt  in  the  center,  and 
the  smoke  escapes  tlirougli  an  aperture 
at  the  top,  made  for  that  pur]>osc.  They 
make  their  beds  of  straw,  mats,  blankets, 
buffalo  robes,  etc.  These  they  arrange 
around   tlio  fire,  and   on   them  they  not 


only    sleep,    but    eat    and    sit    to    smoke 
through  tlie  day. 

"The  dress  of  the  males,  ordinarily, 
consists  of  deer-skin  leggings,  having  the 
resemblance  of  the  lower  half  of  panta- 
loons; moccasins  cover  tlie  feet  and  com- 
plete the  dress- of  the  lower  extremities. 
A  belt  or  girdle  surrounds  the  waist,  and 
under  this  is  drawn  a  piece  of  blue  broad- 
cloth, about  a  quarter  of  a  yard  in  width 
and  a  yard  and  a  half  in  Icngtii,  or  long 
enough  to  pass  between  the  lower  extrem- 
ities, and  the  ends  fall  over  and  form  a 
flap  in  front  and  on  tlie  back  of  the  lower 
portion  of  tlie  body.  A  short  skirt  of 
buckskin — sometimes  fringed  around  the 
bottom — and  a  blanket  comjilete  the  out- 
fit of  the  men.  In  addition  to  this,  how- 
ever, may  be  seen  a  fathom  of  scarlet  or 
blue  cloth,  worn  around  the  waist  as  a 
sasli,  and  another  of  like  material,  or  a 
siiawl,  around  the  he*d  as  a  turl)an. 

"With  the  female  a  calico  chemise  cov- 
ers the  arms  and  body  a  little  below  the 
waist ;  a  skirt  of  blue  broadcloth  is  con- 
fined around  the  waist  by  a  belt  or  girdle 
and  extends  nearly  to  the  ankles;  a  pair 
of  red  or  blue  pantalets  and  moccasins 
complete  the  under  dress.  To  this  is 
added  a  blanket  or  fatlioni  of  red  or  blue 
broadcloth,  to  be  used  as  an  outer  garment 
or  wrap.  With  liiis  the  usual  dress  of  the 
sipiaw  is  complete.  Their  l)lankets  are 
wliite.  red.  I)lue  or  green,  conipo.sed  of  fine 
wool  and  nf  superior  fabrication. 

"The  principal  root  we  had  was  wild 
artichoke.  They  also  got  two  or  three 
other  kinds  of  roots:  one,  although  grow- 
ing in  the  ground,  resembled  beans;  an- 
other being  longer  and  more  irregular  in 
form,  and  of  a  light  color,  nearly  white. 
•M!  tliese  were  roasted,  boiled  or  eaten 
raw,  as  fancy  or  convenience  led  them  to 
do.  Unpalatable  as  these  roots  were,  but 
for  them  we  must  have  famished. 

"Among  the  game  killed  and  greedily 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


297 


de\  oured  were  geese,  ducks,  swans,  brants, 
pt'licans  and  cranes  of  the  fowl  kind;  and 
of  (juadrupeds  there  were  beaver,  otter, 
muskrat,  skunk,  etc.,  and  fish.  The  fowls 
were  prepared  for  the  kettle  by  simply 
pulling-  oif  the  roughest  of  the  feathers, 
without  washing  or  dressing.  They  were 
eaten  without  salt  or  seasoning.  Beaver 
and  otter  were  singed  to  free  them  of  the 
thickest  of  the  fur,  pitched  into  a  pot  and 
boiled. 

"When  cooked  these  savory  meats  were 
dished  out  into  wooden  bowls,  each  bowl 
holding  a  quart  or  more,  and  eaten  with 
spoons  made  of  buffalo  horns.  Most  sav- 
ory among  these  savory  meats  was  the 
polecat  or  skunk. 

"Each  Indian  has  his  place  in  the  wig- 
wam, into  which  he  drops  as  regularly  as 
cattle  into  their  stalls  in  a  stable.  The 
squaws  dish  up  the  food  into  these  bowls 
and  hand  them  to  their  lordly  masters, 
who  sit  and  eat  at  the  meat  and  drink  the 
soup  and  pass  up  their  dishes  for  more 
until  tJie  supply  is  gone. 

"We  were  absolutely  compelled  to  eat 
whatever  was  given  to  us,  or  to  dispose 
of  it  unknown  to  them.  Frequently  they 
would  give  me  things  I  could  not  pos- 
sibly swallow,  for  instance,  fish  of  which 
the  flesh  was  so  decomposed  it  was  falling 
from  the  l)one.  In  such  cases  I  would 
watch  my  opportunity  and  drop  it  inside 
my  blanket,  from  which  I  would  throw  it 
away  wlieu  on  the  march.  Possibly  skunk 
meat  miglit  n<:it  be  so  bad  if  properly 
dressed,  but  singed  and  boiled  entire  it 
was  almost  too  savory  to  suit  my  taste. 

"The  long  poles  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  their  tepees  are  made  into  small 
bundles  by  being  bound  together  at  the 
ends.  Then  two  of  these  bundles  are  at- 
tached to  a  strong  thong  of  rawhide  long 
enough  to  go  around  a  horse's  neck  where 
the  collar  usually  goes.  The  poles  are  so 
attached  as  to  lie  a  foot  or  more  apart. 


and  when  the  thong  is  fastened  at  the 
liorse's  neck,  the  smaller  ends  of  the  poles 
will  be  at  his  shoulders,  while  tlie  others 
will  drag  on  the  ground.  Tlie  travies,  a 
large  hoop,  oval  in  shape  and  woven  across 
witli  bark  or  buckskin,  are  attached  to 
the  poles,  just  back  of  the  horse's  heels. 
Un  this  were  placed  such  articles  as  they 
did  not  choose  to  carry  or  such  persons  as 
were  not  able  to  walk.  The  loads  which 
even  ponies  were  made  to  haul  in  this 
awkward  manner  were  immense.  Besides 
these  heavy  loads  on  the  travies,  it  is  not 
unusual  to  see  an  Indjan  on  the  back  of 
the  pony  and  heavy  laden  baskets  at  the 
sides.  Even  the  dogs  were  made  to  haul 
smaller  travies,  yet  large  enough  to  be 
perfectly  barbarous.  The  creatures  would 
pull  as  if  for  dear  life  until  perfectly  ex- 
hausted, when  they  would  drop  to  the 
ground,  as  if  dead,  and  lie  there  a  few 
minutes,  then  get  up  and  trudge  on  again. 
Thu.s,  day  after  daj',  these  half-fed  ani- 
mals were  made  to  toil  to  the  utmost  lim- 
it of  possible  endurance  for  their  lazy 
masters. 

"Their  death  song  is  a  wild,  hideous 
succession  of  cadences,  utterly  unlike  the 
plaints  of  despair  or  grief,  but  rather  a 
wild,  unearthly  sound,  expressive  of  only 
savage  passion,  impressive  to  witness  and 
startling  to  hear.  Every  night  at  tlie 
same  hour,  for  several  weeks,  this  passion- 
ate wailing  was  repeated.  The  mother 
would  begin;  then  others,  one  after  the 
other,  would  break  out  in  the  wild  wail, 
until  not  only  those  in  the  tepee  where 
tlie  death  occurred,  but  also  those  in  other 
tepees  who  were  related  to  the  deceased, 
had  joined  in  the  lamentations.  Thus, 
for  weeks,  the  twilight  hours  were  made 
liideous  by  these  horrible  sounds,  which 
once  heard  can  never  be  forgotten. 

"After  death  the  body  was  still  borne 
on  the  travies  for  several  days,  closely 
wrapped  in  a  blanket.     When  we  reached 


29S 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSOX  COUNTY. 


the  desired  grove,  a  platform  wa?  pon- 
struc-ted  of  poles  laid  across  two  horizou- 
tal  limbs  of  a  lar<(c  oak  tree,  and,  by 
means  of  strips  of  bark  tied  to  the  body, 
it  was  hauled  up  for  burial.  There  the 
poor  cniaoiated  body  was  laitl  to  rest, 
after  having  been  dragged  around  so  long. 
And  thus  the  Sioux  bury  their  dead. 

"A  Sioux  mother  binds  her  infant  to  a 
small  board  when  a  few  hours  old.  It  is 
first  imbedded  in  the  feathery  heads  of 
the  cat-tail  flag  (picked  to  pieces),  and 
wrapped  around  with  strips  of  cloth  or 
buckskin,  commencing  at  the  feet  and 
extending  upward  until  all  but  the  head 
is  enveloped.  It  is  then  placed  on  a  board 
and  firmly  bound  with  a  blanket.  This 
keeps  it  straight,  protects  it  from  injury 
in  the  rough  treatment  it  receives,  and  is 
altogether  more  convenient  for  their  mode 
of  living  than  any  other  arrangement. 
From  this  confined  position  they  are  re- 
lieved only  for  a  few  minutes  at  a  time, 
and  this  only  at  long  intervals. 

"When  old  enough  to  run  alone  it  is 
relieved  of  its  swathing  bands,  and  if  the 
weather  it  warm  it  is  turned  loose,  with- 
iiut  ail  Mrtiele  of  clotiiing  to  protect  or 
im])cde  the  action  of  its  limbs.  In  the 
tepees  the  papooses  are  stood  up  against 
the  wall,  even  from  the  first,  and  are  al- 
most no  trouble  at  all.  On  the  nuirch 
they  are  .«tuck  in  the  jjanniers  on  the 
horse.",  or  on  the  backs  of  the  squaws,  in- 
side of  their  blanket.e,  or  in  any  manner 
convenience  may  suggest. 

'■\Viieii  I  came  to  .<ee  how  the  cliildren 
were  educated  and  what  was  the  early 
home  training  (if  home  they  can  be  said 
to  have),  I  ceased  to  wonder  at  their  sav- 
agery. From  their  earliest  childhood  they 
are  taught  that  fighting  and  killing  are 
the  highest  virtues.  The  war-dance  is  a 
school  eminently  adapted  to  this  end. 
There   all    the  fierce   and   cruel   deeds   in 


which  each  has  participated  are  recited  in 
a   manner  that  might 

"Stir  11  fever   in  the  blood  of  ape 

Or  nuike  an  infant's  sinews  strong;  as  steel." 

X(it  "Illy  this,  i)ut  the  private  recitals, 
iiniund  the  tire  in  the  tepees,  and  all  the 
intercourse  of  the  children  with  each 
other,  their  sport  (if  sports  they  may  be 
called),  tend  to  the  same  end. 

"Occasionally  there  would  be  a  day  so 
stormy  and  cold  that  even  a  Sioux  would 
not  travel.  Tiiese  were  to  nie  more  dread- 
ed, even,  than  the  wearisome  marches, 
because  of  being  crowded  in  the  tepee  by 
the  side  of  the  young  scions,  with  their 
dirty  faces  and  noses,  who  here  had  a 
good  opportunity  of  developing  their  true 
nature.  There  were  'wars  and  rumors  of 
wars"  from  morning  till  night.  They 
would  fight,  pull  hair,  scratch  and  i)itc  un- 
til their  faces  were  smeared  with  blood,  the 
squaws  not  only  making  no  attempt  to 
restrain  them,  but  actually  cheering  and 
urging  them  on,  laughing  in  great  glee 
when  they  got  in  some  lucky  hit,  or  if 
they  .-ihowcd  fierce  or  revengeful  disposi- 
tions. With  such  training  is  it  strange  tiiat 
they  grow  to  l)c  what  they  are?  '.\s  the 
twig  is  bent  the  tree  is  inclined.' 

"The  highest  ambition  of  the  young 
warrior  is  to  secure  the  'feather,'  which  is  i 
the  tcsfiiiicuii.il  nf  his  having  murdered  | 
sonic  human  being;  but  securing  one 
feather  only  whets  his  zeal  for  more,  as 
Ills  rank  nr  staiuling  depend.<  u])i)n  the 
number  of  his  feathers.  These  arc  worn 
ill  the  hair  until  enough  are  obtained  to 
make  a  ca])  or  headgear.  \o  one  would 
be  allowed  to  wear  a  feather  which  did 
not  represent  a  life  taken,  any  more  than 
in  our  rcguhir  army  a  captain  would  lie 
allowed  to  wear  the  shoulder  straps  of  a 
colonel.  The  head-dress,  filled  with  these 
eagle  feathers  and  other  insignia  of  blood, 
is    regarded    as    'Wakan'    (most    sacred). 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


299 


anil  no  unhallowed  hand  of  man  or  woju- 
aii   ilai'u  touch  it. 

"The  Hioux  believe  in  one  great  spirit, 
the  maker  ot  heaven  and  earth.  They 
also  lulieve  in  subordinate  sjjirits,  both 
good  and  bad,  and  in  the  immortality  ol' 
the  soul. .  The  great  spirit,  they  believe, 
created  everything  except  wild  rice  and 
thunder.  The  rice  they  believe  to  be  be- 
neath the  workmanship  of  the  great  one, 
i,nd  attribute  it  to  chance.  Thunder  they 
believe  to  be  the  sound  of  the  wings  of 
an  immense  bird. 

"They  believe  that  somewhere  in  the 
heavens  are  cities  and  villages  where  the 
spirits  of  the  departed  remain  at  war  with 
their  enemies,  and  where  the  Sioux  will 
always  find  plenty  of  game.  They  be- 
lieve the  spirits  of  the  dead  have  power 
to  inflict  injury.  They  therefore  offer 
sacrifices  to  appease  them. 

"They  adore  the  great  spirit,  although 
they  have  distorted  conceptions  of  the  at- 
tribute of  the  deity.  Various  objects, 
animate  and  inanimate,  are  worshipped. 
Sometimes  they  think  the  great  spirit  an- 
gry with  them,  as  wlien  storms  do  them 
harm.  They  then  make  sacrifices  of  ani- 
mals and  other  things  to  pacify  him,  that 
tlicy  may  prosper  in  life. 

"They  support  a  non-hereditary  sacer- 
dotal order,  the  same  person  being  both 
]iricst  and  medicine-man.  They  have  also 
what  may  be  termed  jugglers,  who,  they 
believe,  have  power  to  confer  blessings  or 
cui'ses.  They  have  little  conception  of  re- 
wai'ds  and  punishment  after  death. 

"In  cases  of  sickn&ss  they  perform 
ceremonies,  which  are  expected  to  cure  the 
sick.  They  also  believe  in  dreams  and 
omens.  When  they  have  a  good  dream, 
they  suppose  some  friendly  spirit  has 
been  near  them  :  Init  bad  dreams  indicate 
that  of  an  enemy.  The  bat  they  regard 
as    an    evil    omen,    and    dread    the    ignis 


jaluus,  believing  it  a  certain  sign  of  death 
in  the  family  of  the  one  who  sees  it. 

"In  war  and  hunting  diey  are  directed 
by  signs  and  dreams.  The  signs  may  be 
the  running  of  animals,  flying  of  birds, 
or  sounds  at  night.  They  think  some  ani- 
mals have  souls  and  that  the  bear  has 
four,  but  do  not  believe  in  the  transmi- 
gration of  souls  as  do  some  of  the  people 
of  Asia. 

"Their  fabled  monsters  are  Haokuk, 
the  giant,  and  Unkatahe.  The  giant  could 
stand  astride  the  tallest  pine  tree  or  the 
broadest  river,  lives  on  the  fat  of  animals, 
and  is  armed  with  a  huge  bow  and  arrow. 
They  believe  he  yet  lives  and  can  kill 
them  with  a  look  from  his  piercing  eye. 
The  Unkatahe  is  an  animal  of  two  kinds, 
one  of  the  water  and  one  of  the  land. 
They  are  supposed  to  possess  great  power 
and  can  even  kill  the  thunder.  They  also 
believe  in  fairies  who  inhabit  all  strange 
places,  in  rivers,  lakes,  cliffs,  mountains 
and   forests. 

"The  manners,  customs  and  institu- 
tions of  the  Dakotas  have  many  of  the 
patriarchal  features  of  the  ancients.  They 
strictly  observe  the  feast  of  the  first  fruits, 
and  all  animals  offered  in  sacrifice  must 
be  the  best.  In  some  of  the  feasts  they 
are  obliged  to  eat  all  that  has  been  cooked. 
After  a  religious  feast  incense  is  offered, 
the  host  taking  a  large  coal  from  the  fire, 
upon  which  the  foliage  of  the  cedar  is 
laid,  and  with  this  the  vessels  are  per- 
fumed. Certain  animals  they  regard  with 
great  veneration,  among  these  the  ser- 
pi'iit,  turtle,  wolf,  grizzly  bear  and  eagle." 

A  TRIP  TO  SLOCUil's. 

Illustrative  of  the  hardships  endured 
and  the  dangers  encountered  by  the 
Springfield  settlers  during  the  long  and 
severe  winter  of  1856-57  is  the  follow- 
ing account  of  a  trip  to  the  home  of  Isaac 
Slocuni,  who  lived  on  the  Watonwan, 
written  by  Mr.  Jareb  Palmer.    The  events 


300 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


described  occurri^d  just  prior  to  the  mas- 
sacre : 

"Bright  and  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  tenth  of  Marcli  John  Dodson  and  I 
started  on  our  long  and  lonely  journey  of 
more  than  fifty  miles  across  the  trackless 
prairie,  covered  witli  at  least  three  feet 
of  snow.  We  had  discarded  our  boots  and 
put  on  Indian  moccasins  that  our  feet 
niiglit  be  the  lighter  for  the  long  tramp. 
There  had  been  a  slight  thaw  a  few  days 
before,  and  now  there  was  a  crust  on  the 
snow  that  bore  our  weight  most  of  the 
time,  and  we  were  able  to  make  pretty 
fair  progress  notwithstanding  the  great 
depth  of  snow. 

"Soon  after  we  started  a  brisk  wind 
arose  from  the  northwest,  but  the  hard 
crust  prevented  tlie  snow  from  flying 
much.  Dodson  proved  to  be  a  swift  walk- 
er and  I  was  kept  busy  trying  to  keep  up 
with  Jiiin,  but  I  managed  to  do  it,  not 
witliout  great  effort.  About  one  o'clock 
we  j)a.-;s('d  to  the  north  of  Cedar  lake,  but 
did  not  stop  as  we  were  anxious  to  press 
on,  in  order  to  reach  a  vacant  cabin  sit- 
uated on  the  Watanwon,  about  twelve 
miles  from  Cedar  lake.  A  short  time  be- 
fore sundown  we  reached  the  cabin.  It 
was  one  of  the  cabins  built  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  mail  carrier,  and  if 
all  of  them  were  of  the  same  character 
as  this  one  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  car- 
rier perished.  It  wa.s  built  of  small  logs 
with  large  cracks  between  them,  which 
had  not  Im'cu  chinked,  and  no  attempt 
al  plastering  had  been  made.  The  roof 
was  of  hay,  supported  by  brush.  There 
was  a  doorway  but  no  door  to  close  it. 
There  was  no  cliimncy  or  otiier  place  to 
build  a  fire,  except  wliat  little  might  be 
made  in  the  middle  of  the  cal)in,  and  then 
there  was  danger  of  setting  dri'  to  the  hay 
overhead, 

"By  the  time  night  had  fairly  set  in 
the  wind  was  liowling  at  a  terrible  rate, 


dri\ing  the  snow  through  the  cracks  of  the 
cabin  like  water  through  a  sieve,  nearly 
putting  out  what  little  fire  we  dared  to 
keep.  There  we  prepared  to  pass  the 
night  as  best  we  might.  We  prepared  our 
fuel  for  the  night,  cooked  and  ate  our 
supper,  and  tlien  wrapped  our  blankets 
tightly  around  us  and  sat  around  our 
diminutive  fire  watching  with  sleepless 
eyes  the  .«low  hours  as  they  sped  silently 
into  eternity;  and  it  looked  as  though 
we  might  be  called  to  follow  tliem  to  that 
silent  shore.  Sleep  was  out  of  the  cpies- 
tion,  as  wo  had  all  we  could  possibly  do 
to  keep  from  freezing — in  fact,  in  all  my 
experiences  on  the  frontier  and  during 
three  years  in  tlie  army,  I  do  not  think  I 
)>ut  in  a  more  disagreeable  night.  But 
it  finally  wore  away,  as  all  nights  will, 
be  they  ever  so  terrible,  and  morning 
came  at  last.  The  wind  still  blew  al  a 
terriiilc  rate  and  the  snow  was  blowing 
so  badly  that  travel  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. So  we  set  about  improving  the  con- 
ditions of  our  surroundings,  expecting 
that  we  would  be  obliged  to  pass  the  day 
and  another  night  where  we  were.  About 
nine  o'clock  the  wind  subsided  and  we 
continued  our  journey,  and  about  noon 
readied  the  home  of  Mr.  Slocum. 

"I  must  admit  I  was  pretty  badly  used 
up  and  did  not  care  to  go  any  farther.  The 
sun  reflected  from  the  snow  liad  affected 
my  eyes  .eo  llial  1  could  .scarcely  .see  at  all. 
Here  was  where  we  were  to  have  found 
the  traps,  there  being  a  blacksmith  here 
who  was  to  havi'  made  them,  but  lliey 
were  not  ready.  '1'1\«^  next  morning  Mr. 
Dodson  went  on  to  ^lankato.  while  I  re- 
mained at  Slocum's. 

"We  had  reached  Slocum's  on  Tuesday, 
and  <m  Thursdav  evening  William  Wood 
and  Nathaniel  Frost  came  along  with  Mr. 
Wood's  two  yoke  of  oxen,  another  team 
and  a  span  of  hor.ses  and  a  sleigh.  Two 
teamsters    accompanied     the     Springfield 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


301 


men.  'Sir.  WihmI  intended  to  attempt  to  ciimped  on  a  ^nuill  creek,  a  branch  of  the 
get  his  (;oods  home,  for  he  knew  that  the  Watonwan.  The  next  morning  we  con- 
people  were  ahnost  on  tlie  verge  of  starva-     tinned    our    journey,    intending    to   reach 


tion  for  the  want  of  them.  Mr.  Wood  had 
attempted  tliis  ,-ome  time  before,  but  liad 
only  succeeded  in  getting  them  a  mile  or 
two  this  side  of  Slocum's,  where  he  had 
left  them  for  several  weeks  in  a  covered 
sleigh,  without  any  other  protection.  Mr. 
Wood  desired  me  to  return  with  him, 
which  I  concluded  to  do. 

"So,  on  Friday  morning  we  all  started 
to  make  the  attempt.  Mr.  Frost  had  re- 
covered from  his  frozen  feet,  so  that  ho 
was  able  to  accompany  us.  On  reaching 
Wood's  sleigh  we  divided  the  load,  plac- 
ing it  on  three  sleighs  or  sleds,  and  com- 
menced our  journey.  By  dint  of  shoveling 
snow,  beating  roads,  and  other  devices, 
we  succeeded  in  moving  the  load  about 
two  miles  before  nightfall.  The  hired  men 
became  disgusted  with  the  undertaking, 
and,  taking  their  teams,  made  their  way 
back  to  Slocum's.  Wood,  Frost  and  my- 
self replaced  the   load  on  Wood's  sleigh. 


Cedar  lake;  but  a  blinding  snow  storm  set 
in  and  for  a  time  it  looked  as  though  we 
wnuld  n(]t  be  aide  to  keep  our  course  at 
all.  At  one  time,  I,  being  somewhat  fa- 
tigued, lagged  a  little  behind  the  others 
and  they  were  soon  oufe  of  sight,  and  the 
wind  blew  so  hard  it  covered  their  tracks 
ahnost  as  soon  as  made.  Still,  although 
I  could  neither  see  them  nor  their  tracks, 
I  sup])osed  I  WHS  following  after  them 
till  'Sir.  Frost  came  to  me  and  told  me 
that  I  wa.*  going  in  the  wrong  direction. 
He,  looking  with  the  storm,  had  been  able 
to  see  farther  than  T.  looking  against  it, 
and  had  looked  iiack  and  discovered  me 
traveling  quite  out  of  my  course.  Mr. 
Wood  then  remained  stationary  and  Mr. 
Frost  came  after  mo :  then,  by  Mr.  Wood's 
hallooing  occasionally,  wo  were  able  to 
find  him  again.  When  once  more  together 
we  proceeded  on  our  way,  Wood  piloting 
us.  as  it  seemed  to  me,  by  instinct  as  I 


Then  we  made  our  camp  by  the  side  of  could   see  nothing  by  which  to  keep  our 

the  sleigh  and  passed  a  very  comfortable  course.     But  then,  he  had  been  over  the 

night,  for  W'ood  had  quite  a  stock  of  blan-  route  several  times  and  was  probably  aide 

kets   for   the   Indian    trade,    npon    which  to  recognize  an  occasional  landmark. 


we  drew  for  bedding.  In  the  morning 
we  also  returned  to  Slocum's,  and  during 
the  remainder  of  the  day  busied  ourselves 
making  liandsleds  and  getting  ready  to  re- 
new the  journey  on  foot. 

"The  next  morning  we  started  out,  each 
dragging  a  handsled,  upon  which  was 
bound  a  hundred  pound  sack  of  flour. 
W"e  also  took  an  axe,  a  shovel,  blankets, 
some  bread  and  meat,  a  coffee  pot  and 
frying  pan.  During  the  fore  part  of  the 
day  ^^•e  were  able  to  make  good  progress, 
but  during  the  afternoon  the  crust  got  soft 
and  we  could  make  but  little  headwav,  for. 


"We  finally  reached  Cedar  lake,  where 
we  made  our  camp  in  the  south  side  of  a 
grove.  AVo  got  thei-e  some  time  before 
nightfall  and  had  ample  time  to  pre- 
pare for  the  night.  We  cut  down  quite 
a  large  tree  and  then  shoveled  the  snow 
away  on  one  side  for  some  fifteen  feet  back 
from  the  log  and  made  a  good  fire  against 
tlie  log.  With  plenty  to  eat  and  plenty 
of  blankets  to  keep  us  warm,  we  were  for 
once  quite  comfortable. 

"The  next  day  we  started  for  the  Des 
Moines,  but  had  not  gone  over  a  mile 
when  we  found  that  we  could  not  keep  on 


although  the  snow  held  up  the  sleds  fairly  on  account j)f  the  snow  flying  so  thick.  As 
well,  it  didn't  hold  us  up.  We  made  only  we  could  still  see  the  timlier  we  had  left, 
about  ten  miles  the  first  da^-,  and  at  night     we  retraced  our  steps  and  soon  reoccupied 


30-2 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


the  i-Hinp  we  liad  so  recently  left.  We 
remained  until  tlie  ne.xt  morning,  wiien, 
the  weather  l)eing  fair,  we  resumed  our 
journey.  As  tlie  eru.st  was  hard  during 
the  early  ]iart  of  the  day,  we  made  good 
progre.s.s  for  sonie  time,  but  before  noon 
it  got  soft,  and  we  were  unable  to  ])ri>- 
eeed  with  our  lieavily  laden  sleds,  so  we 
left  them  and  made*  our  way  toward  the 
timlicr.  We  left  the  sleds  about  fmir 
miles  from  the  settlement  and  must  liave 
been  two  hours  in  making  the  four  miles, 
the  snow  being  so  soft  and  deep  that  it 
was  almost  im])ossible  to  make  any  prog- 
ress in  wading  through  it.  Before  reach- 
ing the  timber  Ifr.  Wood  left  Frost  and 
myself  and  went  by  the  way  of  Churcii's 
house,  as  he  had  some  mail  for  them. 
Frost  and  I  went  north  of  the  grove  and 
crossed  tlie  river  opposite  Woods'  store. 
where  we  arri\ed  about  two  o'clock  p.  m. 
on  the  10th  of  ilarcb." 

TllK    rUAIlilK   KIRKS. 

Those  who  lived  in  Jackson  county  dur- 
ing the  years  of  its  early  settlement,  and 
up  into  the  eighties,  will  never  forget  the 
alarm  caused  by  the  approach  of  a  prairie 
fire.  !Many  of  tlic  present  generation 
arc  skeptical  of  the  dangers  to  life  and 
property  from  this  .suircc.  Others  can  but 
marvel  at  the  conditions  that  nuide  a  prai- 
rie lire  dangerous  f)r  even  |)ossil)le.  Hut 
conditioiKs  in  the  early  days  dilTcred  great- 
ly from  those  of  the  present  day.  Then 
iliere  were  va.st  stretches  of  sparsely  set- 
tleil  and  unbroken  prairie,  covered  vvitli 
a  dense  growth  of  rank  grass,  which  in 
the  low  places  often  grew  to  a  great 
height.  In  the  fall  the  grass  died  and 
formed  a  thick  covering  of  highly  in- 
flammable material,  which  "burned  like  a 
jirairie  fire"  when  it  became  ignited. 

When  a  heavy  wind  accompanied  one 
of  these  conflagrations  the  effect  was  thril- 
ling.     The   flamps   would   race   over   the 


prairie  with  the  .speed  of  the  wind,  leap- 
ing, bounding,  rushing  on  their  fiery  way. 
\\\  day  the  air  would  be  filled  witii  smoke 
.•in<l  cinder.s  and  the  atmosphere  would  be- 
come hazy :  at  night  the  heavens  would 
be  illumined  by  the  blaze,  and  the  bright 
lines  of  ilie  raging  firas  could  be  seen, 
often  miles  in  length.  After  tlie  passing, 
the  prairie  would  be  left  a  blackened 
waste. 

'J'lie  few  scattered  settlers  were  in  the 
greatest  danger  when  one  of  these  fires 
approached.  Jlany  settlers  lost  their  whole 
belongings,  and  but  few  cscaiKfl  without 
loss  from  this  .source.  "Firebreaks,"  made 
by  plowing  furrows  around  the  buildings 
or  hay  slacks,  sometimes  served  as  a  check 
to  the  llamcs,  but  with  a  strong  head  wind 
llie  liana's  often  jumped  hundreds  of  feet, 
anil  in  such  eases  the  breaks  were  no  pro- 
le ri  ion.  The  favorite  method  of  fighting 
lire  was  by  "back-firing."  When  one  of 
the  terrors  of  the  prairie  was  seen  aji- 
]iroaching  with  the  wind,  a  fire  would  be 
set  near  the  pro])crty  to  be  saved.  This. 
-mall  at  iir.<t,  c<tuld  be  controlled  and 
wiiippcd  out  on  the  leeward  side,  leaving 
the  flames  to  slowly  eat  their  way  wiuil- 
ward  to  meet  the  oncoming  lurid  destroy- 
er. Sometimes  a  space  of  sufTieienl  wi<ltli 
woulil  thus  be  burned  over  in  time  to  pre- 
\ent  the  dotruction.  In  case  of  a  big  con- 
llagratioii  fire  fighting  companies  would 
he  <irganize(I  to  go  out  and  conl^'ud  with 
the  flanu's.  using  damjiened  .sacks,  (piilts 
or  whatever  was  handy,  to  wlii))  out  the 
blaze. 

Prairie  lires  eontinucil  a  nieuiire  to  the 
])cople  of  Jackson  county  many  years,  or 
until  the  county  had  become  ijuite  thickly 
settled  and  subdued.  Seldom  did  an  au- 
tumn jiass  in  the  early  days  witboul  one 
or  more  disastnius  conflagration  in  some 
part  of  the  county.  Several  times  the  vil- 
lages were  threatened  with  destruction, 
and  companies  had  to  be  formed  to  go  out 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


303 


and  figlil  the  apiiroaciiing  fires.  One  sucli 
occasion  was  on  Octoljer  4,  1872,  when 
a  fierce  prairie  fire  approached  Jackson 
from  the  north.  Fire  fighters  overcame 
the  flame.-  before  any  serious  damage  was 
done,  however. 

Early  in  October,  1873,  was  a  mammoth 
])rairie  fire  which  raged  four  days.  There 
had  l)een  an  immense  growth  of  grass  dur- 
ing the  summer  and  tlie  fires  Imi-ned 
fiercely.  The  air  was  full  of  falling  cin- 
ders and  smoke  for  days.  Although  the 
fire  was  the  largest  that  had  been  known 
for  years  and  the  wind  was  higli,  tliere 
was,  fortunately,  little  loss  to  crops  and 
Iniildings.  The  editor  of  the  Jackson  Ee- 
public,  October  11,  1873,  described  the 
magnificence  of  tiie  scene : 

"The  fire  was  continually  coming  near- 
er, until  on  AVednesday  evening  it  rushed 
over  the  hill  a  mile  or  so  south  of  town  and 
ended  its  forward  course  in  the  ravine  and 
skirting  roads  leading  into  town.  On  go- 
ing out  a  mile  or  two  from  the. village  at 
a  late  hour  we  were  favored,  upon  reaching 
the  brow  of  the  bluffs  overlooking  the  prai- 
rie, with  one  of  the  most  magnificent  sights 
ever  beheld.  There  before  us  lay  the  prai- 
rie as  far  as  the  eye  could  scan,  a  perfect 
sea  of  fire,  with  only  here  and  there  a  dark 
spot  where  the  flames  were  checked  by  the 
protected  premises  of  some  .settler,  around 
which  might  be  seen  moving,  like  some 
wierd  specters  before  the  blaze,  the  settler 
and  his  family  as  they  watched  and  fought 
tlie  fire." 

A  bad  fire  raged  in  LaCrosse  township 
on  January  Ifi,  1870,  that  came  near  wip- 
ing out  the  village  of  Heron  Lake.  It  was 
started  two  or  three  miles  west  of  the  vil- 
lage, and,  driven  on  by  a  terrific  wind. 
V  iread  rapidly  and  in  a  few  minutes  as- 
iimed  alarming  proportions.  The  great- 
vi.  excitement  prevailed  and  manv  narrow 
.^!^capes  were  reported.  In  the  village  anx- 
.oas  groups  watched  the  progress  of  the 


fire,  which,  fortunately,  was  overcome  be- 
fore it  reached  the  village. 

October,  1879,  will  be  remembered  as 
the  date  of  the  most  disastrous  prairie  fires 
that  ever  visited  the  county,  so  far  as 
]i]-operty  loss  is  concerned.  Fires  raged  in 
all  parts  of  the  county  for  two  w-eeks  and 
baffled  the  efforts  of  the  settlers  to  over- 
come them.  They  swooped  down  upon 
what  was  suppo.sed  to  be  well  protected 
property,  which,  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances, would  have  kept  Itack  the  flames, 
but  a  high  and  continued  south  wind  prov- 
ed too  jjowerful  a  fan  and  large  losses  re- 
sulted. 

In  Petersburg  township,  on  the  .jth  and 
7th,  the  settlers  were  out  in  full  force,  and 
by  almost  .superhuman  efforts  only  were 
they  able  to  save  their  homes.  As  it  was, 
E.  T.  Mather  lost  17  tons  of  hay  and  Mr. 
Russell  a  grove  of  young  timber.  In  Wis- 
consin Herman  Miller  and  John  Gerlach 
lost  "20  tons  of  luiy.  In  Enterprise  James 
Taylor  lost  25  tons  of  hay  and  Darius 
Benjamin  30  tons.  The  grove  of  young 
trees  belonging  to  Dr.  Brownell  was  also 
Inirned.  The  fires  raged  fiercely  in  Kim- 
liall.  They  burned  a  stable  belonging  to 
Charles  Erickson  and  a  nundjer  of  hogs 
belonging  to  the  same  farmer.  Charles 
Kendall  lost  several  small  pigs  in  the  same 
fire.  A  stable  and  hay  belonging  to  John 
Peterson  were  burned,  as  well  as  1-5  tons 
of  hay  belonging  to  Mr.  Schoewe  and  'sev- 
eral tons  belonging  to  R.  H.  Wade. 

In  Minneota  ^Ir.  Gilfillan  lost  several 
stacks  of  hay.  In  Hunter  Fred  Bedient 
lost  all  his  property  except  the  house.  A. 
D.  Palmer  and  H.  K.  Rue  each  had  hay 
destroyed.  The  village  of  Lakefield,  then 
just  founded,  was  threatened  with  destruc- 
tion, but  the  citizens  turned  out  and  set 
back-fires  and  saved  the  town.  Charles 
llalchow,  of  Heron  Lake  township,  lost 
700  bushels  of  oats,  120  bushels  of  wheat, 
some  corn  and  a  hen  house.  In  West  Her- 


304 


HlSTuiii  UF  JACKSON  (JUUiNTY 
I'd'T^on    lost   hi-    stall! 


on   Lake   Evan 
fjrain  and  liav. 

Fred  Sehiildt.  of  Host,  lost  .idn  1mi>IicI~ 
111'  oats.  T.l  Inislu'Is  of  wlicat,  IiM»  luislicl.- 
of  iiarlcv  and  iiis  ■rraiiarv  and  iiis  rcajHM-. 
In  Sioux  \'alli'y  tin-  loss  was  lar^'c  and 
eanie  with  crush in<r  ell'cct  on  several  par- 
ties. A  tloek  of  ii)  sheep  owned  liv  Frank 
l-Jenoit  and  others  was  liunifd  to  ilratli 
while  penned  in  a  yard.  'I'ln'  llanies  eanic 
with  .such  fury  that  they  i-o\dd  not  lie 
cheeked.  'J'he  hay,  ;:rain  and  stalile  of 
Mr.  Benoit  were  also  liurned.  .Tareb  I'al- 
nicr  lost  all  his  liay  and  a  young  grove. 
Charles  II.  Greer  lost  everything  except 
his  house.  In  I']wington  Soreni  Iverson 
lost  his  stalde  and  all  his  hay. 

Four  human  lives  were  lost  in  one  of 
the  ever-dreaded  prairie  liics  «iiicli  \isited 
Sioux  \'alley  townshi))  on  Xovemher  "i. 
188S.  :\rrs.  Mollie  O'Connor  and  her  ba- 
by and  her  sister.  Mr~.  Katie  I'orter.  were 
three  of  the  vietinis.  They  were  visiting 
at  the  home  of  F.  K.  Murphy  when  they 
saw  the  fire  and  decidiMJ  to  hiirr\'  home. 
When  about  a  half  mile  on  their  way  the 
wind  suddenly  changed  and  drove  the  lire 
down  u]ion  thcui.  'I'liey  were  unable  to 
escape  am!  wei-e  Imi-ned  to  death  on  the 
prairie. 

Miss  .liilia  O'Connor,  who  was  tcacliim; 
scliool  in  the  Sawyer  district,  saw  the  lire 
aiijiroacliing.  and.  realizing  the  dangei-. 
took  her  )iu|)ils  out  onto  a  nearb\  piece  of 
plowed  i;rouiiil.  w  hei-e  -he  kept  them  until 
the  danger  was  past.  Henry  J{ay  was 
lighting  fire  near  the  school  hou.se.  Notic- 
ing the  flames  approaching  some  unpro- 
tected stacks,  lie  mounled  a  !i<ir.se  and  set 
out  to  hack-fire.  'I'he  next  tliat  was  seen 
of  biin  was  wlien  he  was  connng  toward 
the  party  of  seliool  children  with  every 
jiarticle  of  clotliing  except  Ids  boots  !)urned 
oir.  He  was  liorrildy  burned  and  died  the 
next  dav. 


Such 


he    dangers    encountered 


from  the  dreaded  prairie  fire  by  tlie  pio- 
neers of  tile  iouiit}-.  Willi  the  later  set- 
llcmenl  came  the  breaking  up  of  the  prai- 
rie, and  Ihe  dangers  were  a  thing  of  the 
pa.sl. 

riii:  KDiioit  .vuiiivics. 
(By   (ieorge   C.  Clianilierliii.l' 

I  remained  at  Blue  Earth  City  a  week 
or  two  and  then  set  out  for  my  new  home, 
dackson,  about  the  last  of  August,  18(!<;. 
At  that  time  the  only  |iid)lic  conveyance 
into  this  country  was  the  Blue  Karlh  City 
and  Spirit  Lake  weekly  or  send-weekly 
stage,  by  way  <i(  Hast  Chain,  Center  Chain. 
Teidiassen  and  l"]nimet,  to  Spirit  I..iike. 
I  was  switched  off  at  Emmet,  where  a 
weekly  line  commenced  for  .Jackson.  The 
next  day  wjls  Thursday,  the  day  for  tlie 
Jack,son  stage.  It  not  only  rained,  but  it 
poured — it  was  before  it  had  forgotten 
how  to  rain  in  this  country.  I  lookcfl 
anxiously  for  that  stage,  when — imagine 
my  disappointment — Frank  Bailey,  then 
a  mere  boy.  rode  u|)  with  the  mail  on 
horseback.  That  settled  it  for  uw  for  an- 
other week  uidess  I  could  ])rocure  private 
conveyance,  and  horse  teams  were  then 
out  of  the  cpiestion. 

The  |iostnuister,  a  .Mr.  .Maltsun.  ow  neil 
a  pair  of  steers  and  some  wagon  wheels 
and  1  negotiated  with  him  to  take  me  to 
.laekson,  sixteen  miles  dislaid.  The  nc\t 
morning  he  took  two  lioards  and  put  on 
those  wheels,  plaeeil  my  trunk  Ihen'ou, 
and  I  mounted  that  for  my  seat.  .Mr. 
Mattson  sat  on  the  boards  in  front  with  a 
gad  eight  or  ten  feet  long  extended  over 
his  shoidder.  He  must  have  cut  that  gad 
ill  Fmmet  timber,  and  if  it  had  remained 
until  Ihi'  pre.-eiil  lime  T  will  warrant  there 
would  have  been  two  cords  of  wood  in 
that  tree.  .\s  poor  as  T  am  today,  I  would 
give  ten   dollars   for  a   pictur(>  of  that  rig 


Mm  :im  mldro.'^.s  delivered  before  the  old  set- 
tl*M-s  n.^.sdclation  at  a  picnic  in  Petersiiurg  town- 
ship Septemlier  B,  1889. 


SO?TE   COUTNTRY  CHURCHES. 


JTHENE'vV  VORK 

IpUBLIC  UBRARY 


AJTOK,  LEMOX   *•«• 
TI4.DEN   fOur.O»T .«•(«. 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


305 


as  we  set  out  mi  mir  trip  tliroui^h  the  tall 
prairie  grass.  Had  any  of  you,  twenty- 
three  years  ago  last  Saturday  [September 
1.  186()J,  been  out  here  on  some  high 
j)nint  in  this  beautiful  town  of  Peters- 
l)urg  you  woniil  have  seen  that  little  pro- 
cession moving  majestically  along  through 
the  tall  grass,  your  humble  servant  perch- 
ed upon  that  trunk,  iigliting  flying  ants 
with  both  hands  and  emitting  them  by  the 
moutiiful. 

We  passed  Mr.  Barber's,  just  across  the 
Towa  line,  and  that  was  the  last  house  \m- 
til  we  reached  Mr.  Belknap's,  a  mile  or 
tuo  this  side  [southeast]  of  Mr.  Thomas'. 
Through  the  entire  town  of 
Petersburg,  where  now  are  fine  farms  with 
large  wheat  and  corn  fields  on  every 
hand,  elegant  residences  and  magnificent 
groves,  there  was  not  a  single  settler  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river.  On  the  west 
side  resided  Eev.  Peter  Baker,  ilr.  Price, 
Mr.  Cornish  and  perhaps  one  or  two  oth- 
ers. Farther  up  lived  Jlr.  Sanuiel  Hall, 
then  the  Camfields,  and  tlien  Jlr.  [.Jared] 
Palmer.  This  included  at  that  time  about 
all  the  settlers  between  the  state  line  and 
Jackson. 

ADVENTURE  IX  A  BLIZZARD. 

A  volume  conld  l)e  filled  with  the  stor- 
ies of  adventures  in  the  terril)le  prairie 
winter  storms  in  Jackson  county  alone. 
Many  experiences  are  on  record  and  hun- 
dreds more  are  retained  in  the  memory  of 
those  who  participated  in  them.  Many 
people  have  lost  their  lives  in  blizzards  in 
Jackson  county,  and  many  others  escaped 
only  because  of  pluck,  endurance  and  luck. 
Of  the  many  stories  told  I  shall  here  re- 
])roduce  only  one  or  two,  illustrative  of 
the  many. 

The  following  account  of  an  adventure 
in  one  of  the  storms  of  the  early  seventies 
is  told  by  a  lady  who  was  at  the  time  a 
child  and  lived  with  the  family  six  miles 


south  of  Jackson.  The  liead  of  the  family 
and  the  older  children  were  away  from 
home  working,  and  before  the  blizzard 
struck,  the  mother  went  to  one  of  the 
neighbors,  a  mile  away.  The  story  con- 
tinues : 

''Soon  after  four  o'clock  we  began  to 
do  our  evening  chore.s.  We  had  only  be- 
gun when  the  wind  suddenly  turned  into 
the  northwest  and  began  to  blow  a  per- 
fect  gale.  Allie  and  I  were  told  to  hasten 
and  bring  up  the  cattle  that  were  feeding 
in  the  cornstalks  a  short  distance  away. 
Before  we  had  reached  the  field  they  seem- 
ed to  have  become  conscious  of  danger, 
too,  and,  raising  their  heads  and  sniffing 
the  air  a  moment,  they  stampeded  for  the 
stable,  bellowing  and  snorting,  running 
past  us,  each  one  trying  to  be  the  first 
under  shelter.  Before  we  reached  tlie 
house  again  the  wind  was  blowing  fur- 
iously and  the  cold  increasing.  The  horses 
and  cattle  were  now  driven  to  their  places 
and  tied  as  quickly  as  possible;  then  we 
Iiegan  to  carry  hay  from  the  hay  stack  to 
fill  the  hay  pen  in  the  stable,  for  now  we 
knew  that  a  blizzard  was  upon  us  and 
we  would  need  hay  enough  to  feed  the 
cattle  for  two  or  three  days.  Father  us- 
ually kept  ihe  hay  pen  filled  with  hay  in 
case  of  a  storm,  but  for  some  reason  he 
had  neglected  to  fill  it  since  the  last  storm, 
and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  and  con- 
siderable suffering  that  we  got  it  again 
filled. 

"When  the  chores  were  all  done  and 
everything  made  a.s  comfortalde  as  possi- 
ble out  doors,  we  went  to  the  house  and 
gathered  around  the  warm  fire,  while  Dell, 
the  oldest,  began  to  prepare  the  evening 
meal.  This  she  left  every  few  minutes 
to  go  to  the  window  to  peer  out  into  the 
storm  for  father  and  mother,  whom  she 
hoped  a  merciful  Providence  would  guide 
home  through  the  dreadful  storm.  Sup- 
per \^■as  at  last  ready  and  we  gathered 


306 


HISTOKV  OF  JACKSUX  COUNTY. 


about  llie  talilc,  fvcry  i-.ve  iu  tlic  vacant 
jilac-c.s.  and  caili  lioart  filled  willi  addi- 
tiniiiil  Icar.  'I'lic  meal  was  scarcely  tast- 
ed, cxtopt  liy  Alliu  and  I.  and  \vc  were  not 
as  vet  old  en(Hi<;li  to  fully  rcali/c  the  fear- 
ful circumstances.  After  su]i|iit  was  hvit 
the  lamp  was  set  in  tlie  window,  so  that 
father  or  mother  or  some  of  our  iieifjli- 
hors,  whom  we  knew  to  be  away  fnnii 
home,  might  see  it  and  thus  find  their 
way  to  the  house;  then  we  sat  down  by 
the  fire  to  listen. 

"Twice  the  wind  forced  open  the  door, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  ])rop  it  with 
heavy  sticks  of  cordwood  to  keep  it  shut. 
Twice  we  thought  some  one  was  trying  to 
force  an  entrance  through  the  door,  and 
with  white  and  terrified  faces  my  brother 
;uiil  lull  iiTiharred  it.  to  find  nothing  but 
the  .-lorui  and  the  niglil — and,  oh,  what  a 
nigJit  I  The  air  was  so  completely  fille<i 
with  snow,  and   it  was  so  fearfully  cold. 

"One  who  has  never  been  in  a  blizzard 
can  have  but  the  slightest  conception  of 
linw  dread ful  they  are.  Before  iiiidnigbt 
we  hail  burned  all  the  wood  that  was  cut 
and  we  were  compelled  to  cut  up  the  dry 
cordwood  that  had  been  saved  for  this 
purpose.  This,  together  with  the  saw  and 
'horse,'  had  been  brought  in  when  we  did 
the  chores.  The  work  of  converting  this 
into  stove-wood  fell  to  my  brother.  It  is 
many  years  since  then  aiul  be  died  many 
vears  ago,  but  how  ]dainly  1  can  see  him 
as  he  looked  that  night,  bis  dark  blue  eyes 
filled  with  anxiety  and  bis  delicate  face 
filled  with  fatigue  and  excitement. 

"It  is  only  natural  that  onr  inuigina- 
tions  should  become  jieopled  with  fearful 
fancies  on  such  a  night ;  the.se  chased 
away  all  thought  of  .sleep  until  after  mid- 
night, and  then,  too  tirefl  and  sleejiy  to 
sit  in  my  chair.  I  was  soon  fast  a.sleep  on 
the  floor,  Dell  discovered  me,  and  I  was 
awakened  and  told  to  go  upstairs  with 
AUie,  whereupon   I   set  up  a  wail  of  re- 


monstrance, pleading  to  lie  allowed  to 
sleep  in  mother's  bed  down  stairs.  .\s 
she  was  no  longer  expected  home  that 
night,  1  wa-  finally  allowed  to  do  as  I 
wished,  aiul  .Mlie  and  ]  were  so(m  nest- 
ling in  uu)ther's  fcatlicr  IhmI,  while  brother 
and  llell  kept  the  tire  burning  and  the 
light  in  the  window  all  night. 

"ilorning  came  at  last,  anil  our  fir.st 
thoughts  were  of  father  and  mother,  who 
might  be  lying  stiff  and  cold  beneath  the 
drifts  of  snow  like  the  one  piled  up 
against  nur  window.  The  wind  had  abat- 
ed somewhat  during  the  night,  and  we 
could  catch  glimpses  of  the  trees  that 
stcioil  in  fr(inl  nf  the  liousc  a  few  feet 
awav.  -Vs  simiu  as  we  hail  breakfast 
my  brother  and  Dell  said  they  would  try 
to  find  their  way  to  the  stable  and  feed 
the  stock.  So  the  door,  which  was  drifted 
partlv  to  the  toj),  wa^  oj)ened  and  tbe}' 
climbeil  out  over  the  drift  into  the  storm. 
I  was  filled  with  a  feeling  of  dread  when 
I  saw  them  go,  for  I  feared  they  would 
never  find  their  way  back  to  the  house:  but 
my  fears  were  needless,  for  they  soon  re- 
turned and  said  that  the  snow  was  drifted 
over  the  stable  .so  they  could  not  get  in, 
as  the  shovel  was  inside.  One  of  us  soon 
thought  of  the  fire  .shovel.  It  seemed  an 
endless  undertaking  to  shovel  through  a 
luigc  clrit'l  with  a  lire  sbnvcl.  but  the  drift 
was  I'ounil  to  be  only  a  coui>le  of  feet 
through  at  the  top  of  the  door,  and  they 
decided  to  gain  an  entrance  there  instead 
i.f  at  the  bottom.  This  wa.s  done  by 
pushing  the  boards,  which  were  stood  up 
on  end  to  form  a  ildur,  io  either  side,  after 
the  snow  bad  been  shoveled  away.  The 
snow,  piled  over  and  above  the  straw 
stable,  made  it  doubly  warm,  and  the  cat- 
tle were  Iving  down,  chewing  their  cuds, 
seemingly  ])erfwtly  unconscious  of  the 
storm  that  raged  without.  Their  man- 
gers we  filled  with  hay.  Then  we  left 
them    until   three   o'clock,   when   the  fire 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


307 


shovel  was  again  Ijrouglit  into  use,  the 
door  phovi'lcd  out  a  secoud  time,  and  the 
stock  cared  for  for  tlic  night. 

"It  was  ten  o'cloclv  the  next  day  wlion 
we  heard  some  one  at  tlic  door,  and  father 
walked  in.  His  clothing  was  blown  full 
of  snow,  his  heard,  eyebrows  and  eyelaslies 
filled  with  snow,  and  his  face  and  some 
of  his  fingers  frozen.  Wlu'n  ho  entered 
he  asked  for  mother,  and  when  told  where 
she  was  he  wanted  to  go  at  once  to  see  if 
she  were  still  there  or  had  started  for 
home  and  been  lost  in  tlie  storm.  But  we 
persuaded  him  to  first  sit  down  and  warm 
himself  and  tell  us  where  he  had  been 
during  the  night.  He  then  told  us  how 
the  storm  had  overtaken  him  when  but 
one-half  a  mile  from  the  timber  and  how- 
he  had  kept  on,  hoping  to  reach  home,  un- 
til the  storm  became  so  dense  he  could 
not  see  his  oxen  nor  tell  where  he  was. 
Knowing  he  was  lost,  he  unhitched  his 
team,  and,  taking  hold  of  the  near  one's 
bow,  let  them  go  where  they  would,  trust- 
ing to  the  animals"  instinct  to  lead  him  to 
shelter.  On  and  on  they  went,  blinded 
with  snow,  plunging  through  drifts  that 
were  growing  larger  each  minute — yet 
father  clung  to  the  bow  with  his  frozen 
fingers,  for  he  knew  it  would  be  death  to 
let  go  even  for  a  moment.  They  had  trav- 
eled thus  for  an  hmir  or  so  wlieii  the  oxen 
suddenly  stopped,  and.  I'eeling  aljout  him, 
father  found  that  they  had  stopped  on 
the  sheltered  side  of  a  straw  stack.  Eub- 
bing  some  of  the  ice  and  snow  out  of  his 
eyes,  father  looked  around  for  Inuldings; 
but  it  was  impossible  to  see  more  than  a 
few  feet  away,  except  wdien  there  was  a 
lull  in  the  storm.  It  was  during  one  of 
these  that  he  thought  he  could  discern 
the  outline  of  a  Iniilding  a  short  distance 
away.  During  a  longer  lull  he  saw  it 
more  plainly,  and,  running  toward  it,  he 
readied  it  in  safety  before  the  .-^torm  again 
shut  it  from  sight.     The  storm  gradually 


grew  worse,  and  when  night  came  on  you 
could  see  nothing  for  the  whirlpool  of 
snow  that  filled  the  aii'.  The  building 
pro\('d  to  he  a  straw  stable,  partly  drifted 
under.  Knowing  that  a  house  must  be 
near,  father  rubbed  the  snow  from  his  eyes 
again  and  waited  for  a  momentary  abate- 
ment of  the  wind,  to  see  if  he  could  dis- 
cover the  outline  of  a  building.  He  soon 
saw  it  standing  a  short  distance  away. 
Here  he  found  a  woman  with  three  small 
children  and  scarcely  anything  to  eat  or 
burn.  I'he  husliand  had  gone  to  town  in 
the  morning  for  provisions  and  fuel  and 
had  failed  to  return.  Father  stayed  with 
them  and  cared  for  the  dumb  animals  un- 
til the  second  day  of  the  storm,  when  he 
left  his  team  and  started  home,  a  distance 
of  three  miles,  on  foot. 

"As  soon  as  father  had  warmed  him- 
self he  went  to  see  if  he  could  find  mother, 
and  with  what  an  agony  of  suspense  we 
awaited  his  return !  Our  hearts  stood 
still  when  we  heard  him  at  the  door,  but 
as  soon  as  we  saw  his  face  our  fears  were 
all  removed,  yet  no  one  could  find  words 
to  ask  him  if  he  had  found  mother  all 
right.  Not  waiting  long  for  us  to  ask.  he 
told  us  she  was  safe  and  well,  and  that 
^Ir.  G.  would  bring  her  home  the  next 
day  if  the  storm   were  then   over. 

"By  the  next  morning  the  wind  had  en- 
tirely abated,  and  now  that  the  storm 
was  over  everybody  was  astir.  Those  that 
had  been  kept  away  during  the  storm 
were  going  home,  while  others  were  leav- 
ing home  to  search  for  friends  that  had 
not  returned.  Not  one  in  our  neighbor- 
liood  perished,  though  nearly  all  the  men 
and  some  of  the  women  were  away.  But 
throughout  the  whole  frontier  many  lives 
were  lost,  for  the  storm  was  one  of  the 
worst  we  ever  know.  Nearly  every  week 
brought  to  us  the  accounts  of  some  newly 
found  bodies,  though  most  of  them  that 
perished  were  not  found  until  the  snow 


308 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


nioltetl.  Considerable  stock  was  lost. 
Teams  were  found  Irozeii  not  far  fi'imi 
their  drivers. 

"Mother's  lioiiu'-ioiiiin^'  was  awaited 
with  niiu-Ji  impatience  hy  myselC.  1  ran 
to  the  window  every  tin\e  I  heard  a 
sleigh,  l>ut  ill  s])itc  of  my  vijiilance  Jlr. 
G.'s  slei<;h  was  at  the  door  before  I  saw 
it.  Mother  came  in  with  face  radiant 
with  gladness,  and  1  know  our  faces  re- 
flected hack  that  gladness  if  they  were 
faitjiful   inirrors  nf  our  hearts."' 

A   NKillT  I.\   A  .SNOW  HANK. 
(My  Kobeit  JIuir).= 

Thirty  years  ago  (liis  March  |  lS(;'.i] 
I  was  in  Jackson  with  nxcii  after  a  load 
of  wood.  1  started  home  just  at  night, 
when  suddenly  one  of  those  storms  which 
the  country  is  noted  for  caiin'  up.  and  hy 
the  time  I  got  out  of  Lee's  ])iace  you  could 
not  sec  ten  feet  ahead.  T  had  faith  in  flie 
team  ami  hclicvcd  that  they  would  keej) 
the  road,  hut  the  storm  grew  worse,  and 
soon  it  became  impossible  not  only  to  sec 
but  even  to  feel.  I  unhitched  the  oxen 
and  we  started  to  find  the  road,  but  1 
had  to  give  that  up,  so  I  fell  in  behind 
the  oxen  and  trusted  to  luck  to  bring  up 
somewhere. 

After  we  had  travcl(Ml  until  1  began  to 
give  out,  1  sto|i|icd  iiiiil  tiiril  to  fasten 
the  oxen  with  the  chain  to  a  >iiow  crusl. 
Tlii'ii  1  dug  a  hole  in  tlii'  bank  and  turn- 
<il  ill.  Soon  r  heard  a  movement,  and, 
ria«ling  out,  discovered  the  oxen  were 
gone,  but  as  I  could  not  tell  which  way 
they  had  gone,  I  again  sought  my  downy 
courh.  1  lay  on  my  back  and  worked  both 
legs,  .striving  to  kce]i  my  feet  from  freez- 
ing, until  1  was  nearly  used  up.  When 
I  got  oiit.sidt'  again  the  stonu  was  still 
doing  l)usiness.  hut  I  could  see  the  moon 
was  just  up,  so  it  must  have  been 
three  o'clock,  and  back  I  went  under  the 

*.\.>*     piibUsht'd     hi     till-     J.irk.'jon     Ropubllc     of 
April    14,    1899. 


snow.      .\t    ilaylight    I    started    on    again 

anil  s ran   into  a  stake;  then  I  knew 

where  I  was,  and,  starting  straight  west, 
1  struck  the  little  log  house  in  just  a 
mile.  'J'hat  day,  after  nsl  and  a  good 
liicakfast.  I  struck  out  and  found  the 
team  coming  home.  They  were  about  two 
miles  southeast  of  where  we  camped. 

That  same  night  my  brother,  who  had 
a  claim  adjoining  mine,  came  over  in  the 
evening  to  .see  how  the  family  fared  and 
in  going  home  missed  the  house  and  wan- 
dered all  night  in  the  slough  just  east  of 
where  i'car.son  now  lives.  When  we  found 
him  ill  llic  iiuiining  his  mouth  and  beard 
wci'c  solid  ice.  and  he  had  hardly  room  to 
breathe. 

A    \Vi:i)l)lN(;    .lOI'liXKV. 
(Hy  -Mpx  Fiddes). 

llaxing  made  up  my  mind  to  go  to  81. 
I'aiil.  Ilie  next  thing  was  to  get  there.  The 
nearest  railway  station  was  Mankato,  sev- 
enty-live miles  from  here,  and  there  was 
not  a  bridge  at-ross  any  of  the  rivers  or 
>trcams  between  here  and  Mankato.  and 
no  regular  traveled  road,  only  a  trail 
across  llie  prairie.  1  sometimes  think 
when  I  bear  some  cd'  the  people  finding 
fault  with  the  roads  we  have  at  the  pres- 
ent lime  iIkU  if  tliey  bad  lieeii  here  in 
lliose  days  tliey  migiit  have  hail  good  rea- 
son to  com|ilain.  .\t  that  time  ji.  W. 
A>bley  was  mail  carrier  lielwecii  iiere  and 
Madelia.  and  a  Mr.  \'ogt.  of  Madelia.  car- 
ried the  mail  from  Madelia  to  Mankato. 
Having  made  arrangements  with  Mr. 
Aslilcy  to  leave  here  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  Sc|)ti'mber  Iii.  ISd!),  and  hav- 
ing some  very  important  business  to  at- 
tend to  that  morning  before  leaving  (viz: 
getting  married).  1  got  out  of  bed  very 
earlv.  When  my  wife  and  1  got  down  to 
the  river  we  found  a  boat  ready  to  take 
us  across,  as,  on  account  of  the  heavy 
rain.s,  the  river  was  high  and  teams  were 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


309 


unable  to  cross  at  the  ford.  On  crossing 
the  river  we  found  two  teams  awaiting 
us — B.  W.  Asldcy,  wlio  took  the  five  pas- 
sengers, W'ith  one  team;  Menzo  Ashley, 
who  carried  the  baggage,  mail  and  a  boat, 
with  the  other. 

We  got  along  fairly  well  until  we  reach- 
ed Elm  creek.  Then  we  had  to  launch 
our  boat,  and  Menzo  took  one  jjassenger 
across  at  a  time.  When  all  were  across 
Ben  and  he  tied  their  wagon  boxes  down 
to  the  axles  of  the  wagons  and  swam  their 
teams  across.  It  was  a  dangerous  under- 
taking, as  the  water  was  running  at  the 
rate  of  at  least  ten  miles  an  hour,  but 
they  got  everything  acros.s  safely.  After 
we  got  to  Long  lake  they  thought  tliey 
would  have  no  more  use  for  the  boat,  as 
there  was  a  horse  boat  on  the  Watonwan, 
just  this  side  of  Madelia.  When  we  reach- 
ed the  river  we  learned  that  the  water  had 
carried  the  boat  house  away,  so  we  drove 
to  a  farm  house  to  see  if  we  could  stay 
there  over  night,  as  it  was  after  sundown 
by  this  time.  They  informed  ns  that  they 
could  find  a  place  for  the  teams  but  not 
for  the  passengers.  We  were  in  a  pretty 
fix.  We  could  see  the  lights  in  Madelia, 
about  a  mile  away,  but  no  way  to  get 
there.  In  the  meantime,  Menzo  had  gone 
down  the  river,  and,  seeing  a  boat  tied 
up  at  the  sawmill  on  the  opposite  side,  he 
swam  across  and  brought  the  boat  up 
to  where  we  were  waiting.  He  then  took 
us  across,  and  we  walked  to  Madelia.  The 
ground  between  the  river  and  town  was 
rather  low  and  there  was  considerable  wa- 
ter on  the  ground ;  every  little  while  you 
would  hear  some  one  say  "oh !"  when  they 
stepped  into  a  hole  up  to  the  knees  in 
water.  AVe  all  had  wet  feet  before  we 
got  to  town,  about  ten  o'clock  at  night. 
So  much  for  the  first  day  of  our  wedding 
trip. 

Next  morning  after  breakfast  we  start- 
ed for  Mankato.     We  were  not  troubled 


with  water,  but  from  Lake  Crystal  to 
Mankato  it  was  mud  up  to  the  axles  near- 
ly all  the  way.  Every  few  rods  we  would 
get  stuck  in  a  mud  hole,  and  I  would  have 
to  get  out  and  help  pry  the  wheels  out 
with  a  fence  rail.  We  carried  two  rails 
with  us,  and  I  walked  nearly  all  the  way 
from  Lake  Crystal  to  the  river.  When 
we  reached  the  river  we'  found  that  the 
horse  boat  was  unsafe,  so  we  left  the  team 
on  this  side  and  walked  across  the  river 
on  some  plank  that  were  laid  on  a  bridge 
that  was  being  built.  The  mail  carrier 
told  me  it  was  only  a  short  distance  to 
town  and  that  we  could  walk  up,  or  if 
we  would  wait  he  would  return  with  a 
team  and  take  us  to  town.  Seeing  I  had 
paid  him  to  take  us  to  Mankato,  I  told 
liim  we  would  wait  until  he  returned  with 
a  team.  He  tried,  as  the  saying  is,  to 
freeze  us  out,  but  I  got  a  good  seat  on  the 
lee  side  of  a  brewery,  and  in  that  situa- 
tion my  staying  qualities  were  good  in 
those  days.  In  some  two  hours  he  re- 
turned with  a  team,  and  we  arrived  in 
Mankato  all  safe  and  in  good  time  for 
supper.  Next  day  we  got  on  board  the 
cars  and  arrived  in  St.  Paul  without  any 
further   difi'ieulties. 

"WILD   AND    WOOLLY    DATS. 
(By  W.  C.  Logue).' 

Pluck  was  the  chief  capital  of  the  peo- 
])le  of  that  locality  in  the  early  times, 
and  fur  was  the  medium  of  exchange. 
PrJiiu'  muskrats  passed  current  at  an  un- 
disputed value  of  twenty-five  cents,  and 
it  I'equired  eight  of  those  pelts,  deposited 
in  advance,  for  one  year's  enrollment  on 
the  subscription  list  of  the  paper  whose 
majority  wo  celebrate  today.  The  pelt  of 
an  adult  skunk  was  worth  forty  cents, 
but  would  not  lie  accepted  at  the  Eepublic 
counting  rooms  unless  thoroughly   disin- 

^Written  in  1S91  and  published  in  the  Jackson 
Republic  of  February  20,  of  that  year,  the  num- 
ber celebrating  the  21st  birthday  of  the  pio- 
neer   paper. 


310 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


fected ;  in  fact,  Postmaster  Strong  would 
not  receive  them  in  excliange  for  stamps 
unless  similarly  treated. 

Yes,  tlioso  were  wnolly  diiys,  ami  .hulge 
Sandon — we  callecl  liiiii  Cliarlie  then — 
will  vouch  for  the  fact  tiial  when  Doc 
Iviwards  and  Tommy  George  failed  to 
connect,  either  as  the  result  of  foul  weath- 
er or  from  what  sometimes  affect  states- 
men as  well  as  stage  drivers,  the  supply  of 
tiibacco  would  become  exhausted.  It  was 
then  the  l)oys  were  wont  to  raid  Old  Man 
ilonson's  sheep  pen  and  pluck  the  fibre 
from  his  flock,  which,  rumor  said,  had 
been  saturated  with  the  narcotic  to  de- 
stroy insects  peculiar  to  the  sheep.  In 
i-onnection  with  those  hard  times  and 
i-arly  struggles,  J.  J.  Smitli  will  inforiu 
inquiring  tenderfcet  why  so  many  slip- 
pery I'lm  trees  yielded  their  bark  to  the 
needs  iif  the  first  settlers,  and  why  the 
wild  onion  becaiiie  an  almost  extinct  plant 
along  the  head  of  l)unl)ar  creek.  ^I.  ^lil- 
ler,  veterinary  surgeon,  will  testify  to  the 
fact  that  a  more  healthy  and  more  rigor- 
ous class  of  people  never  fell  under  the 
fostering  care  of  a  medical  practitioner 
than  the  yeomanry  who  read  tlie  first 
niind)er  of  the  Republic. 

M.  B.  Dunn  could  prove  by  the  records 
of  Petersburg  that  originality  is  not  a  re- 
cent importation,  but  existed  with  the 
township  1)oar(l  whiih  laid  out  a  road 
'•from  John  Hoovers  liou.se  to  the  place 
where  (ii'orge  Stone  kicked  Chauncey  Cor- 
nish, and  thence  in  :i  due  line  to  the  place 
where  Toni  liussell's  mare  died,  and  con- 
tinuing in  a  northwest  course  to  the  spot 
where  Jim  Palmer  cami)ed  when  he  stole 
Fred  Lindsley's  traps."  He  could  tell 
vou  of  the  i)ersonal  encounter  between 
Thomson  and  Al.  King;  of  the  closing  of 
the  polls  while  the  judges  of  election 
proceeded  to  "put  a  head"  on  each  other 
before  resuming  the  statutory  duties  of 
their  office.     . 


We  cite  Attorney  Dunn  as  an  intelli- 
gent witness  to  prove  that  an  absolute 
similarity  of  sex  is  not  con<lucive  of  the 
liesi  results  in  stock  raising,  as  shown  by 
the  signal  lailure  of  .lack  (ireer  and  his 
ten  hea<l  of  masculine  cattle. 

But  all  is  changed  since  the  cars  have 
come  and  scared  away  the  game.  The 
blizzard-cap  has  given  way  to  the  less 
comfortable  derby.  The  fur  coat  has  been 
retired  in  favor  of  some  dudish  garment 
worn  in  the  interests  of  doctors.  Dan's 
old  fiddle  has  gone  to  join  the  musical 
instrument  of  the  historic  Ned.  Judge 
Sandon  lias  always  got  "tobacco  in  his 
old  tobacco  box;"'  the  heartless  stranger 
has  plowed  up  our  best  hunting  ground.?; 
democrats  have  moved  in  and  settled  in 
the  county:  so-called  .social  parties  are 
held  at  neighboring  villages  and  the  peo- 
jile  of  Jackson  are  not  present  at  the 
feast;  the  Jack.son  Protective  society  has 
long  since  abandoned  its  vigilant  care  of 
l-lph's  old  brewery ;  wisdom  no  longer  sits 
on  the  bench  where  Judge  Mason  held 
the  scales  of  justice;  the  old  tbou.sand 
dollar  bill  has  been  retired  from  local 
politics:  all  tidings  from  the  outside  world 
no  longer  filter  in  as  in  the  days  of  stage 
and  pony  lines:  ox  teams  have  disap- 
peared from  the  streets  of  Jackson ;  the 
prairie  schooner  is  less  known  to  the  pres- 
ent population  than  its  nanu'.sake  in  a 
"dry"  town. 

The  ]iresent  manager  of  the  Republic 
woulil  not  know  a  ]irinie  pelt  from  a  Sep- 
temliei-  kit.  I?ul  the  subject  is  becoming 
liainful :  let   tlie  c\ii-tain   drop. 

OI,E  .\NDERS0S"S  ORAXOE. 

The  Jackson  county  settlers  of  the  early 
sixties  lived  in  an  i.solated  community,  so 
far  as  the  world  at  large  was  concerned. 
For  years  their  nearest  trading  point  was 
Mankato,  nearly  one  hundred  miles  away, 
and  trips  to  that  frontier  town  were  events 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


311 


to  be  reiiienibercd.  The  cliildruii  were 
brouglit  up  witboul  imicli  genernl  knowl- 
edge of  the  world  or  its  customs.  Tbev 
were  {jivcn  plentiful  religious  and  nieagcr 
educational  instruction;  the  boys  could 
]ide,  hunt,  trap,  drive  oxen,  fight  Indians 
and  do  a  man's  work,  but  their  knowledge 
of  the  minor  things  of  life  was  not  picked 
up  until  years  later. 

So  it  came  about  that  Ex-Sheriff  Ole 
Anderson,  of  Jackson,  then  a  boy  enter- 
ing his  teens  and  residing  with  his  wid- 
owed mother  on  the  Belmont  township 
homestead,  learned  many  things  that  in 
more  settled  comuninities  are  known 
without  lieing  learned.  Among  the  deli- 
cacies that  ilid  not  come  to  the  homes  of 
the  frontier  Norwegian  families  was  fruit, 
and  Ole  was  quite  a  lad  when  he  saw  his 
first  orange. 

It  was  on  a  trip  to  Winnebago  City, 
whither  he  had  gone  with  his  ox  team, 
that  he  first  became  initiated  to  the  deli- 
cacies of  the  southern-grown  fruit.  There 
he  saw  a  man  eating  an  orange  with  the 
greatest  enjoyment.  Ole  was  interested 
and  watched  the  performance  closely.  He 
wondered  if  they  were  as  good  as  the 
man's  enjoyment  would  seem  to  inclicate. 
He  decided  to  find  out  from  a  personal 
trial  and  sought  a  store  where  he  saw 
some  of  the  fruit  displayed.  Not  know- 
ing if  he  would  like  the  fruit,  he  pur- 
chased only  one.  Tlien  he  ate  it.  Ho 
was  disappointed  with  the  flavor  and 
wondered  how  the  man  whom  he  had  seen 
eating  could  liave  developed  such  an  ab- 
normal taste. 

Ole  Anderson  had  bought  a  lemon.  But 
it  would  take  a  smart  man  to  hand  him 
any  of  that  fruit  now. 

GOODBYE,    IIOPPERGRASS. 

The  following  song  of  triumph  upon 
the    departure    of    the    grasshoppers    was 


written  by  George  C.  Chamberlin  and 
pul)lislied  in  his  paper,  the  Jackson  Ee- 
pultlic,  August  IS.  1S7T  : 

"Faic  thee  well,  and   it  forever. 
Still,    forever  fare   thee  ■well." 

lie's   gone! 

(ioiie   for   good,   we   hope. 
They  sometimes  rail  him  a  lo-piist. 
But  the  last  we  saw  of  him   he  was  a  high- 
eus. 

And   he  was   scooting  for  fnrrin'  parts. 
Let  him  scoot. 
Hallelujah! 

Four    seasons    lie    tarried    with    us   and    was 

healthy. 

And  the  fifth  did  he  linger,  but  he  was  sick. 

Perhaps   we   ought  to  be   pathetic   over   the 

departure   of   so   numerous   a    family,  but    we 

can't  be. 

Good  riddance,  you  pest! 
You  ate  our  wheat,  you  did. 
You   ate   everything. 

You  are  small  and  insignificant,  but  you  can 
eat  more  than  fourteen  elephants. 

You  will  lay  more  eggs  to  the  square  inch 
than  any  carniverous,  herbivorous,  bug-ivorous 
Inig  we  ever  saw. 

As  a  multiplier  you  are  a  success. 
You   can   winter   in   a    refrigerator   in   Mani- 
toba   and    come   out    fresh    and   Inuigry    in   the 
spring. 
Or, 

You  can  sit  at  the  top  of  a  spliced  two-story 
thermometer  and  eat  the  mercury  as  serenely 
as  if   it  was  ice  water. 

But  then  you  are  no  more  in  these  parts. 
We've  gone  out  of  the  hopper  business. 
And   intend   to   keep   out. 
It  is  not  profitable. 
It    is   not  pleasant. 

We  tackled  him  with  fire,  smoke  and  brim- 
stone,   and    they    availed    nothing. 

But  tar-dozers  and  Fast  Day  fetched  him! 
The    last    hopper    has   crawled   up   our   trow- 
sers'   leg   for   the   last   time,  we   hope. 

That  is  a  peculiarity  peculiar  to  hoppers, 
and  they  don't  seem  to  care  whether  one  is  in 
company  or  in  church. 

But   lie   is   now   beyond   the   confines   of   hop- 
perdom,  and  that's  what  makes  us  liappy, 
Sound   the   tom-tom. 
Blow   the  hew-gag. 
Or  vice  versa  if  you  want  to. 
Locusts  and  wild  honey  may  do  for  a  diet 
ill   case  of   emergency,  but   no  man   hereabouts 
will    of    his    own    choice    take    locusts   in    his'n 
hereafter.     We  have  no  doubt  he   is  a  blessing 
in  disguise,  but  there  is  no  disgui.sing  the  fact 
that    our   people    privately    prefer    a    different 
disguise. 

But  he  is  gone. 

Fare  ye  well,  you  gluttonous,  voracious  gor- 
mandizer! 

Warble  the  doxology. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


REMINISCENT  (Continued). 

MUSKRATS^  POLITICS  AND  RELIGION. 
(By  George  C.  Chamterlin). 


YOU  know  in  those  early  days  al- 
most everybody  caught  muskrats 
— iniuisters,  lawyers,  and  if  we 
liad  happened  to  have  had  doctors  they 
would  have  been  compelled  to  catch 
muskrats  in  order  to  have  made  a  living. 
Rev.  Peter  Baker  may  or  may  not  have 
caught  2nuskrats,  but  if  he  did  it  would 
liave  been  regarded  as  honorable,  legiti- 
mate, if  not  absolutely  necessary. 

It  is  said  that  on  a  certain  Sunday  an 
appointment  had  been  given  out  for  a 
meeting  at  his  liouse,  and  the  settlers  had 
gathered  from  far  and  near  until  the  lit- 
tle house  was  completely  filled.  He  was 
al)ont  to  open  the  exercises  when  some  of 
his  family  stepped  up  and  quietly  inform- 
ed him  that  there  was  a  mink  in  his  trap. 
Now,  mink  skins  were  worth  three  or  four 
dollars  at  that  time,  and  for  once  the 
good  elder  halted  between  two  opinions — 
whether  to  immediately  supply  spiritual 
food  to  that  audience,  or  bread  and  butter 
to  his  family.  He  concluded  he  couJd 
supply  both,  asked  to  be  excused  for  twen- 
ty minutes,  and  proceeded  to  his  trap,  not 
far  away,  dispatched  the  mink,  reset  the 
trap,  and  returned  to  his  waiting  audience. 
When  he  left  he  was  about  to  give  out  the 
familiar  hymn : 


This  is  the  day  I  long  have  sought, 
And  mourned  because  I  found   it  not. 

And  he  continued  to  turn  the  leaves  to 
the  hymn,  but  before  he  found  it  com- 
menced : 

This  is  the  day  I  long  have  sought, 
And  now  rejoice  that  mink  is  caught. 

Yes,  nearly  all  caught  muskrats  in 
those  days.  County  officers  caught  musk- 
rats,  and  it  was  almost  necessary  that  they 
smell  of  muskrat  in  order  to  be  elected. 
Why,  I  happened  to  be  elected  to  the  leg- 
islature one  year,  and  when  I  got  down 
to  St.  Paul  they  doubted  whether  I  ought 
to  be  sworn  in  because  my  certificate  of 
election  didn't  smell  of  muskrat;  and 
do  you  believe  it,  when  the  session  was 
about  half  elapsed,  Clark  Thompson,  who 
then  owned  the  Southern  Minnesota  rail- 
road and  about  half  the  land  in  southern 
Minnesota  and  wanted  to  scoop  in  what 
there  was  left  for  the  railroads,  brought 
down  a  trapper  from  the  southern  part  of 
Martin  county,  whose  credentials  were 
perfectly  saturated  with  muskrat,  and  they 
actually  unseated  me,  sent  me  home,  and 
gave  him  my  seat.  Of  course  he  was  plac- 
ed upon  committees  where  I  had  served ; 
consequently  the  trapper  was  chairman 
of  tlie  committee  on  printing  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  session.     The  next  year  I 


19 


313 


314 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


took  the  precaution  to  make  my  creden- 
tials solid,  and  I  was  permitted  to  remain 
the  entire  session. 

AN   EAELT   JIAlUtlAOE. 
(By  Major  H.  S.  Bailey.) 

I  want  to  relate  one  little  incident  to 
show  liow  prompt  our  officers  were  in 
pcrforjiiiag  their  oflicial  duties.  At  the 
first  town  meeting  held  in  Des  Jloincs, 
April  2,  186G,  there  was  one  Simon,  whose 
surname  was  Olson,  who  was  elected  a 
justice  of  the  peace.  Upon  the  same 
evening  of  the  election  he  took  the  oath 
of  office  and  filed  his  official  bond,  and, 
being  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the  stat- 
utes of  Minnesota,  he  went  home  a  full- 
fledged  squire.  Whether  he  slept  any 
that  night  or  whether  ho  sat  up  all  night 
to  study  law  we  are  not  informed ;  but 
the  next  Monday  he  ate  his  breakfast  as 
usual,  donned  his  best  suit  of  store  clothes, 
and,  after  looking  in  the  glass  to  make 
sure  that  he  was  the  right  man,  took  the 
statute  under  his  arm  and  started  to  find 
a  job. 

He  had  not  far  to  go  before  he  found  a 
woman  who  seemed  perfectly  willing  to 
sacrifice  herself  upon  the  hymeneal  altar, 
providing  a  suitable  man  could  be  secur- 
ed. After  some  difficulty,  he  found  a 
niMu  that,  to  all  appearances,  was  eligi- 
ble to  fill  the  responsible  position  of  hus- 
band, and,  after  using  some  very  per- 
suasive arguments,  the  man  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  was  not  best  for  man 
to  live  alone,  and,  accordingly,  accompan- 
ied the  squire  to  the  residence  of  the  lady 
aforesaid.  Whether  the  squire  read  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States  or  the 
declaration  of  independence,  or  what  the 
ceremony  was,  we  are  not  informed,  but 
it  concluded  by  his  pronouncing  them 
husband  and  wife  according  to  the  form 
(if  the  statute  in  such  cases  made  and  pro- 


vided and  against  the  peace  and  dignity 
of  the  ;;tate  of  Minnesota. 

This  was  the  first  marriage  celebrated 
after  the  organization  of  the  county,  on 
the  ninth  day  of  April,  1866. 

TROUBLES    OF    A    JUSTICE. 

Jlany  ludicrous,  as  well  as  distressing, 
events  occurred  in  Jackson  county  during 
the  hard  times  that  occurred  soon  after 
the  county  was  organized. 

When  the  first  town  meeting  was  held 
in  Petersburg,  in  .Vpril,  ISGG,  two  jus- 
tices of  the  peace  were  elected,  one  living 
in  Petersburg  township  proper,  the  other 
living  near  l/oon  lake  in  what  is  now 
Minneota  township.  As  everybody  was 
peaceably  inclined,  there  was  not  much 
for  a  justice  to  do  that  year.  But  about 
Christmas  time  the  Loon  lake  justice  was 
overwheluiod  with  work.  8i.\  people  came 
to  him  desiring  to  be  made  into  three, 
and  such  a  wholesale  order  was  not  to  be 
ca.<t  aside.  He  proceeded  to  perform  the 
marriage  ceremonies  in  his  best  style,  and 
the  newly  married  went  away  happy. 

Three  or  four  weeks  later  some  one  in- 
formed the  justice  that  he  had  made  him- 
self criminally  liable  for  marrying  peo- 
ple who  had  not  first  secured  a  license. 
He  became  alarmed  and  sought  advise  as 
to  the  best  way  out  of  the  scrape.  Some 
one  advised  him  that  the  best  way  would 
lie  for  the  parties  to  procure  licenses  and 
lie  married  over  and  thus  legalize  the  af- 
fair. This  struck  the  justice  as  the  prop- 
er way  out  of  the  dilema,  and  he  proceed- 
ed to  notify  the  parties  accordingly.  The 
first  couple  tliought  so,  too,  and  wanted 
the  job  done  up  strong.  The  second 
couple  were  satisfied  and  said  they  would 
risk  the  former  man-iage.  The  third  couple 
lived  just  over  the  line  in  Iowa,  and  when 
the  justice  broke  the  situation  to  them, 
the  man  .=aid:  "Good;  I  am  glad  of  it; 
I've  liad  enough  of  married  life:  I'll  (uiit 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


315 


and  don't  want  to  be  married  again."  The 
■B-onian  cliimed  in:  "All  right;  if  you're 
sick  of  it,  I  am,  and  if  you  want  to  leave, 
leave,  .so  now."  And  they  separated.  This 
is  the  only  instance  on  record  where  a 
justice  of  the  peace  granted  a  divorce. 

EAULY   JUSTICE   COURTS. 

The  duties  of  early  day  justices  of  the 
peace  were  not  entirely  taken  up  with 
performing  marriage  ceremonies^  and 
sometimes  the  courts  were  attended  with 
ludicrous  scenes  and  results.  George  C. 
Chamberlin,  in  the  -Jackson  Eepublic  of 
January  27,  1888,  tells  of  his  recollec- 
tions of  some  of  these  events: 

"I  recall  the  first  justice  court  held  in 
Jackson,  or  on  the  original  townsite.  It 
was  early  in  the  spring  of  1867,  and  was 
held  in  'J'.  A.  White's  store.  A  Mr.  Black- 
nu'i-  wa-  buidling  a  mill  up  the  river  and 
refused  to  pay  the  farmers  in  the  vicin- 
ity who  had  labored  in  the  construction 
of  the  mill  and  dam,  and  naturally  they 
commenced  an  action  to  recover,  ilr. 
Blackmer  In-ought  3tl.  E.  L.  Shanks  from 
Fairmont  to  attend  to  his  interests,  and 
the  boys  here  secured  one  of  our  citizens 
to  pro.secute  the  case,  there  not  being  at 
that  time  a  lawyer  in  the  county.  Major 
Bailey  was  the  justice,  and  he  and  the 
unlearned  and  unlicensed  home  attorney 
beat  Blackmer  and  Shanks,  but  Black- 
mer beat  on  execution. 

"That  little  building  on  the  corner  of 
Second  and  Ashley  streets  is  replete  with 
scenes  and  incidents  of  early  days  in 
Jackson.  It  was  the  first  building  lathed 
and  plastered  in  the  county.  Commission- 
ers held  sessions  there;  Eev.  Peter  Baker 
held  services  there,  and  during  the  win- 
ter of  1867-68  school  was  taught  in  the 
building.  Major  Bailey  was  holding  court 
there  on  one  occasion  when  Evan  Her- 
brandson  led  up  a  smiling  damsel,  and, 
looking  square  in  at  the  door,  announced 


matrimonial  intentions;  whereupon  the 
Major  suspended  proceedings,  and  right 
then  and  there  made  two  hearts  beat  as 
one  inside  of  five  minutes,  and  then  went 
on  with  his  court. 

"There  were  occasionally  assault  and 
battery  cases  in  those  days  that  never 
came  to  trial.  I  recall  one  case  where 
the  doctor  who  was  called  to  attend  one  of 
the  parties  to  a  scrimmage  reported  hard- 
ly a  strong  enough  case  to  warrant  an  ar- 
rest. A  slight  wound  was  inflicted  by 
one  of  the  assaulters  and  a  physician  was 
called  to  dress  it.  The  doctor  was  re- 
puted to  be  not  particularly  skillful  in  sur- 
gery, but  he  had  stowed  away  in  his  mem- 
ory a  few  medical  and  anatomical  phrases, 
to  be  used  as  occasion  might  arise.  He  re- 
turned from  the  scene  of  the  fracas,  and 
of  course  there  was  a  rush  to  the  buggy 
to  learn  the  result.  He  made  the  affair 
out  not  a  serious  matter  and  remarked 
that  there  were  lout  a  few  scratches  by  a 
knife  about  the  diaphram  and  the  epiglot- 
tis.' A  bystander  turned  to  go,  and  an- 
swered further  inquiries  by  stating  that 
the  doctor  said  there  was  no  trouble,  only 
that  the  'diafrown  was  up  and  the  epami- 
nondous  was  down.'  The  diagnosis  was 
accepted,  and  that  was  the  last  of  the 
ease." 

A  WIFE  AS  A  JAILOR. 

The  primitive  condition  of  Jackson 
county  under  its  first  organization  led 
to  many  a  queer  official  proceeding,  viewed 
in  the  light  of  present  conditions.  The 
story  is  told  that  in  1861  Joseph  Muck, 
who  with  his  large  family  had  come  to 
.Jackson  county  and  settled  near  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Jackson  in  1858,  had  a  row 
with  a  traveling  minister  and  struck  him 
with  a  club.  Muck  was  promptly  arrested 
and  taken  Ijefore  Judge  Simon  Olson, 
then  a  justice  of  the  peace,  who  fined  the 
prisoner  ten  dollars  or  ten  days  in  jail. 


316 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


Muck  chose  the  latter.  It  is  stated  that 
at  the  time  the  nearest  jail  was  at  St. 
Paul,  and  that  Israel  ¥.  Eddy,  who  was 
the  county  sheriff,  was  too  busy  catching 
muskrats  to  think  of  making  such  a  trip; 
so  he  appointed  Mrs.  Jluck  deputy  sher- 
iff and  made  her  licr  liusband's  jailor. 
J^lrs.  Muck,  so  the  story  runs,  worked  her 
prisoner  in  the  garden  ten  days  and  then 
put  in  a  bill  for  ten  days'  board,  which 
was  allowed  by  the  county  commissioners. 

A  partial  verification  of  this  story  is 
found  among  the  few  county  records  of 
the  first  organization  wliich  have  been  pre- 
served. In  a  little  book  containing  a  rec- 
ord of  county  warrants  issued,  I  find  that 
warrants  numbered  58  to  62,  inclusive, 
were  drawn  in  favor  of  Josepli  Muck,  all 
under  date  of  October  4,  18G1.  Tliese 
were  for  a  total  of  $14 — the  first  four 
for  three  dollars  each,  the  last  one  for 
two  dollars.  The  form  of  the  entries  is 
as  follows: 

No.  58.  Oct.  4,  18G1.  Josepli  Muck,  for 
wife's  services  as  jailor  and  prisoner's  board, 
$3.00. 

Muck  had  had  the  satisfaction  of  beat- 
ing the  minister,  had  settled  his  ten  dol- 
lar fine,  had  received  fourteen  dollars 
from  the  county  and  had  got  his  garden 
hoed;  and  the  court  was  ready  for  the 
next  case. 

"a  clodhopper." 
(By  Tom  Mather.) 

We  still  have  a  vague  recollection  of 
our  first  communication  for  the  Republic 
over  tlie  non  de  plume  of  "A  Clodliopper," 
protesting  against  accepting  aid  from  the 
state  and  advertising  to  the  world  our- 
selves as  "grasshopper  sufferers."  The 
very  first  article  stirred  up  a  veritable 
hornefs  nest,  and  a  shower  of  indigna- 
tion from  half  a  score  of  correspondents, 
among  whom  were  John  Davies,  Jareb 
Talmcr  and  "Bluejoint"  [John  A.  Spaf- 
ford.]     All  luirled  hot  shot  at  us  through 


the  Ifcpublic  with  a  vindictiveness  tliat 
requind  lively  imagination  on  tlie  part 
of  "A  Clodhopper"  to  prepare  tlie  next 
week's  article  of  defense. 

We  \\ere  down  on  father's  old  home- 
stead in  Petersburg  in  those  days,  a  bare- 
footed boy  who  prided  himself  on  being 
an  expert  driver  of  tiie  meanest  yoke  of 
oxen  that  ever  heard  "Geo,  Buck."  Tlie 
only  time  we  could  devote  to  the  news- 
paper controversy  was  out  in  the  field, 
and  we  penciled  our  notes  on  the  plow 
beam  a  few  minutes  at  a  time  while  Buck 
mid  Bright  panted  at  the  end  of  the  fur- 
row. Of  course  it  was  impossible  to  keep 
the  manuscript  clean,  but  good-natured 
Editor  Chamberlin  said,  "no  matter  so 
long  as  my  devil  can  read  it." 

Arthur  Dunn  was  the  "devil"  alluded 
to.  He  had  been  an  apprentice  in  the  Re- 
public office  for  about  six  months  and 
was  then  able  to  put  on  the  customary 
village  boy  airs,  wear  cowhide  shoes, 
"store-made"  overalls,  a  calico  shirt,  a 
pair  of  suspenders  made  of  blue  denim 
and  a  ten  cent  chip  hat  that  certainly 
looked  more  swell,  if  not  as  durable,  than 
the  ones  mother  used  to  braid  from  wheat 
straw.  His  sun-burned  countenance  was 
bleaching  out,  several  of  the  largest  of 
his  numerous  freckles  had  disappeared, 
and  he  was  quite  a  stj'lish  looking  fellow 
and  the  envy  of  us  neighbor  boys.  Arthur 
had  not  forgotten  how  a  few  months  be- 
fore he,  too,  was  out  on  a  farm  punching 
his  father's  steers  around  a  forty  acre 
field  like  every  other  farmer  boy  in  tho«e 
days,  working  from  daylight  to  dark, 
shoeless,  and  with  feet  so  calloused  as  to 
be  impervious  to  thorns  and  thistles.  He 
encouraged  us  by  saying,  "Your  article 
was  all  right,  ToTn ;  hit  'em  again,"  and 
we  did. 

We  don't  remember  much  as  to  the  gen- 
oral  character  of  our  boyish  contributions, 
l)ut    it   is   a   wonder   they   ever  got   into 


HISTOKY  OP  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


317 


print.  We  long  since  learned  that  news- 
paper correspondence  was  not  our  long 
suit,  and  we  rarely  attempt  it. 

A  POLITICAL  DEAL. 
(By  George  C.  Cliamberlin.)' 

I  cannot  refrain  from  commencing  by 
supplying    a    sort    of    addenda    to    Mr. 
Strong's  mention  of  early  county  officers, 
alluded  to  in  his  last  letter.     It  was  the 
first  time  he    (Mr.    Strong)    was   elected 
county   auditor   and   in  the   campaign  of 
18G9.     The   county  convention  was   held 
comparatively  early  and  a  full  ticket  was 
placed   in   nomination,    which   apparently 
gave  satisfaction.    No  one  seemed  partic- 
ularly displeased,  and  no  grumblings  of 
cliques  were  apparent  on  the  corners.  Cer- 
tainly, for  once,  the  campaign  indicated 
a  monotonous  and  one-sided  affair.    Elec- 
tion day  came,   and  in  this  town    [Des 
Moines]    polls   were   opened    at   the   old 
school    house,    then    standing    near    the 
bayou,  at  the  southern  terminus  of  Fourth 
street.    Regular  tickets  were  supplied,  and 
not  a  single  opposition  ticket  was  visible 
to  the  naked  eye.     I  remember  meeting 
Mr.   Joseph   Thomas   returning  from   the 
polls,  who  took  occasion  to  speak  of  the 
quiet  and  peaceful  election,   saying:     "I 
tell  you,  George,  they  have  got  to  put  you 
and  me  on  the  ticket  in  order  to  have  any 
fun — they  have,  surc's  you'm  here." 

The  liour  of  five  o'clock  was  announced. 
The  box  was  turned  and  canvassing  com- 
menced, when  utter  astonishment  was  de- 
picted on  numerous  countenances  as  the 
canvassers  were  confronted  with  neatly 
printed  opposition  ballots,  following  the 
regulars  in  nearly  equal  proportion.  The 
result  was  announced,  and  I  remember 
that  indignation  and  joy  were  both  cliokcd 
down  on  that  occasion. 

The  opposition  tickets  displayed  the 
names  of  M.  A.  Strong  for  county  audi- 

27'^i888'^'"^'^    '"    ""^    Jack.'son    Republic    January 


tor,  J.  W.  Hunter  for  treasurer,  Anders 
Roe  for  sheriff,  and  other  names  I  do  not 
recall.  There  were  then  but  five  organized 
townships  in  the  county,  and  no  opposi- 
tion tickets  were  distributed  in  either 
Wisconsin  or  Minneota.  Belmont  at  that 
tune  included  the  entire  north  half  of 
tlie  county,  and  early  the  day  after  elec- 
tion Ole  E.  Olson  brought  the  result  to 
Jackson,  announcing  the  vote  of  that  town 
solidly  for  the  opposition,  which  demon- 
strated a  majority  in  the  county  of  about 
thirty  for  Hunter  and  Eoe,  but  Strong 
lacked  two  of  being  elected.  Soon  George 
Stone  appeared  on  the  scene  with  the  vote 
of  Petersburg,  which  also  developed  a  ma- 
jority for  the  dark  lanterns,  thus  electing 
Strong  by  a  majority  of  two  or  three. 

Stone  rather  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag 
when  he  remarked  in  the  presence  of  two 
or  three  of  the  regular  candidates:  "By 
Jock,  we  shouldn't  have  known  anything 
about  it  if  Tom  White  hadn't  brought 
down  those- tickets  just  before  the  polls 
were  opened." 

The  regular  ticket  may  have  been  a 
good  one,  but  opposition  seemed  the  life 
of  elections  in  those  days..  At  the  same 
time  I  must  say  with  all  due  deference  to 
the  good  officers  we  had  before  and  have 
had  since,  none  has  been  truer  or  more 
faithful  and  honest  than  those  elected  on 
the  occasion  mentioned. 

JOirN   DAVIES  AND  THE  CRANE. 
(By  .John   Davies.) 

Being  ignorant  at  first  as  to  the  con- 
tingencies  and  casualties  attendant  upon 
pioneer  life,  of  the  very  many  ludicrous 
scrapes  I  encountered  I  will  relate  just 
two.  -  Observing  a  large  crane  with  a 
l)roken  wing  lingering  on  the  west  side  of 
my  farm  one  day  and  having  never  seen 
one  at  close  quarters,  I  proposed  to  cap- 
ture him  alive  to  serve  as  a  pet  for  diver- 
sion around  my  cot  on  the  prairie  lea.    I 


318 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


started  iu  tla-  eliasc  afoot  in  groat  glee; 
but  when  about  half  waj'  to  iluir's,  im- 
agine my  horror  at  the  hideous  picture, 
taller  than  myself,  witli  eyes  like  two  red 
buttons,  and  a  beak  like  a  pointed  mill- 
pick,  wheel  arouiiil  and  lunge  at  me  with 
the  vigor  of  a  fiend.  Horrified  at  tlie 
idea  of  being  murdered  right  there  in 
cold  blood.  I  instinctively  grabbed  its  long 
neck  with  a  death  grip,  and,  hap]Mly. 
when  I  recovered  consciousness,  I  found 
that  I  was  the  victor,  but  I  carried  a  big 
bunch  on  the  top  of  my  head  from  the 
ruthless  swing  of  its  titanic  beak  for 
weeks  after. 

.\t  another  time,  while  mowing  hay 
with  a  scytlie  near  the  upper  end  of  Stony 
brook,  a  litter  of  polecats,  a  little  bigger 
than  full  grown  mice,  came  scattering 
around  my  feet.  From  a  sense  of  pity  for 
the  poor  creatures  in  so  desolate  a  coun- 
try, and  thinking  them  too  young  to  make 
a  disturbance,  I  tenderly  picked  one  up 
by  the  tail  to  show  it  to  my  son,  who  stood 
in  the  distance,  when  '''Hwcheo !"  the  lit- 
tle villain  let  me  have  one  smack  in  the 
face,  and  while  I  was  hopping  up  and 
down  like  a  scalded  fiend,  yelling  for  a 
pitchfork,  Ed  lay  limp  ami  lielples.-;  on  the 
ground  from  laughter. 

KAHLY    D.\Y    M.\IL   FACILITIES. 

.Ml  mail  to  Jackson  county  in  the  early 
days  was  carried  by  pony  express  and  by 
stages.  Not  until  1872  did  a  railroad 
penetrate  (he  county,  and  it  was  not  un- 
til isrs  that  the  people  of  the  county 
seat  ^nllage  had  their  mail  brought  to 
them  by  railway.  .\s  the  county  had  re- 
ceived considerable  settlement  prior  to 
these  dates,  the  stage  and  mail  lines  be- 
came important  institutions.  The  Jack- 
son Republic  of  April  29,  1871,  told  of 
the  mail  facilities  of  that  time  and  com- 
pared them  with  those  in  days  gone  by : 

"The  three  or  four  hacks  that  we  see 


aliii(i>t  daily  come  and  go  to  and  from  the 
po^tolfiee  in  Jackson  have  led  us  to  ret- 
rospect of  late.  Less  than  four  years  ago 
all  the  mail  that  reached  us  was  that  by 
the  way  of  Kuimet,  Iowa,  carried  once  a 
week  by  Frank  Bailey  on  horseback.  Each 
recurring  'I'luirsday  did  a  large  commun- 
ity assemble  at  Jo.«epli  Thomas'  old  log 
hotel  for  a  week's  supply  of  letters  and 
papers,  St.  Paul  papers  being  nearly  two 
weeks  old  when  they  reached  us.  The 
dozen  or  two  letters  were  poured  out  of 
the  little  canvass  sack  upon  the  counter, 
and  nearly  the  entire  number  passed  out 
to  the  several  owners,  while  a  few  were 
laid  quietly  back  on  a  small  shelf  to  be 
called  for  by  their  owners.  The  salary  of 
the  postmaster  then  aggregated  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $36  annually. . 

"Things  are  somewhat  changed  now. 
.Vt  the  present  time  Postmaster  Strong 
makes  up  and  distributes  twenty-two 
mails  per  week,  and  instead  of  one  circuit- 
ous route,  si.\  different  mail  routes  center 
here.  The  little  canvass  horseback  sack 
has  given  place  to  a  dozen  or  so  mam- 
Tuoth  leather  ones,  and  instead  of  Frank 
coming  in  on  his  galloping  horse,  we  see, 
on  the  five  new  routes  that  have  been  es- 
tablished since  that  time,  hacks  loaded 
down  with  jiassengers  and  ex])ress  mat- 
ter." 

.Mthough  during  the  early  .seventies 
mail  routes  were  in  operation  froni  several 
(lilTerent  jioints.  during  the  winter  and 
spring  months  mail  facilities  were  not  al- 
ways (be  best,  being  often  put  out  of 
commission  because  of  storms  and  poor 
roads.  Said  the  "Republic  of  February  1, 
1R73: 

"Although  most  of  our  stages  on  the 
dilTorent  routes  have  made  frequent,  and, 
in  many  instances,  regular  trips,  yet  their 
mail  sacks  are  brought  in  devoid  of  any 
mail  matter,  and  the  once  welcome  stages 
now  lose  their  attraction.     St.  Paul  pa- 


HISTOEY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


319 


pers  have  nnt  reaclieil  us  since  those  of 
two  weeks  ago,  ami  all  otlier  mail  is  de- 
linquent according! \-.  Oi'  tlie  stage  routes, 
the  Spencer  stage  has  been  most  regular 
of  any  of  the  tri-weekly  routes,  and  has 
lost  but  few  tri]>s.  The  Blue  Earth  City 
stage  comes  next  in  order,  and  has  made 
nearly  the  required  number  of  trips.  The 
Windom  stage  makes  frequent  trips,  but 
seldom  brings  us  even  a  stray  letter.  The 
Winnebago  stage  occasionally  comes  in 
with  a  few  papers  that  have  been  from 
two  to  tbi'ee  weeks  on  their  way  from  the 
offices  of  publication  to  their  destination ; 
that  route  which  we  once  felt  safe  to  bet 
on  has  now  become  the  most  provoking 
and  dilatory,  though  perhaps  the  ma- 
neuvers of  the  Southern  Minnesota  rail- 
road are  mainly  to  blame  for  this  imposi- 
tion on  our  community.  The  St.  Jame.s 
stage  makes  a  trip  semi-occasionally,  and 
sometimes  brings  in  a  copy  of  the  Madelia 
Times.  _  The  Estherville  stage  makes  its 
regular  weekly  trips,  but  of  course  has  no 
mail  to  carry. 

"We  have  exhausted  our  last  year's 
stock  of  almanacs  in  getting  copy  for  our 
compositors,  and,  unless  we  get  a  mail, 
shall  make  a  raid  on  our  scrap  book  and 
dictionary  next  week.  We  should  feel 
disconsolate  did  we  not  have  evidence  that 
other  places  were  less  favored  than  our- 
selves." 

For  some  time  after  the  editor  thus  be- 
wailed the  fate  of  the  mail-deprived  com- 
munity conditions  did  not  improve.  But 
on  February  l-"),  the  newspaper  reported 
the  end  of  the  blockade: 

"The  Winnebago  City  stage  came  in 
Monday  evening  and  brought  a  regular 
old-fashioned  mail.  Four  largo  sacks  were 
filled,  the  whole  weighing  15fi  pounds. 
We  [the  Eepublic]  received  Just  153  pack- 
ages by  actual  count.  We  were,  of  course, 
glad  to  get  it,  but  would  prefer  to  take 
it  more  frequently  and  in  smaller  doses."' 


liVDIAN  SCAEES. 

From  the  time  of  the  Belmont  mas- 
sacre in  1862  down  to  1876  there  was  an 
occasional  Indian  scare  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty, although  none  of  them  originated  with 
Indians.  But  the  settlers,  living  in  a 
sparsely  settled  country  and  having  the 
details  of  the  two  terrible  attacks  that  had 
been  made,  were  apprehensive  when  the 
occasional  rumors  of  Indian  outbreak 
were  circulated.  One  such  scare,  of  a 
local  nature,  came  in  August,  1866.  The 
story  is  told  by  F.  E.  Marshall,  an  early 
settler,  who  wrote  on  December  29,  1894 : 

"We  saw  the  Des  Moines  river  for  the 
first  time  about  the  middle  of  May,  1866, 
and  camped  in  the  grove  a  few  rods  south- 
west of  Mr.  Thomas'  house.  There  we  re- 
jnained  a  couple  of  weeks,  until  a  bark 
and  puncheon  shanty  could  be  erected  on 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  12.  We 
enjoyed  life  as  only  new  settlers  can,  un- 
til about  the  middle  of  August,  when  an 
incident  occurred,  which  T  shall  try  to  re- 
late. 

"All  being  tranquil,  about  the  middle  of 
August  the  men  went  back  to  the  eastern 
]jart  of  the  state  to  work  through  harvest 
and  bring  back  the  winter's  supplies, 
leavinii'  their  families  in  quiet  possession 
of  their  bark  shanties.  The  weather  was 
tine,  and  all  went  well  until  that  day  in 
the  middle  of  x\u.gust.  On  the  afternoon 
of  that  day  a  family  who  had  a  claim  in 
section  8,  Wisconsin  township,  made  a 
visit  at  the  bark  shanty,  stayed  to  tea, 
and  about  sundown  started  for  their  home. 
The  favorite  driving  team  of  this  man 
from  section  8  was  a  yoke  of  three-year- 
old  stags,  M'hich  he  was  wont  to  call  his 
'bull-pouts';  the  carriage  was  the  running 
gear  of  a  lumber  wagon,  w-ith  a  board 
from  one  bolster  to  the  other  for  a  seat. 
The  man  had  a  defect  of  eyesight  that 
made  it  impossible  for  him  to  distinguish 
objects  after  sundown. 


320 


HlSTOliY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


"The  visitors  had  been  pone  half  an 
hour  or  so  when  an  unusual  racket,  com- 
ing from  the  east,  brought  the  occupants 
of  the  shanty  to  tlic  outside.  The  first 
glance  i^howed  our  lately  departed  visitors 
returning  in  great  haste.  The  tongues  of 
the  'bull-pouts'  nearly  reached  the  ground, 
and  the  man  from  section  8  was  applying 
the  'persuader'  as  only  a  frightened  man 
could.  At  the  sight  a  panic  struck  those 
at  the  shanty,  and,  thinking  their  late 
visitors  had  met  with  some  terrible  acci- 
dent, rushed  to  meet  thcni,  all  asking  at 
once,  'What  has  happened?'  It  was  sev- 
eral seconds  before  they  could  get  breath 
sufficient  to  gasp  out. 

'■'Indians?'  was  the  incredulous  in- 
quiry. 

"'Yes,  six  of  them.  They  are  hiding 
in  the  grass  by  the  slough  on  section  7.' 

"'Are  you  sure?     It  can't  be  possible!' 

"  'Oh,  I  saw  them  as  plain  as  day. 
They  have  on  gray  lilankcls.  and  all  have 
guns.' 

"This  was  the  blood-curdling  story  of 
the  lady  from  section  8.  A  council  was 
liurricdly  held,  and  it  was  decided  that 
wc  could  not  defend  the  shanty.  Flight 
was  our  only  hope.  But  where  to  go? 
Some  one  suggested  Mr.  Baldwin's;  ho 
had  a  log  house.  The  suggestion  was  in- 
stantly adopted.  Should  we  take  a  team? 
Xo;  it  would  make  too  much  noise.  Has- 
tily gathering  up  the  firearms  that  were 
left  in  the  defense  of  the  shanty,  consist- 
ing of  an  old  rifle  that  couldn't  be  fired 
and  a  Colt's  revolver  that  had  a  disagree- 
able habit — if  you  fired  one  chamber  the 
rest  would  follow  stiit — we  stole  out  into 
the  now  dark  night.  Your  correspond- 
ent, leading  and  carrying  the  weapons, 
and  Jfr.  'Man  from  section  8,  carrying 
their  little  kid,  and  carefully  led  by  Mr.--. 
Lady  from  section  8,  bringing  up  the 
rear,  swiftly  and  silently  took  the  track 
across  the  peaceful  prairie  to  Mr.  Bald- 


win's. Arriving  there,  we  knocked  at  the 
door,  at  first  gently,  then  louder;  but 
there  was  no  response.  They  were  gone. 
'J'lioy  had  been  warned  and  had  fled.  What 
sho-.ild  we  do  next?  'J'ry  Alonson's? 
They,  too,  had  a  log  house. 

"Again  wc  were  tramping  through  the 
dew-wet  grass,  this  time  in  the  direction 
of  Monson's.  We  were  soon  there,  and 
found  them  peacefully  sleeping  the  sleep 
of  the  tired.  Arousing  them,  we  quickly 
tell  the  story  of  our  danger.  The  boys, 
who  are  sleeping  in  out-buildings,  are  has- 
tily summoned,  the  log  shanty  quickly 
put  in  condition  for  defense,  the  old  rusty 
guns  and  revolvers  loaded  in  a  way  that 
means  trouble  for  the  man  who  shall  fire 
them  ofT.  An  hour  or  so  passes,  and,  no 
Indians  showing  up,  our  fright  subsides; 
wc  camp  down  on  the  floor  to  try  to  get 
a  little  sleep,  while  one  of  the  Monson 
boys  stands  guard. 

"The  night  passed  at  last,  and,  al- 
though we  were  not  attacked  by  Indians, 
we  had  to  fight  an  army  of  little  red  bugs. 
At  the  first  break  of  day  one  of  the  Mon- 
son boys  went  out  on  a  scout,  and  meet- 
ing no  Indian.',  went  over  to  Mr.  Thomas' 
place  and  gave  the  alarm.  Five  or  six 
men  quickly  mounted  horses  and  armed 
themselves,  and,  led  by  Jim  Palmer,  rode 
out  to  the  slough  on  section  7. 

"A  careful  search  revealed  not  the 
least  trace  of  an  Indian.  But  they  did 
find  six  gray  sand-hill  cranes.  So  ended 
our  first  and  last  Indian  scare." 

In  August,  1872,  there  was  another 
scare  which  had  less  excuse  for  its  origin 
than  even  a  flock  of  cranes.  The  scare  is 
said  tn  have  originated  with  throe  Win- 
dom  men,  who  on  the  night  of  August  10 
went  from  Jackson  to  their  homes,  scat^ 
tering  the  news  along  the  vray  that  half 
the  people  of  the  community  had  been 
killed  by  Indians,    They  reported  having 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


321 


seen  one  or  two  of  the  bodies  of  the  mur- 
dorcd  men  a  few  miles  north  of  Jackson. 
To  add  to  tlie  alarm  and  give  more  show 
of  fact,  the  men  frequently  fired  their 
guns  along  the  road  as  tlie)^  proceeded. 
Some  of  the  settlers  of  Belmont,  through 
which  to\\-nship  the  men  took  their  way, 
had  gone  through  the  Indian  attack  of 
ten  years  before,  and  they  were  quick  to 
take  fright. 

Messengers  were  hastily  started  out  to 
notify  the  settlers,  and  in  consequence 
there  was  a  general  stampede  from  some 
sections  for  safety.  Quite  a  number  from 
the  northern  part  of  the  county  went  to 
Windom ;  others  congregated  at  Independ- 
ence lake  to  make  preparations  for  de- 
fense. As  a  result  of  the  false  alarm 
many  people  were  badly  frightened.  As 
an  instance  of  the  result  of  the  scare  the 
following  letter,  written  by  one  of  the  set- 
tlers to  George  C.  Chamberlin,  is  given: 

Editor  Jackson  Republic:  Tuesday  night, 
between  twelve  and  one  o'clock.  I  was  awak- 
ened by  some  one  calling  me  to  the  door.  I 
arose  and  looked  out  and  saw  four  men  on 
horses,  each  having  a  gun.  I  asked  them 
what  they  wanted  and  they  told  me  they 
wanted  to  see  me.  I  know  it  did  not  look 
very  ]deasant  to  see  those  men  there  at  that 
time  of  night;  I  did  ndt  know  but  that  they 
were  Ku-klu.x  or  Greeley  men;  but  I  knew 
there  were  but  few  Greeley  men  around.  I 
went  to  the  door,  and  they  asked  if  I  were 
not  excited.  T  informed  them  I  was  not.  They 
said  the  Indians  -were  coming;  that  they  had 
killed  three  or  four  families  east  of  .Jackson, 
and  that  the  people  there  were  all  packing  up 
and  leaving  for  Windoni;  that  j-ou  (George  C. 
Chamberlin)  had  telegi-aphed  to  St.  Paul  for 
troops.  They  got  the  report  about  sundown 
Tuesday  and  were  very  much  excited;  the 
women  and  cliildren  were  so  friglitened  that 
they  would  not  go  to  the  door,  and  they  were 
waiting  for  their  men  to  return,  to  leave  or 
try  to  defend  themselves.  As  I  had  been  in 
Jackson  all  the  afternoon,  I  told  them  it  could 
not  be  so,  and  after  a  long  time  they  returned 
to  Heron  Lake,  but  the}'  were  very  much  ex- 
cited. Please  say  through  your  paper  that 
there  has  been  no  one  killed  by  Indians,  that 
the  people  are  all  quiet  on  that  score,  and 
oblige  your  friend, 

J.  IT.  WILLING. 

The  last  Indian  scare  occurred  in  1876 


and  affected  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
county  only.  It  was  during  the  month  of 
July,  when  the  country  was  full  of  the 
news  of  the  terrible  Custer  massacre  on 
the  Little  Big  Horn  in  Montana,  that 
the  news  was  spread  that  the  Sioux  were 
again  on  the  warpath,  determined  to  wipe 
out  the  settlements  in  southwestern  Min- 
nesota. Needless  to  say,  there  were  no 
Indians  within  a  long  distance  of  Jackson 
county  and  no  hostiles  within  several 
hundred  miles. 

The  scare  originated  with  a  boy  named 
Hemphill,  in  the  southern  part  of  Murray 
county.  He  had  been  sent  out  to  rake 
hay,  but,  not  being  of  a  very  enterprising 
nature,  he  conceived  a  plan  to  escape  the 
work.  He  rushed  to  the  house,  crying 
that  the  Indians  had  attacked  him.  A 
man  named  Hampton,  who  was  preparing 
to  leave  the  country,  spread  the  alarm, 
and  within  a  very  short  time  a  full  fledg- 
ed Indian  scare  was  under  way.  In 
southern  Murray  county  and  northern 
Nobles  county  whole  townships  were  de- 
serted, the  people  fleeing  to  the  railroad 
towns  for  protection.  Worthington  was 
full  of  refugees,  and  a  few  deserted  their 
farms  and  hastened  to  Heron  Lake  for 
protection. 

Scouting  parties  were  sent  out  from 
Worthington  and  from  Heron  Lake.  No 
Indians  were  found,  but  the  scouts  soon 
located  the  origin  of  the  scare.  -  When  it 
was  learned  that  there  were  no  Indians  in 
the  country,  the  refugees  returned  to  their 
homes. 

A   JOKE   ON   KIMBALL. 
(By   Thomas  A.  White.)  = 

During  the  summer  of  1867  bands  of 
horses  and  cattle  had  gathered  around  my 
place  nights,  until  it  had  the  appearance 
of   being  headquarters  for   all   the   loose 

=Thomas  ..\.  White  erected  the  first  building 
and  st.irted  the  first  store  in  Jackson.  This  ar- 
ticle was  written  by  him  in  1S88. 


322 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


stock  in  the  county.  Tliese  animals  brouglit 
swarm*  of  mosquitoos  with  them;  in  fact 
that  was  our  moscjuito  yard,  and  wc  wore 
sure  to  have  it  full  every  night.  The  ani- 
mals would  stamp,  liook,  paw  and  fiyld 
mosquitoes  all  night  long:  tlicy  laiily 
madi'  tiio  night  liideous,  and  sleep  was 
ahiinst  out  of  the  question.  We  had 
liiought  tluit  Hlicn  Kirnball's  Iniilding  was 
up  that  hi-  would  at  least  divide  the  stock 
with  us,  but  nary  a  hoof  would  leave.  At 
first  we  could  not  understand  why  all 
stayed  and  Kimball  had  none. 

One  day  ^Ir.  Chamberlin  came  in  and 
said  he  had  solved  the  mystery.  "It  is 
your  infernal  salt  barrels  you  are  throw- 
ing out  tliat  jiolds  the  stock  here.  Kim- 
hall  has  mine  and,  of  course,  no  stock." 
A  (lay  nr  two  later  I  came  out  of  the  cel- 
lar witli  two  i)ails  of  brine,  which  I  in- 
tended 111  throw  out.  Mr.  Chamberlin's 
(|uick  eye  caught  siglit  of  the  brine,  and, 
learning  uiy  intentions,  asked  nie  to  set  it 
asidi'  until  night,  saying  he  bad  use  for 
il.  That  night,  after  Kiniball's  folks  were 
all  snug  ill  bed.  be  carried  the  brine  over 
and  ])ourcd  it  out  around  Kimball's  place, 
where  it  would  do  the  most  good.  It  had 
the  desired  cflcet,  and  Kimball  took  care 
of  the  stock  after  that. 

One  day  Kimball  came  in  after  his 
mail,  looking  carc-wuin  and  disgusted.  Tie 
s|)oke  of  the  stock  and  said :  "I  have  tak- 
en my  cow  thirty  rods  away  to  salt  her 
and  have  been  particularly  careful  that 
there  should  be  no  salt  scattered  about 
my  place,  and  yet  the  cattle  are  eating  the 
ground  to  a  depth  of  four  inches."  Of 
course  I  could  offer  no  explanation,  other 
than  that  the  stock  had  undoubtedly  be- 
come tired  of  my  place  and  had  decided 
to  try  him  for  a  while. 

NEAlt-CArrilfK    OF    TIIK    YOrN'OERS. 
(By  Tlioni.is  E.  .Matlier.) 
There  was  one  exciting  incident  which 
has  probably  been   forgotten.     That  was 


the  attempt  on  the  part  of  .Tacksouites  to 
capture  the  Northfield  bank  robbers. 
Everybody  in  the  west  is  familiar  with 
the  dashing  raid  made  by  the  Fords  and 
Ymingers  on  the  bank  at  Northfield  in 
the  fall  of  lS7(i.  when  they  -shot  the  cash- 
ier and  several  citizens,  who  nuide  it  ex- 
ceedingly hot  for  them,  dropping  two  of 
the  robbers  and  following  the  others  un- 
til the  trail  was  lost  in  the  woods.  The 
bamlits"  cour.se  was  southwest,  and  it  was 
believed  they  crossed  the  I)es  Moines  riv- 
er in  the  vicinity  of  Jackson.  The  Ford 
brothers,  the  only  two  rol)bers  escaping 
capture,  forded  the  river  a  few  miles  above 
town.  The  other  desperadoes  were  shot 
or  captured  within  thirty  miles  of  Jack- 
son. 

To  siy  thai  the  citizens  (if  the  village 
slept  on  their  arms  doesn't  half  express 
it.  They  didn't  sleep  at  all  from  the  fir.=t 
intimation  of  the  outlaws"  ajiproach  until 
they  were  captureil,  hut  gtiarded  evcrv 
fnril.  bridge  and  cniss-road  in  the  locality. 

Toward  midnight,  one  night  during 
this  exciting  period,  as  1  mounted  my 
horse  io  ride  to  my  home  down  in  Peters- 
burg, the  boy.->  jokingly  remarked,  "Look 
out  for  the  robbers,  Tom."  1  galloped 
up  Main  street  t'l  the  bridge,  and  tliere 
my  horse  suddenly  hailed  as  several  dark 
ligures  retreated  beneath  the  i)ridge,  over 
which  passage  was  impossible,  owing  to 
the  inimernus  ropes  and  wires  strung 
across  the  same.  1  bad  heard  nothing  of 
there  being  a  gmird  stationed  anywhere 
to  prevent  the  pa?.«agc  of  the  robbers,  and 
I  stipposeil  some  of  the  boys  were  ))utting 
up  a  jnl)  on  me.  1  remarked:  "1  am 
(<nto  you  kids,  hiding  tinder  the  bridge." 
.Ml  was  still  as  death  for  a  moment,  tlien 
a  trembling  voice  demandtvl :  "Who  is 
it?"  "It's  me,"'  I  replied,  boy  fa.shion. 
"Who  in  h — 's  'me'?  Give  the  counter- 
sign."' T  did  not  know  it;  but  I  gave 
my    name,   after   which    about    twenty   of 


HISTORY  or  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


323 


tlie  most  disappointed  men  you  ever  saw 
sliowcd  lip.  Menzo  Asliley  was  captain 
of  tlie  squad.  "You  blamed  little  fool,"' 
he  said,  "don't  you  know  any  better  than 
to  be  g-alloping  around  the  country  these 
niirhts.  when  the  robbers  are  expected 
every  juoment?"  His  old  shot  gun  was 
loaded  to  the  muzzle  with  buckshot,  and 
he  declared  he  had  a  "bead"  on  me, 
though  I  never  could  figure  it  out,  judg- 
ing from  his  position  under  the  bridge. 
The  crowd  advised  me  to  ford  the  river 
below  the  mill,  but  to  be  cautions,  as  an- 
other party  guarded  that  point. 

Jim  Palmer,  the  veteran  surveyor,  who 
had  fought  Indians  in  the  war  of  Inde- 
pendence, was  in  command.  Al  Strong, 
Bromaghim,  Hunter,  Chamberlin,  Major 
Bailey  and  perhaps  a  dozen  others,  whose 
names  I  have  forgotten,  were  members  of 
this  company.  I  gave  them  my  name, 
and  they  allowed  me  to  cross.  I  supposed 
I  had  passed  all  the  guards  and  now 
breathed  easier.  When  I  reached  the  hill- 
top I  chirped  to  "Billy,"  whose  mettle  I 
had  often  tested  in  moonlight  horse  races 
with  Marshall  Dunn  and  the  Logue  boys, 
and  he  was  speeding  along  at  a  brisk 
canter  at  the  crossroads  on  the  Thomas 
farm,  when  a  sharp  "Halt!  Halt!"  greet- 
ed my  ears. 

I  stopped  very  suddenly,  half  frighten- 
ed out  of  my  wits,  believing  I  must  have 
encountered  the  rolibers.  [  was  much  re- 
lieved when  the  unmistakable  voice  of  Au- 
ditor King  demanded  my  name.  When  I 
recovered  my  breath  T  told  them.  Then 
you  should  have  heard  them  laugh,  as  sev- 
eral tried  to  explain  why  they  had  re- 
treated to  the  corn  field  \vhen  they  suspec- 
ted the  approach  of  a  lone  bandit.  I  be- 
lieve King,  Cowing,  Ben  Ashley  and  San- 
don  were  about  the  only  ones  to  stand 
their  ground  and  level  their  guns,  await- 
ing the  order  of  their  commander  to  shoot. 

Mose  Strong  was  the  captain  of  this 


"brigade,"  and  after  finding  that  it  was 
only  a  badly  frightened  farmer  boy  they 
liad  captured,  he  emerged  from  the  depths 
of  the  corn  field,  remarking,  "Well,  boys, 
all  I  told  you  about  helping  Grant  lick 
the  reljels  at  Gettysburg,  and  of  pulling 
the  throttle  of  the  first  gun  fired  on  Sump- 
ter  was  true,  but  when  I  heard  this  horse 
galloping  down  the  road  I  made  up  my 
mind  I  owed  a  duty  to  my  family  and 
the  creamery  business,  and  that  the  saf- 
est place  for  me  was  in  the  middle  of  the 
corn  field." 

Mose  delivered  himself  of  this  explana- 
tion in  his  characteristic  humor,  and  any- 
one who  has  ever  heard  him  make  a  speech 
can  appreciate  his  style  of  delivery  and 
imagine  how  he  tickled  the  crowd.  Tuttle 
had  actually  gone  so  far  into  the  corn 
field,  in  his  frantic  efforts  to  conceal  him- 
self, as  to  get  lost,  and  it  took  him  some 
time  to  get  his  bearings.  It  appears  C.  B. 
had  amused  the  watchers  all  evening  by 
relating  stories  of  his  hairbreadth  es- 
capes and  encounters  in  his  four  years  of 
army  service.  When  he  found  his  way  out 
of  the  corn  field,  the  boys  naturally  guyed 
him  about  brave  guerilla  hunting  exploits 
in  Texas.  He  said:  "Oh,  you  fellows  may 
laugh,  but  if  you  had  been  tlirough  my 
experience  with  sharpshooters  in  Missouri 
you  wouldn't  want  to  rub  up  against  Cole 
Younger,  either."  Well,  it  cost  Tuttle 
the  cigars  to  suppress  the  story.  The  sher- 
iff didn't  find  hi.s  way  out  of  the  tall 
corn  until  daylight. 

However,  I  don't  believe  the  bandits 
could  ever  have  passed  the  guarded  points 
alive,  for  the  frontier  Minnesotans  were 
crack  shots,  and  it  only  took  the  sniff  of 
a  little  burned  powder  to  nerve  them  to 
the  greatest  bravery,  as  was  proven  a  few 
days  later,  when  the  most  reckless  desper- 
adoes ever  known  were  captured  in  an 
open  fight. 


324 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSOX  rOI'NTY 


RAFTING  THE  D£S  IIOINES. 

Heavy  rains  in  the  spring  of  18T3  made 
the  wagon  roads  of  Jackson  county 
almost  impassable,  and,  as  all  goods 
had  to  be  "freighted"'  into  the  village  of 
Jackson,  mucli  annoyance  and  inconven- 
ience was  caused.  Alexander  Fiddes  and 
Major  H.  S.  Bailey  had  long  been  await- 
ing the  arrival  of  lumber  witli  which  to 
erect  their  business  houses,  and  they  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  rafting  the  lumber 
down  the  Des  Moines  river  from  tlie  rail- 
road at  Windom.  The  river  had  risen  to  a 
great  lieight  in  May,  and  during  that 
month  the  first  cargo  ever  landed  at  Jack- 
son arrived.  The  contract  for  bringing 
the  lumber  down  was  let  to  J.  Dupuis  and 
James  Hubbs,  who  went  to  Windom,  made 
their  raft  and  loaded  the  lumber,  and  ar- 
rived with  it  in  safety  May  24. 

Tliereafter  during  that  spring  and 
summer  rafting  became  popular,  and 
many  loads  were  brought  down  tlie  river 
to  Jackson. 

SNOW  BOATS. 

Tlie  difficulties  of  travel  on  account  of 
tlic  deep  snow  during  the  never-to-be-for- 
gotten winter  of  1880-81  led  to  the  in- 
vention of  a  unique  craft  to  .sail  tlic  snow- 
covered  prairie.*,  known  as  snow  boats.  A 
l)oat  of  this  kind  was  built  with  tlirce 
keels,  eacii  about  the  size  of  a  Norwegian 
snow  shoe — seven  feet  long  and  six  inclies 
wide,  'i'lie  middle  keel  was  fastened  in 
front,  but  was  not  made  fast  behind,  and 
so  served  as  a  rude  rudder.  The  passen- 
gers sat  on  a  platform  attached  to  the 
other  keels.  A  sail  about  eight  feet  square 
was  made  fast  to  a  mast,  and  this  com- 
pleted the  details  of  the  vessel. 

Boats  of  this  kind  could  attain  a  speed 
of  eight  or  ten  miles  an  hour  under  fa- 
vorable circumstances,  one  trip  from  I>akc- 
field  to  Jackson  having  been  made  in  one 
hour  and  ten  minutes.     As  the  steering 


apjwratus  was  primitive,  the  boats  were 
driven  along  in  about  tlie  direction  the 
wind  decreed ;  the  navigators  could  not 
"bout-ship"  or  bear  up  against  the  wind 
to  any  considerable  extent.  When  they 
had  a  definite  course  laid  out  they  often 
had  to  "land"  and  haul  their  vessel  back 
to  its  proper  course.  Such  craft  sailed  un- 
impeded over  corn  fields,  fences,  hayracks 
and  occasionally  over  liouses  and  stables, 
so  dc^p  was  the  snow.  The  pioneers  some- 
times referred  to  their  country  as  the 
"prairie  ocean,"  and  after  it  had  been 
navigated  by  sailing  vessels  the  name  was 
quite  appropriate. 

As  the  railroads  were  blockaded  nearly 
all  winter  and  the  train  crews  tied  up  at 
different  out-of-the-way  stations,  the  rail- 
roitd  men  took  this  means  of  conveyance 
to  reach  their  homes.  In  some  parts  of 
southwestern  Jfinnesota  they  were  put  in- 
to service  to  bring  in  provisions  and  fuel 
to  the  snow-bound  communities. 

IV    ORASSHOPPER    DATS. 

If  one  had  the  time  and  inclination  to 
gather  the  data,  a  volume  of  tliis  size  could 
be  filled  from  cover  to  cover  witli  stories 
of  (he  grasshopper  days  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty, '{'lie  early  seventies  constituted  a  |ia- 
thelic  era  in  our  county,  the  details  of 
which  will  never  he  known  to  those  who 
did  not  re.'iide  here  during  those  jierilous 
times.  Some  living  outside  the  stricken 
area  who  were  asked  to  aid  those  who  were 
at  the  point  of  starvation  pretended  not 
to  believe  the  stories  of  the  sufferings  of 
the  peo])le  of  the  grasshopper  belt.. 

Til  i'iilii,'lil('ii  liimself  as  to  the  true 
conditions.  riov(>rnor  John  S.  Pillsbury, 
during  the  winter  of  ISTfi-TT,  per.~onally 
and  incognito  visiteil  many  parts  of  south- 
western Minnesota,  and  as  a  result  of  his 
investigations,  provisions,  fuel  and  cloth- 
ing were  shipped  direct  to  many  who 
otherwise    would    have   suffered    severely. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


325 


Of  the  governor's  visit  to  Jackson  county 
D.  W.  Edwards,  then  of  Heron  Lake, 
wrote  as  follows  in  January,  1877 : 

"Quite  a  large  quantity  of  relief  goods, 
mostly  provisions,  have  been  shipped  to 
this  station  during  the  last  week  for  par- 
ties near  here  who  were  in  needy  circum- 
stances. They  were  all  from  the  gover- 
nor, who  has  been  around  among  the  peo- 
ple looking  after  the  needy  ones.  The  dis- 
tribution of  this  relief  is  conducted  on 
a  very  difEerent  plan  from  that  pursued  in 
any  previous  year.  There  are  no  goods 
sent  out  promiscuously  to  be  quarreled 
over  or  to  encourage  or  assist  any  who  are 
unworthy  or  can  in  any  possible  way  help 
themselves.  Our  governor  first  goes  over 
the  ground  himself  and  ascertains  the  true 
condition  of  those  to  whom  this  relief  is 
sent.  This  week  he  got  off  the  train  here 
and  went  on  one  of  his  trips  into  the  coun- 
try, where  he  is  passing  around  among  the 
sufferers  as  any  traveler  unknown  to  them, 
searching  out  in  his  quiet  way  those  re- 
ported to  be  in  the  most  destitute  circum- 
stances, and  where  he  finds  such  a  family 
he  books  them  for  provisions  enough  to 
carry  them  through  the  winter.  And  all 
this  is  done  in  so  quiet  and  unassuming 
a  wav  that  the  recipient  does  not  know 
whom  to  thank  for  his  kind  offices  until 
he  is  gone. 

"The  poor  farmer  opens  his  door  to 
the  stranger  and  sets  before  him  his 
scanty  fare.  He  finds  himself  drawn  out 
until  he  frankly  tells  this  kind-hearted 
stranger  his  condition,  and,  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  admits  that  he  knows  not  from 
whence  the  next  sack  of  fiour  is  to  come 
to  keep  starvation  from  his  door,  little 
dreaming  that  he  is  telling  his  sad  tale 
to  Governor  Pillsburj'.  That  poor  widow, 
who  one  week  ago  with  a  sad  heart  broke 
sparingly,  loaf  by  loaf,  among  her  five 
hungry  babes,  looking  ahead  with  a  name- 
less fear  as  she  prayed  'give  us  this  day  our 


daily  bread,'  now  has  'bread  and  to  spare;' 
her  prayer  has  been  heard ;  that  kind- 
hearted  stranger  knocked  at  her  door — 
and  now,  linked  with  her  petition  and 
thanksgiving,  is  a  prayer  for  God's  bles- 
sings upon  him  who  sought  out  and  fed 
the  hungry.  These  kind  deeds  are  simply 
tlie  noble  acts  of  a  noble  man  who  has  the 
welfare  of  his  fellowmen  at  heart.  In  all 
his  intercourse  with  the  people  not  one 
word  is  said  to  encourage  the  asking  for 
assistance,  not  one  word  that  might  break 
down  that  independent,  self-reliant  spir- 
it which  is  the  prop  and  stay  of  all  fron- 
tiersmen and  without  which  we  would  be 
little  (if  any)  better  than  the  lazy  red 
man." 

SWEARING  OFF. 
(Jackson  Republic,  December  30,   1882.) 

We  append  the  following  list  of  men, 
citizens  of  Jackson  who  are  total  abstain- 
ers from  the  "filthy  weed."  The  list  com- 
prises thirty-two  persons,  nearly  all  of 
whom  at  some  time  in  their  lives  have 
been  addicted  to  the  habit,  and  who  are  a 
good  example  to  those  who  "want  to  quit 
Init  can't." 

T.  J.  Knox, 
George  E.  Moore, 
Andrew  E.  Olson, 
Eev.  George  Merritt, 
John  K.  Brown, 

A.  C.  Whitman, 

Eev.  J.  K.  Alexander, 
Major  H.  S.  Bailey, 
W.  S.  Kimball, 
H.  White, 
J.  A.  WiUson. 
W.  D.  Smith, 

B.  W.  Ashley, 
George  C.  Hill, 
F.  W.  Ldndsley, 
George  W.  Arentsen, 
W.  A.  Pepper, 

C.  A.  Campbell, 


326 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY, 


K'.  .1.   Henderson, 

.1.  n.  Habcock, 

Levi  Davis, 

.loliu  Cowing,  St., 

F.  (".  Abbott, 

.1.  (;.  Day, 

Olo  Anderson, 

.1.  Gould, 

II.  H.  Hughes, 

II.  S.  Schlott, 

M.  L.  Ashley, 

F.  L.  Driggs, 

Nathaniel  Frost, 

().  A.  Sathe. 
(Jackson  Republic,  Jainmiy   13,   1883.) 

Our  reporter  has  discovered  a  couple 
of  backsliders  among  those  it  published 
as  non-tobacco  users.  They  abandoned 
the  weed  for  about  three  weeks,  but  the 
visions  of  fragrant  cigars  and  sweet  quids 
were  too  much  for  human  nature.  It  is  no 
"fool"  trick  to  quit  tobacco — don't  for- 
get it. 

RACE    FOR  A   FARM. 

An  amusing  incident  of  pioneers  days 
was  an  unseemly  scramble  for  a  fine  quar- 
ter section  of  land  in  Wisconsin  township, 
about  two  miles  east  of  Jackson,  whicli 
occurred  in  November,  1870.  At  the  time 
there  were  whole  townships  open  to  settle- 
ment in  the  western  and  northern  parts 
of  the  county,  but  the  people  of  the  south- 
eastern portion  would  consider  nothing  so 
far  from  the  center  of  population.  The 
race  for  the  farm  in  question  was  started 
from  the  report  circulated  in  Jackson  tliat 
the  claim  had  been  abandoned  and  conse- 
quently was  oj)en  to  preemption  or  home- 
stead entry. 

Tlie  report  flew  like  wildfire,  and  in 
no  time  there  was  a  general  stampede  for 
the  coveted  property.  A  foot  race,  horse 
back  race,  buggy  race  and  stage  coach 
race  was  held,  resulting  in  a  large  dim- 
inution   of    the    population    of    Jackson. 


Stakes  were  driven ;  holes  were  dug ;  claim 
shanties  were  put  under  way;  wives  and 
children  were  hurried  off  to  take  posses- 
sion; parties  of  a  speculative  turn  of  mind 
were  there  in  the  dead  hours  of  the  night, 
hoping  to  turn  an  honest  penny;  law- 
yers, mercliants,  mechanics,  all  were  there, 
and  for  a  time  were  full-fledged  citizens 
of  the  enchanting  town  of  Wisconsin. 

But  the  dreams  of  real  estate  posses- 
sions were  doomed  to  be  brief.  All  of  a 
sudden  it  was  discovered  that  the  better 
half  of  the  former  claimant  still  tarried 
in  the  humble  cabin,  in  actual  possession 
of  the  premises.  Being  of  Irish  extrac- 
tion and  witty  withal,  the  young  deserted 
wife  made  considerable  sport  for  the  little 
throng  of  impromptu  squatters.  One  of 
the  prominent  citizens  of  Jackson  dis- 
covered a  few  bones  partially  buried,  and 
fearing  foul  play,  inquired  how  they  hap- 
pened to  be  there. 

'■'Och,  sure."  said  she,  "I  broiight  two 
sets  with  nie  whin  I  came,  thinking  surely 
I  might  be  afther  nading  them  whin  I 
got  these  worn  out." 

The  gentleman  from  Jackson  had  no 
further  "bones  to  pick"  after  this  reply. 
The  holder  of  the  claim  appeared  delight- 
ed to  see  the  ladies  who  called  to  pre- 
empt, and  of  one  she  requested  that  she 
"be  aftlior  callin'  again."  There  was  less 
calling  in  the  future,  however,  and  the 
Irish  lady  continued  in  possession  of  the 
claim. 

THE  WRONG  DOSE. 
(By  A.  B.  Allen.)' 

Now  WO  want  to  tell  a  story  of  Dr.  Kel- 
1am,  of  Heron  Lake.  The  doctor  is  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  his  income  is  al)out 
equally  divided  between  physicist  and  mar- 
fA-ing.  So  when  he  is  sent  for  in  a  hurry, 
day  or  night,  he  grabs  both  valises,  one 
loaded  with  medicines,  the  other  with  the 

"Publlshod    In    the   Jackson   Republic,    Novem- 
ber 9.   1894. 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


327 


statutes  of  Minnesota  and  marriage  certifi- 
cates. 

Last  week  about  eight  o'clock  he  receiv- 
ed a  message  from  Brewster  to  come  at 
once,  the  location  being  given  as  four  miles 
south  from  town.  The  doctor  harnessed  his 
flyers  and  lit  out,  and  when  he  arrived  at 
the  house  it  was  nearly  twelve  o'clock.  A 
young  lady  was  sitting  there,  and,  the 
doctor  having  a  political  canvass  on  hand, 
was  in  a  mighty  hurry,  for  he  was  billed 
to  speak  at  Brownsburg  the  next  night 
and  wanted  to  rest.  So,  rushing  up  to 
the  young  lady,  he  felt  her  pulse.  It  was 
two  hundred  to  the  minute;  her  face  was 
flushed  and  her  eyes  betrayed  symptoms 
that  were  alarming.  The  genial  doctor 
shook  his  head  and  said  the  case  was  ser- 
ious. Then  he  asked  her  to  run  out  her 
tongue.  She  thought  it  mighty  strange 
but  let  a  lot  of  it  out. 

"Black  the  whole  length,"  said  Kellam, 
"and  it  looks  like  cholera." 

She  had  been  eating  grapes,  but  she 
supposed  Dr.  Kellam  knew  his  business 
and  kept  quiet.  The  doctor  put  his  head 
down  to  listen  to  her  heart  beat,  but  the 
beats  came  so  fast  he  could  not  count 
them.    Then  came  the  sentence : 

"Put  mustard  on  your  feet  and  take 
this    powder    every   two  hours." 

Just  then  a  big  good-looking  fellow 
came  in  and  said : 

"Now,  hurry  up,  Doc,  and  marry  us, 
for  we  want  to  catch  the  two-forty  train 
to  Sioux  City." 

Say,  you  could  have  knocked  the  doc- 
tor down  with  a  straw.  And  the  girl  felt 
so  relieved.  She  never  had  been  married 
before  and  supposed  the  physical  exami- 
nation was  a  preliminary  to  the  ceremony ; 
but  you  don't  fool  Kellam  again  on  fever. 

GAME   I>r  EARLY  DATS. 

In  the  days  before  white  men  came, 
Jackson  county  was  the  home  of  several 


species  of  big  game.  The  last  to  disap- 
pear were  the  deer,  which  remained  in 
some  number  until  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years  ago.  These  were  occasionally  bag- 
ged by  the  early  settlers  and  frequently 
seen.  Concerning  the  deer  in  the  county 
during  the  seventies  and  early  eighties, 
I  quote  a  few  items  from  the  files  of  the 
Jackson  Republic: 

Heron  Lake  Correspondent,  June  24,  187G: 
Several  wild  deer  have  been  seen  near  here 
recently.  Knud  Thompsron  saw  three  about  a 
mile  east  of  town  the  other  evening.  They 
ran  down  toward  the  lake  and  are  probably 
lurking  around  among  the  tall  rushes  and 
timber  belts  along  the  lake. 

D.  W.  Edwards,  Heron  Lake  Correspondent, 
May  5,  1877:  Martin  Jolmson,  a  small  boy 
living  on  the  east  side  of  tlie  lake,  was  out 
witli  his  dog  one  evening  last  week  after  the 
cows  when  they  came  upon  those  deer  that 
have  been  around  that  locality  for  some  time. 
The  dog  (a  small  shepherd  dog)  flew  at  them 
and  injured  the  hind  legs  of  one  so  badly  that 
the  boy  succeeded  in  tying  its  fore  legs  with 
his  whip  lash,  thus  securing  his  game  until  he 
could  go  for  help  to  dispatch  it. 

Heron  Lake  Correspondent,  September  13, 
1870:  Tlie  people  of  this  community  express 
their  indignation  regarding  the  practice  of 
chasing  the  few  deer  seen  in  the  vicinity,  and 
many  express  their  determination  to  shoot 
the  iirst   dog   seen  in  pursuit  of  a   deer. 

February  5,  1881:  Mr.  T.  E.  Mather,  of  this 
place,  while  rusticating  in  the  country  about 
midwaj'  between  Jackson  and  Spirit  Lake, 
saw  two  of  the  finest  deer  ever  seen  in  this 
section.  Mr.  Mather  says  they  have  been  fre- 
quently seen  near  the  same  place  and  along  the 
Des  Moines  timber.  Here  is  a  chance  for  some 
of  our  "crack  shots''  to  display  their  skill. 

February  19,  1881:  Jackson  county  bids 
fair  to  become  a  hunters'  paradise,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  many  other  paradisaical  features 
she  already  boasts  of.  Big  game  in  the  shape 
of  numerous  lierds  of  deer  are  frequently  seen 
roaming  over  our  prairies,  and  every  year 
seems  to  increase  their  number.  It  has  been 
supposed  that  these  handsome  animals  wan- 
dered during  the  fall  down  into  the  Des  Moines 
valley  from  the  big  woods  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  state,  but  there  are  good  reasons 
for  believing  that  they  are  "old  residents  of 
the  county,"  and  that  this  is  their  breeding 
place.  It  is  said  that  they  have  their  summer 
haunts  in  tlie  vast  area  of  rushes  and  wild 
rice  which  surround  Heron  lake,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  county,  and  residents  of  that  vi- 
cinity inform  us  that  they  are  occasionally 
seen'  thereabouts,  although  the  habits  of  the 
animal  are  usually  to  secrete  itself  and  re- 
main within  its  haunts  during  the  summer  or 
breeding  season.     During  the  winter  they  are 


328 


HISTORY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


driven  from  the  brakes  about  the  lake  by  the 
drifting  snow  and  are  thus  found  wandering 
on  the  prairies.  Nearly  fifty  liave  been  killed 
about  Heron  lake  this  winter,  and  they  were 
seen  in  large  numbers  after  the  October  snow 
storm,  which  goes  to  prove  the  theory  that 
their  summer  haunts  are  about  Heron  lake. 

SIGNS    OF    THE    TIMES. 

Illustrative  of  the  times,  there  are 
fuuml  in  the  files  of  the  Jackson  Repub- 
lic many  interesting  items.  Under  existing 
couditons  the  events  recorded  could  not 
possibly  have  happened.  In  many  respects 
the  resident!;  of  Jackson  county  of  thirty 
and  forty  years  ago  lived  in  a  different 
world;  any  one  of  the  little  items  quoted 
below  was  not  considered  extraordinary  al 
the  time,  but  they  would  be  if  published 
in  the  same  paper  today.  "The  world  do 
move." 

A  IJreech-Loading  Gun  (January  20,  18~2)  — 
We  were  recently  shown  a  very  fine  double- 
barreled,  breech-loading  shot  gun  recently  pur- 
chased in  Chicago  by  Mr.  H.  Anderson,  of  this 
place.  The  gun  is  loaded  with  a  cartridge, 
and  dispenses  with  the  ordinary  percussion 
cap,  being  discharged  by  a  sort  of  needle  act- 
ing upon  a  stationary  cap  in  the  cartridge. 
The  gun  can  be  loaded  and  discharged  in  a 
very  short  space  of  time  and  will  make  sad 
havoc  among   the  chickens  next   s\innnor. 

Caught  a  Beaver  (October  10,  1874)— Last 
Saturday  Mr.  Cady  and  his  partner  found  in 
one  of  their  traps  on  the  river  above  Skinner's 
mill  a  large  beaver  which  would  weigh  about 
seventy  pounds.  These  animals  are  getting 
scarce  in  these  parts,  though  indications  prove 
that  they  were  once  more  numerous.  The  tail 
and  foot  of  this  beaver  can  be  seen  at  'Squire 
Mason's   office. 

Tax-Paying  Not  the  Fashion  (January  16, 
IH".")) — Treasurer  Knudson  and  his  deputy, 
Milton  Mason,  Esq.,  have  been  on  their  tramps 
to  the  different  towns  during  the  week,  carry- 
ing around  the  tax  duplicates  and  permitting 
people  to  see  how  much  taxes  are  wanted.  Of 
course  no  one  is  expected  to  pay  any  taxes 
when  there  isn't  a  cent  of  money  in  the  coiinty. 

Geese  Visit  Heron  Lake  (June  20,  1875,  Her- 
on Lake  Correspondent) — A  flock  of  eight 
young  wild  geese,  about  half  grown,  marched 
into  town  .\Ionday  morning  in  single  file  and 
in  as  fine  order  as  a  body  of  regulars  on  dress 
parade.  They  were  probabl3'  attracted  here 
i)y  the  rustic  appearance  of  our  sidewalks 
(they  are  enough  to  make  a  goose  laugh). 


Attacked  by  a  Panther  (May  27,  187C)  — 
One  day  last  week  a  lad  about  thirteen  or 
fourteen  years  old,  a  brother  of  Gust  Thomp- 
son, of  this  town,  was  riding  through  the  tim- 
ber near  Skinner's  mill.  A  ferocious  animal, 
supposed  to  be  a  panther,  sprung  from  a  tree 
to  the  horse  he  was  riding,  evidently  intend- 
ing to  make  the  lad  his  prey.  He  missed  his 
aim,  however,  and  the  boy  having  a  shot  gun 
with  him,  shot  the  animal  in  the  mouth.  This 
checked  him  for  a  time  and  the  boy  made 
his  escape.  It  then  attacked  a  colt  belonging 
to  Mr.  "Thompson,  injuring  it  seriously,  but  not 
killing  it.  Tuesday  night  it  made  a  raid  on 
Menzo  Ashley's  setting  turkey  and  destroyed 
it.  The  next  day  it  (or  what  was  supposed 
to  be  it)  was  seen  by  Mr.  Holmes  and  others 
a  few  miles  this  side  of  Windom.  We  under- 
stand that  a  party  are  hunting  the  creature, 
and  it  is  hoped  they  will  speedily  capture  it. 
How  it  found  its  way  into  these  parts  is  a 
query. 

Hay  Twister  (September  30,  1876,  D.  W.  Ed- 
wards, of  Heron  Lake,  correspondent) — Mr. 
Albert  D.  Foster,  of  Yankton,  D.  T.,  was  in 
town  Tuesday  with  a  sample  machine  for 
twisting  hay  and  straw  into  compact  rolls  for 
fuel.  The  machine  is  a  perfect  success  and  is 
just  what  any  farmer  needs  who  finds  it  nec- 
essary to  burn  hay,  as  it  makes  the  rolls  in 
any  length  required  and  does  it  up  neat  and 
compact,  making  hay  fuel  as  clean,  as  far  as 
litter  is  concerned,  as  wood.  The  machine  is 
durable  and  simple  in  its  construction.  Chil- 
dren can  prepare  the  fuel  as  well  as  anyone, 
and  it  retails  at  the  moderate  price  of  $10. 
We  are  prepared  to  lake  orders  for  them  and 
will  give  time  for  one-half  if  desired. 

Wolves  in  Enterprise  (December  8,  1877)  — 
Out  in  the  (own  of  Enterprise  prairie  wolves 
are  getting  to  be  a  source  of  annoyance.  They 
have  killed  turkeys  for  Thomas  Clipperton 
and  sheep  for  Darwin  Lester.  One  attacked 
Mr.  Lester's  boy  recently  and  tore  his  cloth- 
ing, but  otherwise  no  serious  damage  was 
done.  We  notice  wolf  hunts  are  qiiite  com- 
mon in  some  localities,  and  if  their  incursions 
this  way  are  becoming  common  it  will  be  well 
to  inaugurate  the  sport  here. 

Kailway  Reduces  Fare  (advertisement  Jan- 
uarv  5,  1878) — .\nother  Reduction  in  Fare! 
The"  St,  Paid  &  Sioux  City  and  the  Sioux  City 
&  St.  Paul  railroads  will  celebrate  the  coming 
of  the  new  year  bv  a  general  reduction  of 
local  ticket  faVcs  froin  FIVE  CENTS  to  FOUR 
CENTS  per  mile  on  all  divisions  of  their  roads, 
to  take  elTect  January  I,  1878. 

First  Telegram  to  Jackson  (Decemljer  21, 
1878) — The  lightning  machine  is  here,  too,  and 
in  working  order.  The  following  was  the  first 
telegram  to  come  over  the  wires: 

"Fairmont.  Minn..  December  10,  1878— To 
G»>orge  C.  Chamberiin,  Jackson.  Give  us  a 
good  square  electric  shake. — Frank  Day." 


HISTOKY  OF  JACKSON  COUNTY. 


329 


A  "Live"  Wolf  (March  29,  1879)— A  live 
wolf  followed  Jareb  Palmer  and  C.  H.  Greer 
a  good  portion  of  the  way  to  their  homes  in 
Sioux  Valley  the  other  day.  He  trotted  along 
hy  their  wagon,  under  the  wagon  and  beside 
the  wagon,  ate  crackers  and  was  apparently 
happy,  and  all  because  they  didn't  happen  to 
have  a  gun  along. 

Don't  Spit  on  the  Floor  (Jlay  24,  1879)  — 
Good  for  the  ladies  who  have  scrubbed  and 
cleaned  and  rendered  the  inside  of  the  church 
more  attractive  and  healthful.  Woe  be  to  the 
vandal  who  now  squirts  tobacco  juice  on  the 
clean   floor. 

Rumors  of  the  Telephone  (December  13, 
1879) — Why  doesn't  some  telephone  company 
come  out  along  the  line  and  supply  towns 
those  convenient  little  machines?     They  would 


readily  find  a   market   in  Jackson   for   one   or 
two. 

Fight  With  a  Wolf  (.January  3,  1880,  Heron 
Lake  correspondent) — Mr.  Svennes,  while 
walking  to  town  one  night  last  week,  had  his 
attention  attracted  by  a  sudden  jerk  at  his 
clothing,  and,  turning  quickly  around,  found 
himself  confronted  by  a  large  timber  wolf. 
Mr.  Svennes,  who  was  totally  unarmed,  at- 
tempted to  frighten  the  brute  off  by  striking 
at  him  with  his  scarf,  but  the  wolf  seized  the 
scarf  and  tore  it  from  his  hand.  Next  he 
brought  one  of  his  No.  twelves  to  bear  with 
such  force  that  the  wolf  became  discouraged 
and  gave  up  the  attack.  Our  hero  then  back- 
ed into  town  and  concluded  to  buy  a  double- 
barreled  shot  gun,  a  revolver  and  two  dozen 
steel  traps  before  going  home. 


20 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


CAITAIX  .lAKKl;  TALMKR 

Oldest  Settler  of  Jackson  County  ami  a  Survivor  of  the 
Springfield  Massacre. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    HISTORY. 


CAPTAIX   JAREB     PALMER,     (1856).'     To 
Captain    Jareb    Palmer,    of    Lakefield,    belongs 
the  honor  of  being  the  oldest  settler  of  Jack- 
son county  now  living  in  the  county.     It  was 
only  a  few  months  after  the  first  white  man 
established  a  home  here  fifty-three  years  ago 
that  Jareb  Palmer  came  and  took  part  in  the 
stirring   events   that   marked   the   efforts   of  a 
little    band    of    pioneers    to   establish    a    settle- 
ment   along    the    Des    Moines    river    near    the 
spot  where  the  village  of  Jackson  now  stands. 
In  the  annals  of  frontier  settlement  and  Indian 
warfare    there    are    few    instances    of    intense 
suffering  and  thrilling  events  as  characterized 
the  attempt?  of  the  little  band  of  men,  wom- 
en  and   children   to   obtain   a   foothold    in   the 
Indian    country    along   the    upper   Des    Moines 
river,  and  Jareb  Palmer  was  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal   actors    in   these    events.     When   the    In- 
dians  swooped  down   on  the   settlement   in  the 
early  spring  of   1S57   and  enacted  the   terrible 
butchery   of   the   Springfield  massacre— Minne- 
sota's first  Indian  massacre— it  was  Jareb  Pal- 
mer   who    rallied    the    terror    stricken    settlers 
and   directed    the   fighting  that   prevented    the 
total    annihilation    of    the    settlement    as    was 
tiie    case    at    Spirit   Lake— and    it    was   Jareb 
Palmer  who   led   the  refugees   to  safety  after 
the  massacre. 

Not  only  did  this  pioneer  play  such  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  early  days  of  Jackson 
county's  history,  he  preserved  the  details  of 
the  massacre  and  the  less  tragic  events  for 
future  generations.  He  has  written  much  con- 
cerning the  early  days  of  Jackson  county  and 
he  has  been  referred  to  as  the  "historian  of 
Jackson  county."  To  him  the  author  of  this 
volume    is    under    many    obligations    for    data 

>The  date  in  parenthesis  following  the  name 
of  each  subject  is  the  year  of  arrival  to  Jackson 
county. 


used  in  its  preparation.  Had  it  not  been  for  his 
writings  this  history  of  Jackson  county  must 
have  lacked  many  of  its  most  interesting  fea- 
tures. 

The   life   story   of   Captain   Jareb   Palmer  is 
one    of    interest.      He    was    born    in    Bradford 
county,   Pennsylvania,   February   20.    1828,   de- 
scending from  old  American  stock.  His  parents 
were    Nathan    and    Matilda     (Griffin)     Palmer. 
Nathan    Palmer    was    born    iii    Vermont    June 
12,  1800,  and  moved  with  his  parents  to  Brad- 
ford county,  Pennsylvania,  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen years.     In  18.36  he  located  in  Tioga  coun- 
ty,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, trapping  and  hunting.     He  died  in  Tioga 
county  in  April,  1885.     Matilda   (Griffin)   Pal- 
mer was  born  and  married  in  Bradford  county, 
Pennsylvania,    and    died    in    Tioga    county    in 
18.58.     They   were  the   parents  of  eleven   child- 
ren, Jareb   being  the   third   in   line   of   age   and 
the  eldest  of  the  four  now  living.    The  living  chil- 
dren are:     Eber,  of  Clear  Lake,  Iowa;  David,  of 
Jenny  Lind,  Arkansas;   Jareb,  of  this  sketch; 
Mrs.    Anna   Thomas,   of   Tioga    county,   Penn- 
sylvania.    Tlie  father  of  our  subject  was  mar- 
ried   again   in   the    early    sixties    to    Elizabeth 
Grey,  who  was  born  in  Delaware,  county.  New 
York,  and  who  died  in  1907.   Two  children  were 
born  as  a  result  of  this  marriage:   U.  G.  Pal- 
mer,   a    state    senator    of    Maryland:     Jessie, 
deceased. 

.lareb  Palmer  lived  with  his  parents  in 
Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  until  he  was 
eight  years  of  age  and  then  moved  with  them 
to  Union  township,  Tioga  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Upon  his  father's  farm  in  that  town- 
ship he  was  brought  up.  making  his  home  with 
his  parents  until  18.51.  From  18.51  to  1854  Mr. 
Palmer  engaged  in  farming  and  teaching 
school  near  his   old  home.     In  April,   1854,  he 


333 


334 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ranic  west,  lived  \yitli  an  uncle  at  Cedar  Falls, 
Iowa,  one  year,  and  then  located  at  Webster 
City,  Iowa,  where  he  made  his  home  until 
November,  IS.'iO. 

In  conipany  witli  Natlianicl  I'm^t  and  ISar- 
tholonicH  McCartliy,  Mr.  PalnuT  drove  to  the 
little  sclllcuicnt  that  liad  jnst  been  founded 
and  named  Springfield  in  the  southern  part 
of  ISrown  county,  territory  of  Minnesota,  ar- 
riving during  the  month  of  Xovember,  185G 
The  headquarters  of  this  settlement  was  at  a 
])oint  within  the  present  corporate  limits  of 
the  village  of  Jackson.  .Although  the  land  was 
then  unsurveyed  and  no  provision  had  been 
made  to  secure  title  to  the  lands,  llr.  Palmer 
took  a  claim  by  "squatter's  right"  on  what  is 
now  section  1.  of  lliddletown  township,  and  erec- 
ted a  little  cabin  thereon.  He  did  not  live  on  the 
claim  during  ihc  following  winter,  but  made 
his  hotne  with  a  neighboring  family,  engaged 
in  working  for  the  Wood  brothers  and  other 
settlers.  It  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  here  the 
st(n\v  of  the  memorable  massacre  of  March  20, 
l.S.")7.  that  led  to  the  abandonment  of  Jack.son 
county.  Mr.  Talmcr  left  with  the  others 
and  sought  safety  in  the  older  settled 
portions  of  the  country  to  the  south.  For  a 
few  months  after  the  massacre  Mr.  Palmer 
lived  in  Hardin  county,  Iowa,  with  the  family 
of  the  jincle  who  had  formerly  lived  at  Cedar 
Falls,  and  then  again  pushed  out  to  the  fron- 
tier, locating  at  Spirit  Lake. 

On  Xovember  II.  18.J7.  Mr.  Palmer  took  a 
contract  from  a  sub-contractor  to  carry  the 
United  States  mail  l)ctwcen  Spirit  Lake  and 
Sioux  City.  He  made  the  first  three  trips  on 
foot,  using  that  mode  of  travel  because  of 
the  snow  blockades;  each  trip  took  about  ten 
days'  time.  On  the  third  trip,  while  passing 
through  Clay  county,  Iowa,  a  small  band  of 
Indians  was  encountered,  and  Mr.  Palmer  be- 
came one  of  n  company  of  eleven  men,  who 
set  out  with  the  determination  of  driving  the 
redskii>s  from  the  country.  The  whites  had  an 
unsuccessful  encounter  with  the  Indians  and 
were  forced  to  retreat.  After  this  interesting 
divergence  from  his  official  duties  Mr.  Palmer 
continued  on  his  way.  He  served  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  mail  carrier  until  the  following 
spring. 

The  encounter  with  the  Inilians  referred  to 
above  ca\ised  (he  white  settlers  of  Spirit  T-ake 
and  other  exposed  settlements  great  uneasi- 
ness and  there  was  fear  that  the  Indian  trou- 
bles of  the  year  before  were  to  be  repeated. 


They  accordingly  drew  up  a  petition  to  pre- 
sent to  the  Iowa  legislature  asking  for  the 
enlistment  of  state  troops  to  protect  the  fron- 
tier. Jareb  Palmer  was  chosen  to  take  this 
petition  to  the  Iowa  law  making  body,  and 
tluoiigli  his  presentation  of  the  case  the  neces- 
sary law  was  passed  and  Mr.  Palmer  was  au- 
thorized to  recruit  a  company  of  thirty  mount- 
ed men.  This  he  did,  enlisting  himself  as  one 
of  the  luunber  of  the  "Frontier  Guard."  Tiie 
command  was  divided  into  three  squads  and 
stationed  in  Clay,  Dickinson  and  Kmmet  coun- 
ties. The  guards  were  in  active  service  until 
July,  I8i>8,  and  were  then  temporarily  out  of 
service  until  that  fall.  Then  they  were  again 
called  into  active  duty  and  served  until  May. 
18.m 

After  the  dixharge  of  the  Frontier  Guards 
Mr.  Palmer  organized  another  small  cavalry 
lompany  upon  the  order  of  the  governor  of 
Iowa  and  was  elected  and  commissioned  cap- 
tain. He  led  his  little  command  of  soldiers 
<,n  several  scouting  expeditions  and  made  pos- 
sible the  settlement  of  the  frontier  regiims. 
Tliev  did  no  fighting  and  served  without  ]>ay 
until   their  discharge   in   ISfil. 

Owing  to  the  massacre  of  two  citizens  of 
Sioux  City  by  Sioux  Indians  in  July,  1861, 
a  scare  was  created  throughout  the  whole 
northwest.  Sioux  City  was  then  a  little  vil- 
lage of  300  or  400  people,  and  for  its  protec- 
tion and  the  other  exposed  settlements  the  war 
department  at  Washington  authorized  the  or- 
ganizjition  of  a  special  company  of  United 
States  soldiers.  Mr.  Palmer  went  to  Sioux 
City  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in  this  company 
Xovember  14,  ISfil,  and  served  a  three  years' 
enlistment.  This  special  company  was  first 
known  as  the  Sio\ix  City  cavalry,  later  it  was 
made  company  I,  of  the  Seventh  Iowa  cavalry 
It  .served  as  a  frontier  guard  to  the  exposed  set- 
tlements of  Iowa  and  was  in  a  several  months' 
campaign  against  the  Indians  along  the  Mis- 
souri river,  going  as  far  north  as  nearly  lo 
llismarek.  Mr.  Palmer  took  part  with  his  com- 
pany in  the  battle  of  White  Stone  Hill,  where 
the  savages  suffered  a  loss  of  twenty  or  thirty 
killed  and  all  their  camp'  equipment.  The 
company  served  as  Brigadier  General  Sully's 
binly  guard  in  this  battle,  ilr.  Palmer  received 
his    discharge    Xovember   26,    18(54. 

.After  his  army  service  .larch  Palmer  located 
in  Spirit  Lake,  where  he  resided  until  I.S71. 
That  year  he  again  became  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son county,  taking  a  preemption  claim  to  the 


BIOGKAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


335 


northeast  quarter  of  section  12,  Sioux  Valley 
township.  He  ejigaged  in  farming  that  land 
until  the  spring  of  1882,  when  he  moved  to 
Rost  township  and  bought  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  26.  He  continued  his  farming 
operations  in  Ttost  until  1895,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  pursuits  and  located  in  the 
village  of  Laketield. 

During  his  residence  in  Iowa  Captain  Pal- 
mer served  as  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  prosecuting  attorney,  clerk  of  court 
and  chairman  of  the  county  board  of  supervis- 
ors. He  was  also  assistant  internal  revenue 
collector  from  1866  to  1870.  After  moving 
to  Jackson  county  he  served  as  township  clerk 
and  justice  of  the  peace.  He  has  served  as  vil- 
lage justice  in  Lakefield  for  the  last  eleven 
years.  In  1892  he  received  tlie  republican 
nomination  for  register  of  deeds,  but  was  de- 
feated by  John  Baldwin.  Mr.  Palmer  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  post  at  Jacl-cson. 

Jareb  Palmer  has  been  twice  married  and  he 
is  the  father  of  seven  living  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Mrs.  Louise  Strait,  of  Tennessee;  Na- 
than .J.,  Herbert  C.  and  Bennie  C,  all  of  Glen- 
burn,  North  Dakota;  Mrs.  Minerva  B.  Ware,  of 
Bismarck,  North  Dakota;  John  G.,  of  Echo, 
Minnesota;  Francis  L.,  of  Laketield. 

WILLIAM  WOOD  (1856),  deceased.  The  first 
white  man  to  make  a  permanent  home  in 
Jackson  county  was  William  Wood,  who  came 
during  the  month  of  July,  1856,  and  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  George  Wood,  built  a 
home  and  established  a  trading  post  on  the 
Des  Moines  river  where  the  village  of  Jack- 
son is  now  located.  Here  also,  in  a  primitive 
way,  they  laid  out  a  townsite,  which  they 
called  Springfield.  As  the  story  of  the  lives  of 
William  and  George  Wood  after  they  came  to 
Jackson  county  is  told  in  an  earlier  part  of 
this  work,  this  sketcli  will  briefly  outline  their 
earlier  history. 

AVilliam  Wood  was  one  of  a  family  of  fif- 
teen children  born  to  Samuel  and  Elizabeth 
(Thomson)  Wood,  and  the  date  of  his  birth 
was  about  18.30.  He  descended  from  colonial 
stock.  One  of  his  ancestors  was  a  Holland 
Dutch  patroon  of  the  then  New  Netherlands; 
another  was  Smith  Thompson,  secretary  of  the 
navy  and  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court:  his 
paternal  grandfather.  James  Wood,  was  a  rev- 
olutionary soldier,  his  maternal  grandfather, 
Smith  Thompson,  was  a  veteran  of  the  war 
of  1812. 


Tlie  father  of  William  and  George  Wood 
died  in  1847,  leaving  his  wife  and  a  large 
f;imily  of  children.  Being  thus  early  thrown 
upon  his  own  resources,  William  W^ood  became 
self-reliant.  Early  in  the  fifties  he  .left  his 
mother's  home  in  Ridgeville,  Randolph  county, 
Indiana,  and  located  at  the  little  village  of 
JIankato,  Minnesota,  where  he  took  a  position 
as  Indian  trader  with  Robert  W'ardlow,  a  mer- 
cliant.  WJiile  engaged  in  his  work  he  had  oc- 
casion to  visit  the  Des  Moines  river  country 
and  selected  the  site  now  occupied  by  Jackson 
village  as  a  place  to  make  his  future  home. 

During  the  month  of  July,  1856,  William 
Wood,  accompanied  by  his  brothers,  George 
Charles,  came  to  the  site,  engaged  in  business 
with  a  small  stock  of  Indian  trinkets  and 
supplies,  and  made  his  home  there  until  he  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  in  the  massacre  of  March, 
1857. 

George  McEIroy  Wood,  who  also  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  little  com- 
munity about  Springfield  before  the  massacre, 
was  born  in  1827.  After  his  father's  death  he 
became  the  head  of  the  family  and  assisted  his 
mother  in  supporting  the  family  in  various 
ways.  He  engaged  in  school  teaching,  which 
in  tliat  early  day  and  country  was  considered 
quite  an  accomplishment.  He  was  a  religious 
and  serious  minded  young  man  and  was  de- 
voted to  church  and  Sabbath  school  work.  He 
came  to  .Jackson  county  with  his  brother  in 
1856  and  was  killed  on  the  same  day  his 
brother  met  his  fate.  Both  brothers  were  bur- 
ied where  tliey  fell. 

Charles  Wood,  the  younger  brother  who  also 
came  in  the  fall  of  1856,  was  sixteen  or  seven- 
teen years  of  age  at  that  time.  He  had  gone 
to  Mankato  a  few  days  before  the  massacre 
and  so  escaped  the  fate  of  his  brothers.  He 
later  enlisted  and  fought  for  the  union  cause 
during  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  meeting  his 
death  at  Pea  Ridge,  Arkansas,  in  the  line  of 
dut}'.  Five  of  tlie  Wood  boys  took  part  in 
the  war. 


.JAMES  B.  TIIO.MAS  (1850),  deceased.  In 
the  account  of  the  early  settlement  of  Jack- 
son county  and  of  the  Springfield  massacre,  in 
an  earlier  part  of  this  work,  is  frequent  men- 
tion of  .James  B.  Thomas,  at  whose  cabin  oc- 
curred  the  fight   with   the  Indians   during   the 


336 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


faniuiis  mnssiioro.  It  is  ilic  purpose  of  tliis 
sketch  to  give  :i  few  items  ooncerniiig  his 
earlier  and   later  life. 

Jamca  B.  Thomas  was  born  in  Lickin/; 
county,  Ohio,  in  the  year  181.3.  In  that  county 
lie  was  brovight  up  and  resided  until  he  was 
twenty-six  years  of  age.  Then  he  located  in 
Cass  county,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
milling  business  and  where  he  was  married. 
Three  years  after  making  his  home  in  Illinois 
he  moved  to  Iowa  and  settled  near  Fairfield, 
in  .JefTer.son  county.  A  few  years  later  he 
and  his  family  pushed  out  fartfier  onto  the 
frontier,  locating  near  Webster  City.  There 
he  bought  and  improved  an  eighty  acre  farm 
and  prospered  financially,  working  at  the 
millwright's  trade  while  improving  the  farm. 

Tn  the  year  18.56  llr.  Thomas  sold  his  farm 
in  Iowa  and  came  to  that  part  of  Brown  coun- 
ty. Minnesota,  which  is  now  Jackson  county 
iinil  settled  with  his  family  near  the  "town" 
of  .Springfield.  There  he  staked  a  claim  do 
cated  on  the  east  side  of  tlie  river  at  Jack- 
son), built  one  of  the  best  cabins  in  the  set- 
tlement, and  started  in  to  make  a  new  home 
for  himself.  At  the  massacre  on  March  2Ci. 
LSoT,  his  youngest  child,  Willie,  was  killed  out- 
right, Mr.  Thomas  received  a  severe  wound  in 
the  arm  which  necessitated  two  amputa- 
tion.s,  and  from  the  effect  of  which  he  died 
in  1866,  and  in  escaping  from  the  scene  of 
the  fight  his  little  daughter  Mary  contracted 
a  cold  which  resulted  in  her  death  six  weeks 
later. 

Mr.  Thomas  and  his  family  did  not  return 
to  .Tackson  county,  bnt  located  near  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa,  where  he  secured  a  160  acre  farm 
and  where  he  died  in   l,Sfi6. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  married  in  Oass  county, 
Illinois,  to  Ivma  A.  Clark,  who  was  born  No- 
vi'mber  22,  1S24.  They  were  the  parents  of 
several  children.  One  son,  Frank  M.  Thomas, 
who  has  before  been  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  massacre,  later,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen years,  enlisted  in  the  Second  Iowa  cavalry 
and  served  two  years  in  the  war.  He  was 
woiindcd  in  the  left  ankle  and  the  limb  was 
amputated  in  .Anderson^nlle  prison.  Blood 
poison  act  in,  resulting  in  his  death  in  1873. 
The  Grand  Army  Post  at  Mar.shalltown.  Iowa, 
was  named   in   his   honor. 


NATHANIEL  FROST   (18.56),  deceased,  was 
one    of    the    very    first    residents    of    Jackson 


county,  having  located  here  when  the  country 
was  a  part  of  Brown  county.  He  took  part  in 
many  of  the  stirring  events  of  the  early  days 
anil  after  the  county  became  .settled  became  a 
priiminenl     cili/.eii. 

.Mr.  Frost  was  born  in  I'ipe  Creek,  Tiogn 
county,  New  York,  .Jainiary  14,  18,32.  During 
the  first  year  of  his  life  the  family  moved  to 
Covington,  Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  our  subject  spent  his  youth  and  early 
manhooil.  In  18.54  lie  came  west,  locating  in 
Michigan,  where  he  lived  eight  months.  Ho 
then  movid  to  Hardin  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
lived  nearly  two  years.  Going  to  Webster 
City  in  Hamilton  county,  Mr.  Frost  met  an 
old  friend.  Jareb  Palmer,  and  with  him  drove 
to  the  future  Jackson  county,  settling  near 
the  present  site  of  the  village  of  .Tackson.  He 
arrived  in  the  county  in  company  with  Jareb 
Palmer  and  Bartholomew  McCarthy  on  the 
twenty-seventh  day  of  NovemlK-r.  185(i 
Some  of  the  life  history  of  Mr.  Frost  during 
these  early  days  is  told  in  the  historical  sec- 
tion of  this  work,  and  in  a  hi  ief  biographical 
sketch  of  this  kind  we  can  only  touch  on  the 
principal   events. 

The  massacre  of  18')7  drove  Mr.  Frost  tem- 
porarily from  the  county.  In  1862  he  enlisted 
in  company  K,  of  the  Fourth  Minnesota  vohni- 
tci'r  infantry.  He  was  ordered  to  .St.  I.ouis, 
where  he  was  about  two  years.  After  his  term 
of  enlistment  had  expired  he  reenlisled  as  a 
veteran  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  took  part  in  sixteen  important  en- 
gagements of  the  civil  war  and  was  with  Gen- 
eral Sherman  on  the  march  to  the  sea.  With 
the  exception  of  the  four  years  spent  in  the 
army,  two  years  spent  at  Kasola,  ^tinnesota, 
and  fotir  years  in  Caldwell  county.  Missouri, 
Mr.  Frost  was  a  resident  of  the  county  until 
his  dealli.  wMili  ncc\irre.I  at  .lark-un.  Decini- 
ber   21,    18!)!). 

Mr.  Frost  was  married  .Tanuary  2.  1861,  to 
Maryetle  T?oot.  of  Benson.  Vermont,  and  to 
them  were  born  three  children:  Flora  .1.  (Mrs. 
Wagner),    .fohn    and    Moses. 


JOSEPH  TH0:MAS  (18.58),  deceased.  For  a 
n\iniber  of  years,  in  the  very  early  history  of 
.lackson  county,  there  was  one  man  known 
far  and  wide,  who  could  have  justly  claimed 
title  to  being  the  "most  prominent"  man  in 
Jackson  county.  This  was  .Toseph  Thom.is. 
who  came  to  the  county  in  18o8  and  settled  on 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


337 


wliat  lias  ever  since  been  known  as  Thomas 
hill,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Des  Moines  river 
ill  the  village  of  Jackson.  For  years  he  was 
the  only  business  man  in  Jackson  county, 
during  tlic  time  when  there  was  not  a  rail- 
road or  a  town  in  the  county.  He  kept  a 
lintel  and  postotTice  on  the  hill,  and  to  his 
jilrtce  came  all  who  were  passing  through  the 
country.  The  hospitality  of  Joseph  Thomas 
and  his  estimable  wife  were  known  far  and 
wide.  He  played  a  prominent  part  in  the 
county's   early    history. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in  1810, 
and  after  several  westward  moves  came  to 
•Jackson  county  in  the  spring  of  1858.  He  and 
Ills  son  and  one  or  two  others  drove  up  from 
Xewton.  Iowa,  carrying  their  own  bridges 
with  which  to  cross  the  streams.  He  selected 
a  site  for  his  home,  upon  which  was  a  desert- 
ed log  cabin.  The  small  children  were  brought 
up  to  the  new  home  in  1859,  and  a  permanent 
home  was  established.  Mr.  Thomas  conducted 
a  hotel  for  the  accommodation  of  the  few 
travelers,  and  a  little  later  secured  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  postoffice,  of  which  he  was 
the  postmaster. 

He  and  his  family  were  obliged  to  desert 
their  home  in  1862  on  account  of  the  Indian 
massacre  and  subsequent  hostility  of  the  sav- 
ages, and  for  a  time  he  lived  in  Spirit  Lake. 
^Ir.  Thomas  oontiiuied  to  reside  at  the  old 
home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Febru- 
ary 28,  isni. 

In  1831  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Thomas 
to  Jane  Van  In  Wegin,  to  whom  were  born 
nine    children. 


•  lAMKS  E.  TALMKR  (1858).  deceased,  was 
one  of  the  very  early  settlers  of  Jackson 
criiinty,  having  settled  in  the  county  nearly 
fifty-two  years  ago.  He  was  born  in  the 
state  of  Connecticut  July  27.  1832,  and  in 
an  early  day  moved  with  his  parents  to  Pecaton- 
ica,  Illinois,  later  moving  to  Freeport,  Ill- 
inois. 

In  the  fifties  Mr.  Palmer  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  Newton.  Iowa,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1858  came  to  the  new  Jackson  county  coun- 
try. He  settled  upon  land  upon  which  a  part 
of  the  village  of  Jackson  is  now  built  and 
continuously  lived  in  that  village  until  his 
death  on  May  1,  1896.  This  was  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  years  spent  in  Spirit  Lake 
during   the   Indian    troubles   of   the   early   six- 


ties.    Mr.  Palmer  served  as  surveyor  of  Jack- 
son   county    twenty-five   years. 

Jlr.  Palmer  was  married  in  Freeport,  Ill- 
inois, to  Minda  Thomas,  daughter  of  the  late 
Joseph   and   Jane   Thomas. 


OLE  ANDERSON  (1861).  There  arc  only 
a  few  people  living  in  Jackson  county  whose 
arrival  antedates  that  of  Ole  Anderson,  of 
.Jackson.  For  nearly  fifty  years  he  has  lived 
in  the  county,  playing  a  part  in  many  of  the 
events  described  in  the  historical  section  of 
this  volume.  More  than  any  person  living  is  he 
acquainted  with  the  details  of  the  early  Nor- 
wegian settlement  of  Jackson  county  and 
the  terrible  times  during  and  succeeding  the 
Belmont  massacre  of  1862.  He  has  alw'ays 
taken  an  interest  in  preserving  the  accounts 
of  the  early  times,  and  except  for  his  interest 
in  the  matter,  much'  of  historical  interest 
contained  in  thi.s  volume  must  have  remained 
unrecorded.  It  was  largely  through  Mr.  An- 
derson's persistence  in  demanding  an  appro- 
priation from  the  Minnesota  legislature  that 
the  handsome  shaft  in  memory  of  the  killed, 
in  the  Indian  massacres  has  recently  been 
erected  in  the  village  of  Jackson. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  born  in  Norway  June 
11,  1852,  the  son  of  Anders  Olson  and  Annie 
(Engebretson)  Olson.  When  five  years  of 
age  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents  and 
located  at  Spring  Grove,  Houston  county, 
Minnesota,  where  he  lived  until  the  spring  of 

1861.  In  the  month  of  June  of  that  year  he 
arrived  in  Jackson  county,  the  family  having 
driven  through  by  ox  team.  The  head  of  the 
family  preempted  a  claim  on  section  3,  Des 
j\roines  townsliip,  and  on  that  place  the  family 
lived  until  the  following  summer,  Anders 
Olson  having  died  there  in  April,  1862. 

The  Belmont  massacre  took  place  in  August, 

1862,  and  the  Olson  family,  together  with  all 
other  residents  of  Jackson  county,  were  forced 
to  flee  for  their  lives.  Ole,  accompanied  by  his 
mother  and  three  sisters,  returned  to  their 
old  home  in  Houston  county.  After  hurriedly 
leaving  their  home  in  Jackson  county  they 
stopped  for  a  short  time  in  Estherville,  Iowa, — 
long  enough  for  some  of  them  to  come  back 
and  secure  their  personal  effects,  which  had 
been  left.  After  securing  these,  they  resumed 
their  journey,  making  the  trip  by  ox  team  and 
deviating  considerable  from  a  direct  course  be- 
cause of   fear  of  Indians,  who  were   supposed 


338 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


to  be  in  greiit  iniiiibcrs  all  over  soutlicrn  Min- 
nesota. 

Tlie  family  remainod  in  lloiisloii  county  un- 
til the  spring  of  1SG4  and  then  retuincd  to 
.Jackson  county,  being  the  first  and  only 
family  in  tlio  county  at  tlic  time.  Tlicy  lo- 
cated on  tlie  land  claim  Jlr.  Olson  liad  taken 
and  tho-motlier  of  our  subject  proved  up  on 
tlie  place.  Ole  made  his  home  with  his  mother 
until  186fi,  when  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
Then  his  mother  remarried  and  he  started 
luit  in  life  for  himself.  From  that  time  until 
his  marriage  in  January,  1872,  he  made  his 
livin-;  by  hunting,  fishing,  trapping  and 
teaming. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Anderson  moved 
onto  his  mother's  old  claim,  built  a  house  on 
it  and  engaged  in  farming.  There  he  remained 
until  18,S0,  with  the  exception  of  eighteen 
months  during  the  grasshopper  times,  when 
he  lived  in  Capron,  Boone  county,  Illinois.  His 
health  failed  in  1880  and  he  v.as  obliged  to 
give  up  farm  work.  He  then  located  in  Lake- 
field,  then  just  founded,  where  he  resided  two 
years.     In   1882  he  liouglit  a  farm   on   section 

16,  Des  >roines  township,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  until  he  was  elected  sheriff  of 
.fackson  county  in  1892.  Then  he  moved  to 
Jackson,  where  he  has  since  lived,  having 
Ijcen  engaged  in  several  different  business  en- 
terprises. 

.\nders  Olson,  the  father  of  our  subject,  Avas 
a  shoemaker  in  his  native  land.  He  came  to 
Americu  in  18.')7,  lived  in  Houston  county, 
Minnesota,  until  1861,  and  then  came  to  Jack- 
son county.  He  enlisted  in  the  \inion  army 
in  1861  and  served  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in 
the  spring  of  1802.  His  widow  remarried  and 
lived  in  Jackson  county  until  her  death,  which 
occurred  in  1004  at  the  age  of  84  years.  There 
were  four  children  in  the  family:  Bertha, 
Christina,  Bertha  and  Ole,  of  whom  the  first 
two  named  arc  dead. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  in  Hdniout  town- 
ship .Tanuary  2.^,  1872,  to  Kli/.a  Hanson,  who 
was  born  in  Boone  county,  Illinois,  November 

17,  1847.  Her  parents  were  Hans  and  Eliza 
'Triam)  Hanson,  who  were  born  in  Norway 
and  who  came  to  America  before  their  mar- 
riage and  settled  in  the  (then)  village  of  Chi- 
cago. They  were  married  in  Chicago,  later 
moved  to  Boone  county,  Illinois,  where  they 
died. 

To  Mr.  ond  Mrs.  Anderson   have  been   born 


live  children,  all  born  in  .Jackson  county.  They 
are:  Ella  (Mrs.  C.  A.  Stromme),  of  Kenyon, 
Minnesota,  born  December  4,  1872;  Hannah 
(.Mrs.  A.  B.  Krederiekson),  of  Balfour,  North 
Dakota,  horn  Septemlier  30,  1874;  Huttie 
(.Mrs.  F.  A.  Brown),  of  Fairmont,  Minnesota, 
horn  September  23,  1878:  Wallace,  who  is 
married  and  a  resident  of  Wilbur,  Washing- 
ton, born  August  25,  I8SI:  Pearl,  who  resides 
at  home,  born  .January  31.  1887. 

SI.MOX  OLSON  (l.siili,  deceased,  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  county  and  a  genllenian 
worthy  a  plaw  in  its  history.  He  was  born 
in  Tolgen,  Norway,  .June  14,  1837.  and  came  to 
America  in  18.56.  From  that  date  until  1801 
he  lived  at  Jefferson  Pr.iirie,  Wisconsin. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  Mr.  Olson,  in  eompanj" 
with  a  colony  of  Norwegian  settlers,  came  to 
.Jackson  county,  then  very  sparsely  settled, 
and  took  a  homestead  in  Belmont  township. 
In  the  summer  of  1861  he  enlisted  in  Brack- 
ctt's  battalion  of  the  Second  Minnesota  and 
served   in  the  army  nine  months. 

He  again  took  xip  his  residence  in  Belmont 
in  1802.  only  to  be  driven  out  in  August  by 
the  Indians.  He  went  lo  ,'^priug  Grove,  Hous- 
ton county.  Minnesota,  in  1863,  was  married 
there,  and  came  back  to  his  former  home  in 
Belmont  in  1864,  being  with  the  first  party 
to  return  to  Jackson  county  after  the  mas- 
sacre. Mr.  Olson  engaged  in  farming  from 
that  date  until  his  death  on  April  27.  1007. 
During  his  long  residence  in  the  county  he 
held  several  offices  of  trust,  among  them  being 
county  comniis-iiMicr  and  judge  of  the  probate 
court. 

Judge  Olsiiii  \\j>  married  at  Spring  tirove. 
Houston  county,  Minnesota,  in  1863,  to  Ber- 
tha Olson.  She  died  April  17.  1877,  and  in 
188.*^  he  married  .Anna  Minde.  He  was  the 
father    of    ten    children. 

IIOCAN  CIl.liERT  (1804).  There  are  very 
few  residents  of  Jaekson  county  whose 
arrival  antedates  that  of  Hogan  Gilbert,  of 
Petersburg  township,  and  perhaps  none  has 
lived  upon  his  original  land  claim  for  a  greater 
liiigth  of  time.  For  over  forty-five  years  he 
has  lived  upon  (he  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 34.  which  he  took  as  a  homestead  claim 
during  the  civil  war.  He  has  witnessed  the 
development  of  Jack.son  co\inly  as  few  other 
men  have  had  an  opportunity  to. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


339 


Mr.  Gilbert  is  a  Norwegian  by  birtb  and 
was  born  February  6,  1838,  in  Hallingdal,  aal3 
Prestegeld,  the  son  of  Gilbert  and  Bertha  (Ol- 
son) Gilbert.  He  came  to  America  in  the 
spring  of  18.52  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
and  after  spending  one  year  in  Wisconsin,  he 
moved  west  and  became  one  of  the  very 
earliest  pioneers  of  southern  Minnesota  and 
northern  Iowa.  He  located  in  Martin  county 
in  1853  and  made  his  liome  there  three  years. 
He  then  located  at  Estherville,  Iowa,  where 
for  some  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  Iowa 
home  guards.  He  enlisted  in  the  fall  of  1862, 
immediately  after  the  Belmont  massacre,  which 
occurred  late  in  August,  and  for  some  time 
was  with  I  he  Iowa  guards  scouting  the  coun- 
try up  to  the  Minnesota  line.  His  headquar- 
ters during  this  time  was  at  Fort  Defiance,  at 
Estherville,  Iowa.  On  the  first  day  of  June, 
1864,  Mr.  Gilbert  became  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son county,  taking  a  homestead  claim  on  sec- 
tion 34,  Petersburg,  and  on  that  farm  he 
has  ever  since  resided. 

Mr.  Gilbert  owns  440  acres  of  land.  He  has 
stock  in  the  Jackson  Telephone  company  and 
in  the  Petersburg  Creamery  company.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church. 

On  September  27,  1869,  Mr,  Gilbert  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mary  Olson  and  to  them 
have  been  born  five  children:  Gilbert  H.,  Al- 
bert,   Bertha,    deceased :    Esther    and    Louis. 


mustered  out  of  the  service  as  major.  Major 
Bailey  took  part  in  some  of  the  important  en- 
gagements of  the  civil  war  and  in  the  Indian 
campaigns.  He  assisted  in  the  trial  of  the 
four  hundred  Sioux  at  Mankato  in  1862  and 
was  present  at  the  execution  of  the  thirty- 
eiglit   who   were  hung. 

In  186.'>,  after  his  discharge  from  the  army, 
Major  Bailey  came  to  -Jackson  county,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death.  Earlier  in  his 
career  lie  had  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
Mower  county,  Minnesota,  and  when  he  came 
to  .Jackson  county,  he,  more  prominently  than 
any  other,  assisted  in  the  reorganization  of 
Jackson  county.  The  first  county  election 
was  held  at  his  home,  in  liis  log  cabin,  near 
the  village.  In  partnership  with  Welch  Ashley 
he  platted  the  town  of  Jackson  and  was  ac- 
tive in  the  promotion  of  enterprises  and  the 
settlement  of  the  county.  Among  the  offices 
he  held  were  county  commissioner,  court  com- 
missioner, superintendent  of  schools,  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education  and  justice  of 
the  peace.  Major  Bailey  died  at  Jackson 
April  20.  1901. 

!Major  Bailey  was  married  at  Bishford,  Ver- 
mont, Marcii  10,  18.52,  to  Jane  Wheeler.  They 
had  five  children:  Sidney,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  one  year;  Frank  E.,  of  Jackson;  Wal- 
lace M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-one; 
Freddie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen; 
Brownie  H.  (Mrs.  W.  H.  Dunstan),  of  Spokane, 
Washington. 


MAJOR  HIKAM  S.  BAILEY  (1865),  deceas- 
ed. In  the  early  days  of  Jackson  county's 
history  tliere  were  few  men  who  took  a  more 
important  jiart  than  did  the  gentleman  whose 
name  lieads  this  sketch.  In  political  matters 
he  was  a  leader  and  pla}'ed  a  most  important 
part  in  the  organization  of  the  county. 

Major  Bailey  was  born  in  Montgomery, 
^'ermont,  m  1829,  He  received  a  common 
school  education  in  the  towns  of  ^Montgomery 
and  Watcrville  and  completed  his  education  in 
an  academy  at  Bakcrsfield.  In  1853  he  came 
west  and  located  in  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin, 
residing  on  a  farm  near  Waupon  until  185G, 
Tliat  year  he  settled  on  a  farm  in  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota,  where  he  resided  until 
the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war.  He  enlisted 
in  1861  in  company  A,  of  the  Second  Minnesota 
infantry,  and  served  four  years  and  three 
months  in  the  army.  He  enlisted  as  a  pri- 
vate,  but    promotion    was    rapid    and    he    was 


AVILLIA.M  \'.  KING  (1866).  One  of  the  best 
known  residents  of  the  county  is  William  V. 
King,  a  pioneer  of  forty-three  years  standing, 
who  now  lives  a  retired  life  in  the  county  seat 
village,  after  having  spent  many  active  years 
in    public    life. 

In  Oldham,  England,  on  September  26,  1831, 
our  subject  was  born,  the  son  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Hilton)  King.  On  the  first  day  of 
April.  1835.  the  family  set  sail  for  the  new 
world  and  upon  their  arrival  located  near 
Utica,  New  Yoik.  There  until  he  was  ten  years 
old  William  lived  with  his  parents,  attending 
school  and  working  for  a  short  time  in  a  fac- 
tory. In  1841  he  went  to  Walworth  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  that  was  his  home  until  his  thir- 
tieth year.  During  these  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farm  work, and  teaching  school.  Mov- 
ing to  Crawford  county  in  1861,  he  engaged 
in  farming,  and  the  same  year,  upon  the  out- 


340 


BIOGBAPniPAL  TTTSTOTtY 


break  of  the  civil  war.  lit  took  a  position  with 
tlie  government  us  enrolling  officer.  In  18G4 
he  enlisted  in  the  43rd  Wisconsin  volunteer 
infantry  and  served  as  first  sergeant  of  his 
company  until  liis  discharge  from  the  army, 
H  liieh  occurred  at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  in 
July,   1865. 

In  the  fall  of  180.5,  soon  after  leaving  the 
army,  Mr.  King  took  up  his  residence  at  Austin, 
ilinnesota,  and  in  May,  of  the  following  year, 
liccanie  a  resident  of  Jackson  county.  He  lo- 
cated in  what  is  now  organized  as  Wiscon- 
sin township  and  took  as  a  homestead  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  28,  upon  which 
he  lived  iintil  1873.  Having  hecii  elected  to 
the  office  of  county  auditor  that  fall,  he  moved 
to  Jackson  to  assume  the  duties  of  the  office. 
With  the  exception  of  two  years  spent  in  Hun- 
ter township,  Jackson  has  been  the  home  of 
Mr.   King   ever   since. 

During  thirty-one  years  of  his  residence  in 
the  county  Mr.  King  has  held  county  office — 
a  record  held  by  no  other  man.  Prior  to  his 
removal  to  Jackson  he  held  the  office  of  judge 
of  probate  six  years;  he  was  superintendent 
of  schools  two  years;  was  county  attorney 
two  years:  and  held  the  office  of  county  au- 
ditor twenty-one  years.  He  owns  property  in 
the  village  of  Jackson  and  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  section  24,  Hunter  township.  Fraternally 
he  is  associated  with  the  Masonic  and  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  organizations. 

Mr.  King  was  married  in  Walworth  co\inly, 
Wisconsin,  ifarch  27,  IS.iO.  to  Antonette  L. 
Porter,  who  died  in  .Jackson  March  26,  1896. 
To  this  union  were  born  the  following  named 
childreu:  William  P.,  Nellie  C.  (Davies),  S.  S. 
and  John  f,.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr. 
King  occurred  June  22,  1808.  when  he  wedded 
Leonora  K.  Chittenden  at  Fairmont,  Minne- 
sota. 


OEORGK  C.  CHAMnERUN  (1866).  deceased. 
In  many  respects  George  C.  Cliamlierlin  was 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  of  Jackson 
county  d\iring  the  pioneer  days.  He  had  a 
large  acquaintanceship,  was  popular  and  be- 
loved by  all  who  knew  him.  He  played  a  lead- 
ing part  in  the  county's  political  and  social 
life. 

Mr.  Cliamlierlin  was  born  in  N'ewbury.  Ver- 
mont. Febniiiry  2.').  1837.  the  son  of  Abner  and 
Mary  (Hazelton)  Chambcilin.  He  was  edu- 
cated  in   Newbury   seminary  and   learned   the 


printer's  trade,  later  engaging  in  business  at 
Hiadford,  Vermont.  He  enlisted  in  the  union 
army  at  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  and 
served  until  its  close. 

In  1866,  just  as  the  little  town  was  being 
founded,  Mr.  Chamberlin  located  in  .Tackson, 
and  on  February  26,  1870,  he  founded  the 
county's  first  newspaper,  the  Jackson  Republic. 
Later  he  sold  out  and  bought  a  paper  at  Mar.- 
kato,  but  because  of  failing  eyesight  he  was 
obliged  to  give  up  newspaper  work,  and  lie 
retired  from  active  pursuits.  He  became  en- 
tirely blind.  He  represented  .Jackson  county 
in  the  Minnesota  senate,  was  county  auditor, 
prosecuting  attorney,  and  held  other  county 
offices.  He  lived  in  Jackson  until  18<)3;  then 
he  returned  to  his  boyhood  home,  Bradford, 
Vermont,  where  he  died  in  November,  1898. 


TMO.MAS  GOODWIN  (1866)  and  wife,  who 
now  reside  in  Wilder,  have  lived  in  Jackson 
county  for  the  last  forty-three  years  and  are 
among  the  few  surviving  pioneers  who  came 
as  early  as  1866.  Jlr.  Goodwin  was  born  in 
Liverpool.  England,  November  12,  1830.  the  son 
of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Tiowin)  Goodwin. 
These  parents  came  to  America  in  1840.  lived 
in  Elmira,  New  York,  four  years,  in  Williams- 
ville.  Pennsylvania,  four  years  and  then  in 
Farmers  Valley.  McKean  county,  Pennsylvania, 
in  all  of  which  places  they  were  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business.  The  mother  died  in  Farm- 
ers \'alley  .January  12,  1807,  aged  81  years; 
the   father  in  August,  1006,  aged  80  years. 

When  his  parents  came  to  America  in  1840 
our  subject  did  not  accompany  them  but  was 
brought  up  in  the  family  of  his  grandfather, 
at  New  Town.  Wales.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
years  he  left  the  home  of  his  grandparents 
and  crossed  the  Atlantic.  He  joined  his  par- 
ents in  McKean  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
uiitil  his  twenty-fifth  year,  in  1864,  he  was 
employed  on  a  farm  owned  by  his  father. 

Mr.  Goodwin  was  married  May  3.  1864,  at 
Portville.  New  York,  to  Betsy  Elizabeth  Bar- 
rett, who  is  the  daughter  of  Thornton  and 
Rebecca  (Brewer)  Barrett,  and  who  was  born 
in  McKcau  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  24. 
1843.  They  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
named  children:  Mary  (Mrs.  W.  F.  Ridge- 
way),  of  Jackson,  born  .January  25.  1866: 
Lewis  L.,  of  Mosier.  Oregon,  born  June  28, 
1868:  Cora  A.,  born  Dceeinber  3.  1860,  died  No- 
vember   27,    1897;    Elmira    A.,    born    May    14, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


341 


1873,  died  September  10,  1874;  Fred  L.,  of  Le- 
land,  Washington,  born  October  3,  1877; 
Laura  E.,  of  Parkston,  South  Dakota,  born 
August   16,  1880. 

In  October,  1866,  Mr.  Goodwin  came  lo 
Jackson  county  and  took  as  a  liomestead  claim 
tlie  nortliwest  quarter  of  section  6,  Middle- 
town  township,  and  the  next  year  moved  onto 
the  place  witli  his  family.  At  the  time  the 
nearest  railroad  point  was  Owatonna,  120 
miles  away,  and  neighbors  were  scarce.  There 
were  only  three  families  between  his  place 
and  the  present  site  of  Luverne,  in  Rock 
county.  The  iirst  three  j-ears  of  fhe  residence 
of  this  famil}'  in  Jackson  county  were  spent 
living  in  a  "dugout,"  and  thereafter  for  several 
years  in  a  log  cabin.  Incredible  were  the  hard- 
ships endured  in  this  frontier  country  during 
the  "starvation  period"  and  the  terrible  grass- 
hopper scourge.  Mr.  Goodwin  remained  on  the 
claim  and  weathered  the  storms  of  adversity. 
He  lived  on  the  farm  until  1890,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  pursuits  and  moved  with 
his  family  to  Wilder. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Goodwin  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Goodwin  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  in  Middle- 
town  township  several  years,  and  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Wilder  village  council  sev- 
eral  terms. 


From  the  spring  of  1807  until  1891  Mr.  San- 
don  engaged  in  farming  in  Wisconsin  township. 
In  November,  1889,  he  was  elected  judge  of 
probate  and  has  held  the  office  ever  since,  hav- 
ing been  reelected  nine  times.  His  present 
term  expires  January  1,  1911.  While  a  resi- 
dent of  Wisconsin  township  Judge  Sandon 
served  in  various  official  capacities.  He  was 
the  first  assessor  of  the  township,  serving  dur- 
ing the  years  1867-68;  was  township  clerk 
sixteen  years,  and  was  justice  of  the  peace 
from  1886  to  1890.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Workmen  lodges.  Tie  owns  205  acres 
of  land  in  Jackson  county  and  real  estate  in 
other  parts  of  the  country. 

Judge  Sandon  was  married  November  28, 
1865,  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Fields.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  the  following  named  children: 
Elbert  J.,  born  December  22,  1867,  died  Decem- 
ber 5,  1888;  Ethel  H.,  born  June  8,  1870,  died 
.January  2,  1889;  Viola  A.,  born  April  27,  1873, 
married  October  12,  1898,  died  in  1899; 
Stella  A.,  born  September  18,  1875,  married 
December  29,  1897;  Nettie  F.,  born  November 
4,  1878,  married  October  28,  1908;  Harry  H., 
born  February  6,  1881;  Samuel  E.,  born  De- 
cember 24,  1883;  William  A.,  born  March  30, 
1886;    Robert  Cassius,  born  August   8,  1888. 


CHARLES  H.  SANDON  (1866),  judge  of  the 
probate  court  of  Jackson  county,  is  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  county  and  one  of  its  best 
known  residents.  He  is  an  Englishman  by 
birth,  having  been  born  in  Northampton  Oc- 
tober 7,  1845,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliza 
(Goodwin)    Sandon. 

Wlien  the  subject  of  this  biography  was  four 
months  of  age  the  family  emigrated  to  Ameri- 
ca and  located  at  Burke,  in  Dane  county,  Wis- 
consin, and  there  our  subject  grew  to  manhood. 
At  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war  he  enlisted 
in  company  G,  of  the  First  Wisconsin  cavalry, 
and  served  until  November,  1864,  having  been 
discharged  at  Calhoun,  Georgia.  After  the  war 
Mr.  Sandon  returned  to  his  old  home  at  Burke 
and  made  his  home  there  until  the  fall  of  1866. 
He  then  came  to  Jackson  county,  bought  land 
in  Wisconsin  township,  and  returned  to  spend 
the  winter  in  his  old  home.  He  came  back  to 
Jackson  county  with  his  family  in  the  spring 
of  1867  and  has  ever  since  been  a  resident  of 
the  county. 


WILBUR  S.  KIIVIBALL  (1867),  deceased.  In 
the  early  days  of  the  history  of  the  village  of 
Jackson  no  man  had  a  wider  acquaintanceship 
or  took  a  more  prominent  part  in  the  affairs 
of  the  village  than  did  W.  S.  Kimball,  one  of 
the   pioneer   merchants. 

He  was  born  in  Chelsea,  Vermont,  in  1835, 
and  early  in  life  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Illinois.  After  reaching  his  majority  he  moved 
to  Austin,  Minnesota,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business.  He  enlisted  in  the  Fourth 
Minnesota  regiment  of  volunteers  in  1861  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  Mr.  Kimball  returned  to  Austin, 
and  during  the  summer  of  1867  came  with  his 
family  to  the  new  village  of  Jackson.  He 
erected  the  town's  second  building  and  opened 
a  small  hardware  store.  Beginning  with  a 
small  business,  he  prospered  and  was  soon 
doing  an  enormous  business.  He  was  a  most 
liberal  and  enterprising  citizen  and  devoted 
much  time  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  little  city. 
He  was  in  business  many  years. 

With  the  building  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Sioux 


34-2 


illUC.KAl'illCAL  lllSTUUY. 


City  railroad  much  of  the  trade  territory  from 
which  he  had  before  drawn  was  cut  off;  then 
came  the  liard  times  during  the  grasshopper 
period,  and  Jlr.  Kimball  failed.  After  retir- 
ing' from  business  he  took  a  position  as  a 
traveling  salesman,  and  some  time  before  his 
death  he  retired  and  lived  a  quiet  life  at 
Jackson.  Mr.  Kimball  died  at  Jackson  Decem- 
ber 13,  1892. 


WELCH  ASHLEY  (1865),  deceased,  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  village  of  Jackson  and 
one  of  the  town's  prominent  men  in  the  early 
days.  The  Ashley  family  is  one  of  the  old 
American  families,  Robert  Ashley  having  come 
to  the  new  world  from  England  in  colonial  days 
and  settled  in  Massachusetts.  Welch  Ashley's 
grandfather,  David  Ashley,  was  born  in  West- 
Held,  Massachusetts.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
i'reneh  and  Indian  war,  serving  eighteen 
months.  Jle  also  served  seven  years  in  the 
revolutionary  war  and  was  with  Colonel  Ethan 
Allen  at  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga.  He 
rose  to  the  rank  of  major.  Welch  Ashley  was 
born  in  Hancock,  Delaware  county,  New  York, 
on  the  first  day  of  the  year  1807,  the  son  of 
Forest  and  Harriett  (Welch)  Ashley.  Forest 
Ashley  was  born  June  2,  1771,  at  Piltsfield, 
Massachusetts,  and  died  in  Mainesburg, 
Pennsylvania,  August  15,  1856.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Hancock,  Delaware  county,  New  York, 
in  1704.    He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade. 

At  an  early  age  Welch  Ashley  moved  with 
his  parents  to  Troy,  Bradford  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  lived  a  number  of  years.  He 
served  as  sheriff  of  Bradford  county  a  number 
of  years.  Later  he  moved  to  Tioga  county, 
in  the  same  state,  where  he  was  married  and 
where  he  lived  until  he  came  west  and  settled 
in  Jackson  county.  Mr.  Ashley  was  always 
very  patriotic  and  a  strong  union  man  during 
the  civil  war.  He  contributed  to  the  cause 
and  three  of  his  sons  were  in  the  union  army. 

It  was  during  the  month  of  September, 
1865,  that  Welch  Ashley  eame  to  Jackson 
county  and  bought  the  old  Wood  homestead, 
upon  which  had  been  enacted  the  tragedies  of 
the  Inkpaduta  massacre  more  than  eight  years 
before.  At  the  time  there  were  only  a  few 
families  living  in  the  whole  of  Jackson  county, 
and  these  only  recently  returned  after  the 
fenr  of  the  Indians  had  been  removed. 

In  1860  Mr.  Ashley  and  Major  H.  S.  Bailey 
laid  out  the  town  of  Jackson,  Mr.  Ashley  being 


the  proprietor  of  all  that  portion  of  the  town 
included  in  the  original  plat  lying  north  of 
White  street.  About  the  same  time  he  built 
the  first  saw  mill  erected  in  the  county,  which 
was  located  on  the  cast  side  of  the  river  at 
the  site  of  the  present  dam.  At  this  mill 
much  of  the  lumber  used  for  the  construction 
of  the  first  buildings  erected  in  the  new  town 
was  sawed  and  prepared. 

From  the  first  Mr.  Ashley  entered  into  the 
business  life  of  the  town,  taking  an  active 
])art  in  every  movement  for  the  advancement 
of  its  interests..  In  company  with  his  son,  B. 
\V.  Ashley,  he  built  the  Ashley  House,  which 
ever  since  has  been  the  principal  hotel  of  the 
village  and  is  now  owned  by  his  grandson,  M. 
1).  Ashley,  and,  for  many  years  he  was  its 
owner.  Much  of  the  material  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  this  hotel  was  hauled  by  team 
from  Slankato.  He  was  also  engaged  at  var- 
ious times  in  the  mercantile  business  and  in 
farming.  He  retained  his  mental  vigor,  and 
in  great  degree  his  physical  strength  until  a 
few  days  before  his  death,  and  his  interest  in 
the  town  which  he  had  founded  continued  to 
the  last.  Mr.  Ashley  died  at  his  home  in 
Jackson  February  23,   1885. 

Mr.  Ashley  was  always  a  strong  friend  of 
religion  and  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  For  many  years  the  local  Jlethodiat 
church  was  largely  supported  by  him  and  his 
i.xoellent  wife.  It  was  mainly  through  his  ef- 
forts that  the  present  church  building  of  that 
ilenomination  was  erected,  he  being  not  only 
tlie  largest  individual  contributor  to  the  fund 
>ubscribed  for  its  erection,  but  also  devoting 
much  of  his  time  to  looking  after  its  con- 
struction and  in  the  collection  and  manage- 
ment of  the  funds  subscribed  for  that  purpose, 
in  which  matters  his  experience  and  sound 
judgment  were  invaluable. 

Welch  Ashley  was  married  in  Tioga  couTity, 
Pennsylvania,  to  Margaret  Smith,  who  sur- 
vived her  husband  nearly  twenty  years  and 
died  February  17,  1905.  To  these  parents 
were  born  seven  children,  as  follows:  George 
(!.,  Benjamin  W.,  Mrs.  Margaret  Hill,  Menzo 
L.,  Jesse  F.,  Mrs.  Julia  F.  Downey  and  John 
C,  all  of  whom  are  living  except  Benjamin  W. 
and    George   G. 


ANDERS  ROE  (1868),  exsherifT  and  ex- 
judge  of  probate  of  Jackson  county,  now  en- 
gaged  in    farming   in    Enterprise   township,   is 


WELCH  ASHLEY  (1807-1885.) 
One  of  the  Founders  of  Jackson  and  a  Settler  of  1865. 


THSNEV/  YORK 

x^UBLIC  UBRARY 


MTOH,  LENOX   *N0 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


343 


one  of  the  county's  very  early  settlers  and  a 
man  who  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the 
affairs   of   his   county. 

Mr.  Roe  was  born  in  Norway  September  13, 
1844,  the  son  of  Osborn  and  Eagnilda  (Roe) 
Hoe.  In  1852,  at  the  age  of  eight  years,  he 
came  to  America  with  his  parents  and  for 
short  periods  of  time  lived  in  Dane  county, 
Jefl'erson  county  and  Columbia  county,  all  in 
Wisconsin.  He  then  located  in  Portage  coun- 
ty, Wisconsin,  where  he  took  up  government 
land  and  where  he  lived  until  coming  to  Jack- 
son   county. 

Our  subject  served  one  year  in  the  union 
army  during  tlie  closing  days  of  the  war,  be- 
ing a  member  of  the  Fifth  Wisconsin  volun- 
teers, having  been  mustered  in  at  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  in  Sejitember,  1804.  With  his  regi- 
ment he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Petersburg, 
Virginia,  on  April  2,  1865,  and  on  ^pril  6  he 
participated  in  the  battle  on  Sailors  creek. 
In  tliis  latter  engagement  he  was  slightly 
wounded  but  did  not  leave  the  ranks.  He  also 
assisted  in  the  closing  days  at  Appomattox 
court  house,  when  General  Lee  and  his  army 
of  twenty-five  tliousand  men  surrendered.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Hall's  Hill,  near  Wash- 
ington,  June   20,    1865. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr.  Roe 
returned  to  his  old  Wisconsin  home,  and  in 
the  spring  of  1868  came  to  Jackson  county. 
The  trip  was  made  by  ox  team  and  took  four 
weeks  time.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roe  journeyed  with 
three  other  families  as  far  as  St.  Charles,  Min- 
nesota, when  the  party  divided,  all  going  in 
different  directions.  At  the  time  there  were 
on  the  route  taken  only  two  houses  between 
Fairmont  and  Jackson.  One  of  these  was  be- 
tween Fairmont  and  the  present  location  of 
Sherburn  and  tlie  other  was  near  the  present 
location  of  Sherburn.  This  point  was  twelve 
miles  and  forty  rods  east  of  the  old  Thomas 
cabin  and  was  known  as  Lone  Cedar  postoffice. 
On  one  occasion  the  team  mired  in  Ten-mile 
creek  and  the  only  way  Mr.  Roe  could  get  out 
of  the  mire  was  by  unloading.  They  lost  their 
way  and  had  traveled  as  far  south  as  the 
present  town  of  Tenhassen  before  they  realiz- 
ed they  were  off  the  proper  course.  They  ar- 
rived in  Jackson  county  on  the  28th  day  of 
June,   1808. 

Mr.  Roe  on  July  9,  1868,  took  as  a  homestead 
claim  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  30,  Enterprise  township,  land  which 
he  still  owns  and  upon  which  he  now  resides. 


He  engaged  in  farming  there  for  a  number 
of  years.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  grass- 
liopper  scourge  he  worked  for  the  John  Paul 
Lumber  company  at  their  yard  in  Jackson.  In 
the  fall  of  1879,  when  the  railroad  extended 
and  the  town  of  Lakefield  was  founded,  Mr. 
Roe  moved  there  and  took  charge  of  the  Jolin 
Paul  lumber  yard,  which  he  conducted  until 
the  office  there  was  discontinued.  He  then 
went  to  Sherburn,  where  he  conducted  the 
company  "s  yard  three  years.  Mr.  Roe  again 
located  on  his  farm,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  county's  history 
Mr.  Roe  served  as  sheriff  of  the  county  and  he 
was  also  judge  of  probate  two  years.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  of  Jackson. 

On  November  27,  1866,  Mr.  Roe  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Elsie  Frederickson.  To  them 
A\erc  born  five  children,  as  follows:  Julian, 
born  August  15,  1868,  died  September,  1887; 
Alfred,  born  February  2,  1871;  Emma,  born 
December  15,  1872;  Albert,  born  November  8, 
187G;   Richard  H.,  born  January  24,   1884. 


ANDREW  C.  OLSON  (1SC8)  is  county 
commissioner  of  Jackson  county  and  one  of 
the  most  successful  farmers  of  Christiania 
township.  He  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of 
the  precinct  and  has  resided  there  since  he 
was  two  years  of  age.  He  owns  and  farms 
240  acres  of  land  on  sections  8  and  9  and  has 
other    business    interests. 

jNIr.  Olson  was  born  in  Winneshiek  county, 
Iowa,  Marcli  30,  1866,  the  son  of  Carl  Olson, 
who  died  December  21,  1881,  and  Ingeborg 
(Simonson)  Olson.  His  parents  came  to  the 
new  world  from  Norway  in  1858  and  located 
in  Iowa,  from  which  state  his  father  enlisted 
and  fought  with  the  union  forces  during  the 
civil  war.  He  was  with  General  Sherman  on 
ids  famous  march  to  the  sea  and  was  wounded 
in  tiic  service.  Andrew  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  JacksoTi  county  in  1808  at  the  age  of 
two  years,  and  his  home  has  ever  since  been 
in  Christiania  township.  His  father  home- 
steaded  land  on  the  south  bank  of  Fish  lake, 
and  there  our  subject  lived  until  he  was  twen- 
t3'-two  years  of  age,  securing  an  education  and 
working  on  the  farm. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  Mr.  Olson  was 
married  and  began  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count, locating  on  a  farm  on  the  west  side  of 
Fish  lake.  In  1890  he  bought  the  farm  he  now 
owns   and   in   1897   he   moved   onto   the   place. 


344 


BlUGKAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


He  lias  a  Uuc  liuiuc  auii  a  well  improved  farm, 
lie  has  large  interests  in  the  creamery  com- 
pany of  Uergen  and  the  l-'armcrs  Elevator 
company  of  Windom  and  other  cooperative 
ronwrns.  He  is  a  director  of  the  i'armers  Stale 
Hank  of  Windom.  During  his  long  residence 
in  the  county  Mr.  Olson  has  many  times  been 
called  upon  to  serve  in  an  otTicial  capacity.  He 
is  at  present  a  member  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners,  was  chairman  of  the  Chris- 
tiania  township  hoard  twelve  years,  clerk  of 
his  school  district  twenty-two  years,  and  town- 
ship assessor  five  years. 

-Mr.  Olson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Caro- 
lina Anton,  of  Christiania  township,  Decem- 
ber 1.3,  18S8.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
eleven  children,  as  follows:  Ella  C,  born  Oc- 
tober 21,  1889;  Eva  M.,  born  January  10,  1891; 
Clinton  O.,  born  Alay  15,  1892,  died  July  19, 
1893;  Bert  .M.,  born  December  23,  1893;  Cyril, 
born  October  3,  1895;  Irvin,  born  August  7, 
1897,  died  September  5,  1897;  Morris,  born 
August  7,  1897,  died  September  3,  1907;  Mar- 
ion, born  February  21,  1901;  Kerrait,  born 
December  29,  1903;  Grace,  born  November  18, 
1905;  Alvin  C,  born  May  20,  1900.  Tlie  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  Mr. 
Olson  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
^lodcrn  Woodmen  lodges  of  Windom. 


JAMES  W.  HUNTER  (1868),  deceased,  was 
an  early  day  merchant  of  Jackson  and  a  man 
who  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of 
the  county.  He  was  a  native  of  Scotland  and 
was  born  August  10,  1837,  the  son  of  James 
and  Agnes  Hunter. 

When  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  1855,  Mr. 
Hunter  came  to  America.  He  spent  three  years 
clerking  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  was  a  short  time 
at  Wilton,  Minnesota,  and  then  returned  to 
Scotland  for  a  short  visit.  Returning  to  Am- 
erica, he  located  at  Waseca,  Minnesota,  where 
he  built  a  store  and  engaged  in  business  with 
his  brother.  Selling  out  there,  he  engaged  in 
business  in  Esthervillc,  Iowa,  two  years,  and 
in  1808  located  in  the  new  town  of  Jackson.  In 
partnership  with  a  brother  he  engaged  in  the 
general  merchandise  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  Hunter  Brothers.  He  continued  to  live 
in  Jackson  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
August   13,  1900. 

Mr.  Hunter  served  two  terms  as  county  au 
ditor,  having  been  elected  first  in  1870,  and 
was   a   member   of   the   Minnesota   legislature 


from  Jackson  county.  He  was  married  in 
Scotland  August  19,  1870,  to  Bessie  Ross. 
There  arc  three  children  in  the  family,  namely : 
-Mrs.  II.  B.  (Jiliispie,  William  D.  Hunter  and 
-Agnes   (irace. 


PETEU  1'.  llDLDEX  (1808),  of  Petersburg 
township,  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  that 
precinct,  having  resided  there  nearly  forty- 
two  years.  He  is  a  Norwegian  by  birth  and 
was  born  August  30,  1845,  tlie  son  of  Peter 
and   Lilly    (Olson)    Olson. 

Our  subject  resided  in  his  native  land  until 
he  reached  his  majority.  Then  he  emigrated 
to  America,  arriving  in  May,  1866,  and  located 
in  Lafayette  county,  Wisconsin.  He  spent  two 
winters  working  in  the  pineries  of  northern 
Wisconsin  and  then  came  to  the  new  country 
of  Jackson  county,  where  he  arrived  in  March, 
1808.  He  located  on  land  in  Petersburg  town- 
ship, and  that  has  been  his  home  ever  since. 
For  several  seasons  he  spent  his  winters 
on  his  place  and  his  summers  working  in  Fill- 
more and  Winona  counties.  He  suffered  many 
liardhsips  during  the  trying  times  of  pioneer 
days,  in  storms  and  the  terrible  grasshopper 
scourge.  Like  everyone  else  he  endeavored  to 
raise  a  crop  ever.y  year  during  the  time  the 
grasslioppers  were  here,  thinking  that  each 
year  must  be  the  last  of  the  pests,  and  each 
year  lost  his  crops.  Fortunately  he  early 
turned  his  attention  to  stock  raising,  and  so 
weatliered  the  storms  of  that  never-tobe-foi- 
gotten   period. 

Jlr.  Holdcn  owns  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  36,  Petersburg,  and  has  stock  in 
the  Jackson  Telephone  company  and  in  the 
Petersburg  Creamery  company.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  township  board  of  supervis- 
ors and  of  the  school  board  and  has  held  the 
office  of  road  overseer.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Norwegian   Lutheran    church. 

On  September  14,  1874,  Mr.  Holden  was  mar- 
ried to  Annie  Bottlcson,  of  Petersburg.  This 
union  has  been  blessed  with  the  births  of 
the  following  named  children:  Olef  B.,  born 
October  23,  1.S70;  Ida,  born  August  14,  1879; 
Genton  P.,  horn  June  23,  1881;  Lillie,  born 
September  22,  1875,  died  January,  1908;  Esther, 
born  M.irch  16,  1883;  Henry,  born  September  1, 
1888. 


BEN  H.  JOHNSON  (1865).    One  of  the  very 
earliest  of  the  settlers  of  Jackson  county  who 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


345 


now  reside  in  the  county  is  B.  H.  Johnson, 
who  lives  a  retired  life  in  the  village  of  Jack- 
son. During  the  early  days  Mr.  Johnson  took 
an  active  interest  in  the  afl'airs  of  the  new 
county  and  participated  in  its  organization. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  Plymouth,  Litch- 
field county,  Connecticut,  August  1,  1834,  the 
son  of  Louis  and  Nancy  (Marsh)  Johnson.  He 
received  a  public  and  academic  education  in 
Watertown,  Connecticut,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  came  west  and  located  in  Bar- 
aboo,  Wisconsin.  He  farmed  in  the  vicinity 
of  that  town  ten  years  and  then  enlisted  in 
the  army.  The  date  of  his  enlistment  was 
December  4,  1862.  when  he  became  a  member 
of  company  F.  of  the  Third  Wisconsin  cavalry. 
He  served  in  the  union  army  until  September 
29,  1865,  when  he  was  discharged  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  Kansas. 

Immediately  after  his  discharge  Mr.  Johnson 
returned  to  his  old  home  in  Baraboo.  He 
immediately  made  preparations  to  seek  a 
home  in  the  new  country  of  Jackson  county, 
and  on  Christmas  day,  1805,  landed  on  the  Des 
Moines  river.  He  bought  sixty  acres  of  land, 
partly  in  Des  Moines  township  and  partly  in 
\Visrciii>iii  township,  and  also  filed  a  home- 
stead claim  to  land  in  Wisconsin  adjoining  his 
sixty  acres.  His  life  during  this  pioneer  per- 
iod was  full  of  hardships,  as  were  those  of 
nearly  all  the  settlers  of  that  day.  In  January, 
1868,  while  he  was  away  from  home,  his  house 
and  everything  in  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Mr.  Johnson  and  his  family  then  moved  into 
a  little  log  house  which  was  located  on  an- 
other part   of  his   farm. 

Until  September,  1873,  Mr.  Johnson  continu- 
ed to  farm  in  Jackson  county.  Then,  on  the 
fifteenth  of  the  month,  he  set  out  with  a  team 
for  Kansas  to  make  his  future  home  in  that 
country.  He  located  at  Burr  Oak.  in  Jewell 
count.y,  bought  an  eighty  acre  farm  near 
town,  and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits 
about  five  years.  He  then  moved  to  town  and 
for  about  fifteen  years  was  engaged  in  the 
drug  business.  He  was  street_  commissioner  of 
the  village  for  three  years  and  during  the  rest 
of  the  time  he  was  a  resident  of  Burr  Oak  he 
lived  a  retired  life.  In  1903  Mr.  Johnson  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  in  Jackson  county,  and 
since  that  time  has  made  his  home  in  Jackson. 

Upon  the  organization  of  Jackson  county  in 
January,  1866,  Mr.  Johnson  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  clerk  of  the  district  court  and 
served    until    his    successor    was    elected    and 


qualified.  As  there  were  practically  no  duties 
to  perform  the  office  was  a  nominal  one  only. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  in  1867  and  1808,  and  during 
those  j'ears  served  as  chairman  of  the  board. 
He  held  the  oflfice  of  justice  of  the  peace  four 
years  and  was  assessor  in  both  Wisconsin 
and  Des  Moines  townships.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a 
Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Py- 
thias lodge. 

Mr.  Johnson  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  at  Reedsburg,  Wiscoji- 
sin,  November  9,  1859,  when  he  wedded  Emma 
T.  Cornish.  She  died  October  3,  1871,  aged 
29  years.  To  this  union  two  children  were 
born:  Rollan  W.,  born  December  4,  1860;  Irv- 
ing v.,  born  January  10,  1870.  His  second 
marriage  occurred  April  3,  1873,  in  Jackson, 
when  he  wedded  Martha  Moore.  As  a  result 
of  this  marriage  the  following  children  were 
born:  Louis  L.  and  Lloyd  W.,  twins,  born 
October  6,  1879;  Ethel  W.,  born  January  31, 
1881;  Gretla  H.,  born  May  16,  1886,  died  May 
20,  1891;  Alice  C,  born  September  3,  1887. 


MENEO  L.  ASHLEY  (1866).  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  little  less  than  three  years  the 
gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch  has 
lived  in  the  village  of  Jackson  over  forty-three 
years  and  has  seen  it  gi-ow  from  a  grass- 
covered  prairie  to  the  substantial  city  it  is 
today.  During  these  many  years  spent  in 
Jackson  Mr.  Ashley  has  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  the  affairs  of  his  village  and  county 
and  has  participated  in  many  of  the  stirring 
events  of  pioneer  days. 

On  July  5,  1847,  in  Tioga  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Menzo  L.  Ashley  was  born  to  Welch 
and  Margaret  (Smith)  Ashley.  In  that  county 
he  passed  his  boyhood  days,  attending  the  dis- 
trict schools  winters  and  working  on  the  farm 
during,  the  summer  months.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  and  one-half  years  he  entered  the  army 
and  took  part  in  the  closing  events  of  the 
war  of  the  rebellion.  Being  under  age  he  was 
required  to  secure  the  consent  of  his  parents 
before  enlistment.  .January  7,  1864,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Seventh  Pennsylvania  cavalry, 
and  later  became  a  member  of  company  B, 
of  the  97th  Pennsylvania  volunteer  infantry. 
He  served  until  his  muster  out  at  Weldon, 
North  Carolina,  August  28,  1865,  being  finally 
discharged    at   Philadelphia   a   little    later. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr.  Ash- 


21 


340 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IFISTOKY. 


ley  rt'lunied  to  his  old  home  in  Tioga  county, 
remained  there  ten  months,  and  then  came  to 
the  site  of  the  village  of  Jackson,  arriving 
during  the  month  of  July,  18(50.  Here  he 
joined  his  parents,  who  had  conic  out  the  year 
before.  Soon  after  his  arrival  Mr.  Ashley  was 
engaged  in  carrying  the  mail  between  Jack- 
.son  and  Kslhcrville,  Iowa,  over  the  first  route 
opened  in  the  county  after  the  Sioux  war. 
When  the  second  mail  route  was  opened  into 
the  county — from  Madclia  to  Jackson — he  car- 
ried the  mail  on  contract  with  the  govern- 
ment three  years.  In  those  days  there  were 
no  bridges  or  beaten  paths  on  the  routes 
and  it  was  necessary  to  ford  streams  and  un- 
dergo other  liazardous  risks  in  the  discharge 
of  his  duties.  In  the  way  of  a  pioneer  "tree 
blazer"  he  was  considered  among  the  best, 
and  many  tales  are  still  told  of  his  exploits 
and  deeds  of  heroism  in  those  days.  After 
giving  up  tlie  Madelia  route  Mr.  Ashley  car- 
ried the  mail  for  some  time  between  Jack- 
son and  Siou.x  City.  When  the  Sioux  City 
and  St.  Paul  railroad  was  b\iilt  tlirough  to 
Windom,  B.  W.  Ashley,  our  subject's  brother, 
took  the  government  contract  to  carry  the 
mail  from  Windom  to  Jackson,  and  Menzo 
Ashley    opened    and   operated  the   line. 

In  1809  Mr.  Ashley  bought  an  eighty  acre 
farm  in  Dcs  Moines  township  and  later  bought 
an  additional  ninety  acres  in  the  same  town 
ship,  proi)crty  which  he  still  owns.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  other  occupations  he  engaged  in 
farming  these  tracts  part  of  the  time.  After 
giving  up  his  mail  contracts  Mr.  Ashley  de- 
voted his  time  to  teaming,  farming  and  other 
occupations.  He  resided  at  Siou.x  Falls,  South 
Dakota,  a  little  less  than  three  years,  from  1889 
to  1801.  He  owns  his  homo  in  the  city  in  addi- 
tion to  his  farming  land.  Mr.  Ashley  served 
as  deputy  sherilT  of  Jackson  county  five  years 
during  the  eighties.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Crand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  was  the  cap- 
tain of  Jackson's  first  fire  department,  or- 
ganized in  1874,  and  he  has  been  a  fireman 
ever  since.  He  is  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Minnesota  Slate   Fire  Depart  inent  association. 

Mr.  Ashley  was  married  in  Jackson  July  fi, 
1872,  to  Hattic  O.  Benton,  a  native  of  Colum- 
bus. Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Porter  W.  and 
Harriet  Benton.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashley 
have  been  born  four  children.  Of  these  Por- 
ter W.  lives  in  the  state  of  Washington  and 
Benjamin  H.  lives  at  homo.  Alice  B.,  the 
eldest    child,    died    March    22,    1805,    aged    20 


jears  and  11  months;  Dallas  C.  was  born  May 
15,  1S70,  and  died  April  11,  1901. 


HANS  C.  SETHER  (1S69).  Among  the  old 
iiiiie  residents  of  Jackson  county  and  one  of 
the  most  successful  farmers  of  Belmont  town- 
ship is  Hans  C.  Setlier,  who  has  resided  upon 
his  present  farm  more  than  forty  years.  He 
is  an  extensive  stock  raiser  and  his  farm 
embraces  ■140  acres  in  Belmont  and  Christiania 
townships,  the  home  place  being  on  section  2, 
Belmont. 

Mr.  Sether  was  born  in  Norway  April  23, 
18.54.  His  father,  Claus  H.  Sether,  died  Decem- 
ber 31,  1898,  aged  72  years  and  4  months. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  died  in  1806,  aged 
over  81  years.  Her  maiden  name  was  Gurc 
11.  Bjerken.  Hans  was  brought  up  on  a  farm 
in  his  native  land,  and  when  fourteen  years 
of  age  came  to  America  with  his  parents.  The 
family  left  the  old  country  in  April,  1868, 
and  after  a  journey  of  three  months  and 
three  weeks  arrived  in  (Joodhue  county,  Min- 
nesota, which  was  the  family  home  until  the 
next    spring. 

During  their  residence  in  (loodhue  county 
a  Lutheran  minislor  named  Hanson  visited  the 
Jackson  county  country  and  upon  his  return 
reported  that  there  was  an  excellent  country 
open  to  homestead  entry  along  the  Des  Moines 
river.  The  Sethcrs  decided  to  make  their  fu- 
ture home  there,  and  they  came  to  the  new 
country,  driving  through  with  oxen  hitched 
to  covered  wagons,  arriving  on  May  3,  1860. 
The  family  were  very  poor.  When  they  landed 
in  America  thoy  had  absolutely  nothing  in 
the  way  of  eartlily  possessions  and  owed  .$170 
for  jiassage  money.  Arriving  in  Jackson 
county,  their  possessions  consisted  of  one  two 
year-old  heifer.  But  thoy  set  to  work  with 
a  will  to  carve  out  a  home  in  the  new  land. 
The  head  of  the  family  took  as  a  homestead 
claim  the  north  half  of  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  2,  Belmont,  the  present  homo  of 
our  subject. 

During  the  first  summer  the  family  lived  in 
the  covered  wagon  in  which  they  had  come 
from  Goodhue  county.  Then  they  built  a 
dugout  in  a  side  hill  and  completed  their  first 
domicile  in  .Jackson  county  with  "Minnesota 
bricks;"'  in  this  primitive  structure  they  lived 
three  years.  The  sod  shanty  and  dugout 
was  replaced  with  a  log  building,  16x16  feet 
with  addition,  which  was  made  from  logs  cut 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


347 


from  the  timber  along  the  river.  The  log 
house  answered  the  purpose  until  1898,  when 
Mr.  Scther  erected  his  present  commodious 
house— one  of  tlie  finest  in  Belmont  township. 
X'ery  liard  times  weie  encountered  during  tlie 
grasshopper  period,  but  the  family  had  at 
once  engaged  in  raising  stock  on  a  small  scale, 
and  as  they  were  not  entirely  dependent  upon 
their  grain  crops,  did  not  suffer  as  did  many 
who  did  not  engage  in  raising  stock. 

Hans  Sether  took  the  management  of  tlie 
home  place  after  his  marriage  in  1875  and  has 
ever  since  conducted  it.  He  has  an  excellent 
farm,  improved  with  excellent  buildings  and 
one  of  the  finest  groves  in  the  neighborhood. 
He  has  added  to  his  original  farm  by  purchase, 
the  land  costing  him  from  $7  to  $33  per  acre. 

In  school,  township  and  county  affairs  Mr. 
Selher  has  taken  an  active  part.  He  was 
appointed  county  commissioner  from  the  Fifth 
district  September  23,  1886,  to  succeed  A.  K. 
Kilen  and  was  elected  to  the  same  office  on 
the  republican  ticket  in  1886  and  again  in 
1890,  serving  over  eight  years.  During  his 
incumbency  two  of  the  county  seat  fights 
took  place  and  Mr.  Sether  took  part  in  those 
history  making  times.  He  served  as  clerk 
of  Belmont  township  several  years  and  he 
has  been  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  100 
for  many  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A. 
lodge. 

Mr.  Sether  was  married  in  Belmont  town- 
ship .July  9,  1875.  to  Minnie  Anderson,  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  .John  Anderson,  of  Enterprise 
township.  Mrs.  Sether  was  born  in  Norway 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869,  arriv- 
ing in  Jackson  county  on  the  same  day  her 
liusband-to-be  did.  Ten  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sether,  of  whom  eight 
are  living,  as  follows:  Clarence,  born  August 
12,  1876;  Just,  born  February  8,  1878;  Gea, 
born  January  21,  1880,  died  September  9,  1881; 
Ingman,  born  March  12,  1882;  Gea,  born  Sep- 
tember 15,  1884;  Martha,  born  September  9, 
1887;  Clara,  born  February  28,  1890,  died 
December  10,  1905:  Henry,  born  May  3,  1893; 
Harry,  born  January  3.  1896;  Helen,  born  July 
30,  1898. 


CHARLES  MALCHOW  (1869),  ex-sheriff  of 
Jackson  county  and  secretary  of  the  Delafield 
Farmers  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  company,  re- 
sides on  his  farm  in   Delafield  township,  just 


east  of  the  village  of  Wilder.  He  is  a  pio- 
neer, having  spent  over  forty  years  of  his  life 
in  Jackson  county,  and  was  one  of  the  very 
first   to  locate  in  Heron  Lake   township. 

Mr.  Malchow  is  a  native  of  Prussia  and 
was  born  June  25,  1846,  the  son  of  Frederick 
and  Henrietta  (Kuhn)  Malchow.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  when 
quite  young  and  located  with  them  in  Wau- 
shara county,  Wisconsin.  He  resided  at  home 
until  February,  1865,  when  he  enlisted  in 
company  F,  of  the  Fiftieth  Wisconsin  volun- 
teer infantry.  He  served  in  the  army  until 
June,  1866,  the  longest  part  of  his  service  be- 
ing spent  in  Dakota  territory  vuider  Colonel 
John  G.  Clark  in  frontier  warfare  against  the 
Indians. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr.  Mal- 
chow spent  a  few  years  working  on  farms  in 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  In  the  spring  of 
1869  he  moved  to  Jackson  county  and  in-  May 
of  that  year  filed  a  soldier's  homestead  claim 
to  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  8,  Heron 
Lake  township,  being  one  of  the  three  first 
settlers  of  that  precinct.  Tlie  others  were 
Fred  Ebert  and  Albert  Hohenstein  and  all 
settled  on  the  banks  of  Lake  Flaherty.  On 
this  farm  he  lived  twenty-nine  years,  pass- 
ing through  the  grasshopper  days  and  other 
trying  ordeals  of  pioneer  life  and  witnessing 
the  development  of  Jackson  county  from  a 
wilderness  to  the  prosperous  condition  of  the 
present  time.  In  1898  Mr.  Malchow  moved  to 
his  present  location  just  outside  the  village  of 
Wilder  and  has  since  made  his  home  there. 

During  his  long  residence  in  the  county  Mr. 
Malchow  has  held  many  offices  of  trust.  He 
was  sheriff  of  the  county  from  1879  to  1887 
and  has  many  times  been  called  upon  to  serve 
as  township  officer.  He  is  secretary  of  the 
Delafield  Farmers  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  com- 
pany, which  was  organized  May  10,  1888,  and 
began  business  September  1,  1888.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1909,  the  company  had  in  force  $1,619,- 
894  of  insurance.  The  assets  of  the  company 
on  that  date  were  $2,546.70  and  the  disburse- 
ments for  the  past  year  w-ere  .$2,135.56.  For 
the  past  ten  years  the  company  has  maintain- 
ed a  record  of  levying  an  assessment  of  only 
one  and  one-half  mills  on  the  dollar.  The 
officers  of  the  company  are  Herman  Rossow, 
president;  C.  F.  Morley,  vice-president;  Charles 
Malchow,  secretary;  August  Pohlman,  treas- 
urer; August  Wolf,  John  Nestrud,  T.  J.  Egge, 
August   Milbrath   and   John    P.   Koster,   direc- 


348 


BIOGKAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


tors.  Mr.  Malcliow  is  tlie  owner  of  480  acres 
of  Jackson  county  land,  a  quarter  section  in 
Colorado,  and  town  property  in  Armstrong, 
Iowa. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  in 
Jackson  countj-  March  4,  1872,  when  he  wed- 
ded Christina  Kilen.  She  was  born  in  Nor- 
way and  died  in  March,  1893,  at  tlic  age  of 
thirty-eight  years.  Nine  children  were  born 
to  this  union,  as  follows:  William  G.,  born 
May  1,  1873;  Hannah  B.  (Mrs.  S.  A.  Smith), 
born  September  7,  1874;  Fred  E.,  born  Febru- 
ary 10,  1877;  Lydia  C,  born  December  C, 
1878;  Blanch,  born  December  12,  1880;  Edith 
K.  (Mrs.  Chaiincy  Ilamlon),  born  March  16, 
1882;  Jolin  C,  born  August  17,  1884;  James  S., 
born  Jamiary  9,  188G;  Otis  M.,  born  January 
14,  1888. 

Mr.  Alalchow's  second  marriage  occurred  at 
Mason  City,  Illinois,  October  5,  1897,  when  he 
married  Katie  A.  Skinner.  She  was  born  in 
Long  Island,  New  York,  moved  to  Illinois 
when  a  baby,  and  resided  in  that  state  until 
her  marriage.  Mr.  Malchow  is  a  member  of 
the  Evangelical  church;  his  wife  belongs  to 
the  Presbvterian  church. 


BROWNELL  H.  LEE  (1865),  of  Jackson, 
has  lived  in  the  countj'  ever  since  he  was  five 
years  of  age  and  during  liis  long  residence 
here  has  been  engaged  in  many  difTerent  buo- 
iness  enterprises.  He  was  born  in  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  January  29,  ISGO,  the  son  of  llal- 
vor  and  ^lartha    (Hansen)   Lee. 

When  Brownell  was  one  year  old  the  fam- 
ily mov'ed  to  Primrose,  Wisconsin,  and  after 
a  residence  of  four  years  left  there  on  May 
2(1,  1805,  by  ox  teams  for  Jackson  county, 
arriving  June  17,  1865.  During  the  fir.st  four 
months  of  the  residence  here  the  family  lived 
in  old  Fort  Belmont,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1866  the  head  of  the  family  took  a.  homestead 
claim  on  section  2,  Des  Moines  township. 
Brownell  lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  receiving  his  education  in 
Belmont  and  Des  Moines  townships.  His  par- 
ents both  died  on  the  old  homestead,  aged  CO 
and  58  years,  respectively. 

In  1883  Mr.  Lee  set  out  in  life  for  himself 
and  moved  to  Cliarles  Mix  county.  South  Da- 
kota, where  he  took  a  homestead  claim  and 
where  he  remained  aljout  one  and  one-hn'f 
years.  Returning  to  Jackson  county  in  1881, 
he  spent  two  years  on  the  old  homestead.     In 


188ti  he  moved  to  Jackson  and  was  employed 
as  <  ream  buyer  for  the  Wilson  &  Avery 
creamery,  and  two  years  later  bought  the 
creamery,  conducting  it  one  year.  He  then 
sold  an  interest  in  the  creamery  and  started 
a  brewery,  which  he  managed  a  year,  and  then 
sold  out.  In  189U  Mr.  Lee  purchased  a  build- 
ing on  Main  street,  one  door  north  of  Bergc's 
store,  and  for  the  next  twelve  years  was  in 
the  restaurant  business.  In  1895  he  purchased 
the  old  brick  yard  and  a  little  later  in  the 
same  year  took  in  John  Stroble  and  William 
Finnern  as  partners,  was  interested  in  the 
business  two  years,  and  then  sold  out  to  his 
partners.  After  disposing  of  the  restaurant 
business  in  1002,  Mr.  Lee  was  not  engaged 
in  active  business  for  a  couple  of  years,  but 
in  1904  he  leased  the  West  hotel  and  was  its 
landlord  three  years.  He  then  took  charge 
of  the  hotel  at  the  north  end  of  Main  street 
and  conducted  it  one  year.  Leaving  the  hotel 
lio  started  a  feed  barn,  in  which  business  he 
has  since  been  cgnaged  and  in  breeding  Per- 
cheron  horses.  Mr.  Lee  is  a  member  of  the 
]?piscopal  church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 

Mr.  Lee  was  married  in  Jackson  to  Misa 
Kva  Simpson.  As  a  result  of  this  union  three 
children  have  been  born,  named  as  follows: 
Margie  M.,  Huth  S.  and  Hubert  B. 


CHARLES  WINZKR  (1S69).  Among  the 
substantial  and  inlluontial  farmers  of  Jack 
son  county  and  one  of  the  county's  pioneer 
settlers  is  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads 
this  biography,  who  resides  in  Weimer  town- 
ship on  the  east  bank  of  Heron  lake.  He  has 
an  elegant  home  and  is  one  of 'the  large  land- 
owners of  the  vicinity,  owning  over  a  section 
of  fertile  land  in  one  body.  He  has  lived  on 
his  |)resent  place  over  forty  years  and  was 
the  first  to  file  a  homestead  claim  to  land  in 
Weimer  township  as  well  as  the  first  to  make 
settlement  in  that  precinct. 

Mr.  Weinzcr  was  born  in  Saxe-Weimar,  Oer- 
many,  June  14,  1845.  the  tliird  of  a  family  of 
eight  children.  His  father,  Christopher  Win- 
7.er.  was  a  weaver  by  trade.  He  died  in  his 
native  land  in  1867,  aged  56  years.  The  mother 
of  our  subject,  Barbara  (Hoffman)  Winzer. 
was  one  of  an  old  Oernian  family  whose  an- 
cestry can  be  traced  bark  to  the  thirteenth 
century.  She  died  in  1893  at  the  age  of  76 
years. 

Charles   Winzer   spent   his   boyhood   days   in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORIC 


349 


liis  native  land,  attending  the  mecTianical 
school  at  Weimar  and  learning  the  carpenter's 
trade.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  left  home 
and  came  to  America.  He  showed  his  patrio- 
tism for  his  adopted  country  by  enlisting  from 
the  city  of  New  York,  one  week  after  his  ar- 
rival,  in  the  union  forces.  He  was  mustered 
in  as  a  member  of  company  K,  173rd  regi- 
ment of  New  York  volunteer  infantry,  and 
was  in  the  service  until  after  the  close  of 
the  war.  His  regiment  was  ordered  south  and 
he  participated  in  a  number  of  severe  en- 
gagements in  Louisiana  under  General  Butler. 
During  the  second  day  of  the  engagement  at 
Tort  Pludson.  on  Jlay  27,  1803,  Mr.  Winzer  was 
so  severely  wounded  that  lie  was  in  hospital 
nine  months.  After  a  partial  recovery  he  was 
transferred  from  the  New  York  regiment  to 
the  Invalid  corps,  and  later,  being  of  a  mu- 
sical turn,  he  was  transferred  to  the  famous 
Twenty-second  regiment  veteran  reserve  corps 
band,  and  as  such  served  the  balance  of  his 
ejilistment.  He  was  honorably  discharged  No- 
vember 2,  1865,  at  Camp  Chase,  Columbus, 
Ohio. 

After  his  army  service,  early  in  the  year 
1866,  Mr.  Winzer  located  at  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  was  married  the  same  year 
and  for  a  few  months  w'orked  at  the  carpen- 
ter trade  there.  He  then  moved  to  Chicago 
and  in  partnership  with  his  father-in-law,  Carl 
Peter,  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  In 
1869  he  gave  up  that  business  and  started  on 
a  prospecting  trip  through  the  west,  touring 
Missouri  and  Kansas  and  finally  landing  at 
Duluth,  then  just  starting,  where  for  a  few 
months  lie  assisted  in  erecting  some  of  the 
first  buildings  of  that  future  city. 

In  the  fall  of  1869  Mr.  Winzer  came  to 
Jackson  county  and  decided  to  make  his  fu- 
ture home  here.  He  filed  a  homestead  claim 
to  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  26  of  what 
is  now  Weimer  township,  on  the  east  bank 
of  Heron  lake,  his  being  the  first  entry  made 
to  land  in  that  township.  He  did  not  pass 
the  winter  of  1809-70  on  his  claim,  but  return- 
ed with  his  family  the  next  April  and  became 
the  first  resident  of  the  precinct.  For  two 
years  he  and  his  wife  lived  in  a  dugout  in 
the  bank  of  the  lake,  and  there  on  June  20, 
1871,  their  first  child,  and  the  first  while  child 
born  in  the  township,  was  given  birth  and 
named  Charles.  Very  hard  times  were  en- 
countered during  the  first  decade  of  Jiis  resi- 
dence   in    Jackson    county,   but    he    weathered 


the  storms  of  adversity,  and  is  today  rated  as 
one   of   the   substantial  men   of   the  county. 

In  1873,  other  settlers  having  located  in  the 
vicinity,  Mr.  Winzer  circulated  the  petition 
asking  for  the  organization  of  the  township 
and  did  all  the  preliminary  work  incident  to 
the  township  beginning  an  existence,  and  to 
him  was  given  the  honor  of  naming  the  new 
township.  He  gave  it  the  name  Weimar,  in 
honor  of  his  old  Grerman  home.  The  spelling  of 
the  word  was  changed  to  Weimer  through 
error,  although  the  name  was  correctly  spelled 
on  the  original  petition. 

In  addition  to  his  other  interests,  Mr.  Win- 
zer is  a  director  and  stockholder  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Heron  Lake  and  is  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Farmers  Bank  of  Wilder.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  to  make  use  of  the  lake  front 
as  a  hunting  resort.  Heron  lake  having  a  state 
wide   reputation   as  a   hunter's   paradise. 

During  his  long  residence  in  Weimer  town- 
ship Mr.  Winzer  has  been  often  chosen  to  re- 
sponsible positions  within  the  gift  of  his 
neighbors  and  he  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  public  welfare. 
He  was  chosen  the  first  chairman  of  the 
Weimer  township  board  and  served  two  terms. 
For  many  years  he  has  served  as  either  a 
member  of  the  township  board,  township  clerk 
or  justice  of  the  peace.  For  many  years  he 
was  clerk  of  school  district  No.  30.  Mr.  Win- 
zer is  associated  with  a  number  of  lodges.  He 
is  the  commander  of  the  G.  A.  K.  post  at 
Heron  Lake  and  has  held  the  office  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  A.  O.  U."  W.,  the  L  O.  O.  F.,  the  M.  B.  A. 
and  the  D.  of  II. 

At  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  May  20,  1860, 
INIr.  Winzer  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ida 
Peter,  who  was  born  in  Germany  March  22, 
1848,  and  came  to  the  United  States  and  to 
Fond  du  Lac.  Wisconsin,  when  seven  years  of 
age.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winzer  have  been  born 
the  following  named  children:  Charles,  pro- 
prietor of  the  Winzer  hotel  of  Sibley,  Iowa, 
born  June  29,  1871 ;  Ernest,  who  manages  the 
home  farm,  born  February  22,  1875:  Minnie 
(Mrs.  Gerhard  Kuhnau),  of  Weimer.  born  May 
17.  1879;  Dasie  (Mrs.  Rudolph  Kuhnau),  of 
Weimer,  bom  September  21,  1885;  Lena,  born 
October  14.  1R87. 


FRANK  E.  BAILEY   (1865)    came  to  Jack- 
son county  wlien  a  boy  ten  years  of  age  and 


350 


RI0(!H.\1'1II('AL  HISTORY. 


ever  .since  tluU  diitc  his  !ionir  lias  been  on  liind 
that  now  is  witliin  tlie  eorpornle  limits  of  tlie 
village  of  Jaekson.  lie  is  the  soil  of  tlie  lute 
Maj.ir  llinim  S.  Hailey  ami  Jane  K.  (Wheeler) 
Hailey.  He  was  liorn  in  Waiipiin,  I'ond  tin 
Ijic  eoiiiily,  Wisconsin,  on  April  11,  IS.w. 

At  the  a-jo  of  one  year  Frank  Hailey  w:is 
taken  with  the  family  to  llaniiltoii.  Mower 
eonnty.  Minnesota,  and  in  September.  ISO.'), 
came  with  them  to  .Taekson  county,  the  father 
taking  as  a  homestead  land  which  he  after- 
ward platted  as  a  part  of  the  townsitc  of 
Jackson.  Frank  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Jackson  and  in  Carleton  college,  of  Xortli- 
field.  Minnesota,  wliere  he  was  a  student  dur- 
ing the  years  1872-73.  After  securing  his  edu- 
cation he  engaged  in  farming  until  IS".").  Then 
he  took  up  teaching  as  a  profession  and  during 
the  winter  of  1875-70  taught  in  Martin  county. 
He  taught  in  Olmsted  county  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1876  anil  during  the  next  three  years 
was  employed  in  teaching  in  ^McTIenry  county, 
Illinois.  lie  then  returned  to  Jackson  county 
and  continued  in  that  line  of  work. 

Mr.  Bailey  owns  village  property,  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Des  Moines  town.ship  and  160 
acres  of  land  in  North  Dakota.  On  his  land 
in  the  south  part  of  the  village  is  an  immense 
sand  pit  wliich  he  opened  a  few  years  ago  and 
from  which  he  supplies  the  needs  of  the  vil- 
lage. Mr.  Bailey  served  as  deputy  sherilT  of 
the  county  in  1884  and  188.),  and  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  in  the  spring  of  1000.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Wnod- 
mcn    lodges. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  year  1880  Mr.  Bailey 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Bromaghim,  and  as  a  result  of  this  union  liave 
been  born  the  following  children:  Frank  E., 
born  March  13,  1,S81:  Herbert  B.,  born  July  2, 
1.883;  Earl  W..  born  Xovember  10.  1886;  Helen, 
born  May  14.  1S.S0,  died  Xovember  27.  1802; 
l.iii.bii  1!..  I"un  Jiilv  22,  1897. 


JOHN  T.  SMITH  (1871),  president  of  the 
Minnesota  Fibre  company  and  manager  of 
that  company's  tow  mill  at  Heron  Lake,  is  the 
oldest  resident  of  that  village  and  a  man  iii 
whom  both  the  village  and  county  take  pride. 
He  came  to  Heron  Tjike  before  the  railroad 
was  builded  and  when  the  site  was  raw  prairie 
land.  For  thirty-eight  years  bis  home  has 
been  in  the  village  he  helped  to  found,  and 
none  has  taken  a  more  active  part  in  the  busi- 


ness life  and  in  public  enterprises  than  has  Mr. 
Smith,  .''o  elo.sely  identified  is  he  with  the  in- 
terests of  the  town  that  when  one  thinks  of 
Heron  Lake  one  thinks  of  John  T.  Smith. 

•Iiilin  T.  Smith  was  born  in  Wales  October 
3.  Is43,  the  son  of  William  L.  and  Sophia 
(Thomas)  Smith.  At  the  age  of  seven  years, 
in  ls.)0.  he  came  to  the  I'niicd  States,  locat- 
ing in  Herkimer  county,  Xew  York,  where  he 
resided  ten  years.  There  he  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools,  completing  his  education  in  Lyons, 
Clinton  county,  Iowa,  to  which  place  he  movcil 
in  18ti0.  From  that  place  Mr.  Smith  enlisted 
in  company  B.  of  the  First  Iowa  cavalry,  in 
January.  ISlVl.  and  served  with  the  union 
forces  until  his  discharge  at  Memphis.  Ten- 
nessee,  in   October,   180;'). 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr. 
Smith  returned  to  Lyons  for  a  short  time  and 
then  went  to  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  where  be 
resided  about  three  years.  In  1808  he  went  to 
Wlialan.  Fillmore  county.  Minnesota,  and 
there  for  one  year  was  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  partnership  with  John  Carr. 
About  the  lirst  of  September.  1869,  Mr.  Smith 
and  C.  H.  Carroll,  of  LaCrosse.  formed  a  part- 
nership and  a  little  later  started  a  general 
^tore  at  Big  Bend,  Cottonwood  county,  to 
which  place  it  was  rumored  the  Sioii.i:  City 
&  .St.  Paul  railroad  would  build.  Cottonwood 
county  was  then  very  sparsely  settled,  and  the 
store  was  the  first  one  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Smith  also  has  the  distinction  of  having  l)een 
the  first  postmaster  in  that  county  and  of 
having  issued  the  first  marriage  license  there. 
The  railroad  failed  to  come  to  Big  llenil.  but 
was  built  to  the  south  of  that  place,  and  afl<'r 
conducting  the  store  two  years  Messrs.  Smith 
and  Carroll  moved  to  the  point  where  Heron 
Lake  was  to  be  founded. 

Ft  was  during  the  month  t)f  October.  1871. 
that  Mr.  Smith  and  bis  partner  first  set  foot 
on  the  site.  They  at  once  erected  a  store 
building,  hauling  the  lumber  from  Windom. 
:iiid  started  the  first  store.  The  following 
year  our  subject  bought  out  bis  partner's  in- 
( crest,  and  in  1874  took  as  a  partner  fieorgc 
Carr.  For  several  years  times  were  prosper- 
ous in  the  little  village  of  Heron  Lake,  and 
the  pioneer  merchant  built  up  a  marvelous 
business.  He  opened  a  branch  store  at  Brew- 
ster in  1873,  one  at  Adrian  in  1876,  and  one  at 
Fulda  in  1878,  Mr.  Smith  continued  in  the 
mercantile  business  until  188.5. 
Of   more   benefit   to    the   people   of   .Jackson 


BIOGEAPHTCAL  HISTORY. 


351 


county  than  any  other  business  enterprise  ever 
founded  there  was  the  tow  mill,  which  Mr. 
Smith  erected  in  Heron  Lake  in  1881.  It  was 
the  first  tow  mill  ever  built  in  Minnesota,  and 
at  the  time  it  was  the  largest  industry  of  tlio 
kind  in  the  United  >States,  if  not  in  the  world. 
He  conducted  the  mill  until  1898,  when  the 
plant  was  destroyed  by  fire,  bringing  a  loss 
of  $75,000.  After  that  event  he  helped  to  or- 
ganize the  Northwestern  Tow  company  (now 
the  Union  Fibre  company),  of  which  Mr.  Smith 
owned  thirt_y-eight  per  cent  of  the  stock  and 
of  which  he  was  general  manager  luitil  he  sold 
out  in  1902.  In  1902  he  organized  the  Min- 
nesota Fibre  company,  built  a  new  mill,  and 
has  since  been  president  and  general  manager 
of  the  company. 

In  addition  to  the  manufacturing  plant,  Mr. 
Smith  is  the  owner  of  1.000  acres  of  .Jackson 
and  Cottonwood  farming  lands.  He  has  never 
.sought  political  preferment  and  the  only  pub- 
lic office  he  has  ever  held  was  postmaster  of 
Heron  Lake,  which  he  held  from  the  time  of 
organization  in  1871  until  1878.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  0.  U.  W.  lodge. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  at  Heron  Lake  March 
9,  1875,  to  Miss  Jennie  Weir.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  three  children,  Alice  C,  born 
in  1877;  Morton  W.,  born  in  1878;  Jennie  M., 
born   in   1884. 


of  Anders  Belmont,  homesteaded  the  north 
half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  34, 
Belmont — part  of  the  site  of  the  old  town  of 
Belmont — and  upon  that  farm  he  lived  until 
his  death  in  1893.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the 
civil  war,  enlisting  from  Jackson  county,  and 
was  with  the  army  at  the  time  of  the  Bel- 
mont massacre.  His  wife  also  died  in  1895. 
They  were  the  parents  of  three  children,  of 
whom    only    our    subject   is   living. 

Peter  A.  Olson  was  born  May  23,  1866. 
He  helped  his  father  work  the  home  farm  until 
the  latter's  death.  Then  he  bought  the  place 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  it.  In 
addition  to  the  home  farm  he  now  owns  eighty 
acres  on  section  27,  Belmont,  and  eighty 
acres  in  Enterprise.  He  engages  extensively 
in  general  farming,  raises  Holstein  cattle  and 
feeds  hogs  for  the  market.  He  served  sev- 
eral years  as  treasurer  of  school  district  No. 
5.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church. 

Mr.  Olson  was  married  in  Belmont  town- 
ship June  4,  1897,  to  Lena  Ree,  a  native  of 
Norway  and  a  daughter  of  Hans  J.  Ree,  a  Bel- 
mont settler  of  1870.  Three  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  namely:  Albert,  Harry 
and  Alma. 


PETER  A.  OLSON  (1866),  Belmont  town- 
sliip  farmer,  has  spent  the  entire  forty-three 
years  of  his  life  on  the  farm  upon  which  he 
now  lives,  having  been  born  in  the  old  fort 
located  on  the  farm,  which  was  built  by  the 
early  settlers  as  a  protection  against  the  hos- 
tile  Indians. 

Peter  Olson's  parents  were  Anders  Olson 
Slaabaken  and  Patnella  (Peterson)  Olson  Slaa- 
baken.  The  former  piloted  the  first  Norweg- 
ian families  to  Jackson  county  and  for  many 
years  was  the  most  influential  man  in  the 
Norwegian  settlement — a  man  who  had  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  all  his  neighbors.  Much 
of  his  life's  history  is  to  be  found  in  the  chap- 
ters in  the  first  part  of  this  volume.  He  and 
his  wife  were  both  born  in  Norway  and  came 
to  the  United  States  when  young.  They  re- 
sided several  years  in  Wisconsin,  a  short  time 
in  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  and  came  to  Jack- 
son county  to  reside  permanently  in  1860  with 
the  vanguard  of  the  Norwegian  settlers.  An- 
ders Olson  Slaabaken,  also  known  by  the  name 


BEN.JAMIN  W.  ,4SHLEY  (1866).  deceased. 
Among  the  men  who  took  the  lead  in  affairs 
in  Jackson  in  the  early  and  later  days,  and 
one  whose  name  is  inseparably  linked  with 
that  of  the  county  seat  village,  was  Benja- 
min W.  Ashley,  who  came  to  the  little  village 
at  the  time  of  its  birth  and  continued  to 
make  his  home  in  it  until  his  death,  which 
occurred   December   19,   1905. 

Benjamin  W.  Ashley  was  born  in  Sylvania, 
Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  16,  1839. 
He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1860  and  in 
company  with  his  father  built  the  first  saw 
mill  that  was  operated.  In  1870,  in  company 
with  his  father,  he  erected  the  Ashley  house 
and  was  its  proprietor  many  years.  Mr.  Ash- 
ley was  a  man  held  in  tlie  highest  esteem  and 
had   a   host   of   friends. 

In  1864  Mr.  Ashley  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Jidiet  Bobbins.  She  died  August  29.  1004, 
aged  over  sixty-two  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  named  children:  Mark 
D.,  Otis  M.,  Mrs.  Maud  Wold,  Virginia,  Will 
W.,  Mrs.  Neva  Burnham,  Benjamin  W.,  Jr. 


352 


BlOGKAPlllCAL  HISTORY. 


HANS  TULLKFSON  (^STO)  is  one  of  tlie 
cariy  day  settlers  of  Cliristiania  towiisliip  ami 
one  of  the  best  known  residents  of  that  |)re- 
cinet.  He  has  a  farm  of  400  acres,  well  im- 
proved with  line  liniidings,  and  has  made  a 
success  of    his   afjricnltural    pursuits. 

Mr.  Tollefson  was  born  in  Norway  April 
5,  IS.'},"),  the  son  of  a  carpenter,  Tollef  Christ o- 
plierson  by  name.  His  mother  was  Ingelxir 
(Hansen)  C'nrisloplicrson.  He  received  a  <'om- 
mnn  school  education  in  the  land  of  his  na- 
ti\'ity  and  after  growing  to  manhood  worked 
at  the  stone  mason's  trade.  He  came  to  Am- 
erica in  1808,  resided  one  year  in  Wisconsin, 
one  year  near  Kstherville,  Iowa,  and  in  .Tunc, 
1870,  arrived  in  the  county  of  .Jackson,  wliidi 
was  destined  to  be  his  home  ever  after.  Upun 
his  arrival  he  took  as  a  homestead  claim  H^) 
acres  of  his  present  farni,  and  upon  that 
place  he  has  lived  nearly  forty  years.  Be- 
sides his  farming  interests,  Mr.  Tollefson  has 
stock  in  the  Christiania  Creamery  company, 
the  Farmers  Elevator  company  of  Windom 
and  the  company  which  owns  the  store  at 
Bergen.  He  served  two  years  as  a  member  of 
the  township  board  of  supervisors,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of 
Cliristiania  and  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of 
Norway  order. 

Mr.  Tollefson  was  married  in  Marcli.  ISO.', 
to  Vil  Nelson.  To  them  liave  been  horn  the 
following  named  children:  Tollef,  who  is  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  Spokane,  Washing- 
ton, born  June  6,  1860,  Ingebor  (Mrs.  Claud 
Stofer).  of  Uuluth,  Minnesota,  horn  February 
2.  1871;  Nettie  (Mrs.  Peter  Kyan),  of  Min- 
neapolis, born  .January  24.  1874;  Mary  (ifrs. 
James  Morri-son),  of  Spokane,  born  June  '>. 
1877;  Hannah  J.  (Mrs.  Henry  Chester),  of 
Christiania,  born  October  30,  1879;  Henry, 
who  resides  at  home,  born  November  7,  1881; 
Anna,  a  school  teacher,  born  December  4, 
1883;  Christian,  of  Spokane,  born  .T:uniary  \'t. 
1880. 


DUNCAN  MeNAB  (1871)  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  commissioners  of  Jackson  co\inly  and 
one  of  the  large  land  owners  and  prosperous 
farmers  of  Alba  township,  as  well  as  one  of 
the  early  day  settlers  of  western  Jackson 
county.  He  owns  800  acres  of  land  in  .south- 
ern Alba  and  northern  Ewington  townships  and 
his  home  has  been  on  his  present  place  ncarlv 
thirty-niue  years, 


Mr.  McNab  is  of  Scotch  birth,  having  been 
born  April  17,  1837.  \\'hen  ten  years  of  age 
he  left  his  native  land  an<l  came  to  America 
with  his  parents,  the  family  locating  in  On- 
tario, Canada.  Duncan  received  a  common 
school  education  in  that  province  and  until 
lie  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  lived  in  Can- 
ada, working  in  the  lumber  camps  and  on 
farms.  For  several  years  after  he  was  twenty- 
two  he  divided  his  time  between  Michigan 
and  Ontario.  He  married  in  1800  and  three 
years  later  located  in  Minnesota.  Near  the 
village  of  Sleepy  Eye,  in  Brown  county,  he 
bought  an  eighty  acre  farm,  which  he  con- 
ducted   two    years. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  November,  1S71. 
fliat  :Mr.  McNab  came  to  .Jackson  county. 
I  pon  his  arrival  he  look  as  a  homestead  claim 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  32,  Alba 
township,  and  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
same  section  as  a  tree  claim.  He  moved  to 
his  claim  and  began  the  erection  of  his  first 
liouse  the  some  day  carpenters  began  the  erec- 
tion of  the  depot  in  Horsey  (now  Brewster). 
The  liouse  was  a  little  one.  lfl.\20  feet,  and  it 
stood  on  the  place  until  1!)08.  Mr.  MeNab 
weathered  the  hard  times  period  of  the  seven- 
ties, making  a  living  by  shooting  and  ship- 
ping prairie  chickens,  which  were  then  in 
great  abundance.  He  has  prospered  and  is 
rated  among  the  most  successful  men  of  the 
vicinity.  He  has  been  prominent  in  an  official 
and  social  way  ever  since  coming  to  the 
county. 

Mr.  McNab  has  represented  the  Fonrtli  dis- 
trict on  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
for  the  past  five  years  and  his  present  term 
will  not  expire  until  1913.  He  has  served  as 
a  member  and  as  chairman  of  the  Alba  town- 
ship hoard  and  he  was  assessor  of  the  pre- 
cinct for  twenty-one  years.  For  the  past 
twenty  years  he  has  been  clerk  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  34  and  he  has  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace.  He  was  census  enumerator  in  the 
federal   census  of   1000. 

Our  subject  is  the  .son  of  Finley  and  .Jannct 
(Mc.Arthur)  McNab.  They  came  from  Scot- 
lanil  to  Canada  in  1S47.  the  mother  dying  in 
ijuarantine  below  Quebec  soon  after  landing. 
I'inlcy  McNab  lived  in  the  province  of  ()ntarin 
many  years,  dying  there  about  twenty  years 
ago.  There  were  seven  children  in  the  family, 
of  whom  the  following  three  are  living:  Mar- 
garet, Duncan  and  .Jennet  Montgomery. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  married 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


353 


in  Ontario,  Canada,  January  18, 1866,  to  Cather- 
ine Montgomery,  a  native  of  Scotland  and  a 
daugliter  of  Godfrey  and  Jennie  (Tliompson) 
Montgomery.  To  Mr.  and  Mr.-j.  McNab  have 
lieen  born  the  follo«oing  named  eleven  chil- 
dren: .Jessie,  John,  Findley,  Katie,  Godfrey, 
Dan,  Arthur,  Hugh,  Archie,  Willie  and  Andrew. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church   of   Brewster. 


.JOHN  B.  HABERMAN  (1872).  Among  the 
oldest  settlers  of  LaCrosse  township  and  one 
of  the  most  successful  farmers  of  that  pre- 
cinct is  John  B.  Haberman,  whose  home  is  on 
section  10.  He  owns  400  acres  of  land  on 
sections  19  and  20,  240  acres  on  section  25, 
Graham  I^akes  township,  Nobles  county,  and 
160  acres  in  Cottonwood  county.  He  farms 
three-quarters  of  a  section  of  his  land  and 
rents  out  the  rest. 

Mr.  Haberman  was  born  in  Austria  ilarch 
31,  18.55,  being  one  of  a  family  of  children 
born  to  John  and  Annie  (Hager)  Haberman. 
.  The  father  of  our  subject,  who  is  now  79  years 
of  age,  resides  in  I..aCrosse  township.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  died  in  lier  native  land 
when  .John  B.  Haberman  was  six  years  of 
age. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm  and  received  his  education  in 
Austria.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  lie 
accompanied  his  father  to  the  new-  world, 
arriving  in  America  on  August  10,  1872.  After 
spending  one  month  in  Watertown,  Wisconsin, 
he  and  his  father  came  to  .Jackson  county  and 
they  have  ever  since  been  residents  of  La- 
Crosse township.  When  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority our  subject  took  as  a  homestead  claim 
the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  20,  and  when  twenty-three  years  old 
he  began  farming  the  place,  having  worked 
for  his  father  and  other  farmers  before  that 
time.  He  met  with  success  in  his  ventures  and 
later  added  to  his  holdings  by  purchase. 

Besides  his  farming  operations  Mr.  Haber- 
man is  interested  in  other  lines  of  business. 
He  is  a  stockholder  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Heron  Lake,  of  the  Heron  Lake  cream- 
ery and  of  the  Sontag  Lumber  company  of 
Heron  Jjake.  For  twenty  years  he  served  as 
a  member  of  the  township  board  of  supervis- 
ors and  was  chairman  of  the  board  for  twelve 
years  of  that  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  W.  A.  lodge  of  Kinbrae. 


JOHN  W.  BENSON  (1872).  Soon  after  the 
founding  of  the  village  of  Heron  Lake  John 
W.  Benson  came  to  the  little  town  and  en 
gaged  in  the  mercantile  business  in  a  modest 
way.  That  village  has  been  his  home  ever 
since.  From  the  modest  beginning  thirty- 
seven  years  ago  the  business  operations  of 
Mr.  Benson  have  advanced  to  such  an  extent 
that  he  is  now  interested  in  concerns  capital- 
ized at  several  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dol- 
lars and  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  of 
Jackson  county.  He  is  president  of  the  Firs^ 
National  Bank  of  Heron  Lake  and  of  the  First 
National  Baidv  of  Westbrook.  He  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Benson  Grain  company,  having  a 
line  of  elevators  in  Minnesota  and  Nebraska 
and  capitalized  at  $150,000.  He  is  president 
of  the  Benson-Cabot  company,  incorporated, 
which  does  a  general  merchandise  business  at 
Heron  Lake.  He  is  secretary  and  treasurer 
of  the  Western  Implement  company,  whose 
headquarters  are  at  Heron  Lake  and  which 
has  several  branch  houses.  He  is  president 
of  the  Sontag  Lumber  company  of  Heron 
I-^ake  and  Wilder.  He  is  president  of  the 
Karamin  Jjumbcr  company  of  Republic,  Wash 
ington.  In  addition  to  his  interests  in  these 
companies  Mr.  Benson  owns,  in  partnership 
with  a  sister,  Mrs.  F.  M.  Southwick,  5,000 
acres  of  farming  lands  in  Jackson,  Cottonwood 
and   Murray   counties. 

John  W.  Benson  descends  from  colonial 
stock.  The  American  branch  of  the  Benson 
family  was  founded  in  1620,  when  his  ances- 
tors, who  were  seafaring  men,  came  from 
England  and  settled  along  the  coast  of  Massa- 
chusetts. On  his  mother's  side  Mr.  Benson 
is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  gi-eat  grand- 
father, John  Moore,  was  granted  land  near 
Madison,  Maine,  by  the  government,  in  recog- 
nition of  services  during  the  revolutionary 
war. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  John  Benson, 
a  Methodist  minister,  who  was  born  on  the 
island  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  off  the  coast  of 
Massachusetts.  He  located  in  Maine  in  an 
early  day,  and  prior  to  1852,  when  he  moved 
to  Minnesota,  had  no  permanent  location,  be- 
ing located  in  different  towns  where  his  duties 
as  minister  called  him.  Coming  to  Minnesota 
in  1852,  he  located  a  claim  on  land  that  had 
been  ceded  to  the  government  by  Little  Crow. 
Thereafter  until  his  death  in  October,  1889, 
he  was  a  resident  of  Minnesota.  Our  subject's 
mother    was    Margaret    (Moore)    Benson,    who 


354 


BIOGRAPHICAL  11 ISTORY. 


was  boni  iii-ar  .Mailison,  Miiiiio.  and  wlio  was 
tlic  daughter  of  Go(T  Jfoore  and  Betsy  iloorc. 
4Slie  died  in  Minneapolis  in  (lelolier.  I!l0(i,  at 
tlie  age  of  91    years. 

To  these  parents  Jolin  \V.  Kensoii  was  born 
at  Uixmont,  Maine,  on  the  l">th  day  of  March, 
1849.  He  accompanied  liis  parents  to  Min- 
nesota in  1852  and  lived  on  the  claim  in  Da- 
kota county  five  years.  The  next  two  years 
were  spent  in  Red  Wing,  and  from  tlicn  until 
he  arrived  in  Jackson  county  he  resided  on 
his  father's  farms  in  Goodhue  ami  Dakota 
counties.  During  the  month  of  July,  1872, 
Mr.  Benson  arrived  in  the  little  hamlet  of 
ITcron  Lake  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
and  grain  business  and  in  farming.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1892,  he  organized  tlie  Peoples  Slate 
Bank,  of  which  he  was  president,  and  when 
tliat  was  reorganized  into  the  First  National 
Bank  he  continued  to  hold  the  chief  olTice. 
.\-i  tlie  country  developed  and  bis  capital 
increased  Mr.  Benson  engaged  in  other  lines  of 
business  until  today  he  has  interests  as  above 
mentioned. 

In  liicc  county,  .Minnesota,  March  22,  1877, 
Mr.  Benson  was  nuirried  to  Hat  tie  M.  Cabot, 
a  native  of  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  and  a 
daughter  ul  .Inlm  and  Mary  (Partridge)  Ca- 
bot. She  came  to  Minnesota  with  her  par- 
ents in  1857,  the  family  first  locating  in  Good- 
hue county  and  later  in  Murray  county.  Mrs. 
Cabot  died  in  Murray  county:  Mr.  Cabot  in 
Heron  Lake  in  December,  1897. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Benson.  Tlicy  are  Elsie,  wife  of  Prof.  H. 
S.  Kirk  of  the  Heron  Lake  schools:  Lois  Ben- 
son, who  resides  at  home;  Frances  (Mrs.  C. 
A.  Kirby),  of  Kansas  City,  Kansas;  Paul,  as- 
sistant cashier  of  the  First  Xati(uial  Bank  of 
Heron  Lake;  John  C,  a  student  at  llaniline 
university. 

.Mr.  HcMson  is  a  member  of  tlie  Methodist 
(  hurch.  He  served  as  treasurer  of  the  board 
iif  eduiation  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Ben- 
son's sister,  ]\Irs.  V.  M.  Southwick,  who  is 
interested  with  her  brother  in  the  many  en- 
terprises, enme  to  Jackson  county  with  her 
brrtthcr  in  1872  and  lioniesteaded  in  Albn 
township. 


THOMAS  J.  KNOX  (1872).  There  is,  per- 
haps, no  man  in  Jackson  county  who  is  bet- 
ter known  within  the  county  and  in  the  state 
at  large  than  is  Thomas  J.  Knox,  attorney  at 


law  of  .Jackson.  He  has  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  that 
village  for  the  last  thirty-seven  years,  ami 
as  a  lawyer  has  gained  a  state- wide  reputa- 
tion. During  this  long  ]>eriod  of  residence 
here  he  has  taken  an  active  and  prominent  part 
in  the  political,  social  and  business  life  of  the 
county  and  is  one  of  its  most  honored  citi- 
zens. 

T.  J.  Kno.x  is  a  Penn^ylvanian  by  birth  and 
a  descendant  of  revolutionary  stock,  his  an- 
cestors having  come  originally  from  Scotland 
and  England,  The  paternal  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  George  Knox,  was  born  Septem- 
ber 27,  1757,  and  died  March  in,  1834.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Colonial  army  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  .struggle  for  independ- 
ence, and  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  followed 
that  occupation  from  the  close  of  the'  war  un- 
til his  death,  having  built  and  operated  the 
first  tannery  built  in  Covington,  Pennsylvania. 
His  wife,  Ann  Knox,  was  born  November  23. 
17r)4,  and  died  June  21,  1808.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  T.  J.  Knox,  Royal  Cole,  was 
also  a  veteran  of  the  revolutionary  war,  as 
well  as  the  war  of  1812,  His  home  was  in 
Wellsboro,    Pennsylvania. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  George 
and  I'uth  fCole)  Knox.  The  former  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  December  22,  180.'),  and  was  n 
tanner  by  trade.  Tn  the  spring  of  1854  he 
moved  with  his  family  to  Wisconsin,  locating 
on  a  larm  near  Geneva,  and  from  that  time 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  au- 
luinii  of  18.)5  he  became  a  resident  of  Fillmore 
cnunty.  Minnesota,  preempting  a  claim  in 
Bristol  township.  There  he  lived  until  afte^ 
till'  ilrisc  of  the  war.  when  he  moved  lo 
Mower  county,  lie  died  in  that  county  Ko 
vember  11,  1807,  His  wife,  Ruth  (Cole)  Knox, 
also   died   in   Jlinncsota, 

To  these  parents  at  Covington,  Tioga  iipumIv. 
Pennsylvania,  on  rdiruary  10,  1840,  Thomas  J. 
Knox  was  born.  -At  the  age  of  eight  years,  in  the 
spring  of  1,8.54.  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
the  new  home  in  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin, 
and  in  the  fall  of  the  following  year  to  Fill- 
more county.  ^linnesota.  where  he  grew  to 
manhood  on  a  farm.  His  early  school  privileges 
were  limited,  but  he  was  naturally  studious 
and  had  access  to  a  good  library  in  his  father's 
home.  Thus  his  education  was  obtained 
largely  vmdcr  the  parental  roof,  supplemented 
by  a  year's  attendance  xt  a  private  academy. 

Mr.  Knox  decided  to  make  the  law  his  pro- 


THOMAS   J.   KNOX 
Who  has  Practiced  Law  in  the  Village  of  Jackson  since  1872. 


THHNEW  YORK 

[public  library 


^»TCH,  UEHOX  *"• 
TlLDEN  fOUNB*T»H« 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


355 


fession  aii<i  in  1868  began  reading  law  in  the 
oflice  of  C.  T.  Benedict,  of  Rochester,  Minne- 
sota. The  next  year  he  became  a  student  in 
tlie  office  of  Stearns  &  Start,  both  members  of 
which  firm  have  become  prominent  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  nation,  the  former  as  United  States 
senator,  the  hitter  as  chii'f  justice  of  tlie  su- 
preme court  of  Minnesota.  Mr.  Knox  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  before  the  state  courts  on 
October  14,  1871,  and  before  tlie  United 
States  courts  on  December  12,  1870.  For 
four  months  after  his  admission  to  the  bar 
Mr.  Knox  remained  in  the  office  of  Stearns 
&  Start,  and  then  decided  to  seek  a  location 
in   Dakota   territor.y. 

In  the  montli  of  November.  1872,  Mr.  Knox 
set  out  for  tlie  western  country,  but  was 
caught  in  the  great  blizzard  that  swept  over 
the  country  on  the  twelfth  of  that  month,  be- 
coming snow-bound  in  the  new  village  of  Win- 
dom,  Cottonwood  county.  The  roads  were 
blockaded  and  it  was  impossible  to  proceed 
farther.  Mr.  Knox  decided  to  visit  the  vil- 
lage of  Jackson,  which  was  then  connected 
with  Windom  by  a  stage  line,  and  from  thence 
to  return  home,  giving  up  his  western  trip 
for  the  season.  At  Jackson  he  met  some 
friends  of  former  years  who  urged  him  to  lo- 
cate in  that  frontier  village.  This  he  decided 
to  do  and  became  a  permanent  resident  of  the 
village  and  county  on  November  17,  1872.  He 
at  once  opened  a  law  office  and  ever  since  has 
been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession 
in  that  village. 

The  terrible  grasshopper  scourge  came  upon 
the  country  tlie  year  following  the  location 
of  the  young  attorney  in  Jackson  county  and 
for  several  years  Mr.  Knox  had  a  severe  strug- 
gle to  maintain  his  position  during  tlie  early 
years  of  his  practice;  but  by  perseverance  and 
close  attention  to  business  he  eventually  suc- 
ceeded in  building  up  a  lucrative  clientage.  He 
is  gifted  by  nature  with  a  good  delivery,  is 
a  fluent  and  forcible  speaker,  and  his  services 
as  a  public  sjieaker  are  frequently  in  demand. 
In  1900  Mr.  Knox  admitted  Mr.  F,  B.  Faber 
as  a  partner  in  the  law  business  and  that  gen- 
tleman has  since  been  associated  with  Mr. 
Knox.  In  January,  1903,  John  C.  Knox,  a  son 
of  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  which  then  became  Knox, 
Faber  &  Knox,  whicli  it  remained  until  the 
death  of  the  junior  partner  on  June  10,  1904. 

During  his  long  residence  in  the  count}'  Mr. 
Knox   has    been    called    upon    to    serve    in    re- 


sponsible positions  on  several  occasions.  He 
was  appointed  judge  of  probate  by  the  gov- 
ernor in  June,  1874,  to  complete  an  unexpired 
term;  served  as  county  superintendent  of 
schools  from  1880  to  1836,  inclusive;  and  was 
county  attorney  from  1887  to  1890,  inclusive. 
He  became  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  state 
board  of  examiners  in  law  by  appointment  in 
May,  1891,  and  served  in  that  capacity  until 
1900,  when  he  resigned.  In  1900  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  board  of  state  rail- 
way commissioners.  Mr.  Knox  was  appointed 
in  May,  1901,  by  the  state  supreme  court  as 
one  of  the  commission  to  revise  and  codify  the 
general  laws  of  the  state  of  Minnesota  and  he 
was  occupied  with  these  duties  until  April, 
1905. 

Fraternally  Mr.  Knox  is  associated  with  sev- 
eral worthy  orders,  holding  membership  in  the 
A.  F.  &  a'.  M.,  I.  0.  0.  F.  and  A.  O.  U.  W. 

On  September  3,  1877,  Mr.  Knox  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Jane  Cowing,  a  native 
of  Adams  county,  Wisconsin,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Davidson)  Cowing,  pio- 
neer residents  of  Jackson.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Knox  have  been  born  the  following  named 
children:  Elizabeth,  born  September  23,  1878, 
died  January  27,  1879;  John  Cowing,  born 
January  7,  1880,  died  June  10,  1904;  Kutli, 
born  June  6,  1884;  Thomas  Start,  born  Sep- 
tember  19,   1888. 


CLARK  A.  WOOD  (1872),  ex-sheriff  of  Jack- 
son county  and  ex-postmaster  of  Heron  Lake, 
is  a  resident  of  tliirty-six  years  standing  <and 
now  lives  a  retired  life  in  Heron  Lake.  He  is 
of  English  descent,  his  grandfather  having 
come  from  tlic  mother  country  and  settled 
in  New  York  state.  Both  his  parents,  Nelson 
and  Elizabeth  (St.  John)  Wood,  were  natives 
of  the  Empire  state.  The  former  died  there  in 
1878;  the  latter  moved  to  Jackson  county  a 
few  years  after  the  death  of  her  husband  and 
made  her  home  with  her  son  until  her  death 
in   1900. 

Clark  Wood  was  born  in  Schoharie  county. 
New  York,  October  25,  1843,  and  made  his 
home  with  his  parents  until  1866.  During  the 
civil  war  he  served  twenty-two  months  as 
a  member  of  company  B,  Sixth  New  York 
heavy  artillerj'.  After  liis  discharge  from  the 
army  Mr.  Wood  engaged  in  farming  one  year 
in  Rensselaer  county.  New  York.  Then  he 
and  a  brother,  Louis  C.  Wood,  engaged  in  the 


356 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


coal  and  Uiiiihcr  business  at  Stillwater,  New 
York,  for  five  years.  Uc  came  west  in  187"2 
and  lias  ever  since  that  date  been  a  resident 
of  Jackson  county.  He  took  as  a  lionieste:id 
claim  the  norllnvest  quarter  of  section  10, 
Alba  township,  and  resided  there  until  IS"."), 
engaged  in  farming  for  a  few  years  and  in  the 
hotel  business  in  Heron  Lake  for  a  time. 

After  leaving  the  farm  in  187.>,  Mr.  Wood 
located  in  Heron  Lake,  and  that  village  lias 
since  been  his  home.  He  has  taken  part  in 
county  atTairs  and  has  several  times  been  call- 
ed upon  to  serve  in  an  ofTicial  capacity.  He 
was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace  chosen  in 
Alba  township,  and  when  the  village  of  Heron 
Lake  was  iiicorporatcd  he  was  chosen  to  serve 
as  the  first  |)ri>sident  of  the  council.  He  also 
served  on  the  board  of  education  for  .several 
years  in  the  early  days.  Mr.  Wood  was  elect- 
ed sheriff  in  1S84  and  was  reelected  two  years 
later.  Again  in  1894  he  was  chosen  to  the 
same  office  and  was  reelected  in  1896,  making 
a  total  of  "ight  years  he  served  as  Jackson 
county's  executive  officer.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Heron  Lake  in  1900  and  held 
the  office  eight  years,  retiring  from  active  pur- 
suits at  the  expiratioin  of  his  last  term.  Mr. 
Wood  owns  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Aitkin 
county,  Minnesota,  and  village  properly.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  of  the 
Masonic,  Odd  Follows  and  Knights  of  Pythias 
lodges. 

In  Schoharie  county,  New  York,  on  the  Ifltli 
day  of  April,  18GC,  occurred  the  marriage  of 
Jlr.  Wood  to  Lucinda  0.  Briggs.  She  died  in 
1882.  As  a  result  of  the  marriage  five  chil- 
dren were  horn,  as  follows:  Xettie  J.,  Bertha 
>f..  Frank  N.,  Leroy  C.  and  Hattic  G.,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  Mr.  Wood's  second  marriage 
occurred  at"  Stillwater,  Minnesota,  December 
25,  1884,  when  he  wedded  Mary  E.  Lammers, 
a  native  of  Taylor's  Falls,  Alinnesota.  and  a 
sister  of  Attorney  L.  !•'.  Lammers,  of  Heron 
Lake.  To  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Wood  has  been  born 
one   child,   Mablc   E. 


ALBERT  H.  STROW,  (1870),  deputy  clerk 
of  the  district  court  of  .Tackson  county,  is  one 
of  the  very  early  jiioneers  of  the  village  of 
Jackson,  having  made  his  home  in  that  vil- 
lage nearly  forty  years.  He  is  a  native  of 
Barre.  Orleans  county.  New  York,  where  he  was 
horn  March  4,  1,844,  the  son  of  Samuel  B.  and 
Susan   L.    (Casterline)    Strong. 


Mr.  .Strong  was  educated  in  an  academy  at 
Barre  and  early  in  life  engaged  in  teaching 
as  a  profession,  which  he  followed  in  his  na- 
tive county  nine  years.  In  May,  1870,  Mr. 
Strong  left  home  and  moved  to  .lackson,  Min- 
nesota, where  he  was  employed  to  teach  the 
village  .school.  In  1870  he  gave  up  teaching 
and,  in  partnership  witli  his  brother,  M.  A. 
Strong,  went  into  the  drug  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  Strong  Bros.  In  this  business 
he  was  engaged  until  1.880.  During  the  next 
si.x  years  after  going  out  of  business  he  was 
employed  as  deputy  in  different  county  offices, 
and  in  1880  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district 
court.  He  served  eight  years  in  that  office, 
liaviiig  been  reelected  in  1890.  He  served  as 
deputy  county  auditor  from  1890  to  1900,  and 
in  1902  was  appointed  i  member  of  the  state 
hoard  of  equalization,  serving  in  that  capacity 
two  years.  He  was  appointed  deputy  cierk  of 
the  district  court  in  1907  and  has  since  served 
ill   that   capacity. 

Mr.  Strong  owns  320  acres  of  la  ml  in  Wis- 
consin township,  one-half  mile  east  of  the 
Jackson  depot.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian  church   and   of   the   Masonic  lodge. 

On  .January  ."il.  1876,  Mr.  Strong  was  mar- 
ried to  Lois  M.  Bobbins.  To  these  parents 
have  been  boin  the  following  named  children; 
-Mary  E.,  born  March  (!.  IS79.  died  ."seiitemlier 
in.  1900:  l.ois  All..-rta.  born  August  14.  1882; 
Seward  I).,  born  October  20.  iS.8.j;  Harry  W., 
born   June  4.    1888. 


J.  f.  JOHNSON  (1809)  is  one  of  the  well 
known  and  successful  farmers  of  Jackson 
crunty,  having  resided  here  since  he  was  a 
boy  «;cven  years  of  age.  He  now  resides  in 
Belmont    township. 

Mr.  .lohnson  is  a  native  Miniicsotan,  having 
been  born  in  Houston  county  February  1.'!, 
1,802.  He  is  the  son  of  John  K.  and  Susan 
(Swanson)  Johnson,  who  now  reside  on  their 
old  homestead  in  Wisconsin  township.  The 
former  came  from  Norway  in  1841  and  until 
he  became  of  age  lived  at  Muskego,  Wiscon- 
sin. He  then  located  in  Houston  county,  Min 
nesota,  wlierc  he  enlisted  in  the  mounted 
rangers  of  Minnesota  volunteers  and  served  in 
the  campaigns  against  the  Indians.  He  took 
his  homestead  in  Wisconsin  township  in  1808 
and  located  on  the  place  the  next  spring.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  came  from  Sweden  in 
1854. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


357 


J.  C.  Johnson  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Jackson  connty  in  the  spring  of  18G9  and  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  lived  with  liis 
parents  on  the  Wisconsin  township  farm,  re- 
ceiving a  common  school  cilucation  and  as- 
sisting with  tlie  farm  worl<.  From  the  time 
he  was  eighteen  years  old  until  188(3  Mr.  John- 
.•'on  worked  at  the  miller's  trade  in  Jackson 
and  Brown.sburg.  Then  he  iraught  land  in 
Wisconsin  township  and  engaged  in  farming 
tlicre  until  1901.  He  then  sold  out  and  bought 
his  present  farm  of  200  acres  on  sections  28 
and  21,  Belmont  township.  He  has  a  well  im- 
proved farm  and  has  prospered.  He  engages 
extensively  in  tlie  raising  of  cattle  and  hogs. 
Mr.  .Johnson  lias  stock  in  the  Belmont  Cream- 
ery company  and  in  the  Farmers  Cooperative 
Store  company  of  Lakefield.  He  has  held 
township  and  school  offices  during  nearly  all 
the  time  since  he  became  of  age.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  M. 
W.  A.  lodge  of  Jackson,  No.  1069. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  January  10,  1885, 
to  Sina  Larson,  a  native  of  Dane  county,  Wis- 
consin and  a  daughter  of  Nels  Larson.  Her 
father  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Mr.  Johnson  in  1865.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  Nellard,  born  Febru- 
ary 9,  18S6;  Millie  S.,  born  April  6.  1888, 
Albert  M.,  born  August  23,  1889;  Sibyl  J., 
l)orn  March  1.  1891;  Louis  E.,  born  December 
8,  1892;  Benton  H.,  born  November  20,  1894, 
died  November  28,  1894;  Charles  B.,  born  Octo- 
ber 27,  1896:  Robert  W.,  born  September  20, 
1898;  Julius  K.,  born  December  30,  1899;  Susan 
A.,  born  May  7,  1001;  Allen  F.,  born  April  19, 
1903. 


LARS  0.  TEIGKN  (1870),  ex-member  of 
the  Minnesota  house  of  representatives  from 
Jackson  county  and  a  prominent  farmer  and 
business  man,  resides  on  the  Des  Moines 
river  a  short  distance  above  Jackson.  He  is  an 
early  day  resident  of  the  county,  having  resid- 
ed here  over  thirty  years,  and  one  of  its  liest 
known  citizens. 

Mr.  Teigen  is  a  native  of  Norway  and 
w-as  born  November  27,  1804.  His  parents, 
Ole  and  Bertha  (Brakke)  Teigen,  came  to 
the  United  States  from  Norway  in  1868,  lived 
in  Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  eleven  years, 
and  came  to  .Jackson  county  in  1879,  settling 
upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  their  youngest 


son — one  of  the  old  farm-i  of  the  county.  The 
United  States  patent  to  this  farm  is  signed 
by  President  Andrew  Johnson  and  was  given 
luider  the  provisions  of  the  soldiers'  bounty 
act  to  Charlotte  E.  Bump,  a  minor  child  of 
Liberty  Wood,  a  private  in  the  Vermont  mi- 
litia during  the  war  of  1812.  The  patent  was 
assigned  to  John  Olson,  and  in  1868  the  land 
came  into  possession  of  a  Mr.  Rassmussen, 
from  whom  Mr.  Teigen  secured  title.  Ole 
Teigen  lived  on  this  farm  on  section  11,  Des 
Moines  townsliip,  until  the  spring  of  1903; 
then  he  moved  to  Jackson  and  died  in  that 
village  March  25,  1906,  aged  seventy-two 
years  and  one  day.  His  wife  lives  in  Jack- 
son at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  Lars  is 
one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living.  They  are  Lars,  Julia,  Bessie,  Mai- 
tin,   Anton   and   Emma. 

Lars  accompanied  his  parents  to  America 
when  four  years  of  age,  lived  with  the  family 
in  Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  until  May 
19,  1879,  which  was  the  date  of  their  arrival 
to  Jackson  county.  Until  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority Mr.  Teigen  resided  on  the  home  farm 
in  Des  Moines  township,  assisting  with  the 
farm  work  and  attending  school.  At  the  ago 
of  twenty  he  engaged  in  teaching  school  in 
the  countrj'  districts  and  made  that  his  ex- 
clusive occupation  until  he  was  twenty-six, 
making  his  home  on  the  farm.  He  married  in 
1S91  and  located  upon  a  farm  on  section  32, 
Enterprise  township,  which  he  bought  at  that 
time,  and  upon  which  he  lived  until  the  death 
of  his  wife  on  July  24,  1898.  During  this  per- 
iod of  residence  Mr.  Teigen  taught  school  four 
years  besides  carrying  on  his  farming 
operations.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  he 
broke  up  housekeeping  and  lived  one  year 
with  his  parents.  Then  he  built  his  present 
home  on  the  noi'thwest  qiiarter  of  section  11, 
Des  Moines  township,  which  he  has  since 
occupied.  Mr.  Teigen's  real  estate  holdings  in- 
clude his  tract  of  fifty  acres  on  section  11, 
forty  acres  on  section  1,  Des  Moines,  and  two 
hundi-ed  acres  on  section  32,  Enterprise. 

Besides  his  farming  Mr.  Teigen  is  interested 
in  several  other  business  enterprises.  He  was 
one  of  the  chief  promoters  of  the  Farmers 
Cooperative  association  of  Jackson,  an  organi- 
zation effected  for  the  purpose  of  dealing  in 
grain,  live  stock,  etc.  He  drafted  the  articles 
of  incorporation  and  the  by-laws  and  was 
made  secretary  of  the  company.  He  has  been 
the    secretary    and    manager    of    the    Belmont 


353 


r.l(»(;i;AI'llU:AL  IllSTOltV 


Creamery  company  for  a  ni'mber  of  years,  and 
lias  always  taken  a  prominent  part  in  pro- 
moting llie  ereamery  interests  of  tlie  eounly. 

In  a  political  way  Air.  Teigen  lias  often 
been  called  npon  to  serve  liis  jieoplc.  In  19t)4 
lie  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Minnesota 
legislature  from  Jackson  county  on  the.  re- 
publican ticket  and  served  one  term.  He  in- 
troduced the  ori{;inal  resolution  providing  for 
the  establislinient  of  a  harvester  factory  at 
the  state  prison  and  his  resolution  was  adopt- 
ed. He  served  as  chairman  of  the  joint  com- 
mittee which  considered  the  proposition  and 
upon  whose  report  favorable  action  was  taken 
by  the  legislature.  Mr.  Teigen,  wliile  a  member 
of  the  house,  gained  the  reputation  of  voting 
more  "noes"  than  any  other  member  of  the 
body  that  session.  In  his  township  .\lr.  Teigen 
has  often  been  calU'd  u])oii  lo  serve  in  an 
official    capacity. 

Mr.  Teigen  has  been  married  twiw.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  in  Jackson  county  M:iy 
24,  1801,  when  he  wedded  Tilda  Olson,  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Simon  Olson.  Slie  died  July  '29, 
ISilS.  As  a  result  of  this  marriage  four  chil 
dren  were  born,  as  follows:  Hertha,  born 
April  14,  1892,  died  September  8,  1895;  Oscar 
S.,  boni  November  17,  1893  j  Bertha  M.,  born 
August  4,  1S9.'>:  Albert  E.,  born  March  IG, 
1898.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Teigen  oc- 
curred in  Jacks<Mi  county  June  2,  1903,  when 
he  wedded  Emma  Roe.  daughter  of  Anders 
and  Elsie  Roe,  who  came  to  the  county  in 
1868.  Twa  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union:  Elsie  T.,  born  March  12,  1904:  An- 
drew   1,..  bi>rn   August  f..   1000. 


l.EONAUl)  E.  ASHLEY  (180(1),  who  owns 
and  conducts  a  farm  just  south  of  the  cor- 
porate limits  of  the  village  of  Jackson,  has 
made  his  liome  on  tiiat  farm  since  he  was  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  His  parents  were  Leonard 
and  .Mary  Jane  (Wilbur)  Ashley,  both  natives 
of  Pennsylvania  and  both  deceased.  In  the 
year  1853  these  parents  started  from  their 
Pennsylvania  home  for  Illinois,  where  they  in- 
tended to  make  their  future  home,  a  home- 
stead claim  having  been  previously  entered 
through  a  brother.  Frank  Ashley.  While  travel- 
ing through  Michigan,  enroute  to  their  new 
home,  Mr.  Ashley  died.  Mrs.  A.shley  continued 
the  journey  and  made  her  home  on  the  home- 
stead, npon  which  her  brother-in-law  was  liv- 
ing. 


On  this  homestead,  near  the  town  of  Peoria, 
Illinois,  on  June  19.  18.53,  Ix-onard  Ashley,  of 
this  sketch,  was  born.  When  he  was  si.\  months 
idd  his  mother  returned  to  her  old  home  in 
Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there 
Leonard  lived  until  the  fall  of  18GG.  On  the 
second  day  of  October,  1866,  he  and  his  mother 
arrived  in  Jackson  county  to  make  their 
future  home,  an  uncle  of  our  subject,  Welch 
Ashley,  having  preceded  them  six  months.  For 
a  couple  of  years  he  attended  school — the  first 
season  in  the  school  taught  by  Mrs.  B.  H. 
.lolinson  at  the  home  of  her  husband,  a  log 
building   (Ml   the  east  side   of  the  river. 

In  1808  Leonard  began  working  on  the  farm 
of  his  step-father,  Isaac  Wheeler,  his  mother 
having  remarried.  This  farm  is  the  one  now 
owned  by  .Mr.  Ashley  and  is  on  the  south- 
fast  quarter  of  section  26,  Des  Moines  town- 
sliip.  When  Mr.  Wheeler  became  too  feeble 
to  care  for  the  farm  Tveonard  took  the  manage- 
ment and  conducted  it  on  shares.  Before  he 
had  yet  reached  his  m.ijority  Leonard  pur- 
chased a  forty  acre  tract  of  the  240  acres 
of  the  original  farm,  and  npon  the  death  of 
his  mother  he  became  the  owner  of  the  rest 
of  the  home  place,  except  80  acres  which  had 
been    .sold. 

Mr.  Ashley  was  married  in  .Tackson  January 
13.  1870.  to  Mary  Thomas  who.  with  one 
exception,  is  the  oldest  living  settler  of  the 
county.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late 
Joseph  and  Iiuio  Thomas,  who  became  resi- 
dents of  the  iiMinty  in  18,58.  Mrs.  Ashley  was 
born  in  .MiMitague,  ."Sussex  county,  New  Jer- 
sey. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  .\shley  have  been  born 
the  following  children:  Louis  W..  Leslie  N., 
Solon,  who  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years; 
Henry.  Allison.  Mary.  Arthur,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  eleven   months. 


ROBERT  II.  WADE  (1871).  Among  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Kimball  township  is  Robert 
II.  Wade,  who  has  lived  on  his  present  farm 
thirty  nine  years.  lie  is  not  only  a  pioneer 
of  tTackson  county,  but  of  Minnesota  as  well, 
having  come  to  Minnesota  in  territorial  days 
and  having  fought  in  the  union  army  with  a 
Miiiiiesota    regiment. 

Roliert  H.  Wade  is  a  son  of  David  and 
Johanna  (Wade)  Wade,  both  natives  of  New 
Jersey.  They  came  west  in  1854  and  died  at 
Trempealeau,  Wisconsin.  There  are  four  living 
children  of  this  family — William  T.,  of  Sumner, 


EKJCRAPllICAT,  11 ISTORY. 


359 


Iowa,  aged  90  years;  Robert  H.,  of  this  sketch, 
afied  80  years;  Stephen  T.;  of  Trempealeau, 
Wisconsin,  aged  75  years;  Edward  F.,  of  Fair- 
mont,  Minnesota,   aged   70  years. 

Tlie  suliject  of  this  1)iograpliy  was  born  in 
Essex  county.  New  Jersey,  May  18,  1830.  Tliera 
he  lived  until  twenty-four  years  of  age,  learn- 
ing the  carpenter's  trade  and  following  that 
occupation  during  his  residence  there.  In 
1S.')4  he  moved  to  Johnstown,  Wisconsin,  and 
two  years  later  located  in  Dakota  county, 
Minnesota  territory,  where  he  worked  at  liis 
trade  until  1871.  On  March  1,  1864,  Mr.  Wade 
enlisted  in  the  Third  Minnesota  light  artillery 
and  served  until  February  27,   1866. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Wade  located  at  Shako- 
pee,  Scott  count}',  where  lie  followed  carpen- 
tering until  Ije  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1871.  Arriving  in  this  then  new  country,  he 
took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  24,  Kimball_  township,  and  as 
a  tree  claim  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  same 
section,  and  that  farm  has  been  his  home  ever 
since.  Very  liard  times  were  encomitercd  dur- 
ing tlie  great  gi'assliopper  scourge,  and  dur- 
ing a  part  of  this  time  Mr.  Wade  was  obliged 
to  be  at  Shakopee,  working  at  his  trade.  For 
a  number  of  years  after  coming  to  the  county 
lie  worked  at  his  trade  as  well  as  engaging  in 
farming,  and  many  of  the  buildings  in  the 
neighborhood  in  Kimball  township  and  Mar- 
tin county  were  erected  by  him.  For  his  own 
home  Mr.  Wade  hauled  the  lumber  from  Shako- 
pee  and  erected  a  14x16  foot  building  with  a 
lean-to. 

During  his  long  residence  in  the  county  Jlr. 
Wade  has  always  been  iield  in  high  esteem, 
and  he  has  often  been  called  upon  to  hold 
offices  of  trust.  He  served  on  the  jury  during 
the  years  from  1875  to  1879,  inclusive,  and  has 
seen  jury  duty  before  every  judge  holding 
court  in  the  county.  He  took  the  government 
census  of  Kimball,  Belmont  and  Enterprise 
townships  in  1880,  the  state  census  of  1885, 
tlie  government  census  of  1890  and  the  state 
census  of  1895.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the 
Kimball  board  of  township  supervisors  five 
years,  was  township  treasurer  one  year,  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  twenty  years  and  was  clerk 
of  liis  school  district  from  the  second  year 
after  its  organization  until  a  few  years  ago. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  society  of  Minnesota 
Territorial  Pioneers,  of  the  John  A.  Myers 
Post  No.  60,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Jackson,  and  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  of  the  same  village. 


Robert  H.  Wade  was  married  at  Newport, 
Minnesota,  in  October,  1859,  to  Hannah  Parker, 
who  was  born  near  Rutland,  Vermont,  April 
29,  1829.  She  died  May  26,  1897.  To  them 
were  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Charles 
H.,  William  F.  and  Frank  H. 

The  last  named  has  charge  of  his  father's 
farm.  He  is  married  to  Mary  A.  Allen,  a  na- 
tive of  Minnesota,  and  they  have  seven  chil- 
dren: Sylvia  M.,  Lucy  A.,  Mabel  A.,  Henry 
A.,   Susan  H.,  Frank  H.,  and  Helen   E. 


JOHN  P.  BRAIvKE  (1871)— spelled  in  Nor- 
v.egian  would  be  Johannes  Pedersen  Brakke — 
is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  Delafield  town- 
ship and  is  one  of  the  precinct's  most  success- 
ful and  best  known  farmers.  He  came  with 
the  vanguard  of  those  who  pushed  out  into 
the  frontier  country,  when  a  young  man  just 
coming  of  age,  and  he  has  seen  Jackson  coun- 
ty develop  from  a  wilderness  into  the  fine 
farming    country    it    is    today. 

John  P.  Brakke  was  born  in  Ringsakeis 
parish,  Hedemarkens,  Norway,  March  22,  1850. 
His  parents  were  Peder  Johanesen  Brakke  and 
Anne  (Svendsdatter  Olesveen)  Brakke.  His 
father,  who  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer,  was 
I)orn  in  the  same  place  as  was  his  son  Novem- 
ber 10,  1824,  came  to  America  in  1866  and  lo- 
cated at  Houston,  Minnesota.  He  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1872  and  located  in  Heron 
Lake  tov/nship,  but  made  his  home  with  his 
son  in  Delafield  most  of  the  time  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  June  7,  1879.  The  moth- 
er of  our  subject  was  1)orn  early  in  the  year 
1820,  was  married  to  Peder  Brakke  in  Norway 
and  died  in  her  native  land  January  9,  1908. 

Until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age  Mr. 
Brakke  lived  in  his  native  land.  At  the  age 
of  twelve  years  he  began  working  at  the  cab- 
inet making  and  carpenter  trades,  which  he 
followed  in  Norway  until  his  arrival  to  Am- 
erica in  1867.  Coming  to  the  new  world,  he  lo- 
cated at  Houston,  Minnesota,  and  there  he 
worked  at  his  trade  until  the  spring  of  1871. 
At  that  time  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age  and  took  a  fancy  to  locate  in  some  fron- 
tier section  of  tiie  country  and  grow  up  with 
it.  His  father  had  visited  Jackson  county  so 
early  as  1868  and  was  pleased  with  the  coun- 
try, although  he  did  not  locate  here  at  that 
time.  His  report  on  the  country  to  the  west 
decided  young  Brakke  to  visit  the  county.  He 
did  so,  and  on  March  20,  1871,  set  foot  on  the 


360 


BKXJKAI'lllCAl,   ms'l(JHV 


soil  of  Jaeksou  county  for  the  Hist  time.  Two 
days  later,  on  liis  twenty-first  birthday,  lie 
Miadi'  tiling  on  the  east  half  of  the  northeast 
iliiarter  of  section  32,  Dclafield  township,  as 
a   homestead  claim. 

\\'hen  he  arrived  in  the  county  he  had  prac- 
tically nothing  in  the  way  of  property  or 
money,  but  he  set  to  work  with  a  will  to 
make  his  fortune.  He  at  once  erected  a 
frame  house,  12x14  feet  with  eight  foot  posts, 
and  engaj;ed  in  farming  on  a  small  scale. 
W'licn  the  grasshoppers  came  in  1873  Mr. 
lirakkc  was  obliged  to  temi)orarily  desert  his 
claim,  and  from  that  date  until  1878  he  worked 
at  Ilia  trade  in  Houston  county.  He  returned 
to  his  Jackson  county  home  in  the  spring  of 
1S7S  and  again  engaged  in  farming. 

Tn  188!)  ,Mr.  JJrakke  received  the  ai)point- 
ment  as  a  deputy  state  weighmaster,  under 
the  first  administration  of  Governor  Merriani, 
and  he  held  the  office  eleven  years,  serving 
under  (iovernors  Merriam,  Nelson,  Clough  and 
l.ind.  During  these  years  he  resided  in  Min- 
i-capolis,  his  family  remaining  on  the  farm. 
Kclnrning  to  tlie  farm  in  litDl,  lie  again  took 
up  the  duties  of  an  agriculturalist.  He  now 
owns  3l!0  acres  of  land  in  one  body  and  baa 
line  (if  the  finest  homes  in  the  neighborhood, 
his  grovo  being  one  of  exceptional  merit.  Tlie 
prove  was  started  in  1878.  In  the  summer 
of  1<)0!)— thirly-one  years  later-Mr.  lirakkc 
sawed  10,000  feet  of  Cottonwood,  maple  and 
ash  lumber  from  it,  withotit  apparently  di- 
minishing the  grove. 

Uosides  his  other  accoiiipli^-lniiiiits,  Mr. 
lirakkc  is  a  violin  maker  of  more  than  a  local 
rc|iutalion.  When  he  was  a  boy  in  the  old 
country  he  engaged  in  violin  making  as  a  rec- 
reation. When  he  came  to  America  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  gave  up  the  work,  but 
when  forty-seven  years  of  age  he  again  took 
it  up  and  has  spent  odd  moments  at  tlie  work 
ever  since.  He  has  a  number  of  the  instru- 
ments on  hand,  all  the  work  of  his  handi- 
craft. Many  of  tlie  iiistniincnls  liavc  Iicen 
decorated   by   his   daughter. 

liesides  holding  the  state  ofVicc  for  eleven 
years,  ^fr.  Urakke  has  held  many  minor  offices. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors 
of  Delafield  township  three  years,  was  town- 
ship assessor  three  years,  was  township  clerk 
nine  years  and  he  has  held  the  office  of  clerk 
of  school  district  No.  2!)  for  many  years.  Ho 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  lodge. 
Afr.    Brakke    was   married    at    lllaiklianiincr, 


Houslon  county,  Jlinnesota,  ^Marcli  24,  1878, 
to  Mari  (Juttormson  Tyribakken,  who  was 
born  in  Houston  county  IJciember  2(1,  1S57. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Knudt  (Jnttormson 
Tyribakken,  Who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Houston  county,  locating  there  in  1854.  To 
-Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brakke  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing chil.lren:  Albert  Marius,  born  May 
22,  ISSO;  Anna  Klisa,  born  April  4,  1882; 
Clara,  born  October  30,  1883;  Peander  Cornel- 
ius, born  October  10,  18S.5;  Oiistav,  born  Jan- 
iiarv   8,    1SS8. 


MARSHAL  a  DUNN  (18fi7),  who  is  engag- 
ed in  I  be  machine  and  engine  business  at 
Jackson,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Jackson 
county,  having  resided  here  since  he  was  ten 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Dunn  was  born  in  Hangor, 
Maine,  .September  2!),  1837.  the  son  of  James 
W.  and  Klizabeth  .M.  (Seeley)  Dunn,  pioneers 
of   Minnesota. 

Our  subject  moved  (o  .Minnesota  with  his 
jiarents  in  ISlid  and  fin-  two  years  lived  on  a 
claim  in  Meeker  county.  The  father  enlisted 
in  the  union  army  in  September,  18til,  be- 
ing first  sergeant  of  company  B,  Fourth 
Minnesota  volunteers.  He  was  wounded 
in  tlie  battle  of  luka,  Mississippi,  by 
a  bullel  in  the  leg,  which  he  carried  until  his 
death.  In  18(;2,  while  the  head  of  the  fam- 
ily was  ill  the  army.  Mrs.  Dunn  took  her  three 
children  and  sought  refuge  in  Fort  Ridgely 
and  was  present  during  the  attack  on  that 
fori.  Her  name  appears  on  the  monument 
erected  in  memory  of  the  defenders  of  the 
fort.  In  the  fall  of  1802  the  family  moved  to 
St.  I'aul,  and  there  Marshal  B.  Dunn  lived 
until  be  came  to  Jackson  coiinly.  He  accom- 
panied the  family  to  this  county,  arriving  June 
li.  lSt!7.  and  grew  to  manhood  on  (be  farm 
in   I'elcrsburg  township, 

Mr.  Dunn  was  made  deputy  sheriff  of  Jack- 
son county  in  1804  and  served  in  that  capac- 
ity four  years.  He  was  elected  sheriff  in 
1808  and  held  the  office  eight  years.  He  has 
been  deputy  game  warden  at  large  (he  past 
two  years,  and  is  village  constable,  }lc  owns 
160  acres  of  land  in  Petersburg  township, 
eighty  acres  in  Minncota  and  village  property. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  P.,  I.  O.  O.  V.,  M.  B. 
A.  and  M.  W.  A.  lodges. 

At  Windom.  on  October  1.  1870.  Air.  nunn 
was  married  to  .\nna  L.  Nourse.  To  them 
have  been   born   the   following  named   eliildrcn: 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


361 


Elizabeth  L.,  born  in  Jackson  county  October 
10,  188G;  Ney  M.,  born  July  23,  1888,  died 
June  15,  1008;  Donald  S.,  born  November  3, 
1893;  Kenneth  S.,  born  May  3,  1895.  Mr.  Dunn 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  son,  Ney  M.,  was  captain  of  the 
state  university  football  team  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

ERICK  KILEN  (18G7).  in  partnership  with 
liis  brother,  John  Kilen,  owns  and  farms  240 
acres  of  land  on  sections  10,  21  and  20,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river  in  Belmont  township, 
where  he  has  spent  nearly  his  entire  life.  His 
])arents  were  Erick  R.  and  Johanna  Kilen 
They  were  born  in  Norway,  came  to  America 
in  the  early  sixties,  lived  in  Wisconsin  a  short 
time,  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  several 
years  and  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1807. 
They  took  a  homestead  claim  in  Belmont 
township,  where  they  resided  until  their  death, 
he  dying  in  1897  and  she  four  years  later. 
There  were  thirteen  children  in  the  family, 
of  whom  six  boys  and  two  girls  are  living. 

It  was  while  the  family  were  living  in 
Fillmore  county,  on  the  second  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1864,  that  Erick  Kilen  was  born.  When 
three  years  old,  in  1867,  he  accompanied  the 
family  to  .Jackson  county,  and  Belmont  town- 
ship has  been  his  home  ever  since.  He  worked 
for  his  father  on  the  farm  until  the  latter's 
death  in  1897;  then  he  and  his  brother,  John, 
conducted  the  home  place  for  their  mother 
until  her  death  four  years  later.  After  the 
death  of  their  mother  Erick  and  John  bought 
the  entire  real  estate  holdings  of  the  family 
and  have  since  farmed  in  partnership.  Besides 
his  farming  interests  Mr.  Kilen  has  interests 
in  the  Lakefield-Belraont  Telephone  company, 
in  the  Jackson  Telephone  company  and  in  the 
Belmont  Creamery  company.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Kilen  was  married  in  Des  Moines  town- 
ship June  13,  1891,  to  Bet.sey  Teigen,  a  native 
of  Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Ole  Teigen,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Jackson  county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kilen 
have  been  born  four  children,  as  follows: 
Peter,  born  March  29,  1892;  Clara,  born  March 
12,  1894;  Edwin,  born  December  15,  1896;  Ole, 
born  October  7,  1902. 

PETER  J.  VOGT  (1872).  Among  the  very 
earliest  settlers  of  Alba  township  is  Peter  J. 


Vogt,  who  has  lived  in  the  precinct  since  he 
was  a  boy  eighteen  years  old.  He  owns  300 
acres  of  land  and  farms  it  all. 

Ml-.  Vogt  was  born  on  board  ship  on  the 
Atlantic  ocean  while  his  parents  were  on  their 
way  from  Mecklenberg,  Germany,  to  America. 
The  date  of  his  birth  was  September  17,  1854. 
His  father  was  Peter  Vogt,  who  died  in  Mis- 
souri fourteen  years  ago;  his  mother,  Annie 
(Schuldt)   Vogt,  lives  in  Missouri. 

Upon  their  arrival  to  the  new  world  the 
family  located  near  Toledo,  Ohio,  where  tlicy 
lived  eight  years,  and  then  resided  in  Monroe 
county,  Michigan,  until  they  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1872.  Peter  Was  brought  up  on  a 
farm  and  had  only  meager  educational  ad- 
vantages. He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Minnesota,  arriving  during  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, 1872.  The  family  spent  the  winter  of 
1872-73  in  the  village  of  Hersey  {now  Brew- 
ster), then  just  founded,  and  in  the  spring 
moved  onto  a  farm  on  section  eight.  Alba 
township,  which  the  elder  Vogt  took  as  a 
preemption  claim.  This  farm  is  now  owned 
by  our  siibject. 

Until  he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age 
Peter  lived  at  home  and  worked  for  his  father. 
During  the  grasshopper  scourge  the  family  ex- 
perienced very  hard  times  and  our  subject  was 
obliged  to  work  on  the  section  part  of  the 
time  to  earn  money  to  support  the  family,  the 
father  being  a  cripple.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight  years  Mr.  Vogt  married  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  has  prospered. 

Mr.  Vogt  was  married  in  Alba  township 
January  12,  1882,  to  Matilda  Toball,  who  was 
born  in  Prussia  June  3,  1866.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  the  following  four  children: 
Emma,  born  March  18,  1885;  Lydia,  born  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1887;  Theodore,  born  May  24,  1889; 
Ernest,  born  July  28,  1900.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  of 
Brewster.  Mr.  Vogt  served  two  years  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Alba 
township  and  he  served  as  a  director  of  school 
district  No.  86  for  sixteen  years,  giving  up 
the  office  in  July,  1909. 


ANDREW  C.  SERUM  (1873),  builder  of  con- 
crete structureSj  of  Jackson,  is  an  early  day 
settler  of  the  county  and  one  who  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  county.  He 
was  born  in  Norway  September  28,  1845.  His 
parents,  Christian  Hermansen  Serum  and  Mar- 


■22 


362 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


tlia  (.Idlinsoii)  Scrum,  cainc  to  America  in 
I8ti2,  tlio  year  after  their  son  arrived,  Imt  re- 
turned after  one  year's  residence  liere  and  died 
in  tlicir  native  land. 

Andrew  lived  witli  liis  jiarents  in  Korway 
until  lie  was  past  si.xtecn  years  of  aye  and 
then,  in  18U1,  came  to  America.  Locating  in 
Dane  cminty,  Wisconsin,  he  worked  on  a  farm 
<inrinj;  two  summers  and  then  went  to  lladison, 
where  he  secured  employment  in  a  drug  store 
for  nine  months,  lie  then  went  to  Goodhue 
county,  Minnesota,  where  he  lived  until  the 
S])ring  of  1873.  During  those  years  he  was  en- 
gageil  in  various  occupations.  For  three  years  he 
was  on  the  police  force  of  lied  Wing,  and  for 
a  time  was  engaged  in  buying  giain. 

Mr.  Serum  came  to  .Jackson  county  in  1873 
and  for  the  first  year  made  his  home  in  Heron 
Lake.  He  then  took  a  homestead  in  West 
Heron  Lake  township  and  upon  that  place  he 
I'ved  eight  years.  Selling  his  farm  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  he  moved  to  .Tackson.  and  that 
village  has  since  been  his  home.  Jle  was  em- 
ployed as  register  of  deeds  of  the  county  from 
1882  to  1.880  and  after  that  went  into  the 
abstract  business,  which  he  was  engaged  in 
until  1907,  when  he  sold  out  on  account  of 
])oor  health.  Since  the  last  named  date  he  has 
been    engaged    in    the    concrete    business, 

Mr,  Scrum  has  held  otTice  during  many 
years  of  his  residence  in  the  county.  During 
the  time  he  was  living  in  West  Heron  Lake 
township  he  served  as  township  clerk  and  jus- 
tice of  tlie  |)eace.  He  was  elected  sherifT  in 
1873  and  served  two  years.  It  was  during 
his  incumbency  that  the  grasshoppers  came, 
and  the  first  year  of  his  term  the  ofTice 
fees  amounted  to  only  $90,  and  of  these  he 
collected  only  $75,  He  was  elected  county 
commissioner  from  the  third  district  in  187.5 
and  served  three  years.  Of  this  time  he  was 
chairman  of  the  board  from  .January  to  .July, 
1877,  and  during  the  year  1878,  He  was  elect- 
ed register  of  deeds  in  1881  and  was  reelected 
in  1883  and  1886.  Mr,  Serum  owns  two  .Jack- 
son county  farms,  one  in  Belmont  township 
and  one  in  l)es  Jloincs  township.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Kpiscopal  church  and  of  Ihe 
Odd   Fellows  and   Workmen   lodges, 

-Mr,  Scrum  has  been  married  three  times. 
His  first  wife  was  Maren  Severson  and  his 
second  Rikke  Severson.  On  December  3,  1883, 
he  was  married  to  Helona  Brakke.  To  I  hem 
have  been  born  the  following  children:  Philip. 
Marie,   Mark   and   Reuben, 


TltoND  (),  TRilXDSOX  (1809)  has  lived  on 
his  present  farm  on  the  south  bank  of  Heron 
lake,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  30, 
Heron  [>&kc  townslii]i,  for  the  past  forty  years, 
and  he  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of  the 
township.  In  addition  to  the  quarter  section 
upon  which  he  lives  he  owns  a  half  of  section 
2').  West  Heron  Ijike  township,  and  is  one  of 
the  big  farmers  of  the  community, 

Jlr.  Trondson  is  a  Norwegian  by  birth,  and 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  August  1,  16R3.  His 
parents  were  Ole  and  Carrie  (Olson)  Trondson, 
whom  he  accompanied  to  America  in  1865. 
After  a  residence  of  four  years  in  Allamakee 
county,  Iowa,  the  family  decided  to  push  on 
still  farther  west,  and  in  1809,  accompanied 
by  four  other  families,  a  journey  to  Canton, 
Dakota  territory,  was  begun.  When  Swan 
lake,  Iowa,  was  reached  Mr.  Trondson,  the 
elder,  died,  and  the  trip  to  Dakota  was  aban- 
doned. The  other  families  of  the  party  settled 
in  the  vicinity  <<(  Kstherville,  while  Mrs. 
Trondson  and  her  family  came  north  into 
Jackson  county.  She  iKuight  from  a  Mr.  Cleve- 
land a  homestead  right  to  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  30,  Heron  J-ake  township,  and 
there  she  established  her  family  home.  For 
eighteen  years  their  only  habitation  was  a 
.sod  shanty,  which  stood  wliere  Mr.  Tmndson's 
home  is  now. 

Mr.  Trondson's  mother  died  eleven  years  ago 
in  Campbell  county.  South  Dakota,  where  she 
had  made  her  home  with  a  son.  In  the  early 
seventies  Mr.  Trondson  homesteaded  a  tract 
of  land  nearby,  and  later  he  acquired  his 
mother's  homestead.  Ever  since  locating  in 
the  county  in  1869  his  home  has  been  on  sec- 
tion 311.  lie  added  the  tract  in  West  Heron 
I^ake  by  purchase  about   1893. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Trondson  occur- 
red in  Ileriui  I-akc  township  January  6.  1879, 
when  he  wedded  Helena  Rongstad,  who  was 
born  in  Norway  November  6,  1861,  and  who 
was  the  daughter  of  .Andrew  Rongstad,  As  a 
result  of  this  union  tlic  following  children 
were  born:  Clara,  born  April  7,  1881;  Al- 
bert, born  May  10.  1883;  Theodore,  horn  Octo- 
ber 20.  1885;  Ole.  born  IVcember  29.  1888, 
died  May  19,  1909.  Mr.  Trondson's  first  wife 
died,  and  on  January  6,  1892,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mary  Mone,  a  native  of  Nor- 
way and  a  daughter  of  Ole  Mone,  Mr,  and 
Mrs,  Trondson  are  the  parents  of  nine  living 
children,  as  foUows:  Hilda,  born  April  15, 
1893;   Hannah,  born  July  27,   1S!M;    Tlica,  born 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


363 


OctolxT  16,  1805;  Christeiia,  born  January  G, 
1S!I7;  Carrie,  liorn  January  -31,  1899;  Con- 
stance, born  Xdvemlier  11.  1901;  William  R., 
born  .\\ij;nst  1.  19114:  Walbag  11.,  born  August  1, 
19114;  .bi--r|ili.  Iicini  December  19,  1900.  Tlie 
family  are  niemliers  of  tlie  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran cluircli.  Jlr.  Trondson  lias  been  treas- 
iner  of  sebool  cHstrict  No.  81  since  it  was  or- 
ganized. 


WILLIAM  H.  (JRUHLKE  (1809),  Petersburg 
township  farmer,  is  one  of  the  early  day  set- 
tlers of  that  precinct.  He  was  born  in  Waseca, 
Jlinnesota.  March  21,  1806,  the  son  of  August 
liruhlke,  who  died  .January  8,  1895,  and  Wil- 
lielniina    (Roesler)    Gruhlke. 

William  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson 
county  in  1809  at  the  age  of  three  .years.  His 
father  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  .30,  Petersburg  town- 
ship, and  our  subject  has  lived  upon  that  land 
ever  since — a  period  of  continuous  residence 
of  forty  years.  When  the  family  located 
tliere  ilankato  was  the  nearest  railroad  point 
and  to  that  point  they  hauled  what  grain  tlicy 
had  to  sell.  William  received  a  common  school 
education  and  assisted  with  the  farm  work. 
After  growing  to  manhood  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  himself. 

Jlr.  Oruhike  owns  100  acres  of  land  in 
■Jackson  county  and  a  quarter  section  in  Da- 
kota. He  has  stock  in  the  Petersburg  cream- 
ery, the  Jackson  Telephone  company,  the  Mid- 
dletown  Telephone  company  and  in  the  .Tack- 
son  Fair  association.  He  served  as  treasurer 
of  his  school  district  for  nine  years  and  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 

On  Jiuie  8,  1893,  Mr.  Gruhlke  was  married 
to  Hattie  Wolff.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children,  born  as  follows:  C'laron,  born  Au- 
gust 27,  1894;  Gordon,  born  February  20,  1898; 
Roy,  born  December  23,  1901;  Kermit,  born 
November   3,    1903. 


ROBERT  A.  GRUHLKE  (1869),  stock  buyer 
and  shipper  of  Jackson,  has  spent  forty  years 
of  his  life  as  a  resident  of  Jackson  count3'. 
He  was  born  in  Marquette  county,  Wisconsin, 
October  4,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late 
August  Gruhlke  and  Wilhelmina  C.  (Roesler) 
Gruhlke,  who  resides  in  .Jackson  and  is  77 
years  of  age. 

Both  parents  were  born   in   Hamburg,  Prus- 


sia, came  to  the  United  States  in  the  early 
fifties  and  located  in  JIarquette  county,  Wis- 
consin. August  Gruhlke  engaged  in  teaching 
school  in  the  fatherland,  and  after  coming  to 
America  engaged  in  agricultural  [lursuits  and 
ministerial  work,  being  a  (jerman  Lutheran 
minister  of  the  gosjjel.  About  1860  the  family 
moved  to  \A'aseca  county,  Minnesota,  and  lo- 
cated upon  land  upon  which  the  town  of 
Waseca  was  afterwards  built.  In  1869  they 
came  to  Jackson  county  and  the  head  of  the 
family  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  30,  Petersburg  town- 
sliip,  upon  which  they  lived  until  1892.  Au- 
gust Gruhlke  died  in  Jackson  in  1895  at  the 
age  of  76  years.  Robert  is  one  of  a  family  of 
five   living  children. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  lived  wilh 
his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-.seven  years 
of  age.  At  that  age  he  married  and  engaged 
in  farming  the  home  farm  six  years.  He  ac- 
quired one  hundred  acres  of  the  home  place 
and  later  added  to  the  farm  by  the  purchase 
of  120  acres  adjoining.  Later  still  he  bought 
an  interest  in  his  wife's  father's  farm  on  sec- 
tion 2,  Middletown.  In  1891  Mr.  Gruhlke  left 
the  farm  and  went  into  the  butcher  business 
in  Jackson.  He  conducted  a  meat  market 
three  jears,  and  since  that  time  has  been  en- 
gaged in  bu3'ing  and  shipping  stock. 

Mr.  Gruhlke  was  married  in  Middletown 
township  on  Christmas  eve,  1885,  io  Fannie  JI. 
Withers,  daughter  of  the  late  Walter  and 
Jane  E.  (Allen)  Withers.  She  was  born  in 
Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  January  28,  1802. 
To  these  parents  one  child  has  been  born, 
Evelyn  Mae,  born  July  22,  1902.  Both  Mr.  and 
ilrs.  Gruhlke  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church  and  of  the  Eastern  Star 
lodge.     Mr.  Gruhlke  is  a  Mason. 


ROBERT  MITTELSTADT  (1870)  is  one  of 
the  very  oldest  settlers  of  Rost  township,  hav- 
ing lived  in  that  precinct  ever  since  he  was 
two  and  one-half  years  of  age.  His  parents, 
Fred  and  Dorothea  ilittelstadt,  were  born  in 
Germany.  They  came  to  .Jackson  county  with 
their  family  in  1870  and  took  as  a  homestead 
claim  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  18,  Rost 
township.  They  encountered  many  hardships 
in  the  early  days,  notably  during  the  grass- 
hopper times,  but  they  stayed  with  the  coun- 
try and  eventually  weathered  the  hard  times. 
For   many   years   they   lived   in   a   typical    sod 


364 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


house  and  had  a  sod  barn  for  their  stock. 
During  the  menioniblc  winter  of  1880-81  tlieir 
liouse  was  entirely  covered  with  snow.  There 
were  seven  children  in  the  family  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fred  Mittelstadt,  as  follows:  William, 
of  Seattle,  Washington;  Julius,  of  Heron 
Lake;  Mrs.  Tina  Trosin,  of  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship; Robert,  of  tliis  sketch;  Minnie  Uolly,  of 
Lake  Wilson,  and  Bertha  Beyer  Kahler,  of 
Ewinglon  township.  Fred  Mittelstadt  died  in 
1907;  his  wife  still  lives  on  the  home  place 
and  is  80  years  of  age. 

Robert  Mittelstadt  was  born  in  Wisconsin 
Xovemher  16,  1867,  and  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  Jackson  county  in  1870.  He  lived  on 
the  old  homestead  until  1896;  tlien  he  moved 
onto  his  own  place,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
His  farm  consists  of  160  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 18,  and  all  the  improvements  on  the  place 
were  made  by  him. 

Mr.  Mittelstadt  was  married  in  Host  town- 
ship on  November  30,  1893,  to  Bertha  Sehulz, 
a  native  of  Germany.  To  tliem  have  l)een  born 
the  following  named  seven  children:  Dorothea, 
born  March  4,  1895;  Edna,  born  September  13, 
1896;  Oleta,  born  March  20,  1898;  Hattie,  born 
March  9,  1900;  Leah,  born  May  2,  1903;  Ed- 
mund, born  November  24,  1904;  Adolpli,  born 
October  1,  1906.  Tlie  family  are  members  of 
the    German   Lutheran   church. 


EDSON  FADER  (1872)  is  a  retired  farmer 
living  at  Lakefield.  He  was  born  in  Calmar, 
Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  February  13,  1857, 
the  son  of  Ludwig  and  Jane  (McNeil)  Fader. 
One  year  after  his  birth  the  family  moved  to 
New  Oregon,  Iowa,  and  five  years  later,  in 
1863,  to  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota. 

Edson  Fader  came  to  Jackson  coimty  with 
his  parents  in  September,  1872,  and  for  the 
next  six  years  lived  on  the  farm  in  Minncota 
township,  nine  miles  south  of  Lakefield.  He 
went  to  the  vicinity  of  Madison,  South  Da- 
kota, in  1878,  took  a  claim  there  and  resided 
upon  it  until  1889.  Returning  to  Jackson 
county  that  year,  he  bought  a  farm  in  Min- 
ncota township  and  resided  in  that  precinil 
ten  years.  We  next  find  Mr.  Fader  at  Wcnt- 
worth,  South  Dakota,  where  lie  engaged  in 
farming  two  years.  He  moved  to  Polk  county, 
^finnesota,  in  1901,  farmed  two  years,  and 
then  took  up  his  residence  in  Lakefield,  where 
he  has  since  resided. 

During   his   residence   in   Minneotn   township 


Mr.  Filler  was  often  called  upon  to  serve  in 
an  otTiiial  capacity.  He  was  assessor  two 
years,  m  rved  as  a  member  of  the  board  of 
supervisors,  and  was  town  clerk  six  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Rc- 
bekah  lodges.  He  owns  six  blocks  of  land  in 
the  southern  part  of  Lakefield  village. 

Mr.  Fader  has  been  married  tliree  times. 
The  first  was  on  July  5,  1880,  when  he  wedded 
Louisa  Welch  at  Jackson.  She  died  May  24, 
1890,  after  having  borne  six  children,  named 
as  follows:  Vivian  V.,  born  July  24,  1881; 
\"ira  v.,  born  April  13,  1883;  Cleveland  C, 
born  December  13,  1884;  Leiand  L.,  born  June 
3,  1886;  Mabelle,  born  March  4,  1888:  Maggie, 
born  December  25,  18S9,  died  August  13,  1890. 

His  second  marriage  occurred  October  8, 
1892,  to  Sarah  Nicely  at  Evansville,  Indiana. 
To  this  union  four  children  were  born:  Tern- 
inna  F.,  born  July  4,  1892;  Wahnetta,  born 
May  30,  1894;  Ula,  born  June  6,  1890;  Ingra, 
born  Augiist  9,  1898.  Mrs.  Fader  died  De 
eember   16,   1901. 

Mr.  Fader  married  liis  present  wife,  Dora  M. 
Starkey,  at  Princeton,  Indiana,  February  10, 
1903. 


JOHN  K.  BROWN  (1879),  deceased.  Among 
the  men  who  entered  prominently  into  the 
business  and  social  life  of  Jackson  mention 
must  be  made  of  John  K.  Brown,  the  founder 
of  the  first  bank  in  the  county. 

John  K.  Brown  was  born  in  Canada  in  1827, 
of  Scotch,  English  and  Dutch  descent.  He 
lived  on  a  farm  until  eighteen  years  of  ape 
and  then  moved  to  St.  Thomas,  where  for  four 
years  he  was  a  salesman  in  a  retail  store.  He 
moved  to  London.  Ontario,  in  IS.'il  and  engaged 
in  the  dry  goods  and  millinery  business.  While 
a  resident  of  that  city  he  served  as  a  member 
<if  the  city  council.  Mr.  Brown  moved  to  New 
York  in  1860,  was  with  Arnold,  Constable  & 
company  one  year,  and  then  entered  the 
freight  office  of  the  Rome  &  Watertown  Rail- 
road company.  From  1865  to  1870  he  was  a 
traveling  salesman,  with  headquarters  at  Mon- 
treal, his  territory  including  parts  of  both  the 
I'niled   States  and   Canada. 

In  1870  Mr.  Brown  located  at  LaCrosse,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  entered  the  general  office  of 
the  Southern  Minnesota  Railroad  company 
and  became  assistant  paymaster.  A  little  lat- 
er he  entered  the  land  department  of  the 
same   road    and    served    as    land    commissioner 


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BIOGEAPinCAL  HISTORY. 


365 


eight  years.  When  the  Soutliern  Minne.sota 
railroad  was  constructed  to  Jackson  Mr. 
Brown  gave  up  his  position  with  the  railroad 
company  and  in  1879  founded  the  Bank  of 
Jackson,  tlie  first  bank  in  the  county.  He  was 
tlie  liead  of  that  institution  (later  it  become 
tlie  Brown  National  Bank)  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  April  16,  1908. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  November,  1883, 
to  Pluma  if.  Kimball.  Two  children  were 
liorn  to  this  union ;  John  K.  Brown,  Jr.,  and 
Cordon  Brown. 


JOSEPH  H.  NOURSE  (1871)  owns  a  tract 
of  land  in  the  wooded  district  along  the  Des 
Moines  river,  a  short  distance  up  the  river 
from  Jackson,  where  he  engages  in  farming 
on  a  small  scale,  in  gardening  and  wood  cut- 
ting. He  is  one  of  the  early  residents  of  the 
county,  having  come  first  when  he  was  a 
boy  ten  j'ears  of  age.  He  is  a  native  Minnc- 
sotan,  having  been  born  in  Goodhue  county 
January  8,  1861. 

Our  subject  descends  from  New  England 
stock,  his  father,  William  H.  Nourse,  having 
been  born  in  Massachusetts  and  his  mother 
in  New  York  state,  her  maiden  name  having 
been  Rosemond  C.  Stuart.  These  parents  came 
to  Minnesota  in  1856  or  1857  and  took  a  pre- 
emption claim  in  Goodhue  county.  Mr.  Nourse, 
senior,  was  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war,  having 
enlisted  from  Red  Wing  in  company  F  of  the 
Second  Minnesota  cavalry.  The  family  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1871  and  Mr.  Nourse 
took  a  soldier's  homestead  claim  on  section  10, 
Kimliall  township,  where  they  resided  until 
the  ravages  of  the  grasshojipers  caused  them 
to  leave.  Mr.  Nourse  took  his  family  to  Rice 
county  and  he  later  went  to  Kansas.  He  died 
in  the  soldier's  home  at  Morrow,  Indiana,  in 
1006.  There  were  eight  children  in  the  fam- 
ily, of  whom  the  following  seven  are  living: 
Anna  (Mrs.  M.  B.  Dunn),  of  Jackson;  Joseph, 
of  Des  Moines  township;  Lelia  (Mrs.  S.  J. 
Dunn),  of  Grant  county,  Minnesota;  Gilbert 
F.,  of  Jackson;  Walter,  of  Rice  county;  Zella 
(Mrs.  Charles  Swan),  of  Wood  Lake,  Minne- 
sota; Mark  R.,  of  the  Minnesota  soldiers' 
home  at  Minnehaha,  he  having  been  disabled 
at  Porto  Rico  during  the  Spanish  war. 

•Joseph  lived  with  his  parents  in  Goodhue 
county,  Minnesota,  until  June,  1871.  Then 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson  county 
and  until  the  grasshoppers  came  a  few  years 


later  he  resided  on  the  Kimball  township 
homestead.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Rice  county  and  resided  there  until  1884.  That 
year  he  again  took  up  his  residence  in  Jack- 
son county,  where  he  has  ever  since  resided. 
He  engaged  in  farming  and  dealt  in  hay  for 
four  years;  then  he  married  and  farmed  a 
rented  place  two  years.  The  next  three  years 
of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  village  of  Jack- 
son, after  which  he  bought  a  timber  lot  on 
section  10,  Des  Moines  township,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  resided  in  the  country  a  short 
distance  from  Jackson.  Several  years  after 
locating  on  his  present  place  he  added  to  his 
holdings  by  the  purchase  of  other  tracts  in 
the  vicinity. 

During  his  residence  in  the  county  Mr. 
Nourse  has  often  been  called  to  serve  in  an 
otTicial  capacity.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  under 
Sheritf  M.  B.  Dunn,  has  been  township  clerk 
for  the  past  five  years,  was  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  10  for  three  years  and  has  held 
the  offices  of  road  overseer  and  township  as- 
sessor. He  was  census  enumerator  of  Des 
Moines  township  in  1905.  He  is  a  director  and 
secretary  of  rural  telephone  line  No.  7.  Mr. 
Nourse  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 
He  belongs  to  the  A.  0.  U.  W.  lodge  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Degree  of 
Honor  lodge. 

In  Lake  Fremont  township,  Martin  county, 
Minnesota,  on  November  29,  1888,  Mr.  Nourse 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Flora  P.  Celley,  who 
was  born  at  Wilton,  Maine,  December  23,  1864. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Sarah  B. 
(Hall)  Celley,  both  deceased.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.,  and  Mrs.  Nourse,  as 
follows:  J.  Walter,  born  August  30,  1889; 
Winifred  B.,  born  November  21,  1892;  Wilnia 
.!,,  born  October  3,  1895;  Warren  K.,  born 
March  8,  1898;  Isabelle  W.,  born  March  14, 
1900, 


HENRY  KNUDSON  (1870),  ex-sheriff,  coun- 
ty treasurer,  and  judge  of  the  probate  court 
of  Jackson  county,  who  now  lives  at  Heron 
Lake,  is  an  early  day  settler  of  the  county  and 
one  who  has  played  an  important  part  in 
public  affairs. 

Mr.  Knudson  was  brought  up  on  a  farm, 
having  been  born  in  Nordre  (or  Northern) 
Aurdal,  Valders,  Norway,  September  26,  1843, 
His  father  was  Knud  Chestenson  Klevegaard 
(the   latter   being  the   farm   name),   a   farmer 


366 


BIOGRAPIIK  AL  HISTORY. 


and  tailor  by  occupation.  He  was  born  in 
Northern  Aurdal,  Valders.  Norway,  came  to 
the  United  States  in  18.52,  lived  respectively  in 
Rock.  Wahvortli  and  Iowa  counties.  Wisconsin, 
and  ill  Itcllccreck.  (loodluie  county,  Minnesota, 
where  he  died  in  1870  at  the  aj^e  of  5U  years. 
Our  .subject's  motlicr  was  Anna  lleiidrickson 
Fuglien  (the  hillir  liciiij;  the  farm  name). 
She  was  also  Imin  in  Xordre  A\irdal.  Vahlers, 
Norway,  and  ilicil  near  lla.xonviile,  Hock 
county.  Wisconsin,  iii  1854  at  the  aj;e  of  .I" 
years. 

Henry  is  the  second  of  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  only  one  besides  himself 
now  living  is  Ole,  whose  name  has  been  chang- 
ed to  William  Christen.  Ho  is  the  president 
of  a  mining  corporation  of  Cripple  Creek.  Colo- 
rado. The  deceased  children  of  the  family 
were  Christen  Knudson,  who  came  to  .Jackson 
county  in  1870  and  resided  on  his  farm  near 
Wilder  until  his  death  in  18i)8;  Knud  Knudson, 
who  died  in  1803  at  tlie  age  of  about  twelve 
years:  Anna  Knudson,  who  died  in  Denver. 
Colorado,  at  the  age  of  about  40  years.  Be- 
sides his  full  brothers  and  sisters  Mr.  Knud- 
son has  the  following  half  sisters  and  broth- 
ers by  his  father's  second  wife,  namely:  Es- 
ther (Mrs.  Ole  Tollefson),  wife  of  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  of  .Arville,  North  Dakota;  Mrs. 
Mary  Eriek.son,  of  Cannon  Falls.  Minnesota : 
Stark  Christy,  a  farmer  of  Hellccrcek.  Good- 
hue county.  Minnesota:  Elias  Knudson,  de- 
ceased, of  Mcintosh,  Minnesota. 

When  Henry  Knudson  was  nine  years  of  age 
he  had  to  go  out  and  make  his  own  living,  as 
his  parents  were  poor.  In  November.  1861, 
at  Moscow.  Iowa  county,  Wisconsin,  he  en- 
listed in  the  union  army,  and  on  December  8 
was  mustered  into  company  E,  Fifteenth  Wis- 
consin infantry,  known  as  the  Scandinavian 
regiment,  all  being  Norwegians  from  the  col- 
onel down.  The  regiment  was  in  several  en- 
gagements while  he  was  in  it.  the  principal 
ones  being  at  the  capture  of  Island  No.  10,  at 
Union  City,  Tennessee,  and  at  IVrrysville  and 
Danville,  Kentucky.  On  November  24,  1862, 
he  rcenlisted  for  three  years  in  company  K, 
Fourth  United  States  cavalry,  and  was  trans- 
ferred thereto  by  order  of  the  war  depart- 
ment. The  first  battle  he  was  in  after  being 
transferred  was  Murfreesboro.  or  Stone  River. 
Tennessee.  He  was  in  a  number  of  engage- 
ments in  the  vicinity  of  Murfreesboro  and 
one  time  was  cut  oflT  from  his  command  by  a 
body    of   confederate   caviilry    at   Spring   Hill, 


Tennessee,  and  was  reported  killed  or  captured, 
but  his  fleet  horse  and  long  range  revolving 
rifle  saved  him. 

Mr.  Knudson  served  on  (ieneral  Kosecrans' 
body  guard  and  was  orderly  to  (M'lieral  KInier 
Oli.s.  He  was  one  of  twenty  picked  men  of 
the  regiment  chosen  to  charge  on  twenty  con- 
federate cavalrynu'n  who  were  stationed  on 
what  is  known  as  Hound  Top,  in  Wilson  coun- 
ty. Tennessee.  In  this  charge  four  men  were 
killed  and  two  were  taken  prisoners.  On  Feb- 
ruary 18  and  lit  the  regiment  hiiil  an  engage- 
ment between  .\uburn  and  Liberty.  Tennessee. 
During  this  time  Mr.  Knudson  was  acting  as 
sergeant  and  led  the  advance.  When  about 
two  hundred  feet  from  the  enemy  he  was 
struck  by  a  rille  ball  near  the  right  nipple, 
the  ball  passing  through  the  lungs  and  com- 
ing out  near  the  spinal  column.  Being  es- 
corted to  the  rear  by  two  comrades,  he  was 
left  on  the  battlefield  all  night  and  the  ne.\t 
day  was  taken  in  an  ambulance  to  Mur- 
freesboro. a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles, 
over  a  rough  road.  Mr.  Knudson  was  dis- 
chargeil  for  disability  at  Louisville.  Kentucky, 
.July   l,S.  LSO.-!. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr. 
Knudson  went  back  home,  near  Moscow,  Wis- 
consin, and  in  the  spring  of  186.5  went  to  Red- 
wing. Minnesota.  There  he  clerked  in  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  store,  bought  wheat,  ran  a 
warehouse  and  .s<dd  machinery.  For  a  time 
he  was  also  engaged  in  farming  near  Belle- 
ereek.  tioodhue  county.  He  came  to  .Jackson 
county  in  the  .spring  of  1870  and  took  a  home- 
stead claim  on  .section  10.  Weimer  township. 

On  .January  10.  1S71.  Mr.  Knudson  was  ap- 
pointed de|)uty  sherilV  of  .laiksiin  county  by 
Sheriff  E.  Sevatson  and  at  the  election  that 
fall  he  was  elected  sberilT.  He  was  elected 
county  treasurer  in  the  fall  of  1.87.1  and  took 
possession  of  the  olTice  ^larch  4.  1874;  he  was 
reelected  in  the  fall  of  187.5  and  served  until 
March.  1878.  In  the  fall  of  1874  he  was  also 
elected  t"  the  olTice  of  judge  of  the  probate 
I'oiirt  and   held  the  two  offices  for  two  years. 

On  the  24th  day  of  December.  1876.  Mr. 
Knudson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Christine 
Tollefson.  of  Christiania  township.  She  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Belmont  on  the  .3rd  day 
of  February.  1861.  and  was  the  daughter  of 
Ti>llef  Olson  .'slaabaken  and  Ingebor  .Slaabaken. 
.She  was  a  twin  sister  of  Ole  Tollefson,  who 
now  lives  on  n  fine  large  farm  near  Arville, 
North    Dakota.     Diniiifr   the    Indian    massacre 


BIOGEAPHKAL  HISTORY. 


367 


in  August,  1862,  Mrs.  Tollefson  had  to  carry 
these  twins  in  tlie  flight  from  tlie  Indians,  Mr. 
Tollefson  being  in  the  army.  To  ilr.  and 
Mrs.  Knudson  were  born  two  iliildrcn:  Ida 
Anna,  born  JIarcli  18,  1870.  and  Christian 
Henry,  born  Ootobcr  10,  1880.  Mrs.  Knudson 
died  October  17,  1880,  and  Cliristian  Henry 
died  August  14,  1882. 

In  the  spring  of  1S70  .Mr.  Knudson  moved 
to  a  farm  )ie  owned  on  the  south  shore  of 
Heron  lake.  During  his  residence  there  he 
founded  tlie  town  of  Jaclcson  Center  and  was 
appointed  postmaster.  In  1882  he  moved  to 
Lalcefield  and  was  appointed  po.stmaster  there 
March  23,  1882,  an  office  which  he  soon  re- 
signed. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Knudson  occur- 
red .June  19,  1882,  at  Lakefield,  when  he  wed- 
ded Jennie  Olson,  daughter  of  Ole  Isakson  and 
Inga  Isakson,  of  Nordre  Aurdal,  Valders,  Nor- 
way. Mrs.  Knudson  was  born  in  tlie  same 
place  as  were  her  parents,  tlie  date  of  her 
liirth  being  October  6,  1859.  She  came  to  t'ne 
United  States  in  1880.  To  these  parents  have 
been  born  two  children:  Emma  D.  (Jlrs.  L. 
T.  Christenson),  of  Minneapolis,  and  Christian 
Oscar,   who  died   September   18,   1889. 

In  1880  Mr.  Knudson  moved  to  Heron  Lake 
and  in  the  fall  of  tliat  year  was  again  elected 
to  the  office  of  judge  of  the  probate  court, 
which  office  he  held  for  the  full  term  of  two 
years.  During  this  time  he  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Heron  Lake  village  council  and  vil- 
lage justice  of  the  peace,  which  offices  he  re- 
signed in  1893  on  account  of  ill  health  and  too 
much  business.  Mr.  Knudson  was  the  found- 
er, owner  and  editor  of  the  Southwestern  Min- 
nesota Farmer,  a  monthly  publication  which 
lie  started  in  1888.  Besides  tlie  offices  men- 
tioned Mr.  Knudson  lias  held  at  one  time  or 
anotlier  nearly  all  tlie  township  offices.  He 
has  been  a  notary  public  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance,  real  estate  and  loan- 
ing business.  On  September  1,  1891,  he  was 
autliorized  to  act  as  agent  before  tlie  depart- 
ment   of   the    interior. 

Mr.  Knudson  went  to  the  Puget  sound  coun- 
try for  his  liealth  in  1893,  but  returned  home 
to  Heron  Lake  in  the  latter  part  of  that  year. 
In  1894  he  went  to  California  for  his  health 
and  lived  in  Los  Angeles  until  1899.  Then  he 
returned  to  Heron  Lake,  where  he  has  ever 
since  resided. 


.TKSSE  A.  PATTERSON  (1806),  deceased, 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Jackson 
county  and  resided  in  Petersburg  township 
for  forty  years.  He  was  born  in  Grant  coun- 
ty.  Indiana,  October  30,  1848. 

He  joined  the  arnij'  when  less  tlian  fourteen 
years  of  age,  enlisting  as  a  member  of  com- 
pany C,  of  the  89th  Indiana  infantry,  on  Aug- 
ust 8,  1802,  and  serving  until  his  discliarge  at 
Jlobile.  Alaliama.  July  19,  1805.  Six  months 
after  leaving  tlie  army  Mr.  Patterson  moved 
from  Indiana  to  Chatfield,  Minnesota,  and 
during  the  summer  of  1866  he  located  in  Jack- 
son county.  For  several  years  he  worked  a* 
different  occupations.  He  worked  out  during 
the  summer  .seasons,  the  first  year  in  Fill- 
more county;  he  chopped  wood  at  .Jackson  for 
Major  H.  S.  Bailey,  and  he  hauled  groceries 
to  the  new  settlement  from  Winnebago  City, 
which  was  then  the  nearest  railroad  point. 
For  several  j"ears  he  operated  a  stage  between 
Spirit  Lake  and  Jackson  and  between  Fair- 
mont and  .Jackson.  Mr.  Patterson  secured  a 
quarter  section  of  land,  by  homestead,  in  Pet- 
ersburg township  in  1800  and  engaged  in 
farming  for  many  years,  his  widowed  mother 
and  five  si.sters  residing  with  him.  He  suf- 
fered many  hardsliips  incident  to  the  grass- 
hopper period  and  pioneer  days.  On  one  oc- 
casion he  lost  his  barn  and  live  stock  from 
the  ever-dreaded  prairje  fire.  Jlr.  Patterson 
died  at  liis  home  in  Petersburg  township 
January   4,    1900. 

On  August  8.  1875,  Mr.  Patterson  was  united 
in  mairiage  to  Maggie  .Jungbauer,  who  sur- 
vives her  husband  and  makes  her  home  on  the 
farm  in  Petersburg.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patter- 
son were  liorn  two  children,  as  follows:  Mar- 
tin Henry,  wlio  died  at  the  age  of  two  years, 
and  Ida  Mav. 


ANDERS  OPPERUU  (1870),  deceased,  was 
a  pioneer  settler  and  one  of  the  best  known 
farmers  of  Delafield  township,  his  home  being 
a  short  distance  south  of  Wilder.  He  was 
born  in  Norway  April  21,  1845,  the  son  of 
Anders  Anderson  and  Annie  Anderson.  These 
parents  came  to  America  during  the  eighties, 
but  soon  moved  back  to  their  native  land  and 
liotli   are   now  deceased. 

Anders  came  to  the  United  States  in  1868 
and  located  in  Fayette  county,  Iowa.  After 
residing  there  two  years  he  came  to  .Jackson 
county    and    took   as   a    homestead    claim    the 


368 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


soutliwest  quarter  of  scttioii  18,  Ddaficld 
township.  For  two  years  he  and  liis  family 
lived  In  a  combination  sod  shanty  and  dug- 
out, 14x14  feet  in  size,  and  liis  barn  was  built 
of  straw.  Uiter  a  small  frame  building  was 
put  up,  and  in  time  this  was  added  to,  re- 
sulting in  the  present  house.  Hard  times  were 
cnconntcroil  during  tlie  grasshopper  times,  and 
Mr.  Opperud  was  obliged  to  spend  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  for  six  years  working  in  the 
vicinity  of  Albert  Lea,  while  his  wife  and 
mother  kept  up  the  farm  as  best  they  might. 
Mrs.  Opperud  remembers  that  one  year  the 
only  crop  they  harvested  was  five  bushels  of 
wheat  and  a  few  potatoes. 

Jlr.  Opperud  was  a  hard  worker  and  a 
splendid  farmer.  He  prospered  and  when  he 
died  on  June  29,  1908,  he  left  his  family  in 
comfortable  circumstances.  During  his  life- 
time  he  always  took  an  active  part  in  local 
political  and  business  affairs.  Tor  eighteen 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Delaficld  town- 
ship board  and  in  the  early  days  was  identi- 
fied with  the  public  school  of  his  district, 
having  served  on  the  board.  He  was  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Xational  Bank  of  Windoni. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  and  was  instrumental  in  the  building 
of  the  first  church  erected  in  Delaficld  town- 
ship. For  a  number  of  years  he  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  church  society. 

ilr.  Opperud  was  married  at  Elkader,  Iowa, 
.April  S,  181)9,  to  Johanna  (iilhertson.  who  was 
born  in  Norway  October  17.  IS.'id.  and  who 
lanie  to  the  UnKpd  States  in  18(!.").  Her  par- 
ents were  Gilbert  Rcrgc  and  (lunela  (Opperud) 
Berge.  Ten  children  wore  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Opperud,  of  wlmni  the  following  named 
six  are  living:  .Toscphine  (Mrs.  Sam  Juleson), 
of  Texas;  Mrs.  Anna  Kawcett.  of  Wilder;  Mrs. 
Hilda  Potter,  of  .Springfield.  Minnesota;  Mrs. 
Inga  Schield.  of  Fall  Creek.  Wisconsin;  Mrs. 
Matilda  Fuller,  of  Lamberfon,  Miiniesota; 
.Tnhn  .\rth)ir  Opperud,  of  Delaficld   township. 


.JOHN  FREDERICKSON  (1879),  one  of  the 
members  and  ofi'icers  of  the  Lakefield  Tile  & 
Drainage  company,  cement  tile  manufacturers, 
has  been  a  resident  of  Lakefield  ever  since  the 
founding  of  the  village.  He  is  a  native  of 
Norway  and  was  born  September  9,  1S46.  be- 
ing the  son  of  Frederick  and  Mary  (Kulung- 
stad)    Frederickson. 

Our    subject    spent    the    first    twenty-three 


years  of  his  life  in  his  native  land.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  and  later  stud- 
ied the  English  language  under  a  private  tu- 
tor. In  I8C9  he  emigrated  to  America  and 
during  the  first  three  years  of  bis  residence 
in  the  new  world  lived  at  .several  different 
places,  working  on  the  railroad.  He  spent  one 
month  in  Madelia  and  then  worked  on  the 
Omaha  road  a  short  time  at  Mankato.  Next 
he  took  a  ]>osition  with  the  Milwaukee  road, 
but  a  little  later  went  to  St.  Paul  and  for  two 
years  worked  for  the  Northern  Pacific.  Ue 
spent  one  harvest  season  working  near  Hast- 
ings, and  then  again  took  a  position  with  the 
Northern  Pacific. 

In  1872  Mr.  Frederickson  located  in  the  new 
town  of  Windom,  where  he  secured  a  position 
in  a  lumber  yard.  Ijiter  he  built  a  boarding 
house  there,  which  he  conducted  several  years. 
While  living  at  Windom  he  took  a  homestead 
ilaim  near  Wilder  station.  On  the  first  day 
of  September.  1870,  while  the  town  was  being 
founded.  Mr.  Frederickson  located  in  Lakefield 
and  that  village  has  ever  since  been  his  home. 
For  seven  years  he  was  manager  of  the  Colnian 
lumber  company's  yard  and  then  engaged  in  the 
nuichinery  business.  He  conducted  the  ma- 
chinery business  alone  for  ten  years,  then 
sold  a  half  interest  to  Charles  JI.  (iage,  and 
later  sold  hi.s  remaining  interest  to  E.  A.  Gage. 
After  going  out  of  the  machinery  business  lie 
opened  a  land  office,  which  he  has  condiicted 
ever  since.  In  1908  he  formed  the  Lakefield 
Tile  &  Drainage  company  and  began  Ihcnianu- 
fa<'ture  of  cement  tile.  The  officers  of  this 
company  are  Anders  tjuivli,  president:  .lohn 
I'n'derickson,  secretary;  John  Grein,  treasurer. 

Tlio  subject  of  this  biography,  in  partner- 
ship with  Walter  L.  Secly,  platted  (he  addi- 
tion to  Lakefield  known  as  South  Lakefield. 
He  has  been  a  memlM-r  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion ever  since  the  district  was  fornicil.  He 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  village  council 
a  number  of  limes,  has  been  president  of  the 
council  two  terms  and  has  served  as  village 
treasurer  a  number  of  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church  and  of  the  A.  0. 
V.  W.  lodge. 

Mr.  Frederickson  was  married  at  Windom 
April  12,  1872,  to  Karen  Foslie.  To  this  \mion 
have  been  born  the  following  named  children: 
Fred,  born  December  21,  1874;  Martin,  born 
January  21.  1876;  Charles  W.,  born  1877; 
Ida,  born  Novend>er  17,  1878:  .Samuel, 
born    April     18,     1880;    Emma,    born     Septem- 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


369 


ber  10,  1881;  Marcus,  born  December  25,  1882; 
Lucy  M.  born  May  22,  1884;  Clara  J.,  born 
July  7,  1887;  Benjamin  F.,  born  February  28, 
1889. 


WILLIAM  y.  lUUGEWAV  (18«9),  of  Des 
Moines  township,  is  one  of  tlie  early  settlers 
of  Jackson  county,  having  resided  here  since 
he  was  eleven  years  of  age.  He  owns  twenty- 
two  and  one-half  acres  of  land  on  the  Dos 
Moines  river  a  short  distance  up  from  Jackson. 
He  does  very  little  general  farming  but  he  is 
a  successful  chicken  raiser  and  deals  in  wood. 

The  father  of  our  subject  is  Francis  J. 
Ridgeway,  who  lives  in  Jackson  and  is  75 
j-cars  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  and  moved 
to  Indiana  when  young,  where  he  was  married 
and  lived  until  1857.  That  year  he  settled  in 
Goodhue  county,  Minnesota.  He  enlisted  in 
company  F,  of  the  Second  Minnesota  volunteer 
infantry,  served  two  years  in  the  army  and 
was  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  Later 
he  reenlisted  and  fouglit  the  Sioux  Indians  in 
the  Black  Hills  country  one  year.  During 
one  of  the  Indian  campaigns  Francis  Ridge- 
way camped  at  the  Joseph  Thomas  home 
where  Jackson  is  now  located.  After  his  dis- 
charge from  the  army  he  lived  in  Goodhue 
county  until  1860.  Then  he  and  family  came 
to  .Tackson  county,  took  a  homestead  on  sec- 
tion 14,  Wisconsin  township,  and  a  tree  claim 
on  section  10,  of  tiio  same  town.ship,  and  re- 
sided on  tlic  farm  until  1880.  Since  then  he 
has  resided  in  Jackson.  Francis  Ridgeway's 
first  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  Mar- 
tha Jane  Druley,  who  was  Ixnn  in  Ohio.  She 
died  several  years  ago  at  the  age  of  70  years. 
Francis  Ridgeway  later  married  Mrs.  Anna 
Ridgeway,  his  brother's  widow. 

William  Ridgeway  was  born  in  Goodhue 
county,  Minnesota,  November  12,  1858.  He 
accompanied  the  family  to  Jackson  county  in 
1860,  and  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age  lived  on  the  farm  on  section  14,  Wisconsin 
township.  After  his  marriage,  which  occurred 
in  1879,  he  farmed  four  years  in  W^isconsin 
township  and  then  moved  to  .Jackson.  In  1896 
Mr.  Ridgeway  bought  the  lasd  he  now  owns 
on  sections  10  and  11,  Des  Moines,  and  that 
has  since  been  his  home.  He  is  a  stockholder 
of  the  Farmers  Mercantile  company  of  Jack- 
son. For  three  years  he  was  treasurer  of  his 
school  district. 

Our  subject  was  married  at  Mankato,  Min- 


nesota, February  15,  1879,  to  Cora  L.  Fan- 
cher.  She  was  born  in  Indiana  and  died  Feb- 
ruary 20j  1884.  One  cliild,  Cora,  was  born  to 
this  union.  She  was  married  to  William  H. 
lilakeley  and  died  .January  22,  1904.  Mr. 
Ridgeway  was  married  the  second  time  to 
JIary  R.  Goodwin,  who  was  born  in  McKean 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  came  to  .Jackson 
in  1868,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas"  Goodwin,  of  Wilder,  Minnesota.  Mr. 
and  ilrs.  Ridgeway  are  members  of  the  Mod- 
ern Brotherhood  of  America,  and  Mrs.  Ridge- 
way is  also  a  member  of  the  W.  R.  C.  and  R. 
X.  A.  orders. 


ABRAHAM  JOHNSON  (1869),  deceased,  was 
one  of  the  very  early  settlers  of  Heron  Lake 
township.  He  was  born  in  Norway  January 
7,  1830,  the  son  of  George  and  Gro  Johnson. 
He  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  twenty-four 
years  and  settled  in  Houston  county,  Minne- 
sota, where  he  resided  until  1869.  He  served 
one  year  in  the  civil  war,  enlisting  from  Chi- 
cago in  company  F,  of  the  twenty-third  regi- 
ment of  Illinois  volunteer  infantry. 

ilr.  Johnson  came  to  Jackson  coimty  in  1869 
and  bought  railroad  land  in  Heron  Lake  town- 
sliip.  He  lived  on  that  place  fourteen  yeara 
and  then  bought  school  land  on  section  36. 
West  Heron  Lake  township,  upon  which  he  re- 
sided, engaged  in  farming,  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  October  4,  1908.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  owned  160  acres  of  land  on 
sections  36  and  25,  where  he  had  builded  a 
fine  home.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Norweg- 
ian Lutheran  church  and  for  several  years  was 
an  officer  of  his  school  district. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
township  November  1,  1872,  to  Rachael  Tim- 
rud,  who  was  born  in  Norway  November  2, 
1832,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
eight  years  of  age.  Her  parents  were  Ole  and 
Tone  Timrud,  who  settled  in  Houston  county, 
Minnesota,  before  the  civil  war,  and  who  later 
moved  to  the  Red  River  valley,  where  they 
died.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  were  born 
five  children:  Tilda,  born  November  20,  1874; 
Olof.  born  July  30,  1877;  Gena,  born  Novem- 
ber 7,  1879;  Julius,  born  January  10,  1881; 
Henry,  born  March  1.5,  1887.  Mrs.  .Johnson  re- 
sides on  the  home  farm,  which  is  managed 
by  her  sons,  Julius  and  Henry. 

George  .Johnson,  a  brother  of  Abraham  John- 
son, resides  near  the  home  of  his  late  brother, 


370 


BiorniAi'incAi.  iiisToiiv 


wlicro  lie  owns  six  acres  of  land.  He  was 
born  in  Norway  in  ISiS,  eiime  to  tlic  United 
States  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years,  and 
located  in  Houston  county,  ilinnesota.  lie 
served  one  year  in  the  <inion  army  during  the 
civil  war.  He  came  to  .Jackson  county  in 
1873  and  homcstcadcd  in  West  Heron  Lake 
township.  He  engaged  in  farming  until  seven- 
teen years  ago.  when  he  retired  from  active 
|inrsuits. 


JESSE  P.  PRESCOTT  (1868),  of  Heron 
Ijike,  is  one  of  Jackson  county's  pioneers,  lia^ 
ing  resided  liere  nearly  forty-two  years.  He 
was  born  in  Penobscot  county.  Maine,  June  7, 
1840,  the  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Mary  (Miles) 
Prescott.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born 
at  Newport,  Maine.  December  3,  1804,  and  was 
married  to  Mr.  Prescott  December  16.  1S23. 
The  family  moved  to  Hlinois  in  1847  and 
seven  years  later  to  Allamakee  county.  Iowa. 
There,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  spent 
in  California  and  Oregon,  the  parents  of  our 
subject  spent  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Jesse  P.  Prescott  accompanied  his  parents 
from  Maine  to  the  west  when  seven  years  of 
age,  and  he  resided  with  them  until  the  early 
sixties.  In  1801  he  engaged  in  farming,  hav- 
ing previously  bought  land  in  Allamakee  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  but  a  year  and  a  half  later  enlisted 
as  a  member  of  company  A,  Thirteenth  Iowa 
infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  farmed  Iwo  years  after  the  war,  and  in 
the  spring  of  186S  moved  to  Jack.son  county, 
taking  as  a  homestead  tlic  southwest  quarter 
of  section  .30.  Dcs  Moines  township.  Mr.  Pres- 
cott engaged  in  farming  his  homestead  five 
years  and  then  located  in  the  village  of  Heron 
Lake,  where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in 
\arious  occupations. 

At  Lansing.  Allamakee  county.  Iowa.  Mr. 
Prescott  was  married  in  1861  to  Sophronia 
Toplid.  To  them  were  born  four  children,  as 
follows:  Edah  M..  born  July  .'">.  1863.  died 
August.  1888:  Iva  H.,  born  November  10.  1867. 
married  Henry  t'onrad,  died  April  3,  1009:  Al- 
vah  P.,  born  September  20,  1872.  married  Lil- 
lie  Long;  Leiah  I!.,  burn  December  14.  1881. 
married  C.  A.  Kellam  June.  1907.  The  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Prescott  occurred  at  .Sibley, 
Iowa.  October  7,  1889.  to  Mary  McXair.  a  no- 
tive  of  Ulster  county.  New  York.  One  child 
has  been  born  to  this  imion.  Harvey  H.,  born 
October  14,  1890,  a  graduate  of  Mankato  col- 


lege,   and    now    a    clerk    in    the    First    National 
Bank  of  Heron  Lake. 


.MARK  1).  ASHLEY  (1867),  proprietor  of 
the  Ashley  house,  Jackson,  came  to  that  vil- 
lage with  his  parents  when  less  than  one  year 
of  age  anil  the  greater  part  of  his  life  of  for- 
ty-two years  has  been  spent  there.  He  was 
born  in  Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania,  August 
21.  1866,  son  of  the  late  llenjamin  W.  and 
Juliet  (Robbins)  Ashley.  The  next  spring  he 
came  with  his  mother  to  the  site  of  the  future 
village,  his  father  an<l  grandfather  having 
come  out  the  year  before  and  platted  the  vil- 
lage. 

In  the  pioneer  village  Mark  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  was  educated  in  the  Jackson  public 
schools,  completing  his  studies  with  a  two 
years'  course  in  the  Curtis  Business  college  of 
Jlinneapidis  and  Bowers'  Shorthand  school  of 
the  same  city.  For  a  number  of  years  after 
graduation  he  was  employed  in  ditTerent  parts 
of  the  country.  His  first  position  was  with 
tieorge  M.  VauLeuven.  pension  attorney  at 
Lime  .Springs,  Iowa.  Later  he  went  to  Mt. 
Pleasant,  Towa.  where  he  was  a  clerk  in  a 
lumber,  mining  and  milling  company's  office. 
His  next  position  was  with  the  C.  B.  &  Q. 
railroad,  holding  a  clerkship  for  a  time  in  the 
offices  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  later  being 
transferred  to  the  ofTiees  at  Hannibal,  Mis- 
souri. From  this  work  he  returned  to  the  twin 
cities  and  for  a  number  of  years  held  clerk- 
ships in  different  offices  in  St.  Paul  and  Jlin- 
ueapolis.  (luring  the  last  five  years  of  his  resi- 
dence there  being  cashier  for  the  Lehigh  Coal 
&   Iron  company. 

In  1898  Mr.  Ashley  returned  to  .iackson  and 
for  three  years  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
insurance  business.  In  1901  he  leased  the 
.\sliley  liiuise  for  a  term  of  three  years  and  at 
the  expiration  of  the  lease  bought  the  prop- 
erly and  has  since  conducted  the  business. 
The  .\slilcy  house  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best 
known  hostelries  of  .southwestern  Minnesota. 
The  original  Ashley  house  was  built  by  Ben- 
jamin W.  Ashley  and  his  father  in  1870.  It 
was  then  a  franu-  buililing.  constructed  of  na- 
tive lumber.  The  Ashley  house  of  today  is  a 
handsonu"  brick  building,  well  appointed  and 
modern  in  every  way.  Mr.  Ashley  is  the  own- 
er of  the  hotel  property  and  Jackson  county 
farm  lands.  He  has  held  the  office  of  village 
recorder  anil   for  a    number  of  years  was  jus- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


371 


tice  of  the  peace.     Fraternally,  lie  is  a  Mason, 
Workman  and  K.  P. 

In  Waseca,  Minnesota,  on  May  13,  1903,  Mr. 
Ashley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Dora 
M.  Child,  daughter  of  the  Ilonorahle  James  E. 
Chilli,  of  Ihat  city.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashley 
liavi-  Irccii  born  two  children,  .Tuliet  Mareia  and 
.Miriam  Constance. 


OTTO  HANSON  (1871)  is  one  of  the  very 
earliest  settlers  of  Weimer  township.  He  was 
horn  in  Norway  .Tune  12,  1842,  the  son  of  Hans 
(^Ison  and  Marian  Olson,  both  of  whom  died 
in  their  native  land.  Otto  is  the  oldest  child 
in  a  family  of  three  boys  and  one  girl,  all 
living  in  tlic  United  States.  The  others  are 
A.  C.  Hanson,  of  Mendora,  Wisconsin;  Matt 
Vaunebo,  of  Jlontana ;  Hannah  Knudson,  of 
Mendora,  Wisconsin. 

Until  he  was  a  young  man  Otto  lived  with 
his  parents  in  liis  native  land.  He  then  took 
a  ])osition  on  a  farm,  where  he  was  employed 
until  he  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-seven years.  He  worked  on  a  farm  near 
LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  two  years  and  then,  in 
1871,  came  to  .Jackson  county.  He  took  as  a 
tree  claim  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  20, 
Wt-imer  township,  located  on  the  place  at 
once  and  began  its  improvement,  erecting  a 
little  shack,  12x18  feet,  in  which  he  lived  for 
several  years.  He  has  ever  since  resided  on  the 
place. 

Mr.  Hanson  was  married  in  LaCrosse  coun- 
ty, Wisconsin,  in  December,  1870,  to  Annie 
Lornccn,  also  a  native  of  Norway,  Three  chil- 
dren were  born  to  this  union:  Peter,  a  ma- 
chinist at  Okabena;  Aid<er,  a.  Weimer  town- 
ship farmer;  Hans,  of  Minneapolis,  Mr.  Han- 
son is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
chnrch. 


filLHERT  H.  fULBERT  (1860).  farmer  and 
thresher  of  Peter.sburg  township,  is  a  native 
of  the  county,  having  been  born  in  Petersburg 
toun.ship  August  22,  1860,  the  son  of  Hogan 
and  Mary    (Olson)   Gilbert, 

Oilbert  lived  on  the  home  farm  until  the 
summer  of  1S02,  when  he  located  in  Esther- 
ville,  Iowa.  The  next  summer  he  went  to 
Sherburn,  Minnesota,  and  took  a  position  as 
clerk  in  a  general  merchandise  store.  In  1894 
he  went  back  to  Estherville,  remained  there 
about   a   year,   and   then   went   back   to   Sher- 


burn. After  spending  eight  months  in  the 
latter  place  he  returned  to  Jackson  county 
and  for  three  years  made  his  home  on  his 
father's  farm.  Then  in  1898  he  bought  his 
present  farm  of  eighty  acres  in  section  35  and 
has  since  lived  there.  During  the  last  twelve 
seasons  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  threshing 
business  as  well  as  conducting  his  farm.  The 
first  three  seasons  he  operated  W'ith  horse  pow- 
er; since  that  time  he  has  had  steam  power. 
Mr.  Gilbert  owns  stock  in  the  Petersburg 
Creamery  company  and  was  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  for  three  years.  He  also 
is  interested  in  the  store  at  Petersburg.  He 
was  assessor  of  his  township  for  six  years  anil 
justice  of  the  peace  two  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 

On  -July  6,  1808,  Mr.  Gilbert  was  married  to 
Eandena  Mickelson,  of  Wallingford,  Iowa.  To 
these  parents  have  been  born  five  children: 
Howard  M..  born  May  11,  1809;  Olof  B.,  born 
.July  31.  1902;  Mabel  A.,  born  December  24, 
1904;  Gilmore  R..  born  October  1,  1006;  Clar- 
ence  .J.,   born   Februarv   28,    1909. 


.JOHN  NESTRUD  (1870)  is  one  of  the  most 
pros])erons  farmers  and  an  early  settler  of  Heron 
Lake  township,  having  resided  upon  his  pres- 
ent farm  nearh'  forty  years.  He  owns  and 
farms  320  acres  on  sections  20  and  21.  When 
he  located  there  in  1870  there  was  not  a  build- 
ing or  stick  of  timber  on  the  place;  now  he 
has  a  fine  home,  surroiuidcd  by  a  beautiful 
grove,   which    was   planted    in    1877. 

Mr.  Nestrud  is  a  Norwegian  by  birth,  hav- 
ing been  born  July  16,  1845,  the  son  of  Hans 
C,  and  Johanna  A.  (Whem)  Nestrud.  John  is 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  children  born 
to  these  parents.  His  parents  came  to  Ameri- 
ca in  1869  and  made  their  home  with  their 
son  until  their  death,  the  father  dying  in  1898, 
at  the  age  of  89  years,  his  mother  in  1801, 
at  the  age  of  88  years. 

Our  subject  resided  in  Norway  luilil  he  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age.  During  this  time 
he  .attended  school  and  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  and  at  outside  work.  He  came  to  Ameri- 
ca in  1868  and  for  two  years  resided  in  Hous- 
ton county,  Minnesota.  He  arrived  in  Jack- 
son county  in  .June,  1870,  took  as  a  preemption 
claim  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20,  Her- 
on Lake  township,  and  that  has  ever  since 
been   his   home.     I^atcr   he   boiight   the   north- 


372 


BIOGEAPITICAL  HISTORY. 


west  (juarter  of  section  21,  ;.nd  lie  farms  the 
whole  half  section. 

IJuring  liis  long  residence  in  the  county  Mr. 
Ncstriid  has  taken  an  active  part  in  its  busi- 
ness, social  and  political  life.  He  has  been 
justice  of  the  peace  of  his  precinct  during 
nearly  all  of  the  time  he  has  resided  in  the 
county,  was  township  treasurer  eleven  years, 
assessor  nine  years,  township  clerk  since  1890 
with  the  exception  of  two  and  one-half  years, 
and  road  overseer  for  many  years.  He  held 
the  olTice  of  clerk  of  school  district  No.  56  be- 
fore the  reorganization  of  the  districts  because 
of  the  increase  of  territory  of  the  Lakefield 
district,  and  he  has  been  treasurer  of  district 
Xo.  66  for  ten  or  twelve  years.  Mr.  Nestrud 
owns  stock  in  and  is  one  of  the  directors  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Lakefield  and  owns 
stock  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  company  and 
the  Jackson  County  Cooperative  Store  com- 
pany. He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
East  Heron  Lake  Creamery  company,  furnish- 
ed the  plans  and  specifications  for  the  build- 
ing and  was  secretary  of  the  company  the 
first  four  years  of  its  existence.  He  is  one  of 
the  stockholders  of  the  Delafield  Farmers  In- 
surance company  and  has  held  an  ofTice  in 
the  company  since  it  was  organized  in  1889. 

Mr.  Kestrud  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
June  14,  1873,  to  Miss  Inge  Maria  Peterson, 
who  was  born  in  Norway  December  2.5,  18.57. 
Her  parents  are  Hans  and  Pernile  (Arneson) 
Peterson,  who  reside  in  Heron  Lake  township 
upon  land  they  homesteaded  in  1870.  Sixteen 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nest- 
rud,  as  follows:  Hans  P.,  born  December  23, 
1873,  died  September  13,  1874;  .Josephina,  born 
November  22,  1874;  Petria,  born  December  24, 
187.5;  Hannah  C,  born  April  20.  1877;  Helen 
M.,  born  May  20.  1878:  Adolph.  born  October 
14,  18S1:  niof.  born  February,  18R3:  .Julia, 
born  .lanuary  3,  1880;  Laura,  born  November 
10,  1886;  Clara,  born  September  2.5,  1888; 
Emma,  born  January  10,  1891;  Alta,  born  July 
U,  1893;  Inga.  born  January  10,  1896;  Jal- 
mar,  bom  September  29,  1898.  died  October  H. 
1898;  Lloyd  W..  born  June  8,  1901.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  of  Ijikefield. 


HALECK  K.  RUE  (1871)  is  treasurer  of 
.Taekson  county  and  resides  at  the  county  seat. 
He  ia  a.  native  of  Norway  and  was  born  .Tune 
21,  1847,  the  son  of  Knutc  and  Bcckie  Rue. 


At  the  age  of  nine  years,  in  18.50,  Mr.  Hvie 
emigrated  to  America  with  his  parents  and 
located  with  them  in  Allamakee  county,  Iowa. 
There  he  resided  on  his  father's  farm,  attend- 
ing the  country  schools  and  assisting  with  the 
farm  work,  until  1871.  That  year  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself  and  came  to  Ja(Jvson 
county,  taking  as  a  homestead  claim  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  30,  Hunter  township. 
There  he  resided,  engaged  in  farming,  until 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1001,  when  he  mov- 
ed to  Jackson  to  accept  the  position  of  coun- 
ty treasurer,  to  which  ofTice  he  was  elected 
the  preceding  fall,  and  in  which  capacity  he 
has  since  served. 

In  an  ofTicial  capacity  Jlr.  Kue  has  served 
many  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  eight  years,  was 
chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Hunt- 
er township  a  number  of  years,  was  postmas- 
ter at  Orr  eighteen  years,  was  clerk  of  school 
district  No.  52  during  the  entire  time  of  his 
residence  in  the  district,  and  has  served  as 
country  treasurer  nine  years.  He  owns  640 
acres   of   land   in   Hunter  township. 

Mr.  Rue  was  married  in  Allamakee  county, 
Iowa,  November  18,  1870,  to  Isabelle  .Smaby, 
a  native  of  Wisconsin.  To  this  union  were 
born  the  following  named  children:  Hiram  C, 
Hentoii  ()..  Lensing  W..  Elmer  B.,  Edith,  Milo, 
T^ottie,  Mabel,  May  .and  Irvin. 


IIAXS  0.  niLLIE  (1878)  is  one  of  the  well 
known  farmers  of  Belmont  township,  his  farm 
consisting  of  220  acres  on  the  west  half  of 
section  16,  where  he  has  resided  for  the  past 
thirty-two  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Norway 
and  was  born  July  2.3,  1843.  the  son  of  Ole 
Ilalvcrson  and  Sarah  (Thorstcnson)  Halverson. 
The  former  died  in  Norway  at  the  age  of  96 
years;  the  latter  aged  .50  years.  Hans  ha? 
three  brothers  and  one  sister  living. 

Until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  Hans 
fJillie  lived  with  his  parents,  working  on  the 
farm  and  at  the  carpenter's  trade  and  serving 
one  year  in  the  army.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1867,  landing  in  Minneapolis  on  tlie 
nation's  birthday.  Minneapolis  was  his  home 
eleven  years,  during  seven  years  of  which  time 
he  was  employed  in  a,  sawmill  and  during  four 
years  of  which  he  was  employed  as  a  team- 
ster in  a  paper  mill. 

Mr.  Oillie  gave  up  city  life  in  1878  and 
came    to   Jackson   county.     At    that    time    be 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


373 


bought  forty  acres  of  his  present  farm  in  Bel- 
mont and  engaged  in  farming.  He  built  a 
typical  "dug-out"  in  which  he  lived  several 
years  and  which  is  still  on  the  faim.  After 
having  lived  in  this  pioneer  abode  seventeen 
years,  he  erected  his  present  fine  home.  Pros- 
perous times  came  upon  Mr.  Gillie  and  he  has 
added  to  the  dimensions  of  his  farm  until  he 
has  today  a  place  of  220  acres,  all  well  im- 
proved. Besides  his  farming  operations  Mi'. 
Gillie  has  other  business  interests.  He  is  a 
stockholder  of  the  Farmers  Mercantile  com- 
pany's store  of  Jackson,  of  the  Belmont 
Creamery  company  and  of  the  new  elevator 
company  and  a  telephone  line.  He  has  been 
assessor  of  his  township  for  twenty-three 
years  and  has  held  several  other  offices.  He 
was  one  of  those  instrumental  in  the  forma- 
tion of  school  district  No.  89,  known  as  the 
Gillie  school,  and  for  seven  or  eight  years 
was  clerk  of  the  district.  Mr.  Gillie  is  a  re- 
publican and  is  active  in  political  affairs  of 
his  township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Gillie  has  been  married  twice.  His  first 
marriage  occurred  in  Minneapolis  in  180!), 
when  he  wedded  .\nnie  Thompson,  a  native  of 
Norwa}'.  She  died  in  June,  1876,  after  hav- 
ing borne  him  three  children,  named  as  fol- 
lows: Sarah  (Mrs.  Louis  Anderson),  Oscar 
and  Henry,  the  last  named  being  killed  by 
lightning  April  28.  1896,  aged  22  years.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Gillie  occurred  in 
Jackson  county  May  1,  1880,  when  he  wedded 
Louisa  Grimsrud.  who  was  born  in  Norway 
and  who  died  December  17,  1908,  aged  71  years. 


OLE  SEVERSON  HARSTAD  (1871)  is  a 
homesteader  and  one  of  the  very  early  set- 
tlers of  Christiania  township.  He  was  born  in 
Norway  July  22,  1831,  and  spent  the  first  thir- 
ty-six years  of  his  life  in  that  country.  He 
received  a  common  school  education  and  learn- 
ed the  mason's  trade.  Later  he  engaged  in 
the  fishing  business  and  while  so  employed 
made  trips  as  far  as  the  Russian  coast. 

In  1867  Mr.  Harstad  came  with  his  family 
to  America  and  located  in  Minneapolis.  There 
he  worked  winters  building  piers  and  booms, 
while  he  engaged  in  farming  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  In  May,  1871,  he  drove  from 
Minneapolis  to  Jackson  county,  being  nine 
daj's  on  the  road  with  his  yoke  of  oxen.  He 
took  a  homestead  claim  on   section  26,  Chris- 


tiania township,  upon  which  he  has  ever  since 
lived.  He  owns  a  farm  of  260  acres  and  has 
stock  in  the  Jackson  Telephone  company  and 
ill  the  Christiania  Mercantile  company.  He 
has  served  as  road  overseer  and  as  supervisor 
of  his  township.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  United  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Harstad  was  married  in  Norway  in  July, 
1858,  to  Mary  Engan,  who  died  in  1900.  There 
are  live  children,  named  as  follows:  Betsy 
and  S.  0.  Harstad,  who  reside  on  the  home 
farm;  Julia  (Mrs.  Gilbert  Sogge),  of  Chris- 
tiania township;  Tom  O.,  who  for  several 
jears  has  been  manager  of  the  Christiania 
Mercantile  company's  store;  Anna  Mabel  (Mrs. 
Peter  Schjei),  of  Christiania  township. 


S.  J.  MOE  (1878),  ex-sheriff  of  Jackson 
county,  resides  at  Lakefield,  where  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  well  drilling  business  for  many 
years.  Mr.  Moe  was  born  in  Norway  April  1, 
1850,  the  son  of  Jens  and  Severne  (Bronken) 
Moe. 

When  our  subject  was  one  year  of  age  the 
family  emigrated  to  America  and  located  in 
Potter  county,  Pennsylvania.  One  year  later 
his  mother  died  and  he  was  adopted  into  a 
family  by  the  name  of  Solburg,  with  whom 
he  lived  until  1867.  When  S.  J.  Moe  was  five 
years  old  he  moved  with  his  adopted  parents 
from  Pennsylvania  to  Albert  Lea,  Minnesota, 
and  that  was  his  home  until  1801.  That  year 
another  change  in  residence  was  made,  when 
the  family  located  in  Blue  Earth  county,  six- 
teen miles  west  of  Mankato,  and  there  he  re- 
sided until  1867.  .Jens  Moe,  our  subject's 
father,  had  in  the  meantime  been  discharged 
from  the  army,  married  again,  and  located  in 
Blackhawk  county,  Iowa,  and  to  that  place 
S.  J.  Moe  moved  in  1867.  There  he  worked  on 
farms  and  attended  school  during  the  winter 
months  until  his  father's  death,  which  occur- 
red in  1869.  He  remained  in  Blackhawk  coun- 
tj'  one  year  after  his  father  died,  and  then, 
in  company  with  a  brother  and  Geo.  Morgan, 
who  now  resides  in  Worthington,  he  started 
north  with  a  view  to  homesteading  and  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Minnesota. 

The  trip  to  Minnesota  was  made  by  team, 
by  way  of  Spirit  Lake,  Jackson  and  Madelia, 
to  Brown  county.  There  the  brothers  filed  on 
claims  and  then  took  employment  with  the 
construction  forces  on  the  St.  Paul  &  Sioux 
City   railroad,   which   was   at    the    time   being 


374 


iU()(ii;AriiUAL  iiis'r(i];v 


constructed  from  Ijjkc  Crystal  to  St.  James. 
He  .s|M"nt  Hie  next  winter  in  Iowa,  working  on 
tlie  l!iirlin;:tiin  &  t'edar  Kapiils  niilroail.  ami 
tlie  I'nllowinj;  sprinj;  returned  to  his  claim. 
There  lie  lived  four  _vear.s,  passing  tlirougli 
the  terrible  ^'rasshopiHT  scourge,  cyclones 
and  oilier  unpleasant  experiences  incident  to 
pioneer  life  in  southwestern  .Minnesota. 

In  I87lj  Mr.  Jloe  gave  up  farming  and  took 
a  sub-contract  for  grading  on  the  .Minneapo- 
lis &  .St.  Louis  railroad  in  .Scott  county,  .Min- 
nesota. The  next  year  he  took  a  contract 
with  the  lilm-  Karth  &  St.  James  Kailroad 
eompan\-,  a  ■  wildcat"  concern,  and  received  no 
compensation  for  his  season's  work.  In  the 
spring  of  1878  he  secured  cniploynienl  as  grad- 
ing foreman  on  the  Southern  .Minnesota  rail- 
road, working  mil  of  Winnebago  City,  and  in 
the  fall  of  that  year  linished  the  line  to  Jack- 
son. Continuing  in  railroad  work,  he  the  ne.xt 
year  worked  for  the  Dakota  Central  railroad 
(now  the  Chicago  &  Xorthwcstcrn),  which  was 
building  in  Dakota   territory  to  Fort  Pierre. 

In  the  fall  of  1870  Mr.  Moe  returned  to 
Jackson  county,  took  a  position  at  Jackson  as 
track  foreman.  mikI  rcinaiiicil  in  lliat  jiosiliun 
one  year,  lie  then  went  to  Lakelield  and  for 
three  years  was  section  foreman  on  the  South- 
ern Minnesota.  .Mr.  Moe  went  to  Lamberton, 
-Minnesota,  in  1883,  and  for  two  years  ran 
the  Exchange  hotel.  Returning  to  Lakefield 
in  188t>,  he  lias  ever  since  made  his  lionie  there. 
He  received  the  appointment  of  postmaster  in 
1886  and  served  four  years.  In  18iM)  he  was 
elected  sheriff  of  Jackson  county  and  served 
one  term.  He  was  village  marshal  several 
years  and  has  held  other  village  offices,  being 
assessor  at  the  present  time.  After  serving 
his  term  as  sheriff,  he  engaged  in  the  well 
drilling  business  and  has  been  engageil  in  that 
ever  since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  LuthiTan 
church  and  of  the  I.  ().  ().  K.  and  M.  \A'.  A. 
lodges. 

Mr.  Moe  was  married  at  Waterloo,  Iowa, 
May  IC.  1870,  to  Isabelle  Goldbrunsen,  who 
was  born  in  Norway  and  who  came  to^  the 
United  States  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  Mr. 
and  .Mrs.  Moe  arc  the  parents  of  ten  living 
children,  as  follows:  Clarence  M.,  Howard  J.. 
-Mbert,  E<lward,  Ernest,  William,  .\rtliur,  Min- 
nie, Jennie  V.  and  Mabel. 


JILIUS  K.  I.IKI>OT>D  (187r>).  mayor  of  Her- 
on I-ike  anil  a  druggist  of  that  village,  was 
born  in  (iermany  Sepl<'mlM>r  l.'>.  1870.  He  is 
the  son  of  rianz  l.ie|iold  and  Beatrice  (Wink- 
ler) Liepold.  who  came  from  Herniany  in  ilay, 
187i>,  and  hnmesteaded  in  LaCrosse  township. 
They  remained  on  the  farm  until  l!»0:t,  when 
they  moved  to  Heron  Lake,  where  Mr.  Lie- 
pold  still  lives  at  the  age  of  G8  years,  and 
where  Mrs.  Liepold  died  in  February.  190G 
at  the  age  of  07  years. 

Julius  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  all 
living.  He  crossed  the  ocean  with  his  parents 
in  1875.  and  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old 
lived  on  the  farm  in  LiiCrosse  township,  then 
moving  to  Heron  Ijike.  He  was  eduiiited  in 
the  schools  of  LaCrosse  township  and  Heron 
Ijike  village,  in  the  JIankato  normal,  the 
Breck  school  at  Wilder,  where  he  took  a  com- 
mercial course,  and  the  College  of  Pharmacy  of 
Minneapolis. 

.\fter  removing  to  Heron  Lake  Julius,  at- 
tcmled  school  and  worked  at  various  occupa- 
tions. In  1897  he  bought  out  the  drug  store 
of  (;.  C.  Cooley.  fm-  whom  he  had  worked  as 
a  clerk,  and  lias  ever  since  conducted  the 
store.  .Mr.  Liepold  was  elected  president  of 
tlie  village  council  in  1008  and  was  reelected 
ill  HKlSt.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  ().  »).  F., 
the   K.   P.  and  the  M.  li.  A.   lodges. 

.Mr.  Liepold  was  married  in  Heron  I.«ke 
June  1,  I90o,  to  .Miss  Lizzie  Svennes.  a  native 
of  LaCrosse  township  and  a  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin J.  .Svennes.  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  that  townslii|).  Her  father  died  in  July, 
1J108.  Her  mother.  Isabelle  Svennes,  resides  in 
Heron   Lake. 


()LK  XELSO.V  (1872)  is  one  of  the  early 
day  settlers  of  I>aCrosse  township,  his  farm 
being  only  a  short  distance  west  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Heron  Lake.  He  owns  the  southeast 
ipiarter  of  section  24.  IjiCrosse.  and  a  quarter 
section  of  land  in  Lamonre  county.  North  Da- 
kola.  He  is  oni-  of  a  family  of  five  children. 
His  brother  John  died  in  1882  and  his  eldest 
sister.  Jiili.i.  died  in  1S!II).  Two  sisters,  LenA 
and    .Mary,    are    living. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  in  N<irway  July  31, 
lS."it!.  the  son  of  Nels  Johnson  and  Christina 
(Olson)  Johnson.  Both  his  parents  died  in 
.laekson  county,  his  father  in  the  spring  of. 
1881    and    his    mother    in    the    spring    of    1008. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


375 


Ole  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  he  accom- 
panied Ills  parents  to  the  new  world  and  lo- 
cated ill  Dodijeville.  Wisconsin.  In  the  old 
country  the  fatlier  of  our  subject  had  been 
a  small  storekeeper,  stock  buyer  and  an  em- 
ploye in  a  factory,  and  when  he  located  in 
the  Wisconsin  town  he  and  his  son  worked 
out  for  farmers  in  tlie  vicinity.  The  family 
came  te  .Jackson  county  in  .June,  1872,  and 
bought  tlie  farm  now  conducted  by  our  sub- 
ject, the  farm  being  known  as  the  Ole  Rognaes 
place,  it  having  been  owned  bj'  one  of  the 
first  men  to  meet  his  death  in  the  terrible  win- 
ter storms  of  .Jackson  county. 

During  the  grasshopper  times  the  family 
encountered  hard  times,  and  only  for  the  fact 
that  our  subject  and  his  brother  were  able  to 
obtain  work  on  the  section  would  have  suf- 
fered greatly.  Ole  lived  on  his  father's  farm 
and  worked  on  the  section  until  1886;  then  he 
married  and  moved  to  Heron  Lake,  having 
been  promoted  to  section  foreman.  In  all  Mr. 
Xelson  worked  on  the  railroad  fifteen  years, 
but  in  1890  he  gave  up  railroad  work  and  has 
since  lieen  engaged  in  farming  and  raising 
stock. 

Our  subject  served  «six  years  as  a  super- 
visor of  LaCrosse  township,  was  road  overseer 
two  years  and  for  many  years  was  a  director 
of  school  district  Xo.  4.5.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of  Heron  Lake 
and  is  one  of  the  church  trustees. 

Mr.  Kelson  is  a  man  of  family,  having  been 
married  at  Okabena  May  26,  1886,  to  Annie 
Christy,  a  native  of  Ooodhue  county,  Min- 
nesota. Her  parents  were  .John  and  Jane 
(Halderson)  Christy,  early  settlers  of  the  coun- 
ty. Both  parents  died  in  the  spring  of  190S. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  named  children :  Clara  Johanna,  born 
May  16,  1887;  John  Nellard,  born  April  22, 
1890;  Orville  Goodwin,  born  August  20,  1893; 
Olga  Addie,  born  May  30,  1896;  Leland  Ar- 
thur, born  December  6,  1899;  Ella  Josephine, 
born  Deeemlj<?r  20,  1905. 


HENRY  H.  LEE  (186.5),  Des  Moines  town- 
ship farmer,  is  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of 
that  precinct,  having  resided  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty since  he  was  four  years  of  age.  He  is  tlie 
son  of  Halvor  B.  and  Martha  (Hansen)  Lee 
and  was  born  in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  June 
4,  1861.  He  is  next  to  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of   eleven   children,    of   whom    the   five   named 


are  living:  Brownell  H.,  Henry  H.,  Martin  II., 
Martinus  and  Emma   (Mrs.  Ed.  Olson). 

Henry  accompanied  the  family  to  Jackson 
count}'  when  they  made  the  trip  by  ox.  team 
from  Wisconsin  in  1865,  the  date  of  his  ar- 
rival to  the  county  being  June  18,  1865.  On 
account  of  Indian  alarms  the  family  spent 
the  first  four  months  of  their  residence  in 
Jackson  county  in  "Fort  Belmont."  Halvor 
Lee  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  2,  Des  Moines  township,  and 
upon  that  farm  Henry  grew  to  manhood,  re- 
siding there  continuously  until  he  was  twen- 
ty-seven years  of  age.  At  that  age  he  bought  a 
farm  in  Belmont  township,  which  he  conduct- 
ed a  short  time.  He  sold  out  in  1899  and 
moved  to  .Jackson,  where  for  the  next  two 
years  he  engaged  in  the  gi'ain  and  stock  bus- 
iness. Then  he  bought  the  old  homestead, 
and  with  the  exception  of  a  short  time  spent  in 
Jackson,  he  has  resided  on  the  place  ever  since. 
During  the  past  ten  or  eleven  years  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  stock  and  grain  business 
as  well  as  farming.  Mr.  Lee  owns  a  residence 
in  the  village  of  .Jackson.  He  has  held  the 
office  of  director  of  school  district  No.  13  and 
he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Nor- 
wegian  Lutheran   church. 

Mr.  Lee  was  married  in  Jackson  county  Sep- 
tember 6,  1891,  to  Lena  Anderson  Rod,  who 
was  born  in  Normay  ilay  20,  1875.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Hans  Anderson  Rod,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Enterprise  township,  and  Andrena  An- 
derson Rod,  deceased.  Seven  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee.  as  follows:  Mabel  A., 
born  July  26,  1892;  Emily  H.,  born  .January  13, 
1894;  Agnes  .J.,  born  December  1,  1895;  Henry 
O.,  born  February  6,  1898;  Hilda  :M.,  born  April 
26,  1900;  Edward  J.,  born  June  1,  1903:  Eve- 
Ivn   O.,  born  August  28.  1909. 


.JOHN  BALDWIN  (1879),  now  a  resident  of 
Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  was  for  over  thirty  years  a 
resident  of  Jackson  county  and  one  of  its  best 
known  citizens,  having  been  in  public  life  dur- 
ing nearly  the  whole  of  that  time.  At  the  time 
of  his  removal  from  the  county  in  the  fall  of 
1909  he  was  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  leg- 
islature, representing  .Jackson  and  Cottonwood 
counties. 

Mr.  Baldwin  was  born  in  Ontario,  Canada, 
December  30,  1844,  the  son  of  William  and 
Mai'y  (Schlichter)  Baldwin,  natives  of  New 
York  state  and  Canada,  respectively.     His  fa- 


376 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


tliLT  was  of  Irish  descent;  liis  motlicr  was  of 
old  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock.  The  family 
moved  from  the  British  Possessions  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  in  1840,  when  our  subject  was  less 
liian  two  years  of  age.  From  lS4li  to  1853  the 
family  lived  in  Saginaw  City,  Jlichig-an,  and 
then  the  home  was  made  in  Dubuque  county, 
Iowa.  William  Baldwin  died  there  in  1859  at 
the  age  of  47  years;  his  widow  died  in  1885, 
aged  6!l  years.  John  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten 
children  horn  to  these  parents,  of  whom  five 
are  living.  The  children  arc  Isaac  W.,  de- 
ceased; Samuel,  deceased;  Jacob  E.,  deceased; 
Caroline,  John,  William,  Klizabeth,  Charles  M., 
Jared,  deceased,  and   Stephen  D.,  deceased. 

John  Baldwin  was  brouglit  up  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  upon  which  he  lived  until  the  lat- 
ter's  death  in  1859.  From  that  time  until 
1874  he  was  engaged  in  various  occupations 
in  Dubuque  and  Jackson  counties,  Iowa;  then 
111'  Imated  in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  of 
wliiili  county  he  was  a  resident  until  lie  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1879.  Upon  his  arrival 
he  bought  a  farm  on  section  25,  Minneota 
township,  and  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
the  fall  of  1888.  Then  he  moved  to  Jack- 
son to  take  the  ofTice  of  register  of  deeds 
and  resided  in  tlie  county  seat  until  the  year 
1!)(I5.  Returning  to  the  farm,  Mr.  Baldwin 
engaged  in  farming  two  years,  then  sold  out 
and  again  took  up  his  residence  in  Jackson. 
He  continued  to  reside  in  the  county  seat  vil- 
lage until  October,  1900,  when  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa. 

Twenty-one  years  of  Mr.  Baldwin's  life  have 
been  spent  in  |iul)lic  office,  he  having  been 
successful  in  ten  contests.  For  several  years 
immediately  following  bis  twenty-first  birth- 
day he  served  as  township  clerk  in  Jackson 
county,  Iowa,  and  was  also  postmaster  in  the 
same  count}'  two  years,  serving  under  ap- 
pointment by  President  Andrew  Johnson.  He 
was  chosen  county  commissioner  of  Jackson 
county,  Jlinncsota,  in  1885  and  served  a  three 
year  term.  In  the  fall  of  1888  he  was  elected 
register  of  deeds  on  the  democratic  ticket  and 
held  the  office  continuously  sixteen  years,  hav- 
ing been  reelected  on  the  democratic  ticket 
each  two  years.  In  the  fall  of  1908,  he  was 
chosen  repr"sentative  from  the  fourteenth  leg- 
islative district  and  his  office  had  not  yet  ex- 
pired when  he  removed  from  the  county  and 
state.  To  Representative  Baldwin  and  Sen- 
ator n.  E.  Hanson,  of  Windom,  Jackson  coun- 
ty is  indebted  for  the  appropriation  of  .$2,000 


expended  in  the  erection  of  a  monument  to 
the  memory  of  those  slain  in  the  Inkpadnta 
massacre  of  1857  and  that  of  1802.  Mr. 
Baldwin  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd 
Fellows   orders  of  Jackson. 

(Jn  December  23,  1890,  Mr.  Baldwin  was  uni- 
ted in  marriage  to  Mrs.  Irena  E.  Gillis,  a  na- 
tive of  Michigan.     They  have  no  children. 


GECiUi;!-;  K.  MOOKE  (1808),  president  of  the 
First  !Natioi>al  Bank  of  Jackson,  is  a  pioneer 
resident  of  Jackson  county  and  one  of  the 
county's  best  known  citizens.  For  over  forty- 
one  years  he  has  lived  in  the  county  and  near- 
ly all  of  that  time  he  has  resided  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Jackson.  During  these  years  he  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  the  business,  social 
and  political  life  of  the  county. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  descends  from 
New  England  stock  and  is  of  Scotch-Irish  an- 
cestry. Samuel  Moore,  great  grandfiither  of 
our  subject,  the  founder  of  the  American  branch 
of  the  family,  came  from  county  Antrim,  Ire- 
land, in  colonial  days  and  settled  in  Vermont. 
The  maternal  great  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, Abijah  Smith,  was  a  resident  of  Lexing- 
ton and  went  out  from  his  own  home  to  fight 
ill  the  battle  of  Lexington  and  was  in  the  ser- 
vice   throughout   the   revolutionary    war. 

riic  parents  of  George  R.  Moore  were  Sam- 
uel and  Abigail  (Wynvin)  Moore.  Samue! 
Moore  was  born  in  the  Green  Mountain  state 
and  was  a  farmer  by  occuimtion.  He  was 
married  to  Abigail  Wyman  February  22,  1841. 
and  died  when  his  son  was  fifteen  years  of 
age.  George  R.  .Moore  was  born  lo  tliese  par- 
ents at  B:irnel,  Caledonia  tounty,  Vermont, 
March    10,    1849. 

In  the  public  schools  of  bis  native  state 
George  R.  Moore  received  his  education.  He 
left  his  eastern  home  in  July,  1867,  when 
eighteen  years  of  .ige,  and  located  in  Fond  du 
I^ic  county,  ^^'isconsin.  where  be  lived  and 
worked  on  the  farm  of  an  uncle,  George  J. 
Bean,  until  the  following  spring.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  month  of  May,  1868,  that  Mr.  Moore 
came  to  Jackson  county.  His  uncle  bad  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  Wisconsin  township,  two 
miles  east  of  the  new  village  of  Jackson,  and 
upon  that  farm  he  resided  two  years.  Taking 
up  bis  residence  in  Jackson,  lie  taught  school 
one  year,  and  then  for  several  years  worked 
at  various  employments.  In  the  spring  of 
1875  ho  entered   the   county   treasurer's  ofTice, 


GEORGE  R.   MOORE 

President  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Jackson  and  a 
Settler  of  1868. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 


MTOd,  LEM«X  A(«« 
TILDEN   FOUN0*T 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


377 


where  lie  worked  in  various  capacities  for  a 
time,  serving  one  year  as  deputy  treasurer.  He 
was  elected  court  commissioner  in  1876  and 
served  one  term.  He  was  elected  clerk  of 
the  district  court  in  the  fall  of  1878  and  was 
reelected   in   1882,   serving  eight   years. 

During  the  years  he  served  the  county  in 
an  ofl'icial  capacity  Mr.  Moore  acted  as  finan- 
cial agent  lor  dilTerent  concerns  and  individuals 
and  developed  ability  in  that  line.  Upon  re- 
tiring from  official  life,  he  opened  a  real  es- 
tate office,  which  he  conducted  for  a  time.  In 
1887  he  engaged  in  the  banking  business, 
founding  Jackson's  second  financial  institution, 
a  private  bank  under  the  name  of  George  E. 
Moore,  Banker.  He  conducted  this  until  Maj-, 
1890,  when  he  organized  the  State  Bank  of 
.Jackson,  the  stockholders  of  which  were  nine 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  village, 
namely:  George  R.  Moore,  Paul  Berge,  T. 
J.  Knox,  J.  W.  Cowing,  M.  B.  Hutchinson,  G. 
A.  Albertus,  A.  H.  Strong,  F.  AV.  Lindsley 
and  Alexander  Fiddes.  Mr.  Moore  was  presi- 
dent of  the  bank.  A  reorganization  was 
brought  about  in  1901.  when  the  state  bank 
gave  place  to  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Jackson,  of  which  Mr.  Moore  has  since  been 
the  president.  He  is  also  the  president  of  the 
Jackson  Land  Credit  company,  capitalized  at 
$35,000. 

Besides  the  county  offices  Mr.  Moore  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Jackson  village 
council  and  of  the  Jackson  board  of  education. 
ITe  owns  a  beautiful  home  in  the  city  and  has 
many  broad  and  fertile  acres  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty land.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  of  the  Masonic  and  M.  W.  A. 
lodges. 


MICHAEL  MILLER  (1808).  Among  the  pio- 
neers of  Jackson  county  who  have  a  continu- 
ous residence  of  over  forty  years  to  their  credit 
is  Michael  Miller,  of  Jackson,  who  has 
taken  an  active  and  interesting  part  in  the 
county's   history. 

In  Rushbach,  Germany,  Mr.  Miller  was  born 
on  February  24,  1841,  his  parents  being  John 
and  Margaret  (Klinefeller)  Miller.  At  the  age 
of  six  years,  in  1847,  he  came  to  America  and 
located  at  York,  Dane  county,  Wisconsin.  There 
he  received  his  education  and  grew  to  man- 
hood on  a  farm.  During  the  month  of  No- 
vember, 1868,  he  left  the  county  where  he  had 
lived  so  long  and  came  to  the  pioneer  settle- 


ment of  Jackson  county.  He  secured  a  farm 
in  Wisconsin  township,  two  miles  southeast  of 
Jackson,  and  there  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  many  years.  In  1884  he  moved  to 
Jackson,  resided  there  two  years,  spent  the 
next  year  on  the  farm,  and  then  moved  to 
town  to  reside  permanently. 

During  his  long  residence  in  Jackson  county 
Mr.  Miller  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
politics  of  the  county.  In  the  township  he 
held  the  oflfices  of  constable  and  assessor  and 
was  deputy  county  sheriff  from  1891  to  1897. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 

In  York,  Wisconsin,  on  April  II,  1863,  Mr. 
Miller  was  united  in  marriage,  to  Anna  Ger- 
lacli.  To  them  have  been  born  the  following 
named  childrea:  Mary,  born  March  17,  1864; 
Herman  A.,  born  August  14,  1866;  John  W., 
born  November  19,  1868;  Laura  A.,  born  June 
19,  1874;  William  H.,  born  October  11,  1876; 
Daisy,  E.,  born  March  9,  1884,  died  .January  1, 
1894. 


.JONAH  H.  WOOD  (1874)  is  one  of  the  early 
day  settlers  of  Des  Moines  township.  He  owns 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  27,  a  short  dis- 
tance west  of  Jackson. 

The  parents  of  J.  H.  Wood  were  Ahimaaz 
E.,  and  Mary  (Salmons)  Wood,  of  old  New  Eng- 
land stock  and  of  Scotch  and  German  de- 
scent, respectively.  The  father  died  in  Onon- 
dago  county,  New  York,  in  1845,  aged  45  years. 
The  mother  came  to  Minnesota  in  the  fall  of 
1856  and  made  her  home  with  her  sons.  She 
died  at  the  home  of  her  son,  J.  H.  Wood,  in 
March,  1885,  at  the  advanced  age  of  90  years. 
Si.x  children  were  born  to  these  parents.  Mary 
E..  the  eldest,  died  in  1906.  Those  living  are 
Ardell  (Mrs.  Marcus  Wescott),  of  Syracuse, 
New  York;  Jonah  H.,  of  this  biography;  Jesse 
S.,  of  Fargo,  North  Dakota;  Carrie  J.  Loop,  of 
Eureka,  Wisconsin;  Ahimaaz  E.,  of  Fargo, 
North   Dakota. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in 
Onondago  county,  New  York,  December  8,  1833. 
He  was  brought  up  in  the  county  of  his  birth 
and  resided  with  his  parents  until  his  father 
died  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  After 
his  father's  death  he  lived  with  his  mother 
and  worked  at  the  trades  of  carpenter  and 
joiner  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  old.  In 
1855  he  came  west,  stopping  one  year  near  Del- 
ton,  Wisconsin,  with   an  uncle,   Peter  Fenton, 


23 


378 


RIOGHAPIIICAL  IIISTOJJY. 


umi  tlip  next  year  locating  in  Fillmori'  rountj, 
llinni'sota,  and  for  sevfial  .voiirs  worked  at 
Ills  trade  in  Fillmore  and  Mower  counties. 
When  Windoni  was  founded  lie  moved  to  tliat 
town  and  wa::  engaged  in  tlic  lumlier  liusincss 
there  until  the  fall  of  1874. 

Selling  out  hi.s  interests  in  Windom  in  the 
fall  of  1874,  Mr.  Wood  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty and  located  on  the  farm  of  his  lirolher.  A. 
E.  Wood,  on  section  23,  Des  Moines  township. 
He  lived  there  several  years  and  then  moved 
onto  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides — a 
farm  which  lie  had  bought  previous  to  coming 
to  the  county.  Since  then  he  has  rcsiilcd  im 
the  farm  engaged  in  farming  and  working  at 
his  trade.  .Mr,  Wood  is  a  mcnilu'r  of  tlic  ^la- 
sonic  order. 

In  July,  lS(i."i,  Mr.  Wcind  was  marricil  in 
Jackson  county  to  Helen  Wheeler,  a  native 
of  New  York  state  and  a  daughter  of  Isaac 
Wheeler,  who  came  to  Jackson  county  in  an 
early  day  and  liomesteaded  the  land  upon 
which  Leonard  Ashley  now  lives,  just  south  of 
Jackson.  Mrs.  Wood  died  May  5,  1878,  at  the 
age  of  thirty  years.  They  were  the  ])arents  of 
three  children:  Evalina  (.Mrs.  William  IJewi, 
of  South  Dakota;  Emniogeuc  (Mrs.  Itcrt  Wil- 
ford),  of  Jackson  county:  Elmer,  wlm  lives  in 
northern    Minnesota. 


JUSEl'II  i;.  TIlO.MAS  (18o8),  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Windom,  was  one  of  the  very  earliest 
residents  of  Jackson  county,  and  there  arc  few 
men  living  who  gazed  upon  the  country  of  .lack- 
son  county  hefore  he  did.  It  was  in  the  spring 
of  l.S."i8  that  our  suliject,  then  a  boy  nine  year.^ 
of  age,  accompanied  his  parents  to  the  all 
but  deserted  Jackson  county  country  and  set- 
tled on  the  Des  Moines  river  within  the  |)resent 
incorporate  limits  of  the  village  of  Jackson. 
He  grew  up  with  the  co\intry  and  look  part 
in  many  of  the  thrilling  events  of  pioneer  days. 

Joseph  E.  Thomas  was  horn  in  Xcw  York 
stale  March  11,  1849,  the  son  of  those  well 
known  pioneers  of  the  county.  Joseph  and 
Jane  (Van  In  Wegin)  Thomas.  When  he  was 
three  years  of  age  the  family  moved  to  Free- 
port,  Illinois,  and  in  XHn'y  they  cam?  farther 
west  and  located  at  Newton,  Iowa.  In  1858 
they  pushed  out  farther  onto  the  frontier  and 
settled  on  what  is  now  known  as  Thomas  hill, 
across  the  river  from  the  business  section  of 
Jackson.     For  a   number  of  vears   the   faniilv 


livcil  in  a  cabin,  which  liail  been  deserted  bv 
an  earlier  settler. 

Our  subject  grew  up  :imiil  the  surroundings 
of  tyjiical  frontier  life.  Four  years  after  the 
family  had  established  their  home  came  the 
Sioux  war  and  the  Thomas  family  were  obliged 
to  temporarily  desert  their  home,  living  one 
year  in  Spirit  Lake.  Joseph  received  a  meager 
education  in  the  frontier  school  and  ut  the  age 
of  lifleen  years  began  driving  stage.  For  two 
years  lie  drove  the  Jackson-Hlue  Earth  City 
stage,  and  for  six  years  drove  the  stage  be- 
tween Jackson  and  Madelia.  During  these 
years  he  gained  a  reputation  as  a  stage  driver 
excelled  by  no  one.  On  only  one  occasion  did 
he  miss  a  trip,  and  then  it  was  not  his  fault, 
but  owing  to  the  inability  to  cross  Elm  creek 
ill  the  early  s|)ring. 

After  growing  up  Mr.  Thomas  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1890  he  moved  to  the  vicinity  of 
Windom,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until 
liMlti.  when  he  retired  from  active  life,  since 
which  time  he  has  lived  in  Windom.  For 
ten  years  Mr.  Thomas  served  as  constable  of 
.lacksiMi  and  for  two  years  he  was  a  school  di- 
rector, lie  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
( Inircli. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  married  September  22,  1878, 
to  Ella  M.  Miner,  a  native  of  Xcw  York  state 
and  a  daughter  of  Aiken  Miner,  a  pioneer  resi- 
dent of  .Jackson  and  later  of  Worthington.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  Lulu,  deceased;  Edgar, 
Nellie,  deceased;  Mae,  Alice,  deceased;  Evn, 
deceased;    Francis. 


III;.  (  ll.\l!LKS  i;.  ,1.  KKLLA.M  (1,S7!M,  pro- 
prietor of  a  Heron  Lake  drug  store  and  a  med- 
ical practitioner,  is  one  of  the  well  known  resi- 
dents of  .lackson  county,  having  been  engai;ed 
ill  business  at  Heron  Lake  for  thirty  years. 
He  was  born  al  the  Choctaw  agency  in  Indian 
territory  August  It!.  18:)7,  the  son  of  Rev. 
Charles  R.  Kelhim  and  Eli/jiheth  (Person)  Kel- 
1am,  natives  of  Vermont  and  Massachusetts,  re- 
spectively. The  father  was  sent  in  IS.'JIi  ns 
a  missionary  to  the  Choctaw  Indians  soon  after 
their  removal   from  fieorgia. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  received  his 
early  education  from  his  parents,  there  being 
no  public  schools  at  the  agency.  When  twelve 
yi-ars  of  age  he  entered  a  school  which  is  now 
known  as  the  University  of  Arkansas,  of  Fay- 
cttevil'e.   Arkansas,   and    was   a    student   there 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


379 


two  years.  Tlie  ilcatli  of  his  fatlier  caused 
young  Kellain  to  li'ave  seliool  in  order  to  sup- 
|"irt  liinisi'lf.  and  tor  several  years  he  did  this 
by  teachiiij,'  school.  Afterwards  he  took  up 
tlic  stu<ly  of  medicine  under  a  local  pliysician. 

Anticipatiiij^  the  impending  conflict  between 
tlie  north  and  scnith  and  his  sympathies  being 
with  tlic  north.  Mr.  Kellam,  in  the  fall  of  lS5!t, 
left  Arkansas  and  located  at  Peacham,  Ver- 
mont. He  conducted  a  book  store  there  for  a 
time  and  later  worked  for  the  Fairbanks  Scale 
company  at  St.  Johnsbury,  Vermont.  On  April 
1.5,  ISlil,  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  company 
C,  of  tlie  Third  Vermont  regiment  of  infantry, 
and  took  part  in  nearly  ail  the  battles  of  the 
army  of  tlie  Potomac  up  to  the  evacuation  of 
tlie  ])eninsula.  Because  of  illness  he  was  dis- 
cliarged  October  fl,  1862,  but  later  enlisted  in 
tlie  Nintli  Vermont  infantry.  He  was  promo- 
ted to  the  position  of  hospital  steward  and 
served  in  tliat  capacity  until  he  was  discharged 
on  November  G,  1805. 

Mr.  Kellam  spent  the  rest  of  the  year  18(io 
and  part  of  18()6  as  a  student  in  Harvard 
Medical  college,  of  Boston,  and  later  practiced 
medicini-  in  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire.  He 
was  graduated  from  Dartmouth  Medical  college 
in  180S  and  soon  after  moved  to  Lynn,  Massa- 
chusetts. Dr.  Kellam  was  broken  down  in 
health,  and  in  1870  came  west,  locating  at  St. 
Charles,  Minnesota,  where  he  practiced  his  pro- 
fession until  November,  1S79.  At  that  time  he 
located  at  Heron  Lake,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  and 
in  the  drug  business.  Kleven  years  ago.  owing 
to  a  breakdown  in  health,  Dr.  Kellam  gave 
up  active  practice  and  confined  his  energies  to 
the  drug  trade. 

Dr.  Kellam  is  a  member  of  the  state  medical 
society  and  an  ex-president  of  the  Minnesota 
Pharmaceutical  association.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Heron  Lake  board  of  education 
for  the  last  twenty -five  years  and  has  served 
as  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  same  length 
of  time.  Politically  he  is  a  republican,  and  in 
1894  was  th?  nominee  of  his  party  for  the  state 
legislature,  but  was  defeated  by  the  fusion 
candidate.  He  was  the  first  commander  of  B. 
F.  Sweet  Post  No.  149,  G.  A.  R..  is  a  Royal 
Arch  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star  and 
of  the   Odd   Fellows  lodge. 

Dr.  Kellam  has  been  married  three  times.  His 
first  marriage  was  on  August  10,  1850,  when 
he  wedded  Sarah  E.  Carter,  of  Peacham.  Ver- 
mont. Five  children  were  born  to  this  union,  of 


whom  the  following  three  are  living:  W.  T. 
Kellam,  druggist  of  Kilkenny,  Minnesota;  T. 
H.  Kellam  and  A.  C.  Kellam,  a  grocer  of  Lynn, 
Massachusetts.  Dr.  Kellam's  second  wife  was 
Emma  M.  Noyes,  of  Chelsea,  Vermont.  One 
daughter,  Mrs.  Alice  E.  Brooks,  now  residing  at 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  was  born  to  this 
union.  Dr.  Kellam  was  married  to  his  present 
wife  January  1,  1880.  She  was  Mary  C.  Scher- 
merhorn,  of  Albany,  New  York.  To  them  were 
born  the  following  named  eight  children: 
Ansel  B.,  of  St.  Paul:  Alex  S.,  of  Dulutli; 
IMaud.  a  Jackson  county  school  teacher;  Wil- 
liam IL,  mate  on  a  Columbia  river  steamboat; 
Clarence  W.,  of  the  LTnited  States  navy;  Her- 
bert K..  Ruth  and  Charles  R.  J.  Kellam. 


GUXDER  A.  HITSBY  (1868),  member  of  the 
firm  of  T.  H.  Stall  &  Co.,  which  owns  one 
of  the  general  merchandise  stores  of  .Jackson, 
is  an  early  day  settler  of  the  county.  He  was 
born  in  Trondjam,  Norway,  January  22,  1863, 
the  only  son  of  a  family  of  five  children  born 
to  Gunder  and  Sarah  (Kyllo)  Husby.  The 
father  died  in  1882;  the  mother  now  lives  on 
the  old  farm  in  Belmont  township  and  is 
eighty-two  years  old. 

The  family  emigrated  to  America  in  1866, 
and  located  in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota.  They 
came  to  .Jackson  county  in  the  year  1868,  and 
the  father  took  a  homestead  claim  on  the 
north  half  of  section  26,  Belmont  township. 
On  tliat  claim  our  subject  grew  to  manhood. 
He  received  an  education  in  the  district  school 
and  upon  the  death  of  his  father  when  the  son 
was  eighteen  years  of  age  he  took  the  man- 
agement of  the  farm.  He  conducted  that  un- 
til he  moved  to  the  village  of  .Jackson  and  en- 
tered the  mercantile  business,  having  purchased 
an  interest  in  the  store  two  years  previous. 

Mr.  Husby  was  married  in  Belmont  town- 
ship October  7,  1885,  to  Lena  Peterson,  who 
was  born  in  Norway  and  who  came  to  the 
United  States  when  a  young  woman.  Sht'  is 
the  daughter  of  Peter  Peterson,  an  early  Jack- 
sou  county  pettier.  ,To  this  union  have  been 
born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Mark,  Sena, 
Plume.  (Jilmore,  Alice,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
one  year;  Blanch  and  Hazel. 

Mr.  Husby  owns  a  farm  in  Belmont  tow^n- 
ship  and  property  in  .Jackson.  He  served  four 
years  as  clerk  of  school  district  No.  79.  He  13 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the 


380 


BIOGRAPHIPAL  HISTORY. 


A.  0.  U.  W.,  the   E.  V.  U.  and   the   Sons   of 
Norway  lodges. 


HANS  0.  SKINRUD  (1870)  is  a  homestead- 
er and  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Delafield 
township,  having  made  his  home  on  the  farm 
he  now  occupies  for  tlie  last  forty  years.  Mr. 
Skinnid  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was  born 
February  14,  1848,  tlie  youngest  of  a  family 
of  seven  children  born  to  Ole  and  Martha  Skin- 
rud.  The  father  of  our  subject  died  when  Hans 
was  one  and  one-half  years  old;  his  mother 
died  when  he  was  eight  years  old. 

Hans  grew  to  early  manhood  in  Norway, 
attending  school  and  working  on  a  little  farm. 
Wlien  eighteen  years  of  ago  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica and  spent  the  first  few  years  of  his  life  in 
Lafayette  county,  Wisconsin.  He  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1870  and  took  as  a  home- 
stead claim  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  8, 
Delafield  township,  upon  which  he  has  ever 
since  lived.  He  hauled  lumber  from  Mankato 
and  .St.  James  and  erected  a  little  frame  build- 
ing on  the  clainij  building  a  sod  addition  to  it. 
He  experienced  hard  times  during  the  terrible 
grasshopper  times  that  came  upon  the  country 
soon  after  his  arrival  and  several  summers 
was  obliged  to  desert  his  claim  to  work  in  the 
eastern  counties  to  earn  enough  money  to 
meet  the  expenses  of  living.  He  remained 
with  the  country  and  has  prospered,  adding  to 
his  holdings  about  twenty  years  ago  by  the 
purchase  of  an  adjoining  quarter  section  of 
land. 

Mr.  Skinrud  was  married  in  Lafayette  coun- 
ty, Wisconsin,  in  May,  1870,  to  Louisa  Tollofs- 
rud,  also  a  native  of  Norway.  !Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Skinrud  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  three 
of  whom  are  living:  Tillie  (Airs.  Paul  Molden), 
born  December  11,  187C;  Helen  (Mrs.  Albert 
Nestrud),  born  January  12,  1880;  Henry,  who 
conducts  the  home  farm,  born  April  29,  1884, 
married  May  5,  1909;  Bessie,  born  March  26, 
1871,  died  May  5,  1883;  Olaf.  born  February  13, 
1875;  died  March  27,  1875.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 
In  the  early  days  Mr.  Skinrud  served  as  a 
member  of  the  township  board  of  supervisors. 


L.  A.  FOSS  (Furuscth)  (18C9)  is  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Delafield  township  and  one 
of  the  best  known  residents  of  that  precinct. 
He  owns  a  fine  farm  on  the  bank  of  Minnc- 


seka  1,1  ke,  one  mile  south  of  the  village  of  \\"i]- 
der.  The  home  farm  consists  of  148  acres  on 
the  niirthwest  quarter  of  section  18,  and  he 
owns  111  addition  eighty  acres  on  section  17  and 
a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Norman  county, 
Minnesota. 

-Mr.  Foss  was  born  in  Land,  Norway,  Febru- 
ary 11,  1852,  the  son  of  Anton  Mikkelsen  Fur- 
useth  and  Martha  (Larson)  .Sveeom.  The  form- 
er died  March  5,  1886;  the  latter  October  10, 
1898.  Until  he  was  si.vtcen  years  of  age  L.  A. 
Foss  lived  in  his  native  country,  securing  a 
good  education  and  working  on  the  farm.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America  in  18(>8 
and  located  in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota. 
There  young  Foss  continued  his  schooling,  tak- 
ing a  course  in  English,  and  working  on  a  farm. 
In  May,  1869,  the  family  came  to  Jack.-ioii 
county,  and  the  father  of  our  subject  took  as 
a  homestead  claim  eighty  acres  of  his  son's 
present  farm,  taking  another  eighty  acres  as  • 
a  preemption  claim.  At  this  early  day  the  I 
nearest  neighbor  was  seven  miles  away,  on 
Heron  lake,  and  lumber  for  the  pioneer  cabin 
of  the  Minneseka  lake  country  had  to  be 
hauled  from  Lake  Crystal.  Wild  game  was 
plentiful  in  the  neighborhood  and  the  Fosses 
made  their  living  for  several  years  principally 
by   trapping. 

The  rest;  of  the  family  remained  to  make 
their  permanent  home  in  Jackson  county,  but 
L.  A.  Foss  went  back  to  his  old  home  in  Olm- 
sted county,  where  for  two  years  he  worked  on 
a  farm.  Returning  to  Jackson  county  in  1871, 
he  took  employment  with  the  Sioux  City  & 
St.  Paul  Railroad  company,  which  was  then 
.extending  its  line  through  this  part  of  the 
county,  and  for  two  years  worked  for  that 
company.  He  again  returned  to  Olmsted  coun- 
ty, was  married  there  in  1875,  and  for  two 
years  engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land. 
Again  he  came  back  to  Jackson  county,  this 
time  to  remain  permanently.  He  bought  120 
■acres  of  land  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 18,  Delafield  township,  and  engaged  in 
farming.  That  was  his  home  until  1903,  when 
be  located  upon  the  present  place — his  fathers 
old  homestead.  He  purchased  the  eighty  acre 
tract  on  section  17  in  1897  and  his  present 
farm  in  1899.  Mr.  Foss  rents  most  of  his 
land  and  farms  only  a  small  part  of  it  him- 
self, having  retired  from  bard  work  and  ac- 
tive business. 

Mr.  Foss  is  interested  in  several  lines  of  en- 
deavor besides  his  farming  operations.  He  own^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


381 


stock  in  the  creamery  company  of  Wilder,  in 
tlie  Sontag  Lumber  company  of  Heron  Lake 
and  in  the  Jackson  County  Cooperative  com- 
pany's store  at  Lakefield.  He  served  as  treas- 
urer of  scliool  district  Xo.  28  for  twelve  years 
and  was  a  IJelafiild  township  supervisor  four 
years.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Xorwen;ian  Lutheran  chui-ch  of  Delafield. 

In  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  on  May  24, 
1875,  Mr.  Foss  was  married  to  Anne  C.  Even- 
son,  who  was  born  in  Olmsted  county  Decem- 
ber 17,  1858.  To  these  parents  have  been  born 
a  large  family  of  children,  named  as  follows; 
Albert,  born  August  20,  187G,  died  December 
23,  1894;  John,  of  Weimer  township,  born  Oc- 
tober 16,  1878;  Oscar,  of  Delafield  township, 
born  December  9,  1880;  Mary  Ella  (Mrs.  Otto 
Bailey),  of  Berlin,  Xorth  Dakota,  born  Decem- 
ber 11,  1882:  Tillie  Bertina  (Mrs.  Martin  En- 
deward),  of  Watertown,  South  Dakota,  born 
August  28,  1885;  Walter  Levi,  born  December 
23,  1887,  died  June,  1889;  Walter  L.,  born 
August  20,  1889:  Lillie  Amanda,  born  Decem- 
ber 3,  1891;  Elmer,  born  January  30,  1894; 
Albert  Clifford,  born  April  27,  1896,  died  De- 
cember 21,  1896;  Manton,  born  January  30, 
1898:  Verna  C.  born  March  31,  1901. 


ROBERT  H.  LUEXEBURC4  (1878)  is  the  edi- 
tor and  publisher  of  the  Lakefield  Standard 
and  an  early  day  settler  of  Jackson  county.  He 
first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  Krakow,  Ger- 
many, on  March  16,  1863.  His  parents,  Lud- 
wig  and  Caroline  (Wicherd)  Lueneburg,  are  both 
dead,  the  former  having  died  March  16,  1906, 
aged  80  years;  the  latter  on  April  8,  1900, 
aged  76  years. 

Robert  accompanied  liis  parents  to  the  new 
world  in  1872  and  for  two  years  lived  at  Her- 
mann, Missouri.  From  1874  to  1878  the 
family  home  was  near  Spring  Valley,  in  Fill- 
more county,  Minnesota,  and  in  the  year  last 
named  they  came  to  .Jackson  county  and  lo- 
cated on  section  10,  Rost  township,  about  si.K 
miles  west  of  the  present  village  of  Lakefield. 
Robert  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  1883 
and  then  he  went  to  .Jackson  and  entered  the 
office  of  the  .Jackson  Republic  as  an  appren- 
tice, tlie  paper  then  being  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Burt  W.  Day.  One  year  later  Mr. 
Lueneburg  went  to  Edgerton,  bought  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  Enterprise  and  conducted  the  pa- 
per one  year. 

Early  in  October,  1885,  Mr.  Lueneburg  moved 


to  Lakefield  and  bought  the  Minnesota  Citizen. 
The  next  spring  he  changed  the  name  of  the 
journal  to  Lakefield  Standard,  presided  over  its 
destinies  until  the  fall  of  1891,  and  then  sold 
out  to  Crawford  Brothers.  He  ran  a  paper  at 
White  Bear  a  short  time  after  moving  from 
Lakefield  and  then  went  to  Brow-nton,  Mc- 
Leod  county,  and  founded  the  Bulletin.  He  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  at  Brownton,  in  the 
spring  of  1896  and  established  the  Free  Press 
at  Elgin,  Wabasha  county.  He  returned  to 
Lakefield  in  the  spring  of  1900  and  bought  the 
Lakefield  Herald,  which  he  ran  about  two  and 
one-half  years,  and  then  sold  to  C.  S.  Bell.  He 
conducted  a  job  office  in  Lakefield  for  about 
two  years,  and  then  in  September,  1906,  re- 
turned to  his  first  love  and  purchased  the 
Lakefield  Standard,  which  had  been  consoli- 
dated with  the  Herald  in  May,  1904.  At  the 
time  of  making  the  purchase  -J.  W.  Daubney 
.s-eeured  a  half  interest. 

Mr.  Lueneburg  served  as  recorder  of  Lake- 
field  village  from  1887  to  1890  and  in  1895  he 
held  a  clerkship  in  the  Minnesota  state  sen- 
ate. 

Tlie  subject  of  this  biography  was  married 
at  Spring  Valley,  Minnesota,  October  31,  1886, 
to  Emma  Kummer,  a  native  of  that  village. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr  and  Mrs. 
Lueneburg,  of  whom  the  following  two  are  liv- 
ing: Raymond,  born  October  27,  1890;  Lois, 
born  April  25,  1905. 


WILLIAM  SCHUMACHER  (1872),  of  West 
Heron  Lake  township,  is  a  native  Minnesotan 
and  he  has  resided  in  Jackson  county  since 
lie  was  two  years  old,  moving  at  that  age  with 
his  parents  from  Brown  county,  where  he  was 
born  December  9,  1869.  His  parents  are  Henry 
and  Caroline  Schumacher,  natives  of  Germany. 
The  former  came  to  the  United  States  in  1853 
and  the  next  year  took  up  his  residence  in 
Xew  Ulra,  Minnesota.  There  he  was  married 
and  engaged  in  farming  until  1872.  That 
vear  he  moved  to  Jackson  county,  took  a  home- 
stead and  tree  claim  in  Alba  township,  and 
resided  on  the  farm  until  1905,  when  he  moved 
to  Heron  Lake  village.  There  he  and  his  wife 
now  reside.  They  are  77  and  73  years  of  age, 
respectively,  and  are  the  parents  of  seven  chil- 
dren. 

William  Schumacher  resided  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Alba  township  with  his  parents  until 
1892,  working  on  the  farm  and  attending  the 


382 


?,innn.\rTiTr.\L  historv 


tlistrict  school  when  .1  boy.  In  1S!I2  lie  iiiunivJ 
ami  moved  to  West  Heron  Luke  township, 
where  he  bought  the  northwest  <|uarter  of 
section  7,  and  where  lie  has  since  lived.  He  ha.s 
made  nil  the  improvements  on  the  place,  and 
by   industry  r.nd  fni-jalty  has  prospered. 

Mr.  Schnniacher  was  married  on  his  father's 
old  homestead  on  May  11,  18(12.  to  Hessie  Sev- 
erson,  a  native  of  \\isconsin.  They  have  live 
children,  as  follows:  Clayton,  horn  Kcbriiaiy 
17.  IS!)3:  Sadie,  born  dune  2.5.  ISILJ:  Hcrby, 
born  April  20.  18!)<);  Alice  born  May  (!.  HI02-. 
Roy.  born  February   12,  1004. 

Mr.  .Schumacher  is  a  member  ol  llic  A.  O. 
U.  \V.  and  M.  \\".  A.  lodges. 


rEKUlNAND  K.  HABERMA.N  (1S72)  is  one 
of  the  successful  farmers  and  pioneer  settlers 
of  I^iCrosse  township.  He  owns  a  280  acre 
well  inijiroved  farm  on  section  20  and  has  giv- 
en 111  liis  .sons  320  acres  of  farming  land  in 
tlic  viiinify.  ibivinf:  had  absolutely  iiolhin^' 
when  lie  :inivcil  in  I  lie  county,  by  hard  work 
and  frugality  he  has  accumulated  a  snuill  for- 
tune  and    is    in    prosperous    circumstances. 

Mr.  Haberman  was  born  in  Austria  April  7, 
185."$.  the  son  of  .lohn  and  Anna  Haberman. 
The  former  lives  in  LaCrosse  township;  the 
latter  died  when  Ferdinand  was  .seven  years 
of  age.  (lur  subject  learned  the  weaver's  trade 
in  Austria  and  in  1S72  came  to  America.  After 
stopi)ing  a  few  weeks  in  Wisconsin  be  canu- 
to  .lackson  <()unty.  \\'l\ilc  on  the  road  here 
lie  ran  out  of  money  and  was  obliged  to  walk 
fniui  Winnebago  City  to  Heron  Lake,  arriving 
in  the  latter  village  on  the  third  day.  He  at 
once  went  to  work  in  tlie  harvest  (iehU  and 
by  saving  his  money  was  soon  on  his  fed 
again. 

The  first  two  years  Mr.  Haberman  lived  with 
his  parents  on  section  30.  LaCrosse  township: 
then  he  married  and  took  ns  a  homestead  claim 
the  east  hall  of  the  northwest  (|unrter  of  sec- 
tion 20— a  part  of  his  present  farm — erected 
a  sod  shanty  thereon,  and  began  farming. 
Later  he  built  a  sun-dried  brick  house  with  a 
straw  roof.  Becau.=e  of  crop  failures  during 
tlio  gi-usshopper  limes  he  was  obliged  to  work 
out  in  neighboring  counties  to  make  n  living 
for  himself  and  family.  Staying  with  the 
country  through  the  dark  days,  he  weathered 
the  storms  of  adversity  and  in  time  came  upon 
prosperous  times,  and  today  is  rated  as  one 
of  the  well-to-do  farmers  of  the  neighborlioml. 


.Mr.  Ilabernian  served  as  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  33  for  sixteen  years.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  cliiirch  of 
Heron   Lake. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  N(diles  county 
in  the  fall  of  1874  to  Mary  Xinnerzhter.  also 
a  native  of  Austria.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  tlie  following  named  children:  Florian. 
born  IS7."i:  William,  born  1877:  Carl,  horn 
1S7S:  .Mathilda,  born  18S1:  Mary,  born  1881; 
Kegeiia.  born  188li:  Ferdinand,  born  1801; 
Frederica.   born    18117. 


JESSE  F.  ASHLEY  (180G),  a  retired  busi- 
ness man  of  Jackscm,  is  a  gentleman  whose 
name  is  inseparably  linked  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  village  in  which  he  has  lived  so 
many  years  and  with  .lackson  county.  Frtuii 
the  2!)tli  day  of  .Mine.  18(l('i.  when  he  first  came 
to  the  county,  up  to  llie  ])resent  time  iie  has 
bad  continuous  residence  here  and  has  taken 
part  in  many  of  (he  infidents  of  pioneer  his- 
t(U-y. 

Jesse  Ashley  was  born  in  the  county  01 
Tioga,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  14tli  day  of  Aug- 
ust. 1840,  the  son  of  Welch  and  Margaret 
-Ashley.  Up  to  his  .seventeenth  year  he  re- 
sided on  his  father's  farm  in  his  native  coun- 
ty, where  be  secured  an  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  Coming  to  the  little  settlement 
of  Jackson  in  the  summer  of  ISBO.  he  look  a 
position  in  his  father's  saw  mill,  at  which  la- 
was  engaged  until  he  became  <if  age.  When 
his  father  platted  llic  , lackson  lownsite.  .lesse 
assisted  the  surveyor.  James  K.  Palmer,  in 
the  work.  In  company  with  Lant  Thonu'.s 
and  Pi'ter  Kingsley  he  went  to  Harden  City, 
si.xtytwo  miles  distant,  in  18(17  for  the  pur 
pose  of  bringing  back  (lour  to  relieve  (he  suf- 
fering of  those  who  were  in  need.  The  coun- 
try was  (looded  by  melting  snows  ami  lln' 
party  experienced  much  sufTering  on  the  trip. 
At  Blue  Earth  it  was  found  necessary  to  e<Mi 
struct  a  boat  to  ferry  the  teams  over  the  swol 
len  stream.  The  party  was  gone  tliirlccn 
days,  but  was  successful  in  bringing  back  the 
much  needed  article  of  food.  The  (lour  sohl 
for  thirteen  dollars  per  hundred  weight,  which 
was  the  actual  cost  of  getting  it  in. 

Upon  reaching  his  majority  the  subject  of 
this  biography  purchased  a  farm  in  Middle- 
town  township  and  engaged  in  farming  sever.il 
years.  Three  years  of  this  time  he  had  a 
govcrnniciit    contract    and   carried    the    mail   be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


383 


tween  Jackson  and  8t.  James.  During  tlic 
time  lie  livej  on  the  farm  he  held  the  oft'ices 
of  township  elerk,  assessor  and  other  offices. 

Giving  up  his  farming  operations,  Mr.  Ash- 
ley moved  to  Jackson  and  for  about  ten  3'ears 
conducted  a  store  and  meat  market.  Later  he 
engaged  in  other  mercantile  pursuits  and  be- 
came the  local  agent  for  the  Standard  Oil 
company.  A  few  years  ago  he  gave  up  active 
participation  in  business  affairs  and  now  lives 
a  retired  life. 


JOHN  BESSER  (1876)  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Alba  township  and  owns  the 
southeast  quarter  of  .section  14.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio  and  was  born  July  IC,  1858.  He 
was  brought  up  and  educated  in  his  native 
state.  His  father  died  when  he  was  a  child 
and  .John  worked  out  for  neighboring  farmers 
until  he  w^s  nineteen  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Besser  came  to  Minnesota  in  187G  and 
for  a  year  worked  on  a  farm  near  Brewster. 
lie  was  married  in  1877  and  took  as  a  home- 
stead claim  eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm 
and  has  ever  since  lived  on  the  place.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  of 
Brewster  and  for  several  years  served  as 
treasurer  of   school  district  No.   102. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Besser  occurred  at 
Brewster,  Minnesota,  in  1877,  when  he  wedded 
Catherine  Barton,  who  was  born  at  Chaska, 
Carver  county,  Minnesota,  October  30,  18.'>.5. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
as  follows:  Andrew,  born  November  24,  1870; 
Frank,  born  .January  16.  1882;  Fred,  born  Aug- 
ust 21,   1894. 

Frank  Besser,  the  .second  son.  was  born  in 
Hersey  township.  Nobles  county,  .January  16, 
1882,  and  has  spent  his  entire  life  on  the  farm. 
He  was  educated  in  the  school  of  district  No. 
102  and  spent  his  early  years  assisting  his 
father  uitli  the  farm  work.  In  1007  he  ac- 
quired eighty  acres  of  land  from  his  father 
and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1010  he  rented  and  took  the  man- 
agement of  his  father's  farm.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and  is 
treasurer  of  school  district  No.  102.  He  is  not 
married. 


CARL  FRANTSEN  (187.3),  Belmont  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  in  that  precinct  Febru- 
ary   2,    1873,    the    son    of    .John    and    .Johanna 


(Halverson)  Frantsen.  His  parents  were  born 
in  Norway  and  came  to  America  when  young. 
They  were  married  a  year  before  their  arrival 
and  in  an  early  day  came  to  .Jackson  county 
and  homesteaded  in  Belmont  township,  where 
they  lived  until  their  death.  There  are  seven 
children  of  the  family  living:  Ferdinand,  Mrs. 
Nels  Holsten,  Carl,  Mrs.  George  Lilleberg  (de- 
ceased), William,  Mrs.  Paul  Olson,  Mrs.  Obert 
Olson. 

Carl  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm 
in  Belmont  township,  living  with  his  parent.'* 
on  the  old  homestead  on  section  20  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age.  Then  he  started  in 
life  for  himself  and  farmed  rented  land  for 
about  six  years.  In  1898  he  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm,  the  west  half  of  the  northwest  quar 
ter  of  section  29,  then  entirely  unimproved, 
and  has  since  made  his  home  there. 

Jlr.  Frantsen  was  married  on  the  old  Slaa- 
baken  farm- in  Belmont  December  29,  1898,  to 
Obena  Olson,  who  was  born  in  Belmont  and 
who  is  the  daughter  of  Ole  Olson,  deceased. 
Her  motlier  is  now  Mrs.  William  .Johnson. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frantsen:  Juit,  born  December  20,  1901;  Bert, 
born  January  30,  190.5.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  and 
Mr.  Frantsen  is  a  director  of  school  district 
No.   18. 


ALBERT  A.  GRUILLKE  (1809),  cement 
worker  of  Jackson,  has  lived  in  the  county 
since  he  was  a  boy  eight  years  old.  He  was 
liorn  in  Princeton,  Fond  du  Lac  county,  Wis- 
consin, February  6,  1861,  the  son  of  August 
and  Wilhohnina    (Reisler)    Gruhlke. 

When  Albert  was  a  few  months  old  tlie  fam- 
ily moved  to  Waseca  county,  Minnesota,  and 
there  they  remained  until  1869.  On  June  20 
of  that  year  Albert  accompanied  his  pai'ents 
to  Jackson  county,  and  from  tliat  time  until 
1891  he  lived  on  the  farm  in  Petersburg  town- 
ship. Moving  to  .Jackson,  he  engaged  in  the  im- 
plement business  four  years  and  in  the  plumb- 
ing business  nine  years.  Since  then  he  has 
been  engaged  in  the  cement  manufacturing 
business.  During  1907-08  lie  was  superintend- 
ent of  construction  of  the  .Tackson  county 
court  house.  Mr.  Gruhlke  owns  property  in 
.Jackson.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  B.  A. 
lodge. 

ilr.  Gruhlke  was  married  in  Petersburg 
township    November   24,    1887,    to    Miss    Ricke 


384 


BIOGRAPHICAL  niSTOllY. 


nolnikc.  Four  cliildreii  hi'vc  been  born  to  this 
union,  ns  follows:  Klvin  A.,  born  February 
17,  18S9;  Xi-llie  I).,  born  Juno  17,  1892;  IJaisy 
M.,  born  Mardi  9,  1890;  Milton  C,  born  July 
21,  1900. 


HFXUY  TfirKLVOLDT  (1883),  county  com- 
missioner of  Jackson  county,  representing  tlie 
first  district,  and  ii  prominent  farmer  of  Mid- 
dictown  township,  lias  been  a  resident  of  tlie 
county  twenty-six  years.  He  owns  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  11,  four  miles  south  of 
Jackson. 

Mr.  Thielvoldt  is  of  German  birth,  having 
been  born  in  the  fatherland  on  tlie  first  dny 
of  December,  1849.  His  father,  Hans  Thiel- 
voldt, was  a  bookbinder  and  printer  by  trade 
and  after  coming  to  America  in  1855,  worked 
at  his  trade  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  until  his 
death  four  years  later.  Our  subject's  mother 
was  Katrina  (Muhs)  Thielvoldt.  She  died  in 
1891.  Henry  is  the  only  living  child  of  eight 
children. 

At  tl'.e  age  of  five  years,  in  1855,  Henry 
Thielvoldt  came  to  the  new  world  with  liis 
parents  and  located  at  Davenport.  Iowa.  His 
father  dying  when  be  was  nine  years  old, 
Henry  was  obliged  to  begin  his  struggle  to 
help  support  the  family  at  that  tender  age. 
In  1867  he  moved  with  his  mother  to  Walcott, 
Iowa,  and  later  to  Durant,  Iowa.  He  made 
his  home  with  his  mother  until  he  was  twen- 
ty-two years  of  age,  and  then  married  and 
established  a  liome  of  his  own.  lie  fanned 
rented  land  in  JInscatine  county.  Iowa,  two 
years  and  then  moved  to  Scott  county  of  the 
same  state,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  nine 
years.  Mr.  Thielvoldt  arrived  in  Jackson 
coimty  in  1883,  bought  a  farm  on  section  25, 
Sioux  Valley  township,  which  was  his  home 
for  many  years.  He  sold  out  there  in  1904 
and  bought  his  present  farm  in  Middlctown, 
where  he  has  since  lived. 

Henry  Thielvoldt  has  served  as  county  rom- 
missioncr  for  the  last  seventeen  years,  and 
during  that  time  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  history  making  of  the  county.  Piditically 
he  is  a  democrat.  He  has  frequently  held 
township  and  school  ofTices.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  M.  B.  A.  lodge  and  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  the  lodge  at  Jackson. 

The  first  marriage  of  Mr.  Thielvoldt  oc- 
curred at  Davenport,  Iowa.  December  10.  1871. 
when  he  wedded  Abel  Puck,  who  was  burn  in 


Germany  and  came  to  America  when  a  child. 
She  died  December  24,  1S92.  Seven  children 
were  born  as  a  result  of  this  marriage,  as 
follows:  John,  born  April  5,  1873;  Willie,  born 
February  2,  1875;  Amanda,  born  February  14, 
1879;  Kninia,  born  August  12,  1882;  Amelia, 
born  January  3,  1887;  Laura,  born  December 
24,  1888;  Ilulda,  born  February  4,  1891,  Mr. 
Thielvoldt  was  married  the  second  time  in 
1895  to  Mrs.  Dora  Wiesc,  also  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. To  them  have  been  born  three  child- 
ren, as  follows:  Harry,  born  February  13, 
1890;  Clara,  horn  June  10,  1898;  Leonard,  born 
ilay  2,  1900.  Hy  her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Thiel- 
voldt is  the  mother  of  two  children:  Howard, 
born  February  12,  1891,  and  Emil,  born  Feb- 
ruary  20,   1893. 


SYVERT  H.  BFRKNESS  (1875).  proprietor 
of  a  restaurant  and  confectionery  store  at 
Heron  Lake,  has  resided  in  the  county  since 
he  was  a  boy.  By  birth  he  is  a  Norwegian,' 
the  date  of  his  arrival  upon  this  earth  being 
October  21,  1SC3.  His  parents  were  Hans  G. 
and  Annie  (Gudmiuisen)  Berkncss.  The  father 
came  from  Norway  in  September,  1872,  and 
was  followed  by  the  family  the  next  year. 
The  family  located  in  South  ^Minneapolis  and 
there  the  mother  of  our  subject  died  one 
month  after  her  arrival.  Hans  Berkness  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  in  Minneapolis  until 
187G:tlien  lie  moved  to  Jackson  county  and  home- 
steaded  the  east  half  of  the  nortlicast  quar- 
ter of  section  20,  Heron  Lake  township.  He 
died  in  the  county  March  25,  1888,  aged  55 
years. 

Syvert  came  from  the  old  country  with  his 
mother  and  (he  other  children  when  ten  years 
of  age.  He  lived  in  Miiincapcilis  until  the 
spring  of  1875  and  then  came  to  Jackson 
county.  He  worked  one  year  on  a  farm  in 
Heron  Liike  township  and  the  next  year  in 
Mower  county.  Returning  to  Jackson  county, 
he  made  his  home  with  his  father  on  the  farm 
until  the  hitter's  death  in  1888.  Then  be 
bought  the  farm  and  conducted  it  until  1893. 
when  he  sold  out. 

Mr.  Berkncss  moved  to  Heron  Lake  village 
in  the  fall  of  1893  and  during  the  following 
winter  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade.  There- 
after until  the  spring  of  1S96  he  worked  at 
various  occupations  in  Heron  Lake.  Then  he 
rented  a  farm  on  section  25,  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship,   which    he    conducted    until    the    fall    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


385 


1902.  Again  taking  up  his  residence  in  Heron 
Lake,  he  bought  tlie  Nels  Larson  restaurant, 
known  as  the  Corner  restaurant,  and  has  since 
managed  it. 

While  living  in  Heron  Lake  township  Mr. 
Berkness  held  office  frequently.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  was  made  road  overseer  and 
held  the  office  a  number  of  years.  Later  he 
served  as  a  supervisor  for  several  terms  and 
was  township  assessor  one  year.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Heion  Lake  village  council 
during  the  year  1906.  Mr.  Berkness  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church,  hold- 
ing membership  in  the  Salem  church  of  Heron 
Lake,  and  has  held  nearly  all  the  offices  in 
that  society.  He  is  now  a  trustee  and  treas- 
urer and  president  of  the  Sunday  school  and 
young  peoples'  society.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  0.  U.  W.,  holding  the  office  of  receiver 
at  present. 

Mr.  Berkness  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
township  November  C,  1886,  to  Mary  Johnson, 
a  native  of  Norway.  To  them  were  born  five 
children,  of  whom  the  following  four  are  liv- 
ing: Henry,  Carrie,  Anna  and  John.  The 
youngest  child,  Minnie,  was  born  May  3,  1894, 
and  died  August  3,  1894.  Mrs.  Berkness  died 
September  30,  1894,  at  the  age  of  37  years. 
Mr.  Berkness  was  married  the  second  time  in 
Heron  Lake  village  June  27,  1900,  to  Mrs. 
Sophia  Robson,  who  was  born  in  Norway  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  May,  1881.  She 
is  the  mother  of  one  child,  Julius,  of  Minne- 
apolis, who  was  born  under  her  first  marriage 
to  .John  Robson. 


JOHN  H.  REK  (1872)  owns  240  acres  of 
land  on  sections  26  and  2.5,  Belmont  township, 
and  is  an  extensive  grain  farmer.  He  luis 
lived  on  that  farm  ever  since  he  was  a  baby 
five  months  old.  His  parents  are  the  late 
Hans  .J.  Ree  and  Bergetta  (Kyllo)  Ree,  who 
came  from  Norway  in  1872  and  made  their 
liome  in  Belmont  township.  The  father  died 
there  in  1900  at  the  age  of  70  years;  the 
mother  lives  with  her  son  and  is  72  years  of 
age.  There  are  five  living  children  of  these 
parents:  Mrs.  N.  P.  Alness,  of  Clark,  South 
Dakota;  Mrs.  P.  A.  Olson,  John  II.,  Mrs.  0. 
Lillevik  and  Mrs.  Ole  Ilaugen,  all  of  Jackson 
county. 

John  H.  Ree  was  born  in  Norway  December 
4,  1871,  and  when  five  months  of  age  arrived 
in  Jackson  county  with  his  parents  and  has 


ever  since  made  his  home  on  section  26,  Bel- 
mont. He  worked  for  his  father  until  the  lat- 
ter's  death  in  1900;  then  bought  the  farm  and 
has  since  conducted  it.  He  holds  the  office  of 
school  treasurer  of  district  No.  79.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 

Jlr.  Ree  was  married  at  Farmington,  Min- 
nesota, June  20,  1908,  to  Miss  Matilda  Strate, 
a  native  of  Rice  countj',  Minnesota,  and  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Ebrahat  and  Karen 
Strate. 


FRED  J.  SELEEN  (1870),  manager  of  the 
Heron  Lake  branch  of  the  Western  Imple- 
ment company,  has  resided  in  Jackson  county 
since  he  was  an  infant.  He  is  a  native  of 
Sweden  and  was  born  December  7,  1868,  the 
son  of  Ole  and  Stina   (Anderson)    Seleen. 

These  parents  were  born  in  Sweden.  The 
father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1868  and 
the  mother  the  following  year.  For  a  short 
time  the  family  home  was  iii  Emmet  county, 
Iowa,  but  in  1870  the  family  came  to  Jackson 
county  and  took  a  homestead  claim  in  West 
Heron  Lake  township.  Ole  Seleen  died  in  Aug- 
ust, "1894,  at  the  age  of  60  years.  His  widow- 
lives  in  Heron  Lake  and  is  70  years  of  age. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are 
living.  The  other  children  are  Herman,  who 
died  at  Pocatella,  Idaho,  November  28,  1899; 
Emil,  of  Spokane,  Washington;  Emma  (ilrs. 
Emil  Peterson),  who  died  in  July,  1901;  Erick, 
of  Minneapolis;  Oscar,  of  Weimer  township; 
Palmer,  of  Minneapolis;  Nate,  of  Heron  Lake. 

Fred  Seleen  accompanied  his  mother  to 
America  wheu  less  than  one  year  of  age.  Aft- 
er one  year  spent  in  Emmet  county,  Iowa,  he 
came  with  the  family  to  Jackson  county  in 
1870.  Until  he  was  of  age  he  lived  with  his 
parents  on  the  farm  in  West  Heron  Lake 
township  and  in  Heron  Lake,  securing  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Heron  Lake  public  schools  and 
working  on  the  farm.  He  married  in  1889 
and  engaged  in  farming  four  years  on  rented 
property.  Then  he  moved  to  Oktibbeha  coun- 
ty, Mississippi,  engaged  in  farming  in  that 
southern  state  one  year,  and  returned  to 
Jackson  county.  He  worked  in  the  implement 
house  of  Frank  Day,  Heron  Lake,  four  years, 
and  then  bought  the  west  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  31,  Weimer  township, 
and  engaged  in  farming.  During  the  past 
four   years   he   has  been   the  manager   of   the 


386 


BIOnEAPHICAL  TTISTOT^Y. 


Western  Implement  company's  lioiise  at  Heron 
Lake,  wliile  liis  sons  rondurt  tlie  farm.  Tlie 
oirieers  of  tlie  company  are  Kicliard  Lamli, 
president:  li.  U.  Sonta;;,  vice  president:  J.  W. 
Henson.   secretary   and   treasurer. 

Mr.  Seleen  was  married  in  .Jackson  county 
January  2,  188!),  to  Annie  .lolinson.  She  was 
horn  in  Clay  county,  Iowa.  Xovemlicr  2.  1808, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andrew 
.Johnson,  both  natives  of  Norway.  Eifiht  cliil- 
dren  have  been  born  to  this  union,  named  as 
follows:  KImer,  born  September  11,  1891: 
Carl,  born  December  2,  1S9;J:  Stella,  born  .June 
Ml.  18!>7:  Emma,  born  February  10.  ISOO;  .John, 
born  .January  I.'},  lilOl ;  Paul,  born  December 
2.1,  lOO.-?:  Ruth,  born  August  25,  litOf):  Lester, 
born  .June  18,  lOOK. 

Tlie  family  are  members  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church,  in  wliich  organization  Mr. 
."^eleen  has  held  all  the  ollices  at  various  times. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  B.  A.  and  I.- O.  0. 
K.  lodges.  For  two  years  he  served  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  West 
Hcrnn  Lake  township. 


.MOSES  L.  FROST  (1871),  of  .Jackson,  is  a 
breeder  of  thorouglibred  stock.  He  was  l)orn 
in  .lackson  county  on  August  2'>.  1871.  and  is 
a  son  of  those  pioneer  settlers,  Nathaniel  and 
Maryette   (Root)   Frost. 

In  1874  the  Frost  family  moved  from  the 
old  homestead  in  .Jackson  to  Mirabile,  Mis- 
souri. After  engaging  in  farming  there  four 
years,  they  returned  to  .Tackson  in  1878.  ami 
since  that  date  Moses  has  made  his  home 
there.  He  was  educated  and  grew  to  man- 
hood in  .lackson,  and  after  leacliing  manhood 
engaged  in  the  stock  business.  He  makes  a 
specialty  of  thoroughbred  O.  f.  C".  hogs  and 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  has  large  herds.  At  the 
world's  fair  at  St.  Louis  in  1904  Mr.  Frost 
exhibited  his  ".lackson  Chief."  No.  47r>0.  Vol. 
4.  O.  I.  C.  and  that  :inimal  won  the  grand 
cliampionslii|)  prize  of  the  world  fur  tlie  best 
boar  of  any  age. 

Mr.  I'Yost  owns  100  acres  of  land  in  the 
limits  of  the  village  corporation  and  eighty 
acres  in  .section  nine,  Des  Moines  township.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  village  council 
from  190.-!  to  1907  and  has  held  the  olTice  of 
constable.  He  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O,  O.  V. 
lodge. 

The  village  of  Sprinafield  was  located  on 
the   home   place   before  .Jackson    was    founded, 


and  here  one  of  the  Wood  brothers  met  his 
death  in  the  Indian  massacre  of  1857.  He  was 
buried  si.\ty  rods  north  of  the  Frost  home  by 
Nathaniel  Frost. 


ALEXANDER  FIDDES  (1809).  A  pion.er 
resident  of  .lackson  and  a  man  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  the  residents  of  that  vil- 
lage is  Alexander  Fiddes.  the  postmaster.  For 
over  forty  years  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
town  and  during  all  of  that  time  has  been 
engaged  in  business.  His  lifc"<  history  is  full 
of  interest. 

Mr.  Fiddes  was  imrii  in  (  aiiipsie.  Sterling- 
shire,  Scotland,  on  March  15,  1840,  (he  son  of 
James  and  .Jessie  (Nisbet)  Fiddes.  Until  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  resided  in  his 
native  village,  securing  an  education.  In  1850 
he  went  to  the  city  of  Glasgow  and  served  a 
five  years'  apprenticeship  to  the  trade  of  en- 
gineer. The  next  five  years  were  passed  on 
the  sea,  ernisiiig  among  the  East  Indies.  At 
the  time  of  the  war  between  England  and 
Abyssinia  ilr.  Fiddes  was  engaged  in  carrying 
dispatches  between  India  and  Abyssinia  and 
was  in  the  latter  country  at  the  time  of  the 
capture  of  King  Theodore.  Leaving  his  ship 
at  Hagdad,  on  the  river  Euphrates,  be  proceed- 
ed to  Hombay,  thence  up  the  Red  sea  to  Suez, 
and  across  the  desert  to  Alexandria.  Taking 
ship  there.  Mr.  Fiddes  went  down  the  Medit- 
erranean to  Marseilles,  thence  to  Paris  and 
Loudon  and  his  home  in  Campsie.  Scotland. 

Early  in  the  year  1809  Mr.  Fiddes  left  home 
and  crossed  the  sea  to  Canada.  After  visit- 
ing there  a  short  time  with  two  brothers,  he 
moved  to  the  little  village  of  Jackson,  arriving 
ill  .July.  18li9.  He  took  a  homestead  claim 
in  Hunter  township  and  very  soon  after  his 
arrival  went  into  the  general  merchandise 
business  in  partnership  with  J.  \V.  Hunter.  He 
sold  out  in  1872  ami  started  a  hardware  store, 
which  he  conductcil  until  1890.  selling  out  at 
that  time  to  \V.  11.  (lillespie.  Since  that  time 
he  has  devoted  his  time  entirely  to  his  duties 
at  the  postolTice.  Mr.  Fiddes  owns  his  homo 
in  the  city  and  400  acres  of  land  in  Des  Moines 
and   Wisconsin   townships. 

During  bis  long  residence  in  the  county  .Mr. 
I'idiles  has  often  been  called  upon  to  serve  in 
an  DiTicial  capacity.  He  served  as  postmaster 
of  .lackson  from  October  4.  1877.  to  March, 
1880:  from  August,  1889.  (o  November,  189:i, 
and    from    February    1.    1902,    to    the    present 


ALEXANDER  FIDDES 
Postmaster  of  Jackson^and  a  Pioneer, of  that  Village. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  U3RARY 


*«TOR,  LENOX   AMI 
TILOEN   FOUNOatu 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


387 


writing.  Ho  was  fleeted  to  tlie  Minnesota 
legislature  in  1877  and  again  in  1884.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  county 
coram issioner.s  in  1804  and  served  four  years 
as  eliairman  of  the  board.  He  was  clerk  of 
the  district  court  a  short  time  in  1874,  having 
been  appointed  to  fill  a  vacancy.  Mr.  Fidd^s 
was  a  member  of  the  republican  state  central 
committee,  having  been  chosen  to  that  posi- 
tion in  1S95.  He  served  four  years  as  presi- 
dent of  the  village  council  and  for  twenty-five 
years  was  treasurer  of  the  Jackson  school 
board. 

Mr.  Fiddes  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
and  a  Knight  Templar.  He  was  made  a  Ma.son 
in  Renfrew,  Scotland,  in  1865,  becoming  a 
member  of  Prince  of  Wales  lodge  No.  426,  and 
five  months  later  was  made  junior  warden.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  A.  0.  U.  W.  lodge. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  to  Jackson,  on  Sep- 
tember 16,  1869,  Mr.  Fiddes  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Agnes  Hunter.  To  them  have 
been  born  five  children,  all  living.  They  are: 
Jessie  (Mrs.  A.  B.  C'headle),  of  Jackson;  James 
H.,  of  Minneapolis:  .John  S.,  of  Jackson;  David 
H.,  of  Colfax.  Washington:  Alexander  T.,  of 
Jackson. 


JOHN  M.  OLSON  (1872),  ex-county  com- 
missi(uicr  and  a  prominent  farmer  of  Bel- 
mont township,  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was 
born  Octolicr  12,  1845,  one  of  a  family  of  six 
sons  horn  to  ( )le  H.  Mosand  and  Kari  (Stor- 
budalh)    Mosand,   both   deceased. 

Our  subject  resided  with  his  parents  in  Nor- 
way until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
and  during  tills  time  he  received  his  education 
and  worked  in  his  father's  tannery.  He  came 
to  America  in  1807  and  first  located  in  M'^in- 
neshiek  county,  Iowa,  where  iie  spent  the  sum- 
mer. IJuring  the  ne.xt  five  years  Sir.  Olson 
worked  in  the  pineries  of  Wisconsin  and  on 
railroads  and  farms  in  dift'erent  parts  of  Iowa. 
He  arrived  in  Jackson  county  in  1872  and 
homesteaded  the  southeast,  quarter  of  section 
10,  Belmont  tow-nship,  upon  which  he  has  ever 
since  lived.  A  number  of  years  later  he  bought 
the  south  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section   10,   he  now   has  a   farm  of  240   acres. 

Sir.  Olson  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in  the 
aflfairs  of  the  county.  He  served  as  county 
commissioner  from  the  fiftli  district  from  1899 
to    1906,    inclusive,   during   which    time    two    of 


tlie  hotly  contested  battles  for  the  pos.session 
of  the  county  seat  were  waged.  During  his 
incumbency  the  contract  for  the  present  hand- 
some court  house  was  let.  He  is  clerk  of  the 
township  board,  an  office  he  has  held  for  many 
years,  and  for  several  years  he  was  clerk  of 
school  district  No.  39.  Mr.  Olson  is  a  life- 
long republican,  having  cast  his  fir.st  vote  for 
U.  S.  Grant  for  president. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Olson  occurred  in  Al- 
lamakee county,  Iowa,  September  10,  1872, 
when  he  wedded  ilary  Anderson,  a  native  of 
Norway.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  living 
children,  named  as  follows:  Cora  (Mrs.  N.  H. 
Strand),  Obert,  Christie  (Mrs.  John  L.  Strom), 
Peter,  Julia.  Ida,  James  and  Mebel.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  of  Christiania   township. 


GEORGE  E.  NELSON  (1876)  is  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Nelson  Bros.,  clothing  merchants 
and  tailors  of  Heron  Lake.  He  was  born  in 
Norway  August  3,  1876,  the  son  of  Herman 
and  Bertha  (Olson)  Nelson.  Herman  Nelson 
was  a  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker  and  fol- 
lowed those  occupations  all  his  life.  He  emi- 
grated to  Amei-ica  and  to  Jackson  county  in 
1876  and  died  in  Heron  Lake  in  1882,  at  the 
age  of  34  years.  Tlie  mother  of  our  subject 
lives  in  Heron  Lake  and  is  61  years  of  age. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 
whom  Mrs.  Gilbert  Johnson  died  September  18, 
1906,  aged  34  years,  and  George,  Hugbert  and 
Julia  are  living. 

George  came  to  Jackson  county  when  an 
infant  and  this  has  been  his  home  ever  since 
with  the  exception  of  a  year  and  a  half,  in 
1901  and  1902,  when  he  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Becker  county,  Minnesota.  He  was 
educated  in  tlie  schools  of  Heron  Lake.  After 
his  school  days  he  worked  on  the  farm  until 
after  his  marriage  in  1897.  Then  he  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  account  on  rented 
land.  He  bought  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  24,  Weimer  township,  in  January.  1902, 
and  has  since  added  to  liis  holdings  by  the 
purchase  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  same  section.  He 
engaged  in  farming  until  1908.  In  February, 
1909,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother,' 
Hugbert  Nelson,  and  embarked  in  the  clothing 
and  tailoring  business  in  Heron  Lake. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in  Jackson  April 
29,   1897,   to   Jlinnie   Seines,  a   native   of   Iowa 


388 


BJOCliArilJCAL  IIIS'JUKY. 


and  tlie  dauglitor  of  01c  Selr.os,  a  pioneer  set- 
tler of  Weimer  township.  Mr.  Seines  secured 
title  to  tlic  southwest  quarter  of  section  24, 
Weimer,  under  the  lirst  tree  claim  law.  He 
now  resides  in  his  native  country  (Norway), 
where  he  went  a  year  ago  and  where  he  ex- 
pects to  make  his  future  home.  To  Afr.  and 
Mrs.  Nelson  has  been  I)orn  one  oliild,  (iordon. 
horn  in  1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  are  mem- 
bers of  tlie  Lutheran  church,  lie  served  as 
road  overseer  of  Weimer  township  one  year. 


D.  W.  PULVER  (1871)  is  an  implement 
dealer  of  Jackson  and  carries  one  of  the  larg- 
est lines  of  implements  in  Jackson  county. 
He  is  a  pioneer  of  the  county  and  has  lived 
here  since  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  He  is  the 
son  of  Martin  V.  Pulver,  who  died  in  18S4, 
and  Sarah  (Wolcott)  Pulver,  who  died  at  her 
home  in  Lakefield,  May  28,  1909,  aged  80 
years. 

D.  W.  Pulver  was  born  to  these  parents  in 
Jackson,  MIcliigan,  May  14,  1861.  In  180u 
the  family  moved  to  Oakfield,  Wisconsin,  and 
one  year  later  to  Martin  county,  Minnesota. 
Two  miles  east  of  the  village  of  Fairmont  the 
family  located  on  a  preemption  claim  and  re- 
sided there  unfi!  July,  1871.  At  that  time 
the  father  of  our  subject  located  a  homestead 
claim  on  section  2,  Hunter  township,  two  miles 
cast  of  the  present  village  of  Lakefield,  and 
in  a  sod  shanty  on  that  claim  D.  W.  Pulver 
began  life  in  Jackson  county.  In  1884  he  left 
(he  farm  and  moved  to  Jackson,  taking  a 
position  as  local  and  traveling  salesman  for 
the  Huber  Manufacturing  company,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  four  years.  The  next  four 
years  he  held  a  like  position  with  the  Dowag- 
nic  Drill  company.  He  severed  his  connection 
with  that  company  in  1892  and  for  several 
years  following  was  engaged  in  buying,  selling 
and  operating  threshing  machinery.  In  1901 
he  opened  a  store  of  general  implements  and 
has  built  up  an  excellent  business.  Mr.  Pul- 
ver owns  200  acres  of  land  in  Hunter  township 
and  propertj'  in  Jackson.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 

Mr.  Pulver  was  married  August  7,  1887,  to 
Carolina  M.  Arnesen.  To  them  were  born 
foiir  children,  oidy  one  of  whom  is  living, 
fJrace  L.,  born  January  II,  1889.  The  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Pulver  occurred  February  15, 
1900,  when  he  wedded  H^^dina  Voldcn. 


WILLIAM  CAKLESTROM  (1871)  is  the 
proprietor  of  a  general  merchandise  store  at 
\\'ilder.  He  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Jack- 
son county,  luiving  been  born  in  IJelafield 
township  (Muber  21,  1871,  the  son  of  C.  U. 
and  Mariali  Christiana  Carlestrom.  His  par- 
ents, who  were  both  natives  of  Sweden,  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1871  and  took  a  home- 
stead on  section  28,  Delafield  township.  There 
C.  D.  Carlestrom  and  a  ten  year  old  son,  Clar- 
ice, met  death  in  a  lilizzard  on  January  12, 
1872.  The  mother  of  our  subject  married  Aug- 
ust Linstrom  and  now  resides  in  Wilder. 

William  Carlestrom  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  Delafield  township  and  in 
the  Breck  school  at  Wilder,  in  which  institu- 
tion he  was  a  student  one  year.  In  1894  lie 
left  his  mother's  iiome  and  for  three  years 
worked  out  on  the  farm.  He  then  rented  a 
farm,  which  he  conducted  three  years.  In 
1899  Mr.  Carlestrom  moved  to  the  village  of 
Wilder  and  has  since  made  his  home  there. 
He  conducted  a  dray  line  three  years  and 
then  for  three  and  one-half  years  was  mana- 
ger of  the  D.  L.  Riley  lumber  yard.  In  the 
spring  of  1907  he  engaged  in  business  on  his 
own  account,  opening  a  general  merchandise 
store.  In  August  of  the  same  year  he  was 
burned  out,  but  immediately  bought  his  pres- 
ent  place  of  business  and  put  in  a  new  stock. 

Mr.  Carlestrom  was  married  in  Weimer 
township  in  1897  to  Anna  A.  Knudson,  who 
was  born  in  Sweden  and  wlio  came  to  the 
United  States  when  six  years  of  age.  At  the 
age  of  seven  she  was  adopted  into  the  fam- 
ily of  Chris  Knudson.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carle- 
strom have  been  born  five  children:  Clarence, 
(icorge  A.,  Ansel.  Velma  J.  and  Alyrtle.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran 
church.  Mr.  Carlestrom  was  a  member  of  the 
Wilder  village  council  two  years  and  served  as 
street  commissioner  the  same  length  of  time. 


JAMES  B.  MOSES  (1877)  is  an  early  day 
settler  of  Jackson  county  and  a  pioneer  of 
Minnesota,  having  come  to  the  commonwealth 
in  territorial  days.  He  owns  a  240  acre  farm 
in  Middlctown  and  Petersburg  townships,  three 
miles  south  of  Jackson,  his  residence  being  in 
the  former  precinct. 

Mr.  Moses  descends  from  Pilgrim  and  rev- 
olutionary stock.  His  parents,  Shepherd  and 
Sarah  (Hering)  Moses,  were  born  in  the  state 
of  Maine,  came  to  Minnesota  with   their  fam- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


389 


ily  in  1855,  and  lived  to  advanced  ages,  his 
fatlier  dying  at  the  age  of  95  years  and  his 
motliei-  at  the  age  of  92  years.  Of  nine  chil- 
dren of  this  family  five  were  veterans  of  the 
civil  war.  Seven  of  the  children  are  still  liv- 
ing. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in 
Piscataquis  county,  Maine,  on  the  second  day 
of  January,  1843.  He  lived  in  his  native  state 
until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  all  the  educa- 
tion he  received  in  schools  was  obtained  dur- 
ing the  first  twelve  years  of  his  life.  In  1855 
he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Steele  county, 
Minnesota  territory,  where  his  father  took  a 
preemption  claim.  His  early  ambition  was  to 
become  a  school  teacher,  but  because  of  the 
lack  of  school  facilities  he  was  unable  to  se- 
cure the  education  he  craved.  But  by  home 
study  and  diligent  reading  he  acquired  a  fair 
education,  and  after  reaching  his  majority 
took  up  teaching  as  his  profession. 

In  1S02  Mr.  Moses  enlisted  at  Faribault, 
Jlinnesota,  as  a  member  of  company  H,  of 
the  First  Minnesota  cavalry,  and  served  until 
his  muster  out  at  Fort  Snelling  in  December, 
1863.  He  saw  serWce  on  the  frontier  at  Fort 
Ridgely  and  was  in  General  Sibley's  Indian  ex- 
pedition to  Bismarck. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr. 
Moses  began  teaching  school  and  was  so  en- 
gaged fifteen  years.  During  the  summer 
months  for  a  large  part  of  this  time  he  was 
engaged  with  a  government  surveying  party, 
his  crew  being  engaged  in  making  the  survey 
of  Chippewa,  Lyon,  Nobles  and  Rock  counties 
in  1808.  In  1871  Mr.  Moses  married  and  took 
a  homestead  claim  in  Cottonwood  county, 
where  he  resided  until  1877.  After  having 
passed  through  the  terrible  grasshopper 
scourge  of  the  seventies,  he  sold  his  claim  and 
in  1877  came  to  Jackson  county.  He  pre- 
empted the  northwest  quarter  of  section  12, 
Middletown  township,  and  has  made  his  home 
on  that  place  ever  since.  Upon  his  arrival  to 
Jackson  county  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
teaching  school,  having  taught  four  terms  in 
district  No.  3. 

Mr.  Moses  was  married  at  Owatonna,  Min- 
nesota, November  7,  1871,  to  Lavinia  Martin, 
a  native  of  New  York  state  and  a  sister  of 
Mrs.  G.  A.  Albertus,  of  Jackson.  They  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  named  as  follows: 
Bert,  Gertrude,  Millie,  Ernest,  Cora,  Roy  and 
Gaylord.  Mr.  Moses  served  as  township  clerk 
for  fifteen  years  and  was  clerk  of  his   school 


district  for  twenty  years.    lie  is  a  member  of 
tlie  G.  A.  R.  post. 


CARL  F.  ROSSOW  (1877)  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous farmers  of  Heron  Lake  township,  hav- 
ing a  fine  home  on  his  240  acre  farm  on  sec- 
tion 15.  He  was  born  in  Germany  May  24, 
1808,  the  son  of  Carl  and  Fredericka  (Berlin) 
Rossow.  His  father  is  now  a  resident  of 
Heron  Lake  township;  his  mother  died  in 
1886. 

Carl  came  to  the  United  States  and  to  Jack- 
son county  with  his  parents  in  1877  and  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  resided  on  the 
farm  with  his  parents  on  section  8,  Heron 
Lake  township.  He  attended  the  district 
school  and  grew  to  manhood  working  on  his 
father's  farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he 
married  and  bought  his  present  farm.  There 
were  no  buildings  on  the  place  at  that  time 
nor  was  the  land  broken,  all  the  improvements 
on  the  farm  having  been  made  by  him.  Mr. 
Rossow  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Heron 
Lake  township  board  of  supervisors  for  the 
past  sixteen  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German   Lutheran   church. 

In  Heron  Lake  township,  December  10,  1889, 
Mr.  Rossow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rosa 
Miller,  who  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Illinois. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Fred  and  Frances 
Miller,  residents  of  Heron  Lake  township.  To 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Rossow  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Arthur,  born  January  7, 
1894;  Richard,  born  January  14,  1890;  Harry, 
born  February  14,  1898;  Paul,  born  March  16, 
1900;  Arnold,  born  June  27,  1904;  Rosalia, 
born  March  25,  1902;  Lilly,  born  May  17,  1900; 
Alma,  born  January   12,  1909. 


FRANK  J.  STENZEL  (1877)  is  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  of  Weimer  township.  He 
cwns  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  5  and 
tlie  north  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  20,  LaCrosse  township.  He  has  a  well 
improved  farm  and  as  fine  a  home  as  there  is 
in  the  township.  The  farm  has  a  fine  grove 
and  a  splendid  orchard.  Mr.  Stenzel  engages 
extensively  in  stock  raising  and  has  a  herd  of 
four  hundred  sheep. 

Mr.  Stenzel  is  a  native  of  Austria  and  was 
born  April  22,  1871.  He  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  America  in  1877  and  grew  to  man- 
hood on  his  father's  farm  on  section  8,  Weimer. 


390 


\1' 


K'AI.    lllS'ldl.'V. 


lie  livi'd  with  liis  parents,  working  on  llie 
farm,  until  lie  was  IwiMitysix  years  of  age. 
Then  he  iniirrieil  ami  lionf-lit  the  farm  whieh 
he  has  sinee  eontlueteil.  Mr.  Stenzel  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Weimer  hoard  of  supervisors  and 
lias  served  in  that  eapaeity  four  years.  He 
has  hien  <derk  of  sehord  district  Xo.  .12  for 
the  past  eighteen  years  :ind  has  lieen  township 
assessor  three  years.  Mr.  Stenzel  has  othi'r 
business  interests  besides  his  farming,  lie 
has  been  a  director  of  tlic  Farmers  Coopera- 
tive Klevrttor  company  of  Heron  Lake  since 
its  organization  and  he  has  been  a  director 
of  the  Farmers  .'^late  Hank  of  Heron  Lake 
since  that  institution  was  organized.  He  is  a 
member  of  tlie  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  are  Frank  and 
Marie  Stenzel,  botli  of  whom  are  residents  of 
Weimer  township.  Frank,  of  lliis  sketch,  is 
the  eldest  of  a  faniilv  of  nine  cliildrcn.  the 
others  being  Clem.  Maiy.  .Annie.  Rudolph, 
Kmma,  .Julius.  •John  and   Kliza. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Stenzel  (nciirrcd  at 
lIcMiTi  Lake  Xovemlwr  4,  1807.  wlicn  be  wed- 
ded -Mollie  Mixner,  who  was  born  in  Austria 
May  1.  lS7:t.  To  lln-m  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  Hayniond,  born 
Scplenilicr  2:1,  1808:  Herman,  born  Oeeembcr 
6,  1800;  Stephana,  born  NovcmlH-r  27,  1001; 
Willie,  born  August  10,  lOCK!:  F.lmer.  born 
April  Iti.  limr);  Kddie,  born  Febnuiry  14.  1007: 
Frank,   born   .Ian\iarv   27.    1000, 


t;EOR(;K  WirilKHS  ilS7(l|.  Mi.ldhtown 
township  farnn^r.  has  livi'd  in  .lackson  county 
since  he  was  a  boy  twelve  years  of  age.  He 
is  a  son  of  the  late  Walter  and  .lane  E.  (Allen) 
Withers  and  was  born  in  Fillmore  co\mty. 
Minnesota,  August    IS,  1S.')7. 

(ieorge  lived  with  his  parents  in  Fillmore 
county  until  1S70  and  then  came  with  tlicni 
to  •laekson  (unnly.  I'lilil  lie  was  past  twen- 
ty-three years  of  age  he  lived  with  his  parents 
on  the  farm—the  southeast  ipiarter  of  section 
2,  Middletown  township — securing  an  ediu'a- 
tion  and  assisting  with  the  farm  work.  In 
1881  he  nuirried  and  engaged  in  farming  on 
his  own  account,  one  year  on  a  rented  farm  in 
Midilletown,  one  year  in  Wisconsin  township, 
and  tlu-ii  he  bought  forty  acres  of  his  present 
farm  and  has  since  made  bis  home  on  his  pres- 
ent   location;    his  farm  consists  of   lliO  acres. 

During  his  long  residence  in  Middletown  Mr. 
Withers  has  taken  an  ;ictive  part   in   local  af- 


fair.s.  He  was  township  assessor  seventeen 
years  and  was  a  member  of  the  township 
board  two  years,  lie  is  now  town  clerk,  an 
olfice  he  has  held  for  eight  years.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  served  as  clerk  of  school  dii>- 
trict  No.  lid.  He  is  :i  meinbcr  of  the  Yeomen 
lodge. 

Mr.  Withers  was  married  in  .lackson  county 
February  22,  1881,  to  Carrie  A.  Yarns.  She 
was  born  in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  Jan- 
uary 5,  18G0,  a  daughter  of  II.  B.  Y'arus,  de- 
ceased, an  early  settler  of  .lackson  county. 
.Mrs.  Withers  died  in  April,  1808.  As  a  result 
of  this  union  were  born  the  following  named 
childriii:  Ernest  ()..  born  April  2.).  1882: 
Harry  W'.,  born  November  14,  1883;  .Jesse  A., 
born  June  22,  1887;  Uobert  H..  born  December 
l(i.  1888;  Lillie,  born  March  Hi.  180:!.  died 
February  25,  180.5:  Clara  E.,  born  April  Kf. 
1808. 

The  second  nianiage  of  Mi.  Withers  occur- 
red .July  2l>.  loot),  wlien  he  wcihled  Mrs.  Sojiliia 
Thompson,  a  native  of  Dennnirk.  who  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1881  and  located  nt 
South  Jiend.  Indiana.  By  a  former  marriage 
she  is  the  mother  of  two  iliijdren:  Xels 
Tlionip^on.    deceased,    iiiid    I'liiiiii;!    'I'lioinpson. 


I'ETEl!  r,  KIA  KlU'M  (ls72i.  lineman  for 
the  .lackson  Telephone  company,  is  a  native 
of  the  county,  having  been  born  in  Christ iania 
township  on  .Inly  10.  1872,  the  son  of  Peder 
().  and  Beret  (Hagen)  Elverum.  he  being  the 
eldest  of  a  family  of  three  children.  A  si.ster, 
Mrs.  Clarence  Setlier,  resides  in  Christiania 
township,  and  a  brother.  Bernt  Elverum.  lives 
in  West  Heron  Lake  township.  His  eldest 
brother.  ( )le.  dieil  ill  1804.  Two  sisters.  Beret 
and  .Sarah,  died  wlien  live  and  three  years  old, 
respectively.  Our  subject's  parents  were  born 
in  .stordal,  Norway,  were  married  there  and 
lanie  to  the  I'niled  States  in  1.870.  They  liv 
I'll  one  year  ill  Minneapolis  and  then  came  to 
.lai'kson  county  and  honicstcaded  land  in  Chris- 
tiania. The  father  ilied  ill  1870  at  tin'  age  of 
4.")  years.  The  mother  lives  with  her  ihiugli- 
ler,  Mrs.  Clarence  Setlier.  ami   i-  7li  years  old. 

I'eter  I*.  Elverum  sjient  Ihc  greater  part  of 
his  lif...  on  the  home  farm.  There  be  assisted 
in  the  farm  work  and  in  a  nearby  school  se- 
cured his  primary  education.  After  quitting 
the  country  school  he  became  a  student  at 
the  Breck  school  of  Wilder,  which  he  attended 
three    terms,      .\fter    attending    that    school    he 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOliY. 


391 


engaged  in  teacliiiij;.  which  lie  followed  six 
years.  In  1804,  after  his  brother's  death,  he 
took  the  management  of  the  liome  farm  and 
conducted  it  several  years.  In  11)02  he  opened 
a  blacksmith  shop  at  Bergen  and  operated 
that  two  years.  Then,  in  1004,  he  moved  to 
Jackson  and  took  a  position  as  lineman  for 
the  .Jackson  Telephone  compan.y.  One  year 
later  he  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the 
telephone  line  between  .Jackson  and  Spirit 
Lake  and  the  one  from  Blue  Earth  to  Albeit 
Lea.  Returning  to  .Jackson  after  the  season's 
work,  he  again  took  a  position  with  the  tele- 
phone com])any  and  has  since  been  employed 
as  its  lineman. 

Mr.  Elverum  owns  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
Christiania  township.  For  several  terms  lie 
served  as  assessor  of  that  precinct.  He  is  a 
member  of   the  Lutheran   church. 


.TOHX  \V.  :\I1LLER  (1808),  farmer  and 
breeder  of  Belgium  horses,  resides  on  the  farm 
on  section  30,  Wisconsin  township,  upon  which 
he  was  born  and  where  he  has  spent  the  forty- 
one  years  of  his  life.  The  date  of  his  birth 
was  Xovember  10,  1808,  and  his  parents  are 
Michael  and  Annie  (Gerlach)  Miller,  now  resi- 
dents of  Jackson.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of 
live  living  children,  of  whom  the  others  are 
Mary  and  Herman,  of  Xortli  Dakota,  and 
Laura   and  William,  of  Washington. 

John  received  his  education  in  the  school 
of  district  Xo.  14.  He  lived  with  his  parents 
on  the  farm  until  he  became  of  age  and,  with 
the  exception  of  two  or  three  years,  has  lived 
witli  his  parents  since  that  time.  He  bought 
the  property  in  100.3  and  has  since  made  many 
improvements  on  the  place.  He  owns  100  acres 
on  sections  30  and  31,  Wisconsin,  and  40  acres 
on  section  25,  Dcs  Moines.  He  has  held  the 
office  of  road  overseer  and  has  been  a  director 
of  school  district  Xo.  14  for  a  dozen  years.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  A.  0.  L'.  W.  lodge. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  at  .Jackson  August 
20,  1893,  to  Katie  Bunderle.  a  native  of  Ne- 
braska. They  are  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
as  follows:  ]>ert.  Roy.  .Johnnie,  Dais}-,  Anna, 
Laura.    Kva.   William.   Louisa    and   Katie. 


THEODORE  E.  SCHUMACHER  (1872)  has 
been  engaged  in  the  meat  market  business  in 
Heron  I..iike  for  the  past  twenty-two  years 
He   is   a   native  of  Brown   county,   Minnesota, 


and  was  born  Xovember  30,  ISlil.  His  fatlier, 
Henry  Schumacher,  who  now  resides  at  Heron 
Lake  and  is  77  years  of  age,  is  a  pioneer  of 
Minnesota.  He  was  born  in  Germany  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1853.  He  lived 
one  year  south  of  Chicago  and  then  located  in 
Xew  Ulmj  jjinnesota.  There  he  was  married 
and  engaged  in  farming  until  1872.  That  year 
lie  moved  to  .Jackson  county,  took  a  homestead 
and  tree  claim  in  Alba  township,  and  resided 
on  the  farm  until  190.5,  when  he  moved  to 
Heron  I-,ake.  Caroline  (Haner)  Schumacher, 
our  subject's  mother,  is  also  a  native  of  Ger- 
many.    She  is  now  seventy-three  years  old. 

Theodore  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  seven 
children.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jack- 
son county  in  .June,  1872,  and  resided  on  the 
Alba  township  farm  until  the  fall  of  1887. 
He  then  moved  to  Heron  Lake  and  opened  a 
meat  market,  building  his  present  place  of 
business,  and  has  ever  since  conducted  tlie 
shop.  In  1906  he  admitted  Chris  Johnson  as  a 
partner  in  the  business.  Mr.  Schumacher  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  of  the 
Woodmen.  Roj'al  Neighbors,  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias and  Modern  Brotherhood  lodges. 

Mr.  Schumacher  was  married  in  .Jackson 
county  X^ovember  3.  1889,  to  Mary  C.  King,  a 
native  of  LeSueur  county,  Minnesota.  Her 
fatlier,  William  King,  was  an  early  Minnesota 
pioneer  who  died  when  Mrs.  Schumacher  was 
six  months  old.  Her  mother,  Catherine  (Chat- 
terden)  King,  now  lives  in  Jackson  county.  To 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Schumacher  have  been  horn  six 
children:  Gertrude.  Leon,  George,  Gretchen, 
Xed   and   Paul. 


GEORCJE  H.  SAWYER  (1875),  of  Jackson, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  thirty-five 
jears.  He  was  born  in  Piscataquis  county, 
Maine,  .July  14,  1853,  son  of  Phineas  and  Ada- 
line  (Drake)  Sawyer,  Both  these  parents  were 
also  natives  of  Maine  and  spent  their  early 
lives  in  that  state.  Phineas  Sawyer  enlisted 
at  Bangor.  Maine,  in  company  H,  of  the  22nd 
infantry,  and  served  one  year  with  the  union 
forces  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  In 
the  east  Mr,  Sawyer  engaged  in  farming  and 
lumbering.  He  came  west  with  his  family  in 
1871  and  homesteaded  in  Cottonwood  county, 
Jlinnesota.  The  family  came  to  .Jackson 
county  in  1875  and  for  three  years  lived  in 
.Jackson.  Then  Phineas  Sawyer  purchased  a 
farm   in    Jliddletown   township,   where   he   en- 


392 


IllocnAPTITrAL  TIISTOKY. 


gaged  ill  fanning  until  iuii  or  Iwelvc  jears 
ago.  Kc'tiring  from  active  pursuits  at  tliat 
time,  lie  located  in  Jackson  and  has  since  lived 
a  retired  life.  Jle  still  owns  his  old  farm 
south  of  town.  Mrs.  Sawyer,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  died  .September  29,  1907,  at  the 
age  of  79  years.  There  are  six  children  in 
the  family,  as  follows:  lieorgc  II.,  Lucy  (Mrs. 
■I.  1).  Haiighman),  Charles  Albert,  Klhcl  (Mrs. 
-\.  II.  Haughnuin)  and  l-'red.  Charles  and  Al- 
bert reside  iu  Nebraska;  the  others  are  in 
Jack-son  county. 

(ieorge  Sjiwycr  lived  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  -Maine  and  after  coming  west  for 
several  years  worked  for  his  father  on  the 
farm.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  engaged 
in  farming  for  himself  in  Middletown  town- 
ship, buying  a  farm  a  short  distance  south  of 
Jackson.  Ho  farmed  there  until  1892,  when 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  Jackson.  In  1S9-J 
he  engaged  in  the  fuel  business,  in  which  he 
was  engaged  for  ten  or  eleven  years.  Since 
disposing  of  his  business  be  has  been  engaged 
in  various  occupations,  in  addition  to  looking 
after  his  Middletown  township  farm.  In  the 
village  he  owns  05  acres  of  land,  residence 
property  and  a  business  lot. 

While  a  resident  of  Middletown  Mr.  Sawyer 
served  as  a  memljor  of  the  township  board 
and  as  a  school  director  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  Jackson  he  served  one  year  as  a  member 
of  the  village  council  and  is  now  the  street 
commissioner.  He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W. 
A.  and  the  M.  B.  A.  lodges. 

Mr.  .Sawyer  was  married  in  Middletown 
township  in  October,  1879,  to  Fannie  Rus- 
sell, a  native  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Russell,  one  of  the  settlers  of 
the  late  .seventies.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sawyer 
have  been  born  five  children,  named  as  fol- 
lows: Ethel  C,  born  September  1,  1880; 
Krank  A.,  born  July  21,  1884;  Susie  M.,  born 
September  2.3,  1890:  Pearl,  born  July  14,  189-1; 
Howard,  born  March   18,  1897. 


lIKNTiY  A.  STALL  (1870)  owns  and  farms 
the  northeast  qunrler  of  section  2,  Des  iloines 
township.  He  was  born  on  that  farm  May  29, 
1879,  the  son  of  Oliver  and  Helen  (Skogen) 
Stall,  of  whom  the  former  is  now  living  in 
Jackson  and  the  latter  died  in  1901.  Oliver 
Stall  was  born  in  Norway,  came  to  tlie  United 
States    when    young    and    located    in    Illinois. 


He  serveil  three  years  as  a  soldier  in  the  union 
army,  and  immediately  after  his  discharge 
came  to  Jackson  county,  iu  the  spring  of  18(55, 
when  there  were  less  than  250  residents  in 
the  whole  of  Jackson  county.  He  homesteaded 
the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son  in  Ues  Moines 
township. 

Henry  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
of  Ues  Moines  township  and  until  he  reached 
his  majority  worked  for  his  father  on  the 
farm.  Then  he  rented  the  farm  and  conducted 
it  under  the  lease  until  1907.  That  year  he 
bought   the   farm. 

Mr.  Stall  was  married  in  Enterprise  town- 
ship in  September,  1903,  to  Bertha  Wiger, 
who  was  born  in  Jackson  county  February  24, 
1880.  She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Ole 
Wiger,  who  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Enterprise  township  and  who  died  in  1905. 
Tliree  diildren  have  been  born  t»  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stall,  namely:  Hayes,  Bert  and  Gordon.  Mr. 
Stall  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America   lodge. 


JACOB  C.  JACKSON  (1879)  is  a  Wiscon- 
sin township  farmer  and  a  Jackson  county 
resident  of  thirty  years  standing.  He  owns 
400  acres  of  land  on  sections  28  and  29,  his 
home  being  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 28,  and  he  is  one  of  the  big  farmers  of  the 
township.  Mr.  Jackson  was  born  in  Henmark 
.May  22,  1851,  the  son  of  S.  C.  and  Kasten 
(Nelson)  Jackson,  both  of  whom  died  in  their 
native  land.  There  were  seven  children  in  the 
family,  namely,  Trena,  Peter,  Maria,  Jacob, 
Paul.sine,  Carolina  and  Carl. 

Until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  Jacob  at- 
tended the  schools  of  his  native  country,  re- 
siding with  his  parents,  and  thereafter  work- 
ing si.\  years  as  a  farm  laborer.  He  came  to 
America  in  1872  and  settled  at  Rjicino.  Wis- 
consin; wliere  he  lived  six  years.  After  one 
year  spent  in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  he 
came  to  Jackson  county,  arriving  in  1879.  He 
worked  on  Jaek,son  county  farms  until  1882; 
then  he  married  and  moved  to  Sherburn, 
where  he  resided  two  years.  Returning  to 
Jackson  county  ho  worked  at  farm  work  until 
1889,  when  he  bought  a  quarter  section  of  his 
present  farm  from  Mrs.  Preston  and  engaged 
in  farming  for  himself.  He  has  made  all  the 
improvements  on  the  farm  and  has  since  add- 
ed to  his  possessions  by  the  purchase  of  the 
other   acres   described.      He    was   chairman    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


393 


the  school  board  of  district  No.  9  for  four 
years,  and  for  several  years  was  township 
treasurer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Danish 
Brotherhood    lodge. 

Air.  Jackson  was  married  Xovember  30,  1882, 
to  JIaria  Mather,  who  was  born  in  Illinois. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  this  union: 
Edward  T.,  born  March  15,  1884,  died  Novem- 
ber 28,  1890;  Earl  C,  born  May  28,  1887;  Lc- 
Roy,  born  January  13,  1892;  Jay  T.,  born  July 
2,   1898. 


WILLIAM  E.  FREEMIRE  (1874)  owns  and 
farms  the  nortlieast  quarter  of  section  32, 
Weimer  township,  a  short  distance  south  of 
Heron  Lake.  He  is  an  early  day  settler  of 
Jackson  county  and  a  native  JMinnesotan,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Fillmore  county  January  G, 
18.58 — before  Minnesota  had  been  admitted  as 
a  state.  His  father,  George  H.  Freemire,  is  a 
native  of  New  York  state  and  still  lives  on 
the  old  home  farm,  aged  87  years.  The  moth- 
er of  our  subject  was  Susan  Maria  (Pease) 
Freemire.  She  \\as  a  native  of  Vermont  and 
died  in  Jackson  county  August  13,  1909,  aged 
82  years. 

William  spent  the  first  seven  years  of  his 
life  in  Fillmore  county  and  then  accompanied 
the  family  to  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa.  There 
he  lived  until  1874,  when  he  came  with  the 
family  to  Jackson  county.  From  the  time  of 
his  aiMval  until  1892  Mr.  Freemire  resided 
with  his  parents  on  their  farm,  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  32,  Weimer  township.  Tlicn 
he  moved  onto  his  present  place,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  He  served  nine  years  as 
clerk  of  Weimer  township.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  W.  A.  and  A.  O.  U.  W.  lodges. 

At  Windom  in  February,  1885,  Mr.  Freemire 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Clara  Howe,  a  na- 
tive of  Vermont.  To  them  have  been  born 
five  children,  as  follows:  Erwin,  Henry,  Jen- 
nie, Frank  and   Susan. 


S.  0.  HARSTAD  (1871).  Christiania  town- 
ship farmer,  has  lived  in  Jackson  county  ever 
since  he  was  five  years  of  age.  He  is  the  son 
of  Ole  Severson  Harstad  and  Mary  (Engan) 
Harstad  and  was  born  in  Norway  August  8, 
18G6. 

When  our  subject  was  eleven  months  of 
age  the  family  came  to  America  and  from 
18G7.to  May,  1871,  he  lived  with  his  parents 


in  Minneapolis;  then  he  accompanied  them  to 
Jackson  county.  He  received  a  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  school  and  completed  his 
education  in  the  Breek  school  at  Wilder.  He 
received  a  second  grade  certificate  and  engaged 
in  teaching,  being  so  employed  during  the 
years  1896  to  1900,  inclusive,  and  during  1907 
and  1908.  Jlr.  Harstad  now  has  the  manage- 
ment of  the  home  farm  and  engages  in  stock 
raising  quite  extensively. 

Mr.  Harstad  has  taken  an  active  interest 
in  local  business  and  political  affairs.  He  has 
been  secretary  of  the  Christiania  Creamery 
company  for  ten  years,  and  has  stock  in  the 
Farmers  State  Bank  of  Windom  and  in  the 
Christiania  Mercantile  companj'.  He  was  the 
first  postmaster  of  the  Bergen  office  and  of- 
ficiated eight  years.  He  has  been  clerk  of 
Christiania  township  for  the  past  eight  years, 
was  supervisor  two  years  and  constable  one 
vear. 


ANTON  TEIGEN  (1879),  farmer  of  Ues 
Moines  township,  has  resided  upon  the  farm 
he  now  owns  since  he  was  two  years  of  age. 
He  is  the  son  of  Ole  L.  and  Breta  (Brakke) 
Teigen.  The  former  died  in  Jackson  ilarch 
25j  1906,  aged  seventy-two  years;  the  latter 
lives  in  Jackson  and  is  seventy-five  years  of 
age. 

Anton  was  born  to  these  parents  in  Blue 
Earth  county,  Minnesota,  February  12,  1877, 
and  was  a  baby  two  years  old  when  he  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Jackson  county  in  a 
prairie  schooner.  The  balance  of  his  life  he 
has  spent  on  the  farm  which  his  father  bought 
the  year  before  coming  to  the  county.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  in  the 
Jackson  public  schools,  which  he  attended  two 
terms.  Until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age 
he  worked  for  his  father;  then  he  rented  the 
farm  and  engaged  in  business  for  himself. 
Several  years  ago  his  father  moved  to  Jack- 
son, and  the  year  before  that  event  Anton 
bought  the  farm.  Since  then  he  has  added  to 
the  dimensions  of  his  farm  by  the  purchase 
of  ninety  acres  in  the  vicinity. 

Mr.  Teigen  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
townsliip  January  16,  1907,  to  Lena  Johnson, 
a  native  of  the  village  of  Heron  Lake  and  a 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Matilda  Johnson,  of 
Heron  Lake  township.  Two  children,  twins, 
have  been  born  to  this  union,  namely:  Val- 
demar   and   Harold,   born    November    17,    1907. 


24 


394 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Mr.  anj  Mrs.  Toigen  are  members  of  tlie  Xor- 
wegiaii   Lutlicnin  cliuroli. 


WILLIA.M  T.  .MUIK  (18(39),  of  Jackson,  has 
spent  tlie  forty  years  of  lii.s  life  in  Jackson 
county,  having  been  born  in  iliddlelown  town- 
ship June  19,  ISOSJ,  the  son  of  H.  C.  anil  Mary 
(McLaiu)   Muir. 

The  tirst  twenty-two  years  of  his  life  Wil- 
liam iluir  spent  on  liis  fatlier"s  Jliddletown 
township  farm,  receiving  liis  education  in  the 
district  schools.  In  1891  he  moved  to  Jackson 
and  engaged  in  llie  dray  and  transfer  busi- 
ness, which  he  conducted  eight  years,  lie 
then  engaged  in  the  land  and  implement  busi- 
ness, and  also  ran  a  lumber  yard,  with  which 
he  was  identified  until  1908,  wlien  he  sold  to 
Jens  Jensen.  Jlr.  Muir  now  liolds  the  olficc  of 
boiler  inspector.  He  owns  an  interest  in  the 
Jackson  tow  mill.  He  lias  lliO  acres  of  farm- 
ing land  in  Middletown  township  and  240 
acres  in  Lamoure  county.  North  Dakota.  He 
is   a   member    of   the    Woodmen   lodge. 

Mr.  Muir  was  married  in  the  fall  of  1804 
to  Ella  J.  Davis,  and  to  this  union  was  born 
one  child,  Kdwill  L.,  born  October  7,  1890. 
Mrs.  Muir  died  March  2.5,  1897.  The  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Muir  occurred  June  19,  1899, 
when  he  wedded  Anna  M.  Davis.  To  them 
have  been  born  thi-ce  children:  Kenneth  V., 
born  August  2(i,  1902;  (Georgia  K.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1905;  Kobert  M.,  born  April  19,  1909. 


ANDERS  R.  KILEN  (1807).  One  of  Die 
wealthiest  and  best  known  farmers  of  Jack- 
son county  is  Anders  R.  Kilon,  who  has  made 
his  home  in  Belmont  township  for  forty-three 
years  and  who  has  jiassed  through  many  of 
the  trying  limes  of  pioneer  days.  Coming  to 
the  county  as  a  young  man  not  yet  of  age 
with  practically  nothing  in  the  way  of  earthly 
possessions,  by  frugality  and  strict  attention 
to  business,  he  lias  accumulated  a  fortune. 
His  farm  consists  of  one  thousand  acres  of 
choice  land  in  one  body  in  Uclmont  township, 
of  which  lie  farms  about  one  section.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  Jackson  county  possessions  he 
owns  a  section  of  Canadian  land  and  has  busi- 
ness properly  in  Lakelield.  .Vs  a  grower  i>f 
choice  grain  Mr.  Kilen  is  perhaps  bettor  known 
than  any  larnier  of  southern  Minnesota,  be- 
cau.se  of  his  s\iccess  in  exhibiting  cereals  at 
the  world's  fairs  and  carrying  away  the  high- 


est awards.  He  won  medals  at  the  world's 
fail  at  Chicago,  and  at  the  Omaha  fair  he  re- 
ceived the  first  premium  on  wheat,  oats  and 
barlev.  thereby  receiving  the  gold  medal,  of 
which  he  is  justly  proud.  Mr.  Kilcn  also  ex- 
hibited at  the  Paris  exposition  of  1900.  The 
grain  exhibit  of  the  United  States  at 
that  exposition  was  made  up  of  contribu- 
tions and  samples  sent  in  by  farmers 
triini  all  over  the  United  States.  Mr. 
KilcM  was  invited  by  the  government  to  con- 
tribute to  the  exhibit  and  he  sent  in  liftecn 
samples  of  dilVerent  products.  The  exhibit 
of  which  these  samples  formed  a  part  re- 
ceived the  Grand  Pri.v  at  this  exposition,  but 
the  government  took  all  the  credit  and  there 
was  no  credit  given  to  Mr.  Kilen  or  the  other 
farmers  who  contributed  samples. 

Mr.  Kilen  was  born  in  Norway  November 
18,  1840,  the  son  of  Erick  and  Johanna  Kilcn. 
In  t*e  family  were  thirteen  children,  of  whom 
eight  are  living,  named  as  follows:  Andrew, 
Anders  R.,  Jjimes,  John,  Erick,  Bertha,  Robert 
and  Jennie.  The  parents  of  these  cliildicn 
canic  to  America  in  18r)8,  lived  a  few  years  in 
Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  a  few  years  in  Eill- 
more  county,  Minnesota,  and  came  to  Jack- 
son county  in  1807.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  east  ha'f 
of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20,  proved 
up  on  that  and  later  bought  land  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  10,  Belmont, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death  at  an  advanced 
age.  His  wife  also  died  in  Belmont  township. 
-Anders  R.  Kilen  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  in  18.58,  he  being  then  eleven  years  of 
age.  For  several  years  he  lived  with  the  fam- 
ily in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  and  later  ac- 
companied them  ti>  Killiiiore  county,  Minneso- 
ta. Wlien  he  was  twenty  years  old,  in  1807, 
he  came  with  his  father  and  mother  to  Jack- 
son county,  and  during  the  first  year  lived  on 
his  father's  homestead.  The  next  year,  be- 
coming of  age,  he  took  as  a  homestead  claim 
the  west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 20,  adjoining  his  father's  claim,  and  on 
that  claim  he  livi'd  as  a  bachelor  eight  years. 
On  that  claim  he  started  in  life  for  himself 
and  began  the  accumulation  of  his  fortune. 
He  succeeded  through  perseverance  antl  hard 
work.  His  (irsl  work  was  breaking  prairie  for 
the  pioneer  settlers  with  his  four  yoke  of 
oxen,  for  which  he  was  paid  five  dollars  per 
acre.  Among  his  early  day  contracts  was 
that  for  hauling  the  lumber  for  the  first  church 


ANDERS  R.   KILEN 
A  Pioneer  of  1867  and  a  Prosperous  Farmer  of  Belmont  Township. 


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PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


*»T0^,  LENOX   4Nt 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


395 


erected  in  the  country — the  Pi-esbyterian  of 
Jackson.  During  the  first  year  or  two  after 
taking  his  claim  Mr.  Kilen  lived  in  a  little 
lo»  shack.  Then  he  erected  a  commodious  log 
house,  which  was  at  the  time  considered  a 
palace,  and  in  which  he  entertained  the  early 
settlers  and  extended  hospitality  to  wayfarers. 
In  this  house  he  lived  until  1891,  when  he  erect- 
.  ed  his  present  elegant  home  just  across  the 
road  in  section  17. 

Hard  times  came  upon  Mr.  Kilen  during  the 
terrible  grasshopper  scourge  in  the  early  sev- 
enties as  it  did  to  all  the  residents  of  Jackson 
county  of  that  time,  and  during  this  time  he 
was  obliged  to  go  to  Faribault  county  to  work 
in  the  harvest  fields  to  earn  enough  money  to 
support  himself.  He  had  many  experiences 
worthy  of  recording  of  the  early  days  Once, 
in  the  winter  of  1873,  while  returning  to  his 
home  afoot,  he  was  caught  in  one  of  the  dread- 
ed prairie  storms  and  came  near  perishing. 
He  sought  refuge  in  a  miserable  little  hut  in 
Heron  Lake  township,  and  there  for  four  days 
he  remained  without  food  or  fire.  The  only 
thing  that  kept  him  from  freezing  to  dealh 
was  the  fact  that  there  was  a  small  quantity 
of  hay  in  the  shack,  which  he  twisted  into 
ropes  and  wrapped  about  bis  limbs,  making  a 
covering  to  protect  them  from  the  biting  cold. 

Mr.  Kilen  may  properly  be  called  the  fatlier 
of  Lakefield,  for  it  was  he  who  platted  the 
town  in  1879  and  started  the  little  town  on  its 
way  to  future  greatness.  He  stills  owns  land 
adjoining  that  village.  He  engages  exten- 
sively in  stock  raising  and  has  large  herds. 
He  has  a  large  orchard  and  has  gained  more 
than  a  local  reputation  as  an  apple  raiser. 

Mr.  Kilen  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church  of  West  Belmont,  and  it  was 
largely  through  his  efforts  that  the  church 
was  built  some  twenty  years  ago.  At  that 
time  money  was  scarce  and  the  Norwegian 
Lutherans  of  the  vicinity  were  poor.  iU-. 
Kilen  undertook  to  raise  the  money  for  this 
purpose  and  was  successful.  He  solicited 
funds  from  the  governor  and  other  state  ofl'ic- 
ials,  from  the  county  officers,  real  estate  men 
and  others,  and  tlie  church  now  stands  as  a 
monument  to  hi?,  loyalty  to  church.  While 
always  active  in  business  affairs,  ilr.  Kilen  has 
never  sought  office. 

In  High  Lake  township.  Emmet  county, 
Iowa,  on  November  15,  1870,  ilr.  Kilen  was 
iniited  in  marriage  to  Anna  Isaacson,  who  was 
born    in    Norwav    and    came    to    the    United 


States  at  the  age  of  one  year.  She  w-as  the 
daughter  of  Erick  and  Andriania  Isaacson,  ear- 
ly Iowa  settlers.  She  died  July  20,  1005,  aged 
fifty  years.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Kilen 
occurred  in  Belmont  township  June  30,  1900, 
when  he  wedded  Christina  ilorkie,  who  was 
born  in  Norway  and  came  to  the  United  States 
just  prior  to  her  marriage.  She  was  born  Oc- 
tober 12,  1877,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Ole  Mor- 
kic,  now  living  in  Norw'ay,  and  Bertha  (Berge) 
Morkie,  who  died  in  her  native  country.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kilen  have  been  born  two  chil- 
dren: Anna  J.,  born  November  17,  1907; 
Bertha  0.,  born  December  25,  1908,  died  No- 
vember 28,   1909. 

LOUIS  F.  LAMMERS  (18S0),  attorney  at 
law  of  Heron  Lake,  has  resided  in  that  village 
nearly  thirty  years  and  is  one  of  the  best 
known  men  of  Jackson  county.  He  is  a  native 
ilinnesocan  and  the  son  of  very  early  pioneers 
to  this  commonwealth.  His  parents  came 
when  the  Minnesota  country  was  a  part  of 
AVisconsin  territory,  and  he  himself  was  horn 
before  the  state  was  admitted  to  the  union. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Fred  W. 
and  Helen  C.  (Nelson)  Lammers.  The  father 
was  born  in  the  kingdom  of  Hanover  Febru- 
ary 22,  1829,  and  was  a  graduate  of  the  uni- 
versity of  Hanover,  being  a  Greek  and  Latin 
scholar.  He  immigi-ated  to  America  in  1844, 
and  for  three  years  lived  in  New  Orleans  and 
St.  Louis,  employed  as  a  bookkeeper  for  a  pio- 
neer lumber  company.  While  in  the  service  of 
the  company  he  moved  to  Taylor's  Falls,  Wis- 
consin territory  (now  Minnesota),  then  an  un- 
tamed wilderness,  and  for  several  years  served 
as  bookkeeper  and  accountant  for  the  Southern 
Lumber  company.  He  afterwards  engaged  in 
lumbering  for  himself  and  was  so  engaged  un- 
til 1801,  when  he  sold  out  and  engaged  exten- 
sively in  farming  near  Taylor's  Falls.  In  1865 
the  elder  Lammers  moved  to  Marine  Mills, 
Washington  county,  and  there  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  dying  there  February  12, 
1890.  Our  subject's  mother  was  born  at  Rock 
Island,  Illinois,  March  2,  1834,  and  w-as  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Lammers  September  18,  1852,  at 
Taylor's  Falls.  They  w^ere  the  parents  of  fif- 
teen children,  of  whom  the  following  named 
are  living:  Nathan  D.,  George  A.,  Albert  J., 
Charles  A.,  Alice  H.,  Swanson.  Louisa  A.,  all 
of  Stillwater,  Minnesota;  Frank  E.,  of  Minne- 
apolis; Mary  E.  Wood  and  Louis  F..  of  Heron 
Lake,  and  Clarence,  of  Washington. 


396 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


Our  subject  was  the  third  child  of  this 
family  and  was  born  at  Taylor's  Falls,  Min- 
nesota, Dcocml)or  ,  14,  1855.  He  received  a 
high  school  education  at  Marine  Mills  and  a 
business  education  in  the  St.  Paul  Commer- 
cial college.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  left 
home  and  took  a  position  as  bookkeeper  in 
the  pineries  of  Wisconsin,  working  several 
years  for  the  Schulenburg  Lumber  company 
of  St.  Louis  and  later  for  Isaac  Staples, 
the  millionaire  lumborman  of  Stillwater.  On 
July  20,  1880,  Mr.  Lammors  arrived  in 
Heron  Lake,  and  the  village  has  ever  since 
been  his  home. 

During  the  first  two  years  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Jackson  county  Mr.  Lammers  was 
employed  as  bookkeeper  for  John  T.  Smith. 
Then  he  engaged  in  the  general  merchan- 
dise business  in  partnership  wilh  C.  A. 
Wood,  which  business  he  continued  until  1888. 
During  the  lime  he  was  engaged  in  business 
Mr.  Lammers  took  up  the  study  of  law,  and 
in  18S8,  at  the  June  term  of  court  at  Win- 
dom,  he  made  application  for  admission  to 
the  bur.  Judge  A.  D.  Perkins  appointed  a 
commission  consisting  of  George  W.  Wilson,  of 
Worthington;  John  G.  Redding,  of  Windom; 
and  Daniel  Kohrcr,  of  Wortliington,  who  con- 
ducted the  examination  in  o])en  court.  June 
23,  188S,  an  order  of  the  court  was  made  ad- 
mitting him  to  the  practice  of  law,  which  has 
since  been  his  profession.  He  has  one  of  the 
largest  and  best  equipped  law  libraries  in 
southwestern  Minnesota,  and  he  enjoys  an  ex- 
tensive  and   hurative  practice. 

On  several  occasions  Mr.  Lammers  has  been 
an  official  capacity.  In  the  fall  of  188ti  he 
was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  and 
was  reelected  in  1888.  In  January.  1890,  he 
was  appointed  county  attorney  by  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  to  complete  the  nn- 
expired  term  of  W.  A.  Funk,  who  resigned. 
He  was  elected  county  attorney  on  the  re- 
publican ticket  in  1906  and  served  one  term. 
He  was  president  of  the  Heron  Lake  village 
council  during  1905.  1900  and  1907,  and  since 
tlic  hist  date  has  been  village  attorney.  For 
fifteen  years  lie  served  as  president  of  the 
Heron  Uike  board  of  education,  during  wliicli 
finie   three   srhool    houses   were   erected. 

Sixteen  hundred  acres  of  farming  land-;  in 
Jackson  and  Cottonwood  counties  are  owiu'd  liv 
Mr.  LiMumi-rs  as  well  as  valuable  village  prop- 


erty, including  a  handsome  home  in  Heron 
Ijike.  He  is  an  active  lodge  man  and  is  a 
nunilier  of  all  tlie  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  lodges  from 
the  liliie  lodge  to  and  including  the  Shrine, 
liolding  membership  in  Osman  Temple, 
of  St.  Paul.  He  has  filled  all  the  ofTiccs  in 
the  Odd  Fellows  order  and  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Elks  lodge  Ko.  225,  of  Mankato, 
the  M.  W.  A.  and  the  A.  0.  U.  W. 

Mr.  lammers  was  married  at  Heron  Ijike 
June  30,  1883,  to  Harriet  K.  Spaiilding,  a  na- 
tive of  Saratoga,  New  York,  and  a.  daughter 
of  Mary  E.  Spaulding.  They  are  the  parents 
of  three  children,  as  follows:  Howard  M.,  born 
February  9,  1888;  Raymond  S.,  born  October 
3,  1892;  Mildred  IT.,  born  September  15.  1895. 
Howard  M..  the  eldest,  was  graduated  from  the 
United  States  naval  academy  in  June,  1908,  and 
is  now  an  olTioer  in  the  naval  service  of  the 
United   States. 

M.MniN  lldl.SIKX  (1874)  was  born  in 
licliiiDiit  lowiisliip  ^lay  5,  1874,  and  has  .spent 
liis  entire  life  on  the  old  family  homestead  on 
.section  34.  He  is  engaged  in  farming  the  place 
for  his  mother,  having  200  acres  in  sections 
34  and  33  in  his  charge. 

Martin  llolsteii  is  a  son  of  the  late  Holsten 
Olson  and  Ingebor  (Slaabaken)  Olson.  These 
I'arents  were  born  in  Norway,  came  to  Am- 
erica when  young  and  were  married  in  Wis- 
consin. They  came  to  Jackson  county  with 
the  Norwegian  emigrants  of  1861  and  home- 
steaded  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  34, 
Helmoiit  township.  Holsten  Olson  and  his  fam- 
ily lived  at  Spirit  Lake  one  year  after  the 
massacre  and  then  returned  to  his  daun.  lie 
lived  on  the  old  homestead  until  his  death, 
October  1,  1903,  at  the  age  of  73  years.  Mrs. 
Olson  lives  with  her  son  and  is  75  years  of 
age.  There  were  eleven  children  in  the  family, 
of  whom  four  sons  and  tlirce  dauglilers  are 
living. 

.Martin  assisted  in  working  the  home  farm 
until  his  father's  death  in  1893;  then  he  took 
the  management  of  the  farm  and  has  since 
conducted  it   for  his  mother. 

.Mr.  Holsten  was  married  at  nrownsbuig, 
Bi'lninnl  township.  June  30,  1900.  to  Mary 
I.illclicrg.  who  was  Imrn  in  lielniont  township 
.lime  22.  1874.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Ole 
Lilleberg.  who  came  to  IVlmont  in  1806  and 
who  still  resides  in  the  township.  Four  children 
have  been  horn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holsten.  Os- 
mund,   the   first    born,   died    in    infancy.     The 


BIOGEAPHJCAL  HISTOEY. 


397 


surviving  cliildreii  arc  named  Edwin,  Osmund 
and  Milton.  Tlie  family  are  members  of  the 
Norwegian-  Lutheran  eliurcli. 


MICHAEL  J.  OERLACH  (1868),  of  Middle- 
town  township,  has  been  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son county  almost  his  entire  life,  coming  liere 
with  his  parents  when  less  than  one  year  old. 
He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Lizzie  Gerlach 
now  residents  of  Jackson  village.  They  were 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  Jackson  county 
with  the  pioneers,  first  taking  a  homestead  in 
Petersburg  township  and  later  locating  in  Wis- 
consin  township. 

Michael  was  born  in  Dane  county,  Wiscon 
sin,  February  21,  1868,  and  when  an  infant  in 
arms  came  to  this  county  with  his  parents.  He 
lived  respectively  in  Petersburg,  Wisconsin  and 
Middletown  townships  on  farms  owned  by  his 
father,  making  liis  homo  with  his  parents  un- 
til twenty-four  years  of  age.  At  that  age  he 
started  out  for  himself,  working  out  and  en- 
gaging in  farming.  In  1902  he  rented  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  14,  Middletown,  fnoni 
his  brother  Frank  and  has  since  made  his  home 
there. 

Mr.  Gerlach  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
March  6,  1902,  to  Louisa  Buchsen,  a  native  of 
the  state  of  Iowa.  To  these  parents  liave  been 
born  the  following  named  children:  Morris 
H.,  born  December  1,  1902;  Vera  A.,,  born  De- 
cember 8,  1903;  Emily,  horn  December  10, 1904: 
Grace  G.,  born  December  11,  1906;  Eva  M., 
born  December  21,  1908.  Mr.  Gerlach  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 

There  were  five  children  in  his  father's  fam- 
ily, as  follows:  Andrew  F.,  Michael,  John  R., 
Annie  (Mrs.  E.  A.  Cole),  Minnie  (deceased). 


HIRAM  C.  RUE  (1873),  deputy  county  au- 
ditor, is  a  Jackson  county  boy,  having  been 
born  and  brought  up  and  having  spent  his 
entire  life  in  the  county.  He  is  the  son  of 
County  Treasurer  H.  K.  Rue  and  Isabella 
(Smaley)  Rue,  natives  of  Norway  and  Alla- 
makee county,  Iowa,  respectively.  Hiram  was 
born  on  the  Hunter  township  farm  March  27, 
1873.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm,  re- 
ceiving an  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
in  the  Breek  school  at  Wilder,  which  he  at- 
tended two  years. 

After  reaching  manhood  Mr.  Rue  engaged 
in  school  teaching,  being  so  engaged  in  Hun- 


ter and  Sioux  Valley  townships  five  years, 
during  which  time  lie  made  his  home  with 
his  parents  on  the  farm.  In  1896  he  took  a 
position  as  clerk  in  a  store  at  Lakefield  and 
was  so  engaged  until  the  first  of  January, 
1901.  He  then  moved  to  Jackson  and  took 
a  position  as  deputy  county  treasurer  under 
his  father's  administration.  One  and  one-half 
years  later  he  was  appointed  deputy  county  au- 
ditor by  P.  D.  McKellar  and  has  since  held  the 
])Osition. 

ilr.  Rue  was  nuiiried  at  Ijakeficld  June  17. 
1903,  to  Jlinnie  Moe,  a  native  of  Blue  Earth 
county,  Minnesota,  and  a  daughter  of  S.  J. 
■lud  Isabella  Moe,  of  Lakefield.  Two  children 
iiave  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rue  as  fol- 
lows: Maynard,  horn  February  7,  1905;  Isa- 
bella, born  June  24,  1907. 

Mr.  Rue  is  an  active  lodge  man,  holding 
membership  in  the  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  of 
tlie  Masonic  orders,  in  the  M.  B.  A.,  the  M. 
W.  A.  and  the  I.  0.  O.  F. 


ALBERT  H.  (ilLBERT  (18G9),  of  Petersburg 
township,  was  born  in  that  precinct  and  has 
spent  his  entire  life  of  forty  years  there.  The 
date  of  his  birth  was  August  22,  1869,  and  his 
parents  were  Hogan  and  Mary  (Olson)  Gilbert. 

Lentil  he  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  Al- 
bert resided  with  his  parents  on  the  farrn. 
Then  he  bought  his  prasent  farm  in  section 
30  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  business  for 
himself.  As  a  boy  he  endured  many  of  the 
hardsliips  incident  to  pioneer  life  and  painfully 
remembers  the  incidents  connected  with  the 
grasshopper  invasions  of  the  early  seventies. 

In  his  farming  operations  he  has  prospered. 
He  owns  320  acres  of  land  on  sections  36  and 
35.  In  addition  to  farming  and  raising  stock 
he  has  other  business  interests,  owning  stock 
in  the  Petersburg  Creamery  companj-,  the 
Jackson  Telephone  company  and  the  Petersburg 
Threshing  company.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Norwegian   Lutheran   church. 

Mr.  Gilbert  was- married  November  25,  1892, 
to  Jliss  Bertha  Herbrandson,  who  was  born 
November  20.  1872.  To  them  have  been  born  , 
children  as  follows:  Henry,  born  October  25, 
1893;  Herman,  born  February  8,  1895;  Mary, 
born  August  21,  1890;  Alfred,  born  March  1, 
1898;  Bort,  born  May  11,  1901;  Lloyd,  born 
July  23,  1900. 


398 


BlOfiRAl'IIK  AL   lllS'lni;V 


MICHAKL  ]l.  KKPKSIAI)  (1871)  is  a  pio- 
iiciT  of  .li'.cksoii  ciiiinty  ami  (iiic  of  the  larj^i! 
land  owiiprs  and  sncc-cssfiil  farmers  of  UelaGclil 
township.  Up  owns  400  acres  of  land  in  Del- 
alioKl  and  Cliristinnia  townships  and  farms  it 
all. 

Mr.  Erpestod  is  a  Xorwofjian  liv  liirtli  ami 
was  liorn  January  30,  1851,  the  only  child 
born  to  Anna  K.  ICrpostad.  His  mother  came 
to  America  in  1870  and  died  in  1907,  aged  80 
years.  The  early  life  of  onr  .subject  was  passed 
in  his  native  land.  Tliere  he  secured  a  coiij- 
nion  school  education  and  eii<;af;ed  in  farm 
work  until  180!).  That  year  he  came  to 
America  and  located  in  Fillmore  county.  Min- 
nesota, where  he  worked  out  until  1871.  Com- 
ing to  Ji'ckson  county  in  tin-  year  last  men- 
tioned, Mr.  Krpestad  bought  the  home  quarter 
of  his  present  farm  in  1880.  During  the  first 
nine  years  of  his  residence  here  he  lived  with 
Ids  mothe"-  on  section  24,  Uelafield:  then  he 
moved  onto  his  own  farSi,  and  has  ever  since 
been  engaged  in  its  management.  He  pros- 
pered and  his  since  added  to  his  possessions 
by  the  purchase  of  240  acres  in  .section  7, 
C'hristiania.  adjoining  his  home  place  in  Dela- 
field    township. 

Dining  his  long  residence  in  Jackson  county 
Mr.  Krpestad  has  held  many  ofl'ices  of  trust 
within  the  gift  of  his  neighbors.  He  served 
as  chairman  of  the  hoard  of  supervisors  for  ;i 
number  of  years,  was  assessor  two  years  and 
township  treasurer  three  years.  He  now  holds 
the  otTice  of  director  of  school  district  No.  22. 
Mr.  Krpestad  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
l.iitUeran    church    of   AVindom. 

On  December  .1,  1881,  in  DelalicUl  lownsh'p. 
Mr.  i;rpi'sli\(l  was  married  to  Josephine  John- 
son, who  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Wis- 
consin, in  January.  1863,  and  who  died  in  the 
fall  of  1890.  To  this  union  four  children 
were  born:  Emma.  Joseph,  Anna  and  Sophia. 
The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Krpestad  occurred 
in  .February,  1899.  when  he  wedded  Tomine 
Skrove.  who  was  born  in  Jackson  county  in 
1872.  To  them  have  been  born  four  children, 
iiiimed  as  follows:  Gea,  Albert.  Oscar  and 
Anna. 


tLARKNCK  W.  fJREKNWOOD  (1872).  pro 
prietor  of  a  plumbing  shop  in  Jackson  and 
dealer  in  heating  and  electric  lighting  sup- 
plies, has  spent  the  thirty-seven  years  of  his 
life  in  Jackson  county.    He  is  the  son  of  tlie 


late  I.  li.  and  Cynthia  (Scott)  Greenwood,  pio- 
neer settlers  of  the  county.  Both  parents 
were  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  They  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1807  and  honiesteaded  on 
till'  west  bank  of  Loon  lake.  They  resided  on 
that  place  until  1878,  spent  two  years  in  Da- 
kola,  and  then  took  up  their  residence  in  Jack 
.son.  The  father  died  September  5,  1892,  aged  70 
years:  the  mot  her  died  June  7.  1904,  aged  72 
years. 

C'laiciiie  is  111.-  \iuuigi-si  ni  a  family  of 
seven  children  born  to  these  parents,  the  other 
children  being  (irace,  who  died  April  17,  190S; 
Calistia.  Thomas,  Wilbur,  who  died  November 
o.  1871:  Cliarlcs  and  Frank.  Our  subject  was 
born  on  the  farm  in  Minneota  township  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1872.  Until  his  father's  death  Clar- 
ence resided  at  home,  securing  his  education, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  started  out  for 
himself.  For  several  years  lie  was  a  Western 
liiion  lineman,  for  three  and  one-half  years  he 
serveil  as  the  Jackson  village  marshal,  and 
then  he  took  up  the  work  of  an  electrician, 
engaging  in  the  work  in  Jackson  three  years. 
Hefore  giving  up  that  work  he  hud  established 
a  |ihimbing  shop  on  Third  avenue  and  he 
lias  been  engaged  in  that  business  ever  since. 
He  owns  his  home  and  place  of  business.  Fra- 
ternally be  is  associated  with  tlie  Masonic 
and  Woodmen  orders. 

Mr.  Greenwood  was  married  in  Jackson  in 
November,  1899,  to  Augusta  Seager.  who  was 
born  in  (iermany  and  who  (iinie  to  the  T'nited 
States  when  twelve  yens  of  iige.  Hoth  her 
jiarents  didl  in  Milwaukee.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
(Iiecnwood  have  Im-cii  born  the  lollowiiii;  nam- 
ed children:  Ethel,  born  July  2fi,  19III :  Wil- 
liam C,  born  April  8.  1904:  Louis  C,  born 
August  24.  1907. 


A.  E.  JOHNSON  (1872),  farmer  and  land 
owner  of  Delafield  township,  has  lived  in  that 
precinct  ever  since  he  was  two  years  of  age. 
lie  was  born  at  St  ought  on,  Wisconsin.  Mareli 
28.  1870.  His  father,  Erick  Johnson,  was  born 
ill  Norwa.v  and  came  to  the  Ignited  States 
about  1805.  He  located  first  in  Wisconsin  and 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1872,  where  he  died 
in  1891.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Ingc- 
bor  Johnson.     She  died   in   1806. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  came  to  .Jack- 
son county  with  his  parents  in  .Tune.  1872, 
and  has  ever  since  lived  in  Delafield  township. 
His  father  took  a  homestead  claim  of  eighty 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


399 


acres  on  section  24,  and  on  tliat  farm  young 
Johnson  grew  to  manhood.  He  attended  tlic 
district  schools  and  worked  on  the  farm  for 
liis  father.  In  1895  he  took  charge  of  the 
home  farm,  and,  his  mother  dying  the  next 
year,  he  then  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account.  In  1903  he  located  on  his  present 
])lace.  having  planted  the  grove  and  erected 
the  buildings  thereon.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  W.  A.  lodge  of  Windoni. 

Jlr.  Johnson  was  married  in  Belmont  town- 
ship September  11,  1897.  to  Belle  Sogge.  a  na- 
tive of  Belmont  and  a  daughter  of  Ole  G.  Sog- 
ge. Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  an<l 
Mrs.  Jolmson,  named  as  follows:  Eldon,  born 
June  9,  1898;  Gehardt,  born  August  24,  1899; 
Benora,  born  March  3,  1901;  Alma,  born  IMarch 
22,  1902:  Lillian,  born  October  24.  1906. 


ALBERT  S.  KNUTSON  (1874),  farmer  and 
landowner  of  Petersburg  township,  has  lived 
in  the  county  his  entire  life.  He  was  born 
on  the  farm  in  Petersburg  township  June  7, 
1874,  the  son  of  Siver  and  Christie  (Kittleson) 
Knutson.    His  father  died  March  28,  1903. 

Albert  grew  to  manhood  in  Jackson  county 
and  now  owns  and  farms  the  land  which  his 
father  homesteaded  in  1874.  In  addition  to  the 
home  farm  he  owns  other  valuable  tracts  in 
Petersburg  township.  He  has  stock  in  the  Pe- 
tersburg Creamery  company,  in  the  Jackson 
Telephone  company  and  in  the  Elevator  com- 
pany at  Alpha.  He  has  been  supervisor  of 
Petersburg  township  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Knutson  was  married  December  18, 1907, 
to  Clara  Sanderson,  of  Allamakee  county,  Iowa. 
To  them  has  been  born  one  child,  Christine  A., 
born  .Tanuary  14,  1909.  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Knutson 
are  members  of  the  Xorwegian  Lutheran 
church. 


JOHN  C.  LUENEBURG  (1878), carpenter  and 
contractor  of  Lakefield  and  proprietor  of  a 
summer  resort  on  Heron  lake,  was  born  in 
Germany  December  27,  1858,  son  of  Ludwig 
and  Lena  (Fischbach)  Lueneburg,  both  de- 
ceased. He  was  thirteen  years  old  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  and 
located  in  Morrison  county,  Missouri.  Two 
years  later  the  family  located  in  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota,  and  there  our  subject  lived 
until  1878.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
and  learned     the  carpenter  trade  at  Hamilton. 


John  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson 
county  in  1878,  and  for  several  years  lived  with 
them  on  the  homestead  on  section  ten,  Rost 
township.  During  these  years  he  assisted  with 
the  farm  work  and  worked  at  his  trade.  When 
lie  became  of  age  he  took  as  a  homestead  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  4,  Rost  township, 
wliich  he  farmed  for  a  short  time.  ilr.  Luene- 
burg located  in  Lakefield  in  1885  and  engaged 
in  the  furniture  business  four  years.  He  then 
spent  a  few  months  in  the  state  of  Oregon, 
but  returned  to  Lakefield,  and  has  since  worked 
at  his  trade,  engaging  in  contract  work  to  a  con- 
siderable extent.  In  1899  he  bought  a  small 
tract  of  ground  on  the  bank  of  Heron  lake,  on 
section  30,  Heron  Lake  townsliip,  and  erected 
a  house.  He  spends  the  summer  months  there 
and  resides  in  the  village  during  the  winter 
months.  He  operates  two  pleasure  launches 
on  Heron  lake  for  the  benefit  of  pleasure  seek- 
ers and  has  a  fine  place  for  a  resort. 

Jlr.  Lueneburg  was  married  at  Wells,  Min- 
nesota, January  8,  1883,  to  Miss  Mary  Ga- 
liriel,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and  came 
to  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years.  Four  children,  named  Annie,  Ida,  Hugo 
and  George,  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lueneburg.  During  the  period  of  his  residence 
in  Rost  township  Mr.  Lueneburg  served  as  a 
suiXTvisor  and  as  a  member  of  the  school  board. 


HANS  M  STALL  (1870)  is  a  Des  Moines 
township  farmer  who  owns  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  1.  He  was  born  on  the  old  Stall 
homestead  on  section  2,  Des  Moines,  on  March 
25,  1870.  Oliver  Stall,  our  subject's  father,  still 
lives  on  the  old  homestead  and  is  seventy- 
years  of  age.  Helen  (Hansen)  Stall,  our  sub- 
ject's mother,  died  in  1876. 

Hans  Stall  attended  the  district  school  and 
grew  to  manhood  on  liis  father's  farm.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-three  years  he  started  in  life 
for  himself,  working  out  and  engaging  in  farm- 
ing. He  lived  in  Jackson  nine  years,  engaged 
in  teaming,  to  which  place  he  moved  in  1899. 
He  bought  his  present  farm  from  his  brother, 
Edward  Stall;  in  1908. 

On  Jfay  27,  1893,  in  the  county  of  his  birth, 
Mr.  Stall  was  married  to  Belle  Holsten,  a  na- 
tive of  Belmont  township  and  a  daughter  of 
the  late  Holsten  Olson  and  Engebor  Olson. 
To  them  has  been  born  one  child,  Bcnnerd  H., 
born  January  23,   1903. 


400 


BinnifAinTicAT,  tttstouy. 


WIM.IK  p.  KING  (1800,,  i)tioto{,'ra|)luT  and 
jii'iliir  of  the  ppiuf  of  Iiieksoii.  is  one  of  the 
early  day  settlers  of  tlie  county,  having  re- 
sided  here  forty-tlirec  years.  ]lc  is  «  native 
of  Adams,  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  and 
was  horn  July  !>,  I8")7,  the  son  of  William  V. 
and  Antonette  L.   (Porter)   King. 

When  our  suhject  was  four  years  old  he 
moved  with  tlic  family  from  Walworth  county 
to  Crawford  county,  Wisconsin.  In  180-1 
lie  moved  back  to  Walworth  county  and 
made  his  home  with  his  grandparents, 
his  father  being  in  the  army  at  the  time. 
He  moved  from  Wisconsin  to  Austin.  Min- 
nesota, in  March.  ISGO,  and  on  the  twelfth  day 
of  October  following  arrived  in  .Jackson  coun- 
ty. He  resided  on  his  father's  homestead  in 
Wisconsin  township  until  1872,  and  then  mov- 
ed to  the  village  of  Jackson,  where  he  attended 
the  village  schools  until  1878.  That  year  he 
moved  onto  the  farm  in  Hunter  township, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  sheep  rais- 
ing in  partnership  with  his  father.  In  1882 
lie  bought  the  farm,  his  parents  at  that  time 
moving  to  Jackson,  and  conducted  it  alone  un- 
til   December.    188-J. 

On  the  last  named  date,  on  account  of  his 
wife's  poor  health.  Mr.  King  moved  to  Jackson 
and  for  the  next  three  years  assisted  his  father 
in  the  county  auditor's  oflfice.  In  the  spring  of 
1887  he  moved  to  Jasper,  ilinnesota,  where  he 
worked  at  carpenter  work  one  year.  From 
18SS  to  the  summer  of  I8!ll  Mr.  King  resided 
in  Windom,  working  in  a  photograph  gall'TV 
and  serving  part  of  the  time  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  lie  again  located  at  Jasper  in  I8!ll  ar.d 
from  that  time  until  the  spring  of  ISnC  was  en- 
gaged in  operating  a  photograph  gallery  in 
that  town  and  serving  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
lie  returned  to  Jackson  in  1890  and  the  next 
year  built  on  Main  street  and  opened  a  jdioto- 
graph  gallery,  wliieli  he  has  since  conducted. 

Mr.  King  has  often  been  called  upon  to  serve 
in  an  official  capacity  and  lias  been  justice  of 
the  |ieace  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was 
school  IroaHiirer  ill  Hunter  township  froiii  1882 
to  1.88.')  and  was  elected  court  coniniissioner  in 
ISnfi.  lie  is  foreman  of  Fire  company  No.  1. 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Jackson  fire  de 
partmont  for  twenty-four  years. 

Mr.  King  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Trumbull 
in  Jackson  on  January  1,  1882.  She  died  Febru- 
ary 28.  1887.  To  this  union  were  born  two 
children,  Rossie,  who  died  September  26.  1884, 
nnd  Uencvra  M.,  who  is  now  teaching  school  in 


Pipestone  -ouuty.  .\Ir.  King's  second  marriage 
occurred  at  Sioux  F.ills,  South  Dakota,  January 
1.  \XU1.  when  he  married  -Mary  Kovang,  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
the  following  named  children:  Gracie  P.,  Wil- 
liam v..  James  H.  P.,  Rignald  <;.,  Nellie  T.  A., 
Anna  \  ..  Irve  K..  Wilbur  K.  C.  and  Robert  D. 
Mr.  King  liolds  membership  in  the  K.  P.  and 
.M.  W.  A.  lodges,  lie  served  as  a  deputy  or- 
ganizer for  the  latter  order  for  a  number  of 
years. 


ANTliN  PKDKRSON  (1873),  deceased,  was 
one  of  the  wealthy  and  successful  farmers  of 
Heron  Lake  township.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
way February  9,  1803,  the  son  of  Hans  Peder- 
son,  who  still   lives  in  Heron   Lake   township. 

Anton  came  to  America  with  his  par- 
ents in  1871.  and  for  a  year  and  a  half  lived 
in  Red  Wing.  Minnesota.  The  family  then 
moved  to  .Tack.son  county  and  located  on  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  28.  Heron  Lake 
township,  which  was  bomesteaded  by  Hans  Ped- 
erson.  Anton  grew  to  manhood  in  Jackson 
county  and  after  reaching  mature  years  en- 
gaged in  farming.  He  became  the  owner  of 
the  original  homestead  and  several  other  piec- 
es of  property,  his  widow  now  owning,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  home  place,  the  east  half  of  sec- 
tion 29  and  the  west  half  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  22.  Heron  Lake  township, 
and  a  quarter  section  in  Cottonwood  county. 
Mr.  Pederson  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
the  First  National  Rank  of  I^ikefield  ami  was 
vice  president  of  that  institution  at  tin-  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  township  treasurer  sev- 
eral years.  Mr.  Pederson  died  February  14, 
l!t07. 

Mr.  l'cder>..ii  was  married  July  20.  18112.  to 
Emma  Swenson.  who  was  l)orn  in  Delafield 
township  July  28,  1872,  and  who  has  spent  her 
entire  life  in  Jackson  county.  She  is  one  of  a 
family  of  ten  children  born  to  .lohu  nnd  Til- 
lie  (Weberg)  Swen.son,  natives  of  .Sweden  and 
early  day  residents  of  .Tackson  county.  They 
(•ame  from  their  native  country,  lived  two 
years  in  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  and  then  located 
on  section  10,  Delafield  town.ship.  where  they 
resided  until  1907,  when  they  moved  to  Win- 
dom. where  they  now  live.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pederson  were  Imrn  four  children:  Cora,  born 
March  4.  1804:  Hilda.  l)orn  .Tiily  10.  1897: 
Alvin,  born  December  1,  1903;  Rosella.  born 
November  24,   UK).").     The   family  are   members 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


401 


of  till'  Ncirwcgiau  Lutlier:in  flmri'Ii.  Mrs. 
I'eilerson  lives  iiixjii  flie  Heron  Lake  township 
farm,  but  has  tlie  farm  rented. 

.Sinee  tlie  death  of  Mr.  Pederson,  Mrs.  Peder- 
soii  lias  |iiircliased  and  now  owns  one  of  the 
I'liest  residenees  in  the  village  of  Lakefield, 
Minnesota. 


.JOHX  0.  SWENSON  (187.5),  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  Olof,  farms  320  acres  of  land 
in  Delafield  township,  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  the  village  of  AVilder,  the  land  being  the 
property  of  their  father,  Andrew  Swenson. 

Our  subjeet,  is  a  native  of  Delafield  town- 
ship and  was  born  December  1,  1875,  the  son 
of  Andrew  and  Martha  (Skinrud)  Swenson. 
His  parents  were  born  in  Norway,  came  to 
America  before  their  marriage  and  located 
in  Wisconsin.  There  tliey  were  married  in 
1871  and  the  same  year  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty. The  elder  Swenson  took  as  a  homestead 
claim  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  18,  Dela- 
field township,  and  upon  that  place  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  By  hard  work  and  the  prac- 
tice of  frugality  he  has  prospered  until  today 
he  owns  320  acres  of  line  farming  land  and 
one  of  the  finest  farm  residences  in  Delafield 
township.  Andrew  and  Martha  Swenson  are 
the  parents  of  three  children:  Clara  (Mrs.  Pe- 
ter Stokke),  of  Spokane,  Washington;  John  0., 
of  this  sketch,  and  Olof. 

.Tohn  0.  Swenson  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm  and  has  spent  his  entire  life 
there.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  in  the  Breck  school  of  Wilder.  In  1901  he 
and  his  brother  Olof  rented  tlieir  father's 
land  and  hove  since  been  engaged  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  place.  The  boys  are  success- 
ful farmers.  During  the  season  of  1909  they 
harvested  about  .5,000  bushels  of  small  gi-aiii 
and  had  seventy-five  acres  planted  to  corn. 

For  four  years  John  0.  Swenson  was  secre- 
tarj'  and  treasurer  of  the  Wilder  Cooperative 
Creamery  company.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
clerk  of  the  township  board  for  the  past  three 
years  and  for  the  last  eight  or  nine  years  he 
has  served  as  clerk  of  school  district  No.  11.5. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church. 


A.  A.  FOSNESS  (1892).  member  of  tlic  firm 
of  Fosness  &  Hill,  doing  business  as  Globe  Mil- 
ling company  of  Lakefield,  was  born  in   Nor- 


way August  10,  18.56,  the  son  of  Arnc  and 
Bertha    (Erdlial)   Fosness. 

He  came  to  America  in  1874,  wlien  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  settled  near  Blue  Earth  City, 
Minnesota.  There  he  continued  his  education, 
wliich  had  been  begun  in  Norway,  and  com- 
pleted it  with  a  course  in  St.  Olof's  college  of 
Northfield.  The  first  two  years  of  his  life  in 
the  United  States  were  spent  on  the  farm  near 
Blue  Earth  City  and  the  next  four  in  the 
town  of  Austin,  where  he  learned  the  miller's 
trade.  He  then  moved  to  Blue  Earth  Cit}', 
where  he  remained  five  years  and  was  employ- 
ed at  his  trade.  He  took  up  the  same  work  in 
Winnebago  and  was  employed  in  a  mill  there 
seven  years.  Mr.  Fosness  moved  to  Lakefield 
in  .June,  1892,  and  built  the  flouring  mill.  The 
next  year  he  sold  a  half  interest  to  W.  D. 
Hill  and  the  firm  name  has  since  been  Fosness 
&  Hill. 

Mr.  Fosness  was  married  at  AVinnebago  Au- 
gust 22,  1889,  to  Miss  Laura  Williams  and  to 
them  have  been  born  the  following  named  chil- 
dren: Arthur,  born  November  18,  1890;  Leslie, 
born  June  1.  1898;  Ethel,  born  October  18, 1900; 
Paul,born  May  15, 1907.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fosness  are 
members  of  the  Metliodist  church.  He  belongs 
to  the  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  Odd  Fellows,  Wood- 
men and  Workmen   orders. 


.ALBERT  WILEY  (1SC8).  Among  the  pio- 
neers of  tlie  county  is  Albert  Wiley,  janitor 
of  the  high  school  building  at  .lackson,  who 
has  resided  in  the  county  since  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age  The  parents  of  our  subject 
were  William  and  Ann   (Garvin)  Wiley. 

William  Wiley  came  to  the  county  and 
homestead  in  Heron  Lake  township  in  1867, 
moving  there  with  his  family  the  following 
year.  He  was  the  first  man  to  file  on  a  claim 
in  that  township  and  when  he  arrived  the  only 
other  while  man  there  was  a  trapper  by  the 
name  of  Benjamin  Harrison.  Immediatelj'  af- 
ter his  arrival,  however,  quite  a  number  of 
families  came  and  made  their  homes  in  the 
township.  !Mr.  Wiley.  Sr.,  lived  on  the  farm  in 
Heron  Lake  township  until  1884.  From  then 
until  1892  he  lived  in  Jackson  and  then  moved 
to  Boone  county,  low'a,  where  he  died  in  1894. 
aged  71  years.  His  wife  died  in  Jackson  In 
July,  1907,  aged  71  years. 

To  these  parents  Alliert  Wiley  was  born  in 
Ohio  on  .lanuary  2.5,  18.54.  When  ten  years  of 
age  he  moved  with  the  family  to  Dane  county. 


402 


BIOfilJAlMIICAh   IIIS'I'OK'V 


\\'isi(>ii~iii.  :ii[il  ill  May.  ISHS,  caiiu-  witli  tliPm 
to  Jackson  county.  On  liis  fatlier's  farm  on 
section  2S,  lleion  I-ako  lownsliip.  Alliert  lived 
until  he  was  twenty-two  years  old.  Tlien  In- 
niiirried.  botiglit  a  farm  in  tlie  same  township, 
and  engaged  in  farming  until  1884.  That 
year  he  sold  out  and,  after  spending  several 
months  in  Iowa,  took  up  liis  residence  in  Jack- 
son, where  he  has  ever  since  lived,  lie  engaged 
in  carpenter  work,  which  he  followed  contin- 
uously until  1803.  That  year  he  was  made 
janitor  of  the  high  school  building,  which  po- 
.sition  he  has  ever  since  held.  Until  lono  he 
engaged  in  carpenter  work  during  the  summer 
months,  Iiut  since  that  date  has  given  up  liis 
trade  and  devotes  his  whole  time  to  his  duties 
at  the  school  house.  During  his  residence  in 
Heron  Lake  township  Mr.  Wiley  held  a  town- 
ship office  from  the  time  he  was  of  age  until 
he  moved  from  the  precinct,  the  offices  held 
being  supervisor  and  clerk.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A. 
lodge. 

Jlr.  Wiley  was  married  in  Weimer  town- 
ship March  iil,  1875,  to  Carrie  A.  Willford,  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin  and  came  to  Minnesota 
when  seven  years  old.  Her  father,  Joseph 
Willford,  was  frozen  to  death  in  a  blizzard  at 
■Spirit  Lake  in  February,  lSti5.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wiley  have  l)een  horn  the  following  chil- 
dren: Minnie  M.,  Xcllic  .\..  Alice  A..  Mary  K. 
and  Orlic  W. 


WALTKR  S.  FREER  (1874),  proprietor  of  a 
livery  barn  at  Heron  Lake  and  deputy  sheriff  of 
.lackson  county,  is  a  native  of  Winneshiek 
county.  Iowa,  where  he  was  born  March  2i), 
18,i!).  His  parents  were  Johanes  D.  and  Anna 
(llasbrook)  Freer,  natives  of  Ulster  county, 
New  York.  Tliey  moved  to  Winneshiek  county, 
Iowa,  in  1858.  and  to  Jackson  county  in  1H74. 
The  father  took  as  a  honu'stead  claim  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  24,  Alba  township, 
and  on  that  farm  the  family  resided  imtil 
about  fifteen  years  ago,  when  they  moved  to 
Heron  Lake.  Johanes  Freer  died  December  24, 
1804.  aged  7(i  years:  Anna  Freer  died  October 
l(i.  1800,  aged  7l>  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  of  whom  the  following 
six  are  living:  llasbrook,  Sarah.  Xewlon.  Pe- 
ter, Mary  and  Walter  S. 

Walter  Freer  came  to  .Jackson  county  with 
Lis  parents  in  1874  and  resided  on  the  home 
farm   until   twenty-three  years  of  age,  receiv- 


ing an  education  in  the  Heron  l.iike  school.  He 
then  moved  to  the  village  and  bought  the 
Pioneer  hotel  and  a  livery  stable,  and  has  tver 
since  been  in  the  livery  business.  Foi  thi 
past  seventeen  years  lie  has  followed  the  race 
circuit  and  has  a  fine  string  of  horses.  Mr. 
Freer  owns  four  residences  and  a  business  lot 
in  the  village.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  Modern  Wondmen  lodges.  He 
is  deputy  sheriff  of  the  county  and  has  held 
the  office  several  terms.  He  also  served  two 
terms  as  member  of  the  village  council. 

Mr.  Freer  was  married  in  Heron  Lake  Feb- 
ruary 2(1,  1886,  to  Nora  Parro.  a  native  of 
Minnesota.  She  died  April  10,  180.1.  aged  24 
years.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
of  which  one,  Fred  W.,  is  living,  having  been 
born  July  8,  1800.  Mr.  Freer"s  second  mar- 
riage occurred  .July  10,  1805.  to  Miss  Ida  Weld. 
To  them  one  child  has  been  born.  Margaret, 
born  October  10,  1898. 


JURGEN  ."^CmVAriER  (188.3)  is  one  of  the 
large  land  owners  and  .successful  farmers  of 
Sioux  Valley  township,  of  which  precinct  he  is 
one  of  the  early  settlers. 

Mr.  Schwager  was  born  in  tiermany  August 
10.  1S40.  and  spent  the  tirsi  eighteen  years  of 
his  life  in  the  Fatherland.  He  secured  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade.  He  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  in  1867  and  first  located  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa.  The  famil.v  were  without  means 
and  Jiirgen  began  working  out.  his  first  work 
in  the  new  world  being  a  job  of  hoeing  onions 
at  seventy-five  cents  per  day.  In  1871  his  fa- 
ther and  a  brother  rented  a  farm  in  Scott 
county,  near  Davenport,  and  for  the  next  two 
.vears  our  .subject  lived  on  that  farm,  working 
for  farmers  in  the  iieigliboiliood.  In  1873  our 
subject  and  his  father  rented  a  farm  and  in 
1875  he  married  and  took  over  the  lease,  con- 
ducting  it  on  his  own  account   until    1883., 

In  the  year  last  mentioned  Mr.  Schwager 
came  to  .Taekson  county.  For  six  years  he 
rented  a  farm  on  section  17.  Sioux  Valley 
township.  Then  he  bought  the  northeast 
quarter  of  .section  8,  his  present  home  farm, 
and  has  ever  since  made  bis  home  there.  At 
the  time  of  purchase  there  was  not  a  tree  or 
building  on  the  farm  and  all  the  improvements 
have  been  made  by  him.  He  has  prospered  ex- 
ceedingly and  now  owns  407Vi  acres  of  choice 
land  in  Sioux  Valley  township,  besides  a  quar- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


403 


ter  section  of  land  in  ilcLean  county,  Xoitli 
Dakota.  He  lias  an  elegant  home  and  a  well 
improved  farm,  drained  by  tliousands  of  feet 
of  tile.  He  is  an  extensive  stock  breeder. 
making  a  specialty  of  Hereford  cattle. 

Mr.  Scliwager  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Sioux  Valley  creamery  since  its  organization. 
From  1880  to  1900  he  was  township  clerk  and 
was  assessor  for  ten  years.  He  and  his  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Claus  and 
Anna  (Messer)  Scliwager.  They  came  to  Am- 
erica at  the  same  time  their  son  did,  re- 
sided in  Davenport  and  Durant,  Iowa,  and  died 
in  the  latter  town.  They  had  three  sons,  Tim, 
of  Durant,  Iowa;  Jurgen,  of  this  sketch:  Christ, 
of   Martin   county,  Minnesota. 

Mr.  Schwager  was  married  at  Davenport, 
Iowa,  December  30,  1875,  to  Anna  Wiebener, 
who  was  born  in  (Germany  and  who  came  to 
America  the  year  of  her  marriage.  Her  par- 
ents were  Ehler  and  Margareta  Wiebner.  The 
former  died  in  187.5:  the  latter  died  at  her 
daughter's  home  in  Sioux  Valle_v  township  in 
1002.  To  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Schwager  have  been 
born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Emma,  born 
October  19,  1876:  Louisa,  born  November  15, 
1877;  George,  born  March  21_,  1879,  died  De- 
cember 10,  1904:  Amanda,  born  Jlay  7,  1881: 
Willie,  born  April  21.  1884;  Bernie,  born 
March  18,  1883,  died  May  4,  1884;  Harry, 
born  October  13,  1889. 


PETER  BORSGAKD  (1872|.  farmer  and 
school  teacher,  owns  160  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 28.  Christiania  township.  He  is  a  native 
of  the  county,  having  been  born  in  the  pre- 
cinct in  which  he  now  lives  March  10,  1872, 
the  son  of  Scvert  Olson  Borsgard  and  Kiersten 
(Krogstad)  Olson  Borsgard,  both  deceased.  , 

Peter  early  decided  upon  teaching  for  his 
profession.  After  securing  a  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  district  school  he  attended  the  col- 
lege at  Wilcier.  He  lived  on  the  home  farm 
until  twenty  years  of  age;  then  he  began 
working  out  and  teaching  school,  being  em- 
])loyed  in  the  latter  occupation  twelve  years. 
In  1898  he  took  a  course  in  the  Mankato  Nor- 
mal school.  Except  for  a  few  years  spent  in 
Windom,  Mr.  Borsgard  has  been  a  resident  of 
.Jackson  county  all  his  life.  He  clerked  sev- 
eral years  in  the  store  of  John  Hutton.  gen- 
eral merchant  of  Windom.     Mr.  Borsgard  has 


stock  in  the  Christiania  ilercantile  company, 
which  owns  the  store  at  Bergen.  He  clerked 
in  the  store  two  years  and  was  its  manager  one 
year. 

Our  subject  was  married  to'  Carrie  Kulseth, 
of  Christiania  township.  May  12,  1900.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  as  fol- 
lows: Gertrude,  born  May  23,  1902;  Severt, 
born  .July  21,  1905;  Thomas  Bjarne,  born  July 
5,  1907.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Xor- 
v.egian   Lutlieran   church. 


A.  M.  SCHROEDER  (1878),  clerk  of  the 
district  court  for  Jackson  county  and  ex- 
member  of  the  Minnesota  house  of  represen- 
tatives, is  a  native  Minnesotan,  having  been 
born  in  Winona  county  September  9,  18.59,  the 
son  of  Martin  and  Henrietta  (Melicke)  Schroe- 
der. 

The  family  moved  from  Winona  county  to 
Blue  Earth  county  in  1863,  and  there  our  sub- 
ject resided  for  the  next  fifteen  years.  The 
family  home  was  made  in  Christiania  town- 
ship, Jackson  county,  in  1878.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  three  years  in  that  township  the 
family  again  returned  to  Blue  Earth  county. 
In  1800  Mr  Schroeder  took  up  his  residence  in 
AVindom.  where  he  lived  until  1900  and  where, 
in  1802.  he  took  the  position  of  salesman  for 
the  McCormick  Harvester  company.  In  the 
last  named  year  he  came  to  Jackson  county 
as  the  representative  of  the  International  Har- 
vester company,  making  his  headquarters  at 
Lakefield  and  Jackson.  In  1904,  he  was  selected 
as  one  of  a  party  of  fourteen  of  the  Inter- 
national's salesmen  from  all  parts  of  the 
United  States  to  make  a  tour  of  Europe.  This 
party  visited  England,  Scotland,  Germany  and 
France  and  was  gone  five  months.  Returning 
he  continued  w'ith  the  International  company 
for  a  time,  but  in  1905  he  went  to  Canada. 
For  about  nine  months  after  his  return  he 
held  a  position  with  Grandetone  Plow  company 
of  Dixon,  Illinois,  and  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1907  entered  upon  his  duties  as  clerk 
of  the  district  court. 

Mr.  Schroeder  has  taken  quite  an  active 
part  in  local  politics.  In  1900  he  was  the 
democratic  nominee  for  treasurer  of  Cotton- 
wood county,  but  was  defeated  at  the  election. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  legis- 
lature on  the  democratic  ticket  in  1902  and 
served  one  term.  He  was  defeated  for  the 
same  office  in  1904  by  L.  O.  Teigen.  In  Novem- 


404 


BinrjRAPHICAl,    IIISTollV. 


bor,  !!•()(),  .Mr.  hii-lirocdcr  was  di'itcil  tii  tlie  of- 
fice of  clerk  of  court,  wlii.li  lie  lias  since  licUl. 
He  holds  ineiiilicrsliip  in  the  Kniglits  of  Py- 
tliius,  Modern  Woodmen  of  Aineri.ii  and  I'lii- 
tod    Conimercial   Travelers. 

On  October  2,  1907,   Mr.  Seliroed.i    was   uni 
ted    in    marriage    to    Miss    Delia    firannis,    of 
Wortliington. 


.JOHN  W.  CO\Vl.\(;  (1868).  In  tlic  early 
days  of  its  history  the  village  of  Jackson  was 
fortunate  in  the  class  of  business  men  who 
were  attracted  to  the  little  town  on  the 
banks  of  the  Des  Moines.  It  was  due  to  the 
enterprise  of  these  men  that  Jackson  con- 
tinued to  hold  its  place  on  the  map  in  the  early 
days  and  became  the  prosperous  and  flourishing 
city  it  did  in  after  years.  Among  the  tirsl 
to  come  and  the  oldest  to  remain  of  these 
men    is    the    subject    of    this    biography. 

John  W.  Cowing  was  born  in  Hcxliaiii.  Knu- 
land,  on  July  21,  1843.  His  parents,  John 
and  Klizabeth  (IJavidson)  Cowing,  came  1o 
Jackson  in  the  seventies  and  both  died  in  that 
city.  The  family  moved  from  England  to  the 
I'niled  States  in  18.')2  and  settled  on  a  farm 
in  Dane  county.  Wisconsin.  Three  years  later 
they  moved  to  Adams  county,  of  the 
same  state,  and  there  tliey  lived  until  1808. 
Our  subject  received  a  common  school  educh- 
tion  in  Wisconsin  and  completed  it  with  a 
commercial  course  in  the  Worthington  business 
college  of  Madison.  In  February.  ISti.).  Mr. 
Cowing  enlisteil  in  company  A.  of  the  4n(li 
Wis((in-in  volunteer  infantry,  and  served  in 
the  army  until  his  discharge  in  Oclobcr  of 
the  same  year. 

It  was  as  a  young  man.  twenty-five  years 
of  age,  that  John  W.  Cowing  eauie  to  Jack- 
son in  18(iS.  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business,  a  business  in  which  he  was  destined 
to  be  engaged  thirty-eight  years,  excepting 
a  temporary  withdrawal  of  two  years.  When 
the  Hrown  Xational  Itank  was  organized  in 
in05  (succeeding  the  Hank  of  .lackson)  Mr. 
Cowing  was  made  vice  president,  and  in  Oc- 
tober, IIHKI.  he  became  president  of  tlie  bank, 
which  position  he  still  retains,  and  disposed, 
of  his  mercantile  business.  He  owns  his  home 
and  a  business  block  in  .lackson.  city  prop- 
erty in  Minneapolis  and  farm  lands  in  Cotton- 
wood county.  Minnesota,  and  in  Xortli  Dakota. 

On  numerous  occasions  .Mr.  Cowing  has  been 
called    upon    to    serve    in    an    olTicial    cajiacily. 


Kor  several  terms  he  was  chairman  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  village  council  and  president  of 
the  board  of  education  of  the  village.  He  is 
a  nienilier  of  the  Presbyterian  eliurcli  ami  of 
the  A.  V.  &  A.  .M.  lodge. 

Mr.  Cowing  was  married  at  I'reston,  Miniie 
sota,  Augtist  1,  1870,  to  Alice  0.  McMnrtrie,  a 
native  of  Uacine.  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cowing  are  the  parents  of  the  following  named 
children:  Mrs.  A.  R.  Albertus.  of  Worthington; 
Jlrs.  J.  C.  Durfee.  of  Fergus  Kalis.  Minnesota; 
Mrs.  Malcolm  Weikle,  of  Pelican  Hapids,  Min- 
nesota; Nell  M.  Cowing  and  Lillian  J.  Cow- 
ing. 

The  following  concerning  Mr.  Cowing'-,  early 
business  career  in  Jackson  is  of  interest.  In 
1808  he  embarked  in  the  mercantile  business 
alone  and  two  years  later  took  as  a  partner 
Harrison  White,  who  remained  in  the  firm  but 
one  year.  His  first  store  was  located  in  a 
building  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  a  milli- 
nery store  north  of  the  Richardson  block.  Af- 
ter Mr.  Cowing  vacated  the  building  M.  K. 
\U\y.  the  present  governor  of  Washington,  car- 
ried on  a  general  merehandire  business  there 
for  several  years.  Mr.  Cowing  erected,  in  1872, 
the  building  on  the  corner  north  of  the  Rob- 
ertson implement  house,  which  is  now  in  de- 
cay, and  in  which  he  conducted  a  general  store 
for  about  fifteen  years.  In  188(1  he  built  the 
north  half  of  the  business  block  opposite  the 
Ashley  house,  and  here  he  emh d  bis  lon-j;  mer- 
cantile career  prior  to  embarking  in  the 
banking  business. 


liOllKliT  C.  Mill!  (1S7:1|.  anctioiieir.  <.f 
.Jackson,  is  a  native  of  the  conntj  in  wbiiii  he 
has  ever  since  lived.  He  is  the  son  of  Hcdiert 
C.  and  Mary  (McLean)  Muir.  who  hnmestejided 
in  .Middletown  township  in  the  late  sixties  an<l 
lived  there  until  a  few  years  ago,  when  they 
niov<'d  to  North  Dakota. 

Hubert  was  bcnii  on  (he  farm  in  Midiihtown 
township  .March  2.'t.  1S7;{.  and  on  that  farm  he 
grew  ti  manhood,  lie  received  a  limited  edu- 
cation in  the  district  school  and  when  a  boy 
ten  years  old  began  to  herd  cattle  for  his  fa- 
ther, which  was  his  occupation  imtil  si.vtcen 
years  old.  For  several  years  frdlowing  be 
worked  as  a  threshing  hand  for  D.  W.  Pulvcr 
and  A.  Heck  In  1S04  !ie  married  and  moved 
from  the  farm  to  .lackson.  where  he  has  since 
HmiI.      I'or   seven   vear»  he   lan   a   ihav   in   the 


JOHN  W.  COWING 

President  of  the  Brown  National  Bank  of  Jackson  and  Ex-Chairnnan 
of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


405 


village,  and  tlien,  in  1901,  became  an  auctioneer. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  so  engaged  dur- 
ing the  sales  period,  making  a  specialty  of 
farm  and  stock  sales.  During  the  summer 
months  he  sells  insurance  in  the  Modern  Wood- 
men Casualty  company  and  sells  sewing  ma- 
chines. 

Mr.  Muir  owns  his  liome  in  Jackson  and  real 
estate  in  Xoith  Dakota.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  W.  A.  lodge.  The  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy Avas  married  in  Des  Moines  township 
JJecember  10,  1894,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Davies.  Mr.^. 
Muir  was  born  June  23,  1875,  in  Des  Moines 
township  and  is  a  daughter  of  Edward  and 
Ella  (Pease)  Davies,  he  being  a  soldier  of  the 
civil  war  and  an  early  settler  of  the  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Muir  have  been  born  two 
children:     Robert  V.  and  Garth  L. 


FRED  D.  SAWYER  (1875)  is  one  of  the 
substantial  farmers  of  iliddletown  township, 
and  be  lias  made  his  home  in  Jackson  county 
since  1875.  He  is  the  son  of  P.  H.  and  Adaline 
(Drake)  Sawyer,  natives  of  Maine,  where  they 
resided  until  1871.  Then  they  came  west  and 
settled  in  Cottonwood  county,  Minnesota, 
where  they  lived  on  a  farm  until  1875,  when 
they  moved  to  Jackson  county  and  bought  a 
farm  in  section  one,  Middletown  township. 
Here  they  resided  until  a  few  years  ago  when 
they  moved  to  Jackson  village,  where  Mr. 
Sawyer  now  makes  his  home.  He  is  80  years 
of  age.  His  wife  died  September  30,  1907,  at 
the  age  of  70  years.  From  this  union  six  chil- 
dren were  born.  They  are:  George,  Lucy, 
Charles,  Albert,  Ether  L.  and  Fred  D.  Albert 
and  Charles  are  residents  of  Knox  county, 
Nebraska. 

Fred  D.  Sawyer  was  born  in  Piscataquis 
count}',  Maine,  December  22,  18G0.  At  the  age 
of  five  years  he  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Cottonwood  county,  Minnesota,  and  four  years 
later  came  to  Jackson  county,  where  he  lias 
since  resided.  The  first  year  of  his"  residence 
in  the  county  was  spent  in  the  village  of  Jack- 
son; then  with  liis  parents  he  moved  to  a 
farm  north  of  the  village,  where  he  lived  two 
years.  He  then  moved  to  section  one,  Mid- 
dletown township,  where  he  grew  to  manhood, 
working  on  his  father's  farm  and  attending 
the  country  schools.  Fourteen  years  ago  he 
rented  his  father's  farm  and  so  continued 
until  1902,  when  he  bought  the  north  half  of 
section    llj    where    he   has    since   resided.     He 


also  owns  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
15  in  the  same  township,  and  he  farms  the 
entire  480  acres.  He  has  built  his  present  fine 
residence  and  other  buildings  at  a  cost  of  about 
$3,000.  He  has  held  various  olTices  of  trust 
in  his  home  township,  and  has  been  tor  the 
past  four  years  a  member  of  the  township 
board.  He  is  president  of  the  iliddletown 
Telephone  company,  which  is  incorporated  and 
is  one  of  the  best  farmers  lines  in  the  county. 
He  is  also  prominent  in  social  ami  church  af- 
fairs. 

Mr.  Sawyer  was  married  at  Estherville,  Iowa, 
December  8,  1898,  to  Miss  Josephine  Peterson, 
a  native  of  Sweden  and  a  daughter  of  John 
and  Louise  Peterson.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  children,  Mark  A.,  born  September  18, 
1899,  and  Maurice   F.,  born  February   26,   1901. 

Mr.  Saw3'er  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church   of  .Jackson. 

ANTHONY  A.  ARNOLD  (1887)  is  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Sioux 
Valley  township.  He  owns  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  32. 

Mr.  Arnold  was  born  in  Jo  Daviess  county, 
Illinois,  December  23,  1800,  and  resided  in  that 
county  until  iie  was  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
His  father  dying  when  he  was  six  years  of 
age,  Anthony  made  his  home  with  his  mother 
and  stepfather  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old. 
Then  he  started  in  life  for  himself,  working 
as  a  farm  laborer  for  several  years.  During 
the  winter  of  1880-81  he  completed  his  educa- 
tion «ith  a  course  in  the  schools  at  Dubuque, 
Iowa. 

In  tlie  spring  of  1882  Mr.  Arn61d  moved  to 
Osceola  county,  Iowa,  was  married  that  fall 
and  then  engaged  in  farming  rented  land.  He 
soon  gave  up  farming  and  located  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Lake  Park.  He  built  the  Lake  Park 
house  in  the  fall  of  1883  and  conducted  it  two 
and  one-half  years.  In  the  spring  of  1887  he 
traded  the  hotel  for  his  present  farm  and  has 
since  made  his  home  in  Siou.x  Valley  town- 
sliip,  with  the  exception  of  a  year  and  a  half 
wlien  he  was  on  the  plains  of  Commanche 
county,  Oklahoma,  (1903-05).  When  Mr.  Ar- 
nold located  on  the  farm  the  improvements 
consisted  of  a  few  primitive  shacks  left  over 
from  homesteader  days.  All  the  present  up- 
to-date  improvements  on  the  place  have  been 
made  by  tlie  present  owner.  He  is  a  breeder 
of  pure  bred  .Jersey  cattle,  Duroc-Jersey  hogs 
and  White  Plymouth  Rock  chickens. 


■106 


RIonnAl'IIIfAL    niST()l{V 


Ik'iirv  ami  Augiistu  (Sol.apii)  AriiuUl  were 
tlie  paii'iits  of  our  subject,  liotli  were  born  in 
tiernitiiiy  iiiij  eunu-  to  Aniericii  wlion  young, 
liaving  been  married  in  ilo  Daviess  eonnly, 
Illinois,  and  having  spent  the  remainder  of 
their  lives  there.  The  father  died  in  ISliti;  tliu 
mother  in  1895,  aged  til  years. 

.Mr.  Arnold  was  married  in  .Id  Daviess  eoun- 
ty.  Illinois,  October  2.},  1882.  to  l-anra  Wiek- 
ler,  who  was  born  in  the  county  in  wliich  she 
was  married  in  IStil.  To  these  parents  have 
been  born  the  following  named  eight  children: 
tieorge  A..  liMni  Xovember  18,  1883;  Clyde  B., 
born  Jniir  In.  ISSO;  Carl  II.,  born  March  8, 
188!);  Lorclta  1".,  born  July  4,  1892;  Lcona  M., 
born  May  21,  1,8'J4;  Tearl  A.,  born  June  2,1, 
18911;  Krvin  P.,  born  June  22,  1899;  Clayton 
K..  born  >Iay  30,  1903.  Mr.  Arnold  says  that 
one  of  the  best  crops  on  the  place  have  been 
bis  children.  He  has  an  interesting  family. 
Loretta  and  Lcona  are  splendid  musicians. 

Mr.  Arnold  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  district  No.  fi4  for  the  past  cigliteen 
years,  ile  was  a  member  of  the  township 
board  one  year  and  a  justice  of  the  peace  two 
years.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the 
Farmers  Cooperative  Creamery  company  of 
Lake  Park.  Iowa,  and  has  stock  in  the  Mid- 
land Telephone  company  of  Milford.  Iowa,  and 
the  Farmers  Kxchangc  ■•onipany  of  Lake  Park. 
Mr.  Arnold  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church  of  Lake  Park  and  of  the  M,  W.  A. 
lodge. 


A.  I'KANK  GERLACH  (1808).  For  over 
forty  years  the  gentlcmm  who.se  name  heads 
this  sketch,  and  who  now  lives  in  .lackson, 
has  l)oen  a  resident  of  the  county,  having  come 
here  as  a  baby  two  and  one-half  years  old. 
He  was  born  in  Columbus,  Dane  county.  Wis- 
consin, Maicli  1.  l.Stil),  the  son  of  .John  and 
Li/./ie  fJerladi. 

In  November,  18(18,  the  family  arrivcil  in 
<)ackson  county,  having  made  the  trip  by 
team.  The  father  took  a  homestead  in  Peters- 
burg township  and  there  our  subject  spent  his 
boyhood  days.  Jle  received  a  coinitry  school 
ediicution  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years 
left  the  home  farm.  For  the  next  five  years 
he  was  employed  at  farm  work,  and  then  in 
1888  moV(d  to  ,lackson.  For  two  years  lie 
worked  on  a  dray  line  and  then  bought  a  half 
interest    in    the    business,    which    he    conduclcil 


three  years.  Jle  was  ajipointed  village  mar- 
shal in  1893  and  .served  seven  years.  He 
then  retired  from  active  pursuits  and  has  .since 
been  engaged  in  looking  after  his  farm  prop- 
erty. Jle  owns  120  acres  of  land  in  .Middle- 
town  township  and  120  acres  partly  in  Wis- 
consin and  partly  in  Petersburg  townships. 
For  two  years  he  served  as  chief  of  the  .Jack- 
.son   fire  department. 

Mr.  (Jcrlticb   was  married  in  Jackson  county 
Novcnibcr   •J.t,   KlMl.   to    Miss    Rarbara   Miller. 


ERNEST  A.  GAtiE  (1884),  ex-prcsidcnt  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  J>akelield.  is  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  business  in  that  vil- 
lage. He  is  the  son  of  the  late  Solomon  and 
Marion  (King)  Gage  and  descends  from  co- 
lonial stock,  one  distinguished  member  of  the 
family  being  Lyman  .1.  (jage.  former  secretary 
of  tlie  United  States  treasury. 

Our  subject's  grandfather.  Solonion  i.agc, 
Sr..  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1788  and 
immigrated  to  Kane  county.  Illinois,  in  184li. 
Our  subject's  father,  Solomon  (Jage,  Jr.,  was  born 
in  Arcade,  New  York,  .June  L"),  1827.  and  ac- 
comi)anied  his  father  to  Rutland  township, 
Kane  county,  in  1840.  There  he  grew  to  man- 
hood, bought  property  and  spent  practically 
all  the  rest  of  his  life.  In  the  fifties  he  made 
two  trips  overland  to  California,  driving  ox 
teams.  From  the  first  trip  he  returned  in 
1852  by  way  of  Cape  Horn;  the  .second  re- 
turn trip  was  made  by  way  of, the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  He  came  to  Jackson  coimty  in  1884, 
bought  a  section  of  land  in  IVlmont  and  Hun- 
ter townships,  but  did  not  make  his  home 
here.  Solomon  (iage  was  nuirried  three  times. 
His  first  wife,  Susan  Hogeboom,  died  in  Cali- 
fornia March  15,  18.57.  His  second  wife  and 
the  mother  of  our  subject  was  Mary  E.  King, 
whom  he  married  July  1,  18,58.  She  was  born 
in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  October  4,  1840, 
and  died  .lannary  4,  1871.  She  was  tlie  daugh- 
ter of  Madison  King  and  was  of  English  des- 
cent. Nine  children  were  born  to  them,  of 
whom  the  subject  of  this  biography  and  .lohn 
(!.  Gage,  of  Lakefield,  are  the  only  surviving 
ones.  Solomon  Gage  was  married  the  third 
lime  In  1872  to  Jlrs.  Sylvia  Itri.sbin,  a  native 
of  Canada.  Mr.  Gage  died  in  Kane  inunty.  Il- 
linois, Xovciiil>or  7,  188(i. 

Ernest  A.  Gage  was  born  in  lintlaml  town- 
ship, Kane  county,  Illinois,  February  1.  ISfifi.  and 
grew  to  young  manhood  there,  attending  the  di3- 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


107 


trict  schools  and  working  on  Ids  father's  farm. 
His   education   was   completed   with   one    term 
in  the  preparatory   department   of  Beloit   col- 
lege in  1888.     As  before  mentioned,  the  elder 
Oage    came    to    Jackson    county    in    1884    and 
purchased  land.     One  of  these  tracts  was  the 
south    half   of   section   ,31,   Belmont    township, 
and    upon    that    farm    our    subject    located    in 
January,    1884.     He   conducted    the    farm    two 
years  and  then  returned  to  his  old  home.    He 
bought    the    old    homestead    and    engaged    in 
farming   until    the   year    1901.     Then   he   sold 
out  and  again  came   to  Jackson  county.     Lo- 
cating in  Lakefield,  he  engaged  in   the  imple- 
ment   business    four   years,    selling   out    March 
6,  1905,  to  his  brother,  -lohn  G.  Gage.     On  tlie 
first  day  of  the  year  1903  he  bought  out  tlie 
interests  of  N.  J.  Scott  in  the  First  National 
Bank    of    Lakefield,    became    president    of    the 
bank,  conducted  it  until  the  next  year,  and  then 
sold  out  to  J.  W.  Daubney.     After  his  retire- 
ment from  the  bank  Mr.  Gage  lived  a  retired 
life   until   .January,    1908;    then   he   opened   an 
insurance  business,  in  which  he  has  since  been 
engaged.     He  writes  policies  in  the  Xew  York 
Life,    the    Connecticut    and    the    Williamsburg 
City  Insurance  company. 

Mr.  Gage  owns  a  half  interest  in  the  im- 
plement buildings  occupied  by  his  brother  and 
lias  his  own  home  in  tlie  village.  He  takes  an 
active  interest  in  lodge  matters  and  holds 
membership  in  many  worthy  orders.  Of  the 
Masonic  orders  he  is  a  charter  member  of 
Lakefield  Lodge  No.  250,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  ami 
was  master  in  1905;  he  is  a  charter  member 
of  lodge  No.  73,  R.  A.  M.,  of  Jackson;  of  the 
Fairmont  Commandry  No.  27;  and  of  Osman 
Temple  of  St.  Paul.  He  holds  membership  in 
tlie  Lakefield  lodge  No.  178;  L  0.  0.  F.;  in 
the  Lakefield  chapter  No.  185,  0.  E.  S.,  and 
in  the  Knights  of  the  Globe  at  Hampshire,  Il- 
linois. 

Mr.  Gage  was  married  March  31,  1890,  to 
Emma  C.  Hemrick,  a  native  of  Kane  county, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Philip  H.  and  Caro- 
line M.  (Maupton)  Hemrick,  both  born  in 
Kane  county,  Illinois.  Tlie  former  was  born 
September  25,  1848,  and  now  resides  in  Flag- 
ler, Colorado;  the  latter  was  born  July  1-, 
1850,  and  died  .Tanuary  8,  1898. 


tuiy.  He  devotes  his  time  principally  to  the 
management  of  his  farms  and  city  property, 
but  is  also  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
furs.  He  owns  148  acres  of  land  in  section  3, 
Hunter  township,  a  half  section  in  Ransom 
county.  North  Dakota,  a  drug  store  building 
in  Lakefield,  a  residence  and  other  property 
in  that  village. 

L.  J.  Britsch  was  born  May  26,  1858,  in 
Niles,  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  the  son  of  Chris- 
tian and  Catherine  (Schofer)  Britsch.  His 
father  was  born  in  Bretten  Bathen,  Germany, 
and  his  mother  at  Hessen,  in  the  same  coun- 
try. They  came  to  America  when  young  and 
were  married  in  Ohio.  For  many  years  the 
family  lived  at  Niles,  where  Mr.  Britsch  was 
engaged  as  a  puddler  in  the  iron  mills.  Later 
he  engaged  in  farming  in  Winneshiek  county, 
Iowa,  and  later  still  farmed  near  Spirit  Lake, 
Iowa,  where  he  died  October  23,  1880,  aged  50 
years.  Mrs.  Britsch  is  77  years  of  age  and 
resides  in  Lakefield.  Louis  is  one  of  a  family 
of    ten   children,   of   whom   seven  are   living. 

Louis  Britsch  resided  with  his  parents  in 
Niles,  Ohio,  until  six  years  old,  and  then  ac- 
companied them  to  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa. 
It  was  seven  jears  later  when  the  family 
moved  to  Spirit  Lake.  Louis  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  and  after  securing  his  edu- 
cation learned  the  harnessmaker's  trade  at 
Spencer,  Iowa.  Later  he  worked  at  his  trade 
in  Chicago,  Youngstown,  Ohio,  New  Castle, 
Pennsylvania,  and  at  Spirit  Lake.  He  located 
in  Lakefield  in  1885  and  opened  a  harness  shop, 
which  he  conducted  nine  years.  Selling  out 
then,  he  has  since  devoted  his  time  as  men- 
tioned above. 

At  Hamilton.  Minnesota,  on  May  26,  1887, 
Mr.  Britscii  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Hinze, 
who  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  Jan- 
uary 27,  1869,  the  daughter  of  Adolph  and 
Caroline  Hinze.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Britsch 
have  been  born  four  children,  as  follows:  Lil- 
lian, a  state  university  student  and  school 
teacher,  born  April  15,  1889;  Arthur,  a  high 
school  student,  born  November  7,  1892;  Elsie,  . 
born  September  9,  1895:  Ludie,  born  March  15, 
1899. 


LOUIS  J.  BRITSCH  (1885)  is  a  retired 
business  man  of  Lakefield,  which  village  lias 
been  his  home  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 


PETER  MADSEN  (1885)  is  an  extensive 
stock  breeder  of  Kimball  township,  where  he 
is  also  engaged  in  farming  a  half  section  of 
land.  Mr  Madsen  is  of  Danish  birth  and  was 
born   February    11,    1853,     His   parents,   Mads 


408 


Biocl;  \nilcAI,  IIISTOKV. 


(laiison  ami  Carrie  (I^rsdiltcr)  Clausen,  died 
in  tlieir  native  land  a  number  of  years  ago. 
There  are  seven  living  eliildren  in  the  family, 
as  follows:  Claus,  Uirs  C,  .li-ns,  Julia,  -Mary, 
Peter  and  Carl  l". 

Until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  Peter 
Madsen  lived  in  his  native  land,  working  out 
after  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  In  1874 
he  eanie  to  America  and  located  at  Peshtigo, 
Wiseonsin.  lie  worked  in  a  sawmill  there 
three  years,  on  a  farm  in  Uodgc  county,  Wis- 
eonsin, fourteen  months,  and  then  again 
worked  one  winter  in  tlie  timber  at  Peshtigo. 
From  the  Wisconsin  town  Mr.  Aladsen  went 
til  Chicago,  where  he  was  engaged  in  various 
occupations  until  1885.  That  year  he  came  to 
.(ackson  county  and  located  upon  his  present 
farm — the  southeast  quarter  of  section  32, 
Kimball — which  he  had  bought  the  year  before. 
At  the  time  of  purchase  the  farm  was  prairie 
land  with  no  improvements,  and  the  substan- 
tial improvements  now  on  the  farm  are  all  the 
result   of   the  labors  of  Mr.  Madsen. 

In  the  city  of  Chicago  on  October  .">,  1S78, 
Mr.  Madsen  was  united  in  marriage  to  liang- 
nild  Olson,  who  was  born  in  Norway  May  12, 
1800,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  ton 
years  of  age.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Tora 
and  Mary  Olson.  Twelve  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Madsen,  of  whom  eleven 
are  living.  Theodore  died  in  Chicago  at  the 
age  of  two  and  one-half  years.  The  others 
are:  Theodore,  born  J:inuary  21,  1883;  Ed- 
ward, born  Decemlx'r  21,  1885;  Carrie  (Mrs. 
Wallace  Mitchell),  born  September  18,  1887; 
.lulia.  born  .\iigust  4.  1880;  Annie,  born  Sep- 
IcMibcr  18,  l.snl:  Peter,  born  .S«'ptembcr  5, 
1,S03;  W:ilter.  born  .January  1».  1800;  George, 
born  March  4,  18!i!l;  Lawrence,  born  June  2, 
llKtl ;  Roy,  born  August  15,  1903;  I.iaurine, 
born  June  24,  1005.  Air.  Madsen  has  been 
treasurer  of  school  district  No.  87  for  the  past 
ten  or  twelve  years.  Tie  is  a  member  of  the 
Dani.sh    Hrolherhood    lodge. 


OLE  L.  LARSON  (1882)  is  a  Wcimer  town- 
sliip  farmer  residing  a  short  distance  south  of 
I  he  village  of  Heron  Lake.  He  is  a  native  of 
Mountain  Lake,  Minnesota,  and  was  born  De- 
reniber  2,  1880.  At  the-  age  of  two  years  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson  county, 
(he  family  home  being  made  on  the  place  now 
farmed  by  our  subject,  the  west  half  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  30,  Wcimer.  With 


the  exception  of  the  years  1002  and  1003,  when 
he  was  in  Dakota,  Jlr.  Lar.son  has  ever  since 
lived   in   the  county. 

In  1004  .Mr.  Larson  began  farming  for  him- 
self, lie  rented  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Ueron 
Lake  until  1907,  when  he  took  charge  of  the 
home  place,  where  he  has  since  resided,  making 
his  home  with  liis  mother. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Lemick 
and  Sarah  (Olson)  Larson,  natives  of  Norwaj'. 
Tliey  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  ei.xties 
:inil  were  married  at  Red  Wing,  Minnesota. 
In  the  eariy  seventies  they  came  to  Jackson 
county  and  homesteaded  the  land  now  farmed 
by  their  son.  The  father  dieil  in  1900.  There 
were  seven  children  in  the  family  as  follows: 
Martin,  Elmer,  Ole  L.,  Minnie  (Mrs.  Oscor 
Seleen),  Kate  (Mrs.  Peter  O.  Miekelson),  of 
Canada;  Julius  E.  and  Ida  L. 

01c  received  his  education  in  the  Heron  Lake 
public  schools,  lie  is  unmarried.  During  the 
year  1008  he  served  as  road  overseer  of  his 
district.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Yeo- 
men  lodge. 


.TOlIX  S.  LARSON  (1872).  Delafield  town- 
sliip  farmer,  has  s])ent  his  entire  life  in  Jack- 
son count)',  having  been  born  in  a  dug-out  in 
Wcimer  township  March  0,  1872.  He  is  next 
ti.  ihr  youngest  in  a  family  of  five  living  eliil- 
dren. named  as  follows:  Lena,  Annie,  Louis, 
Ludwig  and  Jcdin  S.  His  parents,  Segar  and 
Isabella  (Johans(adter)  Larson,  were  born  in 
Norway,  were  married  there  .lanuary  8,  1800, 
came  to  America  in  1809,  resided  two  years  in 
Hoonc  county.  Illinois,  and  located  in  Jack- 
son iiiiiiilv  ill  llic  fall  of  1871.  A  homestead 
was  taken  <in  section  10,  Wcimer  town.ship, 
and  there  the  father  of  our  subject  still  lives; 
his  nuillier  died   May  8,  lOOG,  aged  72  years. 

.lohn  Larson  resided  on  the  old  homestead 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  of  age,  working 
for  liis  father  and  attending  school.  After 
completing  the  common  school  course,  he  en- 
tered the  Breck  school  of  Wilder,  being  a  stu- 
dent of  that  school  two  terms.  When  he  reach- 
ed his  majority  he  started  in  life  for  himself, 
working  as  a  farm  laborer  for  a  few  years. 
In  1890  he  bought  his  present  farm,  the  south 
half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  5, 
Delalleld  township,  moved  onto  the  place  the 
next  year,  and  that  has  since  been  his  home. 
In  addition  to  his  own  land  he  farms  an  eighty 
acre  tract  .adjoining,  the  property  of  bis  broth- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


409 


er,  Louis.  Mr.  Larson  is  a  member  of  the 
Jforwegian  Lutlierau  cluircli  ami  of  tlie  M.  \V. 
A.  lodge. 

At  St.  .Jame.><,  Jliiinesota,  on  July  5,  1897, 
Sir.  Larson  was  united  in  niarriagi'  to  Ilclon 
Grinawer,  wlio  was  born  in  Norwa}'  Novembri' 
14,  1S7.5,  and  wbo  came  to  the  United  States 
with  her  parents  when  twelve  years  of  age. 
Her  father,  Thomas  Grinager,  died  in  190S; 
her  mother,  Andrena  Grinager,  lives  in  Dela- 
field  township.  To  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Larson  have 
l)een  born  five  children,  of  whom  the  follow- 
ing three  are  living:  Myrtle,  born  October  20, 
ISilO;  Tilden,  born  February  10,  1904;  Alf, 
born  May  24,  1907.  Two  children,  Inga  and 
Palmer,   died   in  infancy. 


THOMAS  0L8EN.  (1889)  is  a  Hunter  town- 
ship farmer  who  resides  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  thirty-one.  He  was  born  in 
Norway  on  August  7,  1860,  and  there  resided 
on  a  farm  with  his  parents  until  sixteen  years 
iif  age.  He  then  became  a  sailor  and  followed 
a  seafaring  life  until  1882.  In  that  year  he 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  first  lo- 
cated in  Kendall  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
worked  on  farms  for  a  pei'iod  of  two  years. 
He  then  moved  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where  he 
made  his  home  until  1889.  Then  he  moved  to 
Jackson  county,  and  took  up  his  residence  on 
section  one,  in  Sioux  Valley  township,  residing 
on  a  farm  tliere  five  years.  He  then  made  a 
trip  to  his  old  home  in  Norway,  and  returning 
to  Jackson  county  the  next  year,  he  located  on 
I'is  present  place  in  Hunter  township,  where 
he  has  since  resided. 

Mr.  Olsen  is  the  son  of  Die  and  Martha  Tor- 
resen,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  Norway, 
where  the  former  now  lives,  the  mother  having 
died  about  fifteen  years  ago.  They  have  five 
children   living. 

Thomas  Olsen  was  married  in  June,  1895,  to 
Magdalina  Aslaksen,  who  is  also  a  native  of 
Norway.  They  are  tlie  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows;  Martin,  born  January  28, 
1890;  Olga,  born  April  22,  1898;  Thelma,  born 
December  30,  1902;  Ardette,  born  April  3, 
1905;   Hilda,  born  July   15,  1906. 

Mr.  Olsen  has  served  as  director  two  terms 
in  school  district  No.  113.  He  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Kost  creamery  and  the  Lakefield  grain 
elevator.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church. 


H.  HENTIY  HUGHES  (1878),  real  estate 
dealer  of  Jackson,  is  one  of  the  well  known 
residents  of  that  village,  having  made  his 
home  there  nearly  all  the  time  since  1878.  Ho 
was  born  in  Oneida  county.  New  York,  Feb 
rnary  4,  1845,  the  son  of  lUchard  and  Anna 
(Williams)  Hughes.  His  parents  wore  natives 
of  Wales  and  came  to  America  when  children. 
His  father  died  in  Wisconsin  October  14,  1872, 
at  the  age  of  57  years;  his  mother  died  Oc- 
tober 2U,  1892,  at  the  age  of  74  years. 

When  our  subject  was  twelve  years  old  he 
moved  with  his  parents  from  New  York  state 
to  Columbia  county,  Wisconsin,  and  was 
brought  up  tliere  on  a  farm.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Columbia 
county  and  completed  it  with  a  course  in  a 
select  school  at  Fox  Lake,  Wisconsin.  After 
his  father's  death  in  1872  our  subject,  being 
the  only  son  and  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  five 
children,  took  the  management  of  the  home 
farm  and  conducted  it  until  the  fall  of  1877. 

Mr  Hughes  came  to  Jackson  in  the  spring 
of  1878  and  in  October  entered  the  employ  of 
the  C.  L.  Colman  Lumber  company,  and  a 
month  later  took  the  position  of  manager  of 
that  company's  yard  at  that  point,  having 
superintended  the  building  of  the  yards.  He 
retained  his  position  with  the  firm  until  the 
summer  of  1891 — a  continuous  service  of  thir- 
teen and  a  half  years.  Mr.  Hughes  had  pre- 
viously invested  quite  heavily  in  the  imple- 
ment business  and  after  selling  out  he  moved 
to  St.  Paul  in  the  spring  of  1892  and  for  one 
and  a  half  years  was  traveling  salesman  for 
the  Piano  Manufacturing  company.  Then  he 
took  a  position  as  traveling  representative, 
with  power  of  attorney  for  loaning  money  and 
collecting,  for  the  First  National  Bank,  of 
Whitewater,  Wisconsin,  and  was  so  employed 
until  March  31,  1907,  covering  four  states  for 
the  bank.  Tliat  year  he  returned  to  Jackson 
and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance 
business,  in  which  he  is  still  engaged,  in  ad- 
dition to  looking  after  his  farm  lands.  He 
owns  400  acres  of  Jackson  county  land,  which 
include  two  farms.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
J.  0.  O.  F.,  M.  W.  A.  and  M.  B.  A.  lodges. 

At  Cambria,  Columbia  county,  Wisconsin, 
on  September  19,  1872,  Mr.  Hughes  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Estella  Wilcox,  a  native  of 
New  York  state.  To  this  union  have  been  born 
the    following    named    children:      Ainslie    H., 


25 


410 


RIOGRAPniCAL  IIISTOlJV. 


Harriett  A.    (Mrs.  Ed.  Parker),  Clark   R.   and 
Artluir  B. 


i'liKD  ALLERS  (1885),  who,  in  parlniTsliip 
with  his  brother,  William  Allers,  and  his  son, 
Edward  Allors,  farms  three  quarters  of  a  sec- 
tion of  fine  land  in  Sioux  Valley  township,  is 
a  native  of  Jlecklenberg,  Germany,  and  was 
born  February  24,  1848.  His  father,  Fred 
Allers,  was  a  miller  in  Germany  and  a  farmer 
after  he  came  to  the  new  world.  He  died  in 
Scott  county,  Iowa,  January  9,  1887.  The 
mother  of  our  subject,  Inger  Allers,  died  in 
1889,  also  in  Scott  countj',  Iowa. 

Ered  Allers  of  this  sketch  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  in  1852 — when  he  was  only 
four  years  of  age.  Upon  their  arrival  in  the 
United  States  they  set  out  for  the  west  and 
arrived  in  Chicago,  beyond  which  railroads  did 
not  at  the  time  extend.  The  family  and  Hen- 
ry Knock,  an  uncle  of  our  subject,  who  ac- 
companied them,  bought  a.  team  in  Chicago 
and  set  out  overland  on  a  three  lumdrod  milc- 
journcy  to  Uavenport,  Iowa.  On  the  trip  Ihcy 
came  upon  only  one  settler,  and  when  they 
arrived  in  Davenport  they  found  it  to  be  a 
little  village  of  only   three  business  houses. 

Upon  arriving  in  this  new  country  the  head 
of  the  family  bought  a  forty  acre  tract  of 
land  situated  one-half  mile  north  of  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Walcott,  Iowa,  paying  therefor  one 
dollar  per  acre.  On  that  farm,  which  was 
later  increased  to  240  acres,  our  subject  grew 
to  manhood.  There  were  no  schools  in  that 
pioneer  country  and  the  only  schooling  Ered 
.MIers  received  was  obtained  one  winter  in 
the  Davenport  school  wlien  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age.  After  growing  up  he  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  own  account. 

It  was  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1885,  that 
Fred  Allers,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  Wil- 
liam, arrived  in  Jackson  county.  Eor  three 
years  the  brothers  rented  land  in  Sioux  Val- 
ley township;  (hen  they  bought  the  northwest 
•luarter  of  section  25,  in  that  township,  which 
is  still  the  home  place.  Ijiter  they  bought 
other  property  until  today  they  own  480  acres 
of  choice  land.  When  Edward  Allers,  the  son 
of  our  subject,  grew  up  he  entered  the  jiart- 
nership,  an<l  since  then  the  three  have  con- 
ducted the  farms  in  partnership.  The  land 
was  all  unimproved  when  they  bought,  except- 
ing a  house  — 14.x24  feet— on  the  home  place 
and  a  little  baru  covered  with  hay.    They  have 


HK'de  all  the  improvements  and  have  fine 
homes,  surrounded  by  large  groves.  They 
raise  stock  t|uite  extensively  and  are  success- 
ful   farmers. 

-Mr.  Allers  was  married  at  Walcott,  Iowa, 
February  2,  1873,  to  Catherina  Stoltenherg, 
daughter  of  the  late  Jochim  Stoltenbcrg.  Mrs. 
Allers  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany,  Sep- 
tember 1,  1844,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1872.  Two  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
as  follows:  Edward,  born  December  (>,  I87;t; 
ICmelia,  born  July  22,  1875,  died  February  22, 
1879. 

Mr.  Allers  is  a  member  of  the  Gernum  Luth- 
eran church  of  Sioux  Valley  township  and  of 
the  Germania  Verein.  He  was  a  director  of 
school  district  Xo.  50  during  the  years  1888- 
1S91. 


BEN  J.  T()LLEF.SON  (1871),  who  owns  a 
forty  acre  timber  tract  on  section  16,  Belmont 
township,  is  an  early  day  settler  of  Jackson 
county.  He  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was 
born  May  17,  1852,  the  son  of  Tolef  and  Aletta 
(Johnson)  Tollcfson.  These  parents  came 
from  Norway  in  1865  and  to  Jackson  county 
in  1871.  The  father  of  our  subject  honiestead- 
ed  land  in  West  Heron  Lake  township  in  1875 
and  made  his  home  there  until  his  deatli, 
which  occurred  in  1885.  The  mother  of  our 
sul)ject  mndo  lur  home  with  Ben  Tollcfson 
until  her  death  in  August,  1003,  aged  eighty- 
seven  and  one-half  years.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  four  children:  Matt,  of  Jackson;  John, 
who  died  in  1884:  Helen  (Mrs.  Christian  Ol- 
son), who  died  in  1900  at  her  home  in  Wis- 
consin;  Ben  J.,  of  this  sketch. 

Ben  Tollcfson  came  (o  America  with  his 
parents  in  1865,  resided  five  years  in  I-afay- 
ette  county,  Wisconsin,  a  short  time  in  Fill- 
more county,  Aliiuiesota,  and  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Jackson  county  in  1871.  He  se- 
cured 120  acres  of  land  on  section  8,  West 
Heron  Lake  township,  where  he  resided  until 
1894.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved  south,  buy- 
ing a  farm  in  Oktibbeha  county,  Mississippi. 
He  did  not  like  the  country  and  a  year  and 
a  half  later  returned  to  Jackson  county.  He 
liMUght  S6  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  village 
of  Jackson  on  the  southeast,  where  he  lived 
eight  years.  Disposing  of  that  properly,  Mr. 
Tollcfson  bought  the  timber  tract  where  he 
now  resides,  erected  buildings  thereon  and 
moved  onto  the  place.     He  engages  in  fanning 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


411 


only  to  a  limited  extent.  During  liis  residence 
in  West  Heron  Lake  townsliip  ilr.  Tollefson 
was  always  lionored   with   fo\vnslii]>  olTioes. 

The  gentleman  wliose  name  heads  this  bio- 
graphy was  married  in  West  Heron  Lake 
township  in  June,  1879,  to  Inga  Goplen,  who 
was  born  in  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  Septem- 
ber 13,  1S61,  and  wlio  is  the  daughter  of  Nelg 
Goplen.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tollefson  have  been 
born  the  following  named  three  children:  Net- 
tie (Mrs.  Albert  Holleck),  of  Jackson,  born 
January  13,  1881;  Alvin.  wiio  resides  at  home, 
born  December  i5,  1882;  l']lnier,  of  Minneapo- 
lis, born  March  31,  1887. 


tioneer's    business    in    1880,    and    has    followed 
tliat  calling  ever  since. 

Mr.  Stone  was  married  at  Jackson  August 
20,  1885,  to  Anna  Wells,  a  native  of  Sheboy- 
gan county,  Wisconsin.  Her  father  was  ilatt 
Sorenson.  Her  mother  dying  when  she  was  a 
child  seven  years  of  age,  she  was  adopted  into 
a  family  named  Wells  and  took  that  name. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stone  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  J.  D.,  D.  D.,  C. 
Leroy,  Nina  L.,  Earl,  Myron  H.,  Kate,  Peter, 
Mae,  Horace.  Mr.  Stone  is  a  member  of  the 
JI.  B.  A.  lodge.  His  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
J\lethodist  church  and  of  the  Royal  Neighbors 
lodge. 


HENRY  P.  STONE  (1880)  has  resided  in 
Jackson  county  twenty-nine  years.  He  is  an 
auctioneer  and  makes  his  home  in  Lakefield. 
He  is  a  native  of  Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  born  February  2.5,  ISGO,  being  one  of 
a  family  of  six  children  born  to  J.  D.  and  Julia 
M.  (Smith)  Stone.  Both  parents  were  born 
in  Connecticut  and  were  of  colonial  stock,  the 
father  being  of  German  extraction,  the  mother 
of  English. 

J.  D.  Stone,  the  father  of  our  subject,  moved 
from  Connecticut  to  Pennsylvania  when  be 
was  twenty-three  years  of  age  and  for  ten 
years  held  a  government  position  in  the  na- 
tional capitol  building  at  Washington,  his  fam- 
ily during  tliis  time  residing  in  Tioga  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Stone  w'as  in  the  Ford 
theater  at  Washington  the  night  President  . 
Lincoln  was  assassinated.  He  moved  to  Wis- 
consin in  1872,  bought  land  and  farmed  until 
1883.  That  year  he  moved  to  Jackson  county, 
engaged  in  farming  until  1889,  wlien  he  moved 
to  Lakefield  and  engaged  in  tlie  hotel  business. 
He  died  at  Lakefield  in  1889;  his  wife  died  in 
1897. 

Henry  P.  Stone,  of  this  sketch,  moved  with 
his  parents  from  Pennsylvania  to  Wisconsin 
when  a  boy.  There  he  resided,  working  on  bis 
father's  farm,  until  1880.  That  year  he  came 
to  Jackson  county,  bought  land  in  Wisconsin 
township,  and  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account.  He  left  the  farm  in  the  fall  of  1885 
and  moved  to  Lakefield,  and  that  village  has 
since  been  his  home.  After  the  death  of  bis 
father  in  1889  he  conducted  the  hotel  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  since  tliat  time  lias  been 
engaged  in  dealing  in  horses,  farming  and 
crying  public  sales.    He  first  took  up  the  auc- 


EDWARD  A.  BOEHI.  (1887)  is  the  proprie- 
tor of  the  livery  barn  and  of  the  dray  line  at 
Alpha.  He  is  a  native  of  Monee,  Will  county, 
Illinois,  and  his  parents  were  August  and  Wil- 
hclmina   Boehl,  both  deceased. 

ilr.  Boehl  lived  in  Will  county,  Illinois,  un- 
til he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age.  Fifteen 
years  of  this  time  he  engaged  in  threshing 
during  the  seasons  and  for  fourteen  years  en- 
gaged in  stockraising.  He  arrived  in  Jackson 
county  March  12,  1887,  and  has  ever  since 
made  his  home  there.  During  the  first  twelve 
years  he  resided  in  Jackson,  during  all  of 
which  time  he  was  engaged  in  the  threshing 
business.  For  three  years  he  also  engaged  in 
farming  and  from  1890  to  1899  conducted  a 
dray  line.  Mr.  Boehl  moved  to  Alpha  in  the 
spring  of  1899,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming,  teaming  and  threshing.  In  the  fall 
of  1908  he  and  his  son,  Eddy,  purchased  the 
livery,  dray  and  feed  business  of  C.  J.  Swen- 
son.  Besides  the  business  enterprises  men- 
tioned Mr.  Boehl  owns  stock  in  the  Farmers' 
elevator  company  of  Alpha. 

Mr.  Boehl  owns  property  in  the  village  of 
Alpha.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  of  the  M.  B.  lodge  of  Alpha.  He 
served  four  years  as  chairman  of  the  board  of 
sujiervisors  of  Wisconsin  township,  was  a 
member  of  the  Alpha  village  council  two  years 
and  was  village  treasurer  three  years.  He  was 
also  chief  of  the  Alpha  fire  department  three 
years. 

Mr.  Boelil  was  married  February  12,  1887, 
to  Miss  Emma  Bohlander.  To  them  have  been 
born  the  following  cliildren:  Francelia,  born 
March   24,    1800;    Eddy    H.,   born   January    10, 


412 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IIISTOKY. 


1892;   Florence,  born  March  31,  1894;  Blanche, 
born   Fcbrii:iry   18,  1901. 


I,.  KU.MMKTII  (1887)  is  one  of  the  large 
land  owners  and  successful  farmers  of  Alba 
township,  lie  owns  a  section  of  land  in  one 
body  and  farms  it  all. 

Jlr.  Kummeth  is  a  native  of  Salvia,  Bayern, 
Uennany,  and  was  born  January  15,  1851,  the 
son  of  Ijeorge  and  tieneiva  (Wagner)  Kum- 
meth. His  father,  who  was  a  mason  by  trade, 
died  in  Germany  about  twenty-five  years  ago, 
aged  85  years.  His  mother  died  in  (Jcrmany 
ten  years  ago,  aged  80  years. 

Our  subject  spent  the  first  twenty-two  years 
of  his  life  in  his  native  land.  He  was  brought 
up  in  tlie  vilhige  of  Hansen  and  was  educated 
in  the  common  seliools.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  lie  began  working  at  the  mason's 
trade,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the  time 
he  lived  in  the  old  country  he  followed  that 
trade  during  the  summer  months,  working  as 
a  wood  chopper  during  the  winter  months. 
During  tlie  montli  of  Jlay,  1873,  Mr.  Kummclh 
came  to  tlie  United  States.  He  spent  the  lirst 
year  in  New  York  city,  working  for  a  second 
hand  lumber  company,  tearing  down  old  build- 
ings. After  one  year  spent  in  the  metropolis 
he  moved  to  Lake  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
resided  thirteen  years.  During  the  first  seven 
years  of  this  time  he  worked  as  a  farm  band; 
tlie  last  six  he  was  engaged  in  farming  on 
rented  land. 

In  the  fall  of  1887  Mr.  Kummeth  came  to 
Jackson  county  and  located  upon  an  eighty 
acre  farm  on  section  10,  Ewington  township, 
which  he  had  bought  the  year  before,  and 
started  farming.  When  he  arrived  in  the 
county  he  had  a  team  and  wagon  and  just 
enough  money  to  build  a  little  house  and  shed. 
He  borrowed  money  to  buy  feed  for  his  horses 
and  food  for  his  family,  paying  twenty-four 
per  cent  interest,  having  raised  no  crop  during 
the  first  three  years  of  his  residence  in  the 
county.  Later  he  came  upon  better  times  ami 
has  ])rospered.  He  lived  on  the  Kwington 
township  farm  eight  years,  during  wliidi  time 
he  increased  it  by  the  purchase  of  iin  ad.li- 
tional  eighty  acres. 

In  1895  Mr.  Kummeth  traded  his  Kwington 
township  farm  for  the  quarter  section  of  land 
on  section  14,  Alba,  now  the  home  place,  and 
has  ever  since  resided  on  it.  At  the  time  of 
making  the  trade  the  only  iiiiproveinents  were 


a  sniiill  house  and  barn.  He  now  has  a  fine 
home  and  well  improved  farm.  He  bought  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  10  in  1899  and 
the  south  half  of  section  11  in  the  full  of 
1909. 

Mr.  Kummeth  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  all'airs  of  his  community  and  has  several 
limes  been  called  upon  to  serve  in  an  otTieial 
capacity.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Alba  town- 
ship board  twelve  years  and  during  two  years 
of  that  time  was  chairman  of  the  board.  He 
is  clerk  of  school  district  No.  102  and  has  serv- 
ed ill  that  capacity  twelve  years.  He  and  his 
lainily  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  of 
Heron  Lake. 

In  Lake  county,  Illinois,  in  February,  1882, 
Mr.  Kummeth  was  united  in  marriage  to  Wal- 
purge  Isele,  who  was  born  in  Balvia,  Bayern, 
liermany,  and  who  came  to  the  United  States 
ill  18S1.  To  these  parents  have  been  born  the 
following  named  live  children:  Annie,  Frank, 
Barbara,  Lawrence  and  (ieorge,  all  living  at 
home. 


FK.VNK  J.  AI'PKL  (1874),  agent  for  the 
Ilaniin  Brewing  company,  resides  at  Heron 
l.akc,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  town  he  has 
lived  since  he  was  eleven  j-ears  of  age.  He 
is  an  Austrian  by  birth  and  was  born  June  29, 
I8G3.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  Thomas  Appel 
and  Tracy  (Hager)  Appel,  who  came  from 
Austria  in  1874  and  settled  in  LaCrosse  town- 
ship. Thomas  Appel  homesteaded  the  south 
half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  8,  and 
upon  that  place  the  family  resided  until  1904, 
when  they  moved  to  Heron  Lake.  There  our 
subject's  father  died  on  August  12,  1907,  at  the 
age  of  78  years,  and  there  his  mother,  who 
is  now  70  years  of  age,  resides.  Frank  is 
next  to  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  living.  They  are  John, 
Frank,  Fred,  Louis,  Joseph,  Vincent  and  Wil- 
liam. 

Coming  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1874, 
Frank  lived  on  the  home  farm  until  1889.  at- 
tending the  country  schools  and  assisting  with 
the  farm  work.  Then  he  married,  bought  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  16,  LaCrosse 
township,  and  engaged  in  farming  for  nine 
years.  He  conducted  a  saloon  in  Kinbrae  one 
year  and  then,  in  1899.  located  in  Heron  Lake. 
Starting  a  saloon  at  the  time  he  located  in 
the  village  Mr.  .Xppel  conducted  it  until  the 
spring  of  1909,  when  he  sold  to  Barney  Grave. 


[PUBLIC  UBRAH?, 


PAUL  II.    KKRGE 

President  of  the  P.  H.  Berpe  Company,  .Jackson,  and  Ex-Chairman 
of  the  Boartl  of  County  Commissioners. 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


J13 


He  1ms  been  the  local  representative  of  tlie 
Hamm  Brewing  company  ever  since  he  lo- 
cated in  Heion  Lake.  In  connection  with  his 
saloon  business  Mr  Appel  was  engaged  in 
the  implement  business  four  years,  selling  out 
in  the  fall  of  190G. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Ibron  Lake 
September  21,  1889,  to  Agnes  Hager,  a  na- 
tive of  Austria  and  a  daughter  of  Frank  Hag- 
er. a  former  resident  of  LaCrosse  township, 
now  living  at  Princeton,  Minnesota.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Appel  have  been  born  the  following 
seven  children:  Hilda,  Eda.  John,  Alma,  Elsie, 
Agnes,  Raymond. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  Mr.  Appel  belongs  to  the  Catholic 
Order  of  Foresters.  While  a  resident  of  the 
country  Mr.  Appel  served  five  years  as  towu- 
ship  clerk  and  the  same  length  of  time  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace. 


PAUL  H.  BERGE  (1878),  president  of  the 
P.  H.  Berge  Company  (incorporated)  of  Jack- 
son, is  one  of  the  pioneer  merchants  of  the 
county  seat  village.  He  is  a  native  of  Rock 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1852,  the  son  of  H.  H.  and  Annie 
(Sanden)   Berge. 

In  his  native  county  Paul  H.  Berge  received 
his  education,  completing  it  with  a  two  years' 
course  in  Beloit  college.  In  1874,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two  years,  he  came  to  Minnesota 
and  located  in  the  little  village  of  Windom, 
where  for  two  and  one-half  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  butter  business.  Returning  at 
the  end  of  that  time  to  his  old  home,  he  spent 
the  next  two  and  one-half  years  clerking  in 
a  store. 

In  September,  1878,  just  before  the  arrival 
of  the  railroad  to  Jackson,  Mr.  Berge  came  to 
that  town  and  bought  an  interest  in  the  mer- 
cantile establishment  of  Strong  Brothers,  the 
firm  name  then  becoming  Strong  Brothers  & 
Berge.  Two  years  later  Strong  Brothers  with- 
drew from  the  firm  and  thereafter  for  twenty- 
three  years  the  establishment  was  conducted 
under  the  name  of  Berge  Brothers,  H.  H. 
Berge,  .Jr..  a  brother  of  our  subject,  being  the 
junior  .member.  P.  H.  Berge  bought  out  his 
brother's  iaterest  in  1904  and  conducted  the 
store  alone  for  two  years.  Two  years  after 
the  last  change  noted  the  P.  H.  Berge  Com- 
pan_y,  with  a  capital  stock  of  .$20,000,  was  in- 
corporated.     Of    this    company     the    following 


are  the  present  officers:  P.  H.  Berge,  presi- 
dent; A.  A.  Berge,  vice  president;  H.  J.  Berge, 
secretary;   0.  B.  Berge,  treasurer. 

Besides  the  P.  H.  Berge  Company  Mr.  Berge 
lias  other  business  interests.  He  is  vice  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Jackson, 
has  stock  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Heron 
Lake  and  lias  an  interest  in  a  lumber  firm  in 
the  state  of  Washington.  In  a  political  way 
he  has  served  in  various  capacities.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  board  of  coimty  commission- 
ers six  years,  was  a  member  of  the  local  board 
of  education  twelve  years,  six  years  as  presi- 
dent and  six  years  as  secretary,  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  village  council  the  second  year  af- 
ter incorporation.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  I.  0. 
O.  F.  and  A.  0.  U.  W.  lodges. 

Jlr.  Berge  was  married  in  Belmont  township 
in  November,  1881,  to  Lena  Olson.  To  this 
union  eight  children  have  been  born,  as  fol- 
lows: Herbert  J.,  Oscar  B.,  Parker  L.,  Amy 
A.,  Irene  Luella,  Hazel  Aliouse,  Catherine  (died 
at  the  age  of  one  year),  Nellie  E.  (Mc- 
Namara),  who  died  August  6,  1908,  at  Alexan- 
dria, Minnesota. 


SHERRILL  BUSHNELL  (188.5)  is  a  Des 
Jloines  township  farmer  whose  place  is  on 
section  14,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  vil- 
lage of  .Jackson.  He  is  a  native  of  Lisbon, 
Kendall  county,  Illinois,  and  was  born  Novem- 
ber 24,  1858.  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Elenora 
(Cobley)   Bushnell.  now  residents  of  Jackson. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  New 
York  state,  came  west  in  an  early  day  and 
settled  in  Illinois.  He  located  in  Jackson  in 
1885,  bought  the  farm  upon  which  his  son  now 
resides  in  188G,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  resi- 
dent of  the  county.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Vermont.  They  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren: Jackson,  of  Kansas  City,  Kansas;  Edith 
(Mrs.  Jabe  Norman),  of  Denver,  Colorado; 
Sherrill,  of  this  sketch. 

Sherrill  lived  in  his  native  county  until 
twelve  years  of  age.  Then  he  moved  to  Ford 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  attended  school  and 
engaged  in  farm  work  until  he  came  to  Jack- 
son county  in  1885.  During  the  first  four 
years  of  his  residence  in  the  county  he  lived 
in  Jackson  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
north  of  the  village.  lie  spent  one  year  at 
lona  Lake,  one  year  in  .lackson,  and  then  lo- 
cated on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  has  since 


414 


BIOGHAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


made  his  Iionir.  He  is  a  iliicctor  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  13,  is  a  nicmlior  of  the  Prcshytcrian 
church  and  of  the  >r.  W.  A.  lodge. 

Mr.  Bushnell  was  married  in  .Jackson  March 
3(1,  1887.  to  .Xniiie  Davis,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Caroline  (Karrar)  Davis  and  a  native  of 
Maine.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B\islnu'll  are  the  l)ar- 
cuts  of  eight  chiUlrcn,  as  follows:  Horace, 
horn  .Tanuary  22.  188!);  Andrew,  horn  May  31, 
18!ir,  Wallace,  horn  November  .5,  1803;  Kdith. 
horn  February  2,  1800;  Lillian  V.,  horn  Alay 
1(1,  1808;  fJordon.  horn  September  12,  IDOO; 
firaco.  horn  October  20,  1002:  Kdwin  \V.,  born 
Julv  20,  1907. 


.TAMES  M.  DALZIEL  (1883).  a  farmer  of 
Weinier  township  residing  on  the  liank  of 
llercn  lake  a  short  distance  southeast  of  the 
village  of  the  same  name,  has  resided  in  the 
county  since  he  was  a  child.  His  farm  con- 
stitutes one  of  the  best  game  preserves  on  the 
lake  and  he  has  leased  the  hunting  rights  to  a 
Minneapolis  club  of  fifteen  members  for  a 
term  of  ten  years. 

Jlr.  Dalziel  was  horn  near  the  city  of  Glas- 
gow, Scotland,  on  April  28.  1870.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  one  year  of  age  and  in  1883 
he  accompanied  his  mother  to  America,  the 
family  consisting  of  three  children.  The  fam- 
ily home  was  made  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  28.  Weiiner  township,  and  on  that 
farm  .Tames  has  ever  since  resided.  He  has 
rented  and  conducted  the  farm  for  the  past 
six  years,  the  place  being  owned  b.v  his  mother. 

The  mother  of  o\ir  subject,  who  now  lives 
in  lli'ron  T^ike,  is  deserving  of  a  great  deal  of 
credit  for  tile  success  sjic  has  nnide  since  com- 
ing to  .Tackson  county.  The  trip  across  the 
water  was  made  in  the  old  steamer  "liolivia"' 
in  a  three  weeks'  trip,  the  l)oat  being  dis- 
abled. JIr.s.  Dalziel  arrived  in  the  country 
with  her  three  children  practically  penniless, 
but  by  hard  work  and  a  detei  niination  to  suc- 
ceed she  has  secured  a  competence  for  her 
later  years.  She  owns  village  properly  in  ad- 
dition to  the  farm. 

Onr  subject  was  niarrieil  in  Heron  Lake  May 
Ifi,  1800,  to  Stella  Anderson,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois  .luly  10,  1883.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union:  Willard.  horn  De- 
cember 1'.,  1004:  Zola,  born  May  3.  1001.  and 
baby  boy,  born  December  l.";,  1000.  Mr.  Dal- 
ziel is  a  member  of  the  PrcshytcriBn  church 
and  of  the  M.  6.  A.  lodge. 


<»LE  AAS  (1872)  is  a  farmer  and  thresher- 
man  who  owns  180  acres  of  land  on  sections  4 
and  9,  Belmont  township.  He  is  the  younger 
of  two  sons  born  to  Ole  A.  and  Carolina  (Lil- 
leherg)  Aas.  His  parents  were  born  in  Nor- 
way and  came  to  America  before  their  mar- 
riage, becoming  early  settlers  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty. The  father  died  in  .Jackson  in  1000,  aged 
80  years:  the  mother  now  lives  in  .Jackson 
and  is  77  years  of  age. 

To  these  ])arents  Ole  Aas  was  born  on  the 
IJelmont  township  farm  February  13,  1872. 
There  he  received  his  education  and  there  he 
has  ever  since  lived.  J^ntil  his  father  moved 
to  Jackson  in  1001  Ole  worked  on  the  home 
farm;  then  he  began  farming  it  on  his  own 
account,  and  after  bis  father's  death  in  1900 
he  fell  heir  to  the  property.  He  farms  the 
whole  180  acres  and  for  the  past  seven  years 
has  also  been  engaged  in  the  threshing  busi- 
ness. Ho  is  a  member  of  the. Norwegian  Luth- 
eran church. 

Mr.  A:is  was  married  in  the  county  in  Oc- 
tober, 1001,  to  Grace  Arnston,  who  was  born 
in  Norwa.v  and  came  to  the  United  States 
when  one  year  of  age.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Olof  Arnston,  of  Itelmont,  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aas,  as  follows: 
Orville  and  Gladys. 


1)A\I1)  CRAWFORD  (1880)  is  the  member 
of  the  hoard  of  county  commissioners  from 
the  third  district  and  resides  at  Lakefiehl 
During  a  residence  of  over  twenty  years  in 
the  coinity  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  its 
political  and  general  history.  He  was  born 
at  Woodside.  West  Kilbride,  Ayrshire.  Scot 
land.  Augnst  0.  1800,  the  son  of  David  and 
Jennie   (Hannah)   Crawford. 

David  Crawford  received  his  education  and 
spent  his  earl.v  years  in  his  native  conntr.v. 
Vf  came  to  America  in  1880  and  located  in 
Canada,  where  he  lived  six  years,  engaged  in 
dilTerent  lines  of  business.  Tn  October,  1880, 
he  became  a  resident  of  .Jackson  county,  lo. 
eating  ill  Heron  T«ike  and  buying  a  half  in- 
terest in  a  meat  market  there.  One  year  later 
he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Lakefield.  started 
(he  first  livery  ham  in  the  vill.ige.  and  that 
has  been  his  home  ever  since.  He  continued 
in  the  livery  business  seven  years,  then  sold 
out.  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  several 
difTerent  lines  of  endeavor,  for  several  years 
being    engaged    in    the    grain    business.      Mr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


415 


Craw  ford  was  elected  c-oiinty  commissioner  in 
1806,  was  reelected  in  1000  and  again  in  1004 
and  1008,  having  a  continuous  service  of  over 
twelve  years  to  his  credit.  His  present  term 
expires  January  1,  1913.  Besides  the  county 
office,  he  served  four  years  as  president  of  the 
Lakefield  village   council. 

June  1,  1898,  Mr.  Crawford  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Ella  Thompson.  To  them 
have  been  born  three  cliildien:  Elsie,  Maurice 
and  Clarence. 


JOHN"  EXCEL  (1800)  is  a  prosperous  farm- 
er and  stock  raiser  of  Sioux  Valley  township, 
where  he  owns  a  240  acre  farm.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  iSchleswig-HoIstein,  Germany,  and  was 
born  May  1,  1865.  His  father,  Hans  Hanson 
Engel,  died  in  Germany  in  1805,  aged  61  years. 
His  mother,  Helen  (Petersen)  Engel,  died  in 
Germany  in  1870. 

John  was  brought  up  and  educated  in  a 
farming  community  and  spent  the  first  seven- 
teen years  of  his  life  in  his  native  land,  work- 
ing out  on  a  farm  during  the  last  two  years 
there.  In  1882  he  came  to -America  and  lo- 
cated in  Benton  county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived 
eight  yeai's,  working  as  a  farm  hand.  In 
March,  1890,  Mr.  Engel  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty and  located  upon  his  present  farm,  which 
he  had  bought  in  1885.  The  place  was  then 
raw  prairie,  and  the  present  improvements 
are  all  the  result  of  his  labors.  Mr.  Engel 
raises  stock  quite  extensively  and  he  has 
prospered   since  locating  in  Jackson   county. 

Mr.  Engel  has  often  been  called  upon  to 
serve  in  an  official  capacity.  He  is  clerk  of 
his  township  and  has  held  the  office  for  the 
last  nine  years.  He  is  also  a  director  of 
school  district  No.  50  and  with  the  exception 
of  two  or  three  j'ears  has  served  as  such  since 
1891.  He  was  township  assessor  three  years 
and  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  two 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  A.  0.  U.  W. 
lodge  of  Lake  Park. 

Mr.  Engel  was  married  at  .Jackson  July  9, 
1891,  to  Matilda  Krnse,  who  was  born  in 
Hamburg.  Germany,  April  7,  187.3,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1887.  Her  father,  C. 
F.  A.  Kruse,  died  in  1800  and  her  mother, 
Maria  Kruse,  died  in  1906.  To  Mr.  and  Jlrs. 
Engel  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Helmuth  H.,  born  June  14,  1892,  died  Novem- 
ber 2,  1908;  Alvina,  born  May  27.  1893;  Han- 
nah, born  July   12,  1895;   Freda,  born  August 


24,  1897;  Kudolph,  born  August  27,  1903;  John, 
born   April    14.   1009. 


HENRY  W.  ROBSON  (1878),  hardware  mer- 
chant of  Heron  Lake,  has  spent  his  entire  life 
of  thirty-one  years  in  Jackson  county,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Heron  Lake  township,  three 
miles  northwest  of  Lakefield,  on  November 
14,  1878.  His  parents  were  John  and  Anna 
(Koss)  Robson. 

John  Robson  was  born  in  Stockholm,  Swed- 
en, coming  to  America  when  about  nineteen 
years  of  age.  He  located  first  in  New  York 
and  later  in  Chicago  and  other  points  in  Illi- 
nois. During  the  late  fifties  and  early  sixties 
he  followed  hunting  and  trapping  for  a  living 
and  led  a  frontiersman's  life.  At  the  outbreak 
of  the  civil  war  he  enlisted  in  company  G,  5th 
Minnesota,  on  January  5,  1802;  was  discharg- 
ed for  disability  January  15,  1863.  He  moved 
to  Jackson  county  in  the  seventies,  took  a 
homestead  in  Heron  Lake  township  and  lived 
on  the  farm  until  about  1881.  Then  he  moved 
to  Heron  Lake  and  conducted  a  blacksmith 
and  gunsmith  shop  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1803  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
His  wife  also  died  in  Heron  Lake. 

Henry  W.  Robson  accompanied  his  parents 
when  they  moved  from  the  farm  to  Heron 
Lake,  being  two  years  of  age  at  the  time.  He 
lived  with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death, 
and  then  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself, 
working  at  whatever  he  coukl  find  to  do,  first 
on  a  farm,  then  in  a  restaurant  and  during 
later  years  as  a  clerk  in  a  general  store.  On 
October  1,  1906,  Mr.  Robson  bought  out  the 
hardware  and  harness  stock  of  J.  F.  Humis- 
ton,  and  has  since  conducted  that  business. 

Mr.  Robson  was  married  at  Heron  Lake 
April  19,  1903,  to  Miss  Alma  Tuberg,  a  na- 
tive of  Mankato  and  a  daughter  of  Gus.  Tu- 
berg, of  that  city.  Mr.  Robson  is  a  member 
of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  Eastern  Star,  the 
M.  W.  A.  nnd  the  Y'eoraen  lodges. 


FRANK  A.  MI^ZtKAR  (1886).  of  Hunter 
township,  was  born  in  Moravia,  Austria,  Au- 
gust 16,  1808,  the  son  of  .John  and  Antonia 
(Ris)  Muzikar.  These  parents  were  born  in 
1832  and  1836,  respectively,  came  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  in  1874.  lived  in  Chicago  several 
years,  and  located  in  Jackson  county  in  1886, 


410 


BIOGKAPIIICAL  IIISTOnY. 


wliiTf  tliey  still  reside.  Tln'V  make  llicir 
home  with  their  son,  Fnink. 

Frank  rnnie  to  Amcriea  with  lirs  parents  in 
1S74  anil  for  twelve  years  lived  with  Iheni  in 
the  city  of  Chicago.  There  he  received  his  edu- 
cation, and  there  he  worked  at  the  hardwood 
furniture  finishing  business.  He  arrived  in 
.laekson  county  with  the  family  March  10, 
1880.  and  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  of 
age  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  farm  in 
Hunter  township.  He  married  in  1802  and 
took  over  the  management  of  the  home  farm 
— the  north  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  22.  In  1899  he  bought  the  northwest 
quarter  of  that  section  and  ia  1900  the  south 
half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  21. 
He  farms  240  acres. 

Mr.  Mnzikar  was  inarried  in  .Jackson  Xo- 
venilier  20.  1892,  to  Mary  Mot),  who  was  born 
in  Hohemia,  Austria,  September  8,  1872,  and 
who  came  to  tlie  United  States  when  three 
years  of  age.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Frank 
and  Mary  Jfotl,  of  Enterprise  township.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Muzikar  are  the  parents  of  one  child, 
Lawrence,  born  August  1,  1908.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  of  Jack- 
son and  he  belongs  to  the  Catholic  Rohemian 
lodge.  He  has  served  as  township  clerk  for 
the  last  eight  years,  has  held  the  offices  of  as- 
sessor and  treasurer  and  has  been  clerk  of  his 
school  district   for  a   number  of  years. 


PAUL  H.  PAUI>;ON  (1871)  is  one  of  the 
early  day  settlers  of  Belmont  township,  where 
he  has  spent  nearly  forty  years  of  his  life.  He 
is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was  born  on  the 
last  day  of  the  year  184.>,  one  of  a  family  of 
eight  children  l>orn  to  Andrew  and  Mary 
(Jones)  Paulson.  His  parents  came  to  Ameri- 
ca in  18.')2  and  in  that  early  day  located  in 
Clayton  county.  Towa,  engaging  in  farming. 
They  moved  to  Mitchell  county,  Towa,  in  ISfifi 
and  resided  there  the  rest  of  their  lives.  His 
father  died  in  1878.  aged  BO  years;  his  mother 
died  several  years  later.  Of  their  eight  child- 
ren the  following  named  five  are  living:  Paul, 
.Tanc.  Harry,  Alex  and  Ole. 

Paul  crossed  to  the  new  world  with  liis 
p.irents  in  18.52,  being  then  a  small  boy.  From 
that  lime  until  he  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1871  he  resided  in  Clayton  county,  Towa,  se- 
curing an  education  and  making  his  home  with 
hi.s  parents.  Arriving  in  .Tackson  county,  he 
look    as   a   homestead  the   north   half   of   the 


southwest  quarter  ni  section  30,  Kelmoiil  town- 
ship, a  part  of  his  present  farm,  and  on  that 
place  he  has  I'Ver  since  made  his  liome.  Hard 
tinu's  came  tipon  him  during  the  grasshopi)cr 
scourge  and  in  order  to  make  a  living  he  was 
obliged  to  go  to  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  to 
work  in  the  harvest  fields.  He  encountered 
many  hardships  during  the  pioneer  days — 
hardships  to  which  many  sucetimbed  -but  he 
ri-maincd  with  his  country  and  weathered  the 
storms  of  adversity.  Today  he  has  a  fine 
farm  of  200  acres  and  is  in  prosperous  circum- 
stances. 

During  his  long  residence  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty Mr.  Paulson  has  held  many  offices  of  trust 
within  the  gift  of  his  nciglibors.  He  was  chos- 
en clerk  of  school  district  Xo.  18  in  1871  and 
served  for  thirty  years.  He  has  held  the  of- 
fice of  chairman  of  the  township  board,  has 
been  justice  of  the  peace  and  constable.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church 
of  West  Pelniont. 

Mr.  Paulson  was  married  in  Clayton  county, 
Iowa.  Xovombcr  IS.  1808,  to  Kliziibeth  Knut- 
pon,  who  was  born  in  Xorway  March  1,  1844, 
and  came  to  America  when  sixteen  years  old. 
Slie  is  a  daughter  of  Ole  and  Ingcbor  (ToUcf- 
son)  Knutson.  Eight  children  have  been  born 
to  this  union,  as  follows:  Andrew,  of  St. 
Ansgar,  Iowa;  Mary,  deceased;  Theodore,  of 
Redwood  county,  Minnesota;  Edward,  of  Pel- 
mont;  Peter,  living  at  home;  Xcllie  (Mrs. 
.Tohn  A.  Williams),  of  Little  Cedar.  Iowa;  Relic 
and  Ida,  who  reside  at  home. 


JOHN  I.  WAIJ-ACE  (188,5),  proprietor  <if  a 
low  manufacturing  plant  at  .Tackson,  is 
a  native  of  Spafford  township.  Onondago  coun- 
ty. Xew  York,  and  was  born  on  August  I, 
184.1.  The  parents  of  our  subject  were  John 
and  ilercy  P.  (Woodworth)  Wallace.  The 
father  came  from  Ireland  in  18,12  and  after 
a,  residence  of  a  year  or  two  in  Washington 
county  moved  to  Onondago  county.  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  a  number 
of  years,  later  moving  to  the.  little  village  of 
.Spafford  Corners,  where  he  died  May  24.  180,3, 
aged  82  years.  Mercy  K.  Wallace  was  born 
in  Xew  York  state.  Her  family  was  of  Eng- 
lish descent,  her  parents  having  been  born  in 
Connecticut.  She  married  ^Ir.  Wallace  in  No- 
vember. 1840.  and  died  in  August,  186,5.  aged 
43  years. 

Our  subject   lived   in  his  native  township  in 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


41i 


Onondago  county  until  ten  years  of  age  and 
tlien  moved  with  his  parents  to  Otisco  town- 
sliip,  of  the  same  county.  There  he  secured 
a  district  school  education  and  worked  on  liis 
father's  farm  until  tlie  outbreak  of  the  civil 
war.  • 

On  September  25,  18G1,  Mr.  Wallace  enlisted 
in  Company  A,  of  the  75th  New  York  volun- 
teer infantry,  at  Auburn  and  served  until 
after  the  close  of  the  war.  .Early  in  the  war 
his  regiment  was  sent  to  Santa  Rosa  island, 
off  the  southern  coast  of  Florida,  and  from 
tliere  was  transferred  to  Pensacola,  Florida, 
upon  the  evacuation  of  the  navy  yard  there 
by  the  confederate  forces.  In  September, 
1862,  Jlr.  Wallace  accompanied  his  regiment 
to  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  and  in  that  state 
took  part  in  several  severe  engagements, 
among  others  the  battle  of  Camp  Bisland.  He 
was  on  the  skirmish  line  of  the  forces  that 
captured  the  gunboat  Cotton  on  Bayou  Teche. 

After  spending  tlie  winter  of  1802-63  in 
Xew  Orleans,  the  forces  to  which  Mr.  Wallace 
belonged  started  out  under  command  of  Gen- 
eral Banks  on  a  campaign  through  the  state. 
They  went  to  Alexandria  and  then  to  Port 
Hudson,  where  the  forces  arrived  May  26, 
186,3."  The  day  following  Mr.  Wallace' took 
part  in  the  charge  on  Port  Hudson.  There- 
after for  forty-four  days  the  75tli  regiment 
engaged  the  enemy  in  siege,  fighting  almost 
continually  and  losing  about  two-thirds  of  the 
command  in  killed,  wounded  and  captured. 
On  June  I  Mr.  AVallacc  was  wounded  by  be- 
ing struck  in  the  right  hip  by  a  piece  of  a 
shell.  For  the  next  three  months  he  was  off 
duty,  part  of  the  time  being  in  a  field  hospi- 
tal and  the  rest  of  the  time  at  home,  having 
secured  a  sixty  days  furlough.  He  rejoined 
his  regiment  at  New  Iberia,  Louisiana. 

His  period  of  enlistment  having  expired,  Mr. 
Wallace  reenlisted  in  the  same  regiment  on 
the  last  day  of  the  year  1863,  received  a  thir- 
ty days  veteran's  furlough,  spent  that  length 
of  time  at  home,  and  then  reported  for  duty 
at  Washington.  He  received  orders  to  report 
to  bis  regiment,  then  stationed  at  New  Or- 
leans, and  in  that  southern  city  remained  un- 
til July.  1864.  Then  he  accompanied  his  regi- 
ment to  Petersburg,  Virginia,  to  become  a 
jiart  of  General  Grant's  army.  Tlie  latter 
part  of  the  same  month  his  regiment  became 
a  part  of  the  forces  under  General  Sheridan, 
then  stationed  at  Tanleytown,  near  Washing- 
ton.    His   fighting  thereafter  was  done   under 


the  dashing  Sheridan,  taking  part  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Wincliester,  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar 
Creek,  the  last  named  occurring  October  19, 
1864.  Late  in  the  year  1864  he  was  ordered 
to  Savannah,  Georgia,  w-here  he  was  on  pro- 
vost duty  until  August,  1805.  Then  orders 
were  receiv.'d  for  the  discharge  of  the  regi- 
ment, and  after  a  trip  to  Atlanta  and  Au- 
gusta and  back  to  Savannah,  he  was  mus- 
tered out  in  the  last  named  city,  the  regiment 
finalh'  disbanding  at  Albany,  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 24,  1865. 

After  the  war  ilr.  Wallace  returned  to  On- 
ondago coimty.  New  York,  and  located  in  Tully 
township.  From  that  time  until  1882  he  en- 
gaged alternately  in  farming  and  working  at 
the  cooper's  trade.  In  the  last  named  year 
he  moved  to  Elliott,  Ford  county,  Illinois,  and 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  tow.  His  plant 
was  burned  in  the  spring  of  1885,  and  on  July 
10,  of  that  year,  he  arrived  in  Jackson,  deter- 
mined to  seek  his  fortune  in  Jackson  county. 
During  the  year  of  his  arrival  he  erected  a 
plant  in  the  village,  and  has  ever  since  been 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  tow.  His  prod- 
uct is  upholstery  tow  and  the  capacity  of  the 
plant  is  about  one  and  one-half  tons  of  fine 
tow  per  day. 

In  addition  to  his  other  business  :Mr.  .Wal- 
lace is  quite  extensivelv  engaged  in  the  cul- 
tivation of  ginseng  and  was  the  first  man  in 
the  county  to  begin  the  cultivation  of  that 
product.  He  began  on  a  small  scale  in  1901 
and  has  enlarged  the  ground  each  year  until 
now  he  has  under  cultivation  thirty-five  square 
rods.  From  one  square  rod  of  ground  he  has 
sold  $109  worth  of  dried  ginseng  roots.  The 
crop  is  a  very  profitable  one,  but  one  hard  to 
raise  and  it  takes  time  and  labor  to  get  re- 
sults. Mr.  Wallace  owns  his  home  and  busi- 
ness property  in  the  city.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  church  and  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

Mr.  Wallace  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  in  Tully  township,  On- 
ondago county,  New  York,  in  March,  1875,  wlien 
he  wedded  Miss  Julia  Thompson.  She  died 
November  1,  1880.  The  second  marriage  oc- 
curred in  the  same  county  .June  14,  1883,  when 
he  married  Miss  Eva  Donaldson,  of  French 
descent  and  a  native  of  Eastern  Canada. 


JOHN   L.    CABOT    (1S82),    manager    of    the 
Benson-Cabot   company,   proprietor    of   a   gen- 


418 


BlOCl! AIMIICAT.  HTSTOI^Y 


oral  store  al  Ilfioii  I^ike.  was  born  August 
11,  1857,  at  the  town  of  Red  Wing,  Minncso'.a 
territory,  the  son  of  J.  L.  and  Mary  (Par- 
tridge) Cabot. 

Two  years  after  the  birth  of  our  subjeet 
tlie  family  moveil  from  the  town  onto  a  farm 
two  niiloN  west  of  Red  Wing,  and  there  tliey 
resided  six  years.  In  1865  the  family  home 
was  made  in  Ocncva,  Freeborn  county.  There 
our  subject  eompleted  his  education.  In  18C8 
he  located  in  Murray  county,  where  his  father 
took  a  homestead,  and  where  he  resided  eight 
years.  ,Tolin  Cabot  went  to  Goodhue  county, 
in  1876.  lived  there  one  year,  spent  tlie  next 
year  in  JIurray  county,  and  then  located  in 
Gentry  county,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  four 
and   one-halt  years. 

It  was  during  the  month  of  April,  1882, 
that  Mr.  Cabot  located  in  Heron  Lake  village. 
He  was  enii)loyed  by  J.  W.  Benson  for  six 
years,  and  in  1888  returned  to  Goodhue  coun- 
ty, where  he  farmed  his  father's  land  six 
years.  He  returned  to  Heron  Lake  in  1894  and 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with  hiH 
brother.  Chester  II.  Cabot.  This  partnership 
existed  until  1002.  when  tlie  firm  of  Benson- 
Cabot  company  was  organized,  and  since  that 
time  Mr.  Cabot  has  had  the  management  of 
the  store.  He  owns  town  property,  160  acres 
in  Washington  and  an  interest  in  240  acres  of 
Cottonwood  county  land.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  Mmlern  Broilicrliood  of 
America  lodges. 

Mr.  Cabot  was  married  in  Lakefieid  May  11, 
18"J9,  to  Stella  Wood.  To  tliem  was  born  one 
child,  .John  M.,  born  February  17,  1000.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Cabot  occurred  at 
Mankato  May  12,  1007,  when  ho  wedded  Net- 
tie  .1.   Wood. 


ANDREW  H.  SWKNSOX  (1882)  is  a  Dela- 
field  township  farmer,  bis  farm  being  located 
on  section  10,  three  miles  east  of  Wilder.  He 
was  born  at  Windom.  Minnesota,  October  10, 
1880,  the  son  of  .lohn  and  Matilda  (Uclmrg) 
Swrnson,  who  now  reside  at  Windom. 

When  Andrew  was  two  years  of  age  the 
family  moved  onto  the  farm  in  Dclaficld  town- 
ship, which  .Tolin  Swenson  had  taken  as  a 
homestead  in  1871.  On  that  farm  Andrew 
grew  to  manhoml.  He  atteuiled  the  district 
scliools  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Minne- 
sota normal  school  at  Austin.  Witli  the  ex- 
ception  of   the  winter  of   1901,  when   he  was 


employed  as  an  overseer  in  the  ])inerics  of 
northern  Minnesota,  Andrew  worked  for  his 
father  on  the  farm  until  1906.  Then  his  par- 
ents having  moved  to  Windom,  he  bought 
eighty  acres  of  his  father's  farm,  rented  the 
rest  of  the  farm,  amf  has  since  been  engaged 
in  its  management. 

For  several  years  Andrew  and  liis  brothers 
kept  a  pack  of  stag  hounds  and  gained  a 
great  local  reputation  as  wolf  hunters.  Wolves 
were  qviite  i)lentiful  and  large  numbers  of 
them  were  captured  by  the  Swenson  brothers. 
Sheep  owners  in  the  vicinity  paid  them  a  spec- 
ial bounty  for  their  destruction  in  addition 
to   the  bounty  paid   by   the   stale. 

Andrew  Swenson  was  married  in  Uelafield 
township  A\ig\ist  7,  1907,  to  Anna  Homerberg, 
who  was  born  in  Lyon  county,  Minnesota, 
February  0.  ISSl.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Xels  Homerberg,  deceased.  One  child.  Oryle 
A.,  has  been  born  to  this  union.  He  was  born 
.Tune  7.  1008.  Mr.  Swenson  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  ().  IT.  W.  lodge. 


FRANK  MOTL  (1886)  is  one  of  the  success- 
ful farmers  and  well  known  residents  of-  Kn- 
terprise  township.  He  owns  280  acres  of  land 
in  one  piece  on  sections  14  and  23,  where  he 
has  resided  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Bohemia  .Tanuary 
31,  1845.  and  the  first  thirty-one  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  in  that  country.  His  parents 
were  Bermird  and  Rosa  (Miller)  Motl,  both 
deceased.  He  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation and  after  growing  to  manhood  became 
a  stock  buyer,  in  which  business  he  was  en- 
gaged ten  years.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Aus- 
trian-German war,  having  served  as  a  cor- 
poral in  the  army.  He  enlisted  in  1866  and 
served  three  years.  In  1876  Jlr.  Motl  emi- 
grated to  America  and  lias  since  been  engaged 
in  agricultm-al  pursuits.  He  located  first  in 
Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  and  that  was  his 
home  until  he  came  to  .Tackson  county.  He 
first  came  to  this  county  in  18,85  and  bought 
his  farm.  He  came  again  the  next  year,  and 
remained  during  the  summer  season,  breaking 
up  his  land,  and  in  1888  brought  out  his  fam- 
ily and  settled   permanently. 

^Ir.  ^fotl  owns  stock  in  the  Farmers  Kleva- 
tor  company  of  Alpha.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizer.^  and  trustees  of  tlic  Catholic  church 
of  .Tackson  and  he  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  that  church.     He  also  belongs  to  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


419 


Bohemian  Catliolic  order  of  Jackson.  He  has 
served  four  years  as  a  supervisor  of  Enter- 
prise township  and  for  twelve  years  was  a 
director  of  his  school  district.  For  nine  years 
he  was  vice  president  and  director  of  the  En- 
terprise Creamery  company,  and  up  to  four 
years  ago  was  a  director  of  the  Jackson  Coun- 
ty Fire  and  Lightning  Insurance  company. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Motl  occuri'ed  in  Bo- 
hemia April  28,  1870,  when  he  wedded  Miss 
Mary  Langer,  who  was  born  February  5,  1850. 
Fifteen  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
as  follows:  Wensel,  Enterprise  township 
farmer,  born  February  12,  1871;  Mary  (Mrs. 
F.  A.  Muzikar),  of  Jackson  county,  born  Sep- 
tember 6,  1872;  Anna,  born  September  17,  1874, 
died  September  27,  1874:  Matilda,  of  St.  Paul, 
born  December  1,  187.5;  Anna  (married  to 
Louis  Sabatka  June  1.3,  ISitO),  born  September 
30,  1877,  died  June  22,  1900;  Frank,  of  En- 
terprise township,  born  May  4,  1879;  Dorotliy. 
of  St.  Paul,  born  February  6,  1881;  Bernard, 
born  May  19,  1882,  died  February  19,  188.5; 
Amelia,  born  March  23,  1884;  Charles  L.,  at- 
tending the  state  luiiversity,  born  November 
1.5,  188.5:  Joseph,  born  November  13,  1887; 
Elizabeth,  born  November  12,  1889;  Agnes, 
born  July  S,  1891;  Clara,  born  March  6,  1893; 
Albert,  born  October  8,  1895. 

Wensel  Motl,  the  eldest  son  of  Frank  Motl. 
was  born  in  Bohemia  and  came  to  America 
with  his  parents.  He  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  for  himself  for  the  past  twelve  years 
and  owns  120  acres  of  land  on  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  14.  He  is  township  clerk 
and  has  been  for  the  past  four  years.  He  has 
also  served  as  clerk  of  his  school  district  for 
the  last  ten  years.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
Farmers  Elevator  company  of  Alpha  and  of 
the  .Jackson  County  Fire  Insurance  company. 
He  has  been  treasurer  of  Court  No.  694,  Catho- 
lic Order  of  Foresters,  at  .Jackson  for  eight 
vears. 


CHARLES  ANDERSON  ( 1872) .  Delafield  town- 
ship farmer,  has  spent  all  excfpt  the  first  year 
of  his  life  in  Delafield  township.  He  was  born 
at  Hastings,  Minnesota,  March  22,  1871,  the 
son  of  Lars  and  Maria  (.Johanson)  Anderson. 
His  father  was  born  in  Sweden  in  1837,  came 
to  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of  1870, 
and  located  at  Hastings.  He  came  to  Jackson 
c(5unty  in  the  spring  of  1872,  homesteaded  the 
west    half    of    the    southwest    quarter    of    sec- 


tion 20,  Delafield,  and  resided  upon  that  farm 
until  his  death,  August  30,  1902.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  in  Delafield  township  when 
Charles  v/as  nine  years  of  age. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  came  to  Jack- 
son county  with  his  parents  in  March,  1872, 
when  one  year  old.  He  secured  a  country 
school  education  and  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age,  worked  on  his  father's  farm.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  Windom, 
where  he  lived  three  years,  working  in  a  hotel. 
Wlien  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  diphtheria 
attacked  the  family  and  carried  off  two  broth- 
ers, one  sister  and  two  half  sisters.  This  dis- 
aster necessitated  his  return  home  to  take 
the  management  of  the  farm.  After  his  fa- 
ther's death  Charles  rented  the  homf  farm, 
which  now  consists  of  the  south  half  of  the 
scuth  half  of  section  20,  and  he  has  since  con- 
ducted it  to  his  own  account.  He  also  rents 
25  acres  of  land  adjoining. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  at  Jackson  June 
14,  1905.  to  Gertie  Danielson,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Hoog  and  Christina  (Hokanson)  Hoog- 
The  former  resides  in  Sweden,  the  latter  is 
dead.  Mrs.  Anderson  was  born  in  Sweden 
April  23,  1874,  and  came  to  America  in  1895. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  has  been  born  one 
cliild,  Wallace  Milford,  born  September  27, 
1909.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Free 
Mission   churcli   of  Windom. 


PETER  TORDSEN  (1893)  is  one  of  the 
large  land  owners  of  Rost  town.ship  and  one 
of  the  township's  most  successful  farmers  and 
stock  raisers.  He  owns  6.53  acres  of  land  in 
Rost  and  Hunter  townships.  He  farms  400 
acres  of  his  possessions,  while  the  rest  is 
farmed  by  his   sons. 

Mr.  Tordsen  is  a  native  of  Schleswig-Hol- 
stein.  Germany,  and  was  born  .January  19, 
1856.  His  father,  Jacob  Tordsen,  died  in  Ger- 
many when  Peter  was  nine  years  of  age;  his 
mother,  Annie  (.Struwe)  Tordsen,  died  in  Scott 
county,  Iowa,  in  1901,  having  reached  the  age 
of   eighty   years. 

In  his  native  land  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy lived  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age,  receiving  his  education  in  a  little  village 
and  working  most  of  the  time  on  the  farm. 
When  he  was  ten  years  of  age  he  began  work- 
ing at  the  weaver's  trade  r.nd  worked  nights 
at  that  tiade  for  two  years.  Mr.  Tordsen 
came  to  America  in   1872  and  located  at  Day- 


420 


BIOGTfAPITICAL  HISTOIJY. 


cnport,  Iowa,  wliere  lie  resided  ten  years, 
\vorkiii<;  as  n  farm  liaii<l.  In  1382  lie  moved 
to  Ida  county,  Iowa,  and  engaged  in  farming 
rented  land  near  tlic  town  of  Holstein  eleven 
years.  He  came  to  Jackson  c-ounty  in  1893 
and  located  upon  liis  ]iresent  farm  in  Kost 
townsliip  (tlie  home  farm  is  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  34),  which  he  had  liought 
the  year  before  and  where  he  has  ever  since 
lived.  He  has  prospered  since  coming  to  the 
county  and  has  added  the  other  real  estate  hy 
purchase, 

>Ir,  Tordsen  believes  in  cooperation  among 
the  farmers  and  is  interested  in  several  coop- 
erative companies.  It  was  largely  through  his 
efforts  that  the  Rost  Cooperative  Dairy  asso- 
ciation was  organized,  and  he  has  been  an  of- 
ficer of  the  association  ever  since  its  organi- 
zation. He  also  has  stock  in  the  First  N;i  ■ 
lional  Bank  of  Lakcficld,  in  the  Jackson  Coun- 
ty Cooperative  Store  company  and  the  Farm- 
ers Elevator  company  of  the  same  town.  Of 
the  last  named  company  he  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors.  Mr.  Tordsen  is  one  of  the 
supervisors  of  Eost  township  and  is  serving 
his  second  year.  He  is  clerk  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  4n  and  has  been  a  school  oBicer 
since  1894. 

Jlr.  Tord.sen  has  been  married  twice  and  has 
a  large  family.  His  first  marriage  occurred 
in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  December  8.  ISTti.  when 
he  wediled  Christina  llendrickson.  She  died 
•January  2G,  1888.  As  a  result  of  this  unjon 
the  following  eliildren  were  born:  Alfred,  born 
June  23,  1877,  died  December  19.  1900;  Wil- 
liam, a  Rost  township  farmer,  born  January 
14,  1879;  Klla  (Mrs,  Christ  StafTran),  of  Mc- 
Ijcan  county,  Xorth  Dakota,  born  .September 
23,  1882:  John,  a  Hunter  townsliip  farmer, 
born  April  3,  1884;  JIary  (Mrs.  Edward  Yuck- 
er),  of  Mct/can  county.  North  Dakota,  horn 
August  5,  1885;  Herman,  of  Hunter  township, 
born  January   10,  18SS. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Tordsen  oc- 
curred at  Ida  Crove,  Iowa,  August  16,  1889, 
when  he  wedded  Annie  Lamp,  who  was  born 
in  Sclileswig-Holstein.  Cermany,  March  17, 
1869,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
fourteen  years  of  age  and  resided  at  Holstein. 
Iowa.  To  these  parents  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  Louie,  born  .Tiiii 
uary  l.i.  1890;  Ferdinand,  born  October  1, 
1891:  Helmut,  born  July  7,  1893:  Laura,  born 
October  20,  1S97:  Rciniiardt.  borii  June  2.">. 
1900;   Walter,  born  September  29,   1903;   Wil- 


ma,    horn    February    6,    1908;    Henry    Adolpli, 
Lorn  December  10,  1909, 


OEORGE  B.  PADDOCK  (1883) ,  a  business  man 
of  Jackson,  has  been  a  resident  of  Jackson 
county  over  a  quarter  of  a  century  and  his 
life's  history  is  an  interesting  one.  He  is  of 
Welsh  and  English  descent  and  descends  from 
two  of  the  old  American  families.  His  great- 
grcatgrandfather  (Paddock)  came  from  Wales 
in  an  early  day  of  the  country's  history  and 
settled  on  the  Connecticut  river  Ih-Iow  Mid- 
dletown.  His  maternal  great-greatgrandfather 
(Hall)  was  the  first  representative  of  the 
town  of  Meriden,  Connecticut.  The  parents 
of  onr  subject.  Samuel  C.  and  Jennett  (Hall) 
Paddock,  were  both  born  in  ileridcii.  Con- 
necticut. Samuel  Paddock  engaged  in  farming 
in  Connecticut  in  his  early  days,  hut  before 
the  war  moved  to  Alabama  and  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  several  different  towns  of 
that  state.  Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the 
civil  war  he  was  forced  to  leave  the  south  oii 
account  of  his  anti-slavery  views,  and  his  prop- 
erty was  confiscated.  Returning  to  ^^eriden, 
Connecticut,  he  engaged  in  business,  and  there 
he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1903  at  the  age  of  86  years. 

Ceorge  B.  Paddock  was  born  to  these  par- 
ents in  Meriden,  Connecticut,  February  18, 
1843,  During  the  first  sixteen  years  of  his 
life  he  lived  on  his  father's  farm,  and  during 
the  next  two  years  clerked  in  a  grocery  store 
in  his  native  city.  On  Scpleniber  fi.  1861,  when 
less  than  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted  in 
fompany  C,  Seventh  Connecticut  infantry,  and 
served  a  little  over  three  years  in  the  civil 
war.  His  first  service  was  with  the  expedi- 
tion to  Port  Royal,  South  Carolina.  He  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  Port  Alaska,  at  the  month 
of  the  Savannah  river,  and  was  present  at  the 
capture  of  the  fort.  For  some  time  he  was 
stationed  at  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  and  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Onliistee,  .Florida, 
.\fter  some  time  spent  in  the  hospital,  he  re- 
turned to  duty.  He  took  part  in  the  siege 
of  Fort  Sumpter  and  was  present  at  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  Wagner. 

After  this  event  he  came  north  witli  the 
forces  under  rJcneral  Biillcr  (o  Bciiniidii  Hun- 
dreds, .lames  river,  and  was  a  participant  in 
the  siege  of  Richmond.  Mr.  Paddock  was 
taken  prisoner  on  the  picket  line  in  front  ftf 
the    fortifications   at    Bermuda   Hundreds   and 


BIOGEAPIIICAL  HISTORY. 


421 


was  foiifi'nod  in  Andersonville  prison  three 
niontl)s.  ][(■  was  removed  from  tliat  famous 
prison  when  (General  Sherman  took  Athuita 
and  was  roniovoil  In  Florence,  Soutli  Caro- 
lina. He  escapi'd  from  tlie  hitter  place  and 
made  his  way  to  the  north  up  through  North 
Carolina.  He  was  recaptured  but  was  rescued 
the  next  morning  by  a  New  York  cavalry 
troop  at  Newburn,  North  Carolina.  He  was 
then  transferred  to  the  hospital  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  Virginia.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  November  23, 
1864. 

After  hfs  discharge  from  the  army  Mr.  Pad- 
dock engaged  in  business  in  Meriden,  and  was 
so  employed  until  his  arrival  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty. In  the  early  eighties  George  Paddock, 
accompanied  by  his  father,  made  several  trips 
to  Mower  and  Jackson  counties  on  hunting 
expeditions,  one  of  his  uncles  living  in  ilower 
county.  He  liked  the  looks  of  the  country 
and  finally  decided  to  locate  here  permanently. 
It  was  on  April  7,  1883,  that  he  became  a  per- 
manent resident  of  the  county.  He  purchased 
a  farm  in  Middletown  township  and  engaged 
in  farming  five  years.  He  then  moved  to 
Jackson  and  that  village  has  been  his  home 
ever  since.  During  these  years  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  stock,  real  estate  and  farm  ma- 
chinery business  and  looking  after  his  land 
interests.  He  owns  a  farm  in  Belmont  town- 
ship and  lands  in  Texas.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  Grand  Army  orders  and 
for  a  time  was  commander  of  the  John  A. 
Myers  Post,  No.  60. 

Mr.  Paddock  was  married  in  Meriden,  Con- 
wcticut.  May  21,  1873,  to  Julia  L.  Beach,  a 
native  of  that  state  and  a  daughter  of  Henry 
B.  Beach,  who  came  to  Minnesota  in  an  early 
day  and  lo:!ated  at  Oak  Park,  now  Stillwater. 
To  Mr.  and  IMrs.  Paddock  have  been  born 
three  children.  The  eldest  of  these,  Julia,  died 
at  Meriden,  Connecticut,  when  three  years  of 
age.  The  living  children  are  Blanch  J.  (Mrs. 
H.  L.  Arzt),  of  Jackson,  and  Georgia  A.  Pad- 
dock, of  Carleton  college. 


OLE  J.  VVAGNILD  (1893),  Lutheran  minister 
and  ex-register  of  deeds  of  Jackson  county, 
ia  now  engaged  in  farming  at  his  beautiful  home 
on  the  banks  of  Heron  lake  in  Heron  Lake 
township.  He  was  born  in  Norway,  June  2.5, 
1859,    the    son    of    John    and    Oloug    (Inseth) 


Wagnild.  His  father  died  in  Norway  several 
years  ago.  His  mother  still  lives  at  an  ad- 
vanced age  at  the  old  home  in  Norway  with 
her  son  Sivert.  Die  J.  Wagnild  is  one  of  a 
family  of  six  children,  as  follows:  Sivert  and 
Oloug,  of  Norway;  Ole  and  Sarah,  of  Duluth, 
Minnesota;  John,  who  died  in  Duluth,  and  Ole 
J.,  of  this  sketch. 

Our  subject  received  his  primary  education 
in  his  native  country,  making  his  home  with 
his  parents  and  working  out  part  of  the  time. 
He  came  to  America  in  June,  1881,  and  locat- 
ed at  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin.  After  work- 
ing in  a  saw  mill  there  one  year  he  lo- 
cated in  Chippewa  Falls,  Wisconsin,  where 
for  three  winters  he  was  employed  in  a  pan- 
nery.  Mr.  Wagnild  next  located  in  Minneap- 
olis. There  he  worked  at  carpenter  work 
part  of  the  time,  and  for  six  winters  was  a 
student  at  the  Red  Wing  seminary,  graduating 
from  the  theological  department  in  1890.  Dur- 
ing these  years  he  taught  school  at  various 
places  during  the  vacation  periods  to  earn  the 
money  witli  which  to  continue  his  studies. 
In  the  winter  of  1891  Mr.  Wagnild  attended 
the  Minneapolis  academy  and  was  ordained  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  in  1890.  He  received 
a  call  from  Brainerd  and  occupied  a  pulpit 
there   one  year. 

Rev.  Wagnild  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1S93  in  response  to  calls  to  fill  four  pulpits, 
and  he  served  these  four  churches  until  1904. 
He  resided  in  Jackson  for  a  time  and  later 
made  his  home  in  Belmont  township.  In  the 
spring  of  1904  he  moved  onto  his  present 
farm  in  Heron  Lake  township,  which  he  had 
bouglit  some  time  before,  and  that  has  been  his 
home  since.  Rev.  Wagnild  was  elected  regis- 
ter of  deeds  of  Jackson  county  on  the  repub- 
lican ticket  in  1904  and  was  reelected  in  1906, 
serving  four  years.  During  this  time  he  made 
his  temporary  home  in  Jackson,  but  moved 
back  to  his  farm  again  in  the  spring  of  1909. 
He  is  now  a  member  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion of  independent  school  district  No  3,  Lake- 
field. 

Rev.  Wagnild  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
township  September  6,  1893,  to  Miss  .Josephine 
Nestrud,  wlio  was  born  in  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship. She  is  the  daughter  of  John  Nestrud,  one 
of  the  early  day  settlers.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wag- 
nild are  the  parents  of  the  following  named 
eight  children:  Palma,  Olga,  Magda,  Selma, 
Sherman,  Juukl,  Parker  and  Harlow. 


42 


•>o 


]!1(M,I;A1'11KA1.   IIISToliV. 


IIKUMAX  J.  VEAUICKE  (1880),  of  Peters- 
burg townsliip,  is  one  of  tlic  prosperous  farm- 
ers uii'l  stock  misers  of  tlml  precinct  luid  lias 
lieeii  a  resident  of  tlie  cuuiity  iieurl_v  a  ijuar- 
ter  of  a  century,  lie  was  born  in  Germany 
Alareb  23,  lifoii,  tlie  !<un  of  Carl  and  Caroline 
(Smith)  Veadicke,  botli  deceased.  At  tlie  age 
ol  two  years  he  was  brought  with  nis  parents 
to  America  and  the  family  located  in  Chicago. 
A  few  years  later  Hie  family  moved  to  Kan- 
kakee, Illinois,  and  there  our  subject  grew  to 
nianhuod,   engaging   in   farming   afler   growing 

ll]!. 

-Mr.  Vc.iduke  came  to  Jackoon  county,  arriv- 
ing March  1,  1880^  and  ever  since  that  date  has 
been  ci'gagcd  in  farming  and  stock  raising  in 
Petersburg  township.  He  has  taken  an  active 
interest  in,  and  invested  money  in,  many  lo- 
cal enterprises.  He  and  Ole  Jlikelson  were 
the  principal  organizers  of  the  Alpha  Creamery 
company,  and  from  tlio  time  of  organization 
until  lie  disposed  of  hi.s  dairy  interests  Mr. 
\caiiicke  was  the  heaviest  patron  of  the 
lonipany.  His  average  yearly  checks  during 
this  period  were  as  follows:  18'.)7,  $200.79; 
1898,  .$:i80.44;  1899,  ^32.21;  1900,  .$540.32; 
I'.MJl,  !f478.57;  1902,  .$438.49;  1903,  $001.71; 
1904,  ."^20.35;  1905,  $549.47;  1906,  $809.20;  1907, 
.$789.27. 

Pcsidcs  having  stock  in  the  creamery  com- 
pany Mr.  Ycadicke  is  interested  linancially  in 
several  other  industries.  He  has  slock  in 
the  Farmers  Elevator  company  of  Alpha  and 
was  vice  president  of  the  organization  four 
years.  He  was  president  of  the  Jackson  Fire 
&  Marine  Insurance  company  seven  years,  was 
president  of  the  Alpha  Horse  company  four 
years  and  has  been  a  director  of  the  Jackson 
County  Fair  association  for  many  years.  He 
owns   400  acres  of  land. 

.\li.  Veadicke  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
school  district  No.  78  and  lias  been  clerk 
of  the  district  twenty-two  years.  He  served  as 
township  assessor  six  years,  was  town  treas- 
urer one  year,  member  of  the  board  of  su- 
pervisors one  year  and  road  overseer  eighteen 
years. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Veadicke  occurred 
.March  30.  1880,  when  he  wedded  Mary  Miller. 
They  are  the  parents  of  (he  following  child- 
ren: Harbara.  born  January  1,  1881;  Katie, 
born  May  30.  1882;  Herman,  born  September  12, 
1883;  Annie,  born  November  23,  1880;  Eddy, 
born  September  28,  1899. 


K.  .S.  UOliEKTSON  (1884)  resides  at  Jack- 
sen,  where  lie  is  engaged  in  the  lumber  and 
iniplenient  business.  He  is  a  native  of  New 
Vork  city  ami  was  born  February  28,  1851,  his 
parents  being  1!.  S.  and  Mary  (Matthews)  Kob- 
ertson. 

Until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  Mr.  Kob- 
ertson  attended  school  in  the  eity  of  his 
birth  and  was  graduated  from  the  Columbia 
Mining  school  in  1871.  After  graduation  he 
went  to  Pittsburg  and  took  a  position  as  min- 
ing engineer  with  Carnegie  ]5ros.  &  Co.,  with 
which  linn  he  was  associated  until  1884.  In 
the  s]i:'ing  of  that  year  he  came  to  Jaekson 
county,  bought  a  farm  in  Des  Moines  township, 
one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Jackson,  and 
for  the  next  sixteen  years  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  then  moved  to  .Jackson  and  engaged  in 
the  lumber,  fuel  and  implement  business,  iii 
which  he  has  since  been  engaged. 

-Mr.  Robertson  owns  346  Keres  of  land  in 
Des  .Moines  townsiiip  and  property  in  the  vil- 
lage. During  his  residence  in  the  eountry  he 
served  for  a  number  of  years  as  a  member 
of  the  board  of  supervisors.  He  is  a  member 
of   the   Jlasoiiic   order. 

On  June  10,  1880,  at  Pittsburg  Mr.  Robertson 
was  married  to  Alice  L.  JleKaig.  To  them 
have  been  born  four  children,  as  follows:  Wil- 
liam B.,  born  October  14,  1882;  Clement  M., 
born  September  14,  1884;  John  G.,  born  No- 
vember 14,  1880;  Alice,  born  August  14,  1888. 


CARL  W  I'lilll.MAN  (1SS4)  is  one  of  the 
big  laiid(iwiii'r>  and  extensive  farmers  of  Her- 
on Lake  township.  He  owns  the  southwest 
i|uarter  and  the  north  half  of  the  southeast 
i|uarter  of  section  Iti,  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  21,  and  a  half  interest  in  the  south- 
cast  ipiarter  of  0  and  the  west  half  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  5,  all  in  Heron 
Lake  ti)wnshi|i.  He  farms  4(VI  acres  of  this 
land. 

Mr.  I'oli'man  was  born  in  tiermany  Febru- 
ary 14.  IS(!.">,  the  son  of  Carl  and  Christina 
((Jeiselman)  Pohlman,  the  second  of  a  family 
of  five  sons.  His  father  died  in  1902,  aged  66 
years.  His  mother,  who  is  now  73  years  of 
age,  resides  in  the  county.  Carl  spent  the 
first  seventeen  years  of  his  life  in  the  father- 
land, securing  an  education  and  working  out. 
The  family  came  to  America  and  located 
in  Lakefield  in  1884,  and  there  Carl 
completed    his    education    with    a    course     in 


BIOGUArillCAL  IIISTOliY. 


423 


English.  He  worked  in  Lakefield  one  year,  for 
liis  father  one  year,  on  the  farm  of  Hugh 
Paul  four  years,  and  then  began  farming  for 
himself  on  tlie  farm  upon  which  he  has  ever 
since  resided.  The  home  place  was  originally 
bought  by  his  father,  but  Carl  later  acquired 
the  land  and  has  since  added  his  other  hold- 
ings. 

In  Jackson  county  on  May  21,  1891,  Mr. 
Polilman  was  married  to  Augusta  Sturmer, 
daughter  of  the  late  Fred  Sturmer.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pohlnian  liave  been  born  four  child- 
ren, as  follows:  Elsie,  aged  15;  Georgia,  aged 
13;  Bennie,  aged  9;  Erwin,  aged  8.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 


HARM  POST  (1892)  owns  and  farms  the 
south  half  of  section  21,  Eost  township,  and  is 
one  of  the  successful  farmers  of  the  precinct. 
He  was  born  in  Kreis  Aurich,  Ostfreesland, 
Germany,  .luly  30,  1864,  the  son  of  Arend  and 
Christina  (.Schmidt)  Post.  Both  his  parents 
died  in  Germany,  his  father  in  1905  and  his 
mother  in  1908. 

Our  subject  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  after 
becoming  of  sufficient  age  worked  out.  In 
1885,  at  tlie  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  came 
to  Anrerica  and  located  in  Champaign  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  resided  seven  years.  The 
first  six  years  of  this  time  were  spent  as  a 
laborer,  the  last  year  as  a  farmer  on  rented 
land.  In  1892  he  came  to  Jackson  county  and 
has  ever  since  lived  on  his  present  farm  in 
Post  township.  His  wife  owned  the  southwest 
quarter  of  the  section,  and  Mr.  Post  later 
bought  the  other  quarter  adjoining.  The  land 
was  prairie,  without  improvements,  when  he 
first  located  gn  the  farm,  and  all  the  build- 
ings and  other  improvements  have  been  made 
by  Mr.  Post. 

Mr.  Post  raises  considerable  stock.  He  is 
interested  in  the  Eost  creamery,  the  farmers 
store  and  elevator  at  Lakefield  and  the  First 
National  Bank  of  the  same  village.  Mr.  Post 
and  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lu- 
tlieran  church  and  he  is  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  88. 

Mr.  Post's  first  marriage  occurred  in  Cham- 
paign county,  Illinois,  on  the  last  day  of  the 
ytar  1892,  when  he  wedded  Tutter  Kuhlmann, 
a  native  of  Germany.  She  died  in  1900.  To 
them  were  born  two  children:  Albert,  born 
September  28,  1893;   John,  born  November  17, 


189G.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Post  oc- 
curred in  Eost  township  August  25,  1900,  when 
he  wedded  Mary  Lubben,  who  was  also  born 
in  Germany  and  who  came  to  America  when 
a  child.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three 
children,  as  follows:  Freda,  born  December 
6,  1901;  Eddie,  born  August  1,  1904;  Louie, 
Ijorn  December  22,  1907. 


CAPTAIN  DANIEL  L.  EILEY  (1893),  do- 
ceased.  One  whose  life's  history  is  entitled 
to  a  place  in  this  history  of  Jackson  county 
is  the  late  Captain  Daniel  L.  Riley,  who  for 
fifteen  years  resided  at  Lakefield,  taking  an 
active  and  prominent  part  in  business,  po- 
litical, social  and  religious  matters. 

Captain  Riley  was  born  at  Brasher  Falls,  St. 
Lawrence  county,  New  York,  January  8,  1837. 
His  parents  came  from  Ireland  in  childhood 
and  located  in  New  York  state.  His  mother 
died  wlien  our  subject  was  eiglit  years  of  age 
and  from  that  date  he  battled  with  the  world 
alone.  He  moved  west  in  1854  and  located  at 
Prairie  dii  Chien,  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked 
at   Lhe  carpenter  trade  until  ISGl. 

On  the  21st  day  of  August,  1801,  Daniel  Ril- 
ey  joined  tlie  army  at  Ripon,  Wisconsin,  be- 
coming an  enlisted  soldier  in  the  First  Wis- 
consin cavalry.  For  some  time  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  recruiting  service  near  his  old 
home  and  «as  later  assigned  to  the  Second 
Wisconsin  cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Col- 
onel C.  C.  Washburn.  After  serving  in  the 
ranks  seveial  months  he  was  commissioned 
second  lieutenant,  was  later  made  first  lieu- 
tenant and  was  mustered  out  as  a  captain,  in 
command  of  company  C,  after  having  seen 
three  year's  service.  He  saw  service  in  the 
states  of  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Tennessee,  Mis- 
sissippi, Louisiana  and  Texas  and  fought  in 
the  battles  of  Cascke,  Oakland,  Cold  Water, 
Vicksburg,  Clinton,  Jackson,  Woodstock  and 
Y'azoo    City. 

Captain  Riley  returned  to  Wisconsin  after 
the  war  an4  located  at  Bloomington.  In  1872 
lie  went  to  the  new  town  of  Sibley,  Iowa, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  He 
moved  to  Spirit  Lake  in  1882,  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  in  that  town  until  1893,  and 
then  took  \ip  liis  residence  in  Lakefield.  There 
he  also  was  in  the  lumber  business  and  was 
actively  engaged  until  two  years  before  his 
death,  which  occurred  December  14,  1908. 

The   life   of   Captain  Riley   was   such   as   to 


424 


BTOOUAI'irTrAL  TITSTOKY 


leave  an  un^^iilliid  record,  both  in  oll'iiiiil  and 
private  life.  lie  was  a  re|niblican  of  promi- 
nence and  a  speaker  of  ability  and  liis  ser- 
vices as  a  public  olTieial  wore  frequently  in  de- 
mand. He  served  as  mayor  of  Sililey  and  was 
I'bairman  of  tlie  board  of  supervisors  of  Os- 
ceola ciiunty.  After  moving  to  LakeHcld  lie 
served  tv>-o  terms  as  a  member  of  tlie  Minne- 
sota legislature,  representing  Jackson  county. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  tbe  lepubliian  national 
convention  whicli  nominated  William  II.  Taft 
for  the  presidency  in  1908  and  was  prominent 
in  tbe  councils  of  his  party.  Captain  Kiley 
served  as  president  of  the  Lakefield  village 
council  and  w,is  a  n\ember  of  tlie  board  of  edu- 
cation. He  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
cliurcli  and  was  active  in  church  work,  having 
held  several  ofTif.-.;  i.f  trust  in  the  church  or- 
ganization. 

As  a  lodge  man  Captain  Kiley  was  also 
prominent.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Lakefield 
lodge  .\.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  the  chapter  at  Jack- 
son and  of  the  coniniandry  at  Kairmont.  He 
held  his  membersliip  in  the  L.  ('•■  Ireland  Po'^t 
of  the  G.  A.  K.  at  Sibley. 

On  June  5,  1867,  Captain  Kiley  was  united 
in  marriage  at  Patch  Grove,  Wisconsin,  to 
Knima  Grant,  wlio  survives  her  husband  and 
now  resides  at  Laketield.  She  was  born  iu 
Grant  conntj-,  Wisconsin,  the  daughter  of 
James  M.  Grant,  who  died  in  Grant  county. 
Wisconsin,  in  1875,  aged  57  years,  and  Sarah 
M.  (Hickox)  Grant,  who  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont and  who  died  in  Grant  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, at  the  age  of  82  years.  To  Captain  and 
Mrs.  Kil»y  were  born  eight  children,  of  whom 
the  four  named  are  living:  Cora  (Mrs.  W'.  D. 
Cole),  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  William  P.,  of 
Port  Arthur,  Canada;  Mabel  (Mrs.  H.  P.  Beck- 
with,  of  Fargo,  North  Dakota;  Alice  L.  (Mrs. 
J.  Levenick),  of  Ijikoliold.  Of  the  four  de- 
ceased children  Charles  and  Catherine  died  in 
infancy.  Frank  and  Fred  (twins)  died  iu  re- 
cent years,  Frank  on  .August  30,  1907,  Fred 
June  24,  1900. 


IlKNUY  G.  ANDKR.'^ON  (18Sf.).  president  of 
till'  .lackson  National  IVink  and  chairman  of 
the  board  of  county  commissioners,  has  lived 
in  the  village  of  Jackson  twenty-three  years 
ond  has  t.^ken  a  leading  part  in  the  alTairs  of 
his  village  and  county.  Mr.  Anderson  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  in  Lafayette  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, on  Xovcmbcr  17,  1857.  His  parents,  Gilbert 


and  Olina  (Olsen)  Anderson,  were  born  in  Nor- 
way and  came  to  the  United  States  before 
their  marriage.  They  are  now  residents  of 
Dickinson  county,  Iowa:  the  father  is  74  yearn 
of  age,  the  mother  "0  years. 

Henry  lived  nn  his  father's  farm  in  Lafay- 
ette county.  Wisconsin,  until  he  was  fifteen 
years  of  age.  In  the  district  schools  of  his  na- 
tive county  he  was  educated,  supplementing 
that  schooling  with  a  two  years'  course  in 
Kmmet  county,  Iowa.  In  1872  he  accompan- 
ied his  parents  to  Dickinson  county,  and  in 
that  county  lived  on  the  farm  until  1886.  He 
then  took  up  liis  residence  in  Jackson  and  en- 
gaged in  business,  having  traded  his  Iowa  farm 
for  a  stock  of  hardware.  After  having  con- 
ducted the  iiardware  store  eleven  years  he 
sold  out  and  engaged  in  the  implement,  har- 
ness and  live  stock  business  five  years,  in  part- 
nership with  F.  W.  Lindsley.  For  several 
years  thereafter  he  devoted  his  time  and  at- 
tention to  the  management  of  his  farms,  which 
now  include  1.400  acres  of  improved  Jackson 
county  soil.  In  addition  to  this  farming  prop- 
erty Mr.  Anderson  owns  considerable  valu- 
able village  property. 

In  company  with  eight  others  Mr.  -Anderson 
organized  the  Jackson  National  Hank  on  Jan- 
uary 1,  1004.  and  has  since  served  as  presi- 
dent of  tliat  financial  institution.  The  bank 
in  capitalized  for  .$30,000  and  the  present  offi- 
cers are:  Henry  G.  Anderson,  president;  Dr. 
W.  C.  Portmann,  vice  president;  W.  D.  Hunter, 
cashier:   Asiicr  O.  Xasby,  assistant  cashier. 

In  nn  official  capacity  Mr.  Anderson  has 
often  been  called  upon  to  serve.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  village  council  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  council  in  1804  and  1895.  and  Is 
now  a  member  of  the  board  of  education.  He 
was  elected  county  commissioner  from  the 
Second  district  in  1906  and  was  made  chair- 
man of  the  board  at  the  first  meeting  after 
he  (lualified.  Each  year  since  that  time  be 
has  been  elected  to  preside  over  the  county 
law  makers.  Fraternally  he  is  associated  with 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  Sons  of  Norway  orders. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  at  Jackson  March 
10,  1886,  to  Julia  Beige,  daughter  of  H.  H. 
Berge.  one  of  the  county's  early  day  settlers. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  been  born 
three  children,  ns  follows:  Giles  H.,  Anna  and 
Lida. 

CARL  S.  KASTWOOD  (1883),  postmaster  of 
Heron   Lake   and   editor  and   publisher   of   the 


HENRY  G.  ANDERSON 

President  of  the  Jackson  National  Bank  and  Chairman  of  the  Board 
of  County  Commissioners. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 


*<'0»1,  LENOX    *M« 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


4-i5 


Heron  Lake  Xews,  is  a  veteran  newspaper 
man  and  an  early  day  resident  of  Jackson 
connty.  lie  was  born  at  Sheboygan  Falls, 
Wisconsin,  August  21,  1858,  tlie  son  of  Levi 
and  Kachel  (Sniitli)  Eastwood,  the  former  a 
native  of  Xew  York  and  the  latter  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Carl  accompanied  his  parents  from  Wiscon- 
sin to  Shell  Kock,  Iowa,  in  1870,  and  in  that 
town  completed  his  education.  At  an  early 
age  he  began  learning  the  printer's  trade  in 
tlie  office  of  the  Shell  Rock  News,  then  owned 
by  W.  V.  Lucas.  He  remained  with  that  gen- 
tleman four  years,  the  Urst  two  being  passed 
at  Shell  Rock  and  the  last  two  at  Mason  City, 
Iowa.  Returning  to  the  former  place,  Carl 
purchased  the  paper  on  which  he  had  learned 
his  trade. 

ilr.  Eastwood  became  a  resident  of  Jackson 
county  on  September  1,  1883,  when  he  located 
at  Lakefield  and  founded  the  Minnesota  Citi- 
zen, which  was  later  renamed  the  Lakefield 
Standard.  He  conducted  the  paper  three  years 
and  from  June,  1884,  until  he  left  the  village 
lie  served  as  postmaster  of  Lakefield.  Selling 
out  his  Jackson  county  publication,  Mr.  East- 
wood went  to  Mankato  and  started  the  Man- 
kato  Register.  He  disposed  of  that  property  a 
little  later,  and  in  1886  bought  the  Heron  Lake 
News,  which  he  conducted  until  1893.  Five 
years  of  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Heron 
Lake  he  served  as  postmaster  and  for  seven 
years  was  a  member  of  the  village  council. 

In  tiie  fall  of  1893  Mr.  Eastwood  sold  out 
at  Heron  Lake  and  bought  the  Worthington 
Advance,  which  he  published  three  years.  He 
then  bought  the  Mankato  Morning  News,  sold 
out  within  a  year  and  moved  to  the  northern 
part  of  Minnesota.  From  that  time  until 
December,  1902,  Mr.  Eastwood  was  engaged  in 
the  newspaper  business  in  Menahga,  Minne- 
sota, where  he  was  postmaster,  and  Homer, 
Michigar.,  and  on  the  date  last  mentioned  he 
returned  to  Heron  Lake,  bought  back  the 
News,  and  has  since  been  its  publisher.  He 
was  appointed  postmaster  in  1907.  Mr.  East- 
wood is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Work- 
men   orders. 

At  Wilder,  Minnesota,  on  September  12, 18SG, 
Mr.  Eastwood  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Edith  Church.  To  them  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  Hazel,  born  August 
1,  1887;  Paul,  born  May  1,  1892;  Frederick, 
born  Mav  15,  1907. 


FRANK  FIALA  (1889)  owns  a  240  acre 
farm  on  section  3,  Belmont  township,  where 
he  has  lived  for  the  last  twenty  years.  He 
was  born  in  the  city  of  Chicago  May  26,  18G4, 
the  oldest  of  a  family  of  five  children  born  to 
John  and  Annie  (Shimick)  Fiala.  These  par- 
ents were  born  in  Bohemia  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1858.  They  lived  in  Chicago  until  1869, 
in  Jones  county,  Iowa,  until  1889,  and  in 
Jackson  county  until  1891.  They  then  located 
in  Oklahoma  City.  Oklahoma,  where  both  died. 
Frank's  brother  and  sisters  are  Mary,  Annie 
and  Joseph.     Lena,  another  sister,  is  dead. 

Frank  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jones 
county,  Iowa,  in  1869,  and  there  grew  to  man- 
hood. In  1889  he  came  with  his  parents  to 
Jackson  county  and  located  upon  the  farm 
upon  which  he  now  lives.  He  worked  for  his 
father  for  a  few  years  and  then  bought  the 
farm,  and  he  has  made  all  the  improvements 
on  the  place. 

Mr.  Fiala  was  married  in  Belmont  township 
August  3,  1889,  to  Tony  Hurt,  who  was  horn 
in  Bohemia  and  who  came  to  Chicago  when  a 
young  woman.  Sev^n  children  have  been  born 
to  this  union,  as  follows:  Edward,  born  July 
15,  1890;  Bohous,  born  January  3,  1892;  Frank, 
born  November  30,  1893;  Joseph,  born  March 
20,  1806;  Henry  born,  January  24,  1898;  Em- 
ma, born  March  29,  1900;  Bessie,  born  Jan- 
uary 10,  1903.  Mr  Fiala's  family  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church  and  he  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  W.  A.  lodge.  He  now  holds  the  office 
of   director  of  school  district  No.  89. 


ELIAS  T.  BJORNSTAD  (1880)  is  a  Des 
Moines  tow^nship  farmer  and  well  driller.  He 
resides  on  section  15  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  where  he  owns  seventeen  acres  of  land. 
j\Ir.  Bjornstad  is  perhaps  better  known  lo- 
cally as  E.  Thoreson,  Thoreson  being  his  fa- 
ther's second  name  and  the  name  by  which  he 
is  generally  known.  He  is  a  Nor-ivegian  by 
birth,  born  September  28,  1855,  the  son  of 
Peter  T.  and  Bertha  (Bureson)  Bjornstad. 

Elias  Bjornstad  was  educated  in  his  native 
land,  and  during  the  last  six  years  of  his  resi- 
dence there  was  employed  as  a  clerk.  He  came 
to  America  in  1880  and  direct  to  Jackson 
county.  For  a  year  and  a  half  he  lived  in 
Belmont  township  and  worked  on  the  railroad. 
Then  he  moved  to  Des  Moines  township,  and 
for  the  next  ten  years  engaged  in  farming  on 
rented   land.     Then   he   bought   a   small    tract 


426 


BIOGRAPHICAL   HISTORY. 


on  section  15,  and  lins  since  added  to  it  until 
he  now  owns  seventeen  acres.  During  tlie 
last  twenty  years,  in  addition  to  liis  farra- 
iiiK  oporntions,  Mr.  Bjornstad  1ms  been  en- 
gaged in  tlie  well  digging  liusiness.  He  lias 
held  several  offices  in  his  township,  having  ser- 
ved three  years  as  a  member  of  the  township 
board  iu  the  early  nineties.  He  was  elec- 
ted chairman  of  the  board  for  a  three-year 
term  in  the  spring  of  I'JOO  and  is  now  serving. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Xoiwegian  Lutheran 
church  and  of  the  Sons  of  Norway   lodge. 

Mt.  Bjornstad  was  married  at  Finmarken, 
Norway,  August  28,  187S,  to  Hannah  Johnson. 
To  them  have  been  born  eleven  children,  as 
follows:  Bertha,  born  October  'J,  1878,  died 
June  17,  1879;  Tory,  born  .March  20,  1880; 
Peter,  born  March  20,  1880,  died  October  6, 
1881;  Peter,  born  September  19,  1882;  Rob- 
ert, born  August  29,  1884;  Emniett,  born  No- 
vember 23,  188ti,  died  December  22,  1!K)7;  John, 
born  January  2.'),  1S8S);  Oscar,  born  July  22, 
11107 :  Carl,  born  October  4,  1803;  Wallic,  born 
August  25,  1896;  Amanda,  born  December  22, 
1898. 


MARTIN  STALL  (1877),  Des  Moines  town- 
sliip  farmer,  was  born  on  the  farm  he  now 
manages  July  13,  1877.  He  is  the  son  of 
Hans  and  Jnlia  (Holsten)  Stall.  The  former 
is  a  native  of  Norway  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  a  boy.  He  lived  in  Illinois  eight 
years  and  then  enlisted  in  the  union  army 
in  nn  Illinois  regiment  and  saw  three  years' 
service.  After  the  war  he  came  to  Jackson 
county  and  liomesteaded  the  southeast  quar- 
ter  of  section  2,  Des  Moines  township.  He 
resided  on  the  farm  until  seven  years  ago, 
when  he  moved  to  Jackson,  where  he  now 
lives.  The  mother  of  our  subject  died  No- 
vember 17,  1896. 

Martin  Stall  wos  educated  in  the  district 
school  and  grew  to  maiihood  on  his  father's 
farm.  At  the  age  of  twenly-two,  in  ISJlfl,  he 
nmrrieil  and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself. 
He  rented  a  farm  in  Des  Moines  township, 
farmeil  it  one  season,  and  then  rented  his 
father's  place,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He 
owns  an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land  on  section 
3r>.  lielmont  township,  which  he  bought  in 
I.W9.  He  has  served  two  terms  as  road  sujicr- 
iiitendent  and  now  holds  the  office  of  treasurer 
of  his  school  district.     He  is  also  one  of  five 


din  -tors  of  a  large  cooperative  store  in  Jack- 
son. 

Sir.  Stall  was  married  in  Jackson  December 
2,  18119,  to  Laura  Hade,  who  was  born  in  Nor- 
way .Inly  12,  1877,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  four  years  of  age.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Jens  Kade,  deceased.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church    of   America. 


(;EuK(iK  li.  VAKNS  (1874)  is  an  early  day 
settler  of  Middletown  township,  having  come 
to  the  county  when  ten  years  of  age  and 
having  spent  nearly  all  of  the  rest  of  his  life 
here.  He  owns  a  quarter  section  farm  on 
section  3. 

Mr.  Yarns  is  a  native  Miiniesotan,  having 
been  born  in  Fillmore  county  July  12,  1864, 
the  son  of  Henry  B.  and  Louisa  (Green)  Yarns, 
who  were  born  and  married  in  Broome 
county,  New  York.  When  George  was  nine 
years  of  age  the  family  moved  from  Fill- 
more county  to  Dickinson  county,  Iowa,  and 
the  next  year,  1874,  canu'  to  Jackson  county. 
The  head  of  the  family  tiled  a  homestead  claim 
to  the  land  now  owned  by  our  subject,  but 
on  account  of  the  grasshopper  scourge  the 
family  were  obliged  to  move  away  for  a  per- 
iod of  three  years  and  they  were  unable  to 
prove  up  on  the  claim.  Rettirning  to  the 
county  the  land  was  reentered  as  a  tree  claim, 
Init  before  the  time  came  for  proving  up 
Henry  li.  Yarns  died,  and  the  son  made  a 
liomestcad  filing  to  the  land  and  finally  se- 
cured title. 

George  worked  for  his  father  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
then,  because  of  the  feebleness  of  his  father's 
health,  he  took  the  active  management  of  the 
farm.  His  father  died  in  1888  and  his  mother 
in  1891).  Mr.  Yarns  has  conducted  the  farm 
ever  since  becoming  of  age.  Our  subject  has 
held  a  ntimber  of  local  offices  in  his  township. 
He  wa<  elected  road  overseer  when  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  has  held  the  office  of  su- 
pervisor and  town  clerk  and  is  now  township 
assessor.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Y'eomen 
lodge. 

Jlr.  Y.irns  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
February  19.  1890,  to  Alice  Danby,  a  native  of 
l;ock  Island  county.  Illinois.  The  following 
nameil  five  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union:  .Maurice  1)..  born  November  26,  1890; 
Harry  A.,  born  April  22,  1893;  Ethel  M.,  born 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


427 


April   30,    1895;    Brian  L.,   born  November   14, 
181)7;   Percy  A.,  born  March  14,  1903. 


JOHN  F.  RAASCH  (1887),  in  i)artner3hip 
witli  liis  brolherj  Louis  Raascli,  farms  the  east 
half  of  section  12,  Des  Moines  township.  He 
is  the  son  of  the  late  Carl  Raasch  and  Al- 
bertina    (Wilke)    Raasch. 

Carl  Raasch  was  born  in  Germany  in  the 
year  185.5,  came  to  the  United  States  when 
sixteen  years  of  age,  and  first  located  at  Toles- 
ton,  Indiana,  where  he  resided  until  1885.  Al- 
bertina  Wilke  was  also  born  in  Germany  in 
1857,  came  to  the  new  world  when  nine  years 
old  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Raasch  at  Toles- 
ton,  Indiana.  Mr.  Raasch  died  at  his  liome  in 
Des  Moines  township  March  3,  1907;  Mrs. 
Raasch  still  lives  on  the  home  farm.  Nine 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  namely: 
Amanda,  born  January  8,  1882;  Lydia,  born 
June  23,  1883;  Alice,  born  August  11,  1885; 
John  F..  born  April  11,  1887;  Louis,  born  No- 
vember 11,  1888;  Carl,  born  October  8,  1890; 
Emma,  born  September  1,  1892;  Hilda,  born 
June  3,   1896;   Alma,  born  October  23,  1899. 

()\ir  subject  was  born  on  the  Des  Moines 
township  farm  April  11,  1887,  and  has  spent 
his  entire  life  on  that  farm.  He  attended  the 
district  school  and  during  his  father's  life- 
time assisted  with  the  farm  work.  After  the 
death  of  his  father  he  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  place  and  has  been  very  suc- 
cessful. In  November,  1909,  Louis  added  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  12  to  the  home 
farm,  and  he  and  his  brother  farm  the  whole 
half  section.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  raising 
thoroughbred  O.  I.  C.  swine.  Mr.  Raasch  Is 
a  director  of  school  district  No.  13,  having 
been  elected  in  July,  1909.  He  has  stock  in  the 
Farmers  elevator   of   Jackson. 


HERMAN  N.  TANK  (1887)  is  a  Hunter 
township  farmer  who  has  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  in  .Jackson  county.  He  was 
born  in  Carroll  county,  Iowa,  February  28, 
1877,  and  is  the  son  of  Herman  and  Anna 
(Hagge)  Tank,  now  residents  of  Iowa.  His 
parents  came  from  Holstein,  Germany,  in  their 
youth  and  were  married  in  Clinton  county, 
Iowa.  Two  years  after  their  marriage  they 
located  in  Carroll  county  and  lived  there  un- 
til they  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1887.  They 
resided    on   the   farm    in   Hunter    township   un- 


til November,  1908,  and  then  returned  to 
their  old  home.  Their  cliildren  are  as  fol- 
lows: Herman,  Bertha  (Mrs.  Heme  Rouse), 
George,  Otto  and  William. 

Hernuin  Tank  of  this  .sketch  came  to  Jack- 
son county  with  his  parents  when  ten  years  of 
age  and  located  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives.  He  attended  the  district  school  and 
worked  on  the  farm  during  his  younger  years, 
engaging  in  farming  for  himself  after  reach- 
ing manhood.  In  1904  lie  bought  eighty  acres 
of  land  on  section  15,  the  home  farm— the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  14 — being  still 
owned  by  Herman  Tank,  senior.  Mr.  Tank 
was  clerk  of  school  district  No.  112  one  term, 
serving  by  appointment. 


VIRGIL  W.  AVERY  (1872),  undertaker  and 
furniture  dealer  of  Jackson,  is  one  of  the  early 
day  residents  of  that  village,  having  come  to 
.Jackson  county  when  a  boy  of  fourteen  years. 
He  was  born  in  Walworth  county,  Wisconsii', 
May  7,  1858,  the  son  of  Simeon  and  Martha 
(Chamherlin)    Avery. 

From  his  Wisconsin  home  Virgil  came  to 
Jackson  county  with  his  parents,  arriving 
March  20,  1872.  From  that  time  until  1884 
he  lived  in  the  county  with  his  parents,  and  then 
went  to  Siou.x  Falls,  South  Dakota.  After  a  .short 
residence  there  he  moved  to  Pipestone,  but 
one  year  later  returned  to  Sioux  Falls  and 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  which  he 
followed  several  years.  One  year  was  spent  in 
Sioux  City,  and  then  in  1892  he  returned  to 
Jackson.  For  the  next  thirteen  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  fuel  business.  He  sold  out  in 
1905  and  opened  a  furniture  store,  which 
he  has  since  conducted.  He  holds  membership 
in  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows  and  Workmen 
lodges. 

Mr.  Avery  was  married  in  Jackson  in  March, 

1883,  to   Marie   Davies,   who   died  August    14, 

1884.  Mr.  Avery's  second  marriage  occurred 
rt  Sioux  Falls  in  September,  1889,  when  he 
wedded  Grace  Sharp.  To  this  union  has  been 
born    one   child,   Eloise,   born    in    1890. 


HENRY  JARMUTH  (1886)  is  one  of  the 
big  farmers  of  Enterprise  township.  His  farm, 
which  includes  400  acres  on  sections  19  and 
20,  is  tiled  and  well  improved  and  is  rated 
as  one  of  the  best  farms  of  the  township.  He 


428 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


bus  owned  t)ic  farm  for  more  tliau  a  quarter 
of  a  century. 

Mr.  Jarmutli  is  a  German  by  birtli.  His 
fatlior,  John  Jarmutli,  who  was  a  coacliuian 
in  the  old  country  for  a  good  many  years, 
lanio  to  America  in  1854  and  enjiaged  in  farm- 
ing. Jlo  died  in  Coolc  foniity,  Illinois,  Febru- 
ary 10,  ia04,  at  the  age  of  73  years.  His 
mother,  Christina  Jarmuth,  is  now  70  years  of 
age  and  lives  in  Illinois. 

To  these  parents  Henry  Jarmuth  was  born 
November  8,  1853.  When  one  year  of  age  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  America  and  unlil 
his  marriage  in  1880  lived  on  a  farm  in  Cook 
county,  Illinois.  After  his  marriage  Air.  Jar- 
muth engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  Cook  county,  and  in  March,  1886, 
came  to  Jackson  county.  Upon  his  arrival  he 
located  upon  his  Enterprise  township  farm, 
whioh  he  had  bought  in  1883.  Besides  his 
Jackson  county  farm,  Mr.  Jarmuth  owns  thir- 
teen acres  of  land  close  to  the  city  of  Chicago. 
He  served  five  years  as  chairman  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  of  Enterprise  township  and  was 
a  member  of  the  board  fifteen  j-ears.  He  is 
now   clerk   of   his   school   district. 

Mr.  Jarmuth  was  married  November  28, 1880, 
to  Lena  Ruesch,  of  Illinois.  live  children 
have  been  born  to  these  parents,  namely:  Wil- 
liam H.,  Louis  T.,  John  W.,  Freda  A.  and 
Albert  J.  The  family  arc  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church. 


F.  G.  HOKANSON  (1882)  owns  and  farms 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  28.  Delafield 
township,  upon  which  farm  he  has  lived  over 
twenty-seven  years.  He  was  born  in  Lutarp, 
Joiikoping  Inn,  Smoland,  Sweden,  February  2S, 
1848,  the  son  of  H.  Monson  and  Lena  (John- 
son)  Monson,  both  of  whom  died  in  Sweden. 

Our  subject  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and 
worked  for  bis  father  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  lie  then  came  to  the  Unitea 
States,  landing  in  the  new  world  ilay  2,  180!). 
He  spent  the  following  summer  in  Chicago, 
worked  on  the  railroad  at  EITingham,  Illinois, 
six  months,  and  then  located  at  Lafayette,  In- 
diana, where  he  resided  three  years,  working 
ns  a  coachman  and  at  other  occupations.  In 
1873  Mr.  Ildkanson  returned  lo  his  old  home 
in  Sweden  and  for  the  next  seven  and  one-half 
years  was  engaged  in  farming.  Returning  to 
.America  in  1882,  he  came  to  Jackson  county 
with  his  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and  two 


chil  len,  bought  eighty  acres  of  bis  present 
fan;:  and  his  since  made  his  home  on  the  place. 
Three  years  after  his  arrival  he  bought  the 
other   eighty   acres   of   liis   present    farm. 

Mr.  Ilokaiison's  first  wife  died  in  1893.  Eight 
ihildr,  !i  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  three 
lave  died.  Mr.  llokanson  was  married  the 
second  time  in  Delafield  township  in  the  spring 
of  1902  to  Louisa  Anderson,  who  was  born  in 
Sweden  and  who  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1883.  Tiiey  have  no  children.  Mr.  Hokan- 
son  is  a  member  of  the  Free  Mission  church 
of  Windom.  Ho  served  as  treasurer  of  his 
townsiiip  three  years  and  was  clerk  of  school 
district  No.  29  for  the  same  length  of  time. 


BRUNO  POPriTZ  (1887),  proprietor  of  a 
ftirniture  and  racket  store  at  Heron  Lake,  has 
spent  all  except  the  first  six  months  of  his 
life  in  Minnesota,  having  resided  here  be- 
fore the  state  was  admitted  to  tlu>  union.  Ho 
is  the  son  of  the  late  Ernest  Poppitz  and  Au- 
gu.sta  (llenschel)  Poppitz.  Both  parents  were 
born  ill  Germany,  where  they  resided  until 
after  their  marriage  in  1849.  Then  they  came 
to  America  and  settled-  in  Wisconsin,  remov- 
ing to  Carver  county.  Minnesota,  in  18.')7.  In 
that  county  Ernest  Poppitz  acquired  land  and 
made  his  home  luitil  his  death  in  January, 
1900,  at  tlie  age  of  77  years.  Mrs.  Poppitz 
still  lives  in  Carver  county  and  is  81  years 
old.  Bruno  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren,  the   eldest   of  the   five  now   living. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Wisconsin  February 
10,  1857,  and  when  six  months  old  was  taken 
with  the  family  to  Carver  county,  Minnesota, 
lie  resided  on  the  farm  in  that  county  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  attending  tlic  local 
schools  and  studying  in  the  St.  Paul  Business 
college.  It  1878  he  moved  to  Nobles  county 
and  took  a  homestead  claim  in  Hersey  town- 
ship, upon  which  he  lived  five  years.  .-Vfter 
proving  up  on  bis  hind  Mr.  Poppitz  returned 
to  his  old  home  in  Carver  county.  He  worked 
on  the  railroad  one  and  one-half  years  and 
l)Ought  grain  two  years,  and  then,  in  1887,  lo- 
cated in  the  village  of  Heron  Lake. 

Heron  Lake  has  been  the  home  of  Mr.  Pop- 
pitz ever  since,  and  during  these  years  he  has 
been  eiigaged  in  various  business  enterprises. 
He  served  as  postmaster  a  little  over  five 
years.  .MIer  he  had  conducted  the  olTice  a 
little  over  a  year  it  was  raised  to  the  third 
class.     In   1901   he   formed  a  partnership  wilh 


BIOGEAPHK  AL  HISTOEY. 


429 


his  soil,  K.  H.  Poppitz,  and  opened  a  furniture 
and  raelcet  store,  wliieli  tl'.ey  still  conduct.  Mr. 
I'oppitz  owns  two  farms,  one  in  this  and  one 
in  Jhirray  county,  and  city  property,  includ- 
ing four  business  blocks  and  his  residence.  He 
has  served  as  president  and  as  vice  president 
of  the  Hi-ron  Lake  State  Bank  and  has  been  a 
director  of  the  same  a  number  of  years.  lie 
was  a  nu'Uiber  of  the  village  council  foin- 
years  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
tlie  same  length  of  time.  Fraternally,  he  is 
associated  with  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  M.  W.  A.,  M. 
E.  A.J  Royal  Neighbors  and  Yeomen  lodges. 

Jlr.  Poppitz  was  married  in  Nobles  county 
ifarcli  27.  1879,  to  Antonio  Berreau,  a  native 
of  Carver  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poppitz  are 
tlie  parents  of  two  children:  Ernest  H.  and 
Lillian  L.  One  son,  the  first  born,  named  Ed- 
ward, died  at  the  age  of  six  years. 


ADAM  BAUCHLE  (1899)  is  one  of  tlie  pro- 
gressive farmers  and  breeders  of  thoroughbred 
stock  in  Jackson  county,  his  home  being  in 
Alba  township,  where  he  owns  and  farms  400 
acres  of  land.  He  has  a  nice  home  and  a 
well  improved  farm,  all  the  improvements 
having  been  made  by  him.  Mr.  Bauchle  breeds 
thoroughbred  Norman  Percheron  horses.  Short- 
horn cattle  and  Duroc- Jersey  hogs.  He  has 
two  Percheron  stallions,  Nobleman  and  Cous- 
in, which  took  first  premiums  at  the  Jack- 
son county  fair  of  1909  and  which  are  noted 
throughout  the  county.  Besides  his  farming 
and  stockiaising  Mr  Bauchle  deals  extensively 
in  hay,  buying,  pressing  and  shipping. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  is  of  German 
birth,  having  been  born  in  the  province  of 
Wurttemberg  Aiiril  10,  186.3.  His  father  is 
Adam  Bauchle,  a  farmer,  who  lives  in  Ger- 
many and  is  72  years  of  age.  His  mother, 
Justina  (Schmidgal)  Bauchle,  died  when  Adam 
was  two  years  old. 

Adam  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  his 
native  land  but  was  educated  in  tbe  village 
school.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in  March, 
1882,  he  came  to  America  and  located  at  Mor- 
ton, Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  where  he  resided 
six  years.  Four  years  of  this  time  he  worked 
out  as  a  farm  hand;  the  other  two  years 
he  engaged  in  farming  rented  land.  In  18SS 
lie  moved  to  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  farmed  rented  land  until  1899.  In  February, 
of  the  last  named  year,  he  came  to  Jackson 
county    and    located    upon    the    home    quarter 


of  his  present  farm  in  Alba  township,  which 
he  had  purchased  six  years  before  coming  to 
the  county.  He  has  lived  upon  the  farm  ever 
since,  having  added  to  his  holdings  by  pur- 
chase until  today  he  has  400  acres,  all  of  which 
he  farms.  In  addition  to  his  business  inter- 
ests mentioned  Mr.  Bauchle  has  stock  in  the 
Ihewster-Round  Lake  Telephone  company',  the 
Farmers  Creamery  company  of  Brewster  and 
tlu'    Farmers    Elevator    company    of    the    same 

pl.U'C. 

During  the  eleven  years  of  his  residence  in 
Allja  township  Mr.  Bauchle  has  taken  an  ac- 
tive part  in  local  afl'airs.  He  has  served  five 
years  as  a  member  of  the  township  board 
and  is  now  the  chairman,  having  been  elected 
to  that  office  in  the  spring  of  1909.  He  is 
also  clerk  of  school  district  No.  86  and  has 
served  continuously  since  1900.  He  and  his 
family  are  members  of  the  United  Evangelical 
church. 

31r.  Bauchle  was  married  in  Pekin,  Taze- 
well county,  Illinois,  February  23,  1886,  to 
Katie  Dietrich,  daughter  of  Carl  Dietrich,  of 
German.y.  Mrs.  Bauchle  was  born  in  Wurt- 
temberg, January  6, 1866,  and  came  to  the  Unit- 
ed States  in  1884.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bauchle 
have  been  born  nine  children,  as  follows: 
Frank,  born  January  11,  1887;  Pauline,  born 
.January  31,  1889;  Ida,  born  January  13,  1891; 
Willie,  born  August  27,  1893;  Henry,  born 
July  15,  189.5;  Carl,  born  October  3,  1897; 
Leroy,  born  April  7,  1899;  Walter,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1901;   Alice,  born  March  26,  1906. 


WILLIAM  JOHNSON  (1881),  a  Belmont 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  Norway  August 
24,  1802,  the  son  of  Mr.  John  Dalthorp  and 
Mrs.  Carolina  (Halverson)  Dalthorp,  the  eldest 
child  of  a  family  of  five  children.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  died  in  Norway;  his  father 
came  to  Jackson  county  and  died  here  in  1907 
at   the  age  of  73  years. 

William  .Jolinsnn  lived  with  his  parents  in 
Ills  native  country,  attending  school  and 
working  out,  until  1881.  That  year  he  came  to 
.Jackson  county,  spent  the  summer  here,  and 
then  located  in  Cottonwood  county,  where  he 
resided  three  years.  He  spent  the  next  year 
in  Kittson  county,  and  then  came  again  to 
Jackson  county.  He  owned  land  and  farmed 
several  years  on  section  IS,  Belmont,  later  on 
section    29,    and    in    1899    bought    his    present 


430 


BIOCL'APIIICAL  HTSTOKV. 


farm   on    si-clion    ■22,   wiico    lie    liiis    since    re- 
sided. 

Mr.  .Julinsiiii  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
in  Angnst,  18!t0,  to  Mrs.  Bertlia  Olson,  a  na- 
tive of  Norway.  Two  children  liave  l«'en  born 
to  tliis  union:  C'olman  and  Cora.  The  family 
are  meitiliers  of  the  Norwegian  ].,utheran 
cliurch.  He  is  treasurer  of  Kelmont  township 
and  has  held  the  olTice  several  years.  He  lias 
also  served  in  various  capacities  as  a  school 
officer. 


SA.ML'ICL  J-Ki;UKKaK.SO.V  (1880),  cashier 
of  the  First  State  Bank  of  Okabcna,  is  a  native 
of  Jackson  county,  having  lieen  born  in  Chris- 
tiania  township  April  18.  1880.  He  is  the 
son  of  John  nni  Carn  (Foslic)  Frederickson, 
of  I.akotlcld. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Lakefield  and  in  the  lireck  school 
at  Wilder,  where  he  was  a  student  during  1901 
and  1!102.  In  1903  he  attended  the  Minnesota 
School  of  liiisiness  at  Minneapolis.  After  se- 
curinf;  his  education  he  was  manager  of  a 
store  at  Wilmont  about  one  year,  bouglit 
grain  for  the  W,  W.  Cargill  Klevator  company 
at  Oldham,  South  Dakota,  for  some  time,  and 
for  two  yc.irs  was  employed  in  the  First  Na- 
tional Rank  of  Lakefield.  On  October  1.  1900, 
Air.  Frederickson  helped  organize  the  First 
State  Bank  of  Okabena.  and  has  since  been 
the  ea.shier  of  that  institution.  He  is  a  mem- 
l.er  of  the  Masonic  lodge  and  hulds  the  olTiie 
of  justice  of  the  peace. 

Mr.  Frederickson  is  treasurer  of  the  Okabena 
Cooperative  Creamery  association,  and  sec- 
retary of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Klevator 
company  of  Okabena. 


lAMK.S  VACI'RA  (IS80)  is  a  Des  Moines 
towii>liip  farmer.  He  is  a  native  of  Bohemia 
and  was  born  March  .'t,  1.870.  the  son  of  Jnlin 
and  Barbara  (Lev)  Vacura.  The  family  came 
to  America  in  1880  and  to  Jackson  county  six 
years  later,  locating  on  section  8.  Des  Moines 
township,  where  they  resided  until  Mr  Vaenrn's 
death  on  .January  5,  1909,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-nne  .ind  one-half  years.  Tlie  mother  of 
our  subject  is  living  at  the  age  of  07  year^. 
There  were  seven  children  in  the  family,  ns 
follows:  Barbara,  James,  Annie,  I^ewis,  Jo- 
seph,   Edward    and    I?osa.     Lewis     resides    at 


I'erth,  North  Dakota:  the  other-  are  resi- 
dents  of  Jack.son   county. 

James  Vacura  accompanied  his  parents  when 
they  came  from  the  old  country  and  for  six 
years  lived  with  them  at  Afount  Vernon,  Linn 
cdunty,  Iowa.  He  came  with  them  to  Jack- 
sun  county  in  1880,  and  until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age  lived  on  the  home  farm  in  Des 
-Moines  township.  Thereafter  until  he  was 
twenty-four  years  of  age  he  worked  out  as 
a  farm  laborer  in  the  vicinity  of  Jack.son.  fii 
1S94  Mr.  Vacura  married  and  moved  to  Linn 
iiiunty,  Iowa,  and  in  that  county  he  engaged 
in  farming  until  the  spring  of  1909.  He  then 
returned  to  Jackson  county  and  rented  from 
his  brotiior,  Jo.seph  Vacura.  the  southwest 
(|uartcr   of   section  8,   Des   Moines. 

Mr.  Vacura  was  married  at  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iiiwa.  June  12,  1894,  to  Emma  Shramek,  a  na- 
tive iif  Linn  county,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of 
Wesley  .Shramek.  Six  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  named  as  follows:  Godfrey, 
born  March  12,  189.5:  Kmnia.  born  January 
29,  1898:  Wesley,  born  February  2.  1900; 
Frank,  born  November  29,  1902:  Robert,  born 
July  30.  1904:  Tillie,  born  April  3.  1908.  Mr. 
N'acura  is  a  member  of  the  Bohemian  lodge. 


OBERT  ELMKU  DIESON  (1880),  attorney 
at  law  of  Heron  Lake,  was  born  and  raised 
and  has  spent  his  entire  'ife  in  that  village.  He 
is  the  son  of  the  late  T.  A.  Dieson  and  An- 
nie (Albert.son)  Dieson,  who  were  the  third  or 
fourth  family  to  locate  in  the  town  of  Heron 
Lake  after  its  founding.  Both  parents  were 
born  in  Cliristiania.  Norway,  and  came  to  the 
I'nited  Slates  when  young,  having  been  mar- 
ried at  Houston,  Minnesota.  The  father  died 
in  Heron  I>ake  in  1900  at  the  age  of  ,57  years. 
The  mother's  home  is  still  in  Heron  Lake,  and 
she  is   .50  years  of  age. 

Obert  was  born  June  21,  1880.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  the  Heron  Lake  high  school  in 
1901  and  one  year  later  entered  the  law  de- 
partment of  the  Minnesota  state  university, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  the  spring 
of  190.5.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  April 
of  that  year  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  in  Heron  Lake.  He 
practices  in  all  state  and  federal  courts.  He 
is  a  member  of  Alpha  Tan  Omega  fraternity  of 
the  Minnesota  tuiiversity  and  of  Columbian 
Lodge  No.  210.  A,  F.  &  A.  M..  of  Heron  Lake. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


431 


ANURKW  LOKEN  (1SS3)  is  a  Delafield 
township  fanner  residinj;  a  short  distance 
soiitli  of  Winilnm,  in  wliicli  village  he  was  en- 
gaged in  business  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr. 
Loken  was  born  in  JCorway  February  18,  1861. 
His  father,  Andreas  Loken,  now  88  years  of 
age,  makes  his  home  with  his  son.  His  mother, 
Agneate  (Christopherson)  Loken,  died  in  Win- 
dom  in  1894. 

Andrew  spent  the  first  nineteen  years  of 
Ms  life  in  his  native  land.  His  early  days 
were  spent  on  a  farm,  but  four  years  of  his 
residence  in  the  old  country  were  spent  in 
the  city  of  C'hristiania,  where  he  finished  his 
educati'in.  He  learned  the  painter's  trade  and 
in  1880  came  to  the  new  world  to  seek  his  for- 
tune. For  three  years  he  worked  for  farmers 
in  Watonwan  county,  Minnesota,  and  then  lo- 
cated in  Jackson  county.  He  bought  a  farm 
on  section  1,  Delafield  township,  which  he 
farmed  five  years.  He  then  sold  out  and  lo- 
cated in  the  village  of  Windom,  engaging  in 
the  mercantile  business  there  one  year.  Dur- 
ing the  ne.ft  ten  years  Mr.  Loken  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Windom,  and  then,  in  1899.  opened 
a  paint  and  wall  paper  store.  He  conducted 
that  six  years  and  built  up  an  excellent  busi- 
ness, but  on  account  of  ill  health  was  obliged  to 
sell.  In  190.5  he  bought  his  present  farm,  the 
south  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
1.  and  has  since  made  his  home  there,  engaged 
in  farming.  Besides  his  farm  Mr.  Loken  owns 
valuable  property  in  Windom. 

Mr.  Loken  was  married  in  Delafield  township 
November  2,  1883,  to  Susan  Holland,  daugh- 
ter of  Ole  Hofland,  deceased,  an  early  settler 
and  homesteader  of  Delafield.  Mrs.  Loken 
was  born  in  Xorway  September  G,  1863,  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1873  and  to  Jackson 
countv  the  same  year.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loken 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  all  living.  They 
are  as  follows:  Adenia,  born  December  4, 1886; 
Oscar,  liorn  .July  2.5,  1888;  Chris,  born  Febru- 
ary 23.  1890;  Carrie,  born  October  2,5,  1891; 
Annie,  l)orn  November  13,  1893;  Sophia,  born 
November  2,  189.5;  Walter,  born  July  13,  1898; 
Theresea,  horn  August  17,  1900;  Nomie,  born 
July  23,  1903;  William,  born  September  16, 
1908. 


AUGUST  FREKING  (1901)  is  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  La- 
Crosse  township.  He  is  a  native  of  Olden - 
berg,    Germany,   and   was   born   November   23, 


1870.  His  parents,  H.  A.  Freking  and  Cliris- 
tina  Elizabeth  (Schulte)  Freking,  are  both 
dead. 

August  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  fatherland.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  years,  in  1890,  he  came  alone 
to  America  and  located  at  New  Vienna,  Iowa, 
wliere  he  resided  until  1901,  During  the  first 
six  years  of  his  residence  there  Mr,  Freking 
worked  out  as  a  farm  hand  and  hauling 
cream.  He  then  rented  a  farm  and  engaged 
in  business  for  himself.  In  the  spring  of  1901 
he  sold  [lart  of  his  interests  in  Iowa  and 
hicated  \iiion  liis  present  farm  in  Jackson 
county,  which  he  had  bought  the  year  before. 
He  owns  a  well  improved  farm  of  240  acres  on 
section  28  and  is  one  of  the  most  extensive 
stock   raisers   of  LaCrosse   township. 

Besides  his  farming  and  stock  raising  inter- 
ests, Mr.  Freking  is  interested  in  many  other 
lines  of  business.  He  is  a  stockholder  and 
director  of  the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Heron 
Lake,  of  the  Sontag  Lumber  company,  of  the 
I'armers  Elevator  company  and  is  president  of 
the  Heron  Lake  Cooperative  Creamery  com- 
])any.  lie  is  clerk  of  school  district  No.  33 
and  has  .served  for  a  number  of  years.  For 
two  years  he  served  as  township  treasurer.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  of  Heron 
Lake  and  is  treasurer  of  the  church  organiza- 
tion. He  also  holds  membership  in  the  C.  0.  F. 
lodge. 

Jlr.  Freking  was  married  at  New  Vienna, 
Iowa,  February  11,  1896,  to  M.  Josephine 
Oberliroeckling,  who  was  born  in  New  Vienna 
May  24,  1876.  To  these  parents  have  been  born 
the  following  named  children:  ilary  Monica, 
born  December  3,  1896;  William  Arnold,  born 
February  24,  1898;  Clementina  Elizabeth, 
born  July  14,  1899;  Joseph  Lawrence,  born 
October  21,  1900;  Annie  Mary,  born  February 
27,  1902;  Aloysius  Carl,  born  August  2.5,  1903; 
Lawrence  Mike,  born  .January  4,  190;5;  Rosie 
.Tosephinc,  born  August  31,  1906;  Leo  Clemens, 
liorn   January  25,   1909, 


JOHN  COWING  KNOX  (1880),  deceased, 
was  a  native  of  Jackson  and  the  son  of  Thomas 
J.  and  Jane  (Cowing)  Knox.  He  was 
born  January  7,  1880,  and  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  the  Jackson  schools.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  was  graduated 
from  the  Jackson  high  school  and  although  the 


432 


BIOGKAPinCAL  HISTOID V. 


yoiiiif;esi  iiieiiilKT  ol  liis  c-hiss,  lie  was  tlic  valc- 
dictoripn. 

After  gradiiiitinj?  from  the  local  school  John 
Knox  became  a  stiiilciit  in  the  Minnesota  state 
university  and  was  graduated  from  the  aca- 
demic department  as  the  youngest  member  of 
a  class  of  15",  ranking  sixth  in  his  class.  He 
then  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  state  law 
school  and  in  his  father's  office  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  by  the  supreme  court  in 
May.  1903.  He  then  became  a  member  of  the 
law  lirm  of  Knox.  l'"aber  &  Knox,  of  Jackson, 
and  began  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  very  unusual  promise 
and  during  the  short  time  he  was  engaged  in 
this  practice  gave  marked  distinction  in  his 
chosen  profession.  In  addition  to  his  pro- 
fessional work  he  was  much  interested  in  or- 
nithology and  oology,  and  it  was  while  on  a 
trip  to  the  wilds  of  western  Manitoba,  in 
search  of  .sbme  rare  specimens,  that  he  met 
his  death  by  accidental  drowning  in  Shod  lake, 
in  that  province,  June  10,  1904. 


BEXONA  P.  ST.  JOHN  (1802),  of  Heron 
Lake,  is  lavsident  of  the  .St.  John  Orain  com- 
pany, one  of  the  largest  business  enterprises 
of  that  town  and  of  Jackson  county.  He  was 
born  in  Lyle,  Mower  county.  Minnesota,  De- 
cember 7,  1866.  the  son  of  Matthew  and  Rox- 
iiline   (Pierce)    St.  John. 

Both  the  St.  John  and  Pierce  families  arc 
old  .Vnierican  stock.  (Sec  St.  John  and  Pierce 
American  (Jeneologies.)  The  former  is  of  French 
origin.  In  1632  JIathias  St.  John  (Sention) 
came  to  the  American  colonies  from  England 
(the  family  having  previously  immigrnted  to 
that  eoimtry).  and  located  in  Norwalk,  Connec- 
ticut. From  this  ancestor  sprang  the  St. 
John  family  of  America.  The  Pierce  family  is 
of  English  extraction,  but  dates  its  advent  to 
America  early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
Both  parents  of  our  subject  were  born  in  New 
York  state,  but  were  early  Jlinnesota  settlers, 
locating  in  Mower  county  in  IS.iii.  There  they 
resided  until  1900.  The  father  died  at  Lakefield, 
Minnesota,  in  Jifarch,  1007,  at  the  ape  of  S7 
years:  the  mother  died  in  March,  1903,  aged 
79  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren. 

On  his  father's  farm  in  Mower  county  B. 
P.  St.  John  lived  until  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority. Then  he  went  to  Cherokee  county, 
Iowa,  and   for   the   next   four  years  was   em- 


ployed in  a  grain  elevator.  He  located  in 
Heron  Lake  in  1892,  and  engaged  in  the  grain 
business,  which,  largely  by  his  efforts,  has  dc- 
velr)ped  into  the  strong  business  concern  it  is 
today.  Our  subject  conducted  the  business 
alone  one  year.  Then  he  was  joined  by  his 
brother,  W.  P.  St.  John,  in  a  partnership,  and 
lor  the  next  nine  years  the  business  was  con- 
ducted under  the  firm  name  of  St.  John  Broth- 
ers. The  business  grew,  and  in  1!K)2  the  firm 
of  St.  John  (irain  company  was  incorporated 
with  the  following  officers:  B.  P.  St.  John, 
president;  A.  M.  St.  John,  vice  president:  W. 
P.  St.  .John,  secretary  and  treasurer.  W.  P. 
.St.  John,  who  had  been  a  merchant  in  Heron 
T-ake  in  the  early  da3-s  and  wlio  had  returned 
to  that  town  in  1893  to  engage  in  the  grain 
business  with  liis  brother,  died  October  2.'>, 
i;iO.">.  Since  that  time  the  officers  have  been 
1!.  1".  .'*t.  .John,  president  and  treasurer:  A. 
-M.  SL.loliu.  vice  president:  ^1.  W.  Smith,  sec- 
ii'tary.  The  board  of  directors  are  as  fol- 
lows: B.  P.  St.  John,  A.  M.  St.  John,  JI.  \V. 
Smith,  Sherman  E.  St.  John,  D.  H.  McKellar,  J. 
B.  Ximcrfro  and  S.  S.  Striker.  The  St.  John 
•  Irain  company  owns  twenty  grain  elevators 
in  Jlinnesota  and  Iowa,  three  of  which  are  in 
.lackson  county.  The  home  office  is  in  Heron 
1-ake.  They  own  membership  in  the  regular 
grain  exelianges  at  Minneapolis,  Milw:jukee 
and  Chicago. 

Besides  his  interest  in  the  .St.  John  (irain 
company.  Mr.  St.  John  is  associated  with  the 
Karaniin  Lumber  company,  of  Republic,  Wash- 
ington, and  is  its  treasurer.  He  owns  farm 
lands  in  Jackson  connfy  and  village  properly. 
He  has  served  as  president  and  member  of 
the  Heron  Lake  village  council  and  for  several 
years  has  been  treasurer  of  the  Heron  Lake 
board  of  education.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic    ami    Woodmen    lodges. 

^Ir.  St.  Jolin  was  married  at  Mi'rideii.  Iowa. 
October  1.  1891.  to  Miss  Emma  C.  Hovey,  a 
native  of  Grundy  county.  Iowa.  To  them 
liave  been  born  four  children,  as  follows:  Kath- 
leen, born  .August  7,  1892;  Clair  H.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1898:  Idella,  horn  September  23.  1900; 
Matthew,  born  January  11.  1907.  died  October 
25.  1908. 


CHARLES  MAYER  (1894)  is  one  of  the 
prosperous  and  successful  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers  of  Rost  township.  He  owns  400  acres 
of  land  on  sections  28  and  30,  Rost,  and   120 


B.  P.   ST.  JOHN 

President  of  the  St.  John  Grain  Company  and  a  Capitalist  of 
Heron  Lake. 


TH^  ME'''«^  YORK 

IpUBLlC  UBRARY 


BIOGBAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


433 


acres  on  section  2.5,  Ewington,  as  well  as  real 
estate  in  tiie  village  of  Lakefield.  He  and  his 
sons  farm  all  his  holdings.  The  farm  is  well 
improved  and  has  a  nice  grove.  On  the  place 
is  an  orchard,  of  five  hundred  apple  trees,  five 
liundred  walnut  and  butternut  trees,  plum 
trees,  grape  arbor,  etc. 

•  Mr.  Mayer  is  a  native  German,  having  been 
born  in  Khine,  Prussia,  March  T,  1855,  the 
son  of  Valentine  and  Catherine  (Edinger)  May- 
er. Both  his  parents  are  dead,  his  father  hav- 
ing died  in  Logan  county,  Illinois,  in  1891, 
agetl.  70  years,  and  liis  mother  having  died  in 
the  same  county  on  Christmas  day,  1905, 
aged  81   years. 

Our  subject  was  lirought  up  on  a  farm  in 
his  native  land  and  there  received  his  early 
training  and  education.  He  accompanied  his 
parents  to  America  in  August,  1871,  and  located 
at  San  Jose,  Mason  county,  Hlinois.  From  the 
date  of  his  arrival  to  the  new  world,  to  the 
year  1894  Mr.  Mayer  lived  in  Mason,  Taze- 
well and  Logan  counties,  Illinois.  During  this 
time  he  spent  two  years  securing  an  English 
education,  several  years  working  for  his  fa- 
ther on  the  farm,  and  after  growing  to  man- 
hood engaged  in  farming  for  himself.  In  1890 
Mr.  JIayer  bought  the  half  section  of  land 
whiili  now  comprises  the  home  farm,  and  in 
1894  lie  moved  onto  the  place  with  his  family. 
He  made  all  the  improvements  the  farm  now 
boasts  and  he  and  his  family  have  lived 
there  ever  since. 

In  addition  to  his  farming  and  stock  raising 
Mr.  Mayer  is  interested  in  several  other  busi- 
ness enterprises,  owning  stock  in  tl;e  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Lakefield.  the  Host  Telephone 
company,  the  .Jackson  County  Cooperative 
company  of  Lakefield.  the  Independent  Har- 
vester company  of  Piano.  Illinois,  the  Lake- 
field  Farmers  Cooperative  Elevator  company 
and  the  Post  Cooperative  Dairj'  associa- 
tion. He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
German   Lutheran   church   of  Post   township. 

Mr.  ilayer  was  married  February  13,  1882, 
at  Emden,  Logan  county,  Illinois,  to  Sophia 
Grossweiler,  who  was  born  in  Switzerland  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1875.  To  these 
parents  have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Frederick  Carl,  born  November  20,  1882;  Ja- 
cob, born  October  8,  1885;  Riidolph,  born  Jan- 
nary  18,  1889;  Lydia  Sophia,  born  May  20. 
1891,  died  Novmbcr  9,  1891;  Lilly  Louise,  bnrn 
July    11,   1896. 


FREDERICK  H.  BERREAU  (1884),  furni- 
ture dealer,  cabinet  maker  and  undertaker  of 
Heron  Lake,  is  a  pioneer  of  Minnesota.  He  is 
n  native  of  Missouri  and  was  born  February 
2S.  IS.w.  His  parents,  Herman  and  Lena 
(Mackie)  Bcrreau,  were  born  in  Germany  and 
came  to  America  soon  after  their  marriage. 
They  lived  in  Missouri  three  years  and  in 
1858  moved  to  Carver  county,  Minnesota, 
which  was  their  home  until  1871.  Then  they 
located  in  Xobles  county,  being  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  that  county,  and  homesteaded  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  2,  Hersej-  town- 
ship. The  father  died  there  in  1889  at  the 
age  of  55  years.  The  mother  died  at  the  age 
of  57  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  four 
living  children:  Frederick,  Antonio  (Mrs,  B. 
Poppitz),  Otto  and  Emma  (Mrs.  H.  J,  Nelson), 
all  of  whom  live  in  Jackson  aounty  except 
Otto,  who  lives  on  the  homestead  in  Nobles 
county. 

At  the  age  of  two  years  our  subject  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  Carver  county,  Min- 
nesota, and  there  he  resided  upon  his  father's 
farm,  attending  the  district  school,  until  1871. 
That  year  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  No- 
bles county  and  there  resided  on  the  farm  im- 
til  1875,  when  he  was  twenty  years  of  age. 
The  family  suft'ered  severely  during  the  ter- 
rible grasshopper  scourge  of  the  seventies  and 
to  alleviate  their  suflerings  and  help  them 
through  the  ordeal,  Frederick  went  to  Chaska, 
Minnesota,  and  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade 
four  years.  He  was  married  there  in  1882 
and  then  located  in  Brewster,  where  he  work- 
ed at  his  trade  two  years.  During  a  part 
of  the  season  of  1884,  Mr.  Berreau  was  at 
Chaska,  straightening  up  his  affairs  prepara- 
tory to  engaging  in  business  in  Heron  Lake, 
He  purchased  a  stock  of  furniture  in  Minnea- 
polis and  brought  it  to  Heron  Lake,  arriving 
October  15,  1884,  rented  a  building  from  T. 
A.  Dieson,  and  started  a  furniture  store,  en- 
gaging also  in  cabinet  and  carpenter  work. 
The  next  year  he  erected  a  business  block  of 
his  own  and  added  undertaker's  supplies  to 
the  stock,  Mr.  Berreau  took  out  an  embalm- 
er's  license  in  1908, 

On  the  fifth  day  of  September,  1882,  Mr, 
Berreau  was  married  at  Chaska  to  Mary  Smith, 
who  was  born  in  Holland  and  who  came  to 
the  United  States  with  her  parents  in  1869, 
Her  parents  both  died  in  Carver  county,  to 
which  place  they  moved  upon  their  arrival  to 
America.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Berreau  are  the  par- 


434 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ents   of   six   rhildrcii:    Tillif    (Mis.   Jolin    Mc-  primary    education    in  tlie  district  schools   and 

t'arrcll,    of    Anaconda.    .Montana:    Merman,   of  later    attcndcj    the    IJrcck    colh-gc    at    Wilder 

Heron    Ijike:    Anne    (Mrs.    (ins    Teil),    of    St.  live    terms.      He    completed    his    education    in 

James;   Kred,  Otto  and  Albert,  of  Heron  Lake.  tlie   .Mankato  Normal  school.     He  lic^ian  teach- 

Tlie  family  arc  memliers  of  the  Catlmlic  clninh  inf.'  school   in   1895  and  was  so  engaged  eight 

of  Heron  Lake  and  he  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  terms.      He    is    a     niemlii'r    of    the    T.utheran 

lodge.     He  owns  his  home  in  Heron  Lake.  church. 


KDWARD  ]•■.  ALLKHS  (1885)  is  one  of  the 
successful     young     farmers    of     Sioux    Valley 
township,  where  he  and  his  father  and  an  un 
de  own  and  farm  in  partnership  three  (juartcrs 
of  a  section  of  fine  land. 

Ed  Allers  is  a  son  of  Kred  and  Catherina 
(Stoltenberg)  Allers,  of  Sioux  Valley.  He 
was  born  in  Benton  county,  Iowa,  December 
6,  1874,  and  in  1881  moved  to  near  WalcotI, 
Scott  county,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  until 
coming  to  Jackson  county  with  his  parents 
in  188.5.  He  secured  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  Walcott.  in  the  district  schools  of  Sioux 
Valley  townsliip  and  in  the  German  Lutheran 
school  of  ."Spirit  Ijike. 

In  the  spring  of  1885  the  family  moved  to 
Jackson  county  and  were  among  the  first  of 
the  German  families  to  take  up  a  residence  in 
Sioux  Valley  township.  After  Ed  grew  up 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  father 
and  uncle  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the 
management  of  the  three  farms  wliicli  they 
own.  He  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  home 
place  until  100.1;  then  he  married  and  located 
upon  tlic  northeast  quarter  of  section  26.  The 
Allers  engage  in  general  faiming  and  stock 
raising  and  farm  a  half  section  of  land,  rent- 
ing out  the  other  quarter.  Ed  has  stock  in  the 
Sioux  Valley  creamery,  the  farmer's  elevator  of 
Lake  Park  and  the  Midland  Telephone  com- 
pany. He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Luther- 
an church  and  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge. 

Edward  .Allers  was  married  at  Spirit  Lake, 
Iowa,  July  !l.  1901.  to  Dina  E.  Wellliausen.  a 
daughter  nf  Ernst  Wellliausen.  of  ,Sioux  Val- 
ley. Mrs.  Allers  was  born  in  Hildesheim.  Han- 
over. Germany,  Xovemlier  15.  187(5,  came  to 
the  United  States  and  to  Eldridge,  Iowa,  in 
18.82,  an<I    to  Jackson   coiinlv    in    1.887. 


.lOHX  BOn.SGARl)  (1875),  of  Christiania 
township,  was  born  in  that  precinct  .Tune  P, 
1875,  the  son  of  Severt  Borsgard  and  Kicrsten 
(Krogstad)  Borsgard.  and  has  ever  since  made 
his  home  in  Jackson   countv.     He   secured  his 


EDWARD  F.  VACURA  (18861.  Des  Moines 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  Linn  county, 
liiwa.  .lune  10,  188,3,  and  is  the  son  of  the 
late  John  Vacura  and  Barbara   (Lev)   Vacura. 

Edward  was  three  years  of  age  when  ^he 
family  came  to  Jackson  county.  They  lo- 
cated tipon  the  south  half  of  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  8.  Des  Moines,  and  upon 
that  farm  our  subject  has  spent  his  life.  He 
was  educated  in  the  district  school  and  until 
the  death  of  his  father,  which  occurred  Jan- 
uary 5,  1900,  he  worked  for  his  parents.  He 
has  now  rented  the  home  place  and  is  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  accoimt. 

Mr.  Vacura  was  married  October  26.1009.  to 
Mary  Micklos,  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  Micklos.  of  Jackson  county,  Minne- 
sota. He  has  served  as  assessor  of  his  town- 
ship for  the  last  two  years  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  district  Xo.  8.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


PETER  NELSON  (1884).  superintendent  of 
the  electric  light  and  water  works  plant  of 
Lakelielil.  was  born  in  Sweden  February  10. 
lS(i().  theson  ofXels  Hansen  and  Mary  (Nelson) 
Hansen.  The  father  died  when  Peter  was  (wo 
years  old  and  his  mother  when  he  was  four- 
teen years  of  age.  He  attended  school  a  few 
terms  before  he  was  twelve  years  of  age.  but 
his  advantages  for  obtaining  an  education 
were  meager,  and  at  an  early  age  he  began  to 
work  and  earn  his  own  living. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  employed  on  a  farm  in  Swe- 
den imtil  1.881,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States.  The  first  three  months  of  his  resi- 
dence in  the  new  world  he  worked  on  a  farm 
in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  and  then  for  six 
years  was  employed  on  the  celebrated  M.  W. 
Dunham  horse  farm.  Coming  to  .Tackson 
county.  Mr.  Nelson  Iwught  a  farm  in  Hunter 
township,  upon  which  he  lived  until  189.5.  Ow- 
ing to  bad  crops,  a  fire  that  destroyed  his 
house  and  barn,  and  two  hail  storms,  he  was 
forced   to  sell,  but  rented   the   place  one  year 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


435 


after  the  title  had  been  transferred.  The  first 
seven  years  after  moving  to  Lakefield  he  was 
engaged  in  different  kinds  of  work,  and  then 
took  a  position  in  the  electric  light  and 
water  works  plant,  becoming  superintendent 
of  the  plant  on  February  1,  1907.  Some  years 
after  moving  to  the  village  where  he  now 
lives  Mr.  Nelson's  house  was  completely  de- 
stroyed in  a  cyclone  and  his  wife  and  two 
children  were  quite  badly  hurt. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
February  28,  1888,  to  Susie  Goplen,  a  native 
of  Iowa  and  a  daughter  of  Nels  Goplen,  one 
of  the  early  settlers.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nel- 
son have  been  born  four  children,  as  follows: 
Arlie  H.,  Alma  M.,  Mabel  S.  and  Earl  R. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church. 


WILLIAM  G.  SCHNEIDER  (1884)  owns  a 
quarter  section  farm  in  Middletown  town.ship, 
a  few  miles  southwest  of  Jackson,  upon  which 
he  has  lived  over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  He 
was  born  in  Moline,  Rock  Island  county,  Illi- 
nois, December  29,  1853,  son  of  David  and 
Lena  (Kuhl)  Schneider.  His  parents  were 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  the  United 
States  just  prior  to  their  marriage.  They  liv- 
ed a  short  time  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  and  then 
took  up  their  residence  in  Moline,  Illinoi«!, 
where  they  both  died.  William  is  the  oldest 
of  a  family  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six  are 
living. 

The  subject  of  this  liogi-aphy  received  his 
education  and  early  training  in  the  city  of 
Moline.  Until  he  was  past  twenty-six  years 
of  age  he  made  his  home  with  his  parents: 
then  he  married  and  began  housekeeping  for 
himself.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  resi- 
dence in  Moline  he  was  an  employe  of  the 
Moline  Plow  company.  In  1884  he  came  to 
Jackson  county  and  bought  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  3,  Middletown  township, 
and  he  has  ever  since  lived  there,  engaged  in 
farming.  The  land  at  tlie  time  of  purchase 
was  raw  prairie  and  the  purchase  price  was 
seven  dollars  per  acre.  All  the  improvements 
on  the  place  were  made  by  him.  Mr.  Schneid- 
er has  Ijeen  a  director  or  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  92  for  a  luiniljcr  of  years.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Schneider  occurred  in 
Davenport,  Iowa,  rebru.ary  26,  1880,  when  he 
wedded  Theresa  LaFranze.     She  was  born  ii§ar 


the  city  of  Sacramento,  California,  March  15, 
1860,  and  her  father  was  John  LaFranze.  Five 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schneider,  as  follows:  Lulu  (Mrs.  William 
Rosenbrook),  Ella,  Helen,  Wilma  and  William 
L. 


CARL  BKODIN  (1888)  is  a  successful  farm- 
er of  Delafield  township,  owning  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  27  and  the  east  half  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  28.  He  was  born 
in  Sweden  .June  27.  1866,  tlie  son  of  .Joliannes 
Anderson  and  .lolianna  (Andreasson)  Ander- 
son, who  were  born  in  1833  and  1831,  respec- 
tively, and  who  arc  still  living  in  their  na- 
tive land. 

Carl  lived  in  the  old  country  until  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  working  on  the  home  farm. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  and  to  Jackson 
county  in  1888,  arriving  in  this  county  on 
April  30.  Upon  his  arrival  he  took  the  name 
Rrodin,  after  his  old  Swedish  home,  his  name 
in  Sweden  having  been  Carl  Johnson.  This 
change  was' made  because  of  anticipated  troub- 
les in  mail  matters  incident  to  the  name  of 
.Johnson.  During  tlie  first  five  years  of  his 
i-esidencc  in  .Jackson  county  Mr.  Brodin  work- 
ed out  as  a  farm  hand,  three  years  on  the 
farm  of  Hans  Skinrud  in  Delafield  township 
and  two  years  on  the  farm  of  Christ  Knudson 
in  Weimer  township.  He  then  bought  eighty 
acres  of  his  present  farm,  then  without  a 
building,  tree  or  fence  on  it,  and  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  account.  In  1902  he  bought  an 
additional  eighty  acres  and  in  1904  increased 
his  farm  to  240  acres  by  the  purchase  of  eighty 
acres  on  section  28.  He  has  a  finely  improved 
farm — t)ie  result  of  his  labors. 

Mr.  Rrodin  was  married  in  Delafield  town- 
sliip  April  2,  1892,  to  Ida  Linstrom,  who  was 
born  in  Delafield  township.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  August  Linstrom.  of  Wilder.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brodin  have  been  born  the  follow- 
ing named  children:  Ernest  Arthur  and  Hen- 
ry Robert  (twins),  born  October  21,  1894;  Gus- 
tav  Victor,  born  March  22,  1897;  George  El- 
mer, born  .luly  11.  1899.  Mr.  Brodin  is  treas- 
urer   of    school   district   No.    121. 


OLOF  0.  SWKNSON  (1884),  deceased,  was 
one  of  the  prominent  citizens  and  successful 
farmers  of  Petersburg  township.  His  home 
was   the   northeast   quarter   of   section   2,   and 


436 


■RTO(;i;\l'|!irAT.  insTOitv. 


upon  that  |)lai-o  liis  widow  still  resides.  Mr. 
Swensoii  was  born  in  Malino,  Sweden,  August 
27,  1856.  lie  worked  'Jiirinfi  liis  early  years 
on  n  farm  and  in  a  lirick  factory,  and  in  IfiSO 
emigrated  to  tlie  L'nitod  State.*.  During  tlic 
first  two  years  of  liis  residence  in  llie  new 
world  Mr.  Swenson  worked  in  a  brick  yard 
near  Rockford,  Illinois,  and  for  two  years 
more  worked  in  a  macliine  sliop  in  that  city. 

In  18S3  -Mr.  Swenson  had  purchased  his  quar- 
ter section  farm  in  Petersburg  township,  .Jack- 
son county,  and  on  March  4,  1884,  came  to  the 
county  to  make  his  future  liorac.  There  he 
lived,  engaged  in  farming  and  contracting  un- 
til liis  deatli,  which  occurred  August  22,  1895, 
as  a  result  of  blood  pois^oning.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  school  district  No.  78  and  for 
ten  years  held  the  office  of  treasurer  of  the 
district.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Swenson  was  married  in  Rockford,  Illi- 
nois, October  17,  1881,  to  Ingar  Nelson,  Jlrs. 
Swenson  was  born  in  Malmo,  Sweden,  Decem- 
ber 3,  1850,  the  daughter  of  Sven  and  Ellen 
Nelson.  She  came  to  the  United  States  and 
settled  at  Rockford,  Illinois,  on  May  15,  1881. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swenson  were  horn  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  Anna  C,  born  Aug- 
ust 17,  I8S2.  (lied  October  2,  1882;  Carl  .1., 
born  August  30,  1883;  Aaron  H.,  born  August 
27,  1885;  Olof  R.,  born  October  7,  1887;  Ida 
M.,  born  December  5,  1889;  Enock  E.,  born 
December  5,  1891. 


J.  15.  ARP  (1885),  superintendent  of  schools 
of  Jackson  comity,  since  securing  his  educa- 
tion has  devoted  his  life  to  educational  work, 
lie  is  a  German  by  birth  and  was  born  at 
Wendtorf,  near  the  city  of  Kiel,  November  13, 
1800,  the  son  of  Claus  and  Margarethe  {We]- 
Icndorf)  Arp. 

When  the  subject  of  this  review  was  fotir- 
tecn  years  of  age  the  family  emigrated  to 
America  and  located  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois, 
and  one  year  later,  on  March  10,  1885,  arrived 
in  .Jackson  county.  .1.  B.  Arp  received  his 
elementary  education  in  Ocrmuny  and  after 
arriving  in  .lackson  county  attended  the  dis- 
trict schools,  making  bis  home  witli  his  par- 
ents in  Petersburg  township.  In  1892  Jlr.  Arp 
became  a  student  at  the  Brcck  school  at  Wild- 
er and  was  graduated  from  that  institution  in 
1805.     During  his  last  year  in   that  school  he 


was  an  assistant  teacher  in  the  business  de- 
partment. 

.After  his  graduation  from  the  Breck  school 
-Mr.  Arp  took  a  position  as  principal  of  the 
public  school  at  Morton,  Renville  county,  Min- 
nesota, which  he  conducted  two  years.  In 
1898  he  became  the  principal  of  the  schools  at 
Morgan,  Redwood  county,  and  in  1001  was 
chosen  superintendent  of  the  high  school  at 
Ureckcnridge.  Professor  Arp  was  called  to 
•Jackson  in  1903  to  accept  the  position  of  su- 
perintendent of  the  Jackson  high  school  and 
was  at  the  head  of  that  school  three  years. 
He  was  elected  county  superintendent  of 
schools  of  Jackson  county  in  the  fall  of  1900 
and  was  reelected  in  1908.  Professor  Arp 
owns  his  home  in  the  city.  He  is  a  member 
of   the   Prcsl>yterian   church. 

On  August  20,  1805,  at  Estherville,  Iowa, 
Professor  Arp  was  married  to  Miss  Edna  Mid- 
daugh,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  Bessie  M.,  born 
June  20,  1890;  Harry  E.,  born  l"cbrHary  24, 
1898,  Mildred  M.,  born  June  12.  1900;  Gladys 
L..  born  September  10,  1904. 


HERMAN  11.  PETERS  (1889),  farmer  and 
land  owner  of  Siou.v  Valley  township,  was 
born  in  Germany  November  11,  1873,  the  son 
of  Nicholas  and  AVeipkc  Peters,  now  residents 
of  Lake  Park,  Iowa,  they  having  retired  from 
the  farm  in  the  spring  of  1900.  Nicholas 
Poters  is  one  of  the  county's  large  land  own- 
ers, having  1,000  acres  in  Siovix  Valley  and 
Rost  townships.  Herman  is  the  second  child 
of  a  family  of  eight. 

Our  subject  accompanied  his  parents  from 
Germany  to  the  new  world  when  he  was  eight 
years  of  age.  The  family  lived  in  Davenport, 
Iowa,  one  year  and  then  located  in  Rock  Is- 
l:ind.  Illinois.  Herman  attended  school  in  the 
latter  city  and  at  the  age  of  ten  years  began 
working  as  a  water  boy,  carrying  water  to  the 
lumbermen.  After  being  so  employed  two 
years  he  took  a  position  hauling  lumber  and 
was  so  engaged  three  years.  He  came  to  Jack- 
son county  with  the  family  in  1889  and  until 
he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age  worked  for 
his  father  on  the  farm  in  Sioux  Valley  town- 
ship. Then  he  married  and  moved  to  his  own 
farm,  the  northwest  qtiartcr  of  section  8, 
whore  he  has  since  lived.  He  has  made  all 
the  improvements  on  the  place  and  has  an 
elegant  home  and  an  up-to-date  farm.    He  has 


BIOGRAPIIIOAL  HISTORY. 


437 


past  fourteen  years  and  has  a  threshing  ina- 
eliine   of   his   own. 

Jlr.  Peters  was  united  in  marriage  to  Louisa 
Schwager  in  Sioux  Valley  township  February 
28,  1900.  She  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Iowa, 
November  15,  1875,  and  is  the  daugliter  of 
Jurgon  Schwager,  one  of  the  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  the  township.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peters,  as  follows:  Elva, 
born  October  12,  1902;  Sadie,  born  AjH-il  3, 
1905;  Mabel,  born  March  20,  1907.  Another 
child  named  Sophia  died  in  infancy. 

.The  family  are  German  Lutherans  and  Mr. 
■  Peters  belongs  to  the  Hermannson  lodge.  He 
has  served  as  clerk  of  school  district  No.  46 
and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  creamery  company 
of  Sioux  Valley. 


ALBERT  W.  WARD  (1886)  owns  and  farms 
a  half  section  of  land  in  West  Heron  Lake 
township,  midway  between  Lakefield  and  Oka- 
bena.  He  is  a  native  of  Cattaraugus  county. 
New  York,  and  was  born  June  7,  1858.  His 
parents  were  Luther  and  Mary  J.  (Ward) 
Ward,  also  natives  of  the  Empire  state,  who 
resided  there  until  they  moved  to  Martin  coun- 
ty, Minnesota,  in  1871.  Mr.  Ward,  senior, 
was  a  stone  mason  by  trade,  and  worked  at 
his  trade  in  Fairmont  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  September  18,  1893,  at  the  age  of  67 
years.  His  wife  died  December  23,  1898,  aged 
69  years. 

Albert  attended  the  school  of  his  native 
county  and  resided  on  his  parents'  farm  until 
he  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  then  ac- 
companied the  family  to  Martin  county,  lived 
with  them  on  the  farm  two  years,  and  then 
in  Fairmont.  After  a  residence  of  several 
years  in  the  county  seat  town,  Albert  went 
to  Sherburn  and  began  working  for  the  Mil- 
waukee railroad  company,  holding  the  posi- 
tion of  section  foreman  until  1886.  That  year 
he  moved  to  Lakefield  and  for  the  next  five 
years  was  foreman  of  the  section  at  that 
point.  In  1891  he  bought  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  22,  West  Heron  Lake  township, 
and  began  farming,  and  he  has  followed  that 
occupation  ever  since.  When  he  bought  the 
farm  only  a  limited  area  had  been  put  under 
cultivation  and  the  only  building  on  it  was 
a  little  claim  shanty.  Later  Mr.  Ward  bought 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  27,  adjoining, 
and  now  farms  a  half  section. 


j\lr.  Ward  was  married  at  Fairmont  July 
4,  1883,  to  Loist  M.  Wood,  who  was  born  in 
Stark  county,  Illinois,  October  20,  1864.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ward  have  been  born  four  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Montie  L.,  born  May  10, 
1S84;  Elmer  L.,  born  November  9,  1889; 
George  B.,  born  Januai-y  1,  1893;  Charles  H., 
born_  January   8,  1902. 

Jlr.  Ward  has  held  various  offices  of  trust 
within  the  gift  of  the  people  of  his  precinct. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors 
four  years,  township  treasurer  one  year,  and 
clerk  of  school  district  No.  90  for  ten  years. 


PETER  HANSEN  (1886)  is  the  proprietor  of 
one  of  Jackson's  department  stores.  In  addi- 
tion to  managing  that  business  he  engages  in 
the  real  estate  business  and  looks  after  his 
farms,  being  the  owner  of  four  hundred  acres 
of  land  on  sections  4,  5  and  7,  Enterprise 
township.  Mr.  Hansen  was  born  in  Denmark 
November  29,  1861,  the  son  of  Hans  Peterson 
and  Marion    (Larson)    Peterson. 

Botli  his  parents  died  in  Denmark  and  from 
the  time  Peter  Hansen  was  eleven  years  of 
age  he  made  his  own  way  in  the  world.  He 
spent  his  boyhood  days  in  his  native  land,  at- 
tending school  and  working  for  w'ages.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  years,  in  the  spring  of 
1880,  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Mc- 
Ilenry  county,  Illinois.  Three  years  later  he 
moved  to  Chicago,  and  in  that  city  he  resided 
until  his  arrival  in  Jackson  county,  in  the 
spring  of  1886.  The  year  before  his  arrival 
Mr.  Hansen  had  purchased  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  12,  Wisconsin  township,  and 
when  he  arrived  he  located  upon  that  prop- 
erty. He  engaged  in  farming  there  five  years 
and  then  moved  to  Jackson. 

Mr.  Hansen  at  once  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  in  a  small  way  in  a  little  build- 
ing where  the  Olsen  saloon  is  now  located. 
His  business  increased  and  in  1896  he  erected 
his  present  handsome  store  building,  in  which 
lie  conducts  his  large  and  increasing  business. 
For  nine  yoars  Mr.  Hansen  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Jackson  board  of  education.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  K.  P.  and  M.  W.  A.  lodges. 

On  May  10,  1885,  in  Cook  county,  Illinois, 
Mr.  Hansen  was  united  in  marriage  to  Laurine 
Larson,  also  a  native  of  Denmark.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hansen  have  been  born  seven  chil- 
dren. The  eldest  daughter,  Mamie,  died  in 
February,  1907.     Those  living  are  Henry  O.,  of 


438 


BiOGKArUICAL  lUSTOUY. 


Albert  Lea;  Raynioiid  P.,  a  student  at  a 
Alankato  school ;  Lawrence  C,  a  school  teacher 
of  Dcs  Jloincs  township;  Mabel  L.,  a  student 
in  the  Jackson  higli  school;  Dallas  and  Ar- 
thur, twins. 


JOILN  0.  GRADY  (1889)  owns  and  farms 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  18,  Ewington 
township,  upon  which  farm  he  has  lived  over 
twenty  years.  Mr.  Grady  is  a  native  of  Kree- 
port,  Illinois,  and  was.  born  July  4,  1850.  At 
the  age  of  eight  years  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Grundy  county,  Iowa,  and  wlion 
twelve  years  of  age  started  in  life  for  him- 
self. 

Until  Ills  marriage  in  1884  Mr.  Grady  work- 
ed on  farms  and  at  other  occupations  in  dif- 
ferent counties  of  Iowa.  Then  he  engaged  in 
farming  in  Ulackhawk  county,  where  he  resid- 
ed five  years,  lie  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1889  and  rented  the  farm  he  now  owns.  Five 
years  later  he  bought  the  plai-e  and  has  ever 
since  made  his  home  there. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Michael 
and  Kosa  Grady,  who  were  born  in  Ireland 
and  who  came  to  America  soon  after  their 
marriage.  They  lived  in  Chicago  a  short  time 
and  then  moved  to  Freeport,  Illinois,  where 
our  stibjeet  was  born  and  where  Mrs.  Grady 
died.  Mr.  Grady  moved  to  Iowa  and  later  to 
(.'liicago,  where  he  died.  John  is  the  youngest 
of  live  children  who  are  living.  The  other 
members  of  the  family  are  Rose  (Mrs.  Thomas 
Cannon),  who  now  lives  in  Chicago  and  whose 
husband,  a  merchant  police,  was  killed  in  the 
Ilaymarket  riots;  Peter,  of  Chicago;  Winni- 
fred  (Mrs.  W.  Trost),  of  Chicago;  Katie  (Mrs. 
John  IJradsbaw),  of  Chicago. 

John  Grady  was  married  at  Independence, 
Iowa,  February  25,  1884,  to  Julia  Kllen  Stev- 
ens, who  was  born  at  Meriden,  Connecticut, 
.March  8,  1854.  She  is  of  English  descent,  her 
grandparents  having  come  from  England.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Lucian  and  .lulia  R.  (Hill) 
Stevens,  natives  of  Watcrford.  \'ermont.  Sev- 
en children  have  been  born  to  .\lr.  and  Mrs. 
Grady,  as  follows:  Julia  R.,  born  April  2, 
1885;  William  A.,  born  November  28,  1886; 
Jesse  A.,  born  July  1,  1888;  Lulu  E.,  born 
September  13,  1800;  Royal  J.,  born  January 
28.  1892:  Edna  G.,  born  November  22,  1894; 
Ralph  G.,  born  May  1,  1898,  died  October  1, 
1905. 

Mr.    Grady    is    a    member    of    the    Catholic 


church;  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Mr.  Grady  served  a  little  over  two 
vears  as  a  director  of  school  district  No.  119. 


MATIIIAS  MKLSEN  (1884),  Middletown 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Rrooklyn,  New  York,  October  15,  1877.  the  son 
of  Soren  and  Mette  M.  (Thusen)  Nielsen.  His 
parents  came  from  Denmark  in  the  early  sev- 
enties. Mathias  is  one  of  a  family  of  six 
children  born  to  this  union,  of  whom  only 
two  besides  himself — Carrie  (Mrs.  H.  Saurid- 
sen)  and  Metlie  (Mrs.  II.  Oisen)— are  living. 
Their  father  died  July  27,  1009;  the  mother 
makes  her  home  with  her  son,  ^lathias 
Nielsen. 

The  first  four  years  of  the  life  of  our  subject 
were  passed  in  his  native  city  and  the  next 
three  in  Oimiha,  Nebraska.  He  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Jackson  county  in  1884  and 
until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  resided 
with  his  parents  on  the  farm  in  Petersburg 
township.  He  then  engaged  in  farming  for 
himself  in  Petersburg  six  years  and  the  next 
three  years  farmed  a  place  in  Des  iloines 
township.  In  1908  he  rented  the  J.  .A.  Sayles 
farm,  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  8,  Mid- 
dletown, and  has  since  resided  there. 

Jlr.  Nielsen  was  married  in  Petersburg 
township  December  29,  1897.  to  Mary  E.  Haum- 
gard,  a  native  of  Denmark  and  a  daughter  of 
Hans  and  Sina  1'.  Haumgard.  Her  mother  died 
December  17,  1001,  her  father  lives  in  South 
Dakota.  Three  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nielsen;  Leonard  H.,  born  April 
10,  1002;  Murrel  S.,  born  February  15,  1907, 
and  a  babv  girl,  born  June  22,  1909. 


FRED  S.  C.  AllRENS  (1889).  until  recently 
a  hardware  merchant  and  manager  of  the 
Western  Implement  company's  business  at 
Okabena,  is  now  engaged  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness at  Brewster.  He  is  a  native  of  (Jermany 
and  was  born  .May  23,  1870,  the  son  of  Christ 
and   Wilhelmina    (Mundt)   Ahrens. 

Fred  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in 
1880  and  located  in  Will  county,  Illinois.  On 
the  first  day  of  March,  1889,  he  arrived  in 
Jackson  county  and  this  was  his  home  until 
July.  1909.  Until  1893  he  lived  with  his  par- 
ents on  the  farm  in  West  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship, one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Okaben.i. 
That  year  he  bought  a  farm  in  the  same  pre- 


BiOGKAPHiUAL  HlSTOBY. 


439 


cinct,  and  for  ten  years  engaged  in  farming, 
in  1902  he  located  at  Okabena  and  in  part- 
nersliip  with  several  others  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  business.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Western  Implement  company, 
which  was  organized  January  28,  1904,  and  be- 
gan business  March  1  following.  The  house 
at  Okabena  wag  established  at  that  time.  In 
addition  to  his  business  interests,  Mr.  Ahrens 
owns  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  West  Heron 
Lake  township  and  village  property.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  cluirc-li  and 
was  township  assessor  five  years. 

Mr.  Ahrens  was  married  at  Lakefield  July 
9,  1892,  to  Miss  Sophia  Sievert.  They  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  named  children:  Rosa, 
born  June  26,  1893;  Bertha,  born  October  29, 
1895;  Alma,  born  March  3,  1897;  Anna,  born 
January  11,  189S;  Albert,  born  December  9, 
1903. 


ADOLPH  J.  NESTRUD  (1881),  cashier  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Lakefield,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Jackson  county,  having  been  born  on 
his  father's  farm  in  Heron  Lake  township  Oc- 
tober 14,  1881.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  four- 
teen living  children  and  is  a  son  of  John  and 
Mai'ie  (Pederson)  Nestrud,  of  Heron  Lake 
township. 

Both  his  parents  were  born  in  Norway,  but 
came  to  the  United  States  in  their  childhood 
days  and  were  married  in  Jackson  county,  to 
which  place  they  came  in  the  early  seventies. 
The  father  of  our  subject  took  a  homestead 
claim  in  Heron  Lake  township  and  has  ever 
since  made  his  home  there. 

Adolph  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm,  assisting  with  the  farm  work  and  at- 
tending the  country  school  until  twenty  years 
of  age.  He  then  took  a  business  course  in 
Jewell  Lutheran  college,  of  Jewell,  Iowa.  Re- 
turning to  his  old  home,  Mr.  Nestrud  resided 
on  the  farm  a  short  time  and  then  he  and  his 
sister  conducted  a  restaurant  in  Lakefield  for 
a  little  over  a  year.  Disposing  of  his  busi- 
ness, he  returned  to  the  farm,  and  a  year  later 
moved  to  Jackson  to  accept  a  position  as  dep- 
uty register  of  deeds  under  the  administra- 
tion of  0.  J.  Wagnild.  He  held  the  position 
a  little  over  two  years  and  then  returned  to 
Lakefield,  where  he  took  a  position  as  book- 
keeper in  the  First  National  Bank.  Ten 
months  later  he  was  elected  cashier,  a  posi- 
tion he  still  holds. 


Mr.  Nestrud  was  married  at  Dell  Rapids, 
South  Dakota,  June  7,  1905,  to  Carrie  Mahre, 
who  was  born  in  Minnehaha  county,  South 
Dakota,  and  who  was  a  school  teacher.  One 
child  has  been  born  to  this  union,  Inez  Ade- 
lade.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nestrud  are  members  of 
the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 


IIENRVr  ROSSOW  (1874)  is  a  stock  raiser 
and  farmer  of  Delafield  township,  owning  320 
acres  of  land  on  section  35.  He  is  a  native  of 
the  county,  having  been  born  in  Heron  Lake 
township  November  8,  1874,  the  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Alvina  (Pietz)  Rossow.  His  father, 
a  native  of  Germany,  died  in  Jackson  county 
when  Henry  was  five  years  of  age.  His  moth- 
er, now  Mrs.  Dan  Kolander,  lives  in  Heron 
Lake  township. 

Henry  grew  to  manhood  on  his  stepfather's 
farm  in  Heron  Lake  township  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  district  schools  and  in  the  Breck 
school  at  Wilder.  After  growing  up  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  the  old  home  place  in  his 
native  township  in  partnership  with  his  step- 
father, Dan  Kolander,  and  this  arrangement 
continued  until  the  year  1900.  Then  he  mov- 
ed onto  his  present  farm,  which  he  and  Mr. 
Kolander  had  purchased  in  1897.  In  1900  Mr. 
Rossow  bought  Mr.  Kolander's  interest  in  the 
farm  and  has  since  been  the  sole  owner. 

Mr.  Rossow  is  interested  in  many  lines  of 
business  in  addition  to  his  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  He  has  stock  in  the  First  National 
Bank,  the  Farmers  Elevator  company  and  the 
Jackson  County  Cooperative  company,  all  of 
Lakefield,  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  company 
of  Wiiidom,  in  the  East  Heron  Lake  Creamery 
company,  of  which  he  is  secretary;  and  in  a 
threshing  company.  One  year  he  served  as 
treasurer  of  the  Delafield  Fire  Insurance  com- 
pany. In  local  polities  he  has  also  taken  an 
active  part.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Dela- 
field township  board  of  supervisors  five  or  si.x 
years  and  served  as  a  member  of  the  board 
two  years  in  addition.  He  was  assessor  of 
Heron  Lake  township  in  1897  and  1898,  and 
he  is  now  a  director  of  school  district  No.  70. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  of  Heron  Lake  township. 

In  the  township  of  Delafield,  in  1899,  Mr. 
Rossow  was  united  in  marriage  to  Annie  Hoh- 
enstein,  who  was  born  in  Delafield  township 
and  who  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  Holienstein. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  seven  children, 


44(1 


BIOGRAriTTfAl.   lll.slOUV 


iianii'il  as  follows:  Alfred,  born  .Suptember  2, 
18!)9;  Krwiii  and  Walter  (twins),  born  Octo- 
ber 2!»,  1901;  Klla,  born  April  27,  1903;  Esther, 
liorii  January  27,  1905;  Delbert,  born  January 
9,  1907;   Leona,  born  September  21,  1909. 


Alair,  a  daiiglitcr  of  Andrew  Mair,  a  native  of 
Scotland  and  a  large  land  owner  of  Columbia 
county,  Wisconsin,  whore  he  now  resides.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Caldwell  have  been  born  two 
children,  Bessie  R.  and  Esther  May.  The  fam- 
ily arc  members  of  the  Prcsbvterian  church. 


JAMES  C.  CALDWELL  (1899)  is  the  prcsi- 
(U'lil  of  the  First  National  Hank  of  Lakeficld 
and  is  interested  in  several  other  lines  of  busi- 
ness in  that  village.  He  is  a  native  of  Colum- 
bia county,  Wisconsin,  and  was  born  June  22, 
18G4.  nis  parents,  John  and  Esther  (Mackay) 
Caldwell,  were  born  near  the  city  of  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  They  came  to  the  United  States  and 
to  Columbia  county,  Wisconsin,  in  1854,  wherp 
tliey  lived  on  a  farm  until  their  death.  John 
Caldwell  died  in  Ma)-,  1878,  aged  76  years;  his 
wife  died  in  1897,  aged  76  years. 

Our  subject  resided  on  the  farm  with  his 
l>arent3  until  he  was  28  years  of  a<j;e.  lie  re- 
ceived a  liigh  school  education  and  early  in 
life  engaged  in  leaching,  wliich  ho  followed  in 
his  native  coimly  eight  years.  At  the  age  of 
28,  in  the  spring  of  1892,  Mr.  Caldwell  mar- 
ried and  moved  to  Dane  county,  Wisconsin. 
Near  the  town  of  Morrisonvillc 'he  bought  a 
farm,  which  he  conducted  until  his  removal 
to  Jack.son  county  in  1899. 

L'pon  his  arrival  Mr.  Caldwell  bought  a 
farm  in  Heron  Lake  township  and  engaged  in 
farming  until  1903.  That  year  he  moved  to 
Lakclicld  and  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness. In  190C  he  was  chosen  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  and  has  since  presided 
over  that  financial  institution,  devoting  his 
entire  time  to  its  management. 

.Mr.  Caldwell  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  cooperation  and  has  put  his  ideas 
into  successful  practice  in  Lakefield.  Largely 
through  his  efforts  the  bank  stock  was  dis- 
posed of  to  farmers,  so  that  now  the  bank  is 
practically  a  farmers  bank.  To  his  elforts  is 
also  due  the  organization  and  success  of  the 
Lakefield  Farmers  Cooperative  Elevator  com- 
pany, which  was  incorporated  for  .$50,000  on 
November  4,  1905,  and  of  which  he  is  the  sec- 
retary. Mr.  Caldwell  is  also  president  of,  and 
was  instrumental  in  organizing,  the  .Jackson 
Cooperative  company,  a  corporation  organized 
for  handling  general  merchandise.  This  com- 
pany has  a  i)aid  up  capital  of  .$20,000. 

In  Arlington  township,  Columbia  county, 
Wisconsin,  on  March  15,  1892,  occurred  the 
marriage   of   Mr.  Caldwell    to   Miss   Agnes   M. 


IIENRV  .\l.  MILLER  (1872)  lias  spent  his 
entire  life  of  nearly  thirty-eight  years  in  Dela- 
ficld  township,  having  been  born  on  his  fath- 
er's homestead — the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 22— on  the  third  day  of  May,  1872.  His 
father,  Charles  H.  Miller,  now  a  resident  of 
Windom,  was  born  in  Sweden,  came  to  Ameri- 
ca wlien  a  young  man  and  liomcsteadcd  in 
Delafield  township,  Jackson  county,  in  1871. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Sarah  L. 
(Miehaelson)  Miller,  who  was  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin and  who  died  in  1900  at  the  age  of 
fifly-Cve  years,  Our  subject  was  the  eldest  of 
a  family  of  .seven  children,  named  as  follows: 
Henry  M.,  Martha,  Ida,  John,  Albert,  Emma 
and  Oscar  (deceased.) 

L'ntil  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  Hen- 
ry worked  for  his  father  on  the  old  home- 
stead. During  this  time  he  received  a  country 
school  education.  When  he  reached  his  ma- 
jority lie  renlfd  land  on  section  15  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  his  own  account.  In  1890 
he  bought  the  120  acre  farm  on  section  15, 
then  entirely  unimproved,  erected  the  build- 
ings, set  out  the  grove,  fenced  the  land,  and 
made  all  the  improvements  the  farm  now  con- 
tains. 

Mr.  Miller  is  a  man  of  family,  having  been 
married  in  Delalield  township  October  25,  1891, 
to  Julia  Tobiason,  who  was  born  in  Chrie- 
tiania  township  March  2,  1874.  She  is  the 
(laughter  of  .Vnders  and  Ciena  (Anderson)  To- 
biason. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  been 
born  the  following  named  children:  Ijilly, 
born  October  9,  1895;  Mabel,  born  April  1, 
1S97:  Alma,  born  April  15.  1900;  Minnie,  born 
April    in,   1903;    Hazel,  born   June   23,   1904. 


.TOIIK  SMITH  (1885)  is  a  f.irmer  and  land 
owner  of  Kimball  township  and  has  resided 
ill  Jackson  county  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury. He  is  a  native  of  Jlonroe  county,  New 
York,  and  was  born  June  5,  1865,  the  son  of 
Fred  and  Mary  (C.roth)  Smith,  both  natives  of 
fiermany.  he  having  been  born  in  Mecklenberg 
and    she   in    Prussia.     Thcv   came    to   America 


JAMES  C.  CALDWELL 

President  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Lakefield  and  a 
Believer  in  Co-operation. 


i?UBUC  UBRAR^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


441 


in  1803  and  after  living  in  tlie  Empire  state 
nineteen  years  came  to  Minnesota  and  died 
in  Middletown  townsliip,  Jackson  county.  Tliey 
were  tlie  parents  of  six  children,  of  whom  the 
following  three  are  living:  ilinnie,  who  lives 
in  Xew  Voric  state;  Fred,  of  Des  Jloiues  town- 
ship; and  John,  of  this  slietch. 

John  spent  the  first  twenty  years  of  his 
life  in  his  native  county,  attending  school 
and  working  at  various  occupations.  He  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1885  and  for  thirteen 
years  lived  on  a  farm  in  Middletown  town- 
ship. Then  he  moved  to  Kimball  township, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  rented  land  un- 
til October,  1901)^  At  that  time  he  moved  on- 
to his  present  farm,  which  he  had  bought  the 
spring  before.  His  farm  is  the  south  half  of 
the  southv.est  quarter  of  section  32.  On  Au- 
gust 13,  1901,  Mr.  Smith  lost  his  right  arm  as 
a  result  of  a  runaway  accident.  The  arm  was 
caught  in  a  wagon  spring  and  literally  torn 
off  at  the  elbow. 

Ml'.  Smith  was  married  in  Middletown  town- 
ship October  17,  1891,  to  Mrs.  Lena  Hamp,  a 
native  of  Prussia.  To  them  has  been  born 
one  cliild,  Albert,  born  October  22,  1892.  By 
a  former  marriage  Mrs.  Smith  is  the  mother 
of  five  children:  Will,  born  May  9,  1879; 
August,  born  April  3,  1881 ;  Freda,  born  No- 
vember 24,  1882;  Herman,  born  November  14, 
1887;  Emma,  born  November  14,  1887.  The 
family  are  members  of  tlie  German  Lutheran 
church. 


VERNON  E.  BUTLER  (1891),  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  the  Benson  Grain  company  of 
Heron  Lake,  and  ex-auditor  of  Jackson  county, 
is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Heron 
Lake.  He  descends  from  colonial  stock  and 
pioneers  of  the  west.  His  grandfather,  Willis 
R.  Butler,  a  native  of  Virginia,  settled  in 
Iowa  in  territorial  days  and  became  very 
wealthy,  owning  many  thousands  of  acres  of 
land.  Butler  county,  Iowa,  was  named  in  his 
honor. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  are  the  late 
James  Butler  and  Margaret  (Bonwell)  Butler. 
James  Butler  was  born  in  Coshocton,  Ohio. 
He  located  in  Iowa  when  a  young  man  and 
from  that  state  enlisted  in  company  G,  of  the 
32nd  volunteer  infantry,  serving  until  serious- 
ly woimded,  which  necessitated  his  discharge. 
After  the  war  he  located  in  Butler  county, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  grain,  stock  and  bank- 


ing business.  He  died  September  23,  1880, 
at  the  age  of  39  years.  On  his  mother's  side 
V.  E.  Butler  descends  from  an  old  Englisli 
family  which  settled  in  Virginia  and  Nortli 
Carolina  in  colonial  days.  Mrs.  James  Butler 
was  born  in  Indiana;  was  married  to  ilr.  But- 
ler at  Clarksville,  Butler  county,  Iowa,  and 
now  makes  lier  home  with  her  sou  in  Heron 
liake.     She  is  68  years  of  age. 

To  these  parents  Vernon  E.  Butler  was  born 
in  Butler  township,  Butler  county,  Iowa,  on 
the  10th  day  of  July,  ISGo.  He  received  his 
education  in  that  county  and  made  his  home 
with  his  parents  until  seventeen  years  of  age. 
Then,  being  in  poor  health,  he  spent  two 
years  in  Kansas  and  Colorado.  Returning  to 
Iowa,  Mr.  Butler  located  in  Elma,  Howard 
county,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  en- 
gaged in  the  hotel  business,  which  he  follow- 
ed until  1889.  That  year  he  married  and  mov- 
ed to  Blue  Earth  City,  engaging  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  partnership  with  an  uncle, 
A.  Bonwell. 

Mr.  Butler  sold  out  at  Blue  Earth  City  in 
the  summer  of  1891,  and  on  October  I,  of  that 
year,  he  moved  to  Heron  Lake.  He  secured  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  for  J.  W.  Benson  in 
that  gentleman's  general  store,  at  which  work 
he  was  employed  several  years.  In  1894  Mr. 
Butler  received  the  republican  nomination  for 
county  auditor,  but  was  defeated  at  the  elec- 
tion by  32  votes.  He  made  the  race  again  in 
1896  and  was  elected  by  two  votes.  He  was 
reelected  in  1898  by  over  800  plurality.  His 
term  of  office  expiring  January  1,  1901,  Mr. 
Butler,  having  refused  to  again  become  a  can- 
didate, retired  to  private  life.  That  year 
he  and  J.  W.  Benson  and  F.  S.  Kingsbury  or- 
ganized and  incorporated  the  Benson  Grain 
company,  Mr.  Butler  becoming  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  company  was  first  incorporated 
for  .$100,000  but  later  the  capital  stock  was 
raised  to  $200,000  .  It  is  the  owner  of  twenty- 
two  elevators  and  one  flouring  mill  in  Minne- 
sota and  northeastern  Nebraska.  In  Febru- 
ary, 1906,  Mr.  Butler  purchased  the  Kings- 
bury interests  in  this  company. 

In  official  life  Mr.  Butler  has  taken  an  ac- 
tive part  and  has  held  a  number  of  local  of- 
fices. He  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Heron 
Lake  village  council  and  has  been  president  of 
that  body.  He  holds  the  office  of  president  of 
the  board  of  education  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  for  five  years.  Mr.  Butler 
affiliates  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


442 


BIOGKAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


lie  is  a  member  of  tlic  A.  ¥.  &  A.  M.,  tlio  M. 
\V.   A.  and   the   Veomeii   lodges. 

ilr.  Butler  was  iiuirried  in  Elkader,  Clayton 
county,  Iowa,  June  20,  1889,  to  Uessie  1.  I'air- 
field,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Her  parents  were  na- 
tives of  Massachusetts,  settled  at  Niles,  In- 
diana, and  later  in  South  Bend,  Indiania, 
where  her  father  died,  ller  mother  is  now  73 
years  of  age  and  makes  her  home  with  her 
daughter  in  Heron  Lake.  To  Mr.  and  Airs. 
Butler  have  been  born  four  children,  as  fol- 
lows: James  Arthur,  Grace  Gladys,  George 
Vernon  and  Kenneth  Alfred. 


WILLIAM  KtiCESTKlN  (1881),  farmer  and 
landowner  of  Middletowii  township,  was  born 
in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  December  4,  IS.'ili, 
the  son  of  Christ  and  Ricka  (Kosdorf)  Eggc- 
stein.  These  parents  were  born  in  Germany 
and  came  to  America  when  young,  settling  in 
Illinois.  Mrs.  Eggestein  died  tlicrc  about  1880. 
Mr.  Eggestein  came  to  Jackson  county  and 
engaged  in  farming  in  Petersburg  township, 
where  he  died  in  1891).  William  is  the  eldest 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  six  are  living,  as 
follows:  William,  Daniel,  Benjamin,  Sarah, 
Lydia  and  Emma. 

William  wa.i  brou};ht  \\\>  on  a  farm  in  Cook 
county,  Illinois,  and  there  he  received  his  edu- 
cation. He  resided  with  his  parents  until  he 
was  twenty- three  years  of  age.  Then  he  mar- 
ried and  moved  to  Chicago,  in  which  city  he 
resided  four  years,  two  years  of  which  time  he 
was  engaged  in  the  wholesale  hay  business. 
He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1884,  bought 
his  present  farm,  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  35,  Middletown,  and  that  has  since 
been  his  home.  During  his  residence  in  that 
]irciinct  Mr.  Eggestein  has  held  several  offic- 
ial positions.  He  served  as  chairman  of  the 
township  board  three  years  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  district  No.  23  for 
eighteen  consecutive  j'ears.  He  is  treasurer 
of  the  Middletown  Telephone  company.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Evangeli- 
cal Association. 

Mr.  Eggestein  was  married  at  Park  Ridge, 
Cook  county,  Illinois,  October  0,  1879,  to  Ered- 
ericka  Eggestein,  a  native  of  Germany.  To 
them  have  been  born  the  following  eight  chil- 
dren: Ida,  born  August  19,  1880;  Tilda,  born 
October  17,  1882;  William,  born  March  11, 
1884;  Alvin.  born  March  10,  1880;  Walter,  born 
August    7,    1888;    Edwin,    born    Eebruary    14, 


1892;    Esther,  born  April 
April  J"..  1898. 


5,   1801!;    Alma,   born 


.lOllN  IIAGERSON  (1879),  grain  buyer  at 
Okabena,  has  been  a  resident  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty since  he  was  two  years  of  age.  He  was  born 
in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  October  14, 
1877,  the  son  of  Edward  E.  and  Ambuhe  Berg. 
In  April,  1879,  the  family  located  in  Jackson 
county,  and  our  subject  lived  in  the  village  of 
Lakeficid  from  the  time  of  its  founding  until 
1901.  He  bought  grain  at  Granada  one  year, 
and  since  tliat  time  has  been  engaged  in  (he 
same  business  at  OkalK-na.  Mr.  llagerson  owns 
a  iiuarlcr  section  of  land  in  northern  Min- 
nesota. H?  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A. 
lodge. 


IIKNKV  TER  IIAAR  (1899),  sherilT  of  .Tack- 
-.iin  county,  was  born  in  Sheboygan  county, 
Wisconsin,  March  23,  1808,  the  sou  of  Herman 
J.  and  Jane  (Ruseling)  Terllaar.  He  received 
his  education  in  Sheboygan  county  and  resided 
there  until  twenty  years  of  age. 

He  left  home  in  1888  and  located  at  St. 
Croi.x,  Wisconsin,  where  for  the  next  five  years 
lie  was  employed  in  a  creamery,  making  but- 
ter and  cheese.  In  1803  Jlr.  Terllaar  made 
a  tri]!  to  the  west,  visiting  Montana,  Ida'io, 
Washington,  Colorado  and  Utah.  He  returned 
and  located  temporarily  at  Alton,  Iowa,  and 
l;itcr  at  Luverne.  In  1894  he  moved  to  Edgcr- 
tdti.  .Minnesota,  where  for  five  years  he  was 
employed  in  a  creamery.  In  January,  1899, 
he  located  in  Heron  Lake  and  for  the  next 
eight  years  sold  groceries  for  John  Saxton  * 
Co.,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Terllaar  was  elected  sheriff  of  Jackson 
county  on  the  democratic  ticket  in  190G  and 
was  reelected  in  190S.  His  present  term  ex- 
pires January  1,  1911.  He  owns  320  acres  of 
real  estate  in  Hubbard  county,  Minnesota.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Knights  of 
Pythias  lodges. 

.Sheriff  Ti-rllaar  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  at  Baldwin,  Wisconsin, 
I'cbruary  L"),  1890,  when  he  wedded  Jennie 
Demaster.  He  was  married  .September  1.5,  1898, 
to  Miss  Rose  Mulroy,  of  Adrian.  To  this 
\inion  have  been  born  two  children:  Bertha  M., 
born  September  20.  1899:  Kntlicrine.  born  No- 
vember 29,   1902. 


BIOGKAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


4-13 


JOSEPH  UKOSICK  (1891)  is  a  farmer  and 
land  owner  of  Hunter  township.  He  was  born 
in  Austria  in  1870,  llie  son  of  John  and  Katie 
Ulcosiek.  The  former  is  dead;  tlie  latter  is 
the   wife  of  Albert   Dunai. 

Josepli  was  seventeen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  America  and  located  in  New  Haven 
county,  Connectieut.  Tlie  first  three  years  of 
his  life  in  the  new  world  were  spent  worl<- 
ing  in  a  straw  hat  and  matting  factory;  then 
he  decided  to  come  west.  He  came  (o  Jackson 
county,  lived  here  two  months  and  then  went 
to  Chicago,  where  he  was  one  year.  Coming 
to  Jackson  county  again  in  1891  he  located 
permanent]}'.  Until  1901  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing rented  land.  Then  he  bought  his  present 
farm,  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  32, 
Hunter  township,  and  has  since  made  his  home 
there,  making  most  of  the  improvements  on 
his  farm. 

Mr.  Ukosick  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
in  September,  18P2,  to  Tessi  Dunai,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Austria.  The  following  named  seven 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Katie, 
born  October  29,  1893;  Frank,  born  March  13, 
1895;  Mary,  born  March  23,  1897:  Annie,  born 
May  18,  1898;  Joseph,  born  August  14,  1899; 
Francie,  born  October  20,  1902;  Jacob,  born 
July  22,  190.5.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church. 


PETER  D.  McKELLAR  (1886),  county  au- 
ditor of  Jackson  county,  has  resided  in  the 
county  twenty-three  years.  He  was  born  near 
the  village  of  McGregor,  Clayton  county,  Iowa, 
December  14,  1860,  his  parents  being  Archibald 
and  Christine  (Nelson)  McKellar.  The  father 
died  in  1903.  aged  71  years;  the  mother  lives 
in  Heron  Lake. 

The  subject  of  tliis  biography  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  Clayton  county,  fin- 
i.thing  his  education  with  a  course  in  the  Bay- 
less  Business  college  of  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Until 
he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age  he  resided  on 
the  farm  with  his  parents  in  Clayton  comity. 
He  came  with  them  to  Jackson  county  in  Sep- 
tember, 1886;  and  for  tw-o  years  lived  on  the 
home  farm  in  Alba  township.  Going  then  to 
Postvillc.  Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  he  worked 
one  year  in  the  employ  of  an  implement  dealer 
snd  one  season  for  the  Warder-Bushnell  & 
Glessner  Harvester   company. 

Returning  to  Jackson  county.  Mr.  McKellar 
located  at  Heron  Lake.  For  one  year  he  worked 


in  an  elevator  and  then  engaged  in  the  im- 
plement business  in  that  town  in  partnership 
with  J.  C.  Buckeye,  the  firm  name  being 
P.  D.  McKellar  and  company.  He  sold  out 
his  interests  in  the  business  in  1896  and  until 
May,  1898,  devoted  his  time  to  the  well, 
pump  and  windmill  business.  During  the  sea- 
son of  1898  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  J.  I. 
Case  Threshing  Machine  company,  but  dur- 
ing the  season  of  1899  and  1900  was  again 
engaged  in  the  well  business.  Mr.  McKellar 
was  elected  county  auditor  in  November,  1900, 
and  the  first  of  the  following  year  entered 
upon  his  duties.  He  has  since  been  elected 
every  two  years  and  liis  present  term  expires 
Januar^^  1.  1911.  He  held  the  office  of  township 
clerk  of  Alba  township  in  1887  and  in  1894 
was  a  member  of  the  Heron  Lake  village  coun- 
cil. 

Mr.  McKellar  was  married  at  Mankato  Decem- 
ber 17,  1900,  to  Amanda  Veigel,  a  native  of  the 
city  in  which  she  was  married.  To  them  have 
been  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Pierre 
A.,  Jean  and  Margaret.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter  and  of 
the  I.  0.  0.  F.  and  A.  0.  U.  W.  lodges. 


GEORGE  H.  SMITH  (1887),  teacher  of  the 
school  in  district  No.  91,  Ewington  township, 
is  one  of  the  best  known  educators  of  western 
Jackson  county  and  has  devoted  his  entire 
life  to  educational  work. 

Mr.  Smith  was  born  in  Phoenix,  Michigan, 
April  25,  186G.  AVhen  four  years  of  age  his 
parents  moved  to  Dodgeville,  Iowa  county, 
Wisconsin,  and  in  that  town  our  subject  grew 
to  manhood  and  secured  his  early  education. 
He  was  graduated  from  the  Dodgeville  high 
school  in  1S8G  and  later  took  a  course  of  study 
at  the  Iowa  state  normal  school,  Cedar  Falls. 
He  completed  his  education  in  the  Cherokee 
(Iowa)  Institute,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  1891. 

During  the  years  Mr.  Smith  was  securing  his 
education  he  spent  the  summer  months  work- 
ing on  farms  and  teaching  at  intervals.  He 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1887  and  for  the 
last  twenty  years  has  been  engaged  in  teaching 
school,  having  taught  in  Jackson  county  during 
the  past  fifteen  years.  He  has  had  charge  of  the 
west  school  in  district  No.  91  for  the  last  6ix 
years.  Mr.  Smith  owns  the  northeast  quarter 
of    section    14,    Ewington    township,   where    he 


444 


BIOGKAPHICAL  HISTOKY. 


makes  his  home  and  where  he  engages  in  farm- 
ing to  a  limited  extent. 

(Jur  subject  is  tlie  youngest  of  a  family  of 
five  cliildreu.  His  father,  Mark  Smith,  was  an 
Knglishman  by  birth  and  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
lie  came  to  the  United  States  in  1865,  lived 
in  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  and  finally  locat- 
ed in  Jackson  county,  Minnesota,  where  he 
died  in  1908  at  the  age  of  83  years.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother  was  Thomasine  I'rideaux,  who 
was  born  and  married  in  England.  She  died 
in  Jackson  county  at  the  age  of  74  years. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  in  Cherokee  county, 
Iowa,  June  19,  1895,  to  Stella  A.  Smith,  who 
was  born  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  in  1869. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  Irene,  Jennie, 
Paul,  Clarence  and  Mildred.  Mr.  Smith  is  a 
niemlier  of  the  Kvangellcal  Association  church 
and  is  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of 
that  society.  He  holds  the  office  of  clerk  of 
the  Ewiugton  township  board  of  supervisors. 


JOHN  HARM  (1888)  is  a  Belmont  township 
farmer  who  owns  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  23,  upon  which  he  has  lived  twenty- 
one  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany  and 
was  born  August  17,  1854.  His  parents  were 
Fred  and  Mary  (Engelbrccht)  Harm,  and  he 
is  the  only  living  child,  a  brother  and  sister, 
]''red  and  Reka,  having  died. 

At  the  .ige  of  nine  years,  in  1863,  John  ac- 
companied his  parents  to  America  and  lived 
with  them  in  Wheeling,  Cook  county,  Illi- 
nois, until  1888.  That  year  the  family  came 
to  Jackson  county  and  located  upon  the  farm 
Mr.  Harm  now  owns.  He  lived  with  his  par- 
ents until  their  death,  which  occurred  four- 
teen years  ago.  He  then  fell  heir  to  the  farm 
and  has  since  conducted  it. 

In  Cook  county,  Illinois,  in  1887,  Mr.  Harm 
was  married  to  Dora  Prihs,  a  native  of  tier- 
many,  and  to  them  liave  been  born  five  child- 
ren: Helen,  Millie,  Lizzie,  Otto  and  Lillie. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  German  Luth- 
eran church.  He  served  six  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  township  board  and  has  been  direc- 
tor of  school  district  No.  70  for  the  past  four 
years. 


ADA^f  VOEITL  (lS08),Rost  township  farmer, 
was  born  in  Kurfcrsten,  Ilessen,  Germany.  Oc- 
tober 6,  1846,  the  son  of  John  and  Clara  (Hell- 


wel)  \'oehl.  His  father,  who  was  born  in 
1802,  ilied  when  Adam  was  six  years  old.  His 
mother  was  born  June  14,  1814,  and  died  in 
Illinois.  December  28,  1883. 

Adam  N'ochl  lived  in  Germany  until  nine- 
teen years  of  age,  receiving  an  education  in 
the  public  schools  and  working  on  the  farm. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  with  a  brother 
in  1867  and  settled  in  Peru,  Illinois.  There  he 
worked  out  by  the  month  at  farm  work  six 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  moved  to 
Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  until 
coming  to  Jackson  county  in  1890.  Kor  many 
years  he  farmed  a  rented  farm  there  and  dur- 
ing the  last  eight  years  of  his  residence  in 
Illinois  owned  real  estate. 

It  was  in  February,  18U6,  that  .Mr.  Voehl 
came  to  Jackson  county  to  reside.  Some  lit- 
tle time  before  he  had  bought  the  west  half 
of  section  23,  Rost  township,  and  when  he 
came  it  was  upon  that  farm  that  he  located. 
Six  j'ears  after  his  arrival  he  bought  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  20,  af  the  same 
(ownsliip,  both  of  which  pieces  of  land  he  still 
owns.  The  farm  was  only  partly  improved 
when  ho  bought  it;  today  it  is  one  of  I  lie  fine 
farms   of  the   township. 

Mr.  V'oehl  engages  quite  extensively  in 
stockraising  and  has  interests  in  the  Rost 
creamery  and  the  farmers  elevator  at  Lake- 
field.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  of  Rost  township. 

Jlr.  \"oehl  is  a  man  of  family,  having  been 
married  at  Buckley,  Illinois.  February  3,  1884, 
to  Mary  Poppeutick,  who  was  born  in  Illinois 
April  12,  1861.  To  these  parents  have  been 
born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Clara  (Mrs. 
Herman  A.  Rost),  of  Lakefieid,  born  February 
7,  1885;  Lizzie,  born  March  17,  1887;  John, 
l.orn  January  24,  1889;  Mary,  born  March  10, 
1891:  .Annie,  born  .April  19,  1893;  Freda,  born 
August  16,  1890;   Willie,  l.orn  March  23,  1809. 


CHARLES  Mn.LER  (1887),  who  is  the 
street  commissioner  of  Heron  Lake  and  who 
is  employed  in  other  official  capacities  con- 
nected with  the  management  of  municipal  .af- 
fairs, has  resided  in  Heron  Lake  twenty-two 
years  and  has  been  a  resident  of  southwestern 
-Minnesota  for  a  much  longer  i>eriod.  Germany 
is  the  country  of  his  nativity  and  the  date  of 
his  birth  was  October  2,  1848.  He  accompan- 
ied his  parents,  Charles  and  Elizabeth  Miller, 
to  the  new  world  in  1854,  when  he  was  only 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


445 


six  years  of  age,  and  until  he  was  twenty-four 
years  old  lived  witli  them  in  Montgomery 
county,  Ohio,  where  his  parents  died. 

Our  subject  was  educated  in  Montgomer\ 
county  and  when  a  boy  began  working  at  tlie 
milling  business  under  his  father's  instruction. 
The  flouring  mill  in  which  he  learned  his  trade 
in  Ohio  was  bought  in  1873  by  parties  who 
niovcil  it  to  Worthington,  the  new  town  found- 
ed by  the  National  Colony  company  of  Ohio. 
Mr.  Miller  assisted  in  moving  the  machinery 
to  its  new  location  and  assisted  in  the  recon- 
struction of  the  mill  at  Worthington.  After 
it  was  put  in  running  order  he  was  retained 
as  one  of  the  millers  in  charge,  and  he  was  so 
employed  until  1877. 

That  year  Mr.  Miller  moved  to  Bingham 
Lake  and  in  partnership  with  three  others 
liuilt  a  flouring  mill,  with  which  he  was  con- 
nected two  years.  Selling  out  to  his  partners, 
he  moved  to  Eed  River,  North  Dakota,  and 
for  a  short  time  had  charge  of  a  flouring  mill 
owned  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  company.  From 
that  point  he  went  to  Rock  Rapids,  Iowa,  and 
had  charge  of  a  mill  until  1887.  He  then  lo- 
cated in  Heron  Lake  and  in  partnership  with 
his  father-in-law,  John  Behrenfeld,  erected 
the  flouring  mill  in  that  village.  He  was  in 
charge  of  that  mill  until  1896  or  1897,  when 
he  sold  out  to  Pitner  &  Lynch,  who  in  turn 
sold  to  J.  W.  Morgan.  The  mill  was  burned 
down  in  recent  years. 

In  1901  Mr.  Miller  was  made  street  com- 
missioner of  Heron  Lake,  a  position  he  has 
held  ever  since.  He  also  assists  in  managing 
the  gas  plant  and  has  charge  of  the  pumping 
,  station  and  city  hall.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Wood- 
men lodges. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  Montgomery 
county,  Ohio,  in  the  spring  of  1872,  to  Annie 
Myers,  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  She  died  at  Worth- 
ington in  1877,  aged  27  years.  The  second 
marriage  of  Mr.  Miller  occurred  at  Worthing- 
ton September  7,  1878.  when  he  wedded  Bertha 
Behrenfeld,  a  native  of  Carver  county,  Min- 
nesota, and  a  daughter  of  John  Behrenfeld. 
To  this  imion  have  been  born  five  children: 
Charles  E.,  born  April  2,  1884;  Arthur  B., 
born  September  16,  1891;  Herbert  J.,  born 
November  17,  1894.  Two  children,  Cora  and 
Emma,  died  at  early  ages. 

LATJRITZ  P.  PETERSEN  (1887)  is  a  Pet- 
ersburg   farmer    and    stockraiser.'     He     owns 


and  resides  upon  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  25  and  owns  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  16.  He  was  born  in  Kolding,  Den- 
mark, July  19,  1848,  the  son  of  Hans  P.  and 
Anna  M.    (Bryda)   Petersen. 

Mr.  Petersen  first  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1871  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years  and 
spent  two  years  in  the  new  world.  During 
this  time  he  resided  in  various  parts  of  the 
country — three  months  in  Connecticut,  five 
months  in  Chicago,  three  months  in  Clinton, 
Iowa,  and  one  year  in  New  Bedford,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  returned  to  Denmark  in  1873, 
spent  seven  months  there  and  on  the  ocean, 
and  then,  in  1874,  again  located  in  New  Bed- 
ford, Massachusetts.  One  year  later  he  went 
to  Boston,  where  he  resided  six  years. 

In  1883  Mr.  Petersen  moved  to  Salem,  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  six  months  later  came  west 
and  located  in  Omaha.  He  remained  there 
only  two  months,  moving  in  July,  1883,  to 
Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  where  he  lived  four 
years.  It  was  in  April,  1887,  that  Mr.  Peter- 
sen first  came  to  Jackson  county.  After  spend- 
ing seven  months  there  he  returned  to  Mil- 
waukee. Three  and  one-half  years  later  he 
caine  to  the  county  to  reside  permanently,  and 
he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  farming  his 
Petersburg  township  farm.  Besides  his  farm- 
ing operations,  he  is  interested  in  the  Peters- 
burg Creamery  association  and  the  Jackson 
Telephone  company.  He  served  ten  years  as 
treasurer  of  his  township  and  nine  years  as  a 
member  of  the  school  board  of  the  district  in 
which  he  lives.  He  is  a  memlier  of  the  Luth- 
eran church  and  of  the  D.  B.  S.  lodge,  of  Jack- 
son. 

Mr.  Petersen  was  married  May  1.5,  1883,  to 
Miss  Hansina  Sorenson.  They  are  the  parents 
of  three  children,  as  follows:  Henry  P.,  born 
February  19,  1884;  Annie  M-.,  born  August  28, 
1880;  Arthur,  born  October  28,  1888. 


JOHN  UPTAGRAFFT  (1881)  is  a  resident 
of  Jliddlctbwn  township,  Jackson  county,  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  his  grandmother  of  Ire- 
land. His  father  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
November  26,  1828.  In  1834  he  moved  to  Ash- 
land county,  Ohio,  where  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Nine  years  later  he  moved  to  Monroe 
county,  Michigan,  where  he  again  engaged   in 


44(3 


BIOGRAPHICAL  TIISTORY. 


agricultural  pursuits  until  1857.  That  yt-ar  lie 
niDVoil   to  Olmsted  I'ouiily,  Jlimicsota. 

.lolin  Uplagrnirt  was  born  in  Olmsted  coun- 
ty, Minnesota,  in  18i)7.  When  lie  was  ()nl\ 
six  years  old  liis  parents  took  him  to  Spirit 
Lake,  Iowa,  near  Orleans.  His  father  lived 
here  until  his  deatli  in  May.  1803.  His  mother 
lived  with  her  children  until  her  death  in  lilO.) 
at  tlie  a}!e  of  !>2  years.  ,Iohn  UptagratTt  lived 
at  home  until  aliout  nineteen  years  of  age, 
spending  his  time  during  the  winter  montlis 
roaming  over  the  southern  part  of  Minnesota, 
trapping  and  hunting.  He  was  unmolested,  as 
there  were  no  settlers  for  many  miles  around, 
the  nearest  railroad  stations  being  Mankato, 
.Miiuiesota:  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa:  and  i^ioux  City, 
Iowa. 

In  the  year  1878,  on  July  21,  Mr.  ITptagralTt 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Etta  Waite.  He 
lived  with  his  parents  at  Orleans,  Iowa,  until 
1882.  when  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in 
the  northern  part  of  Alinneota  township.  .Jack- 
son county.  He  lived  on  this  place  until  1804. 
at  whidi  time  he  sold  his  home  and  bouglit 
160  acres  of  his  father-in-law,  in  Middletown 
— the  northwest  quarter  of  section  32.  On 
that  place  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  I'ptagralTt  have  a  family  of 
tVelve  children,  all  living.  Thev  are  as  fol- 
lows: .'^arah  I.orelta,  liorn  August  31.  1870; 
l.eroy.  born  .\ugust  !),  1881 ;  Kurias,  born  lic- 
ceniber  7.  18S2:  Alford  Earnest,  born  ilay  13, 
188.');  Abbic,  born  August  6,  1887;  Vernie, 
born  'May  31,  1880;  Bertha,  born  August  26, 
1,800:  Alia  .T.  and  Alice  May  (twins),  born 
Oiti.lMT  26.  18(12:  Claud  Ray.  born  October  22, 
lS!ir>:  Kalpli  K..  born  August  22.  1807;  .lolin 
Kloid,  born  May  30,  1002. 


IIEKMAX  L.  .STROM  (1887):  cashier  of  the 
llrown  Xational  Hank  and  ex-postmaster  of 
.laekson.  was  born  in  Norway  May  7.  186:5.  He 
is  the  son  of  Feodor  and  Elizabeth  (Larson) 
.Strom  and  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children, 
the  others  being  Anna  (Mrs.  O.  H.  Smith),  of 
IX'II  Kapids,  South  Dakota:  Ilcnrik,  of  St. 
Paul:  Ellen  (Mrs.  C.  C.  Bratrud).  of  Sioux 
Falls,  South  Dakota:  Rcbckka.  The  parenis 
of  our  subject  emigrated  to  .\nierica  in  1870 
and  located  at  Decorah.  Iowa.  Later  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  and  still 
later  to  Milwaukee,  where  the  father  of  our 
subject  had  employment  in  tlic  office  of  the 
Chicago.  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  com- 


pany. Mr.  Strom  di<'d  in  .Sioux  Falls,  South 
Dakota,  in  1807.  His  wife  now  resides  in  Ues 
.Moines,  Iowa. 

Herman  came  to  the  United  States  with 
his  parents  in  1879  and  for  two  years  lived 
with  them  in  Deeorah,  Iowa,  during  which  time 
lie  completed  his  education  in  the  Lutheran 
college.  In  1S81  he  went  to  LaCrosse,  where 
for  live  years  he  was  employed  in  a  station- 
ery store.  He  located  in  Jackson  in  1887,  was 
employed  as  clerk  in  Herge  Hrotliers'  store 
three  years,  and  then  entered  the  Bank  of 
Jackson  (now  the  Brown  National  Bank)  as 
assistant  cashier — a  position  he  held  for  the 
next   seven  years. 

Mr.  Strom  was  appointed  postmaster  of 
.laekson  November  1,  1807,  and  served  until 
1001.  when  lie  resigned  to  again  lake  a  posi- 
tion ill  tlie  bank.  He  becatue  cashier  at  that 
time  and  has  ever  since  held  that  position. 
Mr.  Strom  owns  Jackson  village  property  and 
farm  lands  in  this  county  and  in  northern 
Minnesota.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian cliurch  and  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge. 

At  Jackson,  in  August,  1893.  Mr.  Strom  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Emma  G.  Hill,  a  native 
of  Minnesota  and  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Cath- 
erine Hill,  of  .Jackson.  To  i\lr.  and  Mrs.  Strom 
have  been  born  five  children,  as  follows:  Brad- 
ford H..  Harold  F.,  Hcnrik  R..  Elizabeth  C. 
and  IMward  F. 


OSCAR  FOSS  (1880)  owns  and  farms  a 
ipiarlcr  section  farm  on  section  IS.  Dclaficld. 
one  mile  south  of  the  village  of  Wilder.  He 
was  born  on  the  farm  which  ho  now  owns 
December  0,  1880,  the  son  of  L.  A.  and  .\nna 
Foss  Furuselh,  of  the  same  precinct. 

O.scar  lias  spent  his  entire  life  on  (lie  farm 
he  now  comlucts.  He  was  educa(cd  in  the 
\\'ililcr  public  school  and  until  he  reached  his 
majiirily  worked  for  his  father.  Then  he  rent- 
ed the  home  farm  and  conducted  i(  on  shares 
with  his  brother  until  March.  1008.  At  that 
time  he  bought  the  property  from  his  father. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  of  Dclaficld  (ownship. 

Mr.  Foss  was  married  in  Dclaficld  (ownsliip 
December  18.  190.5,  to  Clara  Brakkc.  daughter 
of  .John  P.  Brakkc  and  a  native  of  the  town- 
ship in  which  she  was  married.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Foss  have  been  born  two  children:  Mild- 
red, born  March  21.  1007:  Liiella.  born  Decem- 
ber IG,  1008,  died  October  6,  1009. 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


447 


AUGUST  WERNER  (1893),  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  of  Peterslmrg  township,  was  born 
in  Bornteen,  Germany,  December  25,  1853,  tlie 
son  of  Carl  and  Maria  (Sliueman)  Werner, 
both   deceased. 

August  spent  his  boyhood  days  in  Germany, 
but  emigrated  to  the  United  vStates  with  his 
parents  when  less  than  eighteen  years  of  age. 
The  family  sailed  from  Hamberg  for  the  new- 
world  on  August  28.  1871,  and  the  next  year 
located  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  soon  after  the 
terrible  fire.  During  the  winter  of  1872-73 
August  worked  in  the  country  near  Chicago, 
and  then  moved  to  the  city,  where  he  resided 
one  j-ear.  During  the  next  sixteen  years  he 
lived  in  and  in  the  vicinity  df  Chicago.  Then 
in  March,  1893,  he  moved  with  his  family  to 
Jackson  county  and  has  ever  since  made  his 
home  ill  Petersburg  township. 

Mr.  Werner  owns  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  one  and  the  east  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  two,  Petersburg.  He  owns 
stock  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  Co.,  of  Alpha, 
in  the  Alpha  Creamery  Co.  and  in  the  Alpha 
Horse  company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church. 

In  Chicago,  Illinois,  on  July  9,  1877,  Mr. 
Werner  was  married  to  Marie  Pasal,  who  was 
born  July  26,  1852.  To  these  parents  have 
been  born  the  following  named  children:  Paul- 
ina, born  June  7,  1878,  died  June  1,  1882; 
Augusta,  born  May  28,  1879;  Emma,  born  May 
20,  1880;  Herman,  born  November  26,  1882; 
Martha,  born  December  5,  1883;  Henry,  born 
September  17,  1885:  Eddy,  born  May  1,  1887: 
Lizzie,  born  April  13,  1891 ;  Otto,  born  June  7, 
1894.  All  the  children  except  Otto  were  born 
in   Evergreen   Park,   Illinois. 


BARBARA  READLE  (1873),  proprietor  of 
the  hotel  at  Miloma  and  postmistress  of  that 
office,  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  June  21, 
1851,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Catherine 
(Cook)  Readle. 

Joseph  Readle  and  family  came  to  America 
in  1852,  landing  at  Baltimore  in  February  of 
that  year.  He  located  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
lived  there  one  year,  spent  the  ne.xt  year  in 
Kentucky,  and  then  returned  to  the  Ohio  city, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  wood  and  coal 
business  until  1872.  That  year  he  moved  to 
Jackson  county  and  homesteaded  in  Alba 
township,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  April 
14,  1896,  aged  79  years.     His  wife,  the  mother 


of  our  subject,  died  April  7,  1893,  aged  68 
years.  Ten  children  were  born  to  these  par- 
ents, of  whom  the  following  five  are  living: 
Lawrence,  Stephen,  Joseph,  Mrs.  Anna  Snyder 
and  Miss  Barbara  Readle. 

Miss  Readle  made  her  home  with  her  par- 
ents in  Alba  township  until  her  mother's  death 
in  1893.  Then  she  rented  the  hotel  at  Prairie 
Junction  (now  Miloma)  and  engaged  in  the 
hotel  and  restaurant  business.  One  year  later 
she  bought  the  property,  and  in  March,  1894, 
she  was  appointed  postmistress  of  Prairie 
Junction,  and  has  resided  there  ever  since. 
She  is  assisted  by  her  brother,  Joseph  Readle, 
who  is  deputj-  postmaster. 

Joseph  .J.  Readle  was  born  in  Cincinnati 
March  23,  1856.  He  left  home  when  sixteen 
years  of  age  and  learned  the  glazier  trade, 
which  he  followed  five  years  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa. 
Tlic  next  five  years  he  was  shipping  clerk  for 
the  firm  with  whom  he  had  been  employed. 
Thereafter  he  was  employed  at  various  occu- 
pations in  different  parts  of  the  United  States. 
In  January,  1908,  he  located  at  Miloma  and 
has  since  been  deputy  .postmaster.  Mr.  Readle 
was  married  at  Sioux  City  to  Nellie  Noonan, 
a  native  of  Marshalltown,  Iowa.  She  died  in 
September,  1901.  One  child.  Ralph,  was  born 
to  this  imion. 


ARTHUR  J.  SPARKS  (1897)  is  a  farmer 
and  thoroughbred  stock  raiser  who  resides 
within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  village  of 
Lakefield.  He  owns  the  old  Rasmus  Larson 
homestead  adjoining  the  village  of  Lakefield 
and  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  6,  Hun- 
ter township.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
bring  a  herd  of  registered  Shorthorn  cattle  to 
Jackson  county,  and  he  has  a  fine  herd  of 
stock.  He  also  has  400  growing  fruit  trees  on 
his  home  farm. 

Mr.  Sparks  was  born  in  Grant  county,  Wis- 
consin. January  9,  1873,  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  A.  (Tomlinson)  Sparks.  Both  parents 
were  natives  of  England.  They  came  to  Amer- 
ica when  seven  years  of  age,  lived  one  winter 
in  Canada,  and  then  located  in  Grant  county, 
Wisconsin,  in  1837,  being  very  early  pioneers 
of  that  county.  The  father  of  our  subject 
crossed  the  plains  to  California  in  1849  and 
was  the  first  to  reach  the  famous  Grass  Val- 
ley. He  returned  to  the  states  by  way  of 
Panama,  the  gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Missis- 
sippi river  and  lived  in  Grant  county,  Wiscon- 


448 


?,l(»i;i!Al'lll(  AT.   !1IS'I'(»I!V. 


sin.  until  a  sliort  time  before  his  deatli.  He 
died  in  1U(1.">.  aj;ed  78  years.  His  wife  .still 
lives  and  is  72  years  of  age.  They  were  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  the  follow- 
ing five  are  living:  Mrs.  C.  E.  Buell,  of  Web- 
ster City.  Iowa;  Mrs.  Allie  Blank,  of  Xorth 
Dakota:  Frank  T..  of  BnlTalo  Center,  Towa: 
Arthur  .1.,  of  this  sketch ;  and  Clinton  A.,  of 
BulTalo  Center,  Iowa. 

Arthur  lived  with  his  parents  in  Grant  coun- 
ty, Wisconsin,  until  1897,  and  there  he  re- 
ceived a  district  school  education.  In  the 
year  last  mentioned  he  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty and  hought  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 30,  Dclafield  township,  where  he  lived 
nearly  four  years.  Selling  that,  he  bought  the 
Larson  homestead,  on  the  edge  of  Lakefield, 
and  there  he  has  since  lived,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stockraising.  During  his  residence  in 
Delafield  townsliip  Mr.  Sparks  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board  of  his  district.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Maccabee  and  M.  W.  A.  lodges. 
^Ir.  Sparks  was  married  in  Lakefield  Feb- 
ruary 1.5,  1899,  to  Miss  Lena  D.  Larson,  who 
was  born  on  the  homestead  where  she  now 
lives.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Rasmus  and 
Cliristine  B.  (Hokansen)  Larson,  early  pioneers 
of  the  county.  Afr.  and  Mrs.  Larson  were  na- 
tives of  Norway.  They  came  to  America  in 
1867,  lived  three  years  in  Goodhue  county,  Min- 
nesota, and  then  came  to  Jackson  county  and 
located  on  their  homestead  where  Lakefield 
now  stands.  At  tliat  time  there  was  no  Tyake- 
field-  and  no  railroad.  It  took  one  week  to 
get  lumber  from  Madelia  with  oxen  with  which 
to  build  their  abode.  On  this  place  they  spent 
the  rest  of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Larson  died  in 
1902  at  the  age  of  75  years  and  Afr.  Larson 
died  in  190,3  at  the  age  of  07  years. 

Lena  11.,  the  only  child  of  these  parents,  was 
born  August  24,  IS".^.  .She  completed  a  com- 
mon school  education  at  Lakefield  and  then, 
to  fit  herself  for  teaching,  she  took  a  course  of 
three  terms  at  the  Mankato  Normal  school. 
She  (aught  four  years  in  the  schools  of  Jack- 
son county  and  was  married  to  Arthur  .L 
Sparks  in  1899.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sparks  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  Stacey  IT., 
Florence  C.  M.,  1).  Roscoe,  11.  Ruth,  Clarence 
J.,  Theodore  A.  and  Eugene  L. 


SAMTTEL  PAHT-  M890)  is  the  proprietor  of 
a  general  merchandise  store  at  Okabena.  He 
was  born  in  Norway  July  18,  1860,  son  of  the 


lute  Amfred  lialjl  and  Alma  Dahl.     His  father 
died   in   1889. 

At  the  age  of  ten  years  Sam  Dahl  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  where  he  resided 
until  1880,  securing  an  education  and  working 
at  fjirni  work.  From  1880  to  1890  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Murray  county,  Minne- 
sota, and  in  August  of  the  last  named  year 
located  in  the  village  of  Heron  Lake.  He 
bought  grain  there  for  a  n\iraber  of  years  and 
then  started  in  the  general  merchandise  store 
business  at  the  little  hamlet  of  Okabena.  He 
owns  stock  in  the  Farmers  Telephone  com- 
l>any  and  has  served  as  treasurer  of  West  Her- 
on Lake  township  for  eight  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Woodmen 
lodges. 

.Mr.  Dahl  was  married  May  17,  1891,  to 
Mary  Rogncs.  They  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  named  children:  Albert  M..  born 
.Vugust  29.  1893:  Lillian  O..  born  XovemlH-r  4. 
1896:  Nettie  A.,  born  December  l.i,  1899;  Sid- 
ney M..  born  April  21,  1902;  Edith  M.,  born 
Alarch  12,  1904:  Chester  F.,  born  November  4. 
190.i. 


DR.  IVER  S.  BENSON  (1881),  physician 
and  surgeon  of  Jackson,  is  a  native  of  the 
county  and  the  son  of  pioneer  settlers.  His 
parents  were  Ben  and  Bertha  (Lostegard)  Ben- 
son, born  in  Norway  April  18.  1820,  and  Feb- 
ruary 21.  183.1,  respectively.  They  came  to 
.America  in  1807  and  to  Jackson  county  in  Oc- 
tober of  the  same  year.  The  head  of  the  fam- 
ily filed  a  homestead  claim  to  the  northwest" 
quarter  of  section  .'?2,  Petersburg  township, 
and  he  and  his  wife  lived  there  the  rest  of 
their  lives.  The  father  of  our  siibject  died  in 
(he  spring  of  1000;  his  mother  died  in  Feb- 
ruary. 1882. 

There  were  sixteen  children  in  the  family, 
of  whom  three  died  in  infancy.  The  thirteen 
living  children  .ire:  Ben,  born  April  IS,  18.')5; 
Ashley,  born  September  21.  18/iO:  Sigrid  (Mrs. 
Lars  Nelson).  Iwirn  Oc(ober  9.  1800;  Ragnhild 
(Mrs.  F.  E.  Murray!,  born  November  5,  1803: 
Peter,  liorn  .January  30,  180.5;  Engebrct,  born 
February  12,  1867;  Berget  (Mrs.  S.  A.  Bruns- 
vold),  born  January  14.  1869;  Andrew,  born 
Alay  20.  1871;  Marget  (Mrs.  S.  H.  Darby), 
born  April  6,  1874:  Louis,  born  April  2.5.  1876: 
.Tohn.  born  August  25.  1877;  Anna,  born  June 
23,  1879;  Iver  S.,  born  October  3,  1881. 


DR.   IVER  S.   BENSON 
Physician  and  Surgeon  of  Jackson  and  a  Native  of  Jackson  County. 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


449 


Iver  S.  Benson,  the  youngest  of  this  Uirge 
family,  was  born  in  Petersburg  township  and 
spent  his  boyhood  days  on  tlie  farm,  attend- 
ing the  district  school.  In  the  fall  of  1897 
he  entered  Augustana  college  of  Canton,  .South 
Dakota,  and  was  a  student  there  until  liis_ 
graduation  in  the  spring  of  1901.  During  the 
next  year  he  was  engaged  in  teaching  school, 
conducting  a  six  months'  term  in  Iowa  and  a 
three  months'  term  in  Jackson  county.  In 
the  fall  of  1902  he  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine at  Hamline  university  and  was  a  student 
there  two  years.  He  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  of  Chicago,  in  1904, 
from  which  he  received  his  diploma  in  the 
spring  of  1906.  Immediately  after  gi-aduation 
Dr.  Benson  was  appointed  resident  physician 
and  surgeon  of  tlie  Norwegian  Deaconess  hos- 
pital in  Chicago  and  served  in  that  capacity 
one  year.  He  located  in  Jackson  in  the  spring 
of  1907  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession. 

Dr.  Benson  now  conducts  a  hispital  and  has 
his  office  and  residence  in  the  new  Matuska 
&  Skalicky  block,  opposite  the  postoffice.  Dr. 
Benson  holds  membership  in  the  Jackson 
County  Medical  society,  the  Minnesota 
State  Medical  society  and  American  Medical 
association.  Fraternally  he  is  associated  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Equitable  Fraternal 
Union,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  Sons  of  Koiway.  He  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 

In  the  city  of  Minneajiolis,  on  .Tune  14,  1907, 
Dr.  Benson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Kather- 
ine  Oberg,  who  was  bovn  in  Sweden  and  who 
came  to  America  and  to  Minneapolis  at  the 
age  of  six  years.  She  is  the  daughte'-  ')!  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Oberg. 


CHARLES  IT.  JIEYER  (18S6)  is  a  farmer 
and  stockraiser  of  Petersburg  township.  He 
was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  October  29, 
1861,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Ludje) 
Meyer. 

Mr.  Meyer  came  to  America  when  sixteen 
and  one-half  years  of  age.  landing  in  New 
York  city  April  28,  1878.  He  located  first  in 
DuPage  county,  Illinois,  where  for  four  years 
he  lived  on  a  farm.  Then  he  went  to  a  point 
west  of  Chicago  and  worked  at  the  carpenter 
trade  two  years.  Then  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence in  the  city  of  Chicago,  he  continued  to 
work  at  his  trade  twenty-three  months  long- 


er. On  July  2,  1885,  he  went  to  Fond  du 
Lac,  ^Visconsin,  worked  at  his  trade  until  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1SS6,  returned  to  Chicago,  and  im- 
mediately set  out  for  Jackson  county,  arriv- 
ing on  March  25,  1886.  His  total  possessions 
at  the  time  of  his  arrival  were  his  chest  of 
tools  and  two  sets  of  clothes.  He  came  with 
the  intention  of  soon  returning  to  Fond  du 
Lac,  Wisconsin,  but  he  liked  the  looks  of  the 
country  and  decided  to  remain.  From  the  date 
of  his  arrival  until  his  marriage  in  1891  Mr. 
Meyer  lived  with  the  family  of  Mr.  Sohroeder 
in  Petersburg  township  and  worked  at  the  car- 
penter trade.  Then  he  bought  property  and 
engaged  in  farming,  which  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed. 

;\Ir.  Meyer  owns  240  acres  of  land  in  section 
1".  Petersburg.  He  owns  stock  in  the  Peters- 
burg Creamery  company  and  in  a  threshing 
company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Petersburg 
German  Lutheran  church  and  holds  the  office 
of  chiuTli  treasurer. 

Mr.  Meyer  married  Miss  Lena  Schroeder  in 
1891.  To  them  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  Ida  S.,  born  May  2,  1892;  Edward, 
born  March  .3,  1895;  Elmer,  born  August  19, 
1899,  died  January  13,  1908;  Alice,  born  March 
22,  1902;  Ellsworth,  born  June  21,  1904;  Lilly, 
born  June  14,  1909. 


THOMAS  H.  GRINAGER  (1889) ,  deceased.was 
a  resident  of  Delafield  township  nineteen  years, 
liaving  nuide  his  liomc  iluring  that  time  on  his 
farm  two  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Wilder. 
He  was  born  in  Westre  Toten,  Norway,  May 
3,  1824,  the  son  of  Hans  Hanson  and  Helen 
(Peterson)   Hanson. 

Early  in  life  Mr.  Grinagcr  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, later  becoming  a  blacksmith  and  engaging 
in  that  business  for  several  years.  He  came  to 
America  in  the  fall  of  1888  and  located  at 
Stoughton,  Wisconsin.  The  next  spring  he 
came  to  Jackson  county,  and  from  that  time 
imtil  his  death  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Dela- 
field township.  Upon  his  arrival  he  bought 
the  north  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 30— a  farm  which  is  now  owned  by  his 
widow  and  conducted  by  his  son,  Hans  Grin- 
agcr. Our  subject  was  a  member  of  the  United 
Lutheran  church.     He  died  June  16,  1908. 

Thomas  Giinager  was  married  in  Norway 
April  27,  1859.  to  Andrena  Hanson,  who  sur- 
vives her  husband.  To  this  union  were  born 
the   following  named   children:     Hanna    (Mrs 


450 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


.Joliii  Aker),  of  Jancsvillo,  Wisconsin,  born  Au 
«ust  21,  1860;  IV'tra  (Mrs.  .Mike  Jolinson),  of 
Wcimor  lownsliip,  born  January  20,  ISfiS,  died 
May  3,  lilOS;  Jolin,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin, 
liorii  .March  f),  1805;  Tliea  (.Mrs.  .Jacob  T.  Ulls- 
nes),  of  .Norway,  born  June  !t.  1808:  An^usln 
(Mrs.  .Tolin  .lolinson),  of  Cottonwood  county, 
born  February  15,  1871;  Helen  (Mrs.  John 
r.arson),  of  Dclatield  (ownsbip,  born  November 
14.  1874:  Hans,  who  resides  at  home,  born  Feb 
ruary  20.  1878:  Albert,  born  .\prll  3.  1882, 
dieil  July  (!.  1!M)S. 

Hans  (irinager  has  conducted  the  farm  since 
his  father's  death  and  farms  in  addition  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  19,  which  he 
rents.    He  is  unmarried. 


CIIHI.ST  B.\UER  (1SS3)  owns  240  acres  of 
land  on  sections  12  and  II.  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship, where  he  has  lived  nearly  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  He  is  a  German  by  birth  and  was 
born  June  24.  18.56,  one  of  a  family  of  two 
boys.  Hoth  liis  parents  are  dead,  his  mother 
havinj;  died  when  he  was  ten  years  old,  his 
father  twenty  years  ago. 

Christ  Hauer  lived  in  Germany  twenty-six 
years,  of  which  the  first  fouiteen  were  spent 
at  home,  the  others  workinf;  on  farms.  He 
came  to  .\nicrica  in  1882.  lived  one  year  in 
Cook  county.  Illinois,  and  then  came  to  Jack- 
son county.  For  four  years  he  worked  out 
and  then  in  1,887  bought  his  present  farm, 
where  he  has  ever  since  lived,  making  all  the 
improvements  on  the  farm.  During  his  long 
residence  in  Heron  Lake  township  Mr.  Bauer 
has  held  several  township  and  .school  offices. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 

Jlr.  Bauer  was  married  in  Jackson  county  in 
April.  1880,  to  Mrs.  Will  Bauer,  a  native  of 
(iermany.  To  them  have  been  born  three  chil 
dren,  named  as  follows:  Rosa,  born  June  24. 
1890;  Herman,  born  Det'ember  6.  1801:  Fmma, 
born  May  30.  180.5.  By  her  first  liusband  .Mrs. 
Bauer  is  the  mother  of  five  children,  Frida. 
Itora.   ^loln.  Ernie  and   Will. 


mother.  Sarah  H.  (Meek)  Rank,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  resides  in  Cottonwood  county  and  is 
f'"  years  of  age. 

Our  subject  moved  from  Fulton  county,  In- 
diana, with  his  parents  in  1870,  to  Cotton- 
wood county,  .Minnesota,  and  made  his  home 
on  the  farm  there  until  he  was  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  During  the  years  1882  and  1883 
he  was  an  engineer  on  a  Lake  Superior  lighter 
owned  liy  .Alex  McDougal,  the  inventor  of 
whaleback  freight  vessels.  During  this  time 
his  headquarters  were  at  Dulutli.  In  188.5  Mr. 
Rank  left  the  home  farm,  rented  a  farm  in 
Cottonwood  county,  and  engaged  in  farming  it 
eleven  years. 

Mr.  Rank  moved  to  Wilder  in  1806  and  built 
the  creamery  at  that  point.  This  he  conducted 
a  number  of  years  and  then  sold  to  the  Farm- 
ers Cooperative  Creamery  company.  .After  sell- 
ing the  creamery  he  engaged  in  the  general 
merchandise  business  in  Wilder  and  has  since 
conducted  the  store.  He  was  appointed  post- 
master of  the  village  May  1,  1002,  and  still 
holds  the  office.  He  is  president  of  the  village 
council  and  has  served  as  village  treasurer.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  and 
the  M.  W.  A.  lodges. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Rank  occurred  in  Cot 
tonwood  coiinty  May  21,  1885.  when  he  wedded 
Miss  .Mice  Marie  Smith,  a  native  of  Alankato. 
To  this  iinion  have  been  born  the  following 
named  children:  Maud  E.,  Ruth  M..  Clarence 
E..  Robert  S.,  Marie  and  Spencer. 

Mr.  Hank  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  five  named  are  living:  John 
^^'.,  Catherine,  Elizabeth,  Samuel  L.  and  Elmer. 


SAMl'EL  L.  RANK  (1896),  postmaster  of 
Wilder  and  proprietor  of  a  general  merchandise 
store  in  that  village,  is  a  native  of  Fulton 
co\inty.  Indiana,  and  was  horn  .April  4.  18.59. 
His  father  was  Amos  Rank,  a  native  of  Penn 
sylvania,    who   died    twenty   years    ago.     His 


BENJAMIN-  MATTESON  (1883),  proprie- 
tor of  a  Jackson  jewelry  store,  was  born  in 
Norway  St-pteuiber  16,  1848,  the  son  of  Matt 
and  Marih  (Johnson)  Matteson.  In  his  native 
land  he  secured  his  education  and  worked  on 
his  father's  farm.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  August.  K867,  and  located  in  Winne- 
shiek county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer  two  years.  The  next  two  years  were 
spent  in  .Allamakee  county,  Iowa,  and  from 
there  he  went  to  Mason  City,  of  the  same 
state. 

Mr.  Matteson  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade 
in  JIason  City  two  years  and  then  moved  to 
Worth  county,  where  he  bought  a  farm  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  three  or 
four  years.     Having  traded  his  Iowa  farm  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


451 


one  in  iFartin  county,  Minnesota,  Mr.  Matte- 
son  moved  to  tlie  latter  place  anil  farmed  until 
1880.  He  then  married  and  moved  to  Emmet 
county,  Iowa,  wlience,  after  farming  two  years, 
lie  moved  to  .Jackson  village  in  1883.  For 
tliree  years  he  worked  at  tlie  carpenter  trade 
there  and  then  put  in  three  years  at  his  trade 
in  Estlierville,  Iowa.  Returning  to  Jackson  in 
the  fall  of  1889,  he  engaged  in  the  jewelry 
business,  having  bought  out  J.  W.  Cowing, 
and  for  the  past  twenty  years  has  been  so 
engaged. 

Mr.  ilatteson  was  married  at  Superior,  Iowa, 
in  1880  to  .Jennette  Andersen,  a  native  of  Yel- 
lowstone, Lafayette  county,  Wisconsin,  and  a 
daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Olena  Andersen.  Mrs. 
Matteson's  parents  came  from  Norway  in  an 
early  day  and  Avere  pioneers  of  Dickinson  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  where  they  both  still  reside.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matteson  has  been  born  one 
child.  Mina  0..  now  Mrs.  Frank  Albertus.  of 
.Jackson.  Mr.  Matteson  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  and  51.  W.  A.  lodges. 


LORENZ  STUMPF  (1887),  Ewington  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  in  Germany  September 
12,  18G(i,  the  only  child  born  to  Kammillins 
and  .Johanna  Stumpf,  both  deceased.  His 
mother  dying  when  he  was  an  infant,  Lorenz 
was  brought  up  in  the  family  of  a  relative. 
He  secured  nine  years'  schooling  and  when 
young  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade,  working 
at  it  six  years  in  the  old  country. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  .July,  1880,  Mr. 
Stumpf  landed  in  the  new  world.  He  located 
in  Lake  county,  Illinois,  worked  out  there  one 
year,  and  during  the  month  of  October,  1887, 
arrived  in  .Tackson  county,  which  has  ever 
since  been  his  home.  LTntil  he  was  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age  he  worked  out  on  farms  in 
Ewington  township.  Then  he  married  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  farming  for  himself  on 
rented  farms,  two  years  of  the  time  in  Rost 
township,  the  balance  in  Ewington.  His  pres- 
ent location  is  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion   1.5. 

Mr.  Stumpf  was  married  in  .Jackson  October 
26,  189.3,  to  .Johanna  .Janssen,  who  was  born 
in  Germany  April  21,  1874.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  G.  Janssen,  of  Ewington  township. 
Her  mother  is  dead.  Mr.  Stumpf  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  He  serv- 
ed as  road  overseer  two  years  and  has  been 
township  assessor  for  the  past  two  years. 


HERMAN  POHLMAN  (1884),  who  owns  a 
fine  farm  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Heron 
Lake  township — in  that  part  of  the  township 
which  was  formerly  a  part  of  West  Heron 
I^ake  township — came  to  Jackson  county  when 
he  was  nine  years  of  age  and  has  spent  the 
rest  of  his  life  as  a  resident  of  this  political 
division.  His  farm  consists  of  2.5.3  acres  on 
section  2. 

(Uu'  subject  is  a  German  by  birth  and  was 
born  August  15,  1875.  His  father,  Carl  Pohl- 
nian,  died  in  1902;  his  mother.  Cliristina  (Gies- 
elman)  Pohlman,  resides  with  her  son.  Her- 
man crossed  the  water  with  his  parents  in  the 
spring  of  1SS4,  and  on  the  24th  day  of  March, 
1884,  the  family  arrived  in  Lakefield.  Our 
subject  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  on  section 
8,  Heron  Lake  township,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Jackson  county  district  schools. 
In  1891  Carl  Pohlman  bought  the  farm  wliich 
is  now  owned  by  Herman.  The  latter  wod-;ed 
for  his  father  until  1898;  then  ho  bought  the 
home  farm  and  has  ever  since  conducted  it. 
Mr.  Pohlman  is  one  of  the  stockholders  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Lakefield.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Pohlman  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
township  July  4,  1897,  to  Annie  Daberkow,  who 
was  born  in  Germany  and  who  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1893.  To  them  have  been 
born  the  following  named  five  children:  Wil- 
liam, born  May  30,  1899:  Helen,  born  Septem- 
ber 8,  1901;  August  and  Herman  (twins),  born 
September  4.  1903 ;  Arthur,  born  February  20, 
1907. 


ALBERT  A.  LEV  (1890)  has  been  a  resident 
of  .Jackson  county  for  the  past  nineteen  years 
and  resides  on  his  farm  in  Des  Moines  town- 
ship which  was  formerly  the  Ole  Anderson 
homestead,  and  is  located  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  sixteen.  Mr.  Lev  was  born 
in  Bohemia  .June  13,  1873,  and  at  the 
age  of  twelve  j'ears  accompanied  his  parents 
to  the  Uiuted  States,  and  first  made  settle- 
ment in  Linn  county,  Iowa,  where  he  resided 
five  years.  Then  the  family  came  to  Jackson 
county  and  located  on  the  south  half  of  the 
northwest  quarter,  section  8,  in  Des  Moines 
township,  where  our  subject  lived  with  his 
parents  and  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  then  married  and 
rented  a  farm  in  Hunter  township  for  a  per- 


45: 


BIOGKAIMIICAL  IIISTOKY. 


iod  of  four  yi>ars.  In  1001  lie  purchased  tlic 
farm  on  wliicli   he   lias  since  resided. 

He  is  tlie  son  of  All)ert  and  Anna  Lev.  The 
former  resides  with  his  son.  P'rank,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  .Jackson.  Uis  wife  dinl  April  in.  1909. 
at  the  a;'e  of  70  years.  They  are  the  parents 
of  the  followiiij;  children:  Mary  (Mrs.  Frank 
Viner),  Alberl.  I'rank  and  Anna  (Mrs.  William 
Itenda). 

Albert  Lev  was  married  in  the  village  of 
Jackson  on  November  9,  1897,  to  Miss  Mary 
Renda.  a  native  of  Iowa.  They  arc  the  par- 
ents of  five  children,  namely:  Willie.  Anna, 
Lulu,  Julia  and  Henry. 

Jlr.  Lev  now  holds  the  office  of  director  in 
school  district  7,  and  also  is  treasurer  of  the 
township  board,  having  held  both  offices  the 
past  seven  years.  He  is  ahso  secretary  of  the 
West  Des  Moines  Telephone  line.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters 
and  of  the  Catholic  ehurch. 


CHARLES  F.  WOLFF  (1887),  a  Middletown 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
capo  September  16,  1873,  the  son  of  Charles 
and  Hannah  (Lindeburg)  Wolff,  now  residents 
of  .Jackson.  His  parents  were  born  and  mar- 
ried in  Germany,  coming  to  America  soon  after 
their  marriage.  They  lived  in  Cook  county,  Il- 
linois, for  several  years,  and  since  1SS7  have 
been  residents  of  Jackson  county.  Cliarles  is 
one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  named  as 
follows:  Otto,  Anna,  Hattie,  Charles,  John, 
Frances,  Henry  and  Sophia. 

When  our  subject  was  about  one  year  of 
ape  the  family  moved  from  Chicago  onto  a 
market  garden  farm  near  the  city,  and  that 
was  the  home  of  our  subject  until  he  came  to 
Jackson  county  with  his  parents  in  1887.  One 
year  was  spent  on  the  farm  in  Petersburg 
township,  and  then  the  elder  Wolff  moved  to 
his  farm  in  southern  Middletown  township, 
where  he  resided  until  1898.  when  he  located 
in  .Tackson.  Charles  worked  for  his  father  on 
the  farm  tintil  he  was  twenty-five  years  of  age. 
Then  he  rented  the  home  farm,  consisting  of  8 
half  seetioH  on  sections  3.5  and  36.  and  has 
since  been  engaged  in  business  for  himself. 

Mr.  WolIT  was  married  in  Jackson  .Taniiary 
10.  lOOfi.  to  Marie  Olson,  a  native  of  .Tackson 
county.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Margaret  (Haverberg)  Olsim,  who  are  pioneer 
settlers  of  the  county  and  who  now  live  in 
Jackson.     Two  daughters  have   been   bom   to 


.Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolff:     Viona,  born  October  19, 
l!tO(>.  and  Slargaret,  born  September  12,  1909. 


JOHN  KATUS  (1894).  farmer  and  land  own- 
er of  Ewington  township,  is  a  native  of  Hun- 
gary and  was  born  November  27,  1852.  Until 
nearly  twenty:-one  years  of  age  he  resided  with 
his  parents  in  his  native  land,  attending  school 
and  working  on  ll:e  farm.  He  served  one 
month  in  the  army,  just  before  his  departure 
for  America,  but  his  father  secured  his  release 
and  the  son  came  to  America. 

It  was  in  the  year  1873  that  John  Katus 
arrived  in  the  new  world.  He  spent  the  first 
eight  months  in  Indiana,  lived  a  short  time 
in  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and  then  took 
up  his  residence  in  the  city  of  Streator.  After 
working  eleven  years  in  the  coal  mines  in  that 
city.  Mr.  Katus  met  with  an  accident  in  the 
mine  which  resulted  in  a  broken  leg.  He  then 
gave  up  mining  and  engaged  in  business.  In 
1894  Mr.  Katus  came  to  Jackson  county, 
bought  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  22, 
Ewington  township,  and  has  since  been  engag- 
ed in  farming  the  place.  The  farm  was  raw- 
prairie  land  when  he  bought  and  all  the  im- 
provements are  the  result  of  his  work.  Since 
coming  to  the  county  he  has  added  to  his  real 
estate  holdings  by  the  purchase  of  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  15,  and  he  farms  the 
entire  half  .section. 

Mr.  Katus  has  prospered  since  coming  to  the 
county.  In  the  year  1909  lie  harvested  about 
.'i..5O0  bushels  of  small  grain  and  2,000  bushels 
of  corn.  For  several  years  past  Mr.  Katus  and 
John  fJeides  have  been  engaged  in  the  thresh- 
ing business.  Mr.  Katus  has  stock  in  the 
Brewster  Creanii'ry  comjiany,  in  the  grain  ele- 
vator of  the  same  village  and  in  the  Brewster 
and  Round  Lake  Telephone  company.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Ewington  township  board  and 
for  nine  years  served  as  treasurer  of  school 
district    No.   99. 

.Tolin  Katus  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children 
living  born  to  John  and  Anna  (Rogolal  Katus, 
the  others  bcinjr  Annie,  Susan,  Mary,  Andrew 
and  Michael.  The  father  of  these  children 
lives  in  Streator  and  is  85  years  of  age.  The 
mother  died  in  1907,  aged  79  years. 

Mr.  Katus  was  married  in  Streator  .April  10, 
1.877,  to  Annie  Bartko,  also  a  native  of  Hun- 
gary, They  have  six  children,  as  follows:  An- 
drew, born  August  21,  1882;  Mary,  horn  De- 
cember 11,  1884;  Susie,  born  February  7,  1887; 


BlOGExiPHlCAL  IlISTOKY. 


453 


George,  born  August  3,  1S89;  Emma,  born  July 
20,  1892;  Clara,  born  May  28,  1898.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Slovak  Lutheran  church 
and  Mr.  Katus  is  a  member  of  the  Slovak 
lodge. 


HARRY  M.  BURNHAM  (1892)  is  the  pro- 
prietor of  one  of  Jackson's  leading  department 
stores.  He  is  a  native  of  London,  England, 
and  was  born  September  12,  1873,  the  son  of 
James  and  Maria   (Steele)   Burnham. 

In  his  native  city  Mr.  Burnham  lived  until 
1884.  That  year  he  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  parents  and  located  at  Wyckofif,  Minn- 
esota. Two  years  later  he  moved  to  Fair- 
mont, and  in  that  village  he  was  educated  and 
grew  to  ,manhood.  He  moved  to  Jackson  in 
the  fall  of  1892  and  that  village  has  since  been 
his  home.  He  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness in  1897  and  has  built  up  an  excellent 
trade,  having  one  of  the  neatest  and  best  ap- 
pointed stores  in  the  county.  He  built  his 
present  commodious  business   block  in  1903. 

Mr.  Burnham  was  married  in  Jackson  in 
September,  1898,  to  Miss  Mabel  Albertus, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  A.  Albertus.  To 
them  has  been  born  one  child,  Cecil  A. 

Mr.  Burnham  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  belonging  to  the  Knights  Templar  and 
Commandry  of  Fairmont,  and  the  Osman  Tem- 
ple of  St.  Paul.  He  is  at  present  an  officer 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  state  and  is  a  past 
master  of  Good  Faith  lodge  No.  90,  of  Jackson. 
He  also  holds  membership  in  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  lodge.  Mr.  Burnham  has  served 
as  president  of  the  Jackson  village  council 
and  of  the  board  of  education. 


with  his  parents.     He  is  a  member  of  the  M. 
\V.  A.  and  A.  O.  U.  W.  lodges. 

Tlie  parents  of  our  subject  are  Peter  and 
Christina  (Brest)  Reimers.  The  former  was 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  locating  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa.  He  was  married  at  Elkhart,  Il- 
linois. Mrs.  Reimers  was  born  in  Ohio.  There 
are  eight  children  in  the  family,  as  follows: 
Henry,  Kate,  John,  Will,  Phoebe,  George,  Fred 
and  Lucy. 


JOHN  BARNETT  (1888),  who  conducts  a 
lumber  yard  at  Okabena,  is  a  native  of  the 
Orkney  Islands,  where  he  was  born  November 
23,  1856,  the  son  of  James  and  Margaret  (Wal- 
lace) Barnett.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  in 
his  native  land,  receiving  a  common  school 
education.  He  learned  the  mason's  trade  and 
followed  that  occupation  many  years. 

Mr.  Barnett  came  to  America  in  1882,  lived 
two  years  in  Canada,  and  then  came  to  the 
United  States.  After  residing  four  years  in 
Sibley,  Iowa,  Mr.  Barnett,  in  August,  1888, 
came  to  Jackson  county  and  located  in  West 
Heron  Lake  township,  southwest  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  present  village  of  Okabena,  where 
he  worked  on  a  farm  several  years.  In  1898 
he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business  in  Okabena 
and  has  since  been  so  engaged.  Mr.  Barnett 
owns  his  home  in  Okabena.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  of  the  M.  W. 
A.  lodge  No.  7918,  of  which  he  has  been  clerk 
for  nine  j-ears.  He  served  as  clerk  of  West 
Heron  Lake  township  seven  years. 

On  February  23,  1902,  Mr.  Barnett  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Alice  Cramblit. 


FRED  REIMERS  (1891)  is  a  Siou.x  Valley 
township  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Tama  coxm- 
ty,  Iowa,  May  31,  1880,  and  when  seven  years 
of  age  accompanied  his  parents  to  Lake  Park. 
The  family  lived  in  that  village  a  year  and 
a  half  and  then  moved  onto  a  farm  near  the 
town,  where  our  subject  resided  until  1891. 
working  on  the  farm  and  attending  the  school. 

In  1S91  the  family  moved  to  Sioux  Valley 
township  and  leased  the  west  half  of  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  26.  Fred  worked  for 
his  father  on  the  farm  imtil  1902.  Then  he 
rented  the  farm  and  has  since  conducted  it  for 
himself.     He  is  unmarried  and  makes  his  home 


WHXIAM  HAIG^ON  (1892)  is  a  resident  of 
Jackson.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late  John  Ham- 
Ion  aiid  Mary  Hamlon.  John  Hamlon  was  born 
in  Albany,  New  York,  September  10,  1841,  and 
when  two  years  old  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Chicago,  where  his  father  was  drowned  in 
1844,  and  his  mother  died  in  1848.  John  Ham- 
lon was  then  "bound  out"  for  eleven  years. 
Ill  1850  he  started  out  for  the  gold  fields  of 
California  in  company  with  a  brother  and  a 
party,  but  before  getting  out  of  the  state  he 
gave  up  the  undertaking  and  settled  in  Men- 
dota,  Illinois.  There  he  lived  until  1869  and 
then  moved  to  Ford  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
resided  until  1892.     Coming  to  Jackson  county 


454 


BIOUIJAPIIICAL  IIISTOHY. 


that  ycnr  Mr.  Hamlon  mado  liis  home  here  un- 
til his  ilciitli,  whicli  occurred  December  17, 
1896.  Hi.s  wife  now  makes  her  home  with  her 
son  in  Jac-kson. 

William  llamlon  was  born  to  tliese  parents 
at  -Mcmiota,  Illinois,  Xovenilier  28,  1SC5,  one  of 
a  familv  of  four  oliildreii,  all  living.  The 
other  children  arc  Chauncj',  a  dentist  of  Lam- 
brrton.  Minnesota;  Minnie  (Mrs.  William  Lynn) 
and  Kmma  (Mrs.  William  Baker).  When  be 
wos  four  years  old  William  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Tord  county.  He  spent  his  winters 
11 1  tending  the  district  schools  and  his  summers 
working  on  his  father's  farm.  He  came  to 
Jackson  county  with  his  parents  in  the  spring 
of  1802  and  located  in  Middlctown  township, 
making  his  home  with  his  parents.  He  assist- 
ed in  the  management  of  the  farms — his  fa- 
ther having  purchased  1040  acres  in  Middle- 
town  and  Dcs  Moines  townships.  After  his  fa- 
ther's death  in  189(i  Mr.  llamlon  worked  part 
of  tlie  farm  on  bis  own  account,  and  then 
moved  to  Jackson,  where  he  lias  since  resided. 

Mr.  Hamlon  owns  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  5,  Middletown.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  W.  A.  lodge.  Mr.  Hamlon  has  never  mar- 
ried. 


IIKRMAN"  FnODKR.MANN  (1890),  Rost 
township  farmer  and  stockman,  was  born  in 
Ilolstein.  licrmany,  February  10,  1867,  the  sou 
of  August  and  Magdalena  (Hendricks)  Fro- 
dermaun.  His  father  died  at  Holstein,  Ger- 
many, in  1878,  aged  43  years;  his  mother,  who 
was  born  in  1833,  still  lives  in  her  native  land. 

Herman  lived  in  Germany  \intil  twenty-two 
years  of  age.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm 
and  after  growing  up  worked  its  a  farm  la- 
borer. He  came  to  America  in  1889,  landing  in 
New  York  March  28.  He  spent  the  first  eight 
months  of  his  life  in  the  new  world  working 
on  a  farm  in  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  and  then 
went  to  Holstein,  Ida  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
■was  employed  on  a  farm  until  the  spring  of 
1891. 

Mr.  Frodermann  first  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty in  the  fall  of  1890,  was  here  a  short  time 
anil  then  returned  to  Ida  county.  In  Marcb, 
1891.  he  returned  to  Jackson  county  to  reside 
pernumently.  He  worked  out  one  year  in 
Rost  township,  and  then  engaged  in  farming 
on  his  own  account.  One  year  he  farmed  the 
Peter  Tordsen  farm  and  the  next  year  the 
Charles  Schmidt  farm,  both  in  Rost  township. 


Mr.  Frodermann  next  rented  the  Fred  Flag- 
man farm  in  Siou.x  Valley  township  and  farm- 
ed it  eleven  years.  He  farmed  the  Stelk  farm 
in  Rost  two  years,  and  on  March  1,  1907,  lo- 
cated on  the  S.  M.  Richards  farm  in  Rost, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  In  the  fall  of  1909 
he  became  a  land  owner,  having  purchased 
a  120  acre  farm  on  section  34,  Rost  township. 

Mr.  Frodermann  engages  extensively  in  stock 
raising,  shipping  his  own  stock.  He  has  in- 
terests in  the  Rost  creamery,  the  cooperative 
store  at  Lakefield  and  the  farmers  elevator  of 
(he  same  town.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  0. 
T.  M.  and  the  .M.  W.  A.  lodges. 

In  Sioux  Valley  township  on  October  11, 
1891,  Mr.  Frodermann  was  married  to  Dora 
Grimm,  who  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany, 
JIarch  23,  1874,  and  who  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1889.  To  them  have  been  born  five 
children  as  follows:  Lizzie,  born  April  7,  1892; 
August,  born  JIarch  30,  1894;  Kmma,  born  De- 
cember 20,  1895;  Mary,  born  January  26,  1898; 
Krwin.  hnrn  Frbruarv  5,  1900. 


OLIVER  W.  IIROWN  (1887),  foreman  of  the 
round  house  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Rj\ilway  company  at  Jackson,  lias  led  an 
interesting  and  eventful  life,  the  last  twenty- 
three  years  of  which  have  been  spent  in  Jack- 
son. He  was  born  at  Frederick's  \'arn,  which 
was  at  the  time  the  location  of  the  Norwegian 
navy  yards,  Norway,  on  December  7,  1841,  the 
son  of  Kdward  and  Olevia    (Brown)    Brown. 

^^^len  Oliver  was  a  mere  child  bis  mother 
died  and  he  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  at 
Horten,  Norway,  to  which  place  the  navy  yards 
had  been  moved  from  Frederick's  Varn.  There 
he  received  a  meager  education  and  served  an 
apprenticeship  in  the  navy  yards.  At  an  early 
age  he  shipped  as  n  seafaring  man  in  the  Nor- 
wegian naval  mail  service  and  followed  that 
occupation  until  1862.  For  several  years  there- 
after he  served  in  the  capacity  of  ship's  ma- 
chinist  and   visited   many   foreign   countries. 

In  the  latter  part  of  ISGO  Mr.  Brown,  while 
at  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  shipped  with  the 
American  navy,  taking  service  on  the  United 
States  warship  Canandaigua,  which  had  been 
Iniilt  during  the  civil  war  for  a  blockade  run- 
ner, and  which  at  the  time  was  one  of  a 
squadron  \mder  the  command  of  .Admiral  Far- 
ragut,  on  a  cruise  of  the  world.  Over  three 
years  were  spent  on  this  trip,  the  squadron 
visiting  every  civilized  portion   of   the  world, 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


455 


and  landing  at  the  Brooklyn  navy  yard  during 
the  holidays  of  1869.  Upon  leaving  his  ship 
at  that  time  Mr.  Brown  enlisted  in  the  United 
States  navy  as  a  blacksmith,  but  his  skill  as 
a  mechanic  soon  won  him  promotion  to  the 
position  of  machinist.  He  was  lionorably  dis- 
charged at  Brooklyn. 

Having  saved  up  quite  a  sum  of  Spanish 
gold,  Mr.  Brown  exchanged  it  for  coin  of  the 
realm  and  went  to  Xewburg,  on  the  Hudson 
river,  wliere,  in  partnership  with  a  retired 
naval  officer,  he  started  a  machine  shop  on 
an  extensi\e  scale.  The  enterprise  proved  a 
failure  and  for  a  short  time  thereafter  he 
worked  at  his  trade  at  Cold  Springs,  near 
West  Point,  New  York,  and  at  Jersey  City. 
Tn  the  fall  of  1871  he  turned  his  face  west- 
ward and  landed  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  until  the  big  fire  of  Oc- 
tober, 1871.  After  that  never-to-be-forgotten 
event  he  went  to  Milwaukee  and  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Milwaukee  railroad,  and  with 
the  exception  of  seven  months  during  the 
panic  of  1873,  he  has  been  continuously  in  the 
employ  of  that  railroad. 

During  the  seven  months  he  was  not  in  the 
employ  of  the  railroad  company  in  1873  Mr. 
Brown  built  and  put  in  operation  the  first 
steam  yacht  that  ever  plyed  the  waters  of  the 
Milwaukee  river.  The  vessel  was  successfully 
operated  as  a  pleasure  boat  for  three  seasons, 
and  then  went  out  of  commission  in  that  ser- 
vice because  of  the  carrying  away  by  flood 
of  the  Milwaukee  dam.  The  boat  was  then 
sold  to  a  fishing  firm  on  lake  Michigan.  The 
yaclit  was  supplied  with  a  fourteen  horse  pow- 
er uprji^lit  engine  and  had  a  speed  of  sixteen 
and  one-halt  knots  an  hour. 

When  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Milwau- 
kee road  at  Milwaukee  in  1871  Mr.  Brown 
served  as  machinist  and  later  was  made  fore- 
man of  the  round  house.  In  1887  he  moved 
to  Jackson  to  take  the  position  of  foreman 
of  the  round  house  of  the  Milwaukee  road  at 
that  point  and  lias  ever  since  served  in  tliat 
capacity. 

In  the  month  of  October,  1871,  in  the  city 
of  Chicago,  fourteen  days  before  the  big  fire, 
Mr.  Brown  was  married  to  Ovidia  Bay,  a  na- 
tive of  Norway.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown 
have  been  born  seven  children — two  sons  and 
five  daughters.  Both  sons  are  dead,  the  elder 
having  met  his  death  by  drowning  in  the  Mil- 
waukee river.  The  daughters  are  all  teachers, 
Milly    being   an    artist    of    great    ability,   and 


i5irdie  (Mrs.  Ainsley  Hughes),  is  a  talented 
musician,  having  studied  under  old  masters  in 
Norway  and  Chicago.  The  other  living  child- 
ren are  Hilda,  Grace  and  Maybelle. 

Mr.  Brown  owns  a  section  of  land  in  Wa- 
dena county,  Minnesota,  and  owns  considerable 
property  in  the  village  of  Jackson.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  village  council  two  terms 
and  has  been  a  member  of  the  board  of  educa- 
tion for  tlie  last  five  years. 


H.  B.  GILLESPIE  (1891),  member  of  the 
firm  of  W.  B.  Gillespie  &  Sons,  proprietor  of 
a  Jackson  hardware  store,  is  a  native  of  Osage, 
Iowa,  and  was  born  December  26,  1871,  the  son 
of  William  B.  and  .  Alice  (Batts)  Gillespie. 
Two  years  after  the  birth  of  our  subject  the 
family  moved  to  Traer,  Iowa,  and  at  that  place 
H.  B.  Gillespie  was  raised.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Traer  high  school. 

In  1889  our  subject  accompanied  his  parents 
to  Forest  City,  Iowa,  and  for  two  years  was 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business.  He  came 
to  Jackson  in  December,  1891,  and  in  partner- 
ship with  his  father  bought  the  Fiddes  hard- 
ware store,  in  which  he  has  since  had  an  inter- 
est. Besides  his  interest  in  the  store  Mr.  Gil- 
lespie owns  stock  in,  and  is  a  director  of,  the 
Jackson  National  Bank.  He  owns  property 
in  the  village  and  was  a  member  of  the  vil- 
lage council  from  1905  to  1907.  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  K.  P.,  A.  0.  U.  W.  and  M.  W. 
A.  lodges. 

Mr  Gillespie  was  married  September  6,  1899, 
to  Miss  Bella  G.  Hunter,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Margar- 
et H.,  born  August  12,  1902,  Helen  H.,  born 
September  8,  1904;  Hunter  R.,  born  January 
16.  1909. 


HENRY  SCHULTZ  (1888),  Enterprise  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Illinois, 
January  9,  1874,  the  son  of  Clirist  and  Dora 
(Howe)  Schultz.  His  parents  were  of  German 
birth  and  came  to  America  in  1868,  locating 
in  Illinois. 

Henry  came  to  Jackson  county  w'ith  his  par- 
ents in  1888  and  has  lived  in  Enterprise  town- 
ship ever  since,  with  the  exception  of  the 
year  1897,  when  he  resided  in  Wisconsin  town- 
ship. Until  he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age 
he  resided  at  home,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account. 


436 


BlUCiKArJIlcAl.   lliS'lOKV 


He  owns  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  3  and  an  undivided  interest  iu 
the  southeast  quarter  of  seelion  4,  and  has 
stork  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  com]inny  of 
Alpha. 

Mr.  Sehullz  was  married  November  5,  1902, 
to  Annie  Grunst,  who  was  born  September  15, 
1883.  Two  children  have  been  horn  to  this 
union:  Alfred,  born  October  4,  1903;  Walter, 
born  Ueeember  IS,  1907.  The  family  are  mem- 
biTs  of  the  German  LutliiT;iii  diurcli  of  Kiiu- 
ball. 


KIJAS  CKDARBERG  (1888),  who  owns  a 
quarter  section  farm  in  Heron  Lake  township, 
has  been  engaged  in  farining  there  for  the  last 
twenty-one  years.  He  was  born  in  Sweden 
August  23,  J859,  one  of  a  family  of  fourteen 
children  born  to  O.  T.  Falk  and  Pbarnella 
Falk.  The  living  children  are  Elias  Cedarberg, 
Annie  Johnson,  August  Olson,  Swan  Olson, 
Addlpli  (Mson,  Peter  Olson,  Otto  Olson,  Nellie 
.Ni-l-oii  and  Hilda  Hoah.  The  parents  of  these 
children  lived  in  Jackson  county  for  several 
years,  but  the  father  now  resides  in  his  native 
land;  the  mother  died  in  1900  at  the  age  of 
59   years. 

Klias  lived  with  his  parents  in  Sweden  until 
he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Then  he  shipped 
as  a  sailor  and  for  the  next  five  years  was  on 
the  water,  cruising  in  European  waters,  in 
the  West  Indies  and  the  Americas.  He  quit 
the  sea  in  June,  1879,  when  he  landed  in  New 
York  City,  where  he  was  paid  ofl'  and  honor- 
ably discharged.  He  went  to  Chesterton,  In- 
diana, where  for  one  year  he  worked  for  Thom- 
as lilackwell,  who  was  engaged  in  the  flour 
mill  and  saw  mill  business.  From  Ir\fliana 
Mr.  Cedarberg  went  (o  West  Union,  Iowa, 
wliere  for  one  suninicr  he  was  employed  as 
night  miller  in  a  Hour  mill.  He  next  went  to 
.Minneapolis  and  took  the  position  of  miller  in 
the  Washburn  A  (lovir  mill,  after  it  had  been  re- 
built following  the  disastrous  explosion  of  1879. 
He  was  with  the  milling  company  one  year 
and  then  had  to  quit  on  account  of  poor  eye- 
sight. 

Mr.  Cedarberg  next  engaged  in  railroading. 
He  went  to  Fargo,  North  Dakota,  as  the  fore- 
man of  a  carpenter  crew  for  a  railroad  con- 
tractor. One  year  later  he  took  charge  of  a 
construction  crew  on  the  Northern  Pacific 
railroad,  but  soon  gave  up  (hat  work  and  lo- 
cated in  St.  Paul.    There  he  was  made  emigra- 


tion agent  for  the  Union  Depot  company,  a  po- 
sition he  held  several  years.  In  1888  Mr.  Cedar- 
berg came  lu  Jackson  county  and  located  upon 
his  farm  on  sections  14  and  15,  Heron  Lake 
township,  which  he  had  bought  two  years  be- 
fore. He  has  made  all  the  improvements  on 
the  farm.  With  his  own  hands  he  built  tho 
commodious  home  he  occupies  and  set  out  tho 
trees   of   the  grove. 

riie  subject  of  this  biography  was  married 
ill  St.  Paul  January  11,  1884.  to  Alma  Olson, 
who  was  born  at  Kalmar,  Sweden,  March  13, 
1864,  and  who  came  to  America  in  1880.  To 
them  have  been  bom  two  children:  Allen, 
born  June  11.  1885;  Olga  (Mrs.  P.  C.  Brakke), 
of  Delafield  township,  born  in  188fi.  Mr.  Ce- 
darberg is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  and 
Workmen    lodges. 


CHARLES  M.  GAGE  (1885).  deceased,  the 
oldest  son  of  Solomon  Gage,  was  born  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Kane  county.  Illinois,  on  the 
25th  day  of  December,  in  the  year  18t)2.  He 
attended  a  country  school  that  was  located 
near  his  home  and  finished  his  education  at 
:i   seminary  at  Elgin,  Illinois. 

He  was  a  very  industrious  and  model  young 
man  and  the  old  farm  remained  bis  home  un- 
til 1885,  when  be  married  Eslella  MiCl.lland 
and  moved  to  Jackson  county,  Minnesota, 
where  he  purchased  the  south  half  of  section 
31  in  the  township  of  Belmont  and  developed 
it  into  one  of  the  best  stock  farms  in  the 
covinfy.  While  living  in  Belmont  township  he 
served  several  terms  as  chairman  of  the  town 
board  and  clerk  of  his  school  district. 

Mr.  Gage  was  the  father  of  seven  children. 
T.  Ernest  Gage,  born  November  3,  1885;  Fern 
Gage,  born  January  18.1887:  Florence  M.  (iage, 
liorn  February  2,  1890;  Bertie  Marie  Gage, 
born  April  IS,  1894:  Elmer  Gage,  born  October, 
18911,  were  born  on  the  above  named  farm. 
Harold  W.  Gage,  born  October  5,  1899,  and 
Sylvia  S.  Gage,  born  May  10,  1903,  were  born 
after  Jlr.  Gage  had  moved  his  family  into 
their  rew  home  he  had  built  in  Lakefield.  Min- 
nesota, in  1S97.  Fern  Gage  ilioil  of  diphtlirria 
iu  the  winter  of  1894  md  Flmer  Gage  only 
lived  to  be  ten  or  twelve  days  old.  Mr.  Gage 
left  his  farm  and  made  his  home  in  l«ikefield 
in  order  that  his  children  might  attend  the 
high  school.  He  entered  into  the  farm  im- 
plement business  in  partnership  willi  John 
Frederickson    at    Lakefield,   which    partnership 


CHARLES  M.   GAGE  (1863-1908) 
Who  for  Many  Years  was  Engaged  in  Business  in  Lal<efield. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


45: 


continued  until  1901,  when  E.  A.  Gage  bouglit 
out  Jir.  Kredciit-kson's  interest  in  the  business, 
and  the  lirm  heeanie  Icnown  as  Gage  Brothers. 
Mr.  Gage  died  at  liis  home  in  Laketield,  Min- 
nesota, on  July  10,  1908,  after  an  illness  of 
some  ten  days.  He  left  a  wife,  five  children 
and  a  great  many  friends  to  mourn  his  death. 
Mr.  Gage  was  a  thoughtful,  loving  husband, 
a  generous  father  and  a  loyal  citizen.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  A.  0.  U.  W.  and  the 
M.  W.  A.  lodges  of  Lakefield  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lakefield  Lodge  No.  2.50,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  Jackson  Chapter  No.  73,  R.  A.  M.,  Jack- 
son, Minnesota,  and  Fairmont  Comniaudery 
K.  T.  No.  27,  Fairmont,  Minnesota. 


consin,  April  7,  1870,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(iiooney)  O'Donnell.  He  received  a  common 
school  education  at  New  Diggings  and  resided 
with  his  parents  until  twenty-one  years  of 
age. 

In  1S91  Mr.  O'Donnell  went  to  Havelock,  Po- 
cahontas county,  Iowa,  remained  there  during 
the  following  winter  and  in  April,  1892, 
located  in  Jackson,  Minnesota,  where,  with 
the  exception  of  one  year  spent  in  Austin, 
Slinnesota,  lie  has  ever  since  resided. 

Mr.  O'Donnell  was  married  October  28,  1894, 
to  Miss  Reka  Hagerman.  To  them  have  been 
born  two  children:  Blanche  and  Edward.  Tlie 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 


GUST  BENSON  (1893)  is  one  of  the  big 
farmers  of  West  Heron  Lake  township,  in 
which  he  owns  400  acres  of  land  on  sections 
28  and  22.  He  was  'born  in  Sweden  May  5, 
18.58,  the  son  of  Nels  and  .Johanna  (Monson) 
Benson,  both  of  whom  died  in  their  native  land. 

Gust  was  educated  in  the  Swedish  schools 
and  until  eighteen  years  of  age  lived  with  his 
parents.  After  that  age  he  worked  for  his  own 
account  and  in  1883  came  to  the  United  States. 
He  located  first  at  Sugar  Notch,  Luzerne  coun- 
ty, Penn.sylvania,  where  he  worked  at  the  car- 
penter trade  four  years.  He  then  came  west 
and  for  several  years  worked  at  his  trade  in 
St.  Paul.  While  a  resident  of  the  Minnesota 
capital  city  Mr.  Benson  bought  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  22,  West  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship, and  in  1893  he  moved  onto  the  land 
and  began  f.Trming.  He  resided  on  that  farm 
six  years  and  bought  the  east  half  of  section 
28,  and  has  since  made  his  home  on  that  land, 
farming  the  whole  480  acres.  He  is  treasurer 
of   school   district   No.   90. 

Mr.  Benson  was  married  in  St.  Paul  Decem- 
ber 11,  1880,  to  Engri  Mortenson,  who  was 
born  in  S.veden,  the  daughter  of  Morten  Nel- 
son, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1884.  To 
them  have  been  born  the  followingg  named 
children:  Arthur,  born  April  28,  1890;  Alma, 
born  November  4,  1892;  Septer,  born  Septem- 
ber 26,  1899;  Herman,  born  February  3, 
1904.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  church. 


JOHN  G.  O'DONNELL   (1892),  a  citizen  and 

business    man   of    Jackson,    was    born   in    the 
town   of  New  Diggings,  Lafayette  county,  Wis- 


ANDKE  M.  ST.  JOHN  (1897),  vice  president 
of  the  St.  John  Grain  company,  and  manager 
of  the  Lakefield  branch,  is  of  the  ninth  gener- 
ation of  the  St.  John  family  since  its  arriv- 
al to  America  from  England  in  the  early 
days  of  the  country's  history.  His  parents  were 
Matthew  and  Eoxaline  (Pierce)  St.  John  and 
he  was  born  in  Albany  county,  New  York, 
May  6,  1846. 

Andre  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  farm  in 
Albany  county.  New  York,  until  1856,  and  in 
that  year  the  family  moved  to  the  wilds  of 
Minnesota  and  were  among  the  fisrt  set- 
tlers of  Mower  county,  the  father  preempting 
land  twelve  miles  south  of  Austin.  Owing  to 
the  lack  of  school  privileges  in  Minnesota  ter- 
ritory in  these  early  days  the  early  education 
of  our  subject  was  limited.  In  a  log  cabin 
in  Mower  co\uity  he  received  his  early  school- 
ing from  his  father,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  became  a  student  in  the  Cedar  Val- 
ley, Iowa,  Seminary,  where  he  studied  two 
3'ears. 

After  securing  his  education  he  returned  to 
his  father's  farm  and  assisted  with  the  work 
until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  then  bought 
a  farm  in  Mower  county  and  engaged  in  agii- 
cultural  pursuits  until  the  year  1879.  That  year 
1k'  moved  to  Mitchell  coimty,  Iowa,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  general  merchandise  business  until 
1897.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved  to  Lake- 
field,  where  he  entered  into  partnership  witli 
his  two  brothers,  W.  P.  and  B.  P.  St.  John, 
and  engaged  in  the  grain  business.  He  erected 
the  grain  elevator  at  Lakefield  at  that  time 
and  has  since  made  his  home  in  that  village. 

The  St.  John  Grain  company  is  one  of  the 
big  institutions  of  Jackson  county  and  carries 


28 


458 


BIOGRAPHICAL  1 1 ISTOHY. 


on  an  cxlcnHive  wliulcsulc  and  retail  business 
in  grain,  coal  and  flour.  The  company  was  in- 
corporated with  a  capital  stock  of  ^liiO.OOO  in 
1907.  The  home  otl'icc  is  in  lli-ron  Lake  and 
tlie  company  owns  and  nuiiiiuiins  flevalors  at 
the  following  named  places:  Ueron  Lake,  Wil- 
der, VVindom,  Bingham  Lake,  LeSueur,  Am- 
boy,  Winnebago  City,  Elmore,  Adrian,  Brews- 
ter, Beaver  Creek  in  Minnesota,  and  Ijcdyard, 
Jlospers  and  Rock  Rapids  and  other  points  >n 
Iowa.  The  officers  of  the  company  are  B.  P. 
St.  John,  president  and  treasurer;  A.  HI.  St. 
John,  vice  president;  M.  W.  Smith,  secretary. 
'Ihe  dir.-'ctors  are  M.  W.  Smith,  A.  M.  St.  John, 
1).  II.  McKeller,  J.  B.  Kimerfro,  S.  S.  Striker,  S. 
E.  St.  John  and  B.  P.  St.  John.  One  of  the  St. 
John  brothers,  W.  P.,  died  in  October,  1005; 
the  other,  B.  P.,  resides  in  Heron  Lake. 

Mr.  St.  Jolin  was  mnrried  at  Clinton  Kails, 
.Steele  county,  Minnesota,  October  24,  187"i,  to 
Ella  D.  Finch,  a  native  of  New  York  state. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  W.  W.  Finch, 
who  came  to  Minnesota  in  1853.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  St.  .John  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
named  cliildren:  Helen  A.  (Mrs.  Leslie  Ilill), 
of  Watertown,  South  Dakota;  Alice  L.  (Mrs. 
Lester  B.  Parsons),  of  Watertown,  South  Da- 
kota; Wilhelmina  (Mrs.  Eugene  Callan),  of 
Woodstock,  Minnesota;  Sherman  E.  St.  John, 
of  Republic,  Washington. 

During  the  years  '1900,  1901  and  1907  Mr. 
St.  John  served  as  president  of  the  Lakefield 
village  council  and  he  has  also  been  a  member 
of  the  board  of  education.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A. 
and  Yeomen  lodges. 


ALEXANDER  T.  FIDDES  (1880),  junior 
member  of  the  firm  of  A.  Fiddes  &  .Son,  Jack- 
son, and  half  owner  of  the  drug  business  of 
that  firm,  is  a  native  of  Jackson.  He  was 
born  December  21,  1880,  and  is  the  son  of 
Alexander  and  Agnes  (Hunter)  Fiddes,  pio- 
neers of  the  village. 

The  subject  of  this  review  secured  his  gen- 
eral education  in  the  village  of  his  birth,  hav- 
ing been  graduated  from  the  high  school  in 
1898.  He  then  took  a  position  in  his  father's 
drug  store,  which  was  purchased  that  year 
from  C.  A.  Portmann,  and  four  years  later  took 
a  course  in  Drew's  school  of  pharmacy.  Later 
he  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  business 
from  his  father  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
managing  the  business.     The  store  is  located 


in  a   handsome  brick  block  ^^hich  was  erected 
by  the  senior  member  of  the  firm  in  1809. 

Mr.  Fiddes  is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  ^  A.  M. 
and  oi  the  Chapter.  He  is  now  worsliij>ful 
master  of   Good  Faith  Lodge  No.  90. 


THEODORE  E.  GAUE  (1884),  one  of  the 
members  of  the  firm  of  Gage  Brothers,  dealers 
in  implements  at  Lakefield,  has  resided  in 
Jackson  county  all  his  life.  He  is  the  son 
of  the  late  Charles  .M.  and  Estella  (MeClel- 
lan)   Gage. 

Charles  Gage,  the  father,  was  born  in  El- 
gin, Kane  county,  Illinois,  in  1863,  and  he 
lived  on  his  father's  farm  near  that  city  until 
18S4.  He  then  married  and  moved  to  Jackson 
county.  He  bought  a  farm  in  Belmont  town- 
ship, upon  which  he  lived  until  1897.  He  then 
moved  to  Lakefield  and  engaged  in  the  im- 
plement business  with  John  Frederiekson.  One 
year  later  Mr.  Frederiekson  sold  to  E.  A. 
Gage  and  I  lie  firm  became  Gage  Brothers, 
which  it  still  continues  to  be,  although  there 
have  been  changes  in  the  ownership  since  the 
firm  was  named.  In  1905  E.  A.  tiage  sold  his 
interests  to  his  brother,  John  Gage.  Charles 
(;age  continued  in  the  business  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  July  19,  1908.  Charles  M.  Gage 
was  the  father  of  five  cliildren,  as  follows: 
Theodore  E.,  Florence  M.,  Bert  ie  Jt.,  Harold 
and   Sylvia    S. 

Theodore  E.  Gage,  the  eldest  of  these  chil- 
dren and  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was 
born  on  the  farm  in  Belmont  township  No- 
vember 3.  1884.  He  received  his  primary  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools  of  Belmont  town- 
ship and  then  attended  the  graded  and  high 
schools  of  Lakefield,  having  been  graduated 
from  till-  latter  institution  in  1902.  He  com- 
pleted his  education  in  llamlinc  university.  In 
the  spring  of  1905  Mr.  Gage  took  a  position 
as  bookkeeper  in  the  Jackson  County  State 
Bank,  and  in  1907  became  assistant  cashier. 
He  hold  that  position  until  liis  father's  death 
ill  1908,  when  he  look  his  father's  interest  in 
the  implement  business,  and  he  has  since  been 
an  active  member  of  the  firm. 

Mr.  Gage  was  married  in  Sioux  Falls,  South 
Dakota,  June  17,  1908,  to  Grace  Belle  Adair, 
who  was  born  in  Minneapolis  May  20,  1884, 
and  who  is  the  daughter  of  F.  D.  Adair,  a 
former  merchant  of  I,jikefield,  They  are  the 
parents  of  a  son,  Charles  Adair,  born  April 
(i,  1909.     Mr,  and   JIrs,  Gage  are  members  of 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


459 


the   Methodist   cliiircli   and   he   belongs   to   the 
Masonic,  Eastern  Star  and  Woodmen  lodges. 


PETER  DILLEV  (18!J2)  owns  and  farms  a 
quarter  section  farm  on  section  11,  Enterprise 
township,  where  he  has  lived  for  the  last 
eighteen  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Huntington, 
England,  and  was  born  June  20,  1860,  son  of 
George  Dilley,  who  resides  with  his  son,  and 
Ann  (Kay)  Uilley,  who  is  dead. 

Peter  attended  school  from  the  age  of  five 
to  nine  years  and  when  a  little  older  learned 
the  blacksmitli's  trade.  He  came  to  tlie  Uni- 
ted States  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  and 
located  at  Orland,  Cook  county,  Illinois.  There 
lie  resided  eleven  years,  spending  the  first  year 
working  at  his  trade  and  the  rest  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1885  he  bought  his  present  farm 
in  Enterprise  townsliip,  and  in  Marcli,  1892, 
moved  to  Jackson  coiuity  and  located  upon 
the  farm,  where  he  has  ever  since  lived.  He  is 
a  director  and  stockholder  of  the  Earmera 
Elevator  company  of  Alpha  and  has  stock  in 
the  Enterprise  creamery.  He  liolds  the  office 
of  chairman  of  the  township  board  and  has 
served  for  thirteen  years,  and  for  seven  years 
he  was  a  director  of  his  school  district.  He  is 
a  member  of  M.  W.  A.  lodge  No.  6383,  Alpha. 

Mr.  Dilley  was  married  March  22,  1885,  to 
Hattie  Troffer.  She  died  April  6,  1891.  Tlie 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Dilley  occurred  July 
30,  1891,  when  he  wedded  Jane  Beagley,  of 
Orland,  Illinois.  She  was  born  June  26,  1867. 
To  these  parents  have  been  born  the  following 
named  children:  Cecelia,  born  June  2,  1892; 
Gordon,  born  November  8,  1894;  Lilly,  born 
March  26,  1896;  Mary,  born  September  17, 
1897;  Flossie,  born  April  8,  1899;  Bernard, 
born  September  2,  1902;  Annie,  born  October 
26,  1903:  Leonard,  born  March  31,  1905;  Bes- 
sie, born  November  29,   1906. 


FERDINAND  KOEHN  (1884)  is  one  of  the 
prosperous  farmers  and  big  landowners  of  Her- 
on Lake  township,  owning  400  acres  in  one 
piece  on  sections  2  and  3,  all  of  which  he  and 
his  sons  farm.  He  has  resided  on  his  present 
farm    twenty-five   years. 

Mr.  Koehn  was  born  in  Germany  November 
22,  1855,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five 
children.  His  father  died  when  our  subject 
was  a  child  and  he  spent  his  early  days  living 
with   his   mother   and   working   on   farms.  His 


mother  and  the  other  children  came  to  Am- 
erica in  1879  and  for  five  and  one-half  years 
lived  in  Lapeer  county,  Michigan.  His  mother 
died  in  1899,  aged  82  years.  Our  subject  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1884,  bouglit  eighty 
aci'es  of  his  present  farm,  and  upon  that  land 
has  ever  since  resided. 

Jn  the  rillage  of  Lakeheld,  on  April  20,  ISSli, 
l\h-.  Koehn  was  married  to  Henrietta  Dally, 
who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1859  and  came 
to  the  United  States  when  twenty  years  of 
age.  Eight  children  have  been  born  to  these 
parents,  as  follows:  Otto,  born  January  23, 
1887;  Charlie,  born  March  11,  1888;  Fred,  born 
July  11,  1889;  Alvena,  born  July  20,  1891; 
Minnie,  horn  December  9,  1892;  Paulina,  born 
November  G,  1894;  Emil,  born  March  6,  1896; 
Bertha,  born  .June  7,  1898.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koehn 
and  children  are  members  of  the  German  Lu- 
theran  church. 


LEONARD  A.  LIBRA  (1887)  is  a  landowner 
and  farmer  of  Petersburg  townsliip  who  has 
lived  on  his  present  place  twenty-two  years.  He 
was  born  in  Moravia,  Austria,  September  3, 
1867,  the  son  of  Josepli  and  Josephine  (Am- 
brose) Libra. 

Our  subject  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation in  his  native  country  and  in  December, 
1880,  emigi-ated  with  his  parents  to  America, 
uiio  located  in  DeSoto,  Iowa.  Although  not 
yet  a  man  grown  Leonard  spent  most  of  the 
time  of  the  seven  years'  residence  in  that  place 
working  in  a  stone  quarry.  In  1887  Mr.  Li- 
bra came  to  Jackson  county  and  located  on 
his  present  farm  in  Petersburg  township,  on 
section  17,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  farming.  He  owns  120  acres  of  land  and  has 
served  as  a  member  of  the  township  board 
since  1906.  He  belongs  to  the  Workmen, 
Woodmen  and  Z.  C.  B.  J.  lodges. 

Mr.  Libra  was  married  April  4,  1885,  in  De 
Soto,  Iowa,  to  Mary  Zebedee.  As  a  result  of 
this  union  three  children  were  born;  Edward 
A.  and  Mary  E.,  born  July  17,  1887,  and  Anna 
horn  December  17,  1889.  Mr.  Libra's  second 
marriage  occurred  October  16,  1892,  when  he 
wedded  Josie  Najt  in  Jackson.  To  these  par- 
ents have  been  born  the  following  children: 
Koy  E.,  born  March  15,  1894;  William  L.,  born 
May  28,  1897;  Ella  J.,  born  June  5,  1900; 
Lydia,  born  October  19,  1901;  Nettie,  born 
May  12,  1903;  Leonard  A.,  Jr.,  born  March  29, 


400 


BIOGHAPHIOAL  JIISTOKY. 


1905;    John   K.,   born   March    15,   1907;    Agnea, 
born    Ucc'cniber   1,   1908. 


CHRIST  STUDE  (1S95),  fiirnuT  of  Albn 
townsliip,  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  Il- 
linois, Angnst  19,  180G,  the  son  of  Christ  and 
Margiuct  (Kroa)  Stude,  of  whom  the  former 
is  dead,  the  latter  living  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington. 

-Mr.  Stude  resided  in  liis  native  county  until 
the  year  1895.  That  year  he  eanic  to  Jack- 
son county  and  bought  the  nortliwest  quar- 
ter of  section  33,  Alba  townsliip.  He  has 
ever  since  been  engaged  in  farmiiig  the  place, 
making  his  home  with  his  brother,  Henry 
Stude.  He  is  unmarried  and  one  of  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children,  the  others  being  Henry, 
Charlie,  Annie  (Mrs.  Herman  Leeck)  and  Lewis. 
He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Brewster  creamery 
and  also  in  tlic  Farmers  grain  elevator  at 
Brewster. 


Lulls  W.  ASHLEY  (1879),  proprietor  of  a 
dray  line  in  the  village  of  Jackson,  was  born  in 
Des  Moines  township,  Jackson  county,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1879,  the  oldest  son  of  Leonard 
and  Mary  (Thomas)  Ashley,  who  reside  just 
south  of  Jackson,  and  who  are  old  settlers  of 
the   county. 

Louis  received  his  education  in  tlie  Jackson 
schools.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and 
at  different  occupations  until  reaching  his  ma- 
jority. He  moved  to  Jackson  in  1900  and  for 
two  years  worked  with  the  telephone  company. 
In  \'M)Z  ho  en;:aged  in  the  dray  business,  which 
he  has  since  followed.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  M.  W.  A.  lodge  and  of  the  Equitable  Fra- 
leriial  union. 

Mr.  Asliley  was  married  in  the  county  June 
•12,  1907,  to  Lydia  Raasch,  daughter  of  the  late 
Carl  Raasch  and  Mrs,  Raasch.  One  child  has 
been  born  to  this  union,  Floyd,  born  January 
21.   1909. 


MARK  JICSBY  (1884).  of  Belmont  town.-hip, 
was  born  in  that  townsiiip  May  20,  1884,  the 
son  of  (iundor  and  Paulina  (Peterson)  Hnsby. 
of  Jackson,  and  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  scvn 
ehihlrcn.  On  the  farm  upon  which  he  was  born 
Mark  has  spent  his  entire  life.  He  secured  an 
education  in  the  .school  in  district  No.  79  and 
until  he  was  twenty  years  old  worked  for  liis 


father  cm  the  farm.  Tlien  he  married  and  ren- 
ted the  home  farm,  which  he  has  since  con- 
ducted. 

Mr.  Husby  was  married  in  Belmont  town- 
ship Deciniber  9,  1903,  to  Carine  Leen,  a  native 
of  Kmmct  county,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of 
Christ  and  Thora  Leen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Husby 
arc  members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church. 


FR.-\NC1S  0.  LEE  (1892)  resides  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Jackson,  from  which  place  be  farms 
Ids  Middletown  township  land,  four  miles 
.southwest  of  town.  He  has  been  a  resident 
ot  the  countj-  seventeen  years. 

The    parents    of   our   subject   are    John    and 
Hannah    (Spink)    Lee.     -John  I.icc  was  born   in 
Haslet.   Yorkshire,   England,   October   18,   1829; 
Hannah    Spink,    in    Hook,    Yorkshire,    England, 
January  28,  18.34.     They  were  married  Novem- 
ber 30,   1852,  and  in  July,   1853,  came   to   the 
United  States.  From  the  time  he  was  sixteen 
years    of    age    until    his    marriage    John    Lee 
was  a   sailor.     Upon  their  arrival  to  the  new 
world  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  located  at  East  Haven, 
New   York,  and   eighteen   months  later   moved 
to  Morgan  county,  Illinois.     In  January,  IStiS, 
they  moved  to  Logan  county,  Illinois,  and  the 
next   j'ear   to   Sangamon   county   of   the   same 
state,  where   they  bought  a  farm  and  resided 
until   1891.     They  then  moved   to  the  town  of 
l!\ilVali>,  in   Sangamon   county,  and   there   they 
still  reside.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  John  Lee  brought  up 
a  family  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  eight  arc 
living.      The    children    are:     George    R,    born 
April  21,  1855,  died  February  18,  1904;  William, 
born  September  28,   1850,  died  May   27,   1!)08; 
:\lariam.    born    Ajtril   7,    1858;    Francis    Oliver, 
born   February    12,  1800;   Joseph,  born  August 
IS.    ISOl.    died    April    1.5.    1803:    John    Albert, 
born   ihiy   14,  1803:   Morris  Parker,  born  Jan- 
uary 28,  1805;  Minnie  Ann,  born  July  15,  1807; 
Nora   Bell,   born  June   18,  1809:   Anna  Adclia, 
horn  August  25,  1873;   Aldic  May.  born  April 
11.   1875;    Sarah    Elizabeth,   born   January    10, 
1878.  died  IVceniber  20,  1884. 

It  was  while  his  parents  were  living  in  Mor- 
gan county,  HIinois,  on  the  twelfth  day  of 
February.  1800,  that  Francis  Oliver  Lee  was 
born.  Until  he  was  of  age  he  worked  on  his 
father's  farm;  then  he  farmed  rented  land 
and  made  his  home  with  his  parents  until  lie 
was  twenty-five  years  old.  Then  he  rented  a 
farm   near   Curran,  Sanganmn   count y.   farmed 


BIOGEAPIirCAL  HISTORY. 


461 


the  place  two  years,  and  then  located  in  Lo- 
gan county,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  until 

1891.  The  next  year  he  spent  farming  near 
Illiopolis,    Sangamon    county,    and    in    Marcli, 

1892.  came  to  Jackson  county,  Minnesota. 
He  farmed  in  Des  Moines  township  one 
year,  and  tlien  Icieated  in  Middletown  town- 
ship. wlicrG  lie  resided  ten  years.  While  still 
a  resident  of  Illinois,  Mr.  Lee  had  come 
to  .Jackson  county  and  bought  the  nortli- 
east  quarter  of  section  4,  Middletown 
townsliip,  which  he  still  owns,  but  upon  whicli 
he  never  lived.  In  the  fall  of  1902  Mr.  Lee 
moved  to  Jackson,  bought  town  property,  and 
has  since  made  his  home  there,  engaged  in 
conducting  his  farm.  During  his  residence  in 
Middletown  Mr.  Lee  served  one  term  as  a 
member  of  the  township  board.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the  M.  W. 
A.  and  the  Eastern  Star  lodges.  His  wife  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  of 
the  Eastern  Star  and  Royal  Neighbors  lodges. 

Francis  Oliver  Lee  was  married  at  Mount 
Pulaski,  Logan  county,  Illinois,  on  the  first  day 
of  the  year  1885,  to  Miss  June  Alexander,  who 
was  born  in  Waynesville,  Dewitt  county,  Il- 
linois, May  28,  1862,  the  daughter  of  Orrin  A. 
and  Lockey  M.  (Parker)  Alexander.  Her  mo- 
ther died  September  2,  1887,  aged  56  years, 
4  months  and  8  days.  Her  father  died  October 
2.3.  1908.  aged  84  years. 

Orrin  A.  Alexander  was  a  noted  photogra- 
pher of  war  times  and  before,  and  he  took 
several  pictures  of  Abraham  Lincoln  and  Ste- 
phen A.  Douglas  when  they  were  on  their  mem- 
orable debating  trip.  These  pictures  are  in 
the  possession  of  Mrs.  F.  0.  Lee.  From  these 
originals  all  the  pictures  of  Lincoln  of  that 
time  have  been  copied.  Of  Mr.  Alexander's  work 
as  a  photographer  the  Decatur  (Illinois)  Re- 
view of  Novemmber  29,  1908,  said: 

"^^'llen  O.  A.  Alexander  was  found  dead  in 
Mount  Pulaski  it  was  recalled  that  during  the 
war  he  was  a  traveling  photographer  with  .i 
territory  comprising  Decatur.  Bloomington, 
Clinton  and  Springfield.  When  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Oliver  l^ee,  of  Jackson,  Minnesota,  came 
to  dispose  of  her  father's  effects  she  found 
great  quantities  of  copper  plates,  mates,  frames 
and  cases  used  in  the  mounting  of  daguerreo- 
type pictures.  Among  them  she  found  many 
photographs  of  army  ofTicers  and  fair  ladies, 
but  of  greater  interest  were  pictures  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  and  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  taken 
at  the  time  of  the  famous  debate." 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee  have  three  cliildren:  Reuel 
Parker,  born  February  18,  1888,  in  Logan 
count}',  Illinois;  Mabel  June,  born  October  17, 
1890,  in  Logan  county,  Illinois;  Royal  Emory, 
born  :March  27,  1894,  in  Middletown  township, 
Jackson  county. 


W.  L.  CALLISON  (1896)  is  the  manager  of 
the  Farmers  Cooperative  Elevator  company 
of  Heron  Lake.  He  was  born  near  the  city 
of  Laporte,  Indiana,  June  9,  1842,  the  son  of 
■Tames  and  Paidina  (Phillips)  Callison.  The 
father  was  born  in  Wliiteside  county.  West 
Virginia,  and  moved  to  Laporte  county,  In- 
diana, when  quite  young.  After  becoming  of 
age  he  bought  government  land  there  and 
engaged  in  fai'ming  until  1863.  That  year  he 
moved  to  Rock  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1888.  Our  subject's  mother  was  a 
native  of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania.  She  was 
married  to  Mr.  Callison  in  Laporte  county,  In- 
diana, and  died  October,  1906,  at  the  age  of 
86  years.  They  were  the  parents  of  ten  child- 
ren, six  of  whom  are  living,  our  subject  being 
the  third  oldest. 

W.  L.  Callison  resided  on  the  farm  in  La- 
porte county,  Indiana,  until  his  parents  moved 
to  Rock  county.  Wisconsin,  in  1863.  He  re- 
mained under  the  parental  roof  one  year  after 
the  family  moved  to  Wisconsin;  then  he  start- 
ed out  in  life  for  liimself.  He  located  in  Win- 
neshiek county.  Iowa,  and  for  one  year  was 
the  foreman  of  the  Locus  Lane  farm.  He  then 
went  to  West  Union,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged 
in  farming  four  years;  He  then  engaged  in  the 
grain  business  and  that  has  been  his  occupa- 
tion ever  since.  He  bought  grain  in  West 
Union,  Towa,  in  Hazelton,  in  Oelwein,  and  in 
Boyden,  being  a  resident  of  the  last  named 
town  from  1881  to  1889.  and  serving  as  post- 
master four  years  under  appointment  by  Gro- 
ver  Cleveland. 

In  1889  Mr.  Callison  went  to  Rock  Valley, 
Iowa,  where  he  bought  grain  four  years;  then 
he  moved  to  Hartland,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  grain  and  hardware  business 
until  1896.  In  August  of  the  last  named  year 
he  moved  to  Heron  Lake,  where  he  has  since 
been  a  grain  buyer.  The  Farmers  Cooperative 
Elevator  company,  of  which  he  is  the  manager, 
is  composed  of  farmers  living  tributary  to 
Heron  Lake,  most  of  them  living  in  Jackson 
coimty,  a  few  in  Cottonwood  county.  The  com- 


Mv: 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOKY. 


pany  was  organized  October  15,  1904,  and 
l«)n;.'lit  the  elovafor  of  the  Anchor  Grain 
eonipuny.  Tlie  officers  and  directors  of  the 
company  are:  Jerry  Sullivan,  president;  ToUef 
Kgge,  vice  president;  L.  F.  Lammcrs.  secre- 
tary; C.  F.  Morlcy,  treasurer;  Jolm  Mathias, 
C.  U.  Buckley,  F.  J.  Stenzel  and  N.  J.  Henklis. 

Mr.  Callison  served  as  assessor  of  Heron 
Lake  village  four  terms.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church  and  has  been  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  school  for  the  last 
nine  years.  He  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows 
lodge  of  Heron  Lake,  to  the  Kncampnicnl  ;i( 
Windoni,  and  to  the  Iowa  Legions  lodges. 

At  West  Union,  Iowa,  on  December  22,  1868, 
J(r.  Callison  was  married  to  Klizal)eth  J.  Knox, 
a  native  of  Newark,  Xew  Jersey,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  .Jennie  Knox,  natives  of  Ire- 
land and  later  residents  of  New  Jersey,  and 
early  settlers  Ho  Iowa.  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Callison 
have  been  the  parents  of  four  children,  of 
whom  the  following  two  daughters  are  living: 
Jennie  (Mrs.  J.  F.  McKellar),  of  Windoni; 
:Mabel  (Mrs.  M.  B.  Kellam),  of  St.  Paul.  Jo- 
seph C.  Callison  and  William  E.  Callison,  sons 
of  these  parents,  are  deceased. 

JOHN  B.  THOMPSON  (18!)3)  is  a  farmer  and 
breeder  of  (horotigld)red  Duroc-.Ter.sey  hogs  and 
owns  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  21,  Mid- 
dletown  township.  He  was  born  in  Leaf  River, 
township.  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  August  31, 
ISfiS,  the  son  of  David  and  'Mary  (Ballaugli) 
Thomson. 

DaA-id  Tl>omson  was  born  in  .Tohnstown,  S<ot- 
land,  and  eanie  to  the  United  States  in  184(1. 
In  the  city  of  New  York  he  worked  at  the 
baker's  trade  until  1852.  The  next  ten  years 
of  his  life  were  spent  in  California;  then 
he  returned  to  New  York,  lived  there  a  sborf 
time,  and  then  located  in  Ogle  co\inty.  Illi- 
nois, where  he  bought  a  farm  and  where  he 
lias  ever  since  resided.  He  is  now  81  years 
old.  His  wife  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Thomson  in  the  spring  of  1862,  and 
is  now  living  at  the  age  of  70  years.  John  B. 
Thomson  is  one  of  twelve  children  born  to 
these  parents,  of  whom  the  following  named 
eleven  are  living:  Will.  .lean.  Kuphemia.  .John 
B..  Stewart,  a  doctor  of  Byron.  Illinois;  Alex- 
ander, a  doelor  of  St.  Louis;  Maltic,  Nisbcf, 
Kdward.  Bobert  and  George. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  lived  with  his 
parents  and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
county.      His    education    was    secured    in    the 


country  schools  and  in  a  business  college  of 
Bockford,  Illinois.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
took  a  position  as  shipping  clerk  in  the  S. 
It.  Wilkins  knitting  factory  at  Uockford.  but 
later  he  returned  to  his  father's  home  and 
lived  there  until  1893.  That  year  Mr.  Thom- 
son moved  to  Jackson  county  and  located  upon 
the  farm  which  he  had  bought  the  year  before 
:ind  where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  He  es- 
lablished  his  herd  of  thoroughbred  hogs  eight 
years  ago. 

Mr.  Thomson  was  married  in  Jackson  Octo- 
licr  1!).  1S98,  to  Mary  Muir.  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Mary  Muir,  pioneers  of  the  county,  who 
now  live  at  LaMoure,  North  Dakota.  Mrs. 
Thomson  was  born  in  the  log  hou.se  on  the  old 
.Middletown  homestead  July  24,  1873.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  this  union,  named  as 
follows:  Jfary  ¥..,  born  .lanuary  2ti,  1900;  Min- 
nie .!..  born  August  7,  1902;  Mattie  A.,  born 
January  2.5,  190.5;  Nellie  B..  born  May  5.  1907; 
Kva  M.,  born  July  22,  1909. 


H.  S.  CULBERTSON  (1891).  manager  of  the 
.Tackson  branch  of  the  Laird-Norton  Yards, 
hiniher  and  fuel  dealers,  is  a  native  of  the 
Keystone  state,  having  been  born  in  Warren 
county.  Pennsylvania.  April  10,  1801,  the  son  of 
John  H.  and  .lane  (Morritt)  Culbertson.  The 
father  died  in  1876;  the  mother  in  August, 
1907,  at  the  age  of  79  years. 

When  our  subject  was  seven  years  of  age 
the  family  moved  from  Pennsylvania  to  Clay- 
ton county.  Iowa,  and  on  a  farm  in  that  county 
Mr.  Culbertson  lived  tm'.il  188.">.  After  his  fa- 
ther's death  in  1.S76  he  took  the  management 
of  the  farm.  In  1885  he  went  to  Dakota  and 
other  westc'rn  states  and  for  several  years  was 
unsettled  as  to  location.  During  one  year  be 
lived  in  Eslherville.  Iowa.  Mr.  Culbertson 
moved  to  .lackson  in  ISOl  and  took  a  position 
with  the  John  Paul  Lumber  company,  this 
firm  being  succeeded  by  the  Lamb  Lumber 
eonipan,v.  and  later  by  the  Laird-Norton  Yards. 
He  has  held  the  position  of  local  manager  of 
this  yard  ever  since  locating  in  the  village. 

The  Lnird-Norlon  Yards  purchased  the  Jack- 
son branch  in  1905.  This  company  was  es- 
tablished in  18.55  at  Winona,  which  is  still  the 
headquarters.  Messrs.  Laird  and  Norton,  who 
established  the  company,  are  still  living  and 
active  in  the  management  of  the  company.  The 
Laird-Norton  Yards  was   incorporated  in  1900. 

Mr.  Cullx-rtson  was  married  in  Jackson  coun- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


463 


ty  November  4,  1894,  to  Miss  Anna  C.  Lewis, 
a  daughter  of  Ex-Treasurer  Christian  Lewis. 
Mrs.  Culbertson  was  born  in  .Jackson  county 
in  1872.  To  them  have  been  born  two  children: 
Gerahl  H.  and  Milton  Lewis.  Mr.  Culbertson 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 


WALTER  L.  PIGMAN  (1893)  is  a  Ewington 
township  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  farming  the 
north  half  of  section  28.  He  is  a  native  of 
Montgomery  county,  Iowa,  and  was  born  Oc- 
tober S,  1875.  His  parents,  Alonzo  D.  and 
Helen  (Chambers)  Pigman,  are  living  in  the 
state  of  South  Dakota,  aged  66  and  5.5  years, 
respectively.  His  father  is  a  native  of  Indiana 
and  his   mother  of  Wisconsin. 

When  Walter  was  three  years  of  age  the 
family  moved  from  Montgomery  county,  Iowa, 
to  Webster  county  of  the  same  state,  and 
ihere  he  lived  the  next  twelve  years.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  was 
brought  up  on  the  farm,  moving  to  Cherokee 
county,  Iowa,  in  1890.  In  1893  Walter  came 
to  Jackson  county  with  his  parents.  He  lived 
in  Lakcfield  four  years,  working  by  the  day  as 
a  threshcrman  and  in  other  occupations.  He 
began  farming  in  Ewington  township  in  1897 
and  has  since  been  so  engaged,  having  been 
on  the  present  place — the  William  Barton 
farm — for  the  past  four  years. 

Mr.  Pigman  was  married  at  Worthington  De- 
cember 29,  1904,  to  Martha  Hoffmeister,  a 
daughter  of  George  and  Annie  Elizabeth  (Schaff- 
ner)  Hoffmeister.  She  was  born  in  Boone  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  October  20,  1886.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children:  Leon,  born  April  19, 
1905;  Clarence,  born  January  28,  1906,  died 
August  22,  1907;  Lloyd,  born  March  22,  1908. 


EMIL  J.  SlvALICKY  fl886)  is  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Matuska  &  Skalicky,  proprietor  of 
a  hardware  store,  meat  market  and  harness 
shop  in  Jackson.  He  is  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, having  been  born  in  Dane  county  Au- 
gust 24,  1877,  the  son  of  Frank  and  Sarah 
(Betlach)    Skalicky. 

The  first  nine  years  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Ska- 
licky were  spent  in  his  native  county.  On 
August  24,  1886,  he  came  to  Jackson  county 
with  his  parents  and  until  January,  1900, 
he  resided  with  them  on  the  farm  in  Enter- 
prise township.  On  the  date  last  mentioned 
he  moved  to  Jackson  and  took  a  position  as 


clerk  in  the  First  National  Bank.  A  short  time 
later  he  gave  up  his  position  and  went  to 
Mankato,  where  he  took  a  six  months'  course 
in  a  business  college.  Returning  to  Jackson, 
he  again  took  his  position  in  the  bank,  and 
remained  with  that  institution  until  May  22, 
1907.  On  that  date  he  purchased  from  his  bro- 
ther-in-law, F.  A.  Matuska,  a  half  interest 
in  that  gentleman's  hardware  store  and  meat 
market,  and  the  firm  name  became  Matuska 
&  Skalicky. 

Mr.  Skalicky  was  married  November  23, 1898, 
to  -Anna  Matuska,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
the  following  named  children:  John  J.,  born 
August  28,  1899;  Joe  J.,  born  September  4, 
1901;  Louis  E..  born  November  8,  1904;  Anna, 
l>orn  .January  8,  1906. 

Besides  his  town  property  Mr.  Skalicky  owns 
160  acres  of  land  in  Enterprise  township  and 
a  half  section  of  Canadian  land.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  church,  of  the  C.  0. 
F.  and  W.  B.  C.'U.  lodges. 

During  the  season  of  1909  ilatuska  &  Skal- 
icky erected  one  of  the  finest  business  blocks 
in  the  city,  costing  about  $16,000.  It  is  built 
of  Luverne  gray  brick  and  Kasota  pink  stone. 
The  first  floor  is  occupied  by  the  hardware 
and  harness  stores  of  the  firm,  while  the  upper 
floor  is  occupied  by  the  offices  of  business  and 
professional  men.  The  building  was  occupied 
for  the  first  time  in  January,  1910. 


CHARLES  F.  JACKMAN  (1889),  Petersburg 
township  farmer,  is  a  native  of  Genoa,  Dekalb 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  was  born  June  26, 
1882.  He  is  the  son  of  Merton  F.  and  Alice  E. 
(Fenton)    Jackman,  of  the   same  township. 

Charles  moved  with  his  parents  from  Illinois 
to  Sherburn,  Minnesota,  in  the  spring  of  1889 
and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  came  with 
them  to  Jackson  county.  He  resided  with  his 
parents  on  the  Petersburg  township  farm  until 
1906,  when  he  married  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself.  He  farms  the  old  A.  C.  Jack- 
man  farm  on  section  24. 

On  June  20,  1906,  Mr.  Jackman  was  united 
In  marriage  to  Miss  Maria  E.  Sampson,  of 
Clear  Lake,  Iowa.  Two  children  have  been  born 
to  this  union:  Lawrence,  born  October  14,  1907, 
died  October  17,  1907;  Olive  F.,  born  October 
21,   1908. 


HENRY  STUDE  fl8!>5)  is  a  farmer  and  land 
owner  of  Alba  township,  where  he  has  resided 


464 


Bioni;\i"iiirAL  history. 


fur  tliu  Inst  fifteen  years.  He  was  iKirii  in 
Reading  townsliip,  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
Aiifiiist  15,  1874,  and  resided  in  tliat  county 
until  ISIKI.  jiriiwin^  lo  nianliood  on  liis  father's 
farm  and  receiving;  a  comniun  scliool  education. 
lie  cunie  to  Jackson  county  upon  reacliing  liis 
majority  and  houglit  liis  present  farm,  tlie 
southeast  quarter  of  section  32,  Alba,  upon 
which  he  has  ever  since  lived.  He  has  made 
practically  all  the  improvements  on  the  place, 
has  all  the  land  under  cultivation,  well  fenced 
and    p.irtly    tiled. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Christ  and 
Margaret  (Kroa)  Stude,  Hoth  parents  were 
born  in  Germany  and  came  to  America  when 
young,  having  been  married  and  having  resided 
in  Livingston  county,  Illinois.  The  father  of 
our  subject  died  there  twenty-five  years  ago. 
His  mother  remarried  and  now  lives  in  the 
slate  of  Washington,  Henry  Stude  is  the  eldest 
of  a    family   of   five   children. 

Mr.  Stude  was  married  in  Jackson  county.  Oc- 
tober 10. 1898,  to  Millie  Baumgard.  She  was  born 
in  Illinois  on  March  10.  18S0,  and  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Rudolph  and  Gustie  (I.«eck)  Baumgard. 
natives  of  Germany.  Hor  mother  is  dead:  her 
father  live~  at  Hatfield.  Minnesota.  Jlr.  and 
Mrs.  Stude  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
as  follows:  Paul,  born  February  17,  1001;  Wal- 
ter, born  October  10,  1!>04:  Clara,  born  March 
2fi.   1907. 

Mr.  Stude  is  a  member  of  the  Alba  township 
board  of  supervisors.  He  is  a  stockholder  and 
a  director  of  the  creamery  at  Brewster  and 
a  stockholder  in  the  Brewster  Farmers  ele- 
vator: also  a  stockholder  in  the  Brewster 
Horse  company. 


GF:0RGK  BKIIREXFELD  (1870),  stock  buy- 
er and  real  estate  dealer  of  Heron  Lake,  is  n 
native  of  Minnesota  and  one  of  the  very  earli- 
est residents  of  western  .Tackson  county,  lie 
was  born  August  20.  1,861.  at  a  point  forty 
miles  west  of  St,  Paul,  where  is  now  located 
the  town  of  Waconia.  in  Carver  covmty.  His 
parents  were  .John  and  Anna  (Shibley)  Behren- 
fcld.  natives  of  Germany  and  Switzerland,  re- 
spectively. 

The  father  of  our  subject  came  to  .America 
in  IS-tO,  lived  aliout  six  months  in  Wisconsin, 
and  in  18.3,5  located  in  Carver  county,  ^linne- 
sota.  There  he  took  government  land  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  the  town  of  Waconia 
was  founded.   At   that   time  he  moved  to  the 


new  village  and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business 
until  1870.  In  May  of  that  year  he  moved  with 
his  family  to  Jackson  county  and  took  a  home- 
stead in  TwiCrosse  township.  He  engaged  in 
larniiiig  there  twenty-two  years,  and  then 
moved  to  Heron  Ijike,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
milling  business.  He  died  at  Heron  Lake  in 
1!>0I.  aged  77  years.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
immigrated  to  America  and  was  married  to 
Mr,  Behrenfeld  in  this  country.  She  died  about 
eighteen  years  ago. 

George  Behrenfeld  accompanied  his  parents 
to  .T.ickson  county  when  nine  years  of  age.  He 
received  a  country  school  education  and  lived 
on  his  father's  LaCrosse  township  homestead 
until  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  left  home  at 
that  age  and  for  seven  years  was  employed  in 
a  flouring  mill  at  Rock  Rapids.  Iowa.  Return- 
ing to  .Tackson  county  at  the  end  of  that  time, 
he  bought  land  in  LaCrosse  township  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  five  years.  I>eaving  the  farm, 
ilr.  Behrenfeld  located  in  Heron  Lake  and  for 
a  time  was  employed  in  his  father's  mill.  Then 
he  engaged  in  the  stock  and  real  estate  busi- 
ness, which  he  has  since  followed.  He  has  of- 
fice  rooms  in  the  First  Xational  Bank  building. 
He  deals  in  Minnesota  and  Xortb  Dakota  lands 
and  buys  and  ships  stock.  He  owns  farms  In 
I-aCrosse  and  Weimer  townships  and  village 
property.  Mr.  Behrenfeld  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A..  M.  B. 
A..  Royal  Neighbors  and  K.  of  C.  bxlges. 

Mr.  Behrenfeld  was  married  in  .Tackson  coun- 
ty October  15.  188fi,  to  Louisa  Powletclieck, 
aged  42  years,  a  native  of  Austria  and  n 
daughter  of  John  and  Eva  Powletclieck.  She 
came  to  .Tackson  county  with  her  parents  in 
1872,  Mr.  and  Airs.  Behrenfeld  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  ihildrcn:  Maybdle  T...  aged 
10  years:  Beatrice  B.,  aged  Ifi  years;  Eva  M., 
aged  LS  years:  .lohn  C,  aged  9  years:  Ray- 
mond G,.  aged  7  years;  Afarrion  M..  aged  4 
vears. 


EDWARn  F.  HEWETT  (1807)  owns  a  .120 
acre  farm  on  sections  12  and  I.  Uelafield  town- 
ship, a  short  distance  south  of  Windom,  Ho  is 
the  son  of  an  Episcopal  minister.  Rev,  ,Tohn 
I'rowse  Hewctt,  and  Elizabeth  (Upcott)  Hew- 
ett  was  his  mother.  Both  parents  are  deceased. 
Edward  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  sons  and  was 
born  in  Norton  Fitz  Warren,  near  Taunton, 
the  county  seat  of  Somerset,  England,  March 
19,   1869, 


GEORGE  BEHRENFELD 
Stock  and  Real  Estate  Dealer  of  Heron  Lake  and  a  Pioneer  of  1870. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


465 


Until  eighteen  years  of  age  Edward  lived 
with  liis  parents  in  England;  then  he  took  up 
tlie  life  of  a  sailor  and  for  the  next  three 
years  was  an  apprentice  on  board  ship.  On  hi.s 
second  trip  of  eigliteen  months  he  made  a 
tour  of  the  world.  In  1890  he  located  in  Cot- 
tonwood county,  Minnesota,  and  for  two  years 
engaged  in  farming  in  Lakeside  township  on  a 
farm  left  him  by  his  father.  Mr.  Hewett  mar- 
ried in  1893  and  returned  to  his  old  home  in 
England.  A  little  over  three  years  later,  in 
1897,  he  returned  to  the  United  States  and  be- 
came a  resident  of  Jackson  county.  After 
farming  five  years  in  Enterprise  township, 
he  sold  out  and  moved  onto  his  present  place, 
whei'e  he  has  since  lived  with  the  exception 
of  a  year  and  a  half  spent  in  California.  This 
was  from  the  fall  of  1907  to  .June,  1009,  when 
he  resided  near  San  Jose. 

Mr.  Hewett  was  married  in  Cottonwood  coun- 
ty October  21,  1893,  to  Carolina  M.  Christen. 
sen,  who  wa.5  born  in  Delafleld  township  June 
5,  1874.  She  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  Peter 
Christensen,  who  was  one  of  the  county's  ear- 
ly settlers  and  who  died  January  28,  1906. 
Eight  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hewett,  as  follows:  Francis  F.,  born  December 
30,  1894:  George  E.,  born  June  7,  1896;  John 
C.  born  March  21,  1898;  Arthur  P.,  born  June 

19,  1900,  died  April  16,  1902;  Clarence  W.,  born 
August    22,    1902;    Lawrence   B.,   born    August 

20,  1904;  Elizabeth  A.,  born  November  18,  1906; 
Ethel  M.,  born  February  27,  1909. 

Mr.  Hewett  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church  at  AV'indom  and  of  the  L  O.  0.  F.  and 
A.  0.  U.  W.  lodges,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hewett 
are  members  of  the  Degree  of  Honor  lodge. 


.JOHN  JIcJIARTIN  (1893)  is  the  manager 
of  the  Jackson  yard  of  the  C.  L.  Col- 
man  Lumber  company.  He  was  born  in 
Ormstown,  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  Canada. 
His  parents,  Finley  and  Grace  (McEwen)  Mc- 
Martin,  both  deceased,  were  natives  of  Scotland 
and  came  to  America  before  their  marriage. 

The  boyhood  days  of  .John  McMartin  were 
spent  on  a  farm  in  Quebec.  He  attended  school 
in  the  town  of  Durham  and  later  engaged  in 
clerking  in  stores  in  that  town.  In  1868,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  he  located  in 
Faribault  county,  Jlinnesota,  remained  there 
only  a  short  time  and  then  went  to  Claremont, 
Dodge  county.  There  he  engaged  in  farming 
for  a  number  of  years  and  later  became  agent 


for  the  Laird  Norton  Lumber  company,  which 
position  he  held  a  number  of  years.  In  1888 
Mr.  Mcilartin  located  at  Clear  Lake,  Iowa, 
where  for  "five  years  he  was  agent  for  the 
Nelson  Tenney  Lumber  company.  In  1893  he  lo- 
cated at  Jackson  and  since  that  date  has  been 
the  manager  of  the  C.  L.  Colman  Lumber  com- 
pany. Mr.  McMartin  owns  village  property. 
He  serv<'d  two  years  as  a  member  of  the  vil- 
lage council  and  belongs  to  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 
lodge. 

In  Franklin.  Quebec,  on  Dcreniber  26,  1869, 
Mr.  ilcMavtiii  was  married  to  Ellen  F.  Moe, 
a  native  of  the  town  in  which  she  was  married. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  Edward  S.,  Elizabeth  G.,  Marjoric 
A.  and  Elsie. 


HANS  ANDERSON  (1881),  farmer  and  land- 
owner of  Enterprise  township,  is  a  native  of 
Norway  ami  was  born  August  .5,  1841.  His 
parents,  who  are  both  dead,  were  Anders  and 
Oleana  (Larson)  Ulrickson. 

Mr.  Anderson  lived  in  Norway  until  he  was 
forty  years  of  age.  He  received  a  common 
school  education,  and  after  growing  up  engaged 
in  farming.  He  came  to  the  new  world  in 
1881,  and  in  October  of  that  year  arrived  in 
Jackson  county.  The  first  four  years  he  lived 
on  section  18.  Wisconsin  township.  Two  years 
after  liis  arrival  he  took  as  a  tree  claim  the 
north  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
20,  Enterprise  township,  and  in  1886  moved 
onto  that  place,  where  be  has  ever  since  re- 
sided.   He  now  owns  120  acres  on  that  section. 

In  April.  1871,  Mr.  Anderson  was  married  to 
Andrena  Anderson,  was  was  born  September 
4,  1845,  and  died  December  10,  1887.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  as  follows: 
Alma  C,  born  September  19.  1872:  Lena,  born 
May  20.  1875;  John  and  Andrew  (twins),  born 
April  17,  1878;  Hans,  born  October  28,  1880; 
Arthur  and  Enery  (twins),  born  May  10,  1885. 
Mr.  Anderson  and  children  are  members  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of  Belmont. 


LEWIS  STUDE  (1895)  owns  and  farms  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  33,  Alba  town- 
slii|>.  He  was  born  in  Livingston  county,  II- 
linois,  May  25,  1882,  the  son  of  Christ  and  Mar- 
garet (Kroa)  Stude.  These  parents  were  born 
in  Germany,  came  to  America  when  young, 
and  were  married  in  Illinois.  The  father  died 


46e 


RTOmJArilTf'AT.  TTTSTOT!Y 


vvlicn  our  sulijoct  was  a  child.  His  mother  re- 
married and  now  lives  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington. 

Lewis  received  an  education  in  the  district 
school  of  Illinois  and  in  Alba  township,  Jack- 
son county,  to  which  place  he  moved  with  his 
mother  and  stepfather  in  I8O0.  He  lived  at 
home  until  seventeen  ye.irs  of  ape;  then  he  be- 
gan working  for  his  brothers  on  the  farm  in 
Alba  township.  In  1005  the  property  was  di- 
vided and  Lewis  fell  heir  to  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  33.  He  improved  the  farm 
and  at  once  began  its  cultivation. 

Mr.  Stude  was  married  December  20,  190"),  to 
Emma  Gerdes.  She  was  born  in  Livingston 
county,  Illinois.  May  25.  1882,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Hika    (Lanus)   Gerdes. 


TX»III8  KIESEL  (1884).  who  is  engaged  in 
the  .saloon  business  at  Jackson,  has  been  n 
resident  of  tlie  co\mty  just  a  quarter  of  a 
century.  He  was  born  at  Botkissengen,  Bavaria, 
April  7,  1860,  the  son  of  Andrew  and  Christina 
Kiesel. 

Mr.  Kiesel  received  a  common  school  edu 
cation  in  his  native  country  and  emigrated  (o 
the  United  States  in  1877.  Ho  Avent  direct  to 
Chicago  and  the  same  year  located  at  Winfield, 
in  Dupage  county,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  seven 
years,  engaging  in  farming.  In  October,  1884, 
5Ir.  Kiesel  came  to  .Tackson  county  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Wisconsin  township,  five 
miles  east  of  Jackson,  for  eight  years.  He 
moved  to  Jackson  in  1802  and  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  saloon  l)usincss  ever  since  that 
date. 

At  Turner  Junction,  Illinois,  on  .lanuiiry  .■*], 
1882,  Mr.  Kiesel  was  married  to  Angclis  StefTes, 
"and  to  them  have  been  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Nicholas,  born  November  7,  1883, 
died  in  1888;  Joseph  E.,  born  Novcmlx-r  15, 
1884:  John  W.,  born  June  15,  1888;  Louis,  Jr., 
born  August  15,  ISOI  ;    rranics.  born   December 

2,  i,sn4. 

Mr.  Kier.el  is  a  memlx-r  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  of  the  C.  O.  ¥.,  K.  P.,  Sons  of  Herman 
and  Redmen  lodges.  Ho  is  the  owner  of  real 
estate  and  town  property.  From  1884  to  1802 
he  served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  super- 
vi.sors  of  Wisconsin   township. 


JOHN  t:.  GAr.K  (1005),  dealer  in  implements 
and   heavy   hardware   in   the  village  of  Lake- 


field,  is  a  native  of  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where 
he  was  born  February  26,  1870.  His  parents 
were  Solomon  and  Marion  (King)  Gage,  de- 
scendants of  colonial  stock,  and  natives  of 
New  York  and  Connecticut,  respectively.  His 
father  was  born  .Tune  15,  1827.  and  died  No- 
vember 7,  1880.  His  mother  was  born  Oc- 
tober 4,  1840.  and  died  January  4,  1871. 

Our  subject "s  younger  days  were  spent  on  his 
father's  farm  in  Kane  county,  Illinois,  where 
lie  received  his  primary  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  be- 
came a  student  at  the  Elgin  academy,  Elgin, 
Illinois,  and  later  was  a  student  at  Drew's 
Business  college  of  Elgin  and  the  Parker  col- 
•  lege  of  Winnebago  City,  Minnesota.  In  1890 
he  took  up  the  study  of  pharmacy  in  the  North- 
western School  of  Pharmacy,  of  Chicago.  Later 
lie  entered  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1803.  From 
the  date  of  his  graduation  until  1897  Mr. 
Cage  was  employed  as  a  pharmacist  in  Chicago. 
He  then  embarked  in  the  drug  business  at 
Hamshire.  Illinois.  Selling  out  two  years  later, 
he  moved  to  Chicago  and  worked  as  a  phar- 
macist and  prescription  clerk  until  1001.  That 
year  he  was  appointed  nn  instructor  of  dis- 
l)ensing  in  the  Northwestern  ^ledical  school. 
Later  he  became  a  salesman  and  prescription 
clerk,  and  was  so  employed  until  1905. 

When  n  boy  fifteen  years  of  age.  Mr. 
Gage  first  came  to  Jackson  county  and  re- 
sided for  a  period  of  six  months  on  his  father's 
farm  four  miles  east  of  Lakefield.  In  1905, 
on  account  of  ill  health,  he  was  obliged  to 
give  >i]i  liis  profession,  and  then  it  was  he 
came  to  .Tacksnn  county  to  reside  permanently. 
He  located  in  Lakefield  and  entered  into  the 
implement  and  heavy  hardware  business  in 
jiartnership  witli  his  brother,  C.  M.  Gage,  and 
Lakefield  has  since  been  his  home.  Mr.  Gage 
owns  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  1.  Hun- 
ter township,  and  residence  property  in  Lake- 
field.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  a  prominent  lodge  man.  holding-  member- 
ship in  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Lakefield, 
Cha|)tcr,  at  .Tackson,  Commandery.  at  Fiiirmonl. 
Osnian  Temi)Ie.  at  St.  Paul,  Eastern  Star  and 
Odd  Fellows,  at  Lakefield. 

.Mr.  Gage  was  married  in  Chicago  September 
8,  1808.  to  Clara  T.  Burke,  who  was  born  in 
Nevada  county,  Ohio,  Novcmlier  8,  1873.  She 
is  the  daiightcr  of  Charles  W.  B\irkc,  who  died 
in  Chicago  in  December,  lOOS.  and  Henrietta 
I'urke,  who  now  resides  in  Chicago.     One  cliihl 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


•467 


lias  been  born  to  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Gage,  Bernice 
Marie  Gage,  born  November  27,  1899. 


BEXDICK  I'-REDERICKSOX  (1876),  Cliristi- 
ania  townsliip  farmer  and  feeder  of  cattle  and 
hogs,  is  a  native  of  that  township,  having  been 
born  on  the  farm  he  now  conducts  December 
7,  1870.  the  son  of  pioneer  residents  of  Chris- 
tiania.  His  parents  were  John  and  Engebor 
Frederickson,  who  came  from  Norway  soon  af- 
ter their  marriage,  and,  after  living  a  short 
time  in  Olmsted  county,  settled  in  Jackson 
county,  taking  as  a  homestead  claim  in  1870 
the  south  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  24,  Christiania  township.  On  that  farm 
the}-  lived  until  their  death,  some  fifteen  years 
ago.  Bendick  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  four 
children  living.  The  others  are  Albert,  Henry 
and  Anna   (Mrs.  Gust  Thompson). 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  years  when  he 
was  working  out  Bendick  has  spent  his  entire 
life  on  the  home  farm.  He  bought  the  farm 
from  the  other  heirs  in  1901  and  has  since  re- 
sided on  the  place.  Jlr.  Frederickson  is 
not  married  and  makes  his  home  with  the  fam- 
ily of  his  brother,  Albert.  Recently  he  has  be- 
gun feeding  cattle  and  hogs  for  the  market,  in 
addition  to  his  own  farm  he  farms  an  eighty 
acre  tract  on  section  24.  Mr.  Frederickson 
is  a  member  of  the  Xorwegian  Lutheran  church 
and  of  the  Sons  of  Norway  lodge.  He  is  a 
director  of  school  district  No.  2'!. 


ALBERT  ALBERT.SON  (1891),  Ewington 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  Logan  county,  Il- 
linois, February  18,  1872.  and  in  that  county 
grew  to  manhood,  securing  an  education  and 
working  on  his  father's  farm.  In  1891  he  came 
to  .Tackson  county  with  his  parents  and  for 
ten  years  lived  with  his  parents  on  their  Ewing- 
ton township  farm.  Mr.  Albertson  was  mar- 
ried in  1901  and  engaged  in  farming,  having 
bought  160  acres  of  land  on  section  15.  Four 
years  later  he  sold  tliat  farm  and  bought  his 
present  place,  the  north  half  of  section  16, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  is  beginning  to 
breed  thoroughbred  cattle  and  hogs  and  intends 
to  engage  in  this  business  extensively  in  con- 
nection with  his  general  farming. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  are  Henry  and 
Hannah  Albertson.  They  were  born  in  Ger- 
many, came  to  America  when  young  and  were 
married  in  Logan  county,  Illinois.  They  came 


to  Jackson  county  in  1891  and  have  since  lived 
on  their  farm  in  Ewington  township.  Albert 
is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  three  boys — Al- 
bert, Fred  and  Theodore. 

Albert  Albertson  was  married  in  Ewington 
township  February  28,  1901,  to  Lena  von  Beh- 
ren,  daughter  of  Henry  von  Behren,  of  Ewing- 
ton. Mrs.  Albertson  was  born  in  Illinois  in 
1883.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union:  Minnie,  born  April  3,  1903;  Sophia,  born 
November  7,  1906;  Mary,  born  October  21, 
1904;  George  F.,  born  October  28,  1908.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 


DR.  W.  \V.  ^^■OLD  (1894),  dentist  of  Jackson, 
was  born  in  Luverne,  Minnesota,  August  10. 
1873,  the  son  of  B.  S.  and  Margaret  (Olson) 
Wold,  natives  of  Iowa  and  Norway,  respective- 
ly. Both  are  deceased.  They  were  the  parents 
of  the  following  named  children:  Stephen,  Belle, 
Louis,  Carrie,  Albert,  Lillian  and  William. 

William  Wold,  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
attended  tlie  public  schools  and  grew  to  young 
manhood  in  Rock  coiuity.  At  the  age  of  iifteen 
he  entered  Sioux  Falls  university  and  was  a 
student  there  two  years.  The  next  two  years 
were  spent  in  collegiate  work  in  Iowa  City, 
Iowa,  and  he  then  entered  the  dental  depart- 
ment of  the  Iowa  state  university-,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1894.  Im- 
mediately after  graduation  Dr.  Wold  located 
in  Jackson  and  began  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1900 
he  erected  his  present  neat  and  commodious 
building,  one  block  east  of  the  court  house, 
which  he  has  equipped  with  all  modern  im- 
provements and  appliances   for   his  profession. 

Dr.  Wold  was  married  at  Jackson  .June  1,  1898t 
to  Maud  Emily  Ashley,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
W.  and  Juliet  Ashey,  who  were  among  the 
very  first  residents  of  Jackson.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wold,  named 
Lillian,  Gladys,  Edna  and  William.  Dr.  Wold 
is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  Royal 
Arch.  Commandry,  Shriners,  Eastern  Star,  and 
M.  W.  A.  orders. 


HERMAN  J.  ARNOLD  (1S8.5)  has  conducted 
a  harness  shop  in  the  village  of  Heron  Lake 
for  the  past  twenty-four  years.  He  is  a  native 
Minnesotan  and  was  born  near  the  village  of 
Mankato  during  the  perilous  times  of  the  Sioux 


468 


BIOGRAPHICAL   IIIS^ToltV 


war.  A  few  iiiontlis  after  liis  birth  the  thir- 
ty-eight Indiuns  were  hung  near  hi-  Immi-  fi>r 
their  part  in  the  massacres. 

The  parents  of  our  sulijwt  arc  Adam  Aiiiohl 
and  Ernestine  (Mararuf)  ArnoUi.  Botli  par- 
ents were  born  in  Germany  ami  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  the  late  fifties.  They  located  near  Man- 
kato,  taking  a  claim  that  was  originally  entered 
by  Mrs.  Arnold's  stepfather,  Christian  Klotzky. 
Jlr.  Arnold  still  lives  upon  land  adjoining  his 
old  homostc.id  and  is  77  years  of  age.  Mr.s. 
.Arnold  died  in  1S80.  To  them  were  born  nine 
childron,  of  which  five  are  yet  living,  and  of 
tlipse  Herman  is  the  oldest.  Mv  wn^  1,0111  Mav 
25,  1862. 

Until  he  was  eighteen  yvai>  ol  age  Herman 
Arnold  lived  on  his  father's  farm,  attend- 
ing the  schools  during  the  winter  mouths.  He 
then  left  home  and  started  learning  the  har- 
ncssmaker's  trade  in  Mankato.  He  worked  at 
the  trade  there  five  years  and  then,  in  18S5, 
moved  to  Heron  Lake,,  where  he  opened  a  har- 
ness and  repair  shop,  which  ho  has  ever  since 
conducted.  .Mr.  Arnold  served  as  president 
of  the  council  of  Heron  Lake  one  term  in  the 
early  nineties  and  was  a  councilman  several 
terms.  He  is  a  niemlier  of  the  Lutheran  cliunli 
and  of  tlie  K.  P.  lodge. 

Mr.  Arnold  was  married  at  Mankato  Decem- 
ber 20,  1885,  to  .Tosephina  S.  I..entz,  a  native  of 
the  city  in  wliicli  she  was  married.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  this  union,  named  Ver- 
da  C.  and  V..  Olive  M. 

WILLIAM  C.  DirXLOr  (ISnO)  is  a  farmer 
and  land  owner  of  Hunter  township  and  re- 
sides on  section  3.  one  mile  east  of  Lakefield. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  for  the 
last  ten  years.  He  was  born  in  Columbia  coun- 
ty, Wisconsin.  Sejiteniber  27.  18(i!t.  the  son  of 
William  and  Jcnnctt  (Caldow)  Dunlop.  His 
parents  were  born  in  Scotland  but  came  to 
America  with  their  parents  when  children  and 
were  married  in  this  country.  They  lociited  in 
Columbia  county.  Wisconsin,  and  there  the 
father  of  our  subject  still  lives,  being  seventy 
years  of  ivge.  The  motlier  of  our  subject  died 
there  in  1801.  There  were  eight  children  in  the 
family,  named  as  follows:  Gabriel,  Jennett. 
AVilliam.  .Joseph  and  Jane,  twins;  Rol)ort,  died 
when  ten  years  of  age:  Lizzie  and  Annie,  twins. 

William  C.  Dunlop  lived  on  a  farm  with 
bis  parents  until  be  reached  his  majority:  then 
he  engaged  in  farming  for  him.sclf.  which  he 
followed  two  years.  From  1892  to  1890,  when 


he  was  married,  he  engaged  in  carpenter  work 
and  threshing.  After  liis  marriage  he  agjiin 
engaged  in  farming  and  was  so  occupied  in 
Columbia  county  until  he  came  to  Jackson 
county  on  October  18.  1890.  Upon  his  arrival 
Mr.  Dunlop  bought  I  lie  northeast  quarter  of 
section  25.  Host  township, and  rented  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  30,  Hunter  township, 
which  he  bought  two  years  later.  In  the  fall 
of  1007  he  sold  the  last  named  lauil  and  bought 
his  present  eighty-three  and  one-half  acre  farm 
on  section  3.  Hunter,  still  retaining  his  Rost 
townshi|.  farm.  During  his  residence  in  Hunter 
township  .Mr.  Dunloji  has  served  two  years  as 
a  supervisor  and  three  years  as  chairman  of 
the  board.  He  was  also  clerk  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  52  for  five  years,  and  he  is  now  a 
director  of  district  Xo.  112.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  and  Modern  Woodmen  lodges. 

At  Lodi,  Columbia  county.  Wisconsin,  on 
September  24,  189C,  .Mr.  Dunlop  was  married 
to  Mayme  Bullen,  who  was  born  in  the  twvn 
of  Arlington  July  15,  1873.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  David  and  Hannah  liullen.  Two  children 
liave  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunlop,  Ro- 
bert, born  March  17.  1808:  Ruth,  born  March 
I.  1000. 


LKO  J.  DOSTAL  (1800),  register  of  deeds 
of  Jackson  county,  was  born  in  Winneshiek 
eouiily,  Iowa.  September  1.  ISOfi.  the  son  of 
Frank  and  Josephine  (Pribyl)  Dostal.  In  his 
native  county  he  lived  twelve  years  and  then 
aecompaiiied  his  parents  to  Worth  county, 
Iowa,  in  1878.  He  completed  his  education  in 
a  parochial  school  in  Worth  coimty.  from 
wliich  he  was  graduated  in  I.SSO. 

Mr.  Doslal  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Wortli  county.  He  moved  to  Jack- 
son county,  Minnesota,  in  .May.  1800.  and 
bought  an  eighty  acre  farm  in  Des  Moines 
Imviiship.  a  short  distance  west  of  Jackson.  He 
engaged  in  farming  there  until  Hie  beginning  of 
the  yvM-  mno.  when  he  moved  to  Jaekson  to 
enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  of  register 
of  deeds,  to  which  office  he  had  been  elected  the 
fall  before  on  the  democratic  ticket.  Mr.  Dos- 
tal still  owns  his  farm  in  Des  Moines.  During 
his  residence  on  the  farm  he  served  in  var- 
ious township  offices.  He  is  secretary  of  the 
Jackson  County  Farmers  Mutual  Lightning  In- 
surance company. 

At  .Manly.  Fowa,  on  February  12.  1802.  Jlr. 
Dostal  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Kloyda,  who 


BIOGIIAPHICAL  IIISTOEY. 


469 


died  September  13,  1903,  aged  31  years,  and 
to  this  union  tliree  children  were  born,  as  fol- 
lows: Adeline  H.,  born  April  23,  1893;  Lillian 
K.,  born  November  27,  1895;  Augusta  A.,  born 
August  20,  1901.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr. 
Dostal  occurred  at  Jackson  July  20,  1907,  wlien 
he  wedded  Rosa  Dgimela.  To  them  has  been 
born  one  child,  Louis,  born  April  30,  1908.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and 
Mr.  Dostal  belongs  to  the  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters. 


NELS  HANSON  (1891),  Heron  Lalce  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  in  Sweden  July  3,  1858, 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four  children  born 
to  Jens  and  Elna  (Nelson)  Hanson,  now  de- 
ceased. 

Until  1882,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years, 
Nels  lived  in  his  native  land.  He  began  work- 
ing out  at  the  age  of  ten  years  and  followed 
several  occupations.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1S82,  lived  one  year  in  Connecticut, 
one  year  in  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and 
seven  years  in  Ford  county,  Illinois,  during 
which  time  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  and  as 
an  employe  of  tile  factories.  Mr.  Hanson 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1K91.  He  farmed 
a  rented  place  in  Heron  Lake  townsliip  two 
years,  and  then  moved  onto  his  own  "farm, 
the  west  lialf  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 26,  which  he  had  bought  before  coming 
to  tlie  county.  He  has  resided  upon  that  farm 
ever  since.  In  addition  to  the  eighty  acres  he 
owns  he  farms  rented  land. 

Mr.  Hanson  was  married  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 
October  5,  1887,  to  Matilda  Bjork,  wlio  was 
born  on  March  28,  1803.  The  following  four 
children  have  been  born  to  this  union:  Ernest, 
a  graduate  of  the  Globe  Business  college  of 
St.  Paul,  now  a  resident  of  St.  Paul;  Ledia 
(Mrs.  Frank  Palmer),  of  Lakefield;  Annie,  a 
high  school  student;  Harry,  residing  at  home. 
Mr.  Hanson  is  a  member  of  the  A.  0.  U.  W. 
lodge. 


CHRIST  JENSEN  (1890),  Wisconsin  town- 
ship farmer,  owns  the  north  half  of  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  7,  upon  which  he  has 
lived  for  nearly  twenty  j'ears.  He  is  of  Dan- 
ish birth  and  first  saw  the  light  of  day  June 
26,  1858.  His  father,  Jens  Hansen,  died  in 
Denmark  in  1895;  his  mother,  Sidsel  (Jensdat- 
ter),  still  lives  in  her  native  land. 


Christ  lived  with  his  parents  until  twelve 
years  of  age;  then  he  began  hustling  for  him- 
self, working  on  farms  until  he  was  seven- 
teen. At  that  age  he  took  up  the  life  of  a 
.seaman  and  followed  the  sea  three  years.  He 
came  to  America  in  1880  and  spent  the  first 
nine  months  of  his  life  in  the  new  world  at 
New  Orleans.  He  then  came  to  Minnesota 
and  for  a  year  and  a  half  engaged  in  farming 
in  Brown  county.  For  the  next  few  years  he 
divided  his  time  between  working  on  a  home- 
stead in  Griggs  county.  North  Dakota,  and  in 
the  pineries  of  Pierce  county,  Wisconsin.  Later 
for  eight  or  nine  months  he  was  working  on 
a  grading  contract  in  Barron  county,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  his  next  jump  was  to  the  state  of 
Mississippi,  where  he  took  a  contract  for  levee 
work  near  Helena.  He  was  there  several 
months,  and  then  located  at  Omaha,  Nebraska, 
where  for  four  years  he  engaged  in  teaming. 

In  March,  1890,  after  having  lived  in  many 
parts  of  the  country,  Mr.  Jensen  came  to 
Jackson  county  to  make  his  permanent  home. 
He  bought  the  eighty  acre  farm  in  Wisconsin 
township,  and  tliat  has  ever  since  been  his 
home.  He  holds  the  office  of  township  treas- 
urer and  has  been  clerk  of  school  district  No. 
1  during  nearly  the  entire  time  of  his  resi- 
dence in  the  county.  He  has  also  held  the  of- 
fice of  township  supervisor.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Danish  Brotherhood,  Danner  Lodge  No. 
96,  of  .Tackson. 

Mr.  Jensen  was  married  at  Omaha  July  8, 
1891,  to  Fritzena  Jacobsen,  also  a  native  of 
Denmark.  To  this  union  has  been  born  one 
child,  Olga,  born  April  26,   1907. 


GUSTAF  A.  ANDERSON  (1896),  proprietor 
of  a  photograph  gallery  in  Jackson,  was  born 
in  Sweden  September  22,  1873,  the  son  of  An- 
drew and  Sophia  (Jonason)  Anderson.  His 
father  died  when  onr  subject  was  three  years 
of  age  and  thereafter  during  his  residence  in 
tlie  old  country  he  lived  with  an  uncle. 

In  1891  Mr.  Anderson  came  to  the  United 
jStates  and  located  at  Estherville,  Iowa,  where 
for  several  years  he  lived  at  the  home  of  an 
uncle,  attending  school  during  the  winter 
months  and  working  on  the  farm  during  the 
summer  months.  In  the  fall  of  1895  he  began 
learning  the  photographer's  trade  in  Esther- 
ville and  the  next  year  moved  to  Jackson 
and  opened  a  gallery,  renting  the  Roberts' 
studio.     He    remained    in   that   location    eight 


470 


BlOGKArniCAL  HlSTOllY. 


years  and  tlien  bought  Ins  present  property. 
He  built  the  operating  room  and  made  other 
iinpruveinents  and  now  lias  one  of  the  finest 
studios  in  southwestern  Minnesota.  Miss  Louie 
Itubcock  has  been  employed  as  retoucher  by 
ilr.  Anderson  for  the  past   twelve  years. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was  married  in 
Jackson  June  22,  1904,  to  Julia  B.  Lewis,  a 
native  of  Jackson  county  and  a  daughter  of 
ChristiMii  Lewis,  of  Wisconsin  township.  Mr. 
-Vnderson  is  a  nicinlicr  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  Af. 
and  (he  Chapter. 


LKMEK  OLSEN  (1888)  is  one  of  the  exten- 
sive anil  successful  farmers  of  Wisconsin  town- 
ship, residing  a  short  distance  southeast  of 
Jackson.  He  farms  480  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tions 32  and  33.  Our  subject  was  born  in  Nor- 
way OctolHM-  17,  1859,  the  son  of  Ole  Larson 
and  Martha  (Peterson)  Larson,  both  of  whom 
are  past  ninety  years  of  age  and  living  in 
their  natii-e  country.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  diildren,  Lenick,  of  this  sketcli :  Peter, 
of  Norway;   Mrs.  Anton  Olson,  of  Norway. 

Until  he  was  twentj'-scven  years  of  age 
Lcmek  resided  with  his  parents,  securing  an 
education  and  assisting  with  the  farm  work. 
At  that  age  be  ni.irried  and  for  a  year  or  two 
worked  out.  He  came  to  America  and  to  Jack- 
son county  in  1888,  arriving  in  Lakeficld  on 
the  first  day  of  October  of  that  year.  He  work- 
ed out  two  years,  then  rented  land  and  farmed 
for  liin<self  two  years.  He  then  became  a  land 
owner,  buying  an  eighty  acre  tract  in  Heron 
Lake  township,  which  lie  cond\icted  six  years. 
He  .sold  his  land,  rented  a  few  years,  and 
then  sold  all  his  possessions  with  the  deter- 
mination of  making  his  home  in  the  west.  Not 
being  sati'^ficd  with  the  western  country, 
Mr.  Oiscn  returned  and  for  four  years  engaged 
in  farming  in  Heron  I.^ike  township.  In  190.'> 
he  rented  the  H.  G.  Anderson  farm  in  Wiscon- 
sin township,  and  that  has  since  been  his 
home. 

Lemek  Olsen  was  married  in  Norway  to  An- 
na Paulina  Hendrick.son,  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Peterson,  Si.x  children  have  been  born  to  these 
parents,  as  follows:  Matilda,  born  .Linuary  19, 
1887;  Henry,  born  August  2,  1888;  Anton,  born 
January  21,  1890,  di<'d  March  3,  1!M16:  Linda, 
born  September  16,  1891;  Alfred,  born  Jan- 
uary 19,  189.i;  Palmer,  born  August  14,  1897, 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church   of  Jackson, 


ANDliKW  CAULSON  (1899),  Petersburg 
township  farmer,  is  a  native  of  Varbarge, 
Sv.edcn,  and  was  born  February  3,  18.58,  the 
son  of  Carl  and  Johanna  (Anderson)  Carl- 
son. In  1879  he  left  his  native  land  and  lo- 
cated near  Kochelle,  Ogle  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  twenty  years.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  day  of  November,  1899,  he 
arrived  in  Jackson  county  and  he  has  ever 
since  made  his  home  in  Petersburg  township, 
wl'cre  lie  owns  a  ijuarter  section  of  land. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  married 
to  .Miss  Annie  Simonson,  who  died  in  August, 
1898,  after  having  borne  the  following  named 
children:  Agnes,  born  January  12,  1889;  Julia, 
born  July  23,  1891;  Charley,  born  .September 
8,  1893;  Bertha,  born  January  1,  1895;  Ella, 
born  June   13,   1897. 

Mr.  Carlson  is  a  member  of  the  Swedish 
Luther.in    church. 


ADnl.l'll  ANUERSON  (1897),  blacksmith  of 
.Jackson,  was  born  in  Sweden  March  13,  1874. 
His  parents  are  Andrew  and  Christina  Ander- 
son, both  of  whom  are  living  in  their  native 
land.  Adolph  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation in  Sweden,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  began  working  at  the  blacksmith  trade, 
which  he  has  followed  all  his  life.  He  left 
home  in  1893  and  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  first  at  Howard,  South  Dakota.  He 
worked  at  his  trade  there  two  years,  at  Corn- 
ing. Iowa,  one  year,  and  again  in  Howard, 
South  Dakota.  He  located  in  Jackson  in  1897 
and  that  village  lias  since  been  his  home.  He 
\voikc<l  in  the  shop  of  Ludvigsen  Brothers  four 
years,  in  that  of  George  Sawyer  two  years, 
and  in  1903  he  bought  a  shop  of  L.  A.  Moon, 
and  has  since  been  in  business  for  himself. 
He  bdiiglit  his  present  shop  fnmi  Hns  Thomp- 
son. 

.Mr.  Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  M.  W.  A.  lodges  and  of  the  Consoli- 
dated Casualty  company.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Swedish  Lutheran  church.  He  has  been 
connected  with  the  Jackson  fire  department 
for  the  past  eight  years. 

At  .Jackson,  on  September  5,  1902,  Mr.  An- 
derson was  married  to  Theresa  Weiland,  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin,  To  them  has  been  born 
one  child,  Antonette  Anderson, 

.TOHN  .McGLIN  (1892)  is  one  of  a  firm  which 
owns  a  line  of  elevators  in  southwestern  Min- 


THENEWYO':5:r- 


Dlf.   ANTON  .1.   MOK 

Founder  and  Owner  of  the  Southwestern  Minnesota  Hospital, 
Heron  Lake. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOKY. 


471 


iiesota  witli  lieadquarters  at  Lakefield.  He  is  a 
native  of  Dubuque  county,  Iowa,  and  was  born 
June  17,  1861.  His  parents  were  John  and 
Jane  (Rogers)'  McGlin,  who  were  born  in  Ire- 
land and  who  came  to  America  when  children. 
They  were  married  in  New  York  state  and 
tlien  moved  west  and  located  in  Dubuque  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  where  they  acquired  land  and  lived 
a  nximber  of  years.  Later  they  located  in 
Buena  Vista  county,  Iowa,  and  there  our  sub- 
ject's father  died  September  9,  1882,  having 
reached  the  age  of  64  years.  His  wife  died  at 
Heron  Lake  April  24,  1900,  at  the  age  of  64 
years. 

The  subject  of  this  biograpliy  lived  with  his 
parents  in  Dubuque  county  until  eight  years 
of  age,  and  then  accompanied  them  to  Buena 
Vista  county.  There  he  resided  on  his  father's 
farm  until  188G,  securing  his  education  and 
helping  with  the  farm  work.  In  the  last  named 
year  lie  moved  to  Rock  Valley,  Iowa,  and  in 
partnership  with  a  brother,  Michael  McGlin,  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  and  coal  business  six 
years.  The  brothers  then  moved  to  Heron 
Lake  and  engaged  in  the  same  business,  which 
they  followed  eleven  years  in  that  village.  The 
next  year  and  a  half  were  spent  in  Okabena 
in  the  same  business,  and  then  they  sold  out 
and  moved  to  Lakefield.  It  was  in  1905  that  the 
brothers  bought  the  elevator  and  coal  business 
of  the  Canton  Grain  company  in  Lakefield. 
They  have  since  increased  their  business,  now 
owning  elevators  at  Heron  Lake,  Okaliena, 
Kinbrae  and  Edgerton,  making  their  head- 
quarters at  Lakefield.  They  are  extensive  grain 
dealers,  buying,  cleaning  and  shipping. 

While  a  resident  of  Heron  Lake  Mr.  McGlin 
served  as  a  member  of  the  village  council  ten 
years,  and  during  four  years  of  that  time  was 
president  of  the  council.  He  is  a  member  of 
the   M.   W.  A.  lodge. 

Mr.  McGlin  was  married  at  Rock  Valley, 
Iowa,  March  2,  1897,  to  Nora  Fahey,  a  native 
of  Clinton,  Iowa.  Three  children  have  been 
born  in  this  union,  Eva  G.,  John  E.  and  Wil- 
liam M. 

DR.  ANTON  J.  MOE  (1902),  founder  and 
proprietor  of  the  Southwestern  Minnesota  hospi- 
tal at  Heron  Lake,  was  born  at  Trondhjam,  Nor- 
way, February  12,  1868,  the  son  of  John  Moe, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1883  and 
who  now  resides  at  Spokane,  Washington. 

Anton  J.  Moe  received  a  common  school  edu- 
cation in  his   native   country  and   at   the   age 


(if  fourteen  years  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  and  located  in  Wisconsin.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  Sparta  high  school  in  1888 
and  later  became  a  student  in  the  university 
of  Wisconsin  and  still  later  was  graduated 
from  Rush  Medical  college  of  Chicago.  Dr.  Moe 
practiced  his  profession  five  years  in  Wisconsin 
and  then,  in  1902,  located  in  Heron  Lake.  There 
he  founded  the  Southwestern  Minnesota  liospi- 
tal  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  in  the  hospital. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  Dr.  Moe  was 
elected  county  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Forest  county,  Wisconsin,  holding  the  oflFice 
three  terms,  and  for  four  years  during  his  resi- 
dence iu  Wisconsin  was  in  tlie  postal  service. 
Since  moving  to  Heron  Lake  he  has  served 
two  years  as  a  member  of  the  village  council. 
He  is  a  member  of  tlie  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  the 
Elks,  the  M.  W.  A.,  the  A.  0.  U.  W.,  the  M.  B. 
A.,  the  Veomen  and  tlie  Eastern  Star. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Moe  spent  the  summer  of  1909 
in  Vienna,  Austria,  in  medical  study,  and  in 
travel  in  Europe. 

Dr.  Moe  was  married  at  Viroqua,  Wisconsin, 
in  1897,  to  Fannie  Favor,  a  native  of  the  town 
in  whicli  she  was  married.  To  this  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  Edgar  Allen,  born  at 
Chaseburg,  Wisconsin,  May  27,  1900. 

The  Southwestern  Minnesota  hospital,  which  is 
a  commodious  three  story  building  of  pleas- 
ing design,  was  built  by  Dr.  Moe  in  1903.  So 
popular  became  the  institution  that  in  1903 
it  was  necessarily  enlarged.  It  now  has  a  ca- 
pacity of  fifty  beds  and  is  modern  iu  every 
particular  from  the  basement  to  the  upper 
story.  It  is  supplied  witli  steam  heat,  gas  and 
electric  lights,  a  steam  ventilating  system  and 
liigh  pressure  water  for  fire  protection,  has 
electric  bells  for  all  beds,  lavatories,  dispen- 
sary, a  model  operating  room  with  elaborate 
fixtures  and  instruments,  large  waiting  rooms, 
consultation  rooms,  halls  and  pretty  porticos. 
Since  the  establisliment  of  the  hospital  over 
twenty-five  hundred  surgical  operations  have 
been    performed. 

Fifteen  hundred  of  these  cases  have  been 
appendicitis  cases;  the  otliers  have  been  hernias, 
gall  stones,  cancer,  amputations,  goiters,  eye, 
car  nose  and  throat  cases,  etc.  Three  assis- 
tant physicians,  Drs.  Torkelson,  Stevens  and 
Allen,  are  employed  and  there  are  ten  nurses. 
Mrs.  Moe  is  superintendent  of  the  hospital. 
Patients  are   received  here   from  all   parts   of 


472 


BluGliAPlIh  \l,  IIIsiuj;y. 


Miiiiicsutii.  iiurllii'iri  Iowa,  Nnctli  and  South 
DiikotH  ami  Canada. 

The  hospital  suiipui'ts  a  training  school  for 
nurses,  in  which  instruction  liy  lectures  and 
visitation  work  in  hospital  and  private  bed- 
side nursing  is  given.  The  instruction  is  a 
twoterni  course  and  five  pu])ils  are  graduated 
each  year.  The  head  nurse  is  Sister  Carrie, 
who  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  and  wlio  has 
fifteen  years  experience. 

More  ground  adjoining  has  been  purchased, 
and,  as  the  business  is  increasing  so  rapidly, 
it  will  soon  become  necessary  to  enlarge  the 
present  building. 


CIIKIS  DAIII.  (18!)0),  deceased,  was  a  Pet- 
ersburg township  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Chan- 
coy,  now  Clinton,  Clinton  county,  Iowa,  March 
14,  188.5.  His  father,  Jens  Dahl,  is  living:  his 
niiitlicr.  .\nnie  Dalil,  died  DocemlKT  2.3,  1900. 

When  lie  was  five  years  old,  in  April,  1800, 
Chris  came  to  Jackson  county  with  his  ])ar- 
ents.  lie  assisted  his  father  in  managing  the 
farm  until  1900,  when  the  latter  withdrew 
from  the  active  management  and  Chris  took 
charge.  He  engaged  in  farming  the  south 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  25, 
Petersburg.  He  was  a  member  of  the  1).  B. 
S.  lodge  of  Jackson.  Mr.  Dm'hI  died  during  I  lie 
summer  of  1909. 


CIIAPvLES  M.  IIl'MPHRKY  (1893)  farms 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  34,  Des  Jloines 
township.  He  was  born  in  Rensselaer  county. 
New  York,  August  17,  1804,  the  son  of  German 
and  Phydelia  (Wyant)  Humphrey,  the  former 
of  Knplish  birth,  the  latter  a  native  of  the 
state  of  New  York.  His  father  died  when  our 
subject  was  two  years  of  age;  his  mother  died 
in  IS94.  There  were  eight  children  in  the 
family:  Kdward,  \Yilliam,  Libbie,  Melvina,  Cor- 
nelia, Mary,  Allen  and  Charles. 

Charles  lived  with  his  mother  in  his  native 
county  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.  In 
IS80  In-  located  at  Masonville,  Delaware  coun- 
ty. Iowa.  I'or  several  years  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  and  then  started  learning  the  bar- 
l>cr  trade.  He  worked  at  the  trade  three  years 
in  Superior  and  Iowa  Falls,  and  in  1893  moved 
to  Jackson,  where  he  established  the  Ashley 
house  shop,  which  he  conducted  nine  years.  In 
1901    he   rented    the   AUx'rtua   farm,   where   he 


has    since    been    engaged    in    agricultural    pur- 
suits. 

Mr.  Humphrey  was  married  at  Superior, 
Iowa,  .March  29.  1893,  to  Addie  Lush,  a  native 
of  Waucoma,  Iowa.  To  them  has  been  born 
one  child,  Irma,  born  August  2.i,  189r>.  Jlr. 
Iluinplirev  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  V.  W. 
lod«c. 


GLAUS  E.  RIEKEX  (1892)  owns  and  farms 
320  acres  of  Wisconsin  township  land,  his 
pro|K'rty  being  on  sections  21  and  10.  He  is  of 
tierman  parentage,  his  father  and  mother, 
t.eorgc  A.  and  Cassie  (SaatliolT)  Rieken,  hav- 
ing immigrated  from  the  fatherland  in  the 
fall  of  18,">7.  They  located  in  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  and  later  in  Iroquois  county  of  the 
same  state.  There  the  elder  Rieken  bought 
land  and  there  both  he  and  his  wife  died.  Out 
of  a  family  of  eleven  children  the  following 
six  are  living:  Nancy.  John.  Clans,  Seve.  Ha- 
chael  and  George. 

Clans  Rieken,  of  this  sketch,  was  born  in 
Livingston  county,  Illinois,  March  6,  1859.  He 
secured  an  education  and  helped  with  the 
farm  work  until  he  was  twenty-five  years 
old.  'I'lien  he  married  .ind  rented  a  farm  in 
Illinois,  upon  which  he  lived  eight  years.  He 
moved  to  Jackson  county  in  1802  and  bought 
a  part  of  his  present  farm.  He  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  tiling  and  has  added  greatly  to  the 
value  of  his  land  by  a  thorough  system  of  til- 
ing. The  farm  upon  which  Mr.  Rieken  now 
resides  was  homesteadeJ  by  John  ^1.  Utter, 
one  of  the  county's  early  settlers,  and  upon 
the  land  was  builded  one  of  the  early  day 
school  houses— a  log  shanty.  Mr.  Rieken  was 
tieasurer  of  his  township  several  terms.  He 
has  also  held  the  olTicc  of  director  of  school 
district  No.  100  and  is  at  the  present  time 
school  treasurer.  He  is  a  nicnilier  of  the  Ger- 
man Ltitheran  church. 


HENin  W  AI.Ilj;  .JACKSON  (1883).  pro- 
prietor of  a  Jackson  meat  market,  is  a  native 
of  the  coimly.  having  been  born  in  Middle- 
town  township  May  15,  1S83.  the  son  of  John 
.1.  and   Ida  .M.   (Withers)  Jackson. 

Our  subject  resided  on  the  farm  until  1890, 
when  he  moved  with  the  family  to  Jackson.  He 
received  his  primary  education  in  .lackson  and 
spent  his  early  days  in  that  village.  In 
1900    he    went    to    Brookings,    .South    Dakota, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


473 


and  took  a  course  in  the  South  Dakota  Agri- 
cultural school.  Thereafter  lie  spent  several 
years  at  different  points  in  South  Dakota  and 
Iowa.  Returning  to  Jackson,  he  engaged  in 
the  meat  market  business  in  partnersliijj  with 
his  brother.  In  1000  he  bouglit  his  brother's 
interest  and  lias  since  been  sole  proprietor 
of  the  business. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  married  September  17,  1907, 
to  Miss  Ida  M.  Tuftee.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


AUrjUST  HKCHT  (1901)  is  a  Ewiugton  town- 
ship farmer.  He  was  born  near  Karlin,(iermany, 
December  3,  18C4,  the  son  of  William  and  Hen- 
rietta (Beuge)  Hecht.  Both  parents  died  in  Il- 
linois, his  fatlier  in  the  spring  of  1897,  his 
mother  in  1895. 

Our  subject  spent  the  first  nineteen  years  of 
his  life  in  his  native  land,  having  been  brought 
up  on  a  farm  and  having  been  educated  there. 
In  the  spring  of  1884  he  came  to  America  with 
his  parents,  worked  in  the  city  of  Cliicago  a 
little  over  one  year,  spent  a  part  of  the  next 
year  in  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  and  then 
located  permanentl}-  in  LaSalle  county,  of  the 
same  state.  He  lived  in  LaSalle  county  until 
1898,  working  out  by  the  month  for  the  first 
six  years  of  this  time  and  thereafter  farming 
rented  land.  He  located  in  Clay  county,  Iowa, 
in  1898  and  lived  there  three  years,  engaged 
in  farming  rented  property.  Mr.  Hecht  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1901,  rented  a  Ewington 
township  farm  one  year  and  then  bought  his 
present  place — the  south  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  13 — where  he  has  since 
lived.  Besides  his  own  land  he  farms  a  ren- 
ted   quarter. 

In  the  city  of  Streator,  Illinois,  on  the  twen- 
ty-third day  of  February,  1887.  Mr.  Hecht,  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Amelia  Junker,  daughter 
of  Frederick  Junker,  of  Ewington.  Mrs.  Hecht 
was  liorn  in  Hintern  Pomern,  Germany,  May 
25,  1867,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when 
six  years  of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hecht  have  sev- 
en children,  named  as  follows;  Louisa,  born  De- 
cember 28.  1887;  William,  born  June  28,  1889; 
Caroline,  born  March  8,  1891;  Bertha,  born 
November  29,  1892;  Charlie,  born  July  6,  1896; 
Mabel,  born  July  17,  1900;  Elmer,  born  March 
6,  1903. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  German  Lu- 
theran church  of  Ewington  and  Mr.  Hecht  is 
a  director  of  school  district  No.  91. 


JOHN  P.  KOSTER  (1895)  is  a  West  Heron 
Lake  township  farmer  who  owns  240  acres  of 
land  on  sections  31  and  30.  He  was  born  in 
Oldenburg,  Germany,  November  11,  1870,  the 
son  of  Otto  J.  and  Maria  (Tjoks)  Koster.  His 
father  and  mother,  who  are  now  aged,  re- 
spectively, 87  and  78  years,  have  been  retired 
from  active  pursuits  fifteen  years  and  reside 
in  Germany.  There  were  ten  children  in  their 
familj',  of  whom  eight  are  living.  The  cliildrcn 
are:  Frederick;  Herman  (deceased).  Otto  (de- 
ceased), Hajo,  Agnes,  Maria,  lusiene,  John  P., 
Warner  and  Peter.  Of  this  family  John  P.  and 
Hajo  reside  in  America;  the  others  are  resi- 
rents   of   Germany. 

John  P.  Koster  lived  with  his  parents  in 
Germany  seventeen  years,  working  on  the 
farm  and  attending  school.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1887,  worked  four  years  on  a 
farm  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  and  then 
farmed  rented  propertj'  in  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  four  years.  He  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty in  1895,  farmed  rented  laud  in  Rost  town- 
ship four  years,  and  then  bought  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  31,  West  Heron  Lake 
township,  upon  which  he  has  ever  since  resided. 
Wlien  he  took  possession  the  land  was  un- 
broken and  without  building  improvements. 
His  farm  is  now  thoroughly  tiled  and  has  a  fine 
grove  and  set  of  buildings.  He  bought  the  south 
half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  30  four 
years  ago. 

Mr.  Koster  has  other  than  farming  interests. 
He  is  a  stockholder  and  director  of  the  First 
State  Bank  of  Okabena,  is  a  director  of  the 
Farmers  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  company  of 
Delafield  township  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Rost 
Telephone  company.  He  has  been  a  supervisor 
of  West  Heron  Lake  township  for  the  past  ten 
years  and  has  been  treasurer  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  88  for  the  last  three  years.  Of 
district  No.  73  he  was  a  director  six  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Rost  township  (Jcrman 
Lutheran    chnrch. 

Tlic  marriage  of  Jlr.  Koster  occurred  at 
Flanagan,  Livingston  county,  Illinois,  March 
15,  1893,  when  he  wedded  Bredtji  Post,  who 
was  born  in  Flanagan  November  2,  1871,  the 
daughter  of  Albert  J.  and  Anlje  (Ohling)  Post. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  to  these  par- 
ents, of  whom  the  following  six  are  living: 
Otto  J.,  Annie  D.,  Mary  A..  AlI>ort  P.,  Paul- 
ina H.  and  Freda  E. 


20 


474 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


DR.  WILLIAM  C.  PORTALAis'N  (1886),  prac- 
ticing pliysiciau  of  Jucksoii,  is  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  where  lie  was  born  June  7,  1858. 
He  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children  born 
to  Urs  Victor  and  Anna  Aloore  (Von  Steiiimen) 
I'ortmann.  His  futlier  was  a  contratting  and 
civil  engineer  and  died  in  1871.  His  mother  died 
in  19U5  at  the  age  of  83  years.  A  brother  of 
our  subject,  Dr.  E.  0.  Portmann,  is  practicing 
medicine  at  Canton,  Ohio.  He  was  President 
McKinley's  home  physician  and  after  the  death 
of  the  president  was  Jlrs.  McKinley's  phy- 
sician. 

When  V\illiam  C  I'ortmanu  was  ten  years 
old  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  America  and 
grew  to  manhood  in  the  city  of  Canton,  Ohio. 
In  the  common  schools  of  that  city  he  received 
his  early  education.  His  father  dying  when 
our  subject  was  thirteen  year.s  of  age,  he  was 
compelled  at  that  early  age  to  turn  his  atten- 
tion to  the  support  of  the  mother  and  family. 
However,  he  did  not  give  up  his  studies  but 
completed  his  general  education  in  public  and 
private  night  schools.  At  tlic  age  of  twenty- 
two  years  he  entered  the  Western  Reserve 
Medical  school,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  three 
years  later  was  graduated  as  a  physician.  For 
the  first  two  years  after  graduation  Dr.  Port- 
mann practiced  in  his  home  city  and  then, 
Ml  1883,  located  at  Mandan,  North  Dakota, 
where  he  practiced  three  years.  Dr.  Portmann 
located  at  Jackson  in  the  spring  of  188G  and 
has  since  devoted  his  time  to  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  that  village. 

Dr.  Portmann  owns  his  home  in  the  village 
and  two  Jackson  county  farms.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  V.  &  A.  M.  and  of  the  Chapter 
and  Kni^rhls  Templar  of  the  same  order,  as 
well  as  holding  menilK'rship  in  the  M.  W.  A. 
For  twelve  years  Dr.  Portmann  served  as  cor- 
oner of  Jackson  county.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  school  board  eighteen  years  and  was 
president  of  the  village  council  one  year. 

In  Canton,  Ohio,  on  September  13,  18S3, 
Dr.  Portmann  was  united  in  marriage  to  Em- 
ma )?all,  a  native  of  Canton  and  a  daughter  of 
Kphriam  K.  and  Levina  Ball.  Three  sons  have 
been  born  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Portmann,  Urs  Vic- 
tor. Milton  C  and  Arthur  R. 


JOHN  M.  ANDERSON  (1882),  of  Enterprise 
township,  has  lived  in  that  precinct  since  he 
was  a  child.  He  was  born  in  Norway  April 
17,  1878,  the  son  of  Hans  and  Andrena  Maria 


Anderson.  His  mother  died  about  twenty  years 
ago;    his   father  lives  in   Enterprise   township. 

Our  subject  was  only  two  and  one-half 
years  of  age  when  the  family  came  to  Amer- 
ica. Tluy  resided  in  DeSmct,  South  Dakota, 
one  year  and  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1882. 
John  grew  to  manhood  in  Enterprise  township, 
where  the  family  home  was  made.  For  five 
years  he  lived  with  bis  parents  on  section 
18,  Wisconsin  township;  then  his  father  took 
as  a  tree  claim  the  north  half  of  the  south- 
cast  quarter  of  section  20,  Enterprise,  and  there 
oiir  subject  resided  with  his  father  until  1001. 
That  year  he  married  and  began  farming  and 
has  ever  since  made  his  home  on  the  farm. 
He  has  engaged  in  threshing  eleven  years  in 
addition  to  his  farming  operations.  Mr.  An- 
derson is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Luther- 
an church. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  January  14,  1901, 
to  Sena  Nelson,  wOio  was  born  in  Illinois  Sep- 
tember 8,  1876.  To  them  have  been  born  the 
following  named  four  children:  Clara  A.,  born 
Novembor  2,  1!)02;  Hans  A.,  born  May  12, 
1!)04;  ClilTord  .\..  born  May  28,  190.>;  Lloyd 
S.,  born  January   11,  1909. 


MICHAEL  WAGNER  (1899)  is  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  of  LaCrosse  township.  He  owns 
a  half  section  farm,  the  home  place  being  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  26,  and  he  has 
a    nice   home. 

Mr.  Wagner  was  born  in  Luxemburg,  Ger- 
many, September  9,  \STt3,  the  son  of  Philip 
and  Barbara  (Thome)  Wagner.  He  is  the  oldest 
of  a  family  of  seven  children  and  his  parents 
both  died  in  the  old  country.  Michael  resided 
in  his  native  land  until  he  was  twenty-four 
years  of  age.  His  father  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  Michael  learned  the  trade  under 
his  father's  instruction  and  worked  for  his  par- 
ent until  coming  to  America  in  1877.  He  first 
located  at  Dubuque,  Iowa.  Near  that  city  he 
worked  on  a  farm  several  years  and  at  hi's 
trade  three  years.  In  lS8fi  he  bought  a  farm  in 
Ransom  township,  Nobles  county,  Minnesota, 
wliere  he  engaged  in  farming  until  1899.  That 
year  he  sold  out  and  located  in  .Tackson  coun- 
ty, buying  a  part  of  his  present  farm  in  La- 
Crosse township,  and  has  since  made  his  home 
there. 

Mr.  Wagner  is  a  man  of  family,  having  been 
married  in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  February 
Ifl,  1887,  to  Mary  A.  Dictzel,  who  was  born  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


47£ 


Grant  county  in  1865.  Twelve  children  have 
been  born  as  a  result  of  this  union,  of  whicli 
there  are  nine  living  as  follows:  Catherina, 
born  November  25,  1887;  John,  born  April  IC, 
1889;  Bertie,  born  December  17,  1890;  Dorothy, 
born  December  27,  1892;  Julia,  born  May  12, 
1897;  Mary,  born  July  30,  1899;  August,  born 
March  18,  1904;  Lawrence,  born  November  25, 
1905;  Henry,  born  December  30,  1907.  The 
children  who  have  died  are:  Helena,  born  Au- 
gu.st  21,  1894,  died  August  26,  1895;  Michael 
and  Frank,  twins,  born  July  1,  1901,  died 
July  1,  1901. 

The    family    are    members    of    the    Catliolic 
church  of  Heron  Lake. 


RAYMOND  BARTOSCH  (1886)  owns  and 
operates  at  Jackson  one  of  the  best  and  most 
up-to-date  harness  shops  and  harness  manu- 
facturing establishments  in  southwestern  Min- 
nesota. The  business  is  conducted  in  a  hand- 
some brick  block  on  Main  street  which  was 
erected  by  Mr.  Bartosch  in  1899.  On  the  second 
floor  of  this  building  and  the  one  adjoining 
is  located  Jackson's  opera  house.  , 

Mr.  Bartosch  was  born  in  Bohemia  October 
2,  1864,  the  son  of  German  parents,  both  his 
parents,  Englebret  and  Rosa  (Schmidt)  Bar- 
tosch, having  been  native  Germans.  The  family 
left  the  old  country  when  Raymond  was  ten 
years  of  age,  came  to  America  and  settled  in 
Steele  county,  Minnesota.  On  his  father's 
farm  in  that  county  Raymond  resided  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  receiving  a  coun- 
try school  education.  He  then  went  to  Owa- 
tonna  and  started  learning  the  harness  maker's 
trade  under  C.  Butch,  with  whom  he  remained 
five  years.  In  January,  1886,  he  located  at  Jack- 
son and  took  charge  of  the  G.  A.  Albertus 
harness  shop.  After  managing  the  business  for 
Mr.  Albertus  five  years  he  purchased  the  store 
and  has  ever  since  conducted  it.  During  the 
first  two  years  he  conducted  it  in  the  building 
south  of  Kiesel's  saloon,  then  he  purchased 
an  old  frame  building  on  the  site  of  his  present 
store,  and  in  1899  he  erected  his  present  hand- 
some structure.  In  addition  to  this  business 
property  Mr.  Bartosch  owns  a  fine  home  in  the 
city,  erected  in  1906.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A. 
F.   &  A.  M. 

Mr.  Bartosch  was  married  in  Sauk  City, 
Wisconsin,  August  8,  1892,  to  Dorathea  Roeser, 
a  native  of  that  place  and  a  daughter  of  G«orge 


Roeser.     To  Mr.  and   Mrs.   Bartosch  has  been 
born  one  child,  Rita  Bartosch. 


THEODORE  SCHROEDER  (1898)  is  one  of 
the  prosperous  young  farmers  of  Sioux  Valley 
township,  where  he  controls  240  acres  of  fine 
farming  land.  He  is  a  native  of  Cedai  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  and  was  born  February  15,  1874. 

In  his  native  county  Theodore  grew  to  man- 
hood, making  his  home  with  his  parents  and 
working  on  the  farm  until  nearly  twenty -five 
years  of  age.  He  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  in  the  Wilton  Commercial 
academy.  He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1898 
and  located  upon  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  17,  Siou.x  Valley  township,  then  owned 
by  his  father,  but  later  purchased  by  him. 
The  farm  was  bare  of  improvements  when  he 
located  on  it  in  1898,  but  he  has  built  the 
place  up  until  today  he  has  a  fine,  well  im- 
proved farm.  In  1909  he  raised  about  2,5U0 
bushels  of  corn  and  1,600  bushels  of  small 
grain.  He  feeds  about  lUU  head  of  hogs  each 
year.  Mr.  Schroeder  is  a  director  of  the  Sioux 
Valley  Creamery  company  and  was  its  presi- 
dent one  year.  He  also  has  stock  in  the  Lake 
Park  Farmers  E.xchange  elevator  and  in  the 
Midland  Telephone  company. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  are  John  and  So- 
phia (Krohnke)  Schroeder,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  tiermany  and  who  came  to  America 
wlien  children,  having  been  married  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa.  They  resided  in  Cedar  county, 
Iowa,  many  years  and  later  became  residents 
of  Scott  county.  Mr.  Schroeder  became  a 
heavy  land  owner  and  is  now  living  a  retired 
life  at  Durant,  aged  67  years.  Mrs.  Schroeder 
died  at  Durant  June  15,  1905,  aged  51  years. 
They  had  four  children,  as  follows:  Theodore 
and    Minnie    (twins),   Richard   and   Herman. 

Theodore  Schroeder  was  married  in  Cedar 
county,  Iowa,  in  the  year  1898,  to  Alvina 
Miller,  who  born  in  the  country  in  which 
she  was  married  October  22,  1879.  She  is  the 
daugliter  of  William  and  Lena  Miller,  both  of 
whom  live  in  Cedar  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schroeder  are  the  parents  of  four  children: 
Harvey,  borjn  May  24,  1899;  Lillie,  born  Sep- 
tember 24,  1900;  Luerna,  born  May  4,  1902; 
Irvin,  born  December  25,  1905.  Mr.  Schroeder 
was  township  supervisor  four  years  and  was 
clerk  of  school  district  72  for  seven  years. 


476 


BlOUlfAPHlCAL  JIISTOKY. 


WlLLI^Ul  H.  JAKJIUTU  (1888)",  cashier  of 
llie  iirst  National  bank  of  llerou  Lake,  was 
born  iu  Cliii-ago  Seplenibcr  2'J,  ISSl,  tlie  sou  of 
Henry  and  Lena  (Uueseli)  Jarniutli.  He  came 
lo  Jackson  couuly  witli  liis  parents  iu  1888 
and  lived  on  the  liome  farm  until  lUUU.  He  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  in  the 
business  department  of  Toland  college. 

After  his  graduation  from  the  business  col- 
lege Mr.  Jarmuth  look 'a  position  with  the 
State  Bank  of  Alpha,  which  he  held  one  year. 
J-or  several  years  thei-eafter  he  was  with  the 
Martin  County  National  Bunk  of  Fairmont, 
for  a  time  as  bookkeeper  and  for  the  last  three 
^ears  as  cashier.  He  weiit  to  Heron  Lake  in 
November,  I'JOT,  and  has  since  lield  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier  of  the  First  National.  Mr.  Jar- 
muth is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  I'ythias 
and    Koyal    Arcanum    lodges. 

At  Alinneapolis  on  July  20,  1908,  Mr.  Jar- 
muth was  married  to  Myrtle  M.  Childs,  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa  and  a  daughter  of  II.  C.  and 
Miiuiic  Childs. 


OLL  IMiUSUN  (1882),  Belmont  township 
farmer,  residing  five  miles  north  of  Jackson,  is 
a  native  of  Norway  and  was  born  November 
2U,  IS'm,  the  son  of  Iver  and  Bertlia  Skoh'stud. 
Both  his  parents  died  when  Ole  was  si.\  years 
of  age,  and  from  that  age  he  has  made  his 
own  living.  Until  he  was  nearly  twenty-six 
years  of  age  he  worked  out  in  Norway. 

In  1881  Mr.  Iverson  came  to  America,  lived 
one  year  in  Lee  county,  Illinois,  and  then,  in 
1882,  came  to  Jackson  county.  For  two  years 
he  worked  out  at  railroad  work  and  in  the  liar- 
vost  fields,  and  then  bought  his  present  farm 
in  section  .3G,  Belmont.  The  land  was  all  prai- 
rie at  the  time,  but  he  planted  a  grove,  built 
a  house  and  made  other  improvements,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1885  moved  to  his  new  home. 
There  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. 

Mr.  Iverson  was  married  in  Lee  county,  Il- 
linois, March  25,  1882,  to  Lena  Kondland,  who 
was  also  born  in  Norway.  They  have  an  adopt - 
c<l  son,  Oliver,  aged  seventeen  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Iverson  are  nicniljcrs  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  clnirch  and  Mr.  Iverson  is  a  member 
of    the    schnid    Imard    of   district    No.    79. 


KRNST  SHUMACHER  (1804),  deceased,  late 
proprietor  of  a  saloon  in  Lakefield,  was  born 


iu  Ci  1  .nany  August  15,  1852.  His  parents  were 
Martin  and  Ernestina  (Urban)  Sliumacher. 
They  c.ime  to  the  United  States  in  1870  and  lo- 
cated ill  Faribault  county,  Minnesota.  The 
father  died  at  Minnesota  Lake  in  1883,  at  the 
age  of  (io  years;  the  mother  died  at  Kimball, 
.Minnesota,  in  1905,  at  the  age  of  73  years. 

Our  subject  lived  iu  Germany  with  his  par- 
ents until  eighteen  years  of  age  and  then  came 
lo  America.  He  bought  a  farm  in  Faribault 
county,  Minnesota,  upon  which  he  lived  several 
years,  and  then  moved  to  Wells,  where  he  en- 
gaged iu  carpenter  work.  Mr.  Shumacher  be- 
came a  resident  of  Lakefield  in  1894,  bought  a 
saloon  from  Tossen  &  Company,  then  located 
in  the  building  which  is  now  occupied  by  the 
Standard,  and  continued  in  the  saloon  business 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  Ueccnibcr  1, 
1909.  He  erected  the  brick  building  in  which 
the  saloon  is  conducted  in  1896  and  two  years 
later  erected  the  brick  building  which  adjoins 
it  on  the  north.  He  owned  his  home  iu  the 
village. 

Mr.  Shumacher  was  married  at  Lakefield  in 
l.S'J4  to  Miss  Fredericka  Bragger,  a  native  of 
(icrinany.  To  them  were  born  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Lena,  Eliza,  Erna,  Clara,  Harry, 
Eddie  and  Emma.  Mr.  Shumacher  and  his 
family  were  members  of  the  Gorman  Lutheran 
church. 


CHKISTiAN  E.  LINDBERG  (1882),  of  Bel- 
mont township,  was  born  in  Norway  May  23, 
1852.  His  mother,  Annie  Lindberg,  resides  in 
Belmont. 

Until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age  Christian 
lived  with  his  parents.  Then  he  began  life's 
battles  on  his  own  account.  For  the  next 
twelve  years  he  was  employed  as  a  farm  hand 
and  at  work  iu  the  pineries  of  his  native  land. 
He  came  to  America  in  1882  and  direct  to 
Jackson  county.  For  five  years  lie  worked  out 
on  farms  in  Belmont  township  and  then  he 
bouglit  the  west  half  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  30,  Belmont,  and  that  has  ever  since 
been  his  home.  When  he  arrived  in  the  country 
he  was  penniless  and  owed  his  brother  for 
the  passage  money  across  the  water.  By  in- 
dustry and  hard  work  he  has  prospered,  now 
owning  a  280  acre  farm,  well  improved  and 
stocked.  The  place  was  unimproved  when  he 
bought  it;  now  he  has  a  splendid  grove,  a  nice 
house,  barns  and  other  buildings— one  of  the 
many  fine  homes  of  Belmont   tovmship. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


477 


^Ir.  Liiidberg  ^vas  married  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty October  30.  1888,  to  Olena  Lindberg,  who 
was  born  in  Norwaj-  in  1862.  Tliey  are  the 
parents  of  tbree  children:  Janetta,  born  in 
Belmont  township  July  1,  1889;  Anton,  born 
in  Belmont  October,  1890;  John,  born  in  Bel- 
mont January  2.  1893.  Another  child,  Clara 
Olava,  was  born  December  20,  1900,  and  died 
the  same  day.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of  West 
l^lmont,  Mr.  Lindberg  having  been  secretary 
of  the  church  society  fifteen  years.  He  served 
as  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  18  for  five 
vears. 


PETER  HAFER  (1902),  a  farmer  and  breed- 
er of  thoroughbred  stock  of  Ewington  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Germany  April  7,  1865,  and 
two  years  after  his  birth  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  the  new  world.  Lentil  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age  he  worked  on  the  farm  for 
his  father  in  LaSalle  county,  Illinois. 

After  his  marriage  in  1887,  Mr.  Hafer  rented 
his  father's  farm  and  conducted  it  five  years. 
He  then  rented  another  farm  in  LaSalle  coim- 
ty,  which  he  conducted  until  1902.  That  year 
he  came  to  Jackson  county  and  rented  of 
George  W.  Patterson  the  west  half  of  section 
11,  Ewington  township,  upon  which  place  he 
has  ever  since  lived.  During  the  first  year  of 
his  residence  in  Jackson  county,  because  of 
the  wet  season,  Mr.  Hafer  lost  the  thousand 
dollars  he  brought  with  him  from  Illinois,  but 
since  that  time  has  encountered  more  prosper- 
ous times.  In  1909  he  harvested  3,000  bushels 
of  oats,  1,500  bushels  of  fiax  and  1,.500  bushels 
of  corn. 

Mr.  Hafer  raises  full  blooded  Hereford  cattle 
and  has  been  very  successful  in  their  breeding 
and  in  getting  fancy  prices  for  them  at  private 
sale.  He  also  raises  thoroughbred  Berkshire 
hogs.  He  is  interested  in  the  farmers'  store  and 
elevator  at  Brewster.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  of  Brewster. 

Peter  is  one  of  a  family  of  two  boys,  a 
brother,  William,  having  died  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years.  The  parents  of  our  subject  were 
William  and  Gertie  Hafer,  who  were  born  in 
Germany  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1867.  They  bought  a  farm  in  LaSalle  county, 
Illinois,  upon  which  they  lived  until  their 
death. 

Mr.  Hafer  was  married  at  Richland,  Illinois. 
October    8.    1887,    to    Gertrude    Shoenenboun, 


who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1866.  To  them 
have  been  born  the  following  children:  Fran- 
cis A.,  born  .January  22,  1890;  Peter,  bom 
April  25,  1892;  Henry,  born  December  17,  1893; 
William  P.,  born  January  30,  1895;  Anton,  born 
February  7,  1897;  John,  born  February  7,  1899; 
Rosy  J.,  born  February  7,  1901;  Bennie  .J., 
born  January  22,  1903:  Robert  A.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1905:  Dorothy  M.,  born  January  30, 
1907;  Edward  W..  born  September  3,  1909. 

In  1892  Mr.  Hafer  and  family  made  a  trip 
to  Germany  to  visit  with  the  relatives  of  his 
wife.  They  remained  five  months  and  visited 
many  of  the  large  cities  of  Europe.  Wliile 
abroad  their  son,  Peter,  died  at  the  age  of 
ten  months.  Mr.  Hafer  was  called  back  to  the 
United  States  bv  the  death  of  his  mother. 


MARIUS  TONDER  (1885).  hay  dealer  and 
les.see  of  the  Ole  Anderson  ice  plant  of  Jack- 
son, has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  nearly  a 
quarter  of  a  century.  He  is  a  native  of  Schles- 
wig-Holstein,  Germany,  and  was  born  April 
17,  1865. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Soren  and 
Annie  (Top)  Tonder,  who  were  also  natives  of 
Schleswig-Holstein,  having  been  born  in  that 
country  when  it  was  Danish  territory  and  be- 
fore it  had  been  acquired  by  the  German  em- 
pire. The  elder  Tonder  was  a  veteran  of  the 
war  of  1848,  serving  in  the  Danish  army  in  its 
fight  against  Germany  for  the  possession  of 
Schleswig.  After  the  war  he  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits.  Marius  is  one  of  a  family 
of  eight  children,  of  whom  the  following  six 
are  living:  Peter.  .Jens,  Marius.  Antonia.  An- 
nie and  Catherina.  Both  parents  died  in  their 
native  country. 

Marius  attended  school  and  worked  in  his 
father's  store  and  on  his  father's  farm  in  the 
old  country  until  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age.  Then,  in  1885,  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, spent  that  summer  in  Moline,  Illinois,  and 
in  the  fall  came  to  .Jackson  county.  He  bought 
land  in  Wisconsin  township  and  farmed  it 
twelve  years.  Moving  to  Jackson  village  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  he  has  since  made  his  home 
tlicre.  For  five  years  he  engaged  in  flax  raising 
on  land  adjoining  the  village  and  then  engaged 
in  the  hay  business.  He  added  to  the  latter 
business  in  1007  by  taking  over  the  ice  business 
formerly  conducted  by  Ole  Ander.son.  Mr.  Ton- 
der owns  a  home  in  the  city.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  Danish  Brother- 


478 


BlOfiUV 


liAI.  HISTORY. 


liood   lod^io,   lu'iiii;   (roasiire:"   of   the   latter. 

Mr.  Tonder  made  a  trip  to  liis  old  fjcrman 
lioiiio  in  1892,  and  there  that  year  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Annie  Christenscn, 
a  daughter  of  >rartin  Christensen,  who  still 
resides  in  the  old  eountry.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tonder  have  been  born  seven  children  as  fol- 
lows: Julius,  born  June  4,  1893:  Annie,  born 
August  27,  1895:  Mary,  born  October  8,  1897; 
Emma,  born  April  8,  1901;  Florence,  born  June 
22,  1903:  Thyrc,  born  September  2,'>,  190.'); 
Olga,  born  April  21,  1908. 


TTENTIY  PTEFFEX  (1900)  is  a  farmer  and 
land  owner  of  Hunter  township.  Germany  is 
his  native  country  and  October  20,  1860,  was 
the  date  of  his  birth.  Ilis  parents  were  Paul 
and  ^farie  Steffen.  The  former  died  when  our 
subject  was  one  year  old  and  his  mother  when 
he  was  ten  j-ears  of  age. 

After  his  mother's  death  until  he  was  fifteen 
Henry  lived  with  a  sister.  At  the  age  of 
fifteen  he  began  working  out  on  farms,  and 
when  twenty  years  of  age  joined  the  German 
army  and  served  three  years.  The  next  spring 
after  his  discharge  from  the  army,  in  1884,  Mr. 
SlefTen  came  to  America.  He  worked  as  <a  farm 
hand  in  Carroll  county,  Iowa,  two  years,  and 
then  located  in  Omaha,  where  for  six  and  one- 
half  years  he  was  employed  in  a  packing  house. 
The  next  years  were  spent  in  farming  rented 
land  in  Carroll  and  Crawford  counties.  Towa. 
He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1900.  farmed 
rented  land  in  Hunter  township  two  years, 
and  in  1002  bought  his  present  farm.  He 
owns  the  east  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  15  and  the  cast  half  of  the  northwest 
(juarter  of  section  22,  Hunter. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Germany  in  1SS4 
to  Paulina  Labcck,  who  was  born  July  28, 
ISfiO.  To  them  have  been  born  the  following 
named  seven  children:  Herman,  horn  December 
21,  1885:  Kmma,  born  October  4.  1886:  Harry, 
born  November  20,  1S02:  .Xgnes.  born  .Tune  27. 
1894:  Vena,  born  'March  10.  1S9S;  Edward  and 
Edna  (twins),  born  .\ugust  5.  1900.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Gorman  Lutheran  church  of 
Lakeficld. 


CHARLES  E.  PERRY  (1898)  carries  the 
ITnitcd  States  mail  on  rural  route  Xo.  1  out 
of  Heron  Lake.  He  was  born  at  Owego.  Tioga 
county.  New  York,  December  2,  1859,  the  eldest 


of  a  family  of  eight  ciiildren  born  to  Oscar 
anil  Frances  (Granger)  Perry,  both  natives  of 
the  Empire  state.  The  family  came  west  in 
1861  and  located  in  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa. 
In  that  county  Mr.  Perry  lived  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  April,  1909,  at  the  age  of  70 
years.  Ilis  widow  still  lives  in  Winneshiek 
county   and    is   67   years   of   age. 

Charles  Perry  lived  in  his  native  county  -less 
than  two  years.  In  1801  the  family  drove 
through  by  team  from  New  York  state  to 
Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  the  trip  being 
made  in  thirty-one  days.  There  the  head  of 
the  family  bought  land  at  $6.00  per  acre,  and 
on  tliat  farm  Mr.  Perry  of  this  sketch  grew 
to  manhood,  making  his  home  with  his  par- 
ents until  twenty-five  years  of  age.  He  then 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself  in  Winneshiek 
and  Fayette  counties,  Towa,  for  several  years, 
later  engaging  in  tlie  same  business  in  Xortb 
Dakota.  He  located  in  Heron  Lake  in  1808  and 
for  several  years  worked  at  the  carpenter 
trade.  In  1902  he  received  the  appointment  of 
mail  carrier  on  the  first  route  established  out 
of  Heron  Lake  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
that  capacity. 

At  West  Union,  Iowa,  on  neceniber  22,  1901, 
Mr.  Perry  was  united  in  marriage  to  Caroline 
A.  Brooks.  She  was  horn  in  Lyons,  New  York, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Cliarles  and  Mary 
Brooks.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union,  of  which  the  eldest.  Henry  C,  died 
when  nineteen  months  old.  The  others  are 
Bertha,  born  July.  1904:  Francis,  horn  ^larch 
20,  190C:  Oscar,  born  February  22.  1908.  Mr. 
Perry  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  C  W.  and 
Degree  of  Ifonor  lodges. 


JOHN  S.  WOOLSTENCROFT  (1868K  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  .lackson  County  Times 
of  Heron  Lake,  is  a  pioneer  of  southwestern 
Minnesota  and  one  of  the  best  known  residents 
of  Jackson  coimty.  He  is  a  native  of  Clayton 
county,  Iowa,  and  was  born  December  23.  1848, 
the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Alary  .Ann  fKeer) 
Woolstencroft.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
a  soldier  of  the  regiilar  army,  being  a  ser- 
geant of  company  K,  First  U.  S.  infantry,  and 
participated  in  the  Blackhawk  war,  Florida; 
war,  Mexican  war  and  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 
John  was  raised  on  a  farm  in  his  native  eovm- 
ty  in  Iowa.  In  (he  spring  of  lSfi4.  although  he 
was  then  only  a  little  past  fifteen  years  of 
age.  he  enlisted  as  a  union  soldier,  becoming  a 


JOHN  S.   WOOLSTENCROFT 

Editor  and  Proprietor  of  the  Jackson  County  Times  and  an  Early 

Day  Settler. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 


»*TOn,  LENOX   *Ne 
TILOEN   fOL'.-.C«-.nHl 


BIOGBAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


479 


member  of  company  L,  of  the  Sixth  Iowa 
cavalry.  With  his  vcgimiMit  he  toolc  part  in  the 
memorable  campaign  against  the  Sioux  Indiana 
in  1864,  engaging  in  two  pitched  battles  with 
the  Indians  in  the  Bad  Lands.  In  1865  he 
started  again  with  the  forces  against  the  Sioux, 
l)ut  owing  to  sickness  was  left  in  hospital  at 
Fort  Rice.  While  there  he  was  in  three  en- 
gagements with  the  hostile  Indians.  Mr.  Wool- 
stencroft  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment 
at  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  in  the  latter  part  of  Oc- 
tober, 1865,  and  the  regiment  was  disbanded 
at  Davenport. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army  Mr.  Wool- 
steneroft  returned  to  his  home  and  engaged  in 
farming.  He  arrived  in  Jackson  county  on  the 
29th  day  of  May,  1868,  and  located  in  the 
Graham  Lakes  country  in  Nobles  county,  when 
there  were  only  five  or  six  families  in  the  whole 
county.  He  resided  in  that  frontier  settlement 
until  .June  19,  1869,  and  then  returned  to  his 
old  home,  where  he  was  married.  He  came 
north  again  in  1872  and  took  a  liomestead  claim 
on  section  34,  Belfast  township,  Murray  coun- 
ty, and  upon  that  claim  he  lived  until  March 
22,  1881. 

On  the  date  la?t  mentioned  Mr.  Woolsten- 
croft  located  in  Heron  Lake,  where  he  went  to 
superintend  the  large  farming  interests  of  J. 
T.  Smith.  On  the  17th  day  of  November  of  that 
year  he  was  caught  and  wound  in  some  shaft- 
ing and  so  severely  injured  that  he  was  inca- 
pacitated for  physical  labor.  In  May,  1882,  he 
engaged  in  the  saloon  bvisiness  in  Heron  Lake 


1891  built  the  Wavertree  hotel,  which  he  con- 
ducted seventeen  years.  In  partnership  with 
C.  W.  Selmltz  he  founded  the  Jackson  County 
Times  in  1895  and  in  July  of  the  next  year 
he  took  exclusive  charge  of  the  management 
and  editorial  department.  He  has  ever  since 
been  the  editor  and  publisher. 

Mr.  Woolstencroft  was  married  March  .Tl, 
1870,  in  Clayton  county,  Iowa,  to  Elizabeth 
Ann  Alicl.  Two  children  were  bnrn  to  this 
union:  Carry  D.,  born  July  28.  1877;  Mary 
K.,  born  December  11,   1880. 


JOSEPH  J.  PRIBYL  (1884)  is  the  assistant 
cashier  of  the  Brown  National  Bank  of  .Jack- 
son and  has  been  a  resident  of  (he  county  since 
he  w-as  five  years  of  age.  He  is  a  native  of 
Budweiss,    Bohemia,    and    was    born    May    19, 


1S79.  His  parents  are  Albert  and  Mary  (Kor- 
anda)  Pribyl,  now  living  in  Jackson,  aged  66 
and  58  years,  respectively. 

Joseph  Pribyl  came  to  America  with  liis 
parents  in  1883.  After  ten  months  spent  in 
Chicago  the  family  came  to  Jackson  county, 
arriving  in  March,  1884.  The  head  of  the 
family  bought  a  farm  on  section  16,  Hunter 
township,  and  twelve  years  later  one  on  sec- 
tion 20.  Joseph  lived  on  the  farm  with  his 
parents  until  1895,  receiving  an  education  in 
the  country  schools  and  in  the  Jackson  hi^h 
school.  Coming  to  Jackson  village,  he  clerked 
in  Peter  Hansen's  store  eight  months  and  then 
accepted  a  position  in  the  Bank  of  Jackson 
(now  the  Brown  National  Bank),  and  has  been 
with  that  institution  ever  since,  for  the  last 
eight  years   as  assistant   cashier. 

Mr.  Pribyl  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters. 
He  is  one  of  a  family  of  eiglit  children:  Charles, 
Joseph  J.,  August,  Wesley,  Frank,  Jerry,  Mary, 
Agnes  and  Bessie. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Pribyl  occurred  in  Jack- 
son May  27,  1901,  when  he  wedded  Laura  Bet- 
lech,  a  native  of  Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  and 
a  daughter  of  Emil  and  Sarah  (Cerhan)  Bet- 
lech.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pribyl  are  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Marie  T.,  Helen  F.  and  Jose- 
phine K. 


WESLEY  "WORSHEK  (1891)  is  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  of  Belmont  township,  in 
which  precinct  he  owns  a  half  section  of  land 
— the  northwest  quarter  of  section  28  and  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  36.  He  is  one 
of  a  family  of  five  children  and  his  parents 
were  Joseph  and  Mary  Worshek.  They  came 
from  Bohemia  to  the  United  States  in  1866 
and  located  in  Iowa.  Mrs.  Worshek  died  in 
that  state  in  1889,  and  after  her  death  Mr. 
Worshek  came  to  Jackson  county,  where 
lie  lived  until  his  death,  February  28,  1905, 
at  the  age  of  83  years.  The  other  children 
of  the  family  are  Annie,  Joseph,  Mary  and 
John. 

Wesley  Worsliek  was  born  to  these  parents 
in  Bohemia  November  1.  1860.  At  the  age  of 
six  years  lie  accompanied  his  parents  to  Am- 
erica and  located  in  Jones  county,  Iowa.  Six 
years  later  the  family  home  was  made  in 
Cutiirie  county.  Iowa,  and  there  our  subject 
lived  until  1891.  That  year  he  moved  to  .Jack- 
son   county   and   bought   his    present   farm    of 


480 


BIOnilAI'IllcAL  lllSTOltV. 


Xicliolas  Olson,  and  that  place  has  ever  since 
been  liis  home.  He  added  to  his  real  estate 
ho1din(,'s  in  If'OS  by  the  nurchase  of  the  quarter 
on  section  30.  Since  buying  his  farm  he  has 
added  {jreatly  to  its  value  by  tlic  erection 
of  new  buihlinfrs  and  other  improvements.  He 
is  a  stocklioldcr  of  the  Belmont  Creamery 
company  and  of  the  Jackson  County  Ele- 
vator company.  For  several  years  he  served 
as  a  director  of  school  district  No.  5.  He  and 
his  family  arc  members  of  the  Catholic  church 
of  Jackson  and  he  belongs  to  the  M.  W.  .\. 
lodge. 

Mr.  Worshek  was  married  in  Guthrie  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  to  Barbara  Benda,  a  native  of  Bo- 
hemia. Nine  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union  as  follows:  Frank,  born  May  2,  1887; 
Tillie,  born  June  29,  1888:  Laura,  born  Au- 
gust 8.  1801;  Joseph,  born  February  12,  1803: 
Eddie,  born  February  IS,  ISO.');  Henry,  born 
.July  1.  1808:  Louie,  born  April  27.  1901; 
Blanche,  born  April  20,  1003;  Agnes,  born  Jan- 
uary 24.   190C. 

Since  this  sketch  was  prepared.  Mr.  Worshek, 
on  December  7,  1000,  sold  his  place  to  .John 
Erickson,  of  South  Dakota,  after  a  residence  in 
the  county  of  eighteen  years. 


WILLTAM  TORDSEN  (1803)  owns  and 
farms  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  22. 
Eost  township.  He  is  the  son  of  Peter  Tord- 
sen,  of  I^ost  township,  and  Christina  (Hend- 
ricks) Tordsen,  who  died  in  Tda  county,  Iowa, 
January   20.   1888. 

William  Tordsen  was  born  in  Scott  county. 
Iowa.  January  14,  1870.  and  when  two  ye.nrs 
of  age  moved  with  his  parents  to  Ida  county, 
Towa.  There  he  was  brought  up  on  his  father's 
farm  and  received  liis  primary  education.  Tie 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson  county 
in  1893  and  completed  his  education  in  the 
district  school  in  Rost  township.  He  made  his 
homo  with  his  father  until  1001.  That  year 
he  engaged  in  the  thresliing  business  in  part- 
nership with  John  Huscn  until  1003.  and  two 
years  later  sold  a  half  interest  to  his  brother, 
and  has  been  so  engaged  ever  since.  In  1003 
he  also  engaged  in  farming,  renting  the  Ju- 
lius Meyer  farm  in  Rost.  In  the  spring  of  1!»09 
he  moved  onto  his  present  farm,  which  he  had 
bought  in  1008.  J?csides  his  other  interests  Mr. 
Tordsen  has  stock  in  the  Farmers  Elevator 
company  of  Lakefield.  He  is  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  109. 


Mr.  Tordsen  was  married  in  Jackson  June 
ti,  19<r2.  to  Bertha  Meyer,  daughter  of  Julius 
and  Marie  (StelTen)  Meyer,  of  Lake  Park, 
Iowa.  Mrs.  Tordsen  was  born  in  llohtcin, 
Iowa,  .June  0.  1884,  and  came  to  .Jackson 
county  with  her  parents  in  1897. 


EDWARD  SCHUMACHER  (18801  is  an  Alba 
township  farmer  and  conducts  his  father's 
place,  the  soutli  half  of  section  12,  a  short  dis- 
tance west  of  Okabena.  He  is  a  native  of 
the  county,  liaving  been  born  on  the  farm  he 
now  conducts  April  26,  1880, 

The  parents  of  our  subject,  Henry  and  Caro- 
line (llohena)  Schumacher,  were  born  in  f!er- 
niany,  but  came  to  America  in  an  early  day, 
settling  -in  Brown  county,  Minnesota,  in  the 
late  fifties.  There  they  resided  until  they  came 
tn  Jackson  county  in  1870.  They  lived  on  the 
old  tree  claim  in  Alba  township  until  1003, 
when  they  moved  to  Heron  Lake,  where  they 
still  reside.  Mr.  Schumacher  is  a  veteran  of 
the  civil  war.  having  served  in  company  A.  of 
the  Eleventh  regiment  of  Minnesota  volunteers. 

Edward  Sohumaoher  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
fathers  farm  in  Alba,  attending  the  district 
srliool  and  working  on  the  farm.  In  the  spring 
of  1905  he  took  a  homestead  in  Lyman  county, 
.South  Dakota,  and  the  next  year  moved  onto 
liis  land.  After  a  residence  there  of  over  a 
year  he  proved  up  on  the  claim  and  then  re- 
turned to  Jackson  county.  He  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming  his  father's  farm  of  .320 
acres. 

^^r.  Schumacher  was  married  in  Cottonwood 
county.  Minnesota,  ^farch  20.  lOO.i.  to  .To.se- 
]iliinc  Crowell.  who  was  born  in  Fillmore  county, 
Minnesota.  .January  3.  1881.  Her  grandfather 
was  the  third  settler  of  Fillnii>ro  county,  hav- 
ing located  there  in  18.'>3.  Her  parents,  Edwin 
and  Clara  (Oeuth)  Crowcll,  now  reside  in  How- 
ard county,  Iowa.  One  child  has  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Schumacher.  Russell,  born 
September  17.  1007.  Mr.  Schumacher  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


JOHN  DTTNKER  (ISOI)  owns  and  farms  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  12,  Enterprise 
township,  which  has  Iicen  his  home  for  the 
last  eighteen  years.  Mr.  Dunker  is  a  Herman 
by  birth,  having  been  born  in  the  fatherland 
May  23,  1858,  tlic  son  and  John  and  Lizzie 
Dunker. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


481 


Jlr.  Diinkoi's  parents  died  when  he  was  seven 
years  of  age  and  he  was  thrown  on  his  own 
resources  at  an  early  age.  He  came  to  Ameri- 
ca wlien  fourteen  years  of  age,  landing  in  the 
city  of  New  York  May  4,  1872.  Locating  at 
Havana,  Mason  county,  Illinois,  he  grew  to 
manhood  there  and  after  reaching  mature  years 
engaged  in  farming.  He  bought  his  present 
farm  October  8,  1890,  and  the  following  March 
moved  onto  it  and  became  a  permanent  resi- 
dent of  Jackson  county.  He  has  been  engaged 
in  farming  since  and  for  several  years  was  en- 
gaged in  ojierating  a  threshing  machine  and 
corn  sheller. 

Mr.  Dunker  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  marriage  was  to  Dora  Webber,  whom 
he  married  May  28.  1882.  She  died  September 
7,  1801.  To  this  union  were  born  the  following 
named  children:  Fred,  born  August  1,  1883; 
Henry,  horn  January  12,  1886:  Mary,  born 
December  20,  1888;  Maggie,  born  March  10, 
1890.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Dunker 
occurred  October  28,  1894,  to  Annie  Golz,  of 
Berlin,  Germany.  To  them  have  been  born 
the  following  named  children:  Dick,  born  Sep- 
tember 16,  189.5:  Lizzie,  bom  February  19, 
1897;  Bertha,  born  March  8,  1808;  Charles, 
born  November  30,  1901;  William,  born  .Janu- 
ary 3,  1905;  Dora,  born  May  1,  1908.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  of  Kimball  township.  He  holds  the 
office   of  clerk   of  school  district  No.  20. 


KARL  NEJEDLY  (1886)  is  a  shoemaker 
and  the  proprietor  of  one  of  .Jackson's  shoe 
stores.  He  is  the  son  of  Josopli  Nejedly,  one 
of  a  family  of  five  children,  and  was  born  in 
A'ranej,  Bohemia,  September  14.  185.5.  His  early 
days  were  spent  in  his  native  land,  where  he 
attended  the  village  school  and  where  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years  he  began  working  at  the 
shoemaker's  trade. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  Mr.  Nejedly  joined  the 
Austrian  army  and  served  a  four  years'  en- 
listment during  the  war  between  Austria  and 
Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  as  a  result  of  which 
war  the  two  last  named  countries  were  added 
to  the  Austrian  empire.  During  the  last  two 
years  of  his  service  Mr.  Nejedly  saw  service 
in  the  enemies'  country.  After  the  war  Mr, 
Nejedly  went  to  Germany,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  until  he  emigrated  to  America  in 
1882.  He  first  located  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  time.  During  his 


residence  there  he  was  frequently  called  upon 
to  make  shoes  for  the  family  of  President 
Garfield.  After  leaving  Cleveland,  Mr.  Nejedly 
worked  at  his  trade  in  the  following  towns: 
IMenominee.  Michigan;  St.  Paul,  Minnesota; 
Mendota,  Minnesota;  and  Owatonna,.  Minne- 
sota. 

In  1886  Jlr.  Nejedly  came  to  .Jackson  county 
and  opened  a  shoe  repair  shop  in  the  county 
seat  village,  and  four  years  later  opened  a 
shoe  store  in  connection.  These  he  conducted 
continuously  until  1906.  when  he  sold  out  and 
moved  to  California.  He  remained  in  the  far 
west  only  a  short  time,  and  then  returned  to 
.lackson  and  again  engaged  in  business.  Be- 
sides his  business,  Mr.  Nejedly  owns  a  home  in 
the  village.  He  is  a  member  of  the  C.  S.  P.  S., 
the  M.  W.  A.  and  the  Equitable  Fraternal 
Union. 

In  Cleveland,  Ohio,  July  24.  1882,  Mr.  Nejedly 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Josephine  Simon, 
who  was  born  in  Zop,  Bohemia,  March  19, 
1857,  and  who  came  to  America  a  few  months 
before  her  marriage.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  si.x  children,  as  follows;  Otto,  born  Sep- 
tember 14.  1883;  Olga,  born  October  2!5,  1884; 
Boodie,  born  April  8,  1888;  Rose,  born  No- 
vember 25,  1800;  Lumer,  boin  .August  8,  1892; 
Mildred,  born  May  4,  1903. 


JOHN  V.  KRAL  (1901).  a  resident  of  Hun- 
ter township,  has  lived  in  the  county  but  a  few 
years,  but  in  that  time  has  prospered,  and  he 
owns  440  acres  of  well  improved  land.  He  is 
a  native  of  Bohemia,  where  he  was  born  March 
13.  1866,  and  is  the  son  of  Frank  and  Josephine 
Krai,  both  of  whom  live  in  the  old  country 
nt  advanced  ages.  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  .John  (the  subject  of  the  sketch) 
being   the  eldest. 

.John  Krai  grew  to  young  manhood  in  his 
native  country,  and  there  he  received  a  fair 
education.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  seek  his  fortune  in  the 
new  country.  He  settled  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, where  he  worked  a  few  months  in  a 
planing  mill.  He  then  became  a  tailor's  ap- 
prentice and  learned  that  trade,  and  worked 
at  it  about  fifteen  years.  Having  been  frugal 
in  his  habits,  he  had  saved  up  a  sum  of  money, 
and  with  this  he  opened  a  tailor  shop  of  his 
own  and  prospered  to  such  an  extent  that  he 
soon  had  a  large  force  of  men  employed  in 
turning  out  custom  work.    Mr.  Krai  conducted 


482 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


his  sliop  until  1904,  wlicn,  owing  to  ill  licaltli, 
lie  was  forced  to  sell  and  seek  otlier  employ- 
ment. In  that  year  he  came  to  .Jackson 
county  and  bought  440  acres  of  land  in  Plun- 
ter  township,  the  home  place  being  located  on 
the  south  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  27.  He  has  spent  the  sum  of  $19,000 
on  the  farm,  which  includes  the  improvements 
made  since  jmrchasing  the  place. 

Mr.  Krai  was  married  in  Chicago,  Illinois, 
on  Novenimber  6,  1887,  to  Frances  Res,  a  na- 
tive of  Bohemia,  who  came  to  the  United  States 
in  187fl.  To  this  union  twelve  children  have  been 
born.  They  are:  Jerry,  born  April  20,  1889; 
•John,  born  .June  28.  1890;  Bessie,  born  Oc- 
tober 10,  1891:  Fernie.  born  November  G.  ISO-J: 
Gcorgie,  born  February  23,  1898;  Emma,  born 
January  1.5,  1900;  Ella,  born  March  22,  1901; 
Charlie,  born  March  7.  1903;  Albe,  born  July 
10.  1904;  :Mary,  born  .January  4,  190G;  Frank, 
born  March  30,  1907;  Josie,  born  March  24, 
1908. 

Mr.  Krai  has  held  the  office  of  treasurer  of 
the  township  board  the  past  two  years,  and 
for  four  years  has  been  treasurer  of  school 
district  84.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Order  of  Foresters  and  of  the  Catholic  church. 


EDWARD  G.  PAGE  (1887),  of  Jackson,  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota, 
July  15,  1876,  the  son  of  John  M.  and  Mary  J. 
Page,  both  of  whom  are  dead.  When  he  was 
two  years  old  the  family  moved  to  Mantorville. 
Minnesota,  and  there  he  lived  until  his  mother 
died  when  ho  was  six  and  one-half  years  of 
age.  Upon  the  death  of  his  mother  Edward 
was  taken  into  the  family  of  M.  B.  Hutchinson, 
'  and  for  several  years  lived  with  that  family  on 
the  farm  near  Spring  Valley.  'Minnesota.  In 
1886  he  accompanied  the  H\itcliinsons  to  Ches- 
ter. Iowa,  and  one  year  later  came  wilh  tluin 
to   .Jackson. 

Edward  attended  the  Jackson  schools  and 
grew  to  manhood  in  that  village.  After  his 
school  days  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  several 
years  and  later  for  .John  Jliu'r  in  the  village. 
He  went  to  Wyoming  in  1899  and  worked  in 
T-aramie  until  October  20  of  that  year,  when 
he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  volunteer  in- 
fantry and  was  sent  to  the  Philippines.  He 
served  in  the  army  twenty  and  nne-half  months, 
during  the  jxreater  part  of  which  time  he  was 
stationed  nn  the  islands  of  Luzon.  Samar  and 
Layte    and   rose   to   the   position   of   corporal. 


lie  returned  to  the  United  States  and  was  hon- 
orably discharged  at  San  Francisco  July  5, 
1901.  Mr.  Page  returned  to  Jackson  and  for 
several  years  was  engaged  in  various  occupa- 
tions, during  the  summer  of  1905  working  in 
Wyoming  on  a  cattle  ranch  owned  by  John 
Whitaker  and  was  made  foreman  of  the  ranch. 
In  1907  he  took  a  position  as  manager  of  Otis 
.\shley's  barn. 

Mr.  Page  is  unmarried.  He  is  the  youngest  of 
a  family  of  four  children,  of  whom  three  are 
living.  He  owns  the  southeast  quarter  of  the 
southe.ist  quarter  of  section  20.  Enterprise 
township,  which  he  bought  in  June.  1908.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  K.  P.  and  M.  W.  A. 
lodges. 


lUIGBERT  .r.  XELSOX  (1879)  is  a  tailor 
bv  trade  and  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Nelson 
Bros.,  clothiers  and  tailors  of  Heron  I^ake.  He 
has  lived  in  .Jackson  county  all  his  life,  having 
been  born  in  Weimer  township  August  14, 
1879,  the  son  of  Herman  and  Bertha  (Olson) 
Nelson.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Norway 
and  came  to  America  and  to  Jackson  county 
in  1876.  His  father  died  in  Heron  Lake  in 
1882:  his  mother  still  makes  her  home  in 
that  village  and  is  61  years  of  age. 

Hugbert  grew  to  manhood  in  Jackson  county. 
In  1898  he  started  learning  the  tailor's  trade. 
After  he  had  served  an  apprenticeship  he  open- 
ed a  shop  in  Heron  Lake,  which  he  conducted 
six  years.  He  then  opened  a  clothing  store 
in  connection  with  the  shop,  and  one  year  later, 
in  February,  1909,  he  admitted  his  brother, 
George,  as  a  partner,  and  they  have  since  been 
engaged  in  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Nelson   Bros. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  married  in  Heron  Lake  Feb- 
ruary 21.  1907.  to  Emma  Berrea\i.  a  native  of 
Minnesota.  She  conducts  a  millinery  store  In 
Heron  Lake.  Mr.  Nflsnn  is  ;i  member  of  the 
Yeomen  lodge. 


II.  O.  .JOHNSON  (1897).  of  Chrisfiania  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Norway  February  19.  1803, 
the  son  of  Ole  and  Carrie  .Johnson.  He  came  to 
.•\meriea  with  his  parents  when  three  years  of 
age  and  has  lived,  respectively,  in  LaCrosse 
county.  Wisconsin,  until  1874.  Swift  county, 
Minnesota,  until  1877.  Mitchell  county.  Iowa, 
until  ISS],  Rock  counf.v.  Minnesota,  until  1893. 
Grant   county.  South   Dakota,  imfil   1897,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


483 


in  Jackson  county  since  the  last  named  date. 
He  received  a  good  common  school  education 
and  was  brought  up  a  farmer.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  six  months  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness at  Luverne,  Minnesota,  and  one  year  as  a 
photographer  in  Benson,  Minnesota,.  Mr.  John- 
son has  been  engaged  in  farming  ever  since 
lie  reached  manhood. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  December  12,  18S9, 
to  Caroline  Olson,  and  to  them  have  been  born 
five  children:  Ida,  born  in  April,  1891;  Alfred, 
born  May  12,  1896;  Ernest,  born  in  November, 
1897;  Mabel,  born  in  April,  1900;  Carl.  l)orn 
in  April,  1902.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church  and  Mr.  Johnson 
is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
lie  owns  a  quarter  section  of  farming  land  in 
^Marshall  county,  Minnesota,  and  has  stock 
in  the  Farmers  Elevator  company  of  Windom. 


years  he  was  the  agent  of  the  Standard  Brew- 
ing company,  of  Mankato,  and  is  now  agent 
for  the  C.  &  J.  Michel  Brewing  company,  of 
LaCrosse.  Mr.  Makovicka  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  church  and  of  numerous  orders, 
lie  joined  as  a  charter  member  of  the  Z.  K. 
K.  J.  in  1897,  and  on  January  1.  1899,  organized 
tlie  first  lodge  of  the  Catholic  Western  Union 
west  of  the  Mississippi  river.  He  also  be- 
longs to  the  C.  0.  F.  r.nd  to  the  K.  U.  J., 
a  Catholic  Bohemian  lodge. 

On  July  31,  1894,  Mr.  Makovicka  was  mar- 
ried in  Jackson  to  Miss  Thresa  Bunderle,  who 
was  born  in  Allegheny.  Pennsylvania,  Febru- 
ary 2,  1875.  To  these  parents  have  been  born 
the  following  children:  Frank,  born  October  2, 
1900,  died  December  12,  1900;  Joseph,  born 
February  19,  1902;  Rudolph,  born  November 
1,  1903;  Robert,  born  February  8, 1906;  Blanche, 
born   February   15,   1908. 


JOSEPH  V.  MAKOVICKA  (1891),  proprie- 
tor of  one  of  the  saloons  of  Jackson,  is  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  city,  having  been  born  there 
March  9,  1873,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Anna 
(Tupa)  Makovicka.  In  1877  he  moved  with 
his  parents  from  the  city  and  located  at  New 
Prague,  Minnesota,  where  he  lived  until  1888. 
He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  was  educa- 
ted in  St.  Venslous  Catholic  school  at  New 
Prague. 

In  1888  Mr.  Makovicka  moved  to  Jlontgom- 
ery,  LeSueur  county,  and  for  three  years  con- 
ducted a  cigar  factory  there.  On  the  first  day 
of  May,  1S91,  he  became  a  resident  of  Jackson 
county,  locating  at  Lakefield.  He  conducted  a 
cigar  factory  there  one  year  and  then  moved 
to  Jackson,  engaging  in  the  saloon  business 
and  in  the  manufacture  of  cigars.  He  oper- 
ated the  cigar  factory  six  years  and  has  con- 
ducted the  saloon  ever  since.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  the  county  seat  village  Mr.  Makovicka 
has  been  engaged  in  several  other  lines  of  busi- 
ness. In  1893  he  opened  a  meat  market  and 
conducted  it  three  years.  In  1901  he  engaged 
in  the  marble  business  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Jackson  ^larble  Works,  the  members  of 
the  firm  being  Joseph  Makovicka.  J.  V.  Mako- 
vicka and  Jo.seph  L.  Rakard.  He  bought  his 
partners  out  in  1902,  conducted  the  business 
alone  four  years  and  then  sold  a  half  interest 
to  Ed.  Oilbertson. 

In  1907  :\Ir.  ]\Iakovicka  moved  to  Wells, 
bought  a  saloon  there,  conducted  it  a  short 
time,  and  then  returned  to  Jackson.  For  many 


HENRY  SAATHOFF  (1890)  owns  a  splen- 
did farm  on  section  28,  Wisconsin  township, 
upon  which  he  has  resided  for  the  last  nineteen 
years  and  which  he  brought  up  to  its  present 
standard.  Henry  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
three  sons  born  to  Hey  and  Antie  (Woltzen) 
Saathoff.  He  was  born  in  Ostfreesland,  Ger- 
many, August  11,  1860. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  resided  with 
his  parents  until  twelve  years  of  age.  Then 
he  joined  the  crew  of  a  sailing  vessel  and  sailed 
the  seas  ten  years,  during  which  time  he  visited 
nearly  all  the  European  and  African  ports.  He 
came  to  America  in  1881,  and  from  that  time 
until  1890  lived  in  Champaign  and  Iroquois 
counties,  Illinois.  Mr.  Saathoff  arrived  in  Jack- 
son county  in  1890.  farmed  rented  property  one 
year,  and  then  bought  his  present  farm  of 
160  acres  in  Wisconsin  township.  The  only 
improvement  on  the  farm  at  the  time  he 
bought  it  was  a  little  shack,  and  in  tliis  he 
lived  four  years;  now  he  has  a  fine  farm,  with 
excellent    improvements. 

At  Danford,  Iroquois  county,  Hlinois,  on 
March  7.  1889.  Mr.  Saathoff  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Fredericka  Hasbergen,  who  w-as  born 
in  Germany  and  who  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  year  1882.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Saathoff  have 
three  children,  named  as  follows:  Heyko  Ru- 
dolph Albert,  born  February  1.  1891;  Wilhel- 
niiene  Annette,  born  February  14,  1803:  Alma 
Margrata  Alberdina.  born  May  10.  1895.  The 
family  are  German  Lutherans. 


484 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


ALBERT  r:OHR  (1801)  owns  a  240  acre 
farm  in  Kimliall  township  and  lias  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  it  for  tlic  last  nineteen  years. 
He  was  born  in  Germany  .Tiily  14,  18.55,  the 
youngfst  of  a  family  of  five  cliildren.  His 
father,  William  Golir,  died  when  our  subject 
was  nine  months  old,  and  his  mother,  Caro- 
line (.lafTke)  Ciolir,  died  when  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age. 

Thrown  upon  his  own  resources  at  a  tender 
age,  Albert  Gohr  early  learned  to  take  pare  of 
himself.  He  lived  in  Germany  seventeen  j-ears, 
working  at  odd  jobs  and  spending  the  last 
year  of  his  residence  in  the  old  world  working 
at  the  brick  layer's  trade.  He  came  to  Amer 
ica  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  for  eight 
months  worked  on  a  farm  near  the  city  of 
Chicago.  Then  he  took  a  position  with  Henry 
Batsford  &  Company,  packers,  of  Chicago,  and 
was  in  their  employ  twenty  years.  In  July. 
188.3.  he  had  paid  a  visit  to  .Jackson  county  and 
had  bought  the  east  half  of  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  10,  Kimli.all  township,  and  in 
1891  he  gave  up  his  position  in  Chicago  and 
moved  to  the  county,  where  he  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming.  He  bought  the  sovithwest 
quarter  of  .section  23,  Kimball,  four  years  after 
his  arrival,  and  he  farms  all  his  land. 

Mr.  Gohr  was  married  in  Chicago  March  26. 
1876,  to  Minnie  Stenko.  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1858  and  who  came  to  the  United 
States  when  nine  years  of  age.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Anton  and  Minnie  Stenkc.  both  de- 
ceased. To  'Sir.  and  ^frs.  Gohr  have  been  born 
twelve  children,  of  wlioni  the  following  ten  are 
living:  Lena  (Jlrs.  Mens  Hansen),  Albert  A., 
.Minnie.  (Jfrs.  Charles  AYaswo).  Dora  (Mrs. 
Theodore  Schoewe).  Hattie,  Olg.T.  George,  Leo, 
Esther  and  Clara.  The  five  children  first  named 
was  born  in  Chicago,  the  others  in  MinncsoLi. 
The  family  arc  members  of  the  German  Lu 
tlicrn  church.  :\tr.  Gohr  was  a  member  of  the 
Kimball  township  board  from  18!)3  to  1908 
with  the  exception  of  one  year  and  be  was  a 
meml)er  of  the  school  board  of  his  district  for 
the  same  length  of  time. 


ALTON-  B.  CIIEADLE  (188.1)  is  the  cashier 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Jackson  and  b,is 
lived  in  that  village  since  he  was  a  boy  thir- 
teen years  of  age.  He  is  (he  youngest  of  a  f.Tin- 
ily  of  four  children  born  to  Rev.  Henry  Clay 
Cheadlc  and  Emma  K.  (Kcres)  Chcaillc,  both 
natives  of  Ohio.  The  father  was  a  Presbyter- 


ian minister  and  came  to  Minnesota  in  1872. 
He  occupied  the  Presbyterian  pulpits  at  Jack- 
son and  Lakefield  from  1883  to  1894  and  then 
returned  to  his  former  home  in  Blue  Earth, 
where  he  lived  until  his  death  in  February, 
UKJli,  at  the  age  of  77  years.  Our  subject's  moth- 
er died  in  Blue  Earth  in  1899  at  the  age  of  03 
years. 

To  these  parents,  in  .Xmesville,  Athens  county, 
Ohio,  Alton  B.  Cheadle  was  born  on  the  12th  day 
of  February,  1870.  In  1872  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Blue  Earth,  Minnesota,  and  re- 
sided there  from  that  time  until  1880.  The 
ne.\t  three  years  were  passed  in  Buffalo.  Wright 
county,  Minnesota,  and  then  in  1883  he  moved 
with  his  jiarents  to  Jackson.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  .Jackson  and  the  high 
school  at  Cannon  Falls,  completing  his  school- 
ing with  a  two  years'  course  at  Macalester 
college. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  began  work- 
ing, during  the  vacation  periods,  for  (ieorge  R. 
.Moore,  the  present  president  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  .Jackson,  but  at  the  time  clerk; 
of  the  district  court  of  Jackson  county,  and 
since  taking  employment  at  that  early  age 
he  has  ever  since  been  employed  by.  or  as- 
sociated with,  Jlr.  Moore.  When  the  latter  or- 
ganized his  j)rivate  bank  in  1SS7  Alton  Cheadle 
became  an  employe  a  year  and  a  half  later, 
and  has  ever  since  been  connected  with  the 
bank.  When  that  pioneer  financial  institution 
was  reorganized  into  a  state  bank  Mr.  Clieadle 
was  not  yet  of  age,  but  tiie  next  year  he 
reached  his  majority  and  was  at  once  made 
cashier  of  the  bank.  When  the  reorganization 
into  a  national  bank  was  brought  about  Mr. 
("lieadle  was  made  cashier,  a  position  which  he 
still  hold^. 

.Mr.  C'heaille  has  been  :i  member  of  the  .lack 
son  board  of  education  for  several  years  and 
is  at  present  treasurer  of  the  board.  He  is 
interested  in  the  Jackson  Building  &  Loan 
association  and  has  held  the  office  of  treasurer 
of  that  popular  institution  for  eighte<>n  years. 
.Mr.  Cheadle  is  a  member  of  the  Presby(eri;in 
church  and  of  the  Masonic  line  lodge  and  chap- 
ler  and  the  M.  \A'.  A.  and  A.  ().  U.  W.  orders. 

In  .lack.-iou.  on  July  19.  1S92,  Mr.  Chcadio 
was  married  to  Miss  .Jessie  Fiddes,  a  native 
nf  .Jackson  and  a  daughter  of  .Mr.  and  Mrs. 
.Mexander  Fiddes.  (^ne  daughter  and  one  son 
have  been  born  to  .Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cheadle,  Agnos 
.M.  and  Alexander  H. 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


485 


PETER  HANSEN  (ISfH)  owns  and  farms  tlie 
east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section 
15,  Wisconsin  townshipj  where  he  has  resided 
for  the  last  eighteen  years.  He  is  a  native  of 
Denmark  and  was  born  September  15,  1S6S, 
the  son  of  Hans  Christianson  and  Fredericka 
(llans''n)   Christianson. 

Peter  Hansen  came  to  America  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  after  having  received  a  common 
school  education  in  his  native  country,  and 
settled  in  Brown  county,  Minnesota.  He  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1891,  bought  his  present 
farm,  and  has  since  made  his  home  on  it.  He 
has  a  good  farm  and  a  fine  set  of  buildings 
He  owns  stock  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  com- 
pany of  Alpha.  He  has  served  four  years  as  a 
member  of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  Wis- 
consin township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  of  which  he  has  been  an  elder 
for  two  years  and  a  trustee  for  six  years. 

Mr.  Hansen  was  married  May  2,  1898,  to 
Miss  Anna  E.  Christianson.  To  them  has  been 
born  one  child,  Harold  E.,  born  August  1.5, 
1899. 


NELS  A.  JOHNSON  (1889)  is  one  of  the  big 
farmers  of  Weimer  townsliip  and  resides  just 
outside  of  the  corporate  limits  of  the  village 
in  Heron  Lake.  He  owns  500  acres  of  land  on 
sections  29  and  .30,  Weimer  township,  and  sec- 
tion 8,  West  Heron  Lake  township,  and  farms 
it  all.  He  has  a  nice  home  and  modern  con- 
veniences. 

Nels  A.  Johnson  is  the  son  of  the  late  An- 
drew Johnson  and  Mary  (Kjos)  Johnson,  the 
latter  a  resident  of  Weimer  township.  He  is 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  five  children,  the 
other  children  being  named  Annie,  Dora  Katie 
and  Gilbert.  He  was  born  in  Lafayette  county, 
Iowa,  November  8,  1862,  and  that  was  his  home 
until  he  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1889.  He 
was  educated  in  the  Norwegian  and  English 
schools  of  his  native  county  and  spent  his 
3'ounger  years  working  out  on  farms,  making 
his  home  with  his  parents.  Coming  to  Jack- 
son county  twenty  years  ago,  he  bought  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  8,  West  Heron 
Lake  township,  adjoining  Okabena  station,  and 
engaged  in  farming  there  fourteen  years.  In 
1903  he  bought  the  land  adjoining  Heron  Lake 
village  and  has  since  made  his  home  there. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  man  of  family,  having 
been  married  in  West  Heron  Lake  township 
March   12,   1892,  to  Louisa  Johnson,  who  was 


born  in  Chicago  in  1808.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  M.  B.  Johnson,  who  came  to  Jackson  county 
in  1806  and  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Weimer 
township.  Six  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson,  as  follows:  Mabel  A., 
Arthur  M.,  Noel  K.,  Ruth  L.,  Fremont  L.  and 
Paul  J.  C.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of  Heron  Lake. 


G.  E.  WIGER  (1886).  On  his  father's  farm, 
on  the  east  half  of  section  18,  Enterprise  town- 
ship, G.  E.  Wiger  was  born  January  15,  1886. 
His  parents  came  from  Norway  in  1870  and  lo- 
cated in  Blue  Earth  City,  Minnesota,  coming  to 
M.  Johnson,  whose  wife  had  just  died  and  who 
had  six  small  children.  Ole  Wiger,  our  sub- 
ject's father,  was  a  tailor  in  the  old  country 
and  his  services  were  useful  at  this  time,  for 
there  was  no  ready  made  clothing  there  at  that 
time. 

In  1872  the  family  came  to  Jackson  county 
and  located  a  homestead  in  Enterprise  town- 
sliip, and  on  that  place  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wiger 
ever  after  lived.  All  the  property  they  owned 
when  they  moved  to  the  county  was  a  span  of 
oxen  and  a  cow.  They  had  five  dollars,  with 
which  the}-  bought  lumber  to  use  for  the  in- 
side of  a  sod  shanty.  During  the  first  years 
they  did  not  raise  much  because  they  had  no 
machinery,  and  the  grasshoppers  destroyed 
their  crops.  In  later  years  misfortunes  also 
came.  In  1SS6  lightning  struck  the  house, 
killing  Gerhard  Wiger,  ten  years  of  age,  and 
striking  Ole  Wiger  so  that  he  was  ill  for  a  half 
year.  Six  months  later  a  kick  from  a  horse 
injured  him  so  that  he  was  blind  in  one  eye 
ever  after.  On  October  20,  1903,  the  house 
and  all  its  contents  burned  to  the  gi-ound,  and 
tliat  fall,  while  the  new  home  was  being  built, 
tlie  family  were  obliged  to  live  in  the  gi-anary. 

Mr.  Ole  Wiger  died  September  2,  1905,  after 
an  illness  of  nine  months.  He  left  a  widow 
and  nine  children,  of  whom  one  has  died.  Fol- 
lowing are  the  names  of  the  living  children: 
Mrs.  H.  H.  Stall,  of  LaMoure,  North  Dakota; 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Stall,  of  Des  Moines  township;  Mrs. 
P.  Peterson,  of  Minneapolis ;  Mrs.  E.  Westgord, 
of  Windom;  Gilljert  0.  Wiger,  G.  E.  Wiger, 
Miss  Christina  Wiger  and  Obert  W.  Wiger,  of 
Enterprise  township. 

Our  subject  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion and  was  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm, 
engaging  in  farming  the  home  place  after  his 
father's  death.     In  partnership  with  his  broth- 


486 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


er  Gilbert  and  J.  Paulson,  Mr.  Wiger  owns  a 
thrcsbiiig  machine,  lie  is  a  member  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  churoli,  in  which  he  was 
baptised  and   conlirmed. 

JOSEPH  T.  MUZIKAR  (1886),  bar-keeper  of 
a  saloon  in  Jackson,  was  born  in  Zarobic,  Mor- 
avia, March  13,  18G(i,  the  son  of  John  and  An 
toncttc  (Riss)  Muzikar. 

In  his  native  land  our  subject  resided  until 
he  was  eight  years  of  age.  lie  came  to  the 
United  States  and  to  the  city  of  Chicago  in 
1874,  and  in  that  city  worked  at  the  tailor's 
trade  nine  years.  His  next  cliange  in  location 
was  in  1886,  when  he  came  to  Jackson  county, 
arriving  on  the  tenth  day  of  March.  He  lived 
on  his  father's  farm  in  Hunter  township,  eight 
miles  west  of  Jackson,  and  resided  on  that 
place  with  his  parents  until  1892.  He  then 
bought  a  farm  in  another  part  of  Hunter 
township  and  farmed  it  three  years.  Moving 
to  the  village  of  Jackson  in  189."),  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  several  dill'crent  occupations, 
during  the  last  six  years  being  engaged  in 
the  saloon  business. 

Mr.  Jhizikar  was  married  June  28,  1892,  to 
Miss  Mary  Macck,  and  to  this  union  have  been 
born  two  children:  George  A.,  born  April  0, 
1893;  Mary  D.,  born  S<-ptcmber  9,  1895.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and 
Mr.  Muzikar  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
R'orknicn  and  Catholic  Western  Union  lodges. 


JOSEPH  X.  PUOKES  (1892)  is  a  Des  Moines 
township  farmer  owning  land  on  section  16, 
known  as  the  Hillmonnt  farm.  He  is  the  son 
of  Jacob  and  Rosa  (Kautnar)  Prokes,  residents 
of  the  same  township. 

Onr  subject's  parents  were  born  in  Bohemia 
and  came  to  America  in  1885.  Jacob  Prokes 
followed  his  trade,  brick  and  stone  mason,  in 
the  city  of  Chicago  from  the  time  of  his  arriv- 
al to  America  until  1892.  Tl-.at  year  he  and 
his  family  moved  to  Jackson  county  and  lo- 
cated upon  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
16,  Des  Moines  township,  land  which  he  bought 
while  yet  a  resident  of  Chicago.  There  he  re- 
sided until  1908,  when  he  retired  and  moved 
onto  n  farm  on  section  21,  where  he  still  lives 
at  the  age  of  73  years.  Besides  carrying  on 
his  farming  operations  Jacob  Prokes  worked  at 
his  trade,  having  erected  the  following  build- 
ings in  the  village  of  Jackson:     Lindsli;y-An- 


derson  block,  the  Bartosch-Kiesel-Matteson 
block,  the  smoke  stack  of  the  Livengood  mill 
and  other  minor  buildings.  He  is  the  father 
of  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  living,  as 
follows:  John,  of  Jackson  county;  Krank,  of 
Chicago;  Marie,  of  Jackson;  Anna  (Mrs.  Frank 
Koranda),  of  Des  Moines  township;  Joseph,  of 
tills  sketch. 

Josejih  X.  Prokes  was  born  in  Bohemia  De- 
cember 29,  1882.  He  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1885,  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Chicago,  and  in  1802  came  to 
Jackson  county  with  the  family.  He  worked 
for  his  father  on  the  farm  until  twenty-four 
years  of  age;  then  he  bought  the  farm  and 
has   since  conducted  it. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  in 
Jackson  February  11,  1908,  when  he  wedded 
Anna  Olivia  Cihak,  of  Alpha,  a  native  of  Bo- 
hemia, who  came  to  the  United  States  when 
three  years  of  age.  Her  parents  arc  Frank 
and  Catherina  Cihak,  now  residents  of  Wiscon- 
sin township.  To  .Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Prokes  has 
l)ccn  born  one  child,  Klenora,  born  February 
20,  1909.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prokes  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church  and  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  Order  of  Workmen. 


J.  M.  PUTMAX  (1901).  presiilent  of  the  .Tack- 
son  County  State  Bank  of  1-aUelicld.  was  born 
in  Mount  Sterling,  Illinois,  March  30,  1851, 
the  son  of  James  and  Letha  Ann  (Darnell) 
I'utman,  natives  of  Brown  county  and  Han- 
cock county,  Illinois,  respectively. 

Ijoft  an  orphan  when  a  baby — his  father 
(lying  when  lie  was  four  months  old  and  his 
mother  when  he  was  two  and  one-half  years 
old— he  was  brought  up  in  the  home  of  his 
grandfather  Darnell.  His  early  education  was 
secured  in  the  village  schools  before  he  wa^1 
seventeen  years  of  age  and  the  year  prior  to 
reaching  his  majority  he  again  studied  one 
year  in  the  schools  of  Atlantic.  Iowa.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  young  Put  man  left 
his  grandfather's  home  and  started  out  in  life 
for  himself  with  a  capital  of  $5.05.  He  worked 
at  dilTerent  occupations  for  a  few  years  and 
then  went  into  the  drug  liusiness,  first  at  Hol- 
land and  then  at  Gladbrook,  Iowa,  in  which  he 
was   engaged   seventeen  years.  • 

In  1890  Mr.  Putman  sold  out  his  drug  busi- 
ness and  went  into  the  banking  business,  in- 
vesting his  money  in  the  Tama  County  State 
Bank,  of  Gladbrook,  an  institution  which  was 


J.   M.   PUTMAN 

President  of  the  Jackson  County  State  Bank,  Lakefield,  and  His 
Granddaughter,  Henrietta  Wilhelmine  Meilicke. 


I  THE  NEW  YORK  I 

PUBUC  UBRARY 

MTOR,  LEM<JX  *N0 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


487 


later  organized  into  the  First  National  Bank. 
Two  years  after  becoming  interested  in  tlie 
bank  Mr.  Putman  was  elected  president.  IK' 
still  has  interests  in  the  bank.  In  1809  he 
moved  to  (irinnell,  Iowa,  because  of  the  more 
advantageous  school  privileges,  and  in  that 
city  ho  remained  luilil  he  come  to  Jackson 
county  in   1001. 

In  July,  1001,  Mr.  Putman  moved  to  Lake- 
field  and  in  partnership  with  H.  L.  Bond 
bought  the  interests  of  M.  II.  Evans,  the  ma- 
jority owner  of  the  Jackson  County  State 
Bank,  and  they  have  since  been  the  managers 
of  that  financial  institution,  Mr.  Putman  be- 
ing president  and  Mr.  Bond  cashier.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  biogi-apliy  is  a  staunch  democrat 
and  was  one  of  Mr.  Bryan's  warmest  sup- 
porters during  the  campaign  of  1908.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  lodge. 

Mr.  Putman  was  married  at  Braintree,  Ver- 
mont, November  10,  1881,  to  Hattie  Maud 
Wliite,  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  a  daughter 
of  Julian  and  Harriett  (Burgess)  White,  both 
natives  of  the  Empire  state.  Mrs.  Putman 
died  November  21.  1004,  being  47  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  her  death.  One  child  was  born 
to  this  union,  J.  Mabel,  now  the  wife  of  Hugo 
E.  Meilicke,  son  of  Honorable  E.  J.  Meilicke, 
formerly  of  Windom.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meilicke 
now  reside  at  Dundurn,  Canada. 

Mr.  Putman  owns  a  fine  residence  in  Lake- 
field,  and  since  the  death  of  his  wife  his  mo- 
ther makes  her  home  with  him  that  slie  may 
have  the  care  of  her  son  in  her  old  age. 


DLi:  0.  ENGEN  (1808),  farmer  and  tliresh- 
crnian  of  Christiania  township,  is  one  of  the 
]ii(iiicor  settlers  of  that  precinct.  He  was 
boin  ill  Norway  September  19,  1852.  His  mo- 
ther, .Julia  Sivcrtson,  makes  her  home  with  her 
son. 

Ole  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  his  native 
country  and  in  1866  came  to  America.  He  lived 
in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota,  two  years, 
working  as  a  farm  laborer,  and  then  in  Sep- 
tember, 186S,  with  his  mother  and  father-in- 
law,  Thomas  Johnson,  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty. The  first  winter  the  family  lived  in  Bel- 
mont township,  but  in  the  spring  of  1860  they 
moved  to  Christiania  township,  Mr.  Johnsori 
taking  as  a  homestead  claim  eighty  acres  of 
the  farm  on  section  26  now  owned  by  our  sub- 
ject. 

Ole  Engen's  home  has  been  on  that  farm  ever 


since.  The  first  house  on  the  place  was  a  com- 
bination log  and  sod  shanty  with  a  dirt  roof, 
in  which  the  family  lived  for  several  years.  Dur- 
ing the  gra.sshopper  days  Mr.  Engen  went  to  the 
eastern  counties  during  the  harvest  seasons  to 
work  to  earn  money  to  support  the  family. 
When  he  was  still  a  young  man  he  acquired 
an  interest  in  the  farm  and  in  partnership 
with  his  father-in-law  conducted  it.  Mr.  John- 
son died  ten  or  twelve  j-ears  ago,  and  since 
that  time  Mr.  Engen  has  been  the  sole  owner 
and  manager.  His  present  farm  consists  of 
180  acres  on  sections  26  and  35.  For  the  past 
seventeen  or  eighteen  years  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  digging  wells  and  since  1875  he  has 
been   engaged  in   the  threshing  business. 

Mr.  Engen  was  married  in  Christiania  town- 
ship to  Carrie  Peterson  Berge,  a  native  of 
Olmsted  coimty.  She  died  within  a  year  after 
her  marriage.  On  child  was  born  to  this  un- 
ion, Carol  Engen,  born  November  24,  1878.  The 
second  marriage  of  Mr.  Engen  occurred  in 
Christiania  township  December  22,  1880,  when 
he  wedded  Mary  Johnson,  who  was  born  in 
Norway  and  who  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1800.  To  this  union  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  Gea  (Mrs.  Alex 
Elness),  of  Christiania,  born  August  23,  1881; 
Signe  (Mrs.  Severin  Holmen),  of  Christiania, 
born  March  1,  1887;  Thea  Olive,  who  resides 
at  home,  born  December  6,   1889. 

Mr.  Engen  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  cliurch.  He 
served  eleven  years  as  clerk  of  his  township, 
was  justice  of  the  peace  many  years,  has  been 
a  supervisor  and  chairman  of  the  board  for 
several  years  and  was  clerk  of  his  school  dis- 
trict   for    several   years. 


ISAAC  G.  REED  (1870),  a  farmer  who  re- 
sides in  the  village  of  Wilder,  is  an  early  day 
settler  of  the  county  and  a  pioneer  of  the  west. 
He  is  a  descendant  of  colonial  stock,  a  history 
of  the  Reed  family  being  the  authority  for 
the  statement  that  the  founder  of  the  Ameri- 
can branch  of  this  family  came  over  from  Eng- 
land in  the  Mayflower  and  settled  in  Massa- 
chusetts. Bezer  and  Nancy  (Lilly)  Reed  were 
the  parents  of  our  subject  and  were  natives  of 
Massachusetts.  They  came  west  in  1852  and 
from  that  time  until  their  demise  they  resided 
in  Dane  county,  Wisconsin. 

To  these  parents  Isaac  G.  Reed  was  born  in 
Otsego    county.   New   York,   on   the   22nd   day 


488 


BIOGEArUICAL  HISTORY. 


of  August,  1835.  He  was  brought  \ip  on  ii  farm 
in  his  native  county  and  in  1851  cnmc  west 
witli  a  married  sister  and  settled  in  Dane 
county,  Wisconsin.  At  t)ie  time  there  were  no 
railroads  west  of  Uull'alo  and  he  made  the 
trip  to  liis  new  liome  by  way  of  the  Krie 
canal  and  the  great  lakes  to  Kacine,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  from  thence  to  Dane  county  over- 
land. His  parents  came  to  the  same  county 
two  years  later  and  with  thorn  Isaac  lived 
until  he  became  of  age. 

In  1870  Mr.  Reed  came  to  Jackson  county 
and  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  Hll,  Hunter  township.  Upon 
that  farm  he  lived  until  1898.  Then  in  order 
to  secure  better  school  privileges  for  his  chil- 
dren he  moved  to  Wilder.  There  he  bought 
land  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming. 
U'hile  living  in  Hunter  townshi])  Mr.  Reed 
held  various  township  offices  and  since  be- 
coming a  resident  of  Wilder  he  has  served 
as  councilman  and  member  of  the  school  board 
several  terms,  having  been  elected  a  member 
of  the  council  upon  the  incorporation  of  the 
village.  Mr.  Reed  affiliates  with  the  Methodist 
Kpiscopal   church. 

At. .Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  on  May  18,  187i»,  Mr. 
Reed  was  married  to  Sarah  A.  Tuttle,  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa.  To  them  have  been  born  the 
following  six  children:  Linton  T.,  Iva,  Isaac 
G.,   Rolhi   T.,   ITarry   T.  and  Verne. 


JERRY  SULMV.W  (1871)  is  one  of  the 
largest  land  owners  of  LaCrosse  township 
as  well  as  one  of  the  township's  first  settlers. 
The  land  holdings  of  Mr.  Sullivan  and  his 
brother  Ale.x  embrace  1,320  acres,  of  which 
Mr.  Sullivan  alone  owns  720  acres.  His  home 
farm  is  on  the  east  half  of  section  1.").  He  is 
an  extensive  feeder  of  hogs  and  cattle  and  a 
large  grain  raiser. 

Our  subject  is  a  native  Minnesotan,  having 
been  born  in  Sibley  county  December  24,  1801. 
At  the  age  of  ten  years,  in  1871,  he  accompan- 
ied his  partnts  to  Jackson  county  and  lived 
in  LaCrosse  township.  He  made  his  home 
with  his  parents  until  thirty-three  years  of 
age,  engaging  in  farming  after  growing  \ip.  Af- 
ter his  mariiagc  in  1890,  Mr.  Sullivan  located 
on  his  present  place,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided.  He  is  a  successful  farmer  and  has 
prospered,  as  his  land  holdings  would  indi- 
cate. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Owen  and 


Mary  (O'Neil)  Sullivan,  both  natives  of  Coun- 
ty Gary,  Ireland.  They  came  to  America  when 
children  and  were  brought  up  in  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, where  they  were  married.  I.atcr  they  lived 
in  Chicago,  in  Oalcna,  Illinois,  in  I'latteville, 
Wisconsin,  and  in  1854  located  in  Sibley  coun- 
ty, Minnesota,  being  the  first  settlers  in  that 
section  of  the  territory.  There  they  home- 
steaded  and  resided  until  187 1.  In  the  last 
named  year  they  located  in  Jackson  county, 
taking  a  preemption  claim  on  section  4,  La- 
Crosse township.  There  they  resided  until 
driven  out  by  the  grasshoppers  in  1878.  They 
moved  to  St.  Paul,  and  three  days  after  their 
arrival  there,  on  S<'ptembcr  27,  1878,  Mr.  Sul- 
livan died  at  the  age  of  62  years.  His  widow, 
who  is  now  87  years  of  age,  makes  her  home 
with  our  subject.  There  were  eleven  children 
in  the  family,  as  follows:  Eugene,  JIary  (de- 
ceased), Margaret  (deceased),  Kitty,  Nora  (de- 
ceased), Eliza,  Alex  and  Jerry  (twins),  Alice 
Mary  and  Nellie   (deceased). 

Mr.  Sullivan  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
January  4,  189C,  to  Kmma  lieaton.  She  was 
born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  May  4,  1876, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Roderick  and  Mary 
(McCarvel)  Beaton.  Seven  children  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sullivan,  as  follows: 
Mary,  (leraldinc,  Dorothy,  Roderick,  (iene- 
vieve,  Elenor  and  Sylvester  J. 

Mr.  Sullivan  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  of  Heron  Lake  and  Mr. 
Sullivan  served  six  years  as  a  director  of  the 
church  society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Yeo- 
men lodge.  Mr.  Sullivan  is  president  of  the 
Farmers  State  Bank  of  Heron  Ijike  and  of 
the  Farmers  Elevator  company  of  the  same 
village.  For  the  past  seven  years  he  has 
served  as  director  and  treasurer  of  his  school 
district  and  he  has  held  the  olTicc  of  supervi- 
sor of  his  township. 


TIK^MAS  J.  RUSSELL  (1869)  is  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Petersburg  township,  where 
he  has  resided  forty  years,  lie  owns  200  acres 
of  land  and  i*  one  of  the  county's  successful 
farmers. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Dubuque  county, 
Iowa.  April  20,  1848,  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
Klesebeth  (White)  Russell.  He  resided  in  his 
native  county  until  twenty-one  years  of  age, 
and  then  came  to  Jackson  county,  arriving  on 
the  first  day  of  October,  ISO!).  He  bouRht 
a  homestead  relinquishment  in  Petersburg  town- 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


489 


ship,  on  section  18,  and  engaged  in  farming, 
and  that  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  He 
encountered  many  hardships  during  the  grass- 
hopper days,  lo.sing  four  successive  crops,  but 
he  stayed  witli  the  country  and  lias  come 
upon   ]3rosperous    times. 

Mr.  Russell  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
local  affairs  during  his  long  residence  in  the 
county.  He  was  town  supervisor  eight  years, 
school  clerk  21  years  and  assessor  five  years. 
He  lias  been  census  enumerator  of  his  pre- 
cinct three  times.  He  holds  stock  in  the  Mid- 
dletown  Telephone  companj-. 

On  October  26,  1874,  Mr.  Russell  was  mar- 
ried to  Emma  Lee,  who  was  born  March  12, 
1850.  They  have  a  large  family  of  children, 
their  names  and  dates  of  birth  being  as  fol- 
lows: Perry  L.,  born  September  2,  1875;  La- 
fayette F.,  born  July  16,  1877;  Richard  E., 
born  March  22,  1880;  Thomas  .7.,  Jr..  born 
February  11,  1882;  Maud  C,  born  July  10, 
1884;  Retta,  liorn  October  29,  1888;  Julia, 
born  May  5,  1889;  Ruby,  born  March  2,  1891; 
Oeorge  P.,  born  September  14,  1894;  Mara,  born 
.January  12,  1897;  Grace  B.,  born  March  26, 
1900. 


XELS  HOLSTEN  (1862).  of  Heron  Lake 
township,  is  one  of  the  few  residents  of  Jack- 
son county  now  living  in  the  county  who  were 
present  at  the  Belmont  massacre.  He  came 
with  liis  parents  a  few  months  before  that 
memorable  event,  and  with  the  exception  of  a 
couple  of  years  spent  in  northern  Iowa  because 
of  fear  of  the  redskins  he  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  county   ever   since. 

Holsten  Olson,  the  well  known  pioneer  set- 
tler, was  the  father  of  Mr.  Holsten.  He  came 
from  Norway  in  1833  and  settled  in  northern 
Illinois.  There  he  married  his  first  wife,  who 
died  in  1857,  and  there  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing until  he  came  to  Jackson  county.  A  year 
after  the  death  of  his  first  wife  Holsten  Ol- 
son married  Ingebor  Olson  Slaabaken,  who  is 
now  a  resident  of  Jackson  county,  making  her 
home  with  her  son,  Martin  Holsten,  in  Belmont 
township.  Holsten  Olson  died  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty October  1,  1893.  at  the  age  of  73  years. 
Nels  is  the  youngest  of  his  father's  first  fam- 
ily and  the  only  other  child  living  is  Mrs. 
Betsy  Thompson.  Holsten  Olson  had  six  chil- 
dren by  his  last  marriage,  of  whom  the  follow- 
ing are  living:  Olosus,  Martin,  Edward,  Tena 
and   Helen. 


Nels  was  born  in  Illinois,  near  the  ^Yiscon- 
sin  line,  June  25,  1854.  He  came  to  the  wilds 
of  .Jackson  county  with  his  father  and  step- 
mother in  1862.  The  Indian  attack  of  August 
of  that  year  drove  them  from  the  county, 
and  refuge  was  sought  at  Estherville,  low'a. 
The  family  returned  to  their  liome  in  Bel- 
mont in  October,  spent  the  winter  on  the  fron- 
tier, and  then  fled  to  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  be- 
cause of  threatened  Indian  uprisings.  They 
came  back  again  in  1804  and  located  upon 
the  homestead  on  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  34,  Belmont  township.  Nels  resided  on 
the  home  farm  until  twenty-three  years  of 
age;  then  he  started  in  life  for  himself,  work- 
ing at  various  occupations  for  several  years. 
In  1891  he  married  and  bought  his  present 
farm,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  24, 
Heron  Lake  township,  and  upon  that  he  has 
ever  since  lived.  The  farm  was  wild  prairie 
land  when  he  bought  it,  and  all  the  improve- 
ments it  now  has  are  the  result  of  his  la- 
bors. 

In  Belmont  township,  on  July.  2,  1891,  Mr. 
Holsten,  was  married  to  Julia  Frantsen,  who 
was  born  on  section  12,  Belmont  township,  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Johanna  (Halverson) 
Frantsen.  To  this  union  have  been  born  two 
children:  Harry,  born  August  23,  1892;  Josie, 
born  February  2,  1900.  Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Holsten 
are  members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church. 


FRANK  WAZLAHOWSKY  (1874),  one  ot 
the  early  settlers  of  LaCrosse  township,  was 
born  in  Moravia,  Austria,  October  10,  1855. 
His  father,  Frank  W.  Wazlahowsky,  was  born 
in  1829,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1874, 
and  now  makes  his  home  in  Owatonna,  Min- 
nesota. The  mother  of  our  subject,  .Josefa 
(Elgner)  Wazlahowsky,  was  born  in  1828  and 
died  in  Jackson  county  in  1897. 

Frank  lived  in  Moravia  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  of  age.  His  father  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  and  he  began  working  in  the 
shop  when  a  child  and  learned  the  trade.  John 
Haberman,  who  came  from  the  same  part  of 
Austria  as  did  our  subject,  had  come  to  Am- 
erica and  to  Jackson  county  a  year  or  two 
before,  and  it  was  because  of  the  letters  he 
wrote  back  that  the  Wazlahowsky  family  de- 
cided to  come  to  the  new  world.  They  came 
over  in  1874,  arriving  in  Jackson  county  April 
30.      The    father    of    our    subject    bought    the 


30 


490 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


nortlieast  quarter  of  section  32,  LaCrosse 
townsliij),  and  on  lliat  pliioe  Mr.  Wiizlahowsky 
has  ever  since  made  liis  home.  A  little  frame 
liouse  was  built  on  the  place  at  the  start, 
and  in  1878  our  subject  erected  a  frame  build- 
ing— a  part  of  his  jjrcsent  house. 

Uutil  1878  Krank  worked  for  his  father, 
tlien  he  married  and  engaged  in  farming  for 
himself,  iiis  father  giving  him  eighty 
acres  of  the  home  farm  at  that  time.  Later 
Frank  bought  the  other  eighty  and  lias  since 
added  to  the  dimensions  of  his  farm  by  the 
|iurchase  of  forty  acres  adjoining.  Jlr.  \\'azla- 
howsky  has  held  the  offices  of  chairman  of  the 
township  board,  supervisor,  town  clerk,  asses- 
sor and  other  offices.  He  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  school  matters,  lie  and 
John  T.  Habermaii  building  tliu  first  school 
house  in  the  district.  He  was  the  first  clerk 
of  district  No.  33  and  served  many  years. 

Mr.  Wazlahowsky  was  married  in  LaCrosse 
township  November  20,  1878,  to  Annie  Belzl, 
who  was  born  in  Moravia,  Austria,  and  who 
came  to  the  Cnited  States  in  187(i.  They  have 
three  children,  Fred  W.,  Mary  T,  and  John  A. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church 
of  Heron  Lake. 


JOIl.V  J.  SillTlI  (180G),  of  Jackson,  has 
lived  in  the  county  over  forty-three  years. 
He  is  a  native  of  Tompkins  county.  New 
York,  and  has  born  February  27,  1839,  the 
son  of  Hiram  and  Lydia  (McGowin)  Smith. 

Wlien  a  small  boy  our  subject  accompanied 
his  parents  from  Tompkins  county  to  Chau- 
(auqua  county.  New  York,  and  there  he  lived 
initil  1858,  receiving  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. That  year  he  came  west,  driving  from 
his  New  York  slate  home  to  Wisconsin.  He 
lived  in  the  Uadger  state  three  years  and  then 
enlisted  in  the  First  Wisconsin  regiment.  After 
serving  his  term  of  enlistment  he  returned 
home  and  rcenliated  in  the  S.lth  Wisconsin  reg- 
iment ami  served  until  April.  18ti(>.  He  received 
his  discharge  in  Urownsville,  Te.\as,  and  from 
that  point  the  regiment  proceeded  to  Madison, 
Wisconsin,  and  disbanded. 

fmmediately  after  his  discharge  from  tlie 
army  ,Mr.  Smith  determined  to  locate  upon 
some  of  the  land  in  the  new  countries  farther 
west,  and  on  the  eleventh  day  of  June.  ISfiCi, 
he  arrived  in  Jackson  comity,  having  made 
the  trip  overland.  He  took  a  homestead  claim 
in   Wisconsin   township,   three   miles   southeast 


of  Jackson,  and  lived  thereon  eleven  years, 
sellinii  the  farm  in  1877.  He  then  bought  :i 
f.irm  in  Wisconsin  and  l)es  liloines  townships, 
upon  which  he  resided  twenty-one  years.  He 
then  -iold  out  and  moved  to  Jackson,  where 
he  has  since  resided.  Air.  Smith  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  of  Wisconsin  township  and 
upon  its  organization  he  was  made  one  of  the 
lirst  members  of  the  board  of  supervisors.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  G.  A.  U. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Anna  T.  Fields 
in  April,  1802.  To  these  parents  have  been 
born  the  following  named  children:  William  K., 
born  April  14,  1803;  James  Edwin,  born  August 
2,  1809;  Helen,  born  in  1877;  Christie,  born  ■ 
February  27,  187y;  Susie,  born  in  188-1;  Lydia, 
l"iiM    ill    1886. 


TAKJF:  K.  OLSKN  (1S73).  Among  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Alba  township  is  the  gentleman 
whose  named  heads  this  sketch,  he  having 
resided  on  his  present  farm  for  the  past  tliir- 
lyscvcn  years.  He  owns  480  acres  of  land  and 
is  in  prosperous  circumstances. 

-Mr.  Olsen  was  born  in  Itrigliam  township, 
Iowa  county,  Wisconsin,  April  14,  1853.  Uutil 
May  26,  1873,  he  lived  with  his  parents  and 
worked  on  the  farm  in  his  native  county.  On 
the  date  last  mentioned  he  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law,  E. 
O.  Woieii.  and  his  sister,  Kisten  Woien.  Upon 
'lis  arrival  he  bought  the  homestead  right  to 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  30,  Alba  town- 
sliip,  from  Israel  Smith,  took  up  his  residence 
on  the  place,  and  in  time  secured  title  to  the 
laiul.  At  the  time  of  taking  possession  the 
iinly  improvements  was  a  12x12  feet  shack. 
This  he  rebuilt  and  lived  in  until  1882;  then 
he  replaced  il  with  a  part  of  his  present  house, 
v'ompleting    the    building    in    1900. 

Witiiin  a  very  few  days  after  his  arrival 
came  the  first  grasshopper  visitation.  Mr.  Ol- 
sen did  not  raise  anything  that  year  or  for 
several  years  afterward,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  support  himself  by  working  at  odd  jobs, 
on  the  railroad  section,  and  threshing  in  Mar- 
tin county.  After  the  hopper  days  Mr.  Olsen 
lanie  upon  prosperous  times.  He  added  to 
liis  holdings  fron;  time  to  time  by  purchase 
until  he  now  owns  480  acres  of  land.  Of  this  he 
farms  .'120  acres,  renting  out  the  rest.  Be- 
sides his  general  farming  he  engages  in  the 
raising  of  high  grade  cattle  and  feeds  many 
head  of  hogs  annually   for  market.    He  is  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


491 


manager  and  secretary  of  the  Farmers  Cream- 
ery company  of  Brewster  and  is  a  stockholder 
in  the  Farmers  Elevator  company  of  the 
same  village.  Mr.  Olsen  has  held  a  number 
of  local  oifices  during  his  long  residence  in 
Alba  township.  He  was  township  clerk  ten 
years  and  has  served  on  the  township  board. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  34  since  18S1.  He  has  also  served 
as  assessor  and  road  overseer. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Knute  and 
Mary  (Ness)  Olsen.  They  were  born  and 
married  in  Norway,  coming  to  the  United 
States  in  1850,  shortly  aftei-  their  marriage, 
and  located  in  Brigham  township,  Iowa  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  tliey  lived  until  their  deaths 
in  recent  years.  They  lived  a  married  life 
of  over  sixty  years.  Mr.  Oisen  died  in  1901 
at  the  age  of  85  years;  his  wife  died  November 
4,  1907,  aged  85  years.  They  were  the  parents 
of  twelve  children,  of  whom  are  living:  T.  K., 
Carl,   Alec   and  Adaline. 

T.  K.  Olsen  was  mai-ried  in  Worthington, 
Nobles  county,  May  30,  1879,  to  Tena  Rindy, 
who  was  born  in  Norway  November  1,  1860, 
and  came  to  America  in  1868.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Susan  Rindy.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Olsen  have  been  born  twelve  children, 
of  whom  the  following  named  eleven  are  liv- 
ing: .John  B.,  born  February  25,  1880;  Jose- 
phine S.,  born  April  29,  1881;  Clark  M.,  born 
October  5,  1882;  Cora  M.,  born  June  29,  1884; 
Orville  K.,  born  September  24,  1886;  Ethel 
N.,  born  February  8,  1888;  Clayton  O.,  born 
August  18,  1893;  Tillie  T.,  born  May  26,  1894; 
Knute  E.,  born  August  28,  1896;  Hazel  M., 
born  .June  16,  1900;  Paul  C,  born  July  8,  1903. 
One  daughter,  Martha  M.,  died  in  infancy. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church  of  Brewster. 


FERDINAND  MILBRATH  (1876)  is  one  of 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Rost  township  and  one 
of  the  township's  most  successful  farmers.  He 
owns  400  acres  of  land  on  sections  18  and 
20  and  is  an  extensive  farmer.  Possessed  of 
almost  nothing  when  he  arrived  in  the  county 
in  the  early  days,  he  has  prospered  and  has 
one  of  the  fine  farms  and  tine  homes  of  Rost 
township. 

Ferdinand  Milbrath  was  born  in  C4ermany 
June  17,  1857.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  the  new  world  and 
located   with   them  at   Watertown,  Wisconsin. 


In  1875  the  father  of  our  subject  came  to  Jack- 
son count}'  and  took  a  homestead  claim  in 
Rost  township.  Ferdinand-  came  to  the  uew 
home  in  1876,  but  on  account  of  the  grasshop- 
pers he  did' not  remain  long,  the  whole  family 
returning  to  their  old  Wisconsin  home.  In 
the  spring  of  1877  he  went  to  Fillmore  county, 
Minnesota,  where  he  worked  as  a  day  laborer. 

In  1880  Mr.  Milbrath  again  came  to  Jack- 
son county,  this  time  to  reside  permanently. 
As  a  result  of  his  savings  from  money  earned 
in  Fillmore  county,  he  now  had  a  team  of 
horses,  some  farm  tools  and  $20  in  cash.  With 
the  money  he  bought  a  cow  in  the  village  of 
Jackson  while  on  his  wa\'  to  his  mother's  home 
in  Rost  township.  His  father  had  been  killed 
in  an  accident  the  year  before,  and  Ferdinand 
came  to  assist  his  mother  in  caring  for  the 
homestead.  He  resided  with  his  mother  until 
she  proved  up  on  the  claim;  then  they  sold 
the  place  and  our  subject,  in  1881,  filed  a 
claim  to  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  18, 
Rost,  having  bought  a  relinquishment  to  the 
quarter  for  $800.  On  that  farm  our  subject 
has  ever  since  made  his  home,  having  added 
the  other  lands  by  purchase. 

In  the  early  days  the  family  dwelling  was 
the  usual  sod  shantj'  of  pioneer  times.  Later 
they  sold  a  span  of  oxen  and  with  the  pro- 
ceeds bought  lumber  and  built  a  frame  house, 
14x20  feet,  which  was  considered  a  palace  at 
the  time.  In  1884  Mr.  Milbrath  erected  one 
of  the  largest  barns  in  the  vicinity  on  his  own 
farm.  Besides  his  farming  operations  Mr. 
Jlilbrath  is  interested  in  several  other  lines 
of  business.  He  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Farm- 
ers' creamery  and  elevator  at  Okabena  and  in 
(lie  First  State  Bank  of  the  same  village.  He 
is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Western  Imple- 
ment company.  During  his  long  residence  in 
the  county  he  has  held  many  offices  of  trust 
within  the  gift  of  his  neighbors.  He  was  town- 
ship assessor  twenty-seven  years,  was  on 
the  township  board  a  number  of  times  and  for 
foiu-  or  five  years  was  chairman  of  the  board, 
was  township  treasurer  several  terms  and  has 
held  a  school  office  ever  since  the  district 
was  organized.  He  has  been  treasurer  of  the 
school  district  for  the  last  ten  years.  Mr. 
Milbrath  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  and  was  one  of  those  who  organized 
the  Rost  township  church  in  1884. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  the  late  Frederick 
and  Louisa  (Felt)  Milbrath,  who  were  born  in 
Germany   and   who   came   to   America   in    1869 


49-J 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  located  at  Watertowii,  Wisconsin.  They 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1870,  homesteaded 
tlie  uorllieast  quarter  ol"  section  32,  Kost  town- 
sliip.  The  father  met  his  death  August  12, 
187a,  in  an  accident  wliile  culling  grain  with 
a  reaper.  He  was  54  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  His  widow  proved  up  on  the 
homestead  and  afterward  made  her  home  with 
her  son.  Slie  died  April  15,  1895,  aged  70 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children. 
Ferdinand  Milbralh  was  married  in  Host 
township  Ueocmber  15,  18S1,  to  JIatilda  Meis- 
ter,  daughter  of  Frank  and  Annie  (Pine)  Aleis- 
ter,  who  were  the  first  settlers  of  Rost  town- 
ship on  the  west  side  of  the  Little  Sioux  river. 
Jlrs.  Milbrath  was  born  in  Menominee,  Wis- 
consin, July  31,  18(33.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milbrath 
have  five  cliildrcn,  as  follows:  Frank  Edward, 
born  May  7,  1883;  Carl  Theodore,  born  Octo- 
ber 1,  1S85;  George  Reinhold,  born  March  27, 
1888;  Carl  August  and  Anna  Clara  (twins), 
born  August  1,  1890,  died  September  10  and 
25,  respectively,  of  the  same  year;  Bertha 
Louisa,  born  September  18,  1891;  Herminia 
llulda  Theresa,  born  October  14,  1894. 


ily  Tuod  two  years,  aft.^r  which  he  erected  a 
rcsicciice   which   still   stands  on   the  farm. 

Mr.  Peterson  lived  on  his  homestead  a  (piar- 
ter  of  a  century.  In  1890  he  moved  to  Heron 
Lake,  where  he  bought  fourteen  acres  in  the 
north  ])art  of  town  and  where  lie  has  lived 
fver  since.  During  his  long  period  of  resi- 
dence in  Weimer  township  Mr.  Peterson  serv.d 
in  various  official  capaciUcs.  He  was  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  supervisors  four  years, 
was  assessor  sixteen  years  and  was  a  director 
and  clerk  of  the  sdiool  district  for  several 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran church. 

In  Norway  on  ihc  second  ilay  of  January, 
18C2,  Mr.  Peterson  was  married  lo  Betsy  Gulek- 
son,  wlio  was  born  January  12,  1841.  Mr.  and 
iMrs.  Peterson  now  live  a  retired  life  in  Heron 
Lake,  after  having  spent  nearly  a  half  cen- 
tury of  married  life  together.  They  arc  the 
parents  of  seven  living  children:  Adolph,  born 
March  29,  18G3;  Amd;  Olof,  born  May  10, 
1S72;  Julia  (Mrs.  Oscar  Benson),  born  June  3, 
1808:  Clara  (Mrs.  Albert  Robson),  born  May 
23,  1877:  Ella,  born  June  9,  1880;  I-ena  (Mrs. 
Charles  Weiland),   born    March  24,   1883. 


ANDREW  PETERSON  (1870),  who  now 
lives  a  retired  life  in  lloron  Lake,  is  one  of  tlie 
first  settlers  of  Weimer  township  and  has  been 
a  resident  of  Jackson  county  for  nearly  forty 
years.  lie  was  born  in  Norway  September  19, 
1833,  the  second  eldest  of  a  family  of  five 
children.  His  parents  were  Peter  and  Bertha 
Peterson.  The  former  was  born  in  1798,  came 
to  the  United  States  and  to  Iowa  in  18(>8, 
and  located  in  Spring  V:illey,  Fillmore  county, 
]\linnesota,  in  1874.  He  died  at  tliat  place 
aged  84  years.  His  wife  died  in  Norway  in 
1800. 

Andrew  w'as  educated  in  Norway  and  learn- 
ed the  shoemaker's  trade.  He  came  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  in  1800  and  located  in  Fayette 
county,  Iowa.  There  he  resided  four  years,  con- 
ducting a  farm  and  working  at  his  trade.  In 
1870  Mr.  Peterson  sold  his  farm  and  moved 
to  Jackson  county,  taking  as  a  homestead  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  22,  Weimer  town- 
ship, when  the  only  other  permanent  resideiiti< 
of  the  township  were  Charles  Winzcr  and  Nds 
Moe.  During  the  first  summer  of  their  resi- 
dence in  Jackson  county  jMr  Peterson  and 
his  family  lived  in  a  stable.  Then  he  built  a 
little  log  house,  12x10  feet,  in  which  the  fani- 


JOHN  JACOBSON  (1872)  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  Christiania  township,  having 
resided  on  the  farm  on  the  bank  of  Fish  lake 
ever  since  he  was  nine  years  of  age.  He  owns 
lot  five  on  section  4,  consisting  of  thirty-eight 
acres. 

Mr.  Jacobson  was  boru  in  Norway  January 
29,  1803,  the  son  of  Jacob  Nelson  and  Mary 
(Franson)  Nelson.  His  father  died  when  he 
was  a  baby,  and  in  18G8  he  came  to  America 
with  his  mother,  settling  in  Dane  county,  Wis- 
consin. His  mother  died  there  in  1872  and 
thereafter  John  made  his  home  with  his  grand- 
father, John  Franson.  In  June,  1872,  he  moved 
with  his  grandfather  to  Jackson  county,  the 
latter  taking  as  a  homestead  the  land  which 
our  subject  now  owns.  There  he  grew  to 
manhood,  rcieiving  a  district  school  education. 
After  the  death  of  his  grandfather  in  1889 
John  became  the  owner  of  the  farm,  ami  upon 
it  he  has  ever  since  lived. 

November  24,  1891.  Mr.  Jacobson  was  man-ied 
to  Matilda  Olson,  a  native  of  Norway.  To  them 
have  been  born  two  children:  Clinton  M.,  born 
June  22,  1893;  Grant  E.,  born  April  2,  1896. 
Mr.   and    Mrs.   Jacobson    are   niombcrs   of   the 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


493 


Methodist  chureli  of  Windom.  He  has  held  the 
office  of  constable  for  the  last  eight  years. 


JENS  J.  JOHNSON  (1870).  ex-sheriff  of  Jack- 
son county  and  a  successful  farmer  of  Dela- 
ficld  township,  is  oiie  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
the  county.  He  owns  a  120  acre  farm  in  Del- 
afield  and  Christiauia  townships,  on  which  he 
has  lived   many  years. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  born  in  Norway  July  21, 
1842,  and  lived  in  his  native  land  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age.  After  becoming 
old  enough  to  earn  wag'^s  he  went  to  work  in 
a  saw  mill,  making  his  home  with  his  par- 
ents until  fifteen  years  old.  At  that  age  he 
was  confirmed  and  until  18.59  made  his  home 
with  a  minister.  He  again  took  up  his  resi- 
dence with  his  parents  and  lived  with  them 
until  he  sailed  for  the  United  States  in  1862. 
Arriving  in  the  new  world,  he  located  at 
Stoughton,  Dane  county,  Wisconsin.  There  lie 
worked  two  and  one-haif  years  and  then  he 
located  at  Grand  Rapids,  of  the  same  state, 
where  he  worked  in  a  sawmill  during  the  win- 
ter and  rafting  logs  during  the  summer.  He 
again  returned  to  Dane  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged  in  farming  three  years. 

In  _1S70  Mr.  Johnson  came  to  Jackson  county 
and  on  October  8  took  as  a  homestead  claim 
the  south  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  12,  Delafield  township.  Here  he  built 
a  house,  14x18  feet,  of  lumber,  in  which  he 
and  his  family  lived  until  it  was  supplanted 
by  a  commodious  structure  in  1883.  In  the 
old  shack  he  passed  the  early  days,  fighting 
grasshoppers  and  striving  to  make  a  living 
in  the  devastated  country.  He  planted  the 
groves  and  has  made  all  the  improvements 
his  farm  now  has. 

In  1S83  Mr.  Johnson  conducted  a  grain  ele- 
vator at  Windom  in  addition  to  his  farming 
operations,  and  in  1887  he  moved  to  Windom, 
where  he  eiigaged  in  the  lumber  business  ten 
years.  Mr.  Johnson  was  elected  sheriff  of  Jack- 
son county  in  1875  and  sei'ved  four  years.  He 
has  been  justice  of  the  peace  and  clerk  of  his 
school  district,  and  was  a  federal  census  enu- 
merator in  1880.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  church  and  of  the  A.  0.  U. 
W.  lodge. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  Johannes  Nilson 
and  Tngeborg  (Peterson)  Nilson,  who  came 
from  Norway  in  1873.  The  former  died  in 
Windom  April  15,  1892,  aged  80  years;  the  lat- 


ter died  in  Jackson  county  in  1881.  Jens  is 
one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children  born  to  these 
parents,  of  whom  three  are  now  living. 

Jlr.  Johnson  has  been  married  three  times. 
His  first  marriage  occurred  at  Grand  Rapids. 
Wisconsin,  .Tune  30,  186G,  when  he  wedded 
Mary  Peterson.  She  died  October  25,  1860, 
leaving  no  children.  Mr.  Johnson's  second 
marriage  occurred  September  3,  1870,  when  he 
wedded  Sarah  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Nor- 
way and  who  came  to  America  when  six  years 
of  age.  She  died  April  28,  1890,  aged  forty- 
three  years.  The  following  named  eleven  chil- 
dren were  born  as  a  result  of  this  union:  Julia 
(Koeford),  Mary  (Peterson),  Oscar  E.,  Carl 
G.,  Casper  E.,  Sophia  (Barber),  Albert  B. 
and  .Tens  E.  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  his 
present  wife  at  Windom,  Minnesota,  January 
13,  1894.  She  was  Mary  Ann  Nelson,  a  na- 
tive of  Norway.     They  have  no  children. 


.TAMES  R.  ROST  (1871).  blacksmith  and 
dealer  in  farm  machinery  at  Lakefield,  comes 
from  one  of  the  well  known  and  pioneer  fam- 
ilies of  western  Jackson  county  and  is  himself 
a  native  of  the  county,  having  been  born  in 
Rost  township  December  26,  1871.  He  is  the 
son  of  Herman  and  Augusta   (Newman)  Rost. 

Herman  Rost  and  family  came  to  .Jackson 
county  in  1869  and  homesteaded  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  22  in  what  is  now 
known  as  Rost  township.  Frederick  Rost,  the 
father  of  Herman  Rost,  also  came  at  that 
early  date  and  homesteaded  on  section  26,  of 
the  same  township,  and  it  was  in  his  honor 
the  township  was  named.  The  father  of  our 
subject  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to 
An\erica  when  nine  years  of  age.  He  still  lives 
on  the  homestead  lie  took  forty  years  ago. 
James  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  children, 
named  as  follows:  Mary,  .James  R.,  Herman 
A.,  Reinhart  R.  and  Clara  M. 

Until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  James 
Rost  attended  the  district  school  and  worked 
on  his  father's  farm.  He  then  moved  to  Lake- 
field  and  for  four  years  worked  in  the  black- 
smith shop  of  R.  D.  Pietz.  In  1896  he  bought 
the  blacksmith  shop  of  Ernest  Tank,  and  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  moved  to  the  present 
site,  erecting  a  building,  which  has  since  been 
enlarged  until  now  it  covers  an  area  of  42x50 
feet.  He  does  a  general  blacksmithing  and  re- 
pair business  and  conducts  a  wagon  and  ma- 
chine  shop.     In   1900  Mr.  Rost  started  in   the 


494 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


farm  maoliineiy  business  in  connection  witii 
his  Itlaol^saiitli  sliop  and  liaiulle^i  a  full  line  of 
farm  machinery,  tliri'sliinj;  niarhinciv,  fraso- 
line  and   steam   onjiincs   and   autoniohilcs. 

Mr.  Rost  was  married  in  the  township  which 
bears  his  name  on  December  6,  1893,  to  Ida 
('.  Webber,  a  native  of  Kost  township  and  a 
daughter  of  August  Webber,  a  pioneer  settler. 

From  1002  to  1907  Mr.  Rost  was  a  member 
of  the  Lakefield  village  council.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Lakefield  fire  department 
since  December  5,  1002.  He  was  chief  for  four 
years  and  has  held  the  office  of  treasurer  for 
the  past  five  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran   cliurch. 


CL.WS  WIEBEXKR  (1887)  owns  and  farms 
a  half  section  farm  in  Sioux  Valley  township, 
where  he  has  lived  many  years.  He  is  a  Ger- 
man by  birth  and  was  born  July  8,  1805,  in 
the  province  of  Ilolstein.  He  spent  his  early 
years  attending  school  and  helping  his  father, 
who  was  a  brick  mason  by  trade. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  Clans  emigra- 
ted to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Ce- 
dar county,  Iowa,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm 
hand  three  years.  He  came  to  .Taekson  county 
in  18S7.  vorked  out  in  Sioux  Valley  township 
two  years,  and  then  bought  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  20,  of  that  township,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  He  made  all  the  im- 
provements on  that  fram,  which  was  his  home 
\in(jl  1!I04.  That  year  he  bought  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  20  and  moved  onto  his  new 
place.  Tie  still  owns  his  old  farm  and  farms 
the  whole  half  section.  Mr.  Wiebener  raises 
considerable  stock  and  is  an  extensive  hog  feed- 
er. He  raised  2..">00  bushels  of  corn  during 
the  year  l!)On.  Mr.  Wiebener  is  a  member  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  Ma- 
sonic and  Woodmen  lodges.  Tie  has  held  a 
school  office  during  nearly  all  the  time  he  has 
lived  in  the  county. 

Clans  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  four 
children,  his  brothers  and  sisters  being  Grelch- 
en,  Fritz  and  .Tobn.  all  living  in  Oklahoma. 
His  parents  were  Peter  Christian  Wiebener 
and  .Anna  fStruve)  Wiebener  The  former  died 
in  Sioux  Valley  township  in  inO,">.  his  mother 
having  died  in  1805. 

Mr.  Wiebener  was  married  on  his  farm  in 
Sioux  Valley  township  in  1804  to  Mary  Died- 
erich,  who  was  born  in  Germany  December  12. 
1875.     They  arc  the  parents  of  the   following 


named  seven  living  children:  Christiana,  born 
October  10,  1804;  Anna,  born  October  II,  1800: 
Marie,  born  Septi'mber  li,  I8!IS:  IJIIy,  burn 
April  .•to,  1901:  Harry,  born  March  12,  1902: 
Klza,  born  September  10.  I!t07:  Christina,  born 
S«-pteniber  8,  1908.    One  child,  Claus,  has  died. 


WILLIAM  PETER  (1870)  is  a  homesteader 
of  Weimer  township  and  one  of  the  oldest 
settlers  of  that  precinct,  having  resided  on  his 
present  farm  continuovisly  for  nearly  forty 
years.  He  is  a  German  by  birth,  having  been 
born  in  the  fatherland  April  25,  1848,  the  son  of 
Augjist   and   Catherine    (Matthews)    Peter. 

At  the  age  of  five  years  William  accompanied 
his  ])arenls  to  the  new  woild  ami  grew  to 
manhood  in  Fond  du  Lac  county.  Wisconsin, 
which  was  his  home  until  he  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1870.  In  1800.  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  Mr.  Peter  enlisted  in  the  regular  army 
for  frontier  service  and  served  an  enlistment 
uf  three  years  and  six  months.  The  first  year 
of  this  service  was  in  Arkansas,  where  troops 
were  stationed  to  preserve  order  during  the 
turbulent  times  following  the  civil  war.  The 
next  year  was  spent  in  Kansas  and  Colorado, 
iieiing  as  a  detail  to  escort  mail  stages  over 
the  plains  and  protect  them  from  the 'In- 
dians, Nine  months  were  spent  in  the 
cummand  of  General  Brooks,  who  sub- 
jugated the  roving  bands  of  Navajo  Indians, 
captured  seven  thousand  of  them  and  placed 
them  on  reservations  in  Mexico  and  Arizona, 
-■Vfter  his  service  in  the  army  Mr.  Peter  was 
for  a  time  employed  as  a  government  mail 
carrier  on  the  plains  of  eastern  .Arizona  ami 
New  Mexico,  between  Santa  Fe  anil  .Mlmquer- 
que. 

Returning  to  his  ohl  Wisconsin  home  from 
the  western  frontier.  Mr.  Peter  soon  decided  to 
make  a  home  for  himself  in  some  new  country, 
and  being  then  of  age  d"cidcd  to  take  up  gov- 
ernment land  and  engage  in  farming.  In  1870 
he  arrived  in  Jackson  county  and  at  once  filed 
a  homestead  claim  to  the  northwest  quarlcr 
of  section  20.  Weimer  township,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  The  land  at  the  lime  was, 
of  course,  raw  prairie  and  he  has  made  all 
the  improvements  on  the  place.  He  encountered 
many  hardships  in  the  early  days,  but  suc- 
cessfully weathered  the  terrible  times,  and  is 
today  in  prosperous  circumstances.  He  owns 
an  eighty  acre  tract  adjoining  his  homestead, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


495 


and  he  and  his  son  John  own  400  acres  of  land 
in   Aitkin  county,  Minnesota. 

llr.  Peter  was  married  in  Jackson  county  in 
February,  1875,  to  Kate  Dobriner,  ■niio  was 
born  in  Germany  in  1857.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  nine  children,  of  whom  the  following 
eight  are  living:  .Tolin,  William,  Eddie,  Ar- 
thur, Katie,  Minnie,  Etta  and  Bertie. 

Mr.  Peter  is  one  of  the  members  of  Weimer 
township's  board  of  supervisors.  He  has  also 
served  as  a  director  of  school  district  No.  30 
and  as  road  overseer.  He  is  a  stockholder  in 
the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Wilder  and  of  tlie 
Farmers  Elevator  company  of  Heron  Lake.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
of  Heron  Lake  and  of  the  5L  W.  A.  and  Degree 
of  Honor  lodges. 


CHAELES  W.  POST  (1S70),  of  Petersburg 
township,  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Jack- 
son county  and  one  of  the  very  first  in  Post 
township,  which  was  named  after  the  family. 
He  is  of  German  birth  and  first  saw  the  light 
of  day  October  18,1844.  His  parents,  Frederick 
and  Rika   (Reitz)  Post,  are  both  deceased. 

Charles  Post  came  to  America  with  his  par- 
ents when  a  child,  and  until  the  year  1860 
lived  with  them  in  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin, 
forty  miles  west  of  Milwaukee.  From  the  age 
of  sixteen  years  until  he  was  twenty-six  lie 
engaged  in  farming.  In  the  early  summer  of 
1870  Charles  accompanied  his  parents  on  their 
overland  trip  to  Minnesota  and  arrived  in  the 
county  of  Jackson  in  June.  They  passed 
through  the  county  and  camped  one  night  on 
the  banks  of  Okabena  lake  at  a  point  which 
is  now  the  center  of  the  village  of  Worthing- 
ton.  There  they  decided  to  turn  back  and  lo- 
cate at  a  point  on  the  Little  Sioux  river 
wliich  they  had  passed  on  their  way  west,  and 
this  they  did,  taking  a  claim  in  what  is  now 
Rost  township.  The  nearest  neighbor  the  fam- 
ily had  lived  seven  miles  away. 

During  these  pioneer  days  Mr.  Rost  suf- 
fered all  the  trials  of  the  pioneer  settlers. 
Dining  gi'asshopper  times  he  suffered  severely. 
He  Avould  buy  grain  each  year,  plant  it,  and 
then  would  come  the  grasshoppers  and  take 
everything.  On  season  he  had  a  fine  ten  acre 
field  of  barley  which  he  inspected  one  Sunday. 
By  Monday  noon  it  had  entirely  disappeared, 
having  been  eaten  by  the  ravenmis  pests. 
Many  stories  of  the  doings  of  these  pests  are 
told   by   Mr.   Rost — how  they   would  dull   the 


edges  of  scythes  and  other  sharp  instruments 
left  exposed,  eat  holes  in  the  women's  dress- 
es while  making  a  trip  to  the  neighbors,  and 
make  the  dogs  and  chickens  seek  shelter  from 
their  onslaughts. 

Mr.  Rost  made  his  home  in  Rost  township 
until  190.3.  He  then  moved  to  Martin  county, 
Ijut  after  a  residence  there  of  three  years  re- 
turned and  located  in  Petersburg  township, 
w'here  he  has  since  lived.  He  now  lives  a  re- 
tired life,  leaving  the  working  of  the  farm  to 
his  sons.  During  his  residence  in  Rost  he 
served  on  the  township  board  twenty  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
cluirch. 

Mr.  Rust  was  married  March  29,  1869,  to 
Miss  Jlina  Wagnuf.  Thirteen  children  have 
been  born  to  these  parents,  as  follows:  Eva, 
born  December  31,  1871 ;  Lizzie,  born  May  27, 
1873:  Jeanette,  born  December  14,  1874;  Mol- 
lie.  born  November  18,  1876;  Henry,  born 
April  30,  1878;  Carl,  born  September  11,  1879; 
Alvina,  born  April  6,  1881 ;  John,  born  Novem- 
ber 7,  1882;  William,  born  .January  30,  1884; 
Etta,  born  December  ■24,  1885;  Clara,  born 
April  30,  1887;  Stella,  born  May  14.  1889, 
died  May  4,  1904;   Eddy,  born  April  3,  1892. 


OLE  J.  OLSON  (1862).  There  are  few  resi- 
dents of  .Jackson  county  who  have  a  period  of 
continuous  residence  of  greater  length  than 
Ole  .J.  Olson,  of  this  sketch,  who  owns  a  farm 
on  sections  34  and  35,  Belmont  township.  He 
is  the  son  of  John  Olson  and  Anna  (Ellingson) 
Olson,  wljose  arrival  in  the  county  and  ad- 
ventures in  this  frontier  region  have  been 
told  in  the  historical  part  of  this  volume. 

John  and  Anna  Olson  were  born  in  Tolen, 
Norway,  and  soon  after  their  marriage  in 
1851  they  came  to  America.  They  resided  in 
Rock  county.  Wisconsin,  several  j"ears,  and 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1862.  where  they 
took  a  homestead — the  land  upon  which  the 
son  now  resides.  .John  Olson  died  in  1879.  His 
wife,  who  is  now  84  years  of  age,  resides  with 
her  son  on  the  old  homestead.  They  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  whom  are 
now  living,  as  follows:  Christie,  Anna,  Lena 
(Mrs.  P.  H.  Berge),  of  .Jackson;  Ole  J.,  Peter 
J.,  Petria  (Mrs.  Lojiis  Ellingson),  of  Polk 
county.  Wisconsin;  Mrs.  Ingebor  Hoaas,  de- 
ceased; Peter,  deceased. 

Ole  J.  Olson  was  born  to  these  parents  in 
Rock    county,   Wisconsin,    December    17,    1858, 


4% 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


and  in  18C2  ho  was  luoupht  to  Jackson  county. 
Tlic  head  of  the  family  homesteadcd  tlio  south 
lialf  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  34, 
hind  whicli  liad  included  part  of  the  old  Bel- 
mont townsite,  and  on  that  place  Ole  J.  Olson 
has  ever  since  resided,  excepting  one  year. 
For  many  years  the  family  home  was  in  a  lo<» 
caliin  which  had  been  erected  by  the  townsite 
boomers.  Soon  after  their  arrival  to  the  fron- 
tier country  came  the  terrible  Sioux  war  and 
the  rtelmont  massacre.  The  family  were  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  on  that  memorable 
Sunday  and  escaped  the  slaughter  that  took 
many  of  their  neijrhbors.  One  of  Ole's  uncles 
was  killed  and  a  cousin  was  badly  wounded 
and  left  for  dead. 

After  the  massacre  the  family  fled  south 
and  for  a  year  lived  at  Spirit  Lake.  Then 
they  returned  to  Belmont.  Ole  was  a 
njemhcr  of  the  party  which  met  disaster  in  a 
prairie  fire  on  the  return  while  near  the  pres- 
ent villafre  of  Jackson,  a  detailed  account  ot 
which  is  to  be  found  in  the  historical 
section  of  this  volume.  He  continued  to 
make  his  home  with  his  parents  and  as  a  child 
and  young  man  encountered  many  hardships 
and  adventures  incident  to  the  settlement  of 
a  new  country.  After  his  father's  death  in 
1879  Mr.  Olson  conducted  the  farm  a  few- 
years  for  his  motlier  and  then  bought  the  place 
and  has  since  operated  it  on  his  own  account. 
Mr.  Olson  has  never  married.  He  makes  his 
home  with  his  mother  and  a  sister.  He  is  a 
member   of   the  Norwegian   Lutheran   church. 


PKTEU  K.  FREER  (1874),  of  Heron  Lake, 
is  an  early  day  .settler  of  western  .Tackson 
county.  He  is  tlic  son  of  Johannes  D.  and 
Ann -E.  (Ilashrook)  Freer,  descended  from  pio- 
neer New  York  state  stock,  the  family  origin- 
ally coming  from  nermany  in  colonial  days. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  a  cousin  of 
.John  Jacob  Astor,  the  foinider  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  Astor  family.  The  father  of 
our  subject  moved  from  New  York  state,  to 
Winneshiek  county.  Iowa,  in  lS.")f>.  and  settled 
with  his  family  at  Frankville.  There  he  erec- 
ted and  conducted  a  (louring  mill  seven  or 
eight  years.  Later  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Winneshiek  co\inty,  and  in  1874  came  to  Jack- 
son county  and  homosteaded  in  Alba  town- 
ship. He  located  In  Heron  Lake  in  18S!)  and 
died  in  that  ullage  in  1894  at  the  age  of  78 
years.     His  wife  died  in  1896,  aged  78  years. 


ilr.  and  Mrs.  Johannes  D.  Freer  were  the  par- 
ents of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Abraham  H., 
born  May  29,  1840;  Sarah  A.,  born  May  22, 
1842;  Newton,  born  October  20,  1844;  Peter 
E.,  born  April  10,  1848;  Mary  C.  born  August 
23,  1850;  Nellie  D.,  born  August  11,  18.53,  died 
November  9.  18.5."!:  ^V^!ter,  born  ilarch  29, 
18.59. 

Peter  E.  Freer,  the  fourth  child  of  this  fam- 
ily, was  born  in  Ulster  county,  New  York, 
lie  accompanied  his  parents  to  Winneshiek 
county,  Iowa,  in  18.)fl  when  eight  years  of  age, 
and  in  that  county  he  grew  to  manhood,  re- 
ceiving his  education  and  working  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  and  in  the  flouring  mill  at  Frank- 
ville. lie  came  with  the  family  to  Jackson 
county  in  1874  and  took  a  homestead  claim  in 
Allia  township.  He  remained  on  the  home- 
stead until  the  fall  of  1879,  and  then  took 
a  position  as  brakeman  on  the  St.  Paul  and 
Sioux  City  railroad,  running  between  Heron 
Lake  and  Woodstock.  In  the  fall  of  1880 
Mr.  Freer  took  a  position  in  tlie  tow  mill  of 
J.  T.  Smith,  and  operated  one  of  the  brakes 
in  the  mill  the  following  winter.  In  the  Sum- 
mer of  1881  he  was  employed  on  the  large 
fi.rm  of  Hugh  Paul,  and  that  fall  operated  a 
tlneshiug  machine. 

Mr.  Freer  went  to  St.  Paul  in  the  spring  of 
1S82  and  for  three  months  was  engaged  in 
teaming  (here.  He  was  in  Wliite  Bear  I.ake 
for  a  time  and  then  returned  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty, locating  in  Heron  Lake.  In  partnership 
with  his  brother,  W.  S.  Freer,  he  rented  the 
Pioneer  House,  which  he  conducted  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  also  conducted  the  Chapman 
House  livery  barn  until  the  spring  of  1SS4.  He- 
turning  to  the  farm  that  year,  he  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits  until  the  fall  of  1889; 
then  he  moved  to  Heron  Lake,  rented  the  Pio- 
neer House  from  his  brother  Walter,  and 
ronduited  it  cloven  years.  Thereafter  until  the 
spring  of  1909  lie  engaged  in  teaming  in  Her- 
on Lnke.  On  that  date  he  rented  the  Waver 
Tree  hotel,  which  he  conducted  until  the  fall 
of  1909.  Mr.  Freer  owns  his  home  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Heron  Lake.  During  his  residence  in 
Alba  township  ^Ir.  Freer  served  two  terms  as 
treasurer  of  his  precinct. 

Mr.  Freer  was  married  to  Maggie  fJolda  in 
Heron  Lake  March  7.  1893.  She  was  born  in 
Germany  and  came  to  America  with  her  fa- 
ther, Joseph  Golda.  when  one  year  old.  They 
have  six  children:  Afilton  S.,  born  February  11. 
1804;    Merlin   M.,   bom  July   20,  189.5;   Maud 


•"•It. 


TlLDEN   FOUNOiT 


m  J.BArp.  -  ]K«i 

9       Superintendent     j^Qf 
^.^of  Schools  ' 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


497 


A.,  boin  June  12,  1908;  ilyrtle,  born  December 
23,  1901;  Raymond,  born  January  21,  1903; 
Jlary,  born  August  30,  1905. 


PETER  BURRESON  (1874).  whose  farm 
lies  in  Des  Moines  township  a  sliort  distance 
northwest  of  the  village  of  Jackson,  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  county,  having  been  born  on  the 
farm  he  now  conducts  November  21,  1874.  Plis 
parents,  William  Burreson  and  Christie  (Ol- 
son) Burreson,  were  among  the  very  earliest 
of  the  settlers  of  Jackson  county.  They  were 
born  in  Xorway  and  came  to  Jackson  county 
in  ISfiO  with  the  vanguard  of  the  Norwegian 
settlers  and  were  living  in  the  county  at  the 
time  of  the  Indian  massacre  of  1862.  William 
Burreson  and  his  wife  still  live  on  the  old 
homestead  he  took  in  1860.  Eleven  children 
were  born  to  them,  of  whom  the  following 
seven  are  living:  Burr,  Emery,  Peter,  Belle, 
Bedena,  Obena  and  Annie. 

Peter  Burreson  attended  the  Jackson  county 
district  schools  and  grew  to  manhood  on  his 
father's  farm.  Until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  of  age  lie  worked  for  his  father;  then 
he  rented  the  home  place  on  sections  14  and  11 
and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself.  In  1909 
he  bovight  eighty  acres  of  his  father's  farm. 
His  place  is  known  as  the  "Fairview  Farm." 


JOHN  A.  JIANSFIELD  (1904),  county  at- 
torney of  .Jackson  county,  resides  at  Lakefield. 
He  is  a  native  Minnesotan,  having  been  born 
at  Mankato  July  12,  1879.  His  father,  Charles 
JIansfield,  was  of  English  origin  and  came  to 
Mankato  in  1856.  He  died  there  in  1884,  aged 
5(>  years.  The  mother  of  our  subject.  Louisa 
(Burchard)  Mansfield,  is  of  German  birth.  She 
still  resides  in  Mankato. 

John  A.  Mansfield  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
nntivc  city  and  was  graduated  from  the  high 
sclionl  theip  in  1890.  He  then  took  a  three 
years'  course  in  the  law  department  of  the 
Michigan  state  university  and  later  read  law 
in  the  office  of  Pfau  &  Ffau,  Mankato.  In 
1903  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Park  Rapids,  Minnesota,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1004  located  at  Lakefield,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  was  elected  county  attorney 
on  the  republican  ticket  in  1908  and  assumed 
the  duties  of  that  office  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1909. 

During  the  Spanish-American  war  Mr.  Mans- 


field served  as  a  member  of  company  A,  of  thfe 
Twelfth  Minnesota  volunteer  infantry,  and 
was  stationed  witli  his  regiment  at  Chickamau- 
ga,  Georgia.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  the  M.  W.  A.  and  I.  0.  0.  F.  lodges. 

At  Park  Rapids,  Minnesota,  on  .3 tine  12, 
1903,  Mr  Mansfield  was  married  to  Miss  Myr- 
tle Gil)son,  a  native  of  Ironton,  Ohio. 


.lOHN  A.  SPAFFORD  (1872),  farmer  and 
s.torekecper  of  Ewington  township  and  former- 
ly postmaster  of  Spofl'ord  postoffice,  is  one  of 
the  oldest  residents  of  his  precinct.  He  is 
one  of  the  best  known  residents  of  western 
•Jackson  county  and  a  man  who  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  the  business,  social  and  political 
affairs  of  the  community  in  which  he  has  lived 
so  long. 

Mr.  Spafford  descends  from  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  America.  For  several  centuries  be- 
fore the  American  family  was  founded  the 
Spaffords,  or  Spoffords,  as  the  name  was  or- 
iginally spelled,  were  a  people  of  high  rank  in 
England.  So  early  as  1006  we  find  the  name 
in  the  Doomsday  Book,  which  is  a  book  of  rec- 
ord of  the  lands  of  England  as  parcelled  out 
after  the  conquet  of  William,  Duke  of  Nor- 
mandy. The  American  branch  of  the  family 
was  founded  by  John  Spofford,  who  came  to 
America  in  1638  with  a  colony  under  the  lead- 
ership of  Rev.  Ezekiel  Rogers.  The  colony 
was  composed  of  many  families  from  York- 
shire and  made  settlement  in  April,  1639,  be- 
tween Newbury  and  Ipswich,  in  Massachusetts. 
The  name  of  John  Spofford  appears  on  the  rec- 
ord of  the  first  division  of  lands  into  home- 
stead lots,  which  was  made  in  1643.  His 
lot  consisted  of  one  and  one-half  acres,  and 
v.as  located  on  Bradford  street,  so  called,  near 
the  center  of  the  present  town  of  Rowley.  In 
the  spring  of  1669  he  moved  to  Spofford's  Hill, 
in  -the  west  part  of  the  town,  and  he  was 
without  doubt  the  first  settler  of  Georgtown 
and  the  progenitor  of  all  of  the  name  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  His  wife  was  Eliz- 
abeth .Scott,  who  came  to  America  in  the  ship 
Elizabeth  in  1634,  W'hen   nine  years   of  age. 

The  John  A.  Spafford  of  this  sketch  belongs 
to  the  eighth  generation  in  this  descent.  One 
of  the  sons  of  the  original  John  Spofford  was 
also  named  .John.  He  lived  on  the  site  of  the 
original  settlement  on  Spofford's  Hill,  in  what 
is  now  Georgetown,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
died  April   27,   1696.     Jonathan,   son   of   John, 


498 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


was  a  resident  of  Howl.'V.  aliere  lie  died  Jan- 
uary If),  1772,  aged  S!l  years.  Jaiol),  son  of 
Jonatlmn.  emigrnteil  to  Salislniry,  Conncetieiit, 
wliere  lie  lived  for  many  years,  and  wliore  lie 
died.  Colonel  Solomon  SpalFord  was  a  son  of 
.laioli  .Spafford.  lie  moved  from  Conneetieut 
to  llallowell.  Canada,  at  wliieli  plaee  lie  died 
February  2,  1837.  One  of  the  sons  of  Colonel 
Solomon  SpafTord,  was  Tra  ."^pafTord,  who  was 
born  in  Vermont,  emirrrated  with  Iiis  father  to 
Canada,  and  settled  at  ITallowcll.  now  Athol. 
One  of  his  sons  was  Heman  SpafTord,  the  fa- 
ther of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Heman 
SpalTord  was  born  in  Prince  Edward  county. 
Ontario,  Canada,  February  8,  180.5,  and  died 
in  Picton,  Prince  Edward  county.  Aujjust  2fi, 
1876.  He  was  n\arried  to  Cecelia  Abranis.  who 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  1SI2.  and  died  in  IJlooni- 
inpton.  Illinois.  .Tune  14,  1804. 

To  Fleman  and  Cecelia  Spafl'ord  Avas  born 
.lohn  A.  SpalTord.  His  birthplace  was  Pic- 
ton, Prince  Edward  county.  Ontario,  and  the 
date  of  his  birth  was  August  20,  1837.  In 
his  native  county  he  grew  to  manhood.  His 
early  life  was  spent  in  securing  a  common 
school  education  and  in  working  on  the  farm. 
When  twenty-four  years  of  age  he  left  home 
and  sought  his  fort\ine  in  the  west.  He  de- 
parted from  his  native  town  on  the  1.5tli  of 
April.  ISfll.  and  arrived  in  Chicago  three  days 
later.  There  he  secured  emiiloyiiicnt  in  the 
grain  commission  house  of  Baker  &  Spafford, 
for  which  firm  he  worked  two  years.  In  Au- 
gust, 1863,.  Mr.  SpalTord  moved  to  Wapella, 
DeWitt  county.  Illinois,  where  for  two  years 
he  was  grain  buyer  for  a  Chicago  commission 
house. 

During  those  two  years  lie  made  consider- 
able money  but  owing  to  a  general  collapse 
in  prices  at  the  close  of  the  civil  war,  he 
lost  it  all,  and  what  was  still  worse  he  found 
himself  considerably  in  debt.  During  the  win- 
ter of  180.5  he  was  engag<'il  in  buying  and 
sacking  corn  and  oats  for  the  commissary  de- 
partment of  the  government  through  a  sub- 
agent,  who,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  found 
himself  over-stocked  with  grain  for  which 
the  government  would  have  no  use.  Mr.  Spaf- 
ford had  contracted  for  much  grain  from  the 
farmers,  advancing  some  money  on  each  lot, 
and  when  the  department's  demand  was  cut  olT, 
and  the  markets  in  the  large  grain  centers 
tumbled  fifty  per  cent  or  more,  there  was  noth- 
ing h'ft  for  him  to  do  but  take  in  the  con- 
tracted grain  at  former  prices,  to-wit:     65  to 


70  cents  per  bushel  for  oats  and  7.)  to  80 
cents  per  bushel  for  corn,  and  put  it  on  the 
Chieiigo  market  at  30  to  40  cents  per  bushel. 
In  this  deal  his  fortune  was  swept  away,  and 
for  six  or  seven  years  he  knocked  about  at 
various  occupations  until  his  removal  to  Jack- 
son county. 

With  the  rush  of  homes<'ekers  to  southwest- 
ern Minnesota  in  the  spring  of  1S72  came  Mr. 
.SpalTord,  the  date  of  his  arrival  being  May 
0.  For  a  time  he  made  his  home  in  the 
new  town  of  Worthington,  engaging  in  team- 
ing for  I.  JT.  Sater,  the  pioneer  lumber  dealer, 
and  other  business  men.  In  June  he  filed  a 
homestead  claim  to  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  20.  in  Ewinglon  township  which  is 
now  his  home.  Three  months  later  he  re- 
turned to  his  old  home  in  Illinois,  straightened 
out  his  business  affairs  there,  and  on  October 
0  returned  with  his  family.  He  lived  in  Wor- 
thington until  the  spring  of  1873.  and  then 
moved  onto  his  homestead.  lie  began  farming 
then,  but  the  grasshoppers  took  nearly  every- 
thing, and  late  in  the  fall  of  187:)  he  was  forced 
to  return  to  Worthington  and  seek  employ- 
Mient.  He  secured  work  in  the  flouring  mill, 
in  the  fall  of  1876  being  promoted  to  the  office 
of  head  bookkeeper.  His  residence  was  in 
Worthington  about  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then 
he  returned  to  the  farm  whiih  has  been  his 
home   ever   since. 

Jlr.  Spafford  holds  a  record  as  a  township 
olTi<>cr  which  is  equaled  by  few  men.  With 
(lie  cxccpdoii  ,,f  the  liist  year  he  has  held 
a  township  olfice  ever  since  Ewington  town- 
ship was  »rgani/ed.  He  was  elected  town 
clerk  in  l.'*8l  and  held  the  office  for  twenty- 
live  consecutive  years,  finally  giving  uj)  the 
office  in  1006.  Still  longer  service  has  he 
seen  in  the  school  district.  When  the  dis- 
trict was  organized  in  IS7.5  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  treasurer  and  a  few  years 
later  to  that  of  clerk,  which  he  held  for  a 
continuous  service  of  thirty-three  years.  He- 
sides  the  offices  mentioned  he  has  been  town- 
ship assessor,  member  of  the  board  of  siiper- 
visors.  and  for  a  shorl  lime  was  chairinan  of 
the  board. 

In  IS!I4  .Mr.  Spafford  applied  to  the  post- 
office  (h'parlment  for  an  office  to  be  located 
on  his  farm.  Me  was  successful  in  his  efforts, 
and  in  Septendjcr  of  that  year  the  office,  named 
Spofford  in  his  honor  (nit hough  the  name  was 
incorrectly  spelled),  was  put  in  o|ieration.  with 
Mr.    SpalTord   as   postmaster.     The    next   year 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


499 


lie  opened  a  general  store  and  operated  it  in 
conneetion  with  tlie  oflice.  He  continued  this 
l/iisiness  six  years,  and  then  sold  out  the 
store  and  resigned  the  postmastefship.  In 
the  spring  of  1009  Sir.  Spafford  again  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business,  opening  a  store 
on   his   farm   in  April. 

Mr.  SpalTord  was  married  in  P.loomington, 
Illinois.  April  5,  1865,  to  Mary  Stoutz,  daughter 
of  fieorge  Stoutz,  a  eoa'idi  builder  in  the  shops 
of  tlie  Chicago  &  Alton  Railway  company. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  seven  children 
as  follows:  Edith  Cecelia  (Mrs.  Joel  Edward 
White),  Aberdeen,  South  Dakota;  Oeorge  Wal- 
ter, Ewington  township;  W'illiam  Charles 
(died  in  1874,  aged  four  and  one-half  years) ; 
Frank  Addison.  Ewington  township;  Clara  Au- 
gusta (Mrs.  Robert  Edward  Davis),  Worthing- 
ton;  Emma  Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Charles  E.  Gehr- 
ke),  Ewington  to\mship;  John  Heman,  Ewing- 
ton township. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spafford  were  both  charter 
members  of  the  Methodist  church  of  Worth- 
ington,  having  brought  letters  from  their 
church  in  Illinois. 


TOLLEF  J.  EGGE  (1866)  has  spent  the  en- 
tire forty-four  years  of  his  life  in  Jackson 
county,  having  been  born  in  northern  Des 
Moines  township  on  the  seventeenth  day  of 
March,  1866.  His  parents  are  John  Johnson 
Egge  and  Ingebor   (Evenson)    Egge. 

Tollef  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
Christiania  township  farm,  attending  the  dis- 
trict school  and  assisting  with  the  farm  work. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  went  to  Wis- 
consin, spent  one  year  there,  and  then  moved 
to  North  Dakota,  where  he  remained  only  one 
year.  Returning,  he  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
two  years  and  then  married.  After  his  mar- 
riage he  engaged  in  farming  rented  land  three 
years  and  in  180.3.  he  bought  the  south  half  of 
the  nortliwest  quarter  of  section  24,  AVeimer 
township,  moved  onto  the  place  and  began  the 
work  of  improving  it.  He  now  has  a  tine  home 
and  well  improved  farm.  His  Weimer  town- 
ship farm  consists  of  160  acres,  and  he  also 
owns  an  eighty  acre  farm  in  Cluistiania.  upon 
which  he  has  a   tenant. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  born  in 
Norway  and  came  to  America  when  young.  Tlie 
first  husband  of  Mrs.  Egge  was  Tollef  Olson 
Slaabaken.  They  came  to  Jackson  county  with 
the   vanguard    of   the   Norwegian   settlers   and 


were  living  on  the  Des  Moines  river  at  the 
time  of  the  massacre  of  1862.  Tollef  Olson 
Slaabaken  died  in  the  army  and  his  widow 
married  John  Johnson  Egge.  As  a  result  of 
tlie  second  marriage  six  children  were  born, 
of  ulioni  the  following  four  are  living:  Tollef, 
ilary,  John  and  Theodor.  Eli  and  Ella  arc 
the  deceased  children. 

Tollef  Egge  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
September  7.  1890,  to  Mary  Seines,  who  was 
horn  in  Iowa  June  24,  1866.  To  this  union 
have  Iieen  born  three  children:  Ella,  born  Feb- 
ruary 10.  1S04;  Olga,  born  ilarrh  30,  189.5; 
Eli,  born  August  31.  1806.  The  family  arc 
members    of    the    Norwegian   Lutheran    church. 

Mr.  Egge  has  held  many  offices  of  trust 
within  the  gift  of  his  neighbors.  In  1903  he 
served  as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  from  the  Fourth  district.  He 
lias  been  chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors 
of  Weimer,  has  been  assessor  and  is  now  a 
school  director. 


WILLIAM  G.  MALCHOW  (1873),  cashier 
of  the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Wilder,  has 
spent  his  entire  life  in  Jackson  county,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Heron  Lake  township  May  1, 
1873.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Christine 
(Kilen)  JIalchow,  pioneer  settlers  of  the  coun- 
ty- 

William  secured  his  education  in  this  county, 
completing  it  in  the  academic  department  of 
the  school  at  Wilder.  After  Iiis  school  days, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  he  began  teach- 
ing school,  which  occupation  he  followed  sev.en 
years.  He  then  took  a  position  as  gi-ain  buy- 
er for  the  firm  of  Thorn  &  Christensen  at  Wil- 
der and  was  so  engaged  three  years.  In  1902 
he  and  his  brother  and  father  bought  the  con- 
trolling interest  in  the  Farmers  State  Bank 
and  since  that  date  he  has  held  the  position 
of  cashier. 

Mr.  Malchow  is  a  man  of  family,  having 
been  married  in  Heron  Lake  township  January 
2,  1805.  to  Miss  Christine  Sether,  a  native  of 
Blue  Earth.  Minnesota,  and  a  daughter  of 
Hans  E.  Sether,  a  Norwegian  Lutheran  minis- 
ter and  an  early  settler  of  the  county.  To 
this  union  have  been  born  four  children: 
Evangeline  C,  born  December  23,  1898;  Vivian 
G.,  born  July  16.  1000;  Thelma.  born  Decem- 
ber 1.  1904;   Violet,  born  June  2,  1908. 

Mr.  Malchow  served  as  president  of  the  Wil- 
der village  council  two  years  and  was  village 


500 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


reconlir  four  years.  ]Io  was  trciisiircr  of  tlie 
scliool  board  six  years,  lie  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic,  Woodmen  and  Royal  Neighbors 
lodges. 


MARTIX  IT.  LEE  (1865)  owns  and  farms  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  13,  Des  Moines 
township,  which  lies  only  a  short  distance  to 
the  north  of  the  Jackson  depot.  He  has  been 
a  resident  of  Jackson  county  ever  since  he 
was  a  baby  two  years  old.  He  was  born  in 
Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  February  8,  1803,  the 
son  of  Halvor  B.  and  Martha  (Hansen)  Lee, 
pioneer  residents  of  the  county. 

Martin  has  grown  to  manhood  in  Jackson 
county.  Until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  resided  on  his  father's  old  homestead 
in  Des  Moines  township.  For  several  years 
thereafter  he  worked  out  part  of  the  time 
and  farmed  rented  land  part  of  the  time.  He 
bought  his  present  farm  in  18!)2,  and  lias  made 
all  the  improvements  on  the  place.  He  is  a 
breeder  and  raiser  of  sheep  and  horses  and  for 
the  last  eleven  years  has  been  engaged  in  buy- 
ing grain  and  stock.  Since  buying  his  pres- 
ent farm  he  has  resided  alternately  on  it,  in 
Jackson,  and  on  the  old  homestead.  He  is  the 
third  child  in  a  family  of  five  living.  He 
has  never   married. 


PETER  T.  HANSON  (1S72)  is  tlic  expert 
machinist  and  repair  man  employed  by  J.  M. 
Johnson  at  Okabonn.  According  to  tlie  records, 
he  is  the  second  cliild  born  in  Weimer  town- 
ship, the  date  of  his  birth  being  .Tune  22,  1872. 
He  is  the  son  of  Otto  and  Annie  (Lorncen) 
Hanson,  natives  of  Norway,  who  were  early 
settlers  of  Weimer  township  and  who  still 
live   in    that   precinct. 

Peter  has  always  made  his  home  in  the 
county  of  his  birth.  He  was  brought  up  on 
the  old  homestead  not  far  from  the  village  of 
Heron  Lake  and  he  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  that  village.  TTntil  he  was 
twenty-five  years  of  age  he  lived  on  the  farm 
with  his  parents.  Then  he  married  and  lo- 
cated in  Heron  Lake,  engaging  in  the  shoe 
business  in  partnership  with  John  Rafdal.  He 
was  a  partner  in  the  business  until  the  spring 
of  inon,  but  all  his  time  was  not  taken  up 
with  his  duties  in  the  store.  He  was  janitor 
of  the  Heron  Lake  sclionl  building  two  years, 
was   engineer  on  a   steam   dredge   tliree  years 


and  was  engineer  of  tlie  Heron  I^ake  brick 
yard  one  year. 

Mr.  Hanson  sold  Ids  shoe  business  in  May, 
UI09,  having  accepted  a  position  the  first 
of  the  year  with  the  Western  Implement  com- 
pany in  its  branch  at  Okabcna.  He  moved 
to  Okabena  and  tliat  lias  since  been  his  home. 
The  brandi  at  Okabena  was  bouglit  by  J.  'M. 
.lohnson  in  June.  1009,  since  which  time  Mr. 
TIanson  has  been  in  his  employ.  Mr.  Hanson 
is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church 
and  of  the  JL  W.  A.  lodge. 

In  \\'eimer  township  .Tunc  2,  1897,  occurred 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Hanson  to  Minnie  John- 
son, a  native  of  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of 
M.  H.  Johnson,  of  Weimer  township.  Seven 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Han- 
son, as  follows:  Odvion,  Andrew,  .lolin,  Pal- 
mer. Alta.  Mildren  and  Maurice. 


HENRY  W.  UDEN  (1892)  is  one  of  the  ex- 
tensive farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Ewington 
township.  He  has  a  finely  improved  farm  of 
320  acres  on  sections  21  and  22,  his  stock 
sheds  being  rated  among  the  best  in  Jackson 
county.  He  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  full 
blooded  Shorthorn  cattle.  Shropshire  sheep  and 
Poland  China  swine  and  deals  in  good  grade 
horses.    He  is  an  extensive  feeder  and  shipper. 

Mr.  Uden  was  born  in  Woodford  county, 
Illinois.  April  8,  18.')8,  the  son  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  (.Tenson)  Uden,  of  whom  the  former 
died  two  years  ago  at  the  age  of  eighty  years, 
and  tlie  hitter  is  living  in  I>ivingsfon  county, 
Illinois.  Henry  was  educated  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  county  and  until  he 
reached  his  majority  resided  on  his  father's 
farm.  He  then  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self, farmiii'.'  rented  lanil  two  years,  and  then 
taking  charge  of  liis  father's  farm,  his  parent 
having  retired  from  active  life  for  eight  years. 
In  1889  Mr.  Uden  moved  to  Minonk,  Illinois, 
iiiid  for  three  years  was  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tiU>  business.  He  sold  out  in  1892  and  located 
upon  his  farm  in  Ewington  township,  .Tackson 
county,  which  he  had  bought  before  coming 
to  the  county.  His  farm  first  included  only 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  21.  but  eiglit 
years  ago  he  added  to  his  holdings  by  the 
purchase  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
22. 

Jlr.  Uden  was  married  in  Woodford  county, 
Illinois,  in  June.  1873,  to  Fannie  Bentz,  who 
died    two   years   later.     One   child,    now    Mrs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IIISTOBY. 


501 


Amel  Will,  of  Kound  Lake,  was  boru  to  this 
union.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Uden  oe- 
eui'red  in  Woodford  county  in  June,  1877,  when 
he  wedded  ilinnie  Hendricks.  Eleven  children 
have  been  born  to  these  parents,  of  whom  the 
following  nine  are  living:  George,  Eudolph, 
Theodore,  Ellsworth,  Herman,  Henry,  Wilbert, 
Amelia  and  Minnie.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Uden 
has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  dis- 
trict No.  99  for  a  number  of  years  and  is  now 
the   treasurer. 


THOilAS  iLVDDEN  (1872),  of  Hunter  town- 
ship, residing  a  short  distance  west  of  Lake- 
field  is  an  early  day  settler  of  the  countj-.  He 
was  born  at  Racine,  Wisconsin,  August  17, 
1861,  the  son  of  William  and  Rose  (Gallagher) 
iladden,  both  natives  of  Ireland.  His  father 
died  in  1868.  His  mother  lives  at  Austin, 
Minnesota,  and  is  70  years  of  age.  There 
are  four  children  in  the  family. 

Thomas  Madden  was  eleven  years  of  age 
when  he  and  his  mother  first  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1872.  Until  grasshopper  times  they 
made  their  home  with  Thomas'  grandfather, 
•John  Gallagher,  who  had  a  homestead  on  sec- 
tion 6,  Hunter  township.  When  the  hard 
times  incident  to  the  grasshopper  invasion 
came  our  subject  and  his  mother  moved  to 
Mason  City,  Iowa,  where  they  resided  several 
years.  Returning,  they  took  up  their  residence 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  6,  Hunter 
township,  which  his  mother  had  taken  as  a 
homestead  in  1871  and  to  which  she  subse- 
quently obtained  title.  Thomas  received  his 
education  in  Iowa  and  in  the  Jackson  high 
school,  which  he  attended  several  years.  Our 
subject  has  lived  on  the  homestead  ever  since 
returning  to  the  county  and  he  now  owns  the 
farm. 

Mr.  Madden  was  married  at  Oxford,  Iowa, 
January  4,  1894,  to  Julia  O'Connor,  a  native 
of  the  town  in  which  she  was  married.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Bridget  O'Con- 
nor. Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Madden,  as  follows:  Thomas  V., 
Rose  M.,  IWargaret  E.,  Joseph.  The  family  are 
members  of   the  Catholic  church. 


CHARLES  W.  WITHERS  (1870),  of  Jack- 
son, has  lived  in  the  county  since  infancy 
and  has  been  identified  with   several   difTerent 


lines  of  endeavor.  His  birthplace  was  Fill- 
more county,  Minnesota,  where  he  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  on  October  25,  1869,  the 
youngest  child  of  Walter  and  Jane  E.  (Allen) 
Withers. 

Walter  Withers,  the  father,  was  one  of  the 
well  known  early  settlers  of  Jackson  county. 
He  was  a  native  of  England  and  came  to  the 
United  States  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He 
married  Jane  Allen  and  in  an  early  day  they 
located  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota.  Mr. 
Withers  served  during  the  war  of  the  rebel- 
lion in  the  Second  Minnesota  infantry  and  was 
wounded  and  discharged  just  before  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  enlistment.  The  family 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  June,  1870,  and 
the  father  took  a  homestead  claim  on  section 
two,  Middletown  township,  just  a  short  dis- 
tance south  of  the  village  of  Jackson.  There 
the'  family  resided  many  years,  when  they 
moved  to  Jackson.  A\'alter  Withers  died  there 
March  .3,  1907,  aged  78  years.  His  wife  died 
several    years    before. 

Charles  Withers  was  only  eight  months  of 
age  when  he  came  to  Jackson  county  with  his 
parents.  He  received  a  country  school  educa- 
tion and  lived  on  the  farm  until  he  attained 
his  majority.  Then  moving  to  Jackson  he  be- 
gan learning  the  butcher  trade,  working  for 
("Jruhlke  &  Brown  six  jears.  He  then  purcliased 
the  meat  market  now  owned  by  H.  W.  Jack- 
son and  conducted  it  several  years,  being 
engaged  in  the  ice  business  in  connection  with 
the  shop.  Selling  out  his  interests  in  Jackson, 
he  purchased  farming  property  in  North  Da- 
kota, and  has  since  added  to  his  land  hold- 
ings in  that  state.  He  also  owns  village  prop- 
ert}-  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  in  Jackson. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Wood- 
men  lodges. 

Mr.  Withers  was  married  in  Enterprise 
township  on  April  5,  1898,  to  Mary  Nissen 
daughter  of  C.  P.  and  Mary  Nissen,  of  Jackson, 
ilrs.  Withers  was  born  in  Chicago  March  19, 
1876. 


GJERMUND  T.  JUVLAND  (1870)  has  lived 
in  Weimer  township  ever  since  he  was  twenty 
years  of  age  and  is  one  of  the  very  earliest 
settlers  of  that  precinct.  He  owns  240  acres 
of  land  in  Weimer  township  and  a  quarter 
section  in  LaMoure  county.  North  Dakota. 

Jlr.  Juvland  in  a  native  of  Norway  and  was 
born  ]\Iarch  11,  1850,  the  son  of  Torbjorn  and 


502 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


^^usalla  (I'joiif)  Juvliuid.  lie  acoompaiiied 
liis  paix'iits  from  tlie  olil  louiitry  when  seven- 
teen ycuii  of  age  and  on  June  lo,  18ti7,  ar- 
liveil  in  tlie  village  of  Red  Wing,  in  (ioodliue 
eounty,  ilinnesota.  lie  lived  on  tlie  farm  with 
liis  parents  there  until  1870,  and  then  accom- 
panied tliem  to  Jaekson  county.  The  head  of 
the  family  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the 
northwest  (juarter  of  section  12,  Weimcr  town- 
ship, built  a  dugout,  in  which  the  family  lived 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  established  the 
prrmanent   home  there. 

In  llie  early  days  the  family  encountered 
many  hardships,  notably  during  the  terrible 
grasshopper  scourge,  and  young  Juvland  was 
brought  up  in  the  midst  of  poverty  and  pio- 
neer surroundings.  He  did  not  marry  and  con- 
tinued to  make  his  home  with  his  parents 
during  their  lifetime.  His  father  died  in  1873, 
at  the  age  of  56  years,  and  our  subject  be- 
came the  head  of  the  family.  His  mother  died 
in  1898,  aged  81  years.  With  the  exception 
ol  the  year  1900,  when  lie  was  in  Heron  Lake, 
ilr.  Juvland  has  always  lived  on  the  old  home- 
stead. He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran church. 


.liiIlN  J.  EGGE,  JR.,  UST2),  Christiania 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  that  pvecinct 
and  has  spent  his  entire  life  there.  He  owns 
fifty  acres  of  land  on  the  west  half  of  the 
southwest  (piarter  of  section  33,  on  the  bank 
of    Independence   lake. 

John  J.  Egge,  Jr.,  was  born  May  14,  1872, 
and  is  the  son  of  John  J.  and  Ingebor  Egge, 
natives  of  Xorway.  They  came  from  their  na- 
tive land  and  located  in  Decorah,  Iowa,  where 
-Mr.  Egge,  Sr.,  worked  at  the  blacksmith  trade. 
The  family  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1S65 
and  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  south  half 
of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  32,  Chris- 
tiania, and  on  that  place  the  father  of  our 
subject  still  lives  in  a  log  cabin  erected  in 
1808.  There  were  six  children  in  this  family, 
namely:  Tollef,  a  Weimer  township  farmer, 
born  March  17,  180C:  Mary  (Mrs.  Knute  Jack- 
son), of  Crocdvston.  Minnesota:  born  Novem- 
ber 1(>,  1807:  John  J.,  Jr.:  Theodore,  of  Dcl- 
afield  township,  born  .\ugust  8.  1879;  Ella, 
deceased,  born  February  1,  1869;  Eli,  deceased, 
born  Xovcniber  1,  187.5. 

Mr.  Egge  was  married  December  21,  1899,  to 
Martha  N'icinanii.  To  I  hem  have  been  born 
the  following  children:  Ethel,  born  January  19, 


1901;  Kliiia,  born  1-ebruary  8,  1903;  Carl,  born 
Uctober  26,  1905.  The  family  arc  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church.  He  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  township  board  three  years 
anil  is  a  mcmlx'r  of  the.  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


RUDOLPH  SCHOEWE  (1883),  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  Theodore  Schoewe,  farms 
400  acres  of  land  in  lyimball  township,  the 
home  place  being  the  east  half  of  section  20. 
He  is  the  son  of  Edward  and  Augusta  Schoewe, 
who  were  born  in  Germany  and  who  are  now  resi- 
dents of  Kimball  township.  The  former 
came  to  America  when  eleven  years  of  age, 
lived  in  Carver  county,  Minnesota,  with  his 
father  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
then  came  to  Jackson  county  and  took  as  a 
homestead  claim  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 26,  Kimball,  where  he  has  ever  since 
lived.  He  is  fifty-nine  years  of  age.  The 
other  children  of  the  family  are  Mary  (Mrs. 
Williiuu  W:iswo),  of  Oklahoma,  ;iiid  Theo- 
dore. 

Ruiliilpli  was  born  on  the  Kimball  township 
homestead  December  4,  1883,  and  has  passed 
his  entire  life  on  that  place.  He  secured  an 
education  in  the  district  schools  and  worked 
for  liis  father  until  the  .spring  of  1908.  At 
that  time  he  and  his  brother  rented  the  400 
acre  farm  and  have  since  conducted  it.  They 
are  extensive  feeders  of  hogs  and  are  making 
a  success.  The  brothers  are  members  of  the 
(Urman   Lutheran  church   of   Kimball. 

Thetxlnre  S<-hoewe  was  born  on  the  home 
farm  in  1S,85.  He  was  married  October  23, 
1907,  to  Mi-;>  Dora  (!i)hr,  a  native  of  Chicago. 


JOHN  AMRROSE  (I8S4).  Wisconsin  town- 
.ship  farmer  and  stockraiscr,  owns  eighty  acres 
in  section  33,  Wisconsin,  and  eighty  acres  in 
section  4,  Petersburg.  He  is  a  native  of  Aus- 
tria and  was  born  August  8.  1861,  the  son  of 
Paul  and  Mary  Ambrose. 

In  1,874  our  subject  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  and  located  at  DeSoto.  Iowa,  where 
he  received  his  education.  In  -April.  I8S4,  Mr. 
.Ambrose  came  to  .lackson  county  with  his 
parents,  with  whom  he  continued  to  reside  on 
the  farm  until  ho  was  twenty-seven  years  of 
age.  He  married  in  1889  and  then  began 
farming  for  himself  on  a  place  one  mile  east 
of  the  .lackson  depot.  A  little  later  he  bought 
a  farm  one  mile  south  of  the  present  location 


BIUGKAPHIOAL  HISTORY. 


503 


of  tlio  village  of  Alplia,  faimod  iliat  place 
three  years  and  tlien  traded  it  for  his  present 
farm. 

Mr.  Ambrose  was  Jiiarried  March  4,  1880,  to 
jMiss  Fannie  Najt,  of  Jackson,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  these  children:  Annie,  born 
December  1,  1889;  John,  born  October  19, 
1891;  Edward,  born  January  5,  1893;  Elenora, 
born  October  1,  1894;  Lloyd,  born  August  25, 
1896:  William,  born  July  14,  1898:  Rose,  born 
June  27,  1901:  Leonard,  born  July  24,  1904, 
died  November  21,  1905;  Paul,  born  July  26, 
1909.  Jlrs.  Ambrose  was  born  Angiist  12,  1871, 
and  died  August  10,  1909. 

In  addition  to  his  farming  Mr.  Ambrose 
has  other  business  interests.  He  owns  stock 
in  the  Farmers  Cooperative  elevator  and  in 
the  Alpha  Creamery  association.  He  is  a 
Methodist  and  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  and 
7..  C.   B.  J.   of  Jackson. 


HENRY  J.  HOOVEL  (1865),  proprietor  of 
a  hardware  store  at  Jackson,  is  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  county,  having  made 
his  home  here  since  he  was  five  years  of  age. 
He  is  the  son  of  John  C.  and  Sophia  (Holden) 
Hoovel,  of  Petersburg  township,  and  he  was 
born  in  Wiota,  Wisconsin,  October  18,  1860. 

Henry  accompanied  his  parents  in  their 
overland  trip  to  Jackson  county  in  the  spring 
of  1865.  His  father  homesteaded  a  quarter 
section  of  land  in  Petersburg  township,  and 
on  that  farm  Henry  lived  until  he  was  twen 
ty-onc  years  of  age,  assisting  with  the  farm 
work  and  attending  the  district  school.  He 
left  the  farm  and  moved  to  Jackson  in  1881j 
and  during  the  next  five  years  clerked  in  a 
general  merchandise  store.  In  1S86  he  bought 
a  half  interest  in  the  hardware  store  of  H.  &. 
Anderson  and  for  three  years  was  in  the  hard- 
ware business,  the  firm  name  being  Anderson 
&  Hoovel. 

Disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  hardware 
store  in  1889,  Jlr.  Hoovel  bought  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  general  store  of  0.  E.  Olsen  and 
for  the  next  six  years  he  had  charge  of  the 
store,  which  was  conducted  under  the  name 
of  Olsen  &  Hoovel.  He  sold  out  in  1895  and 
again  went  into  tlie  hardware  business,  form- 
ing a  partnership  with  Louis  Iverson  under 
the  firm  name  of  Hoovel  &  Iverson.  Three 
years  later  he  bought  out  his  partner  and  has 
since  conducted  the  business  alone. 

Mr.  Hoovel  has  served  as  a  member  of  the 


Jackson  village  council.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  Masonic  order. 
He  was  married  at  Spring  Valley,  Minnesota, 
December  24,  1885,  to  Caroline  Kummer. 


JOHN  L.  REEVES  (1894)  is  a  Weimer 
township  farmer  and  resides  two  miles  south- 
east of  Heron  Lake,  his  210  acre  farm  being 
located  on  the  bank  of  Heron  lake.  On  his 
farm  is  located  one  of  the  club  houses  con- 
ducted by  hunters  who  come  to  the  lake  dur- 
ing the  shooting  season. 

Mr.  Reeves  was  born  in  Cuyahoga  county, 
Ohio,  February  23,  1854.  At  the  age  of  two 
years  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  Tazewell 
county,  Illinois,  and  there  spent  his  boyhood 
days.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  accompan- 
ied the  family  to  Champaign  county,  of  the 
same  state,  and  there  he  made  his  home  on 
his  father's  farm  until  1877.  That  year  he 
moved  to  Primgliar,  Iowa,  where  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  where  he  resided, 
working  at  his  trade,  until  the  year  1894.  Mr. 
Reeves  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1894, 
bought  eighty  acres  of  his  present  farm,  and 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  farming.  He 
added  to  his  holdings  later  by  the  purchase 
of  the  fractional  130  acres  on  the  bank  of  the 
lake. 

Our  subject  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of 
four  children.  His  parents,  Horace  E.  and 
Harriett  N.  (Sill)  Reeves,  were  both  natives 
of  Jefferson  county,  New  York.  They  moved 
to  Ohio  when  children  and  were  married  in 
that  state.  In  1856  they  moved  to  Illinois 
and  lived  in  that  commonwealth  until  1902, 
wlien  they  also  came  to  Jackson  county.  The 
father  died  in  Jackson  county  September  25, 
1904,  aged  77  years;  the  mother  now  lives 
with  a  daughter  in  St.  Paul. 

Mr.  Reeves  is  a  man  of  family,  having  been 
married  in  Weimer  township  Octoljer  31,  1892, 
to  Emma  E.  Wood,  a  native  of  Mechanicsville, 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  L.  C.  Wood,  an 
early  Jackson  county  settler.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union:  Helen  L.  and 
Elizabeth.  Mr.  Reeves  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge. 


OSCAR  A.  LARSON  (1893)  is  one  of  the 
extensive  and  successful  farmers  of  Delafield 
township.  He  rents  640  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tions 20,  19  and  30,  all  except  forty  acres  of 


')04 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOKY. 


wliicli  is  owned  by  liis  fatlicr-in-law,  John 
Esklund.  He  engages  in  stock  raising  exten- 
sively, luiving  over  one  liinulred  licad  of  cat- 
tle, besides  herds  of  liogs  and  horses. 

Mr.  Larson  is  a  native  of  Sweden  and  was 
born  August  21,  1873.  His  father,  Lars  Erick 
Erickson,  lives  on  a  farm  in  the  old  country; 
bis  mother,  Ingcborg  Katharina  (Nelson) 
Erickson,  died  in  Sweden  in  December,  189.3. 
Oscar  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  was 
educated  in  the  country  schools  of  his  native 
land,  where  he  lived  until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age.  He  emigrated  to  America  in 
the  spring  of  1803,  and  for  a  few  months 
lived  in  Carleton  county,  Minnesota.  In  the 
fall  of  1893  be  came  to  Jackson  county.  The 
first  two  and  one-half  years  of  his  residence 
in  this  county  were  spent  working  on  the 
farm  of  his  future  father-in-law,  John  Esk- 
lund,  in  Delafield  township.  During  the  next 
few  years  he  worked  as  a  farm  band  in  the 
vicinity  of  Wiiulom.  He  made  a  six  months' 
visit  to  his  old  home  in  .Sweden  in  IHOS,  and 
returning  began  working  at  the  painting  and 
pa|)erbanging  trade  in  Windom  and  was  so  en- 
gaged three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1902  Mr. 
Larson  rented  John  Esklund's  farm  and  has 
since  conducted  it. 

At  Windom  on  July  U,  1902,  Mr.  Larson 
was  luiitcd  in  marriage  to  Jennie  Esklund, 
daughter  of  John  and  Johanna  Esklund,  who 
were  pioneer  settlers  of  Delafield  township. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larson  have  been  born  three 
children,  as  follows:  Nellie  Geneva,  born 
September  30.  1903:  Alfred  Alexander,  born 
January  1.5.  1900;  Leonard  Jennings,  born  De- 
ccmlMT  I(i.  1008. 


JOHN  A.  ANDERSON  (188C)  is  a  solicitor 
for  the  Woodmen  Casualty  company  and  re- 
sides at  Lakefield.  He  was  born  in  Norway 
October  6,  1800,  and  is  the  next  youngest  child 
in  the  family  of  Andrew  Johnson  and  Cath- 
erine (Peterson)  tJolinson.  The  other  children 
of  the  family  are  Jennie,  of  Belvidere,  Illi- 
nois, and  Johannes  and  Peter,  who  still  reside 
in  the  old  country. 

John  was  educated  in  his  native  land  and 
resided  on  his  father's  farm  until  twenty  years 
of  age.  lie  came  to  America  in  188G  and  lo- 
cated in  the  village  of  Jackson.  Five  years 
later  he  became  a  resident  of  Lakefield.  where 
he  has  since  m.tde  his  home.  During  the  first 
eight  years  of  his  residence  in  the  new  world 


and  in  Jackson  county  Mr.  Anderson  worked 
on  the  railroad.  Then  he  started  a  restaurant 
and  confectionery  store  in  Lakelicld,  which  he 
conducted  until  July,  1908.  Selling  out  at 
that  time,  lie  took  a  |)Osition  with  the  Wood- 
men Casualty  company,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  securing  members  for  the  order. 
He  has  served  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the 
Lakefield  village  council  and  holds  member- 
ship in  the  following  fraternal  orders:  I.  O. 
0.  v.,  M.  W.  A.,  Royal  Neighbors,  Encampment 
and  Rebekafis. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  in  Lakefield  Feb- 
ruray  22,  1803,  to  Nellie  Hauge,  a  native  of 
that  village.  To  them  have  been  born  two 
children,  Gertie  and  Myrtle. 


JENS  QUINBY  (1890)  is  the  manager  of 
and  one  of  the  largest  stockholders  in  the  Gil- 
bert Mercantile  company's  store  at  Petersburg. 
He  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was  born  No- 
vember 1,  1808,  the  son  of  Isaac  and  Dorothy 
(Holdcn)  Quinbj-.  His  father  is  living;  his 
mother  died  June  13,  1903. 

Jens  secured  a  common  school  education  in 
his  native  country  and  lived  there  until  he 
reached  his  majority.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  and  to  Jackson  county  May  10,  1890, 
and  for  fifteen  years  engaged  in  farming  in 
Petersburg  township.  He  then  sold  his  farm 
and  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  and 
machine  business  in  the  little  hamlet  of  Pet- 
ersburg, buying  a  controlling  interest  in  the 
Gilbert  Jlercantile  company.  Besides  this  busi- 
ness he  has  stock  in  the  Petersburg  Creamery 
company  and  in  the  Jackson  Telephone  com- 
pany. He  owns  a  house  and  lots  in  Petersburg 
and  forty  acres  on  section  27.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  Sons  of 
Norway  lodge. 

Mr.  Quinby  was  married  September  24,  1800, 
to  Esther  Gilbert,  who  was  born  September 
24,  1872,  To  this  union  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  Dena  M.,  born 
September  4,  1899;  Mina  L,,  born  October  25, 
1001:   Harry  E..  born  August  28,  1906. 


CLEMENT  STENZEL  (1877),  farmer  and 
land  owner  of  LaCrossc  township,  has  been  a 
resident  of  Jackson  county  since  he  was  three 
years  of  age.  lie  was  born  in  Austria  No- 
vember Ifi.  1874,  the  second  of  a  family  of 
nine  children  born  to  Frank  and  Maria  (Scliaf- 


KSIFS 


^BRAR] 


--";S:-- 


MENZO  L.  ASHLEY 
A  Pionopi-  of  1F6G. 


BENJAMIN  W.   ASHLEY  (18;«-19(.5) 
Wild  Hiiilt  the  Ashlev  House. 


H.   HENRY  HLUillLS 
Jackson  Real  Estate  Dealer. 


RAYMOND  BARTOSCH 
Proprietor  of  a  Jackson  Harness  Shop, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


505 


fer)  Stenzel,  tlie  other  children  being  Frank, 
Mary,  Annio,  Rudolph,  Emma;  Jiilins,  John 
;>nd  Eliza.  Ills  iiaiciils  reside  in  Wcimor  town- 
ship. 

Clement  eamc  to  America  with  tlie  family 
in  1877  and  until  he  was  twenty-seven  years 
of  age  resided  on  his  father's  farm  on  section 
8,  Weimer.  Then  he  bought  a  farm  of  his 
own  on  section  1,  LaCrosse,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming  it.  He  has  made  all  the 
improvements  on  the  place.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church  .and  of  the  M.  W.  A. 
lodge.  He  has  held  the  oflfiee  of  treasurer  of 
school  district  No.  44  for  five  years  and  is  one 
of  the  supervisors  of  LaCrosse  township. 

Mr.  Stenzel  was  married  at  Heron  Lake  No 
vemher  8,  1900,  to  Sabina  Pieschel,  a  native  of 
LaCrosse  township  and  a  daughter  of  Frank 
Pieschel,  one  of  the  early  settlers  and  still  a 
resident  of  that  precinct.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stenzel,  Harold  and 
Alfred. 


OLE  AMUNDSON  (1881)  is  a  West  Heron 
Lake  township  farmer  who  owns  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  30,  upon  wliich  he  has 
resided  twenty  years.  He  was  born  in  Norway 
December  15,  18.59,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of 
si.\  living  cliildren  born  to  Amnnd  and  Mary 
(Nel.son)  Amundson.  His  father  is  dead;  his 
mother  lives  in  the  old  countrj'  and  is  82  years 
of  age. 

Ole  lived  in  Norway  and  worked  on  farms 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  He 
came  from  the  old  country  direct  to  Jackson 
county  in  1881.  The  first  two  years  of  liis 
life  in  the  new  world  were  spent  as  a  section 
hand,  working  out  of  Heron  Lake  and  Oka- 
bena.  He  then  married  and  rented  a  farm  on 
section  2-1,  Alba  township,  and  began  farming. 
Six  j-eara  later  he  bought  a  homestead  right 
to  his  present  farm,  proved  up  on  it,  improved 
the  place,  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home 
there. 

Jackson  county  was  tlie  place  and  May  15, 
1883,  was  the  date  of  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Amundson.  He  was  wedded  to  Jennie  Olson, 
who  was  born  in  Norway  February  3,  1852. 
Two  children,  Alfred  and  Hans,  have  been  born 
to  this  union,  both  assisting  their  father  in 
conducting  the  farm.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of 
Heron  Lake. 


THOMAS  H.  STALL  (1805),  senior  member 
of  the  Jackson  mercantile  firm  of  T.  H.  Stall 
&  Co.,  is  forty-four  years  of  age  and  has 
spent  his  entire  life  in  Jackson  county.  He 
was  born  on  section  two,  Des  Moines  town- 
ship, on  October  31,  1865,  the  son  of  Oliver 
and  Helen  (Hansen)  Stall.  These  parents  were 
born  in  Norway  a.nd  came  to  the  United  States 
when  young.  They  were  married  in  Illinois 
and  in  the  spring  of  1865,  immediately  after 
the  discharge  of  Oliver  Stall  from  a  three 
3'ears'  service  in  the  union  army,  they  came 
to  Jackson  county.  The  head  of  the  family 
took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  2,  Des  Moines  township,  making 
the  filing  in  May,  1865.  A  census  of  the  coun- 
ty, taken  two  months  after  his  arrival,  showed 
a  total  population  for  Jackson  county  of  233. 
Oliver  Stall  continued  to  farm  his  original 
homestead  until  1906,  when  he  retired  from 
active  life  and  is  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a 
well  spent  and  hard  working  life  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years.  Our  subject's  mother  died 
in  the  fall  of  1876.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  the  three  following 
are  living:  Thomas  H.,  of  this  sketch,  Mar- 
tina (Mrs.  Jake  Johnson),  of  Windom,  and 
Hans  M.  Stall,  who  resides  upon  the  old  honi(;- 
stead. 

Thomas  H.  Stall  lived  with  his  parents  on 
the  farm  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He 
attended  the  country  schools  and  completed 
his  education  in  the  Jackson  high  school.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he  bought  a  farm 
in  Belmont  township  and  conducted  it  five 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Jackson  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  J.  W.  Cowing  and  clerked 
in  that  gentleman's  store  five  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  bought  an  interest  in  the 
store  and  remained  with  the  firm  two  years. 
In  1899  he  formed  a  partnership  with  H.  E. 
Anderson  and  G.  A.  Husby  and  opened  a  gen- 
eral store  in  the  building  in  which  he  is  still 
located.  The  firm  carries  a  line  of  general 
merchandise,  dry  goods,  groceries,  clothing  and 
shoes. 

Mr.  Stall  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  of  the  E.  F.  U.  and  M.  W.  A. 
lodges.  He  has  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
namely:  Norin,  Tilford,  Theodore,  Hazel  and 
Ruth. 


JONAS  HANSON  (1866),  deceased,  lived  up- 
on his  farm  on  the  south  baidi  of  Independence 


506 


BIOGIJAPIIR'AL  HISTORY. 


lake,  on  section  4,  lielniont  township,  for  for- 
ty-tlirce  years.  He  was  born  in  Norway  De- 
cember 23,  1823,  the  son  of  JIans  Ellingson 
and  Anna   (Asskerd)   Ellingson. 

Kir.  Hanson  resided  in  his  native  land  until 
he  was  past  thirty-two  years  of  age.  He  came 
to  America  in  1850,  arriving  iu  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago on  tlie  nation's  birthday.  He  located  in 
Kock  county,  Wisconsin,  which  was  his  home 
until  his  arrival  to  the  wilds  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty. Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war 
Jlr.  Hanson  enlisted  as  a  member  of  company 
I,  of  the  22nd  Wisconsin  volunteer  infantry, 
and  served  until  his  discharge  on  July  S),  ISG.i. 
■  During  his  army  service  he  was  injured  in  a 
train  wreck  in  Virginia,  and  drew  a  pension 
on  account  of  his  injuries. 

After  his  discharge  from  the  army,  Mr.  Han- 
son spent  one  winter  in  his  old  home  in  Wis- 
consin. In  June,  18156,  he  arrived  in  the  coun- 
ty of  Jackson  and  homesteaded  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  4,  Belmont  township,  wliere 
he  resided  until  his  death  on  December  15, 
I'.IO!).  He  l)uilt  a  little  cabin  on  Independence 
lake,  in  which  he  lived  until  lie  built  the  pres- 
ent house.  Ee  experienced  all  the  vicissitudes 
of  pioneer  life  and  liad  many  trials  to  eon- 
tend  with.  In  his  younger  years  he  took  part 
iu  the  local  alTairs  of  liis  precinct  and  served 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors. 

Jlr.  Hanson  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
in  June,  1872,  to  Maret  Ijirson,  who  was  born 
on  board  ship  ofT  the  Newfoundland  banks 
while  her  parents  were  on  the  way  to  the 
new  world  from  Norway.  She  died  in  Octo- 
ber, IrtOT,  aged  51  years.  Fifteen  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanson,  of  whom 
the  following  eight  are  living:  Mary  Ann, 
Hans  T.,  Elesias,  Mondus,  Julius,  Tliore.  Tina 
and  Lena. 


1887;  t::eu  he  started  in  life  for  himself  and 
until  It'.^'i  was  employed  on  farms  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  his  home.  He  married  in  1802  and 
for  the  next  live  years  fariued  a  rented  place 
in  Murray  county.  Mr.  Eritscher  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1807,  and  during  the  next 
eight  years  engaged  in  farming  rented  land 
in  LaCrosse  township. 

It  was  while  a  resident  of  LaCrosse  town- 
ship— on  Louis  Hagcr's  farm  -  on  the  thirtieth 
of  June,  1003,  that  the  terrible  cyclone  (the 
story  of  which  is  given  in  the  historical  sec- 
tion) swept  over  his  place  killing  his  wife  and 
two  children  and  injuring  several  others  of 
the  family.  His  wife  and  one  child  were  killed 
instantly  and  the  second  child  died  a  few 
liours  later.  Mr.  Fritscher  was  in  the  house  at 
the  time  and  was  blown  a  distance  of  ten  rods 
into  the  grove,  but  was  not  seriously  injured. 
His  father  was  quite  badly  hurt,  but  the  other 
children  escaped.  The  buildings  were  carried 
away  and  demolished. 

In  1005  Mr.  Fritscher  moved  to  Kansas,  but 
a  year  later  returned  to  Jackson  county  and 
rented  the  F'rank  Nimerfroh  farm,  where  he 
has  .since  resided.  Mr.  Fritscher  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  eliureh  and  of  the  Callinlic  (1i- 
(ler  of  Foresters. 

Mr.  Fritschcr's  first  marriage  occurrcii  al 
Avoca,  Minnesota,  October  15,  1802,  when  he 
wcildcd  Theresa  Schwager,  who  was  born  in 
.Austria  October  5,  1874.  She  was  killed  in 
the  cyclone  of  June  30,  1903.  Six  children 
were  born  to  this  union,  as  follows:  Anrclia, 
who  met  death  in  the  cyclone;  Theresa,  Henry, 
ArthiM-,  Agnes  and  Mary,  who  was  also  killed 
in   the  cyclone   of  June  30,   1003. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Fritscher  occur- 
red in  Heron  Lake  in  June,  1004,  when  he  wed- 
ded Mrs.  Amelia  Ilaberraan-Pieschcl,  to  whom 
three  children  have  been  born,  as  follows: 
.Vnu'lia,  deceased;  Alphonse  and  Alfred. 


JOSEPH  E.  FRIT.SCHI:R  (1897)  is  a  Wciraer 
township  farmer  who  resides  a  short  distance 
northeast  of  Heron  Lake.  He  is  an  Austrian 
by  birth  and  first  saw  the  light  of  day  on  the 
last  day  of  October,  1870.  He  is  the  second 
child  of  a  family  of  four  children  born  to 
Joseph  Fritsdier,  who  makes  his  home  with 
his  son,  and  Theresa  (Hruby)   Fritscher. 

When  fourteen  years  of  age  Joseph  emi- 
grated to  the  new  world  with  his  parents  and 
from  1884  to  1807  was  a  resident  of  Murray 
county,  living  near  Fulda.  He  resided  at  home 
until    hi-    niolhcr's    death,    which    occurred    in 


EDWARD  E.  OLSON  (1869),  a  Jackson 
grain  buyer,  was  born  iu  Belmont  township 
forty  years  ago,  on  December  6,  1869,  and 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  years  spent  in 
Cottonwood  county  has  spent  his  entire  life 
in  the  county.  His  father,  Ole  E.  Olson,  .\Tme 
from  Sweden  when  thirteen  years  old,  and  at 
the  age  of  nineteen  enlisted  in  the  Unite<l 
States  army  and  fought  for  the  preservation 
of  the  union.  He  located  in  Belmont  township 
in  (he  sixties  and  took  as  a  homestead  a  piece 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


507 


of  land  that  had  been  taken  by  one  of  the 
settlers  wlio  was  killed  in  the  massacre  of 
lS(i2.  He  was  a  resident  of  Belmont  township 
until  bis  death.  Our  subject's  mother  was 
Clnistiiia  (Anderson)  Olson,  who  was  present 
at  the  lime  of  the  massacre. 

Edward  Olson,  who  w-as  one  of  a  family  of 
ciglit  children,  lived  with  bis  parents  until 
1890.  He  worked  on  the  farm  and  received  an 
education  in  the  district  school  and  in  the 
Breck  school  at  Wilder.  He  bought  a  farm  in 
Cottonwood  county  in  1890  and  for  eight  years 
lived  there,  engaged  in  farming.  Selling  out 
in  1898,  he  located  in  Jackson  and  built  an 
elevator  in  partnership  with  Lee  Brothers, 
which  they  conducted  three  years.  Thereafter 
Mr.  Olson  bought  grain  for  the  Hyde  Eleva- 
tor company  five  years,  for  James  Lowe  one 
year  and  since  that  time  for  M.  H.  Lee.  Mr. 
Olson  owns  a  home  in  the  village.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutlieran  church. 

In  Des  Moines  township  March  20,  1897,  Mr. 
Olson  was  married  to  Emma  J.  Lee,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Oliver  Lee  and  a  native  of  the  town- 
ship in  which  she  was  married.  Two  children, 
Hayes  and  Clark,  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Jlrs.  Olson. 


EOWIX  SJHTH  (ISGO),  mail  carrier  on 
route  three  out  of  Jackson,  has  been  a  resident 
of  the  county  since  he  was  one  year,  old,  and  is 
the  son  of  one  of  the  very  early  settlers  of 
the  county.  His  parents,  John  J.  and  Annie 
(Fields)  Smith,  were  both  born  in  New  York 
state,  but  located  in  Wisconsin  before  the  war 
and  were  married  in  Dane  county  of  that 
state.  John  J.  Smith  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil 
war,  having  enlisted  in  company  K  of  the 
First  AVisconsin  regiment  and  later  becoming 
a  member  of  the  Thirty-fifth  Wisconsin  regi- 
ment. He  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Gettys- 
burg, Bull  Run  and  other  important  engage- 
ments. In  the  spring  of  1866  the  family  came 
to  Jackson  county  and  took  a  homestead  claim 
on  section  32,  Wisconsin  township.  After  a 
two  years'  residence  in  the  frontier  country 
they  returned  to  Wisconsin,  but  two  years 
later  again  moved  to  Jackson  county.  Mr. 
Smith  now  lives  in  Jackson  and  is  73  years  of 
age.  Mrs.  Smith,  our  subject's  mother,  died 
fifteen  years  ago. 

While  the  family  were  temporarily  living  in 
Dane  county,  Wisconsin,  after  having  spent 
two   years   in   Jackson   county,   on   the   second 


day  of  August,  1868,  Edwin  Smith  was  born 
to  these  parents,  the  ne.\t  to  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  six  children.  One  year  after  his 
birth  Edwin  was  brought  to  Jackson  county 
liy  his  parents,  a  county  which  has  ever  since 
been  his  liome.  He  was  brought  up  on  the 
farm  and  until  his  mother  died  he  lived  at 
home.  After  reaching  mature  years  he  engag- 
ed in  farming  on  his  own  account  and  fol- 
lowed that  occupation  until  six  years  ago.  In 
1898  he  bought  six  acres  of  land  in  the  south 
part  of  Jackson,  where  he  now  lives.  In  1901 
Mr.  Smith  received  the  appointment  of  rural 
mail  carrier  from  the  .Jackson  office  and  has 
been  so  engaged  since,  now  ranking  as  the  old- 
est carrier  in  point  of  service  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty. Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows  lodge. 


FRANlv  J.  PRIBYL  (1886)  farms  the  south- 
east cjuarter  of  section  20,  Hunter  township, 
which  he  rents  from  his  father.  He  was  born 
on  that  farm  June  4,  1886,  and  has  always 
made  his  home  there.  He  is  the  son  of  Albert 
and  Mary  (Koranda)  Pribyl,  now  residents  of 
Jackson.  They  were  born  in  Bohemia  and 
after  their  arrival  to  America  resided  in  the 
city  of  Chicago  and  a  little  later  came  to  Jack- 
son county.  The  head  of  the  family  bought 
the  farm  in  Hunter  township  where  his  son 
now  lives,  and  that  was  his  home  until  he 
moved  to  Jackson. 

Frank  attended  the  district  schools  and  grew 
to  manhood  on  the  farm.  Until  he  was  twen- 
ty-three years  of  age  he  worked  for  his  father^ 
tlien  his  parents  took  up  their  residence  in 
town,  and  since  that  time  Frank  has  con- 
ducted the  home  farm.  He  is  unmarried  and 
makes  his  home  with  his  sister,  Mary  Pribyl. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are  Mary,  Aggie,  Bes- 
sie, Jerry,  Wesley,  August,  Charlie  and  Jo- 
seph. 


HENRY  W.  AHRENS  (1890)  is  one  of  the 
successful  young  farmers  of  West  Heron  Lake 
township,  in  which  precinct  he  owns  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  21  and  all  of  section 
16  south  of  the  Milwaukee  railroad.  He  farms 
all  his  land  and  engages  quite  e.xtensively  in 
stock  buying  and  shipping. 

Mr.  Ahrens,  of  this  sketch,  is  a  son  of  Christ 
and  Minnie  (Mundt)  Ahrens,  of  West  Heron 
Lake    township,    and    was    born    in    Germany, 


608 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IIISTOHY. 


January  7,  1873.  Henry  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  tlie  United  Stiiles  at  the  age  of  seven 
years  and  lived  with  tlie  family  in  Will  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  until  they  came  to  Jackson  coun- 
ty. They  arrived  here  in  1890  and  until  lie 
was  twenty-four  years  of  age  he  lived  on  the 
home  farm — the  nortlieast  quarter  of  section 
19,  West  Heron  Lake  township — working  for 
his  father.  At  that  age  he  married,  bought 
the  land  on  section  21,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Nine  years  later  he  moved  to  Okabena 
and  for  two  years  was  engaged  in  the  stock 
business.  Then  he  returned  to  the  farm,  and 
that  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  Ue  bought 
the  property  on  section  16  in  1901.  In  addition 
to  his  farm  properly  he  owns  a  house  and 
several  lots  in  Okabena. 

At  the  German  Lutheran  church  on  section 
18,  West  Heron  Ijike  township,  on  November 
12,  1897,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Ahrens 
to  Alvena  Lick,  who  was  born  in  Germany 
July  28,  1879,  and  who  came  to  Aiherica  with 
her  parents  in  1881.  Her  father  died  in  Kost 
townsliip  July  7,  1902;  her  mother  now  re- 
sides with  her  daughter.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Ah- 
rens have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  they 
have  an  adopted  daughter,  Doris,  born  July  7, 
1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ahrens  are  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church  and  he  is  trea.<- 
\irer  of  the  church  society.  He  is  also  inter- 
ested in  the  West  Heron  I^iiko  l'"armcrs  Tele- 
phone company. 


AUGUST  POHLMAN  (1884)  is  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  of  Weimer  township  and 
he  has  been  a  resident  of  Jackson  county  a 
quarter  of  a  century — ever  since  he  was  a  boy 
thirteen  years  of  age.  He  owns  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  3G  and  a  half  interest  in 
177  acres  of  land  in  section  6.  Heron  Tjikc 
township.  In  addition  to  his  own  land  Mr. 
Pohlnian  fainis  240  acres  of  rented  land. 

August  Pohlman  is  a  native  of  Hausbergen, 
Westfallen,  Germany,  and  was  born  May  fi, 
1871.  His  father  was  Carl  Pohlman,  who  came 
from  Germany  in  1884  and  who  was  a  resident 
of  Jackson  county  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1901.  Our  subject's  mother  is  Chris- 
tina (Gieselman)  Pohlman.  who  makes  her 
home  with  her  son,  Herman  Pohlman,  nc-ir 
the  eastern  shore  of  Heron  lake.  August  was 
brought  up  in  a  little  village  where  he  was 
born  and  began  his  schooling  in  his  native  land. 
When    tliirtecn   years  of   age    lie   accompanied 


his  p.ii  iits  to  America  and  the  family  came 
direct  1  1  Jackson  county,  arriving  on  the  (5th 
day  of  April,  1884.  The  head  of  the  family 
bought  an  eighty  acre  farm  on  section  8,  Her- 
on Lake  township,  and  engaged  in  farming. 
On  this  farm  August  lived  seven  years,  com- 
pleting his  education  in  the  district  schools 
and  assisting  with  the  farm  work.  When  bis 
father  located  on  section  2,  West  Heron  Lake 
township,  in  1891  Augxist  accompanied  him  and 
continued  to  make  his  home  with  his  parents 
until  180o. 

Mr.  Pohlnian  bought  and  located  upon  his 
present  farm  in  Weimer  township  in  189.5, 
where  he  has  ever  since  resided.  The  farm  was 
unimproved  wlicn  he  took  up  his  residence 
there,  and  the  improvements  the  place  now 
has  are  the  results  of  Mr.  I'ohlman's  labors. 
He  set  out  the  grove  and  erected  all  the  build- 
ings and  has  brought  the  place  up  to  its  pres- 
ent standard.  In  addition  to  his  general  farm- 
ing Jlr.  Pohlman  engages  exlensivelj'  in  rais- 
ing stock  and  lias  large  herds,  including  a 
fine  flock  of  sheep.  He  also  has  other  busi- 
ness interests.  He  is  a  stockholder  and  direc- 
tor of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Lakefield 
and  has  stock  in  the  Farmers  Bank  of  Wilder. 
He  is  a  director  of  the  Sontag  Lumber  com- 
pany of  Heron  Lake,  and  has  stock  in  the 
.Lackson  County  Cooperative  company's  store 
of  Lakefield,  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  com- 
pany of  Lakefield  and  in  the  Wilder  Creamery 
company.  For  seven  years  Mr.  Pohlman  was 
clerk  of  school  district  No.  30  and  he  served 
as  a  supervisor  of  Weimer  township  two  years. 

Mr.  Pohlman  was  married  in  West  Heron 
Lake  townsliip  February  l.'i,  1894,  to  Amanda 
Hoger,  who  was  born  in  Rolasin,  Germany, 
October  13,  1875,  and  who  came  to  the  United 
States  and  to  Jackson  county  in  1803,  arriving 
on  July  3.  She  is  the  stepdaughter  of  Au- 
gust Lietzow.  and  her  mollicr  is  Bertha  (Hog- 
or)  Lietzow.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pohlman  have 
l>een  born  two  children,  as  follows:  Emm;i, 
born  April  18.  1896;  Zelma,  born  February  28, 
1906.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pohlman  arc  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church  of  Heron  Lake 
township,  and  Air.  Pohlman  has  served  as  one 
of  the  trustees  of  the  church  for  the  last  ".i.t 
vears. 


MART1.\  KUHLMAN  (1887)  is  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  Sioux  Valley  township,  where 
he   owns   a    fine   farm   of  240  acres.     He   was 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


509 


born  in  Hoistein,  Germany,  October  2,  18.')8. 
His  parents  were  Jolin  Kuhlman  and  Katie 
(Hamann)  Kuhlman,  who  died  in  tbeir  na- 
tive hind  in  1872  and  1SS3,  respectively. 

Martin  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  made 
his  home  in  Germany  until  1882.  That  year  ho 
came  to  the  new  world  and  located  in  Scott 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  resided  until  1887, 
working  out  on  farms.  In  March,  1887,  he 
came  to  .Jackson  county  and  rented  a  farm  in 
Siou.K  Valley.  After  conducting  that  five  years 
he  bought  his  present  farm — then  raw  prairie, 
absolutely  unimproved — and  has  since  made 
his  home  on  it.  His  home  place  is  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  24  and  he  owns  also 
the  south  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  13.  Jlr.  Kuhlman  has  served  as  di- 
rector and  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  77 
for  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  Hermann  lodge  of  Sioux  Valley. 

Mr.  Kuhlman  was  married  at  Spirit  Lake, 
Iowa,  May  17,  1888,  to  Selma  Wellhausen, 
daughter  of  Ernst  Wellhausen.  She  died  May 
24,  1901,  having  been  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren: Otto,  Willie,  .Eddie,  Charlie  and 
Leonora.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Kuhl- 
man occurred  in  Jackson  October  22,  1902, 
when  he  wedded  Annie  Rohr,  who  was  born  in 
Hoistein,  Germany,  April  5,  1878,  and  who 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1S81. 


OTIS  M.  ASHLEY  (1870),  proprietor  of  a 
transfer  line  in  Jackson,  has  been  a  resident  of 
that  village  from  the  time  when  he  was  less 
than  one  year  old.  He  is  the  son  of  the  late 
Benjamin  W.  and  Juliet  (Eobbins)  Ashley, 
pioneer  settlers  of  .Jackson.  While  his  mother, 
who  had  come  to  .Jackson  county  several  years 
before,  was  visiting  at  her  old  home  in  Maines- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  eighteenth  day  of 
November,  1869,  Otis  M.  Ashley  was  born. 

The  spring  following  his  birth  he  was 
brought  to  the  home  in  Jackson  county.  Otis 
was  educated  in  the  .Jackson  public  schools  and 
grew  to  manhood  in  that  village.  At  the  age 
of  twenty  years  he  went  to  Duluth  and  for 
one  year  worked  in  a  meat  market.  Returning 
to  Jackson,  he  worked  one  year  in  an  elevator 
and  then  for  two  years  drove  the  mail  and 
passenger  bus  for  his  father.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  bought  the  bus  line  and  has  ever 
since  conducted  it.  In  addition  to  this  busi- 
ness he  clerked  in  the  hotel  several  years  dur- 
ing the  time  his  father  was  the  proprietor.   For 


a  number  of  years  he  was  also  the  proprietor 
of  a  liver}'  stable,  but  sold  out  in  1903. 

;Mr.  Ashley  was  married  February  28,  1907, 
to  Stella  May  Crane,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  a 
daughter  of  the  late  V.  B.  Crane,  at  one  time 
publisher  of  the  Jackson  County  Pilot  and 
later  postmaster  of  Jackson. 


0.  T.  FLATGAED  (1869)  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Chris- 
tiania  township  and  has  lived  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty since  he  was  six  j'ears  of  age.  He  is  the 
son  of  T.  0.  and  Ingebor  (Valden)  Flatgard,  of 
Belmont  township,  and  was  born  in  Norway 
April  23,  1863. 

At  the  age  of  five  years  our  subject  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  America.  The  family 
lived  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  one  year 
and  arrived  in  Jackson  county  in  June,  1869. 
His  father  took  a  hom-estead  on  section  14, 
Belmont,  and  on  that  farm  0.  T.  Flatgard 
grew  to  manhood.  He  moved  onto  his  pres- 
ent farm,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  23, 
Christiania,  in  1905.  He  owns  the  quarter  sec- 
tion and  makes  a  specialty  of  raising  Short- 
horn cattle.  Mr.  Flatgard  owns  stock  in  sev- 
eral business  enterprises,  including  the  Fir.st 
National  Bank  of  Windom,  the  Farmers  State 
Bank  of  Windom,  the  Farmers  Elevator  com- 
pany of  Windom,  and  the  Christiania  Mercan- 
tile company  of  Bergen.  He  is  a  member  of 
tlie  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Flatgard  was  married  April  4,  1887,  to 
.Johanna  Lean.  To  these  parents  seven  child- 
ren have  been  born,  namely:  Theodore,  born 
May  14,  1888;  Inga,  born  February  12,  1890; 
.Julia,  born  .January  5,  1892;  Anna,  born  Sep- 
tember 4,  1894;  .John,  born  November  13.  1899; 
Oscar,  born  April  13,  1903;  Odin,  born  August 
27.  1905. 


GEORGE  H.  WOOD  (1899),  deceased,  late 
proprietor  of  the  AVood  hotel  at  Lakefield,  was 
born  in  Erie  county,  New  York,  May  24,  1852, 
the  son  of  George  W.  and  ilartha  (Stocker) 
Wood,  natives  of  England  and  Conneeticut, 
respectively.  Three  years  after  his  birth  the 
family  moved  to  Illinois,  resided  there  two 
years,  and  then  returned  to  the  Empire  state. 

George  was  reared  in  the  family  of  an  uncle 
and  lived  in  New  York  until  1866.  He  then 
came  west  and  until  1869  lived  on  his  father's 
farm  near  Rochester,  Minnesota.     For  a  short 


510 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


time  lie  lived  in  South  Dakota,  and  in  1872  or 
1873  moved  to  Mower  county,  Minnesota, 
where  for  several  years  he  engaged  in  farming 
in  partnership  with  a  brother.  He  took  a 
lioniestead  in  Itirliland  connty,  Xorth  Dakota, 
in  187S  anil  resided  on  it  until  1884.  Return- 
ing to  Mower  county.  Mr.  Wood  bought  a  farm 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  several 
years.  He  next  went  to  Dexter,  Minnesota, 
where  he  engaged  in  grain  buying  two  years 
and  in  the  hotel  business  several  years.  Mr. 
\V(M)d  located  in  Lakefield  in  1899  and  bought 
the  leading  hotel  there  from  Winter  Brothers. 
Two  years  later  he  built  the  brick  front  and 
established  one  of  the  finest  hotels  in  south- 
western Minnesota.  He  conducted  the  hotel 
until  bis  death,  which  occurrod  in  the  spring 
of   1909. 

During  his  residence  in  1-akefield  Mr.  Wood 
served  a  part  of  the  time  as  a  member  of 
the  village  council.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order,  of  the  Elks,  Workmen,  Modern 
Woodmen,  Modern  Brotherhood  and  Yeomen. 

Mr.  Wood  was  married  at  Grand  Meadow, 
Mower  county.  Minnesota,  February  23.  1882, 
to  Klla  Kunderbide,  a  native  of  Rochester. 
Minnesota,  and  a  daughter  of  John  !M.  and 
.\melia  SI.  Funderhide.  Four  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood,. as  follows:  .John 
H..  Martha  I.  (Mrs.  Frank  Marrs),  of  Wol- 
ford.  North  Dakota;  Marv  E.  and  Grace  A. 


.lOllX  O.  HOFLAND  (1872)  is  one  of  the 
]irosperons  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Dela- 
field  township,  owning  280  acres  of  land  on 
sections  14.  12  and  13  and  farming  a  rented 
tract  in  addition  to  liis  own  land.  He  is  quite 
an  extensive  feeder  of  cattle  and  has  a  herd 
of   300   sheep. 

Mr.  Ilofland  is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was 
born  in  March.  lS6(i,  the  youngest  of  a  family 
of  three  cliildren  born  to  Ole  and  Christie 
(llagen)  Holland.  The  family  came  to  Ameri- 
ca and  to  .Tackson  county  in  1872  and  (he 
father  of  our  sidiject  took  as  a  homestead 
claim  the  north  half  of  the  northeast  quarter 
of  section  14,  Delafield  township,  the  present 
home  of  our  subject.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject died  on  the  place  May  2,  1896,  aged  .58 
years.  The  mother,  who  is  now  eighty  years 
of  age.  lives  on  the  farm  with  her  son.  The 
other  members  of  the  family  arc  Carrie,  who 
makes  her  home  with  her  brother,  and  Susie 
(Mrs.  .\ndrew  T.okcnl.  of  Delafield  township. 


.bihn  II.  Ilofland  was  only  six  years  of  age 
when  he  came  to  Jackson  county  with  his  par- 
ents in  1872.  He  grew  to  numhood  on  the 
farm  he  now  conducts  and  was  educated  in 
.Jackson  county.  Until  his  father's  ileatb  in 
Isilli  lie  worked  for  bis  parents;  then  be  took 
charge  of  the  place  .ind  has  since  managed  it, 
having  added  to  the  original  farm  by  pur- 
chase.    Mr.  Holland  is  unmarried. 


CHAHLKS  H.  WASHBURN  (1883)  is  one  of 
(he  successful  farmers  of  Wisconsin  township 
and  owns  a  100  acre  farm  on  sections  18  and 
8.  He  descends  from  ohl  American  stock  of 
English  ancestry.  According  to  family  tradi- 
tion a  member  of  the  family  was  one  of  the 
jiasscngers  of  the  Mayflower.  The  ancestry 
is  traced  direct  back  to  Hope  Washburn,  who 
was  born  in  17.50,  married  Tabitha  Ward  of 
Scotch  descent,  in  1774,  and  died  in  1827.  He 
had  seventy  grandchildren.  The  parents  of 
our  subject  were  Lorenzo  and  Caroline  (JIc- 
l.ean)  Washburn,  both  born  in  Jay-  township, 
Essex  coiinty,  New  York,  and  liotb  dying  there. 

To  these  parents  Charles  II.  Washburn  was 
born  in  Esse.x  county.  New  York,  on  the  21sl 
day  of  January,  1843.  He  made  his  home  on 
his  father's  farm  until  twenty-six  years  of 
age;  then  he  moved  to  Chicago  and  that  city 
was  his  lionie  for  a  number  of  years.  He 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1883  and  bought 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  8,  Wisconsin 
township,  from  the  state,  paying  .'i!l.2()0  for  the 
quarter.  He  lived  on  the  farm  a  few  years 
and  then  took  up  his  residence  in  .lackson.  He 
moved  onto  his  present  farm  in  1901,  but 
lias  moved  back  and  forth  between  the  farnr 
anil  town  several  times.  He  owns  village  prop- 
erty in  adilition  to  his  farming  lamls.  While 
a  resident  of  Jackson  Mr.  Washburn  served 
on  the  village  council,  and  has  held  the  office 
of  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  1.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  B.  A.  lodge. 

Mr.  Washburn  was  married  at  Au  Sable 
Forks.  Essex  county.  New  York.  June  27.  1882. 
to  Anna  Lewis,  who  was  l>orn  in  Essex  county 
February  l.S,  1844.  Her  father  was  .John  Lewis 
and  her  mother  is  Jane  (Forker)  Lewis,  who 
s(ill  lives  in  Essex  county  and  is  92  years  of 
age.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Washbvirn.  both  of  whom  have  died.  They 
were  Lewis  L.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
years,  and  Jane,  who  died  in   infancy. 


BIOGEAPII  rCAL  HISTORY. 


511 


FRANK  E.  DAY  (1895),  a  retired  business 
man  of  Heron  Lal<e,  was  born  in  Salem,  Ohio, 
August  8,  1865,  the  son  of  William  A.  and 
Nancy  (Heisler)  Day.  At  the  age  of  two 
years  lie  moved  witli  his  parents  to  Newton, 
Iowa,  and  there  he  lived  eighteen  years,  re- 
ceiving an  education  in  the  Newton  schools. 

In  188.3  Mr.  Day  moved  to  Marcus,  Iowa, 
and  for  the  next  twelve  years  was  engaged  in 
farming.  He  moved  to  Heron  Lake  in  Decem- 
ber, 1890,  bought  tlie  machine  business  of  P. 
D.  McKellar,  and  was  engaged  in  that  busi- 
ness many  years.  He  sold  a  half  interest  to 
F.  J.  Appel  in  1903  and  in  December,  1904,  sold 
the  rest  of  his  interests  to  the  same  gentle- 
man. During  the  time  of  his  residence  in 
.lacl<son  county  Mr.  Day  was  the  traveling 
representative  of  the  Northwest  Thresher  com- 
pany for  one  year  and  for  two  years  served  as 
boiler  inspector  for  Jackson  and  Cottonwood 
coimties.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  P.  and 
M.  B.  A.  lodges. 

Mr.  Day  was  married  in  November,  1889,  to 
Miss  Anna  A.  Cobb,  v^ho  was  born  in  Belle 
Plaine,  Benton  county,  Iowa,  in  November, 
1866.  Tliey  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Jessie,  J.  Frank,  Leslie,  Elmer,  J. 
William.     Four   children  have   died. 


JOHN  P.  EGGE  (1865),  who  owns  and  farms 
200  acres  of  land  on  sections  22  and  15,  Bel- 
mont township,  has  resided  on  his  present  farm 
forty-four  years — ever  since  he  was  three 
years  of  age.  His  house  is  on  the  north  half 
of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  22 — histor- 
ic ground  because  of  its  connection  with  the 
Belmont  massacre  of  1862.  Here  on  that  mem- 
orable 24th  day  of  August,  1862,  Mrs.  Knute 
Langeland  and  her  children  were  murdered  by 
the  bloodthirsty  Sioux. 

.lohn  P.  Egge  was  born  on  the  eighth  day 
of  November,  1863,  near  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent city  of  Yankton,  South  Dakota,  his  parents 
being  Peter  and  Ambger  Egge.  These  parents 
were  born  and  married  in  Norway  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1861.  They  resided 
one  year  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  and 
then  pushed  out  onto  the  extreme  frontier, 
selecting  a  homestead  in  the  midst  of  the  In- 
dian co\nitry  near  Yankton.  Because  of  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians  they  were  forced  to 
abandon  their  claim  in  1865  and  located  in 
Jackson  county,  which  was  then  considered 
reasonably  safe  from  the  ravages  of  the  red- 


skins. Upon  their  arrival  Mr.  Egge  filed  on 
the  north  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 22,  Belmont,  as  a  homestead  claim,  and 
there  he  resided,  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1888  at  the  age  of 
69  years.  Mrs.  Egge  is  living  at  the  age  of 
84  years,  making  her  home  with  a  daughter 
in  Heron  Lake.  There  are  the  following  living 
children  of  this  family:  Sarah  Halverson, 
Rosa  Peterson,  Anna  Egge,  John  P.  Egge,  Tol- 
lef  Egge.  Sarah  Johnson,  Ida  Tollefson,  Chris- 
tie Twinsberg. 

Our  subject  came  to  .lackson  county  with 
his  parents  in  1865,  and  until  his  father's  death 
in  1888,  assisted  in  the  management  of  the 
home  farm.  Then  he  bought  the  two  hundred 
acres  he  now  owns  and  has  been  engaged  in 
farming  since.  Besides  general  farming  he  is 
quite  a  feeder  of  hogs  and  cattle.  He  has  held 
a  school  office  ever  since  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age  and  is  now  clerk  of  district  No. 
123.  He  has  also  served  as  township  super- 
visor. He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran church. 

Mr.  Egge  was  married  on  the  old  Belmont 
homestead  September  12,  1897,  to  Ida  Iverson, 
who  was  born  in  Norway  May  15,  1871,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1895.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Bringel  and  Sophia  Iverson, 
of  Belmont  township.  To  them  have  been  born 
the  following  named  five  children:  Bcnnie, 
born  March  22,  1S99;  Annie,  born  April  5,  1900; 
Helen,  born  August  17,  1902;  Clarence,  born 
•Julv  19,  1904;  Edwin,  born  December  1,  1907. 


VINCENT  BEZDICEK  (1888),  a  farmer  of 
Hunter  township,  was  born  in  Bohemia  Jan- 
uary 12,  1884,  the  son  of  Frank  and  Francika 
(Bezdieek)  Bezdicek.  When  an  infant  he  came 
to  America  with  his  parents,  lived  with  them 
a  short  time  in  Nebraska  and  in  Lyon  county, 
Iowa,  and  then  in  1888  came  with  the  family 
to  .Jackson  county. 

Vincent  received  his  education  in  .lackson 
county  and  was  brought  upon  his  father's 
farm.  After  his  mother's  death,  which  occur- 
red in  1903,  the  home  farm — the  northwest 
qiiarter  of  section  13 — became  the  property  of 
the  children.  Vincent  has  been  farming  the 
place  on  his  own  account  since  1907.  He  has 
been  a  director  of  school  district  No.  15  for 
the  past  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  of  Jackson  and  of  the  Catho- 
lic Western  Union. 


512 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Mr.  Bezdicek  was  married  at  Jackson  Sep- 
tember 17,  1907,  to  Annie  Dvorak.  She  was 
linrn  in  Jaikson  oonnly  August  14,  1880,  the 
(huif-litpr  of  tlio  late  Frank  Dvorak,  an  early 
■iotller.  llcr  father  died  in  l!tO.'!;  Iier  mother 
lives  in  Hunter  township.  One  child  has  heen 
Iiorn  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bc/.dicek,  Theresa,  lioin 
.Vpril   11.   1!)08. 


ANTON  CORDES  (1892),  one  of  the  success- 
fnl  farmer  of  Kwin'iton  township,  was  born  in 
Germany  April  15.  1842,  the  second  of  a  family 
of  five  children  born  to  Gerhard  and  Martha 
Cordes,  both  of  whom  died  in  Germany. 

Anton  received  his  schoolinr;  in  the  old  coun- 
try and  until  he  was  tliirty  years  of  ape  lived 
with  his  parents,  working  on  the  farm.  He 
came  to  America  in  1872,  worked  on  a  farm 
several  months  in  Jeflcrson  county,  Missouri, 
and  then  located  in  Livingston  county,  Illinois, 
where  lie  engaged  in  farming  rented  property 
until  1802.  That  year  he  arrived  in  Jackson 
county,  bought  his  present  farm,  the  north 
half  of  section  20,  Ewington.  and  has  ever 
since  made  his  home  on  the  place.  AVhen  he 
bought  the  farm  the  only  improvements  on  it 
were  a  little  shanty  and  a  shed.  He  now  has 
a  well  improved  farm  and  is  installing  a  com- 
plete system  of  tiling. 

Afr.  Cordes  was  married  in  Livingston  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  in  January,  IS/.i.  to  Annie  Mason, 
who  was  born  in  Ohio.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  the  following  named  five  ohildrcn: 
Henry.  Andrew,  .John,  Lizzie.  Martha.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
cliurch  of  Ewington  township.  Mr.  Cordes  has 
been  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  110  for 
the  past  seven  years. 


MICHAEL  McGLm  (1802).  of  Lakefield.  in 
piirtnership  witli  his  brother.  .Tolin  McGIin, 
conducts  an  elevator  and  coal  bvisiness  at  that 
point  and  is  a  joint  owner  of  several  other  ele- 
vators at  different  points  in  the  vicinity.  His 
parents,  .Tolin  and  Jane  (Rogers)  McGlin,  came 
from  Ireland  when  children  and  were  married 
in  Xew  York  state  .\pril  4,  18.54.  Soon  after 
their  m.irriagc  they  moved  to  Iowa,  whore 
they  resided  many  years.  The  father  died  in 
llnena  Vista  county,  Iowa.  .September  0.  1SS2, 
aged  M  years;  the  mother  died  in  Heron  Lake 
April  24,  1000.  aged  64  years. 

To  these  parents  Michael  McGlin  was  born 


in  Dubuque  county,  Iowa,  November  5,  18fi.5. 
When  he  was  five  years  old  the  family  moved 
to  Buena  Vista  county,  of  the  same  state,  and 
there  Michael  was  raised,  making  his  home 
on  the  farm  and  attending  the  district  .schools. 
I'pnn  reaching  his  majority  in  1886  he  and  hie 
lirother,  John  McGlin,  left  home  and  located  at 
Rock  Valley,  Iowa,  where  for  six  years  they 
were  engaged  in  the  lumber  and  coal  business. 
He  then  moved  to  Heron  I^ake.  which  was  his 
home  for  eight  years,  being  engaged  in  the 
same  line  of  business  there  and  at  Okabena  in 
partnership  with  his  brother.  From  Heron 
Lake  Mr.  McGlin  went  to  Kinbrac.  where  he 
and  his  brother  built  an  elevator  which  he 
conducted  two  years.  He  located  in  Lakefield 
in  lOO.'i  and  has  since  made  that  point  his 
home,  engaging  extensively  in  the  grain,  seed 
and  coal  business.  He  served  two  years  as  a 
member  of  the  Lakefield  village  council  and 
was  elected  president  of  the  council  in  1908. 

Air.  McGlin  was  married  at  Fvilda,  Minne- 
sota. December  30,  1003.  to  Miss  Eva  I.  Wright, 
a  native  of  that  village.  She  is  the  {laughter 
of  .Joseph  Wright,  now  a  resident  of  Milwau- 
kee. One  child  has  been  Ixirn  to  this  union, 
Leo  Michael,  born  June  3,  lOO.i.  Mr.  McGlin  is 
a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


WILLIA^r  M.  F.  SCHROEDER  (1886)  owns 
and  farms  two  hundred  acn^s  on  section  27, 
Peter.sb\irg  township,  which  has  been  his  home 
ftar  the  last  twenty-three  years. 

Mr.  Schroeder  is  a  native  of  Meeklenberg, 
Germany,  where  he  was  born  March  16,  1840, 
and  wliere  he  lived  until  he  was  twentyfo\ir 
years  of  age.  He  landed  in  New  York  on  the 
twelfth  day  of  .January,  1864.  to  seek  a  home 
in  the  new  world.  During  the  first  five  years 
of  his  residence  in  America  he  worked  at  farm 
work  in  Illinois.  He  married  in  1860  and  then 
took  up  his  residence  near  the  town  of  Nilcs 
Center.  Cook  county,  only  eight  miles  from 
the  city  of  Chicago,  and  there  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  arrival  to  .Tackson  county. 
During  the  great  (Chicago  fire  of  1871  Mr. 
Schroeder  assisted  in  removing  the  homeless 
from  the  stricken  city,  and  remembers  vividly 
the  tragedies  of  that  great  calamity. 

On  tlie  twenty-fourth  day  of  March,  1886, 
Mr.  Schrofder  arrived  in  .Tackson  county  and 
located  upon  the  farm  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided.  His  initiation  to  the  county  was  not 
of  (he  most  pleasant  nature.     During  his  first 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


*«T0*,  LEWX   AM* 


JOHN  T.  SMITH 
Heron  Liike's  First  Resident. 


CHARLES  WINZER 
First  Settler  of  VVeimer  To\vnslii|). 


FREDERICK  A.  COOLEY 

Heron  Lake  Business  Man. 


CARI,  S.  EASTWOOD 

Heron  Lake's  Postmaster  and  Publisher  of 

the  News, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOKY. 


)13 


year's  residence  here  lie  was  caught  in  a  tor- 
nado, was  carried  a  short  distance  by  the  pow- 
erful wind,  and  received  several  very  bad 
llesli  wounds  on  the  limbs  and  chest,  from  the 
eft'ects  of  which  he  suffers  to  this  day. 

In  addition  to  his  farming  interests  Mr. 
Schroeder  owns  stock  in  the  Petersburg  Cream- 
er3-  company.  He  served  as  treasurer  of  Pet- 
ersburg township  ten  years  and  has  held  other 
offices  of  trust.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Schroeder  was  married  in  November, 
ISOit,  to  Mary  Man,  who  died  a  little  over  a 
year  later.  His  second  marriage  occurred  in 
April,  1872,  when  he  wedded  Mary  Kopa.  The 
latter  died  in  July,  1880.  His  present  wife  was 
Maria  Meyer,  ilr.  Schroeder  is  the  father  of 
the  followinj;  named  children:  Lena,  born  Sep- 
tember 12,  1870;  Mary,  Sophia,  Annie,  Wil- 
liam, born  December  5,  1881 ;  Charlie,  born 
July  14,  1883;  Emma,  born  .July  18,  188.5,  died 
March  7,  1890;  Henry,  born  September  2.5, 
1886. 


FREDERICK  A.  COOLEY  (1888),  who  con- 
ducts a  barber  shop  in  Heron  Lake,  has  lived 
in  that  village  twenty-one  years.  He  is  a  na- 
tive Minnesotan,  having  been  born  in  Fillmore 
county  September  14,  1877,  the  son  of  George 
R.  and  Evaline  (Houck)  Cooley. 

The  Cooley  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
America,  settlement  dating  back  to  the  May- 
flower. Our  subject  has  in  his  possession  rel- 
ics from  tliat  famous  vessel  which  have  been 
handed  down  from  one  generation  to  another. 
George  R.  Cooley  was  horn  in  St.  Lawrence 
county.  New  York.  He  moved  to  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota,  in  an  early  da.y  and  there 
he  resided  until  1888,  engaged  in  farming  and 
acting  as  superintendent  of  the  county  poor 
farm.  Moving  to  Heron  Lake  in  1888,  he  made 
his  home  with  a  son,  George  C.  Cooley,  for 
several  years,  and  then  moved  to  Washington 
county.  Kansas.  He  made  his  home  with  an- 
other son.  Sherman  G.,  for  several  years,  and 
then  in  1004  moved  to  California,  where  he 
now  lives  at  the  age  of  86  years.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  of  German  descent,  her  .an- 
cestors having  come  to  America  several  gen- 
erations ago.  She  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
anil  died  in  Fillmoie  county,  ilinnesnta,  in 
1881. 

Frederick  lived  on  his  fatlicr's  farm  in  Fill- 
more  county    until    he    was    ten   years    of   age. 


Six  months  were  .spent  in  the  village  of  Mabel, 
of  the  same  county,  and  then,  in  1888,  he  ac- 
fompanied  his  father  to  Heron  Lake.  There 
he  completed  his  education,  which  had  been  be- 
gun in  Fillmore  county.  During  his  boyhood 
days  he  worked  on  a  farm,  clerked  in  his 
brother's  drug  store,  and  then  learned  the  bar- 
ber's trade.  In  February,  18!).5,  he  engaged  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  starting  a  barber 
sliop,  which  he  has  ever  since  conducted.  He 
now  has  a  three-chair  shop.  Besides  this  busi- 
ness lie  now  owns  and  conducts  a  billiard  and 
pool   hall. 

Mr.  Coolej'  is  now  si  rving  his  third  term  as 
village  recorder.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  having  passed  the  chairs  of  senior 
warden  and  twice  as  junior  warden,  and  he 
is  now  seiwing  his  second  term  as  worshipful 
master.  He  also  holds  membership  in  the 
Eastern  Star,  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America 
and  Yeomen  lodges. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  Octo- 
ber 8,  1895,  when  he  wedded  Pauline  Miller,  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Jliller,  of  Okabena.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union,  Evaline  W., 
Frederick  A.,  A¥ilbur  and  a  baby  boy. 


JOHN  PETERSON  (1872)  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  LaCrosse  township,  in  which 
precinct  he  owns  a  quarter  section  farm.  Mr. 
Peterson  is  a  native  of  Modum,  Norway,  and 
the  date  of  his  birth  was  March  10,  18.37.  He 
is  the  son  of  Peter  -Johanson  Hugsted  and 
Christie  Hugsted.  botli  of  whom  died  in  their 
native  land. 

John  Peterson,  after  securing  a  common 
school  education,  early  began  to  earn  his  own 
living.  From  the  age  of  twelve  until  he  was 
seventeen  he  worked  in  a  cobalt  factory  in  his 
native  town,  and  was  then  employed  four 
years  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  at  West- 
fossen.  At  th«  age  of  twenty-one  years  he 
moved  to  Drammen.  Norway,  where  for  the 
next  twelve  years  he  clerked  in  a  grocery 
store. 

In  .June,  1S70,  Mr.  Peterson  came  to  America, 
landing  in  the  city  of  Quebec.  He  located  at 
Dodgeville,  Wisconsin,  where  he  resided  one 
year,  employed  as  a  shoemaker.  From  Dodge- 
ville he  went  to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  worked  on  a  railway  a  few  months,  and 
then  in  a  sawmill  at  Ocounta,  Wisconsin, 
where  he  was  until   March   1,  1872.     In  June 


514 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


of  that  year  >[r.  Pi-torson  arrived  in  Jackson 
connly  ami  tliis  has  over  simr  liccn  liis  homo. 
H('  took  as  a  liomcstrad  ohiim  tho  soiitli  half 
of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  2G,  IjuCrosac 
township,  which  is  ,i|ill  his  home.  He  has 
since  added  to  liis  farm  by  tlic  purchase  of 
an  eighty  acre  tract  adjoininfi. 

Wlien  ho  located  on  his  claim  there  were 
only  a  few  settlers  in  the  townsliip  and  Mr. 
Peterson  has  seen  his  township  develop  from 
almost  a  wilderness  to  the  fine  farming  coun- 
try it  is  todaj'.  He  built  a  little  board  shanty, 
which  ho  covered  with  sods,  and  in  that  ho 
made  liis  home  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
prasshoppers  took  five  crops  in  succession  and 
the  first  few  years  _\vere  indeed  hard  ones,  he 
having  practically  nothing  when  he  came.  He 
has  prospered  and  has  a  fine  home  and  well 
improved  farm.  llr.  Peterson  is  a  member  of 
the  Xorwegian  Lutheran  church  of  Heron  Lake. 
Tor  several  years  he  served  as  treasurer  of  his 
school  district. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  married  in  Dodge  county, 
Wisconsin,  March  1.  1877,  to  Jane  Holgriem. 
who  was  born  in  Norway  and  came  to  Ameri- 
ca when  one  year  old.  They  have  children  as 
follows:  Peter  Olof  and  Oarl  Hcnrick,  of  Des 
Moines,  Towa :  Clara  Soneva,  of  Albert  Lea, 
Minnesota :  Heliner  Orville  and  Reuben,  who 
reside  at  home. 


PKTKR  T.  OLSON  (1870)  has  lived  in  Bel- 
mont township  since  he  was  six  years  of  age. 
He  owns  and  farms  200  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 13  and  engages  quite  extensively  in  stock 
raising.  He  is  the  son  of  Thore  0.  Flatgard 
and  Ingebor  (Waldon)  Flatgard.  both  past 
seventy  years  of  age  and  residents  of  Bel- 
mont. They  came  from  Norway  in  1870  and 
loss  than  a  year  later  to  Jackson  county,  where 
they  homesteaded  land  on  section  14,  Belmont. 
They  have  nine  children,  as  follows:  Ole  Peter, 
Mary  (Mrs.  J.  F.  Ellefson),  Andrew,  Edward, 
.Tohn,  Julius.  Tda  and  Lena  (Mrs.  01c  Eide).  of 
.Tackson. 

Peter  T.  Olson  was  born  in  Norway  Novem- 
ber 21,  1804.  At  the  age  of  live  j-oars  he 
came  to  America  with  his  parents,  lived  one 
year  in  Fillmore  county,  and  then  located  in 
Jackson  county.  Until  18!12  Peter  resided  on 
his  father's  homestead,  attending  school  and 
helping  work  his  father's  farm.  In  the  year 
last  named  he  bouglit  forty  acres  of  his  pres- 
ent farm  on  section  13  and  began  to  improve 


it.  lie  was  married  the  next  year  and  moved 
onto  his  own  farm.  Later  he  bo\iglit  the  othw 
property  adjoining.  He  is  treasurer  of  school 
district  No,  39  and  has  held  the  ofTicc  for 
eight  years.  For  a  period  of  eleven  years  he 
has  been  a  monilK>r  of  the  hoard  of  township 
supervisors.  Ho  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church. 

In  the  C'hristiania  church  on  .Tuly  8,  1803, 
Mr.  Olson  was  married  to  Uosa  Peterson,  a 
native  of  Jackson  county  and  a  daughter  of 
Ole  Peterson,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Bel- 
mont. Eight  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Olson,  namely:  Tillie.  born  .lune  4, 
1S!)4:  Ida.  born  .Taiuiary  31.  ISIMI:  Clara,  born 
January  31.  ISnO:  Olga.  horn  February  27. 
lS!»n;  Lillian,  born  October  4.  I'.tOO;  .Mabel, 
born  February  10,  IflOS;  Josio,  born  September 
14.   inO.->;   Buth.  born   March   Ifi.  1008. 


IIK.NHY  FKANHRrP  (1890)  is  a  Weimer 
townsliip  farmer  who  lives  two  miles  north  of 
Heron  Lake.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany  and 
was  born  July  2.  1855.  He  is  one  of  a  family 
of  five  children,  all  except  himself  living  in 
C.ermany.  Ilis  parents  wore  Fred  and  Annie 
(Loiismann)  Frandnip.  both  of  whom  died  in 
the  fatherland. 

Henry  lived  in  Germany  until  twenty  three 
years  of  age,  attending  school  and  working  on 
his  father's  farm.  In  1878  he  came  to  the 
United  .States  and'  located  in  Carroll  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  farmed  rented  land  until  1800. 
That  year  ho  came  to  lackson  county,  bought 
his  luesent  farm — the  southeast  quarter  of 
soctif)n  7.  W'cimor,-  and  has  ever  since  made 
his  home  tliero.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catho- 
lic church. 

.Mr.  Frandrup  was  married  in  Bremen.  Ger- 
many, July  15.  lS78--just  before  his  departure 
for  America — to  Dina  lienckr.  born  November 
1.  lS.'i7.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frandrup  are  the  par- 
ents of  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  named 
as  follows:  Barnard.  .Mouis.  Henry,  Ferdi- 
nand. Frank.  Klizalicth.  .Vnnio  and  Margcreth. 
Anotlior  child.  Kda.  died  May  2fi.  lOllO.  aged 
Iwentv-tliree  vears. 


IlKNin  \(iX  BKIIREN  (IS92)  is  one  of  the 
progressive  and  successful  farmers  of  Ewing- 
ton  townshiji,  where  ho  has  lived  for  the  last 
seventeen  years.  He  owns  and  farms  the 
south  half  of  section  2  and  owns  the  northeast 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


515 


quarter  of  section  11,  wliich  is  farmed  by  his 
son.  His  farm  is  well  improved,  lie  having  laid 
eight  ear  loads  of  tile  and  having  the  place  all 
fenced    with    hog    tight    wire. 

llr.  von  Beliren  was  born  in  Germany  De- 
comber  11,  1854,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary 
von  Beliren.  His  parents  came  to  America  in 
1879  and  died  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois. 
They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children, 
Henry  being  next  to  the  eldest.  Our  subject 
was  educated  in  his  native  land,  attending 
school  for  a  total  of  seven  and  one-half  years, 
and  spending  his  early  years  witli  his  parents 
on  the  farm. 

In  1879  Jlr.  von  Behren  came  to  America 
and  located  in  Peoria,  Illinois.  He  worked  in 
Peoria  for  a  while  and  then  went  to  Woodford 
county,  where  he  worked  for  his  father  on 
the  farm  one  year.  During  the  next  year  he 
worked  in  the  coal  mines  and  then  spent  one 
year  working  at  odd  jobs.  He  was  married  in 
18S2  and  then  began  farming  rented  land  in 
Woodford  county,  where  he  resided  until  he 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1892.  Two  years 
before  coming  to  the  county  Mr.  von  Behren 
had  purchased  the  south  half  of  section  2, 
Ewington  township,  and  when  he  came  to  re- 
side he  erected  buildings  and  began  the  Im- 
provement of  the  farm.  At  the  time  he 
bought  there  was  not  a  stick  of  timber  on 
the  place — so  scarce  was  it.  in  fact,  that,  as 
Mr.  von  Behren  expresses  it,  he  had  to  go  to 
Lakefield  to  get  a  stick  to  whip  the  children 
with.  He  planted  the  grove  and  has  made  all 
the  improvements.  He  prospered  and  eight 
years'ago  added  to  his  land  possessions  by  the 
purchase  of  another  quarter  section.  When 
Mr.  von  Behren  came  to  America  he  was  prac- 
tically penniless  and  had  to  take  any  kind  of 
work  he  could  to  get  a  start.  For  several 
years  he  experienced  many  hardships.  He  was 
naturalized  in  Woodford  county,  Illinois,  on 
the  tenth  day  of  October.  1884. 

In  Woodford  county.  Illinois,  on  the  ninth 
day  of  March.  1882.  Mr.  von  Behren  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Mina  Mang.  who  was  born  in 
Germany  September  20,  1862.  They  have  nine 
children  living,  Lena,  August,  Henry,  Mary, 
Louis  and  Sophia  (twins),  Fritz,  Laura  and 
Walter.  Lena  and  Charlie  have  died  and  two 
other  children   died   in  infancy. 

Mr.  von  Behren  has  been  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  91  ever  since  coming  to  the  county, 
was  township  treasurer  six  years  and  for  five 
years    was    on   the   town   board.     He   and   his 


family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  of  Ewington  township.  He  has  stock 
in  the  creamery  company  of  Brewtser. 


(JUSTAV  II.  MOLKENTIUN  (1887)  owns 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  4,  Hunter 
townshij),  adjoining  the  village  of  Lakefield. 
He  is  of  German  birth  and  was  born  Decem- 
ber 7,  1866,  the  son  of  John  and  Ernestina 
(Schultz)  Molkenthin.  Our  subject's  mother 
died  in  Germany  in  1879,  and  the  next  year 
the  rest  of  the  family  emigrated  to  America. 
Tlie  elder  Molkenthin  died  in  Jack.son  in  1904 
at  the  age  of  66  years. 

(iustav  lived  with  his  father  in  Carroll  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  seven  years,  and  then  accompanied 
him  to  Jackson  county.  Arriving  here,  his 
father  bought  land  and  began  farming  in  Rost 
township,  while  Gustav  made  his  home  with 
his  grandfather,  Ferdinand  Seuran,  on  the 
farm  he  now  owns.  He  lived  with  his  grand- 
father one  year  and  then  made  his  home  with 
his  father  in  Rost  six  years.  He  again  took  up 
his  residence  with  his  gi-andfather  in  1894.  The 
latter  died  in  the  fall  of  1898  and  Gustav  fell 
heir  to  the  farm,  which  he  has  since  con- 
ducted. 

May  2,  1S94,  Mr.  Molkenthin  was  married  in 
Hunter  township  to  Amelia  Albers,  who  was 
born  in  Blue  Island,  Illinois.  May  19,  1867. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Annie  Al- 
bers. of  Lakefield.  They  are  the  parents  of 
four  children;  Willie,  Bertha,  Eddie  and  An- 
nie. The  family  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutlieran  church  of  Lakefield  and  he  has  been 
secretary  of  the  church  organization  for  the 
last  fifteen  years.  Mr.  Molkenthin  was  a 
member  of  the  Hunter  board  of  supervisors 
one  year  and  was  township  assessor  one  year. 


CimiSTEN  JENSEN  (1886)  is  a  Des  Moines 
townsliip  farmer  residing  three  miles  north  of 
.Jackson,  on  section  1.  There  he  owns  a  finely 
improved,  well  tiled  farm  of  240  acres.  On  it 
is  one  of  the  finest  groves  in  Jackson  county, 
which  Mr.  Jensen  set  out  with  his  own  hands, 
and  also  a  fine  apple  orchard. 

]\[r.  -Jensen  is  a  Dane  by  birth  and  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  December  8,  1852.  His  par- 
ents were  Jens  Larsen  and  Anna  (Peterson) 
Larsen,  both  of  whom  died  in  their  native 
land.     They  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 


ol6 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


of  whom  three  sons,  Lars,  Christen  and  Hans, 
are  living. 

Up  to  the  time  Cliristen  was  fourteen  years 
of  age  he  lived  at  liome,  attending  seliool.  lie 
then  bcj^an  making  his  own  living,  working 
out  as  a  farm  liand  until  1873.  Tliat  year  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  until  18SG  Ijr 
resided  in  lIcHcnry  county,  Illinois,  working 
out  ns  a  farm  hand.  Several  years  before  the 
last  named  date  Mr.  Jensen  had  bought  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  I,  Des  Moines 
township,  .Jackson  county,  and  in  l.<?86  he  came 
to  the  county  and  began  the  improvement  of 
the  land.  For  several  years  he  and  another 
gentleman  lived  in  a  little  shack  on  the  land. 
Then  he  married,  built  the  house,  and  has 
since  made  his  home  there,  with  the  exception 
of  two  years'  residence  in  Jackson.  Later  he 
bought  the  adjoining  eighty. 

Mr.  Jensen  was  married  in  Jackson  Novcm- 
lirr  20,  1803,  to  Cliristina  M.  .Jensen,  a  native 
of  Illinois  and  a  daughter  of  J.  P.  Jensen. 
They  are  the  parents  of  the  following  named 
four  children:  George  P.,  Anna  C,  Krama  A., 
I..illian  .T.  The  family  are  members  of  tlie 
Lutheran  oliurili.  lie  belongs  to  the  Danisli 
Brotlierliood  lodge  iind  has  served  two  terms 
as  road  overseer. 


PERRY  L.  RUSSELL  (1875),  of  Jackson, 
was  born  in  a  log  cabin  in  Petersburg  town- 
ship September  2,  1875,  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  eleven  children  born  to  Thomas  J.  and 
Emma  (Lee)  Rus.sell,  who  still  reside  in 
Petersburg.  The  other  children  of  the  family 
are  Lafayette  F.,  Richard,  Thomas,  Carrie, 
Maud.  Refta.  Julia.  Ruby,  George.  Myra  and 
Grace. 

Perry  lived  on  the  home  farm  in  Petersburg 
township  iintil  he  was  of  age.  Then  he  en- 
gaged in  the  threshing  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed about  twelve  years — four  seasons  in 
South  Dakota,  the  rest  of  the  time  in  Jackson 
county.  Since  giving  up  the  threshing  busi- 
ness Mr.  Russell  has  been  engaged  in  farming, 
writing  insurance  and  other  occupations.  He 
owns  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20,  ^lid- 
dletown  township.  In  the  spring  of  1000  he 
filed  upon  a  homestead  claim  in  Fergus  coun- 
ty. Montana.  ITe  holds  membership  in  the 
Odd    Fellows   and    ilodern   AA'norlnien   lodges. 

STEPHEN  REIINELT  (1871).  Weimer  town- 
sliip  fninur.  n\vii>^  (he  east  half  of  the  south- 


east quarter  of  section  25,  upon  which  place 
he  has  lived  since  he  was  one  year  of  age.  lie 
was  born  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin  May  31, 
1870,  the  son  of  Stephen  and  Theresa  (Law- 
rence) Rehnelt.  His  father  died  January  B, 
lOOS;  his  mother  lives  with  another  son  in 
Dclafu'ld   township. 

In  the  spring  of  1871  Stephen  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Jackson  county.  The  father 
took  a  homestead  claim  of  eighty  acres  where 
the  son  now  lives,  and  upon  that  homestead 
our  subject  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  educat- 
ed in  the  district  schools  and  worked  for  his 
fiither  until  1899.  That  year  he  located  at 
Westbrook,  where  he  conducted  a  pool  and 
billiard  hall  one.  year!  He  then  rettirned  to 
the  farm,  which  was  given  him  by  his  father, 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming. 

Mr.  Rehnelt  was  married  in  Delafield  town- 
ship .May  31,  1809,  to  Julia  Hrdena.  a  native 
of  Austria.  To  them  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  Hilda,  born  Septem- 
ber 17.  1905;  Annie,  born  May  23,  1907:  Leona, 
born  April  12,  1909.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church  of  Heron  Lake. 


ETHAN  W.  ATXEN  (ISfifi)  is  one  of  the 
oldest  settlers  of  Middletown  township,  having 
lived  in  that  precinct  sincf  he  was  six  years  of 
age.  His  parents  were  William  and  CInrinda 
(Arms)  Allen,  who  were  horn  and  married  in 
New  York  state.  Afterwards  they  lived  in 
Wisconsin  and  Winneshiek  county,  Towa,  and 
came  to  .Tackson  county  in  1806.  The  mother 
died  in  1885  and  the  father  in  1800.  f'thau 
is  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children. 

To  these  parents  Ethan  W.  Allen  was  born 
in  Winneshiek  county,  Towa,  .January  2.1.  1800. 
and  in  1800  he  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Jackson  coimty.  The  head  of  the  family  took 
as  a  homestead  claim  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  32.  Jliddletown.  and  upon  (hat  farm 
onr  subject  lived  until  1881.  He  then  sold  and 
bought  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  28— 
part  of  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  son — and 
upon  which  Ethan  has  ever  since  lived.  Upon 
(he  death  of  his  parents  he  fell  heir  to  the 
farm,  and  he  has  since  added  to  his  holdings 
by  the  purchase  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
secfion  33.  Jfr.  Allen  has  been  n  member  of 
(he  township  board  for  nine  years  and  has  held 
(he  offices  of  director,  treasurer  and  clerk  of 
school  district  No.  00  for  fifteen  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 


BIOGKAPHIOAL  HISTORY. 


517 


Mr.  Allen  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
October  6,  1885,  to  Miranda  Lucas,  a  native 
of  Emmet  county,  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of 
John  Lucas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  have  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children:  George  H.,  born  June  23, 
1886;  Clyde  H.  V.,  born  February  14,  1888; 
Albert  E.,  born  May  22,  1890;  Grace  M.,  born 
August  23,  1893;  Lawrence  W.,  born  Septem- 
ber 5,  1897.  Another  child,  Bessie,  died  of 
smallpox  April  19,  1908,  aged  sixteen  months. 


MORTOX  W.  SMITH  (1878),  secretary  of 
the  St.  John  Grain  company,  is  a  native  of 
Jackson  county,  having  been  born  in  Weimer 
township  June  21,  1878,  the  son  of  John  T. 
and  Jennie  (Weir)  Smith.  He  was  brought 
up  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  gi-aded 
schools  of  Heron  Lake.  He  was  graduated 
from  the  \A'aupun  (Wisconsin)  high  school, 
and  in  1901  received  his  diploma  from  tlie 
university  of  Wisconsin. 

Returning  to  Heron  Lake  after  his  school 
days,  Mr.  Smith  took  a  position  as  bookkeeper 
in  the  Bank  of  Heron  Lake.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  he  took  a  like  position  with  B.  P. 
St.  John,  grain  dealer.  The  next  year  the  St. 
John  Grain  company  was  incorporated,  and 
Mr.  Smith  continued  to  serve  the  new  corpor- 
ation as  bookkeeper.  In  1905  Mr.  Smith  was 
made  secretary  of  the  company,  a  position  he 
still  liolds.  He  owns  land  in  Weimer  town- 
ship and  residence  property  in  Heron  Lake. 
Fraternally  he  is  associated  with  the  Masonic 
order. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  at  Heron  Lake  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1907,  to  Ethel  D.  St.  John,  daughter 
of  the  late  W.  P.  St.  John  and  Minnie  E.  St. 
John,  still  living  in  Heron  Lake.  To  this 
union  has  been  born  one  child,  John  Morton 
Smith,  born  November  7,  1908. 


RUDOLPH  KUHNAU  (1881),  a  farmer  and 
land  owner  of  Weimer  township,  is  a  native 
of  the  county,  having  been  born  in  Heron  Lake 
township  April  5,  1881,  the  son  of  Robert  and 
Alvina  (Shoeman)  Kuhnau. 

Rudolph  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  his  na- 
tive county.  He  secured  a  district  school  edu- 
cation in  Heron  Lake  township  and  made  his 
home  on  liis  parents'  farm  until  his  father's 
death,  whicli  occurred  in  1897.  From  that  time 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age  he  worked 
out  as  a  farm  hand.    Then  he  rented  the  farm 


in  Weimer  township  which  he  now  conducts, 
and  which  was  then  owned  by  John  Dobereiner, 
and  has  lived  on  the  farm  since.  He  has 
otlier  laud  adjoining,  making  a  farm  with  a 
total  acreage  of  320. 

Mr.  Kuhnau  was  married  May  23,  1904,  to 
Daisy  Winzer,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Ida 
Winzer,  pioneer  settlers  of  Weimer  township. 
Mrs.  Kuhnau  was  born  in  Weimer  township 
September  21,  1885.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kuhnau 
have  been  born  two  children:  Ida,  born  April 
14,  1905;  Theodore,  born  July  4,  1907.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  and  he  is  treasurer  of  school  district 
No.  30.  Mr.  Kuhnau  is  a  member  of  the  fol- 
foUowing  associations:  The  Jackson  County  Co- 
operative company  of  Lakefield,  the  Coopera- 
tive Creamery  company  of  Wilder,  the  Jackson 
County  Fair  association  of  Jackson,  the  Ameri- 
can Chester  White  Record  association.  Mr. 
Kuhnau  is  a  progressive  young  farmer  of  his 
township,  and  is  a  booster  for  the  pure  breed- 
ing of  live  stock,  demonstrating  his  activities 
along  tills  line  by  capturing  many  first  and 
second  prizes  and  diplomas  on  his  entries  of 
Shorthorn  cattle,  Chester  White  hogs  and 
Sliropshire  sheep  at  fairs  in  Jackson  and  ad- 
joining counties. 


P.  F.  KOEP  (1901),  Delafield  township  farm- 
er, was  born  in  Schlesbeck,  Germany,  August 
16,  ISGl,  the  son  of  Claus  and  Mary  (Paulson) 
Koep.  His  father  died  in  Benton  county,  Iowa, 
September  12,  1890;  his  mother  still  lives  in 
that  county. 

The  family  emigrated  from  Germany  to  the 
United  States  in  1867  and  located  at  Daven- 
port, Iowa,  where  for  two  years  our  subject's 
father  worked  in  a  brick  yard.  The  family 
home  was  then  made  in  Benton  county,  Iowa, 
and  on  a  farm  in  that  county  our  subject 
grew  to  manhood.  There  he  secured  a  district 
school  education  and  there  he  spent  his  young- 
er years  working  for  his  father.  In  1883  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself  and  was  so 
engaged  in  Benton  county  until  1892.  From 
that  time  until  1901  he  engaged  in  farming 
in  Plymouth  county,  Iowa. 

ilr.  Koep  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1901, 
bought  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  22, 
Delafield  township,  and  has  since  made  his 
home  there.  He  has  a  nice  home  and  rents  a 
quarter  section  of  land  adjoining  his  own  prop- 
erty.    He  engages  in  the  raising  of  hogs  and 


5lH 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


cattle  extensively,  aud  is  rated  as  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  of  tlie  ncigliborliood.  He 
lias  stock  in  the  I'"armers  Elevator  company 
of  Windom  and  is  one  of  tlie  directors  of  tlic 
company.  Our  subject  takes  a  deep  interest 
in  educational  matters  and  lias  served  as  clerk 
of  scliool  district  Xo.  121  since  the  district 
was  organiz<'d   seven  years  ago. 

-Mr.  Koep  was  married  in  Benton  county, 
Iowa,  February,  5,  1889,  to  Minnie  Rutz,  who 
was  born  in  Alecklenbcrg,  Germany,  May  22, 
1873,  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  four 
years  of  age.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Johanna  (Hartols)  Kutz.  Her  father  lives 
in  Hcnton  county,  Iowa;  her  mother  is  dead. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koep  liave  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing named  children:  Jolin,  born  February 
19,  1890;  Herman,  born  January  27,  1891; 
William,  born  December  2,  1802;  Elcnora,  born 
.March  30,  181)5;  Frank,  born  February  13,  1897; 
Walter,  born  Jlay  27,  1899;  Albert,  born  April 
13,  1901;  Ida,  born  June  17,  1903;  Bessie, 
born  August  23,  1907. 


MKRTOX  F.  .JACK:MA\  (1889)  is  a  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  Petersburg  township,  where 
he  owns  a  three  hundred  and  twenty  acre 
farm — the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20 
and  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  23.  In 
addition  to  his  farming  operations  he  is  in- 
terested in  several  other  lines  of  business.  He 
owns  stock  in,  and  is  a  director  of,  the  Farm- 
ers' Klevator  company,  has  stock  in  the  Jack- 
son Telephone  company  and  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Petersburg 
Creamerj'  company,  in  wliich  he  is  also  iinan- 
cialh'    interested. 

Jlr.  Jackmaii  was  born  in  Dekalb  iimnty,  Il- 
linois. October  22,  IS.iS.  His  parents,  Charles 
]).  and  Kuiiice  (HoUiday)  Jackman,  arc  both 
dead.  His  father  was  a  veteran  of  the 
civil  war,  having  served  three  yean' 
as  a  member  of  company  C,  I0.5th,  regi- 
ment of  Illinois  volunteers.  Merton  grew  to 
numhood  on  the  farm  in  Dekalb  county  and 
after  reaching  nuituro  years  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  liinitielf.  In  the  spring  of  1889  he 
moved  to  Minnesota  and  located  at  Sherb\irn, 
Martin  county.  In  November  of  the  same 
year,  he  moved  to  Jackson  county  and  located 
on  what  is  now  known  as  the  A.  C.  Jack- 
man  farm,  in  section  24,  Petersburg  town- 
ship. In  1891  he  moved  onto  his  present  place, 
where   he   has  since   resided.     He   have  served 


ten  years  as  clerk  of  his  township  and  has 
also  been  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  the 
district  in  which  he  lives.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A. 
lodge. 

Mr.  Jackman  was  married  November  2,  1881, 
to  Miss  Alice  E.  Fento'i.  To  this  union  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  Charlie  F., 
Iiorn  June  20,  1882;  Maud  A.,  born  January 
13,  1884;  Claude  E.,  born  October  12,  1880; 
Ruby  E.,  born  October  18,  1895,  died  February 
2.  1896;  Amy  M.,  born  February  10,  1897;  Gol- 
die  R.,  born  November  24,  1898;  Bernard,  born 
De.enibcr  (i,  1901:   Daisv,  born   Mav  1.  1903. 


CHRIST  LUDVKJ.SEN  (1890).  president  of 
the  Jackson  village  council  and  member  of  the 
liini  of  Ludvigsen  Brothers,  which  invented 
and    manufactures    the    famous    welded    steel 


center  (oe  calk  for  horseshoes,  is  a  native  of 
Di'nmark  and  was  born  August  20,  18i)9,  the 
son  of  Cieorge  and  Agnes  (Jorgenson)  Ludvig- 
sen.  George  Ludvigsen  was  a  blacksmith.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1SS2  and  died  at 
•laikson  in  1893  at  the  age  of  04  years.  Our 
■.irtijecfs  mother  died  in  1891  at  the  age  of 
04  years. 

Christ  received  a  common  school  education 
in  Denmark  and  served  one  year  in  the  Dan- 
ish army.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
ISSO  and  located  at  South  Bend,  Indiana,  where 
for  ten  years  he  was  employed  in  the  wagon 
:ind  buggy  factory  of  Sludebaker  Brothers.  He 
then  came  to  Jackson  county,  arriving  March 
30,  1890,  and  in  partnership  with  his  brother, 
Xels  Ludvigsen,  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  at 
.fackson.  A  little  later  another  brother,  Eric 
Ludvigsen.  joined  the  firm,  and  some  years 
later  Nels  sold  out  to  his  brotliers.  and  the 
firm  of  Ludvigsen  Brothers  has  since  been  com- 
posed of  Christ  and  Eric.  They  conducted 
the  blacksmith  shop  until  October,  1907,  and 
since  that  date  have  been  engaged  entirely 
in  the  manufacture  of  their  patent  calks.  Be- 
sides his  interest  in  the  manufacturing  busi- 
ness Mr.  Ludvigsen  owns  property  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Jackson  and  320  acres  of  land  in  North 


BIOGiUPHlOAL  HISTOIIY. 


519 


Dakota.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
cimrch  and  of  the  M.  W.  A.,  Danish  Brother- 
liood   and   Equitable  Fraternity   lodges. 

Mr.  Ludvigsen  was  married  July  4,  1S90,  to 
Miss  Maren  Ericksen.  To  them  have  been 
born  two  childrenj  as  follows:  Edward,  born 
in  1891;   George,  born  February  22,  1895. 

The  manufactviring  plant  of  Ludvigsen  Bro- 
thers is  one  of  the  principal  industries  of  Jack- 
son, and  the  history  of  the  invention  and 
growth  of  the  manufacturing  business  is  wor- 
thy a  place  in  this  history.  While  the  broth- 
ers were  engaged  in  the  blacksmith  business  in 
Jackson  they  invented  and  made  by  hand, 
for  tlieir  own  use  only,  a  self  sharpening  calk 
to  be  used  on  liorseshoes.  The  accompaning 
cut  gives  an  idea  of  what  tliis  is.  The  calk 
consists  of  a  hard  j)late  in  the  center  with 
a  soft  iron  plate  on  either  side,  welded  to- 
gether and  forming  a  sharp  calk  during  the 
process  of  manufacture.  For  several  years  they 
made  these  by  hand  and  used  them  in  con- 
nection with  their  blacksmithing  business. 
Then  they  put  them  on  the  market,  the  out- 
put at  the  start  being  about  100  pounds  per 
day.  The  demand  increased  and  they  finally 
increased  the  capacity  until  the  output  was 
about  one-half  ton  per  day. 

The  calk  was  patented  in  the  United  States 
May  7,  1907,  and  in  Canada  August  6,  1007. 
When  it  became  well  known  the  demand  so 
increased  tliat  Ludvigsen  Brothers,  in  October 
1907,  gave  up  their  general  blacksmith  business 
and  devoted  their  entire  time  to  the  manu- 
facturing business.  The  triphammers,  which 
they  had  formerly  used,  could  not  turn  out 
the  work  fast  enough,  and  they  invented  and 
patented  the  calk  machine — the  only  machine 
of  the  kind  in  the  world — with  which  they 
are  enabled  to  turn  out  a  ton  of  the  finished 
product  a  day.  Seven  men  are  employed  in 
the  factory,  and  the  product  goes  to  every 
state  in  the  union  and  every  province  of  Can- 
ada where  a  sharp  calk  is  needed.  The  man- 
ufacturing plant  and  headquarters  are  at  Jack- 
son, while  a  branch  house  is  maintained  in 
Milwaukee  to  supply  the  eastern  markets. 
Ludvigsen  Brothers  sell  their  product  to  job- 
bers  and  wholesale   houses. 


ERIC  LUDVIGSEN  (1888)  is  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Ludvigsen  Brothers  of  the  preced- 
ing sketch  and  is  engaged  in  the  manufac- 
ture  of   the   welded   steel   center   toe   calks   at 


.Jackson.  He  was  born  in  Denmark  October 
16,  1867,  the  son  of  the  late  George  and  Agnes 
(Jorgensen)   Ludvigsen. 

Eric  was  educated  in  his  native  country  and 
resided  there  witli  his  parents  until  1882.  He 
crossed  the  water  with  his  parents  that  year 
and  located  at  South  Bend,  Indiana.  He  came 
to  Jackson  county  with  the  family  in  1888 
and  for  three  years  lived  on  his  father's  farm 
iri  Middletown  township.  After  his  mother's 
death  he  moved  to  Jackson  and  became  a  part- 
ner with  his  brothers  in  the  blacksmitli  busi- 
ness. This  was  in  1891,  and  since  that  date 
he  has  continued  a  member  of  the  firm. 

Mr.  Ludvigsen  was  married  in  Jackson 
April  12,  1895,  to  Carrie  Nelson,  a  daughter 
of  Danish  parents  and  a  native  of  Streator,  Il- 
linois. Three  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union,  Elliot,  Esther  and  Loren.  Mr.  Lud- 
vigsen is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Brother- 
liood  lodge. 


S.  E.  HEIDLEBAUGH  (1890),  rural  free  de- 
livery mail  carrier  on  route  No.  1,  out  of  Lake- 
field,  was  born  in  Tama  county,  Iowa,  July  5, 
1865,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Merick)  Heidle- 
bangli.  He  received  a  country  school  educa- 
tion and  lived  in  his  native  county  until  twen- 
ty-one years  of  age.  In  1886  he  moved  to  No- 
bles county,  Minnesota,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing two  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
Worthington. 

Mr.  Heidlebaugli  became  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son countj'  in  October,  1890,  when  he  moved 
onto  a  farm  in  West  Heron  Lake  township, 
five  miles  northwest  of  Lakefield.  One  year  la- 
ter he  moved  into  Heron  Lake  township,  farm- 
ed there  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then  moved 
back  to  West  Heron  Lake.  In  1895  he  located 
on  a  farm  five  miles  east  of  the  present  village 
of  Wihnont,  in  Nobles  county,  and  lived  there 
a  year  and  a  half.  Then  he  went  to  Legrand, 
Marshall  county,  Iowa,  remained  there  two 
years,  and  in  1899  located  in  Lakefield.  He 
remained  there  only  a  short  time,  when  he 
again  located  on  tlie  farm  near  Wilmont.  He 
sold  out  there  and  in  1900  again  located  in 
Lakefield,  where  he  has  ever  since  lived.  He 
worked  at  various  kinds  of  labor  for  a  year, 
and  on  December  16,  1901,  was  appointed  to 
the  mail  service  as  carrier  for  route  No.  1. 

Mr.  Heidlebaugli  owns  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  West  Heron  Lake  township  and  eighty 
acres  in  Heron  Lake  township,  as  well  a?  prop- 


620 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IllSTOUY. 


crty  in  tlic  village  of  Lakcficld.  He  is  a  mem- 
l.cr  of  the  fierman  Lutlieraii  cliuroh  and  of 
the   1.  0.  0.   F.  and  XI.   I?.  A.   lodges. 

On  March  24,  1891,  Mr.  lleidlebaiigli  was 
married  to  Miss  Jennie  Johnson  in  Heron  Lake 
townsliip.  One  child.  Jolin  Franklin,  was  born 
to   this  union   on   March    10,   1898. 


that  time.  Until  his  father's  death  he  worked 
on  the  |>lace,  and  after  that  event  he  and  his 
brother  took  the  management  of  the  farm.  He 
has  served  as  elerk  of  school  district  No.  7 
for  the  past  two  yeara  and  is  president  of  the 
Des  Moines  River  Telephone  company. 


AI^FRED  W'ATLANU  (1897),  in  partnership 
with  his  brother,  Bert,  owns  and  farms  540 
acres  of  land  oh  sections  10  and  15,  Des  Moines 
township,  two  and  one-half  miles  northwest 
of  Jackson.  The  brothers  are  extensive  feed- 
ers and  shippers  of  cattle,  hogs  and  sheep 
and    raise    thoroughbred   Hereford   stock. 

The  father .  of  our  subject  was  Bjoru  J. 
Watland,  who  was  born  in  Stavanger,  Nor- 
way, March  12,  1854.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents  in  1873  and  located 
near  Leroy,  Mower  coimty,  Minnesota,  where 
his  parents  homesteaded  government  land.  He 
engaged  in  farming  there  until  1886  and  then 
moved  to  Emmons  county,  North  Dakota,  where 
he  conducted  a  sheep  ranch  ten  years.  During 
his  residence  there  he  had  a  government  con- 
tract to  supply  the  troops  at  Fort  Yates  with 
meat,  wood  and  hay.  He  returned  to  Mower 
county,  lived  there  one  year,  and  in  1897 
took  up  his  residence  in  Jackson  county.  He 
bought  the  Des  Moines  township  farm  where 
his  sons  now  reside,  made  most  of  the  im- 
provements on  the  place  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing there  until  his  death,  which  occurred  May 
13,  1904.  While  a  resident  of  Ijcroy,  Bjorn 
Watland  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Spande,  who 
was  born  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  De- 
cember 27,  1862,  and  who  now  makes  her 
home  with  her  sons  on  the  Jackson  county 
farm.  Seven  children  wore  born  to  these  par- 
hnts,  as  follows:  .Mfrcd.  horn  May  4,  1885; 
Bcrl,  l)orn  July  19,  1887;  Mamie,  born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1890;  Anna,  born  March  13,  1893; 
Cecelia,  born  August  15,  1894;  John,  born 
June  24,  1896;  Ella,  born  September  19,  1899. 

Alfred  Watland  is  the  eldest  of  these  chil- 
dren and  was  born  in  Leroy,  Mower  county, 
Minnesota.  While  yet  a  baby  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Emmons  county,  North  Dakol.a, 
and  there  he  spent  his  boyhood  days.  After 
residing  ten  years  in  Dakota  the  family  re- 
turned to  Mower  county  and  located  near 
Adams.  One  year  later,  in  1S97,  Alfred  came 
with  his  parents  to  Jackson  county,  and  has 
since  resided  on  the  farm  his  father  bought  at 


EDWARO  ELXESS  (1874)  is  a  Christiania 
township  farmer  and  thresher  who  owns  the 
east  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
20  and  the  south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  17.  He  has  spent  his  entire  life 
in  tlie  county,  having  been  born  on  the  farm  he 
now  conducts  October  12,  1874,  the  son  of  E. 
X.  and  Ellen  Elness.  His  father  lives  in 
Oregon;  his  mother  is  dead. 

Mr.  Elness  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion and  assisted  his  father  in  conducting  the 
farm.  Later  he  engaged  in  farming  for  him- 
self and  in  the  threshing  business,  which  he 
has  followed  for  the  past  fifteen  years.  He 
owns  stock  in  the  Christiania  Creamery  com- 
pany and  in  the  Bergen  Store  company.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the 
Woodmen  lodge  of  Windom. 

Jfr.  Elness  was  married  May  20,  liHKI.  to 
Xlinnie  Olson.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
cliildrcn;  ('lifTord,  born  October  20,  1902:  Lloyd, 
born  March  C,  1004:  I/cland.  born  M:iy  10. 
1906. 


GUSTAV  WIESE  (1895)  is  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive farmers  of  Sioux  N'alley  township, 
where  he  owns  and  farms  200  acres  of  land. 
He  engages  extensively  in  stock  raising  and 
has  large  herds.  Ho  has  a  nice  home  and  a 
well  improved  farm. 

Mr.  Wiese  was  born  in  Schonberg,  Holstein, 
Germany.  April  25,  1872,  the  son  of  C.  H.  and 
Maggie  (Harder)  Wiese.  His  father  was  a  • 
veteran  of  the  Danish  war  (1848-51)  having 
served  four  years  in  the  German  army.  He 
was  n  jeweler  by  trade  and  followed  that  oc- 
cupation in  his  native  land  forty-three  years. 
He  died  at  Schonberg.  Germany.  September  8, 
1902,  at  the  age  of  79  years  The  mother  of 
our  subject  died  in  Germany  in  October,  1890, 
aged  65  years. 

Guslav  Wiese  spent  the  first  fifteen  years  of 
his  life  in  his  native  town,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools.  In  the  spring 
of  1888  he  came  to  the  United  Slates  and  lo- 
cated   at   Holstein.    Ida   countj-,    Iowa,   where, 


A.  A.   FOSNESS 
Of  Globe  Milling  Company,  Lakefield. 


LOUIS  F.   LAMMERS 
Attorney-at-Law  of  Heron  Lake. 


BRUNO  POPPITZ 
Heron  Lake  Furniture  Dealer. 


JULIUS  F.  LIEPOLD 
Heron  Lake  Druggist. 


ulARY 


*»T0^,  LENOX  *M« 
TiCOfcN  FQUNOAT 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


521 


liowever,  lie  remained  only  three  months.  He 
then  went  to  Ewing,  Holt  county,  Nebraska, 
where  lie  lived  a  year  and  a  half,  working  on 
the  farm  of  his  brother-in-law.  The  next 
three  years  were  spent  working  on  a  farm  in 
Shelby  county,  Iowa.  This  brings  us  up  to 
tiie  year  1893,  when  he  returned  to  his  old 
German  home  for  a  six  months'  visit.  Ke- 
turning  to  America  iu  the  spring  of  1894,  he 
again  located  in  Shelby  county,  Iowa.  In  the 
fall  of  1894  he  came  to  Jackson  county  and 
bought  120  acres  of  his  present  farm  in  Sioux 
Valley  township.  In  the  spring  of  1895  he 
returned  to  the  county  to  make  permanent 
residence.  For  two  years  he  worked  at  tlie  car- 
penter trade  in  Lakefied  and  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lake  Park,  Iowa,  and  then,  in  1897,  he  lo- 
cated upon  his  farm  and  has  ever  since  been 
engaged  in  farming. 

Mr.  Wiese  w-as  married  in  Sioux  Valley 
township  February  16,  1897,  to  Emma  Untidt, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Alvina  Untidt.  Mrs. 
AViese  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  July 
7,  1878.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  AViese  have  been 
born  the  following  named  children:  Hellmuth, 
born  February  23,  1899;  Eudolph,  born  De- 
cember 14,  1901;  Alvina,  born  August  30,  1903; 
Bertha,  born  October  20,  1905;  Norma,  born 
June  25,  1907. 


LELAND  L.  ZENOR  (1907),  real  estate 
dealer  and  broker  of  Heron  Lake,  is  a  native 
of  Story  county,  Iowa,  wliere  he  was  born 
April  12,  1870.  In  his  native  county  he  lived 
until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age.  After  re- 
ceiving a  common  school  education  he  attended 
Iowa  State  college  at  Ames  and  completed  his 
education  witli  a  business  course  in  Drake 
university,  Des  Moines. 

After  his  school  days  Mr.  Zenor  engaged 
in  the  hardware  and  implement  business  at 
Ames,  Iowa,  and  four  years  later  he  opened 
a  real  estate  office  in  the  same  city.  He  con- 
ducted the  business  at  Ames  until  the  year 
1900,  when  he  moved  to  Crookston,  Min- 
nesota, and  there  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business  until  1907.  That  year  he  moved  to 
Heron  Lake  and  opened  a  real  estate  and 
brokerage  office,  which  he  has  since  conducted. 
He  deals  principally  in  Texas,  Montana,  North 
Dakota  and  Minnesota  lands,  and  does  a  thriv- 
ing business.  In  partnership  with  L.  F.  Lam- 
niers  Mr.  Zenor  owns  a  large  ranch  in  Texas 
and  he  personally  owns  a  large  ranch  in  Mon- 


tana, besides  several  farms  in  Jackson  county 
and  village  property  in  Heron  Lake  and  Win- 
dom. 

Mr.  Zenor's  grandparents  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  Iowa,  having  located  there  in 
1849.  His  parents  are  W.  J.  and  Mary  E. 
(O'Brien)  Zenor,  wlio  were  born  in  Indiana 
and  married  in  Iowa  in  1868,  and  who  now 
live  retired  lives  at  Ames,  Iowa.  Leland  is 
tlie  eldest  of  a  family  of  three  children,  the 
others  being  Celand  C,  who  is  in  his  brother's 
employ,  and  Gretta  (Mrs.  C.  E.  Holmes),  of 
Ames,   Iowa. 

Mr.  Zenor  of  this  sketch  was  married  at 
Ames  May  22,  1894,  to  Cora  P.  Skelton,  a  na- 
tive of  the  town  in  which  she  was  married 
and  a  daughter  of  William  and  Anna  Skelton. 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Zenor:  Marie,  born  April  30,  1895;  Helen, 
born  May  30,  1899.  Mr.  Zenor  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
Elks  lodges. 


JOHN  C.  EDLIN  (1878)  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous farmers  and  big  landowners  of  Middle- 
town  township.  He  owns  408  acres  of  land  in 
Minnesota  and  a  quarter  section  in  North  Da- 
kota. He  has  a  fine  farm,  equipped  with  all 
modern  improvements  for  its  successful  cul- 
tivation. He  engages  extensively  in  stock 
raising  and  has  nothing  but  good  grades. 

Mr.  Edlin  is  a  native  of  Sweden  and  was 
born  February  9,  1848,  the  son  of  Carl  and 
Christina  Edlin.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and 
received  a  common  school  education.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years  he  left  home  and 
came  to  America,  locating  first  in  Rockford, 
Illinois,  where  he  worked  about  six  months. 
F'rom  that  point  he  came  to  Minnesota  and 
stopped  at  Mankato,  working  on  the  railroad 
for  two  years.  He  then  engaged  in  farming 
in  Cottonwood  county  and  w-as  so  occupied 
five  years.  Mr.  Edlin  went  to  Red  Wing  in 
1877,  worked  one  year  in  that  place,  and 
then,  in  the  fall  of  1878,  arrived  in  Jackson 
county,  which  was  destined  to  be  his  home  for 
many  years.  He  bought  a  farm  in  Middletown 
that  fall,  then  went  east,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1879  came  to  reside  permanently. 

During  his  residence  iu  Middletown  Mf. 
Edlin  has  served  seven  years  as  a  member  of 
the  township  board,  twelve  years  as  a  director 
of   the   school   board   and  eight  years  as   road 


32 


522 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


overseer.     He   is  a   member   of    tlie   Lutheran 
eliurch. 

Mr.  Edlin  was  married  October  25,  1883,  to 
Miss  Ijouise  Swensoii,  and  to  tliem  liave  been 
bom  the  following  named  cliildrcn:  Charles 
P.,  born  January  26,  1885;  Ludwig  L.,  born 
April  25,  1887;  Adolph,  born  March  1,  1889; 
Alliert  Edgart,  born  February  12,  18i)l,  died 
February  12,  1894;  Oscar  Rudolph,  born  Decem- 
ber 5,  1894. 

E.MIL  TliOSlN  (1881)  owns  a  two  hundred 
acre  farm  in  Heron  Lake  township  a  short 
dislance  northeast  of  Lakcfield.  where  he  has 
a   line  home  and  well   improved   farm. 

Mr.  Trosin  was  born  in  the  Fatherland  Oc- 
tober 18,  1869,  the  son  of  Frederick  and 
Christina  (Mattzlof)  Trosin,  both  deceased.  At 
the  age  of  twelve  years  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  the  new  world  and  came  with  them 
to  Jackson  county.  For  five  years  he  lived 
with  liis  parents  on  their  farm  on  section  28, 
Heron  Lake  township,  and  for  the  ne.vt  six 
years  he  worked  on  the  farm  of  U.  W.  Ko-, 
lander.  The  next  year  he  spent  working 
for  his  brother  in  Emmet  county,  Iowa,  and 
then  he  and  his  brother  engaged  in  farming 
in  Martin  county.  One  year  later  ilr.  Tro- 
sin again  moved  to  Jackson  county  and  located 
upon  his  present  farm,  which  he  had  bought 
two  years  before.  The  place  was  practically 
unimproved  at  the  time  and  all  the  improve- 
ments on  the  farm  are  the  result  of  Ids  la- 
bors. During  the  summer  of  1909  he  erected 
a  line  nine-room  residence  at  a  cost  of  $2,200. 

Mr.  Trosin  was  married  in  Rost  township 
April  10,  1898,  to  Annie  Zaeh,  who  was  lii>rn 
in  Jackson  county  June  2,  1876.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Trosin  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but 
they  have  an  adopted  son,  Fred  E.  Istel,  aged 
nineteen  yei'is  and  a  native  of  Milwaukee. 

Mr.  Trosin  is  a  member  of  the  Heron  Lake 
township  board  of  supervisors  and  he  has  held 
the  ofTice  of  president  of  the  Heron  Lake 
Creamery  company  for  the  last  six  years. 

AUGUST  SCHEPPMAXN  (1902)  is  one  of 
the  large  land  owners  and  successful  and  in- 
fluential farmers  of  West  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship. He  owns  840  acres  of  land  in  West 
Heron  Lake  and  Alba  townships,  his  home 
place  being  the  north  half  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  17,  one  half  mile  sou'th  of 
Okabenn. 


He  i-  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren li>rn  to  Henry  and  Wilhelmina  (Uenne) 
Scheppiiiann,  and  he  was  born  in  tiermany 
January  4,  1850.  Both  his  parents  died  in  Ihc 
old  country,  his  father  when  he  was  only 
nine  years  of  age.  At  that  tender  age  he  had 
to  assist  in  earning  money  to  support  the 
family,  although  he  was  able  to  attend  school 
until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  After 
growing  up  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines  and 
was  so  engaged  until  thirty  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Scheppniann  emigrated  to  America  in 
1880  and  first  located  in  Tazewell  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  engaged  in  ditcliing  and  well 
digging  two  years.  Then  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, having  bought  farm  lands  in  Tazewell 
and  Iroquois  counties,  living  in  each  of  those 
counties  eleven  years.  In  1902  Mr.  Scliepp- 
mann  sold  out  in  Illinois  and  located  in  Jack- 
son county,  investing  his  money  in  lands  south 
of  Okabcna.  He  has  prospered  and  is  in  easy 
eireumstanccs.  He  is  greatly  interested  in  the 
development  of  the  county  and  is  interested 
in  several  lines  of  endeavor  besides  his  farm- 
ing interests. 

From  1903  to  1906  Mr.  Scheppmann  was 
manager  of  the  Okabena  creamery.  He  took 
an  active  part  in  tlic  organization  of  the  Oka- 
lH>na  Cooperative  Farmers  Elevator  company, 
of  which  he  is  the  president.  The  company 
was  organized  and  incorporated  August  21, 
1909,  with  fifty-three  stockholders,  and  began 
business  .September  7,  1909.  The  olTicers  of 
the  company  are:  Augiist  Scheppmann,  presi- 
dent; Sam  Frederickson,  secretary;  John  tiru- 
seng,  vice  president:  John  Koster,  treasurer; 
Sam  Dahl,  Will  llussong,  Frank  Anderson, 
directors. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Germany  August 
.'l,  1877.  to  Rccka  lieckschnlte.  To  them  have 
been  born  the  following  chililrcn:  liertha, 
Freda,  August,  Sam,  Henry,  Minnie,  Willie, 
Lydia,  Eddie  and  Loui.  Mr.  Scheppmann  is  a 
member   of    the   Christian    Apostolic   church. 


E.  RICK  (1897).  n  farmer  residing  in  Jack- 
-son.  was  born  May  23,  1853,  in  Steuben  county, 
Xew  York,  the  son  of  Warren  and  Amy  (Kent) 
Rice.  When  our  subject  was  five  years  of 
ape  the  family  moved  from  New  York  slate 
to  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  and  there  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biography  resided  si.\teen  years, 
receiving  an  education  in  the  schools  of  Or- 
leans  township. 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


523 


When  he  reached  his  majority,  in  1874,  Mr. 
Rice  moved  to  Cottonwood  county,  Minnesota, 
took  a  homestead,  and  engaged  in  farming  it 
twenty-one  years.  He  sold  out  in  1S93  and 
moved  west,  locating  in  Yakima  county,  Wasli- 
ington.  He  came  to  Jackson  in  September, 
1897,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming. 

Mr.  Rice  was  married  at  Ridgeway,  Iowa, 
Septemlier  4,  1877,  to  Miss  Ida  May  Clough. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  the  following 
named  children:  Warren  M.,  born  June  15, 
1878;  Carlton  B..  born  September  17,  1S8!, 
died  October  3,  1897;  Mattie  P.  and  Minnie 
M.  (twins),  born  April  23,  1888;  Nellie  B., 
born  July  19,  1892.  Mr.  Rice  owns  112  acres 
of  land  in  Des  iloines  and  Wisconsin  town- 
ships. He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist   church. 

Mrs.  Rice  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Jack- 
son county.  She  is  the  daughter  of  those  pio- 
neer settlers,  Marcellus  Clougli  and  Mary 
(Young)  Clough,  and  was  born  in  Winneshiek 
county,  Iowa,  May  28,  1858.  At  the  age  of 
three  years,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  she  accom- 
panied her  parents  to  the  wild  and  sparsely 
settled  Jackson  county  country.  In  January, 
1862,  the  family  moved  to  Mankato,  resided 
there  one  year,  and  then  returned  to  the  form- 
er home  in  Winneshiek  county.  In  the  spring 
of  1865  the  family  again  returned  to  Jackson 
county  and  Marcellus  Clough  took  a  preemp- 
tion and  homestead  near  the  spot  where  Jack- 
son was  built.  He  and  John  Young  each  built 
fi-ame  houses  on  their  claims,  the  first  erected 
in  Jackson  county.  The  Clougli  home  burned 
down  a  few  years  later,  but  the  Y'oung  home 
still  stands.  In  1872  Ida  May  Clough  accom- 
panied her  parents  back  to  AVinneshiek  coun- 
ty, and  tliere  in  1877  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
Rice. 


MIKE  J.  MILLER  (1883)  engages  in  farm- 
ing on  section  30,  Wisconsin  township,  a 
short  distance  southeast  of  Jackson,  where  he 
owns  a  quarter  section  of  land,  upon  whicli  he 
has  lived  many  years.  He  is  tlie  son  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Kessler)  Miller  and  is  one  of 
a  family  of  five  children,  John,  Barbara,  Ger- 
trude, Mary  and  Mike  J.  The  father  was  born 
in  Germany  and  came  to  America  when  four- 
teen years  of  age.  He  located  in  Wisconsin 
in  the  early  days  and  died  in  Dane  county  of 
that  state  twenty-five  years  ago.     The  mother 


of  our  subject  lives  in  Dane  county  and  is  74 
years  old. 

To  these  parents  at  Columbus,  Dane  county, 
Wisconsin,  on  September  10,  1861,  ilike  J. 
Miller  was  born.  He  received  a  district  school 
education  and  until  twenty-two  years  of  age 
resided  on  his  father's  farm  in  his  native 
county.  He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1883 
and  settled  upon  the  land  where  he  has  ever 
since  lived.  This  farm  was  formerly  owned  by 
Mr.  Miller's  grandfather,  who  lived  upon  it 
in  grasshopper  days,  and  the  old  log  cabin  in 
wliicli  his  gi'andfather  lived  still  stands  on 
the  farm.  The  land  was  later  bought  by  our 
subject's  father,  and  later  still  Mike  Miller 
acquired  the  property.  The  latter  has  made  all 
tlie  improvements  on  the  place,  including  the 
erection  of  a  fine  house,  large  barn,  outbuild- 
ings and  grove.  Mr.  Miller  owns  in  addition 
thirty  acres  of  timber  land  along  the  Des 
Moines  river.  He  has  served  as  chairman  of 
the  township  board. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  at  Columbus,  Dane 
county,  AVisconsin,  November  29,  1884,  to  Lena 
Ullrich,  who  was  also  born  in  Dane  county 
and  who  was  brought  up  in  a  neighboring 
family.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Chris  Ullrich 
and  has  four  brothers  living  in  Petersburg 
township.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  been 
born  four  children,  as  follows:  Elma,  Agnes, 
Ben  and  Mike. 


ALEX  SULLIVAN  (1872)  is  one  of  the  large 
landowners  and  successful  farmers  of  LaCrosse 
township  as  well  as  one  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers. He  is  an  extensive  feeder  of  cattle  and 
hogs  and  a  big  grain  raiser.  He  farms  480 
acres  of  land.  He  owns  320  acres  individu- 
ally and  in  partnership  with  his  brother  Jerry 
owns  G40  acres  on  sections  17  and  21. 

Mr.  Sullivan  is  a  native  of  Sibley  county, 
Minnesota,  where  he  was  born  December  24, 
1861,  the  son  of  Owen  and  Mary  (0"Neil)  Sulli- 
van. He  spent  his  childhood  days  in  Sibley 
county  and  came  to  Jackson  county  with 
his  parents  in  1872.  With  the  exception  of 
one  and  one-half  years  spent  in  St.  Paul 
during  the  years  1878-79,  he  has  ever  since 
been  a  resident  of  the  county.  His  parents 
homesteaded  in  LaCrosse  township  and  on  his 
father's  farm  he  grew  to  manhood.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  and 
thereafter  he  continued  to  make  his  home 
with  his  mother.    When  he  was  about  twenty- 


524 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


one  years  of  age  the  home  place — the  south- 
east quartur  of  section  4 — was  turned  over 
to  him  and  he  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in 
farming  it.  lie  has  prospered  and  from  time 
to  time  has  added  to  his  possessions  by  pur- 
chase. 

Our  subject  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  church  of  Heron  Lake  and  lie  is  a 
member  of  the  Yeomen  and  Catholic  Order 
of  Foresters  lodges.  He  has  held  the  olTicc 
of  clerk  of  his  school  district. 

Mr.  Sullivan  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
May  27,  1896,  to  Agnes  Bohnpool,  a  native 
of  Germany.  To  them  have  been  born  three 
children:   ticne,  Taul  and  Bernicc. 

FRAKK  J.  HASblKG  (1892)  is  the  proprie- 
tor of  a  wagon  maker's  shop  at  Alpha,  of 
which  village  he  is  one  of  the  oldest  residents. 
He  was  born  at  Easton,  Faribault  county, 
Minnesota,  Jlay  14,  1867,  the  son  of  John  H. 
and  Koeine   (Kerser)  Hassing. 

In  his  native  county  Frank  Hassing  grew 
to  manhood,  residing  with  liis  parents  until 
he  reached  his  majority.  In  1888  he  went  to 
Albert  Lea  and  worked  out  one  year.  Re- 
turning to  Easton,  he  worked  at  the  carpenter 
trade  for  a  year  and  a  lialf.  In  August,  1892, 
he  became  a  resident  of  Jackson  county.  For 
two  years  he  lived  on  a  farm  southwest  of 
Jackson,  then  lived  a  few  months  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Jackson,  and  early  in  1895  located  in 
the  village  of  Alpha,  then  just  started.  He 
worked  at  the  carpenter  trade  in  Alpha  for 
eleven  years,  and  in  1906  bought  the  wagon 
maker's  shop  from  Theodore  Jasper  and  has 
since  conducted  it. 

Mr.  Hassing  was  married  January  8,  1895,  to 
Catherine  Steiner,  of  Jackson.  To  them  have 
been  born  four  children.  Charles  A.,  who  was 
the  first  child  born  in  the  village  of  Alpha, 
was  born  November  G,  1895.  The  other  child- 
ren are  John  C,  Clara  M.  and  Lawrence  II. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Jackson  Cath- 
olic church  and  Mr.  Hassing  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters  of  Jackson, 
of  which  organization  he  has  held  some  of 
the  principal  olTieos.  He  owns  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  land  in  St.  Louis  county,  Minnesota. 
Mr.  Hassing  was  president  of  the  Alpha  vil 
lage  council   three  years. 

BRADFORD    F.    \'ANDl'ZEE     (1882),    who 
now  lives  a  retired  life  in  Jackson,  is  a  na- 


tive ol  liouverueur  township,  St.  Lawrence 
county,  New  York,  having  been  born  Febru- 
ary 27,  1827.  His  parents  were  David  and 
Chloe  (Wood)  V'anduzee,  who  were  born  and 
married  in  the  state  of  Vermont.  Eight  years 
after  their  marriage  they  moved  to  St.  Law- 
rence county.  New  York,  where  they  resided 
the  rest  of  their  lives.  His  father  lived  to 
be  85  years  of  age  and  his  mother  05.  The 
elder  Vanduzee  was  a  miller  by  trade  and  en- 
gaged in  business  in  St.  Lawrence  county  for 
a  number  of  years.  There  were  seventeen 
ihildren  in  the  family,  of  which  our  subject 
was  the  youngest.  Only  one  of  the  other 
children  survives,  Mrs.  Nancy  Uodgbloom,  who 
lives  at  Gouverneur,  New  York,  and  who  is  85 
years  of  age. 

Bradford  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native 
county,  residing  with  his  parents  until  seven- 
teen years  of  age.  At  that  age  he  went  to 
De  Kalb,  New  York,  and  for  the  next  three 
years  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  after  which  he  followed  his  trade 
there  one  year.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years  he  came  west,  locating  in  Fond  du  Lac 
county,  Wisconsin.  He  worked  at  his  trade 
there  one  year  and  then  located  in  Waupaca, 
Wisconsin,  w'here  he  resided  two  years  and 
where  he  engaged  to  erect  a  mill.  The  next 
permanent  location  of  Jlr.  Vanduzee  was  Ver- 
non county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  destined 
to  pass  many  years  of  his  life.  During  his 
long  residence  there  he  worked  at  his  trade, 
also  engaging  in  farming,  having  purchased 
a  two  hundred  acre  farm,  which  was  managed 
by  a  hired  man. 

In  1864  Mr.  Vanduzee  enlisted  from  Vernon 
county,  Wisconsin,  in  company  D,  of  the  Eigh- 
teenth Wisconsin  regiment,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  participating  in  the  grand 
review    of    Washington. 

From  Wisconsin  Mr.  Vanduzee  came  to  Jack- 
son county  in  1882,  and  this  has  ever  since 
been  his  home.  Upon  his  arrival  he  bought  a 
farm  on  section  13,  Wisconsin  township  (a 
farm  which  he  still  owns),  and  there  he  made 
his  home,  working  at  the  carpenter  trade  while 
his  sons  managed  the  farm.  He  erected  many 
of  the  buildings  in  the  neighborhood  and  when 
the  village  of  Alpha  was  founded  near  by  he 
erected  the  first  structure  on  the  townsite 
as  well  as  many  of  the  town's  first  buildings. 
In  1S92  Mr.  Vanduzee  loented  in  Jackson,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  Until  the  fall  of  1908  he 
worked  at   his  trade,  since  which  time  he  has 


BIOGEAPIIICAL  HISTORY. 


525 


letired  from  active  labors.  In  addition  to  his 
farm.  Mr  VaiuUizee  owns  a  residence  and  a 
shop  in  Jaclvson.  While  living  in  Wisconsin 
township  lie  served  as  township  assessor  and 
was  one  of  the  school  directors  of  his  district. 
Mr.  Vanduzee  was  married  at  Waupaca, 
Wisconsin,  August  8,  1852,  to  Theresa  J.  Per- 
kins, wlio  was  the  daughter  of  Chester  and 
Stilinda  (Chase)  Perkins  and  who  was  born  in 
Cattaraugus  county,  New  York,  January  30, 
1828.  Nine  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
of  whom  the  following  seven  are  living:  Solo- 
mon. Alice  Smith,  Finney,  Grant,  Lurilla  Short, 
Chloe  Carr  and  Willard.  The  deceased  children 
are  Ralph,  who  died  in  March,  1907,  and  Rosa 
Smith,  who  died  in  May,  1908,  aged  5fi  years. 


CARL  NIEMANN  (1887)  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Christiania  township,  in 
which  he  owns  a  half  section  of  land.  He  is 
a  German  by  birth  and  was  born  September 
7,  1846,  the  son  of  Martin  and  Fredericka 
(Gohl)  Niemann.  The  former  died  about  fif- 
teen years  ago;  the  mother  died  in  1908. 

Carl  was  raised  on  his  father's  farm  and  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education.  He  served 
four  years  in  the  German  army  and  is  a  vet- 
eran of  the  French-German  war.  While  serv- 
ing his  country  he  received  a  wound  in  the 
hand  from  a  sword  thrust.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-six  years  Mr.  Niemann  came  to  Ameri- 
ca and  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  lived  three 
years.  From  the  city  he  moved  to  Door  coun- 
ty, Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
twelve  years.  He  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1887  and  located  upon  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  on  section  16,  and  has  ever  since  been 
a  resident  of  Christiania. 

Mr.  Niemann  owns  a  120-acre  farm  of  fine 
land  and  has  it  well  improved.  He  owns 
^tock  in  the  Bergen  creamery,  in  the  Windora 
telephone  and  in  the  Farmers'  elevator  at  Win- 
dom.  He  has  served  as  township  treasurer 
thirteen  years  and  has  been  treasurer  of  school 
district  No.  53  for  the  last  twenty  years.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Niemann  was  married  April  3,  1877,  to 
Miss  Joh.anna  Langhoff,  and  to  them  have 
been  born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Martha 
(Mrs.  John  Egge),  born  February  11,  1878; 
Albert,  born  October  27,  1880;  Arnold,  born 
June,  1882;  Augiist,  born  June,  1884;  Adolph, 
born  1886:  Carl,  born  March  10,  1888;  Emma, 
born  January  1,  1891. 


.TOSEPH  VACEK  (1889)  is  an  Enterprise 
township  farmer  who  has  lived  on  his  present 
farm  twenty  years.  He  owns  320  acres — the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  13  and  the  north- 
east quarter  of  the  same  section. 

Mr.  Vacek  was  born  in  Austria  March  10, 
18G2,  son  of  the  late  Martin  Vacek  and  Mary 
Vacek.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  and  located 
in  Jones  county,  Iowa.  In  that  county  he  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education  and  grew 
to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm.  He  came  to 
Jackson  count}'  on  April  1,  1889,  located  upon 
his  present  farm,  and  that  has  ever  since  been 
his  home.  In  addition  to  his  farming  opera- 
tions, he  is  interested  in  the  Enterprise  Horse 
company.  He  is  the  clerk  of  school  district  94 
and  has  held  the  office  nine  years.  He  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Western 
ITnion  order. 

January  28,  1892,  Mr.  Vacek  was  married 
to  Annie  Koba.  To  them  have  been  born 
seven  children,  named  as  follows:  John,  born 
May  16,  1893;  Frank,  born  July  25,  1895; 
Anna,  born  April  24,  1899;  .Joseph,  born  Febru- 
ary 12,  1901;  Alfred,  born  March  14,  1903;  Mar- 
tin, born  .January  12,  1905;  Mary,  born  June 
12,   1907. 


JOSEPH  F.  GOLITKO  (1892)  conducts  a 
general  merchandise  store  at  Lakefield.  He  is 
a  native  of  Austria  Hungary,  and  was  born 
March  19,  1871,  the  son  of  .Tohn  and  Mary 
(Plenzner)    Golitko. 

At  the  age  of  ten  years  Joseph  come  to 
America  with  his  parents,  and  after  a  stay 
of  six  weeks  in  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,"  located 
permanently  at  Bonneterre,  Missouri.  One  year 
Later,  in  1882,  the  family  home  was  made  at 
Carbon.  Clay  county,  Indiana,  and  that  was 
the  home  of  our  subject  until  1891,  excepting 
a  stay  of  three  months  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
In  Indiana  Joseph  completed  his  education, 
which  had   been  begun   in   his  native  land. 

For  a  short  time  in  1891  Mr.  Golitko  was 
at  Citra,  Florida,  and  on  JMarcli  31,  1892,  he 
came  to  .Jackson  county  for  the  first  time. 
For  several  years  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Miimeota  township,  where  he  still  owns  a 
((uarter  section  of  land,  and  later  moved  to 
Lakefield,  where  he  engaged  in  business.  He 
holds  membership  in  the  M.  W.  A.  and  Catho- 


526 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


lie  Union  ordcis  mid  is  a  menibor  of  (lie  Cath- 
olic church. 

'  Mr.  Uolilko  was  married  in  Jack.son  August 
]ti,  1898,  to  Miss  Anna  Navarn.  To  them 
iiave  boon  born  the  following  named  children: 
Kmnia,  Mary,  Margaret,  Laura,  Elizabeth,  Anna 
and   Frank. 


GEORGE  E.  MORRISON  (1897)  is  one  of 
the  successful  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of 
Alba  township.  Tie  owns  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  1-1  and  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section    23. 

Mr.  Morrison  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  February  16,  1862,  the  son  of 
Jonas  Morrison  and  Sarah  (Faust)  Morrison. 
The  father,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  died 
when  our  subject  was  only  six  or  seven  years 
of  age.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1831  and  was  of  (rerman 
descent. 

George  was  brouglit  up  on  a  farm  and  edu- 
cated in  his  native  county,  making  his  home 
there  luitil  seventeen  years  of  age.  At  that 
age  lie  went  to  Carroll  county,  Towa,  and  dur- 
ing the  next  fonr  years  was  employed  as  a 
farm  hand.  He  then  married  and  rented  a 
farm  in  the  same  county,  which  he  conducted 
two  years.  His  next  place  of  residence  was  Sioux 
county.  Iowa,  where  be  resided  twelve  years, 
engaged  in  farming  rented  land.  He  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1897,  and  located  upon  his 
present  farm,  which  he  bought  at  that  time. 
During  the  grasshopper  days  this  farm,  so  it 
is  told,  was  owned  by  Mr.  Sears,  of  the  firm 
of  l^ears.  Roebuck  &  Company.  Chicago.  Mr. 
Sears  was  then  ver.v  poor  and  suffered  many 
hardships.  He  became  disgusted  with  the 
county,  sold  out  and  left — to  engage  in  bu.-*i- 
ness  in  Chicago  and  become  several  times  a 
millionaire.  The  farm  was  practically  unim- 
proved when  Mr.  Morrison  took  possession 
and  he  has  made  all  the  improvements.  He 
has  prospered  and  in  1901  bought  his  second 
quarter  section  of  land.  He  farms  the  whole 
half  section  and  raises  a  lot  of  well  graded 
stock. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  in 
Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  January  17 
1884,  when  he  wedded  Emma  C.  Herr.  who 
was  born  in  Cumberland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  13.  1863.  To  these  parents  have  been 
born  the  following  named  eight  children:  Roy, 
born  April  2,  1885:  Maynard,  bom  January  19, 


1887;  Harry,  born  July  25,  1890;  Stella,  born 
January,  23,  1892;  Ethel,  born  June  1,  1896; 
Edith,  l)orn  August  5,  1898;  Millard,  born  No- 
vember 4,  1900;  Elsie,  born  April  3,  1904.  Mr. 
Morrison  has  served  as  clerk  of  Alba  town- 
ship since  the  spring  of  1900.  He  was  treasur- 
er of  school  district  102  for  six  years  and  has 
served  as  a  director  of  the  district.  He  is  a 
member  of  ilie  M.  \V.  A.  lodee  of  Oknbena. 


I.ARS  .MVKVllM)  (18S.5)  is  a  farmer  and 
landowner  of  Delafield  township.  He  was 
born  in  Norway  January  17,  1862,  the  only 
cliild  born  to  Stephen  and  Kjcstc  (Damen) 
Myrvold.  His  parents  came  to  America  in 
1887  and  bought  property  on  section  16,  Dela- 
field, where  the.v  resided  many  ,vears.  His 
father  now  makes  his  home  with  his  son.  Our 
subject's  mother  died  in  1900  at  the  age  of 
73  years. 

Lars  lived  in  Norway  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  working  on  the  farm 
and  securing  his  education.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1885  and  located  at  .Jackson 
and  for  four  years  was  employed  as  a  farm 
hand.  In  1889  he  bought  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  17,  Delafield,  and  that  has  ever 
since  been  his  home.  The  place  was  prairie 
land  at  the  time  of  purchase,  and  he  has' made 
all  the  improvements,  planting  the  grove  and 
erecting  the  buildings.  In  1900  he  added  to  his 
holdings  by  the  pnrclnse  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  16,  which  was  his  father's 
old    farm.     He   farms   the   whole  half   section. 

Mr.  Myrvold  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
November  30,  1888,  to  I.iena  I-ysgard,  who  was 
horn  in  Delafield  township  in  1872.  and  who 
is  the  daughter  of  Andrew  Lysgard.  one  of 
the  township's  pioneer  settlers.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  M,vrvold  have  been  born  the  following 
named  children:  ^lay  Caroline,  Elmer  Lewel, 
.\rihur  and  Dagny  Viola. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  Norwegian 
I,u(h<'ran  church.  Mr.  Myrvold  has  served  as  a 
director  of  school  district  No.  ll.T  for  the 
past  eight  years  and  has  been  a  township  su- 
pervisor for  the  past  five  years.  He  has  been 
:>  stockholder  of  the  Wilder  Creamery  company 
for  the  past  thirteen  years. 


HENRY  SCHMIDT  nsR91  owns  and  farms 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  5.  Rost  town- 
ship, where  he  has  resided  over  twenty  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


527 


He  is  a  native  German  and  was  born  Noven)- 
ber  fi.  1859.  His  parents,  Ralph  and  JIargar- 
ita  Scliraidt,  both  died  m  their  native  land. 

Henry  lived  in  Germany  until  he  v^as  twen- 
ty-one years  of  age,  living  with  his  parents  on 
the  farm.  He  came  to  America  in  1880  and  lo- 
cated in  Champaign  county,  Hlinois,  where 
lie  engaged  in  farming  nine  j-ears.  He  came  to 
•Jackson  county  in  1889,  bought  his  present 
farm  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home  there. 
He  has  made  all  the  improvements  on  the 
place  and  has  one  of  the  fine  homes  in  the 
township.  The  farm  is  well  improved  and 
siipplicil  with  hog  tight  fences  throughout.  Jlr. 
.'^clllnidt  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Rost  and  Oka- 
bena  creameries  and  in  the  farmers  elevator 
of  Lakefield.  He  is  a  member  of  the  township 
board  and  has  held  school  office  ever  since 
coming  to  the  county.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church 
of  Rost. 

Mr.  Schmidt  has  been  married  twice,  the 
first  time  in  Champaign  county,  Illinois,  in 
1883,  when  ho  wedded  Elizabeth  Foualing,  who 
died  in  1887.  By  his  first  wife  three  children 
were  born,  namely.  Margaritta.  Andrew  and 
Ralph.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Schmidt 
occurred  in  Rost  township  in  1897.  when  he 
wedded  j\Iary  Elilkin.  Six  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  namely,  Albert,  Annie,  Liz- 
zie,   Mena,    Lulu    and    Freda. 


HENRY  I.  VALGAMORE  0882).  of  Jack- 
son, is  a  native  of  Knox  county,  Hlinois,  and 
was  born  January  11,  1853.  His  parents  were 
Davis  S.  and  Samantha  (Brace)  Valgamore, 
natives  of  Ohio  and  Hlinois,  respectively.  The 
former  served  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion, 
being  captain  of  company  D,  of  the  Seventh 
Illinois  cavalry.  After  the  war  he  located 
near  Parsons,  Kansas,  and  died  at  that  place  in 
1879,  agpd  54  years.  His  wife  died  in  Hlinois 
in  1857. 

Henry  Valgamore's  mother  dying  when  he 
was  four  years  of  age,  he  was  brought  up  in 
the  home  of  his  grandparents  at  Abingdon,  H- 
linois,  residing  with  them  luitil  1870.  He 
then  went  to  Kansas,  and  for  the  next  twelve 
years  resided  in  the  states  of  Kansas,  Minne- 
sota and  Hlinois,  engaged  in  various  occupa- 
tions. In  the  early  eighties,  his  father  having 
died,  Mr.  Valgamore  returned  to  Kansas  and 
spent  the  next  five  years  conducting  the  farm 
and    settling   up    the    business    atTairs    of    his 


fatlier.  He  then  bought  a  farm  in  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota,  and  engaged  in  agricultural 
pursuits  there  until  1892.  That  year  he  located 
in  Jackson  and  the  next  year  bought  the  Jack- 
son creamery,  which  he  conducted,  as  well  as 
a  bottling  works  plant,  until  1906,  when  he 
sold  to  Isaac  Wadsworth.  Since  that  date 
he  has  not  been  actively  engaged  in  business, 
but  lie  handles  automobiles  and  conducts  a 
garage  during  the  season.  He  owns  two  resi- 
dences in  Jackson.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  and  Yeomen  lodges. 

Mr.  Valgamore  was  married  at  Oswego, 
Kansas,  November  22,  1881,  to  Allie  M.  Clark, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  daughter  of  Chester 
a;ul  Sylvia  Clark.  To  them  have  been  born 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Chester  D.,  born 
Augu.st  22,  1882;  Estill  B.,  born  February  C, 
1884;  Ivan  R.,  born  June  9,  1886;  Velma  H., 
born  ilay  3,  1888;  Coy  C,  born  January  29, 
1894;  Cecil  H.,  born  May  22,  1900;  Sylvia, 
born  May  6,  1890,  died  October  12,  1890;  Ver- 
non, born  May  3,  1888,  died  October  11,  1890. 


WHJJAil  H.  BAKER  (1893)  is  a  Mddle- 
town  tow'nship  farmer  who  owns  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  5.  He  is  a  native  of  the 
city  of  New  York  and  was  born  May  2,  18.57, 
the  son  of  William  and  Katheriue  Baker. 

When  six  years  of  age,  in  1863,  the  subject 
of  this  biography  accompanied  his  two  sisters 
to  Rockford.  Winnebago  county.  Illinois,  and 
two  years  later  moved  to  Odell.  in  Livingston 
coimty,  of  the  same  state.  In  1868  he  moved 
to  Chenoa,  McLean  county,  and  the  next  year 
to  Ford  county.  In  the  last  named  county  he 
grew  to  manhood,  engaged  in  farming,  and 
lesided  until  1893.  On  the  ninth  day  of  Feb- 
ruary of  that  year  he  arrived  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty. He  moved  onto  his  farm  in  Middletown 
and  has  since  made  his  home  there. 

Air.  Baker  served  as  supervisor  of  his  town- 
ship from  1902  to  1905  and  was  justice  of  the 
peace  one  year.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 

On  February  1,  1880,  ilr.  Baker  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  Hamlon.  They 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  named  child- 
ren: Mabel,  born  January  11,  1881;  Cecil  M., 
born  November  21,  1882;  Frank  W.,  born  Sep- 
tember 10,  1884:  Charles  F.,  born  January  17, 
1886;  Clyde  W..  born  July  9,  1890;  Nellie, 
born  September  26,  1895. 


528 


BI0G1;AI'1!I(  AL   lllSTOltV 


PETER  O.  ANUEUSON  (1868)  is  one  of 
Jackson  county's  native  eons,  liaving  been 
lioin  on  liis  fatliciV  nld  liomestcad  in  Hclniont 
lownsliip  Scp(cinlier  13,  1808.  He  is  tlie  son 
of  tlie  later  OIc  A.  Aas  and  Caroline  (Lillcbcrj,') 
Aas,  who  carao  from  Norway  wlien  young 
and  who  were  married  in  Jackson  county  soon 
after  tlicir  arrival  in  1866.  His  father  died 
in  Jackson  in  1900;  his  mother  lives  in  Jack- 
son. 

Our  subject  took  llie  name  Anderson  in  prcf- 
erciuc  to  tliat  of  Aas  when  a  young  man  on 
account  of  tlie  simihirity  of  names  in  the 
neiglihorhood.  Until  bis  marriage  in  1896  Mr. 
Anderson  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  old 
liomcstead  on  section  4.  He  tlien  bought  liis 
present  farm  on  section  9,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  cburcb. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
.\pril  12,  1896,  to  Annie  Hanson,  a  native  of 
Pelmnnt  township  and  a  daughter  of  Jonas 
Hanson  that  pioneer  settler  of  the  township. 
Six  chihlren  have  been  l)orn  lo  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Anderson,  as  follows:  Clara,  Joseph,  Obert, 
Maurice,    Pearl,  Henry. 


DU.  C.  L.  BURRILL  (1901),  Heron  I-alce 
dentist,  was  born  in  Nicollet  county,  Minne- 
sota. July  -20,  1S7.'!.  the  son  of  I..  L.  and  Clara 
Inez  (l)olph)  Burrill.  When  he  was  four  years 
of  age  he  accompanied  bis  parents  to  Spring- 
field, Brown  county,  where  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and   where   bis  parents  still  reside. 

Our  subject  received  a  high  school  education 
in  Springfield  and  completed  his  general  educa- 
tion in  Minneapolis  in  1899.  He  then  went 
to  Chicago  and  entered  the  dental  depart  nicnt 
of  Northwestern  university,  from  which  he 
received  his  diploma  in  May,  1902.  June  10 
of  the  same  year  Dr.  Burrill  located  in  Her- 
on Lake  and  engaged  in  practice.  He  holds 
membersliip  in  the  Southwestern  Minnesota 
Dental  association,  the  Minnesota  State  Den- 
tal association  and  the  National  Dental  asso- 
ciation. 

Dr.  Burrill  was  married  .January  7.  1900, 
to  Miss  Rosa  K.  Miller,  of  Okabena.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Afethodist  church  and  of  the 
Masonic  and   Knights  of  Pythias  lodges. 


FERDINAND  KLINDT  (1892)  is  one  of  the 
prosperous  farmers  of  Sioux  Valley  township. 


He  owns  300  acres  of  land  on  sections  2  and 
3  and  farms  it  all,  engaging  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  has  a  nice  home  and 
has  made  most  of  the  improvements  on  the 
larni  himself. 

Mr.  Klindt  was  born  in  .Schleswig-Holstein, 
(Jerniany,  July  21,  1852.  His  father,  Henry 
Klindt.  was  a  brick  layer  by  trade  and  died 
in  his  native  land  in  1897.  The  mother  of 
our  subject.  Annie  (Ootch)  Klindt.  died  in 
Germany  in  1891.  Ferdinand  was  brought  up 
on  a  farm  and  educated  in  the  country  schools. 
After  growing  up  lie  worked  on  farms  and  in 
Febnniry,  1881,  came  to  the  United  States.  He 
worked  on  a  farm  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  one 
year  and  then  located  in  Ida  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  lived  three  years,  working  as  a  farm 
hand.  In  ISS;!  he  went  to  Lyon  county.  Iowa, 
where  be  bought  a  farm  and  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  until  1892.  That  year  he 
came  to  Jackson  county,  bought  160  acres  of 
his  present  farm — tlie  H.  Buttcrfield  homestead 
— and  has  since  made  his  home  tliere,  buying 
his  other  property  subsequently.  Mr.  Klindt 
served  as  a  member  of  tlie  township  board  of 
supervi.sors  several  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Hermann  Sons  lodge. 

In  Sioux  Valley  township  on  February  S, 
1S9.5,  Mr.  Klindt  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Johanna  Kafhrinc  Rohr,  daughter  of  Hans 
Rohr.  nf  Arnold's  Park.  Iowa.  She  was  born 
ill  Sclilcswigllolstein,  Ccrmany,  August  29, 
1R7.'>.  and  came  to  the  Ignited  States  in  1881. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Klindt  have  been  born  six 
(liildren:  Frieda  Louise,  born  October  .'i.  ISO,"!: 
Walter,  born  ^lay  .■?.  1890.  died  September  27, 
1S97:  .Josephine  Kathcrine.  born  March  11, 
1S9S:  Elsie  :Miniiic.  born  June  14.  1900:  Hans 
Henry  Ferdinand,  born  May  16.  1902:  Lloyd, 
born    December  31.  190".  died  Janiiarv  2.  1908. 


JOHN  L.  KINC  (1R70).  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  .Jackson  County  Pilot,  is  a  native  of 
.Jackson  county,  having  been  born  in  ii  log 
house  in  Wisconsin  township  August  11,  1870. 
His  father  is  William  V.  King,  one  of  the  coun- 
ty's early  settlers,  who  now  resides  in  Jack- 
son. His  mother  was  Antonette  L.  (Porter) 
King,  who  died  March  20,  1800. 

At  the  age  of  two  years  .Tohn  accompanied 
the  family  to  the  village  of  .Tackson  and  in 
that  village  he  spent  his  boyhood  days,  re- 
ceiving his  education  in  the  Jackson  public 
schools.     In    July,    1888,    he    went    to    Jasper, 


HARRY  M.   BURNHAM 
Merchant  of  Jackscn. 


JOHN  L.   KING 
Publisher  of  the  Jackson  County  Pilot. 


ROBERT  C.  MUIR 
A  Native  of  Jackson  County. 


FRANK  G.   ALBERTUS 
Clothing  Merchant  of  Jackson. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


tmsn,  LENOX  *>•• 
TH.OEM    rOUNtl*'^''^**. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


529 


Minnesota,  wliore  lie  learned  tlie  printer's  trade 
ill  the  office  of  the  Jasper  Journal  and  where 
l;o  resided  four  years.  Mr.  King  then  went 
to  Clifton,  Kan.sas,  where  for  a  little  less 
than  two  years  he  edited  the  Clifton  Times. 

In  1893  Mr.  King  retmned  to  .JaeUson  and 
the  following  year  he  accepted  the  po- 
sition of  deputy  county  auditor,  serving 
under  his  father,  William  V.  King,  un- 
til .January,  1897.  On  November  20,  1896, 
in  partnership  with  J.  C.  McCroden,  he  bought 
the  Jackson  County  Pilot,  which  was  published 
under  the  firm  name  of  King  &  McCroden  un- 
til November  10,  1900.  At  that  time  Mr. 
King  bought. his  partner's  interest  and  his  since 
been  sole  publisher.  He  publishes  the  only 
democratic  paper  in  Jackson  county  and  has 
made  the  Pilot  an  influential  agent  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  county. 

Mr.  ICing  was  appointed  deputy  oil  inspec- 
tor by  Governor  John  A.  Johnson  in  1903  and 
has  since  held  the  office.  For  four  years  be 
was  chairman  of  the  democratic  county  cen- 
tral commitee  and  he  was  a  member  of  his 
party's  state  central  committee  two  years.  He 
is  a  director  of  the  Jackson  Building  and  Loan 
association  and  is  treasurer  of  the  Jackson 
Library  board.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge. 

At  Mankato  on  June  19,  1907,  Mr.  King 
was  united  in  marriage  of  Miss  Lillian  F. 
Hurd,  a  native  of  Blue  Earth  county,  Minne- 
sota, and  a  daughter  of  Hiram  A.  and  Celes- 
tia  Hurd. 


WnXIAM  C.  BUCHMANN  (1881)  has  lived 
upon  his  present  farm  in  Petersburg  township 
nearly  twenty-nine  years.  He  is  a  German  by 
birth  .iiid  first  saw  the  light  of  day  Novem- 
ber 10,  1804,  being  the  son  of  William  and 
Amelia  (Hessler)  Buchmann,  both  deceased. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents 
ah  the  age  of  nine  years.  The  family  resided 
in  the  city  of  Chicago  three  months  and  then 
located  in  Wisconsin,  where  our  subject  lived 
eight  years. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1881.  Mr.  Buchmann 
came  to  Jackson  county.  He  bought  land  in 
PetersVmrg  and  for  the  first  few  years  made 
his  home  in  a  10x15  feet  shanty — and  one 
summer  four  families  lived  in  that.  Besides 
his  farming  operations,  he  engaged  in  the 
threshing  business  eleven  seasons,  having  been 
the  owner  of  two  horse  power  and  one  steam 


outfit.  Mr.  Buchmann  now  has  a  fine  farm  of 
240  acres  on  the  east  half  of  section  17,  im- 
proved with  a  large,  modern  house  and  a  good 
sized  basement  barn.  He  owns  stock  in  the 
Petersburg  Creamery  company  and  in  the  Jack- 
son Fair  association.  He  served  one  year  as 
supervisor  of  his  township,  five  years  as  town 
treasurer  and   ten  years   as  road  overseer. 

Mr.  Buchmann  was  married  November  28, 
1889,  to  Adeline  Wendelsdorf,  who  was  born 
December  2,  1873.  To  these  parents  have  been 
born  the  following  children:  Mary,  born  Oc- 
tober 11,  1891;  Arthur  H.,  born  September  26, 
1892;  Ernest  T.,  born  August  18,  1894;  Reuben 
P..  born  August  13,  1897,  died  March  10, 
1898;  Esther  R.,  born  August  5,  1900;  Addie 
E.,  born  January  22,  1903;  Ruth  E.,  born 
March  1,  1906.  Mr.  Buchmann  and  his  family 
are   members   of  the   Evangelical   church. 


MATHIAS  FEST  (1897)  owns  a  quarter  sec- 
tion farm  on  the  north  shore  of  Heron  lake, 
it  being  described  as  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  22,  Weimer  township.  He  was  born 
in  Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  October  7,  1865, 
and  is  of  German-Austrian  descent.  His 
fatlier,  .John  Fest,  came  to  America  from  the 
fatherland  when  fifteen  years  of  age  and  was 
married  in  Dubuque  county,  Wisconsin.  He 
died  in  1902  at  the  age  of  87  years.  The  mo- 
ther of  our  subject,  Mary  (Robinstein)  Fest, 
a  native  of  Austria,  now  resides  at  Cassville, 
Wisconsin.  Mathias  is  one  of  a  family  of  thir- 
teen childi'en,  of  whom  nine  are  living. 

During  the  first  twenty-three  years  of  his 
life  Mathias  Fest  lived  with  his  parents  in  his 
native  county;  then  he  took  a  position  as 
clerk  on  a  government  boat,  the  "General  Bar- 
nard," ]ilying  the  Jlississippi  river  between 
St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul,  and  was  so 
employed  two  years.  Between  that  time 
and  the  year  1897  he  engaged  in  farming^ — 
two  years  near  Cherokee,  Iowa,  two  years  in 
Charles  Jfix  county.  South  Dakota,  and  again 
two  years  near  Cherokee.  He  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1897,  rented  the  farm  he  now  owns 
two  years  and  then  bought  the  place.  He 
has  lived  on  the  farm  since  coming  to  the 
county.  He  raises  cattle  and  sheep  quite  ex- 
tensively, having  a  flock  of  300  sheep, 
and  makes  a  specialty  of  dairy  farming.  Mr. 
Fesf  was  a  supervisor  of  Weimer  township 
two  years  and  has  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  of  his  precinct  since  1899.    He  is  a  mem- 


530 


RTOnitAl'lIlCAL   lllSTOUY. 


IxT  of  the   Catholic   uhurrli  and   of   the   M.   W. 
A.  lodge. 

At  Hierokeo,  Iowa,  on  the  ninth  day  of 
February,  1893,  Mr.  I'est  was  married  to  Eliz- 
abeth Bauer.  She  is  a  ihiufjliter  of  Kred 
and  Mary  Bauer  and  was  l)orn  in  C'lierokee 
December  19,  1876.  Six  thlldren  have  been 
born  to  this  union:  Arthur,  Loretta,  Lucy, 
Mathias,  Joseph  and  Isabella. 


KKKD  W.  KIDNEY  (1872).  a  farmer  and 
horse  dealer  of  Middletown  township,  was  born 
on  the  farm  he  now  conducts  October  8,  1872, 
and  resided  on  that  farm  with  his  parents  un- 
til he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age.  When 
he  reached  his  majority  he  engaged  in  fann- 
ing for  hiniselt  tlircc  or  four  years. 

Mr.  Kidney  moved  to  Superior,  Iowa,  where 
he  conducted  a  barber  shop  for  a  time;  then 
lie  moved  to  South  Dakota,  where  he  resided 
eight  years.  Thereafter  for  a  time  he  traveled 
over  the  northwestern  states,  dealing  in 
horses.  In  1908  he  returned  to  his  native  county 
and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  the 
old  homestead,  besides  dealing  in  horses. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  .lackson  county,  Joshua  W.  and  Phoebe 
E.  (Randall)  Kidney,  born  respectively  in  Cat- 
taragus  county.  New  York,  and  Wisconsin. 
They  were  married  in  Wisconsin  and  soon  aft- 
erwards, in  the  early  sixties,  moved  to  Mason 
City,  Iowa.  They  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1869.  paid  $250  to  Nelson  Arms  for  a  relin- 
quishment to  his  homestead  claim — the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  28.  Middletown  town- 
ship.— engaged  in  farming  the  place  and  proved 
up  and  secured  title.  Nelson  .Vrms.  the  orig- 
inal claimant,  was  later  murdered  is  Mis- 
souri, together  with  his  wife  and  children 
and  a  man  named  Dickerson,  by  a  man  named 
Taii.sy.  Tausy  was  hung  for  his  crime  and  the 
rope  which  served  the  purpo.se  is  now  in  the 
possession  of  Mrs.  Olive  (Pearson)  .\Ilen,  whose 
hu.sband  was  a  relative  of  Arms.  Jushua  Kidney 
died  on  the  old  home  place  May  9,  1909,  aged 
78  years.  His  wife  died  in  Ellington,  South 
Dakota.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The  others 
are  Robert  IT.,  of  Jackson,  and  Fred  W..  of 
this  sketch. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Roberts  county. 
South  Dakota,  in  November,  1902,  to  Maggie 
Ness,  who  was  born  near  Sacred  Heart,  Min- 
ne.sota,  the  daughter  of  Ole  Ness.     Two  child- 


ren have  lieen  born  to  ilr.  and  Mrs.  Kidney,  as 


O.  K.  ELNESS  (1S7.3).  Christiania  township 
farmer,  has  lived  in  that  precinct  since  he  was 
one  year  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Ooodhuc 
county.  Minnesota,  December  3,  1871,  the  son 
of  EUing  and  Alan  EIness.  His  parents  were 
born  in  Norway  and  the  father  came  to  Am- 
erica in  186.')  or  1866.  He  took  a  homestead 
claim  in  Christiania  township  in  1870.  There 
he  resided  many  years;  now  he  lives  in  the 
stale  of  Washington.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject is  dead. 

Our  subject  came  to  Jackson  county  with 
his  parents  in  the  spring  of  1S73  and  has  ever 
since  lived  in  Christiania  township,  engaged  in 
farming,  carpenter  work  and  threshing.  Mr. 
EIness  owns  200  acres  of  land  on  section  17. 
He  has  stock  in  the  telephone  company  of 
Windom.  in  the  Cliristiania  Creamery  company 
and  in  the  store  at  Bergen.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men and  Sons  of  Norway  lodges.  He  served 
two  years  as  constable  of  Christiania  township. 

Mr.  EIness  was  married  Octol>er  H,  189.i, 
to  Betty  Ingebritson. '  They  are  the  parents  of 
three  children,  named  as  follows:  Edna,  born 
Augiist  8.  1897:  Irene,  born  April  2,  1900; 
Orplia.  born  February  ri.  1903. 


JOHN  (iUEIN  (1S91)  is  the  manager  of  the 
Lakefield  Tile  and  Drainage  company.  He 
was  born  in  Ilessen.  Germany.  March  10.  1869, 
the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Lapp)  Orein, 
both  of  whom  died  in  their  native  country. 
John  was  educated  in  his  native  country  and 
made  his  home  with  his  parents  until  1886. 
That  year  ho  came  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  LaSalle  county.  Hlinois.  One  year 
later  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Iroquois  coun- 
ty. Illinois,  when-  for  four  years  he  was  egi- 
phiycd  as  a   farm  hand. 

Ouring  the  time  he  was  working  in  Illinois, 
in  1S89.  Mr.  Orein  came  to  .lackson  county  and 
bought  an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land  in  Rost 
township.  In  1891  he  became  a  resident  of  the 
county  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home  here. 
During  the  first  year  he  worked  at  farm  work: 
then  he  married  and  engaged  in  farming  in 
Kost.  having  added  to  his  real  estate  holdings 
by  the  purchase  of  another  eighty  acre  tract. 
He  farmed  four  years  and  then  engaged  in  the 


BIOGKAnilCAL  IIISTOEY. 


531 


thn-sliing  business  four  years.  Moving  to  Lakc- 
tielcl,  lie  conducted  a  butcher  sliop  one  year, 
and  Uicn  sold  out  and  made  a  visit  to  Ger- 
many. Returninj,'  he  engaged  in  tlie  butcher 
business  a  sliort  lime,  and  for  two  years  prior 
to   1008  engaged  in   the  dredging  Inisiness. 

During  the  month  of  July,  1908,  Mr.  Grcin 
in  partnership  with  John  Frederickson  and  A. 
C.  Quivili  organized  the  Lakefield  Tile  and 
Drainage  company,  and  in  October  of  the  same 
year  the  company  was  incorporated  with  a 
capital  stock  of  .f!2.5,000.  Mr.  Quivili  is  presi- 
dent of  the  company,  ilr.  Frederickson  secre- 
taiy  and  Mr.  Ijrcin  is  treasurer  and  manager. 
It  is  the  largest  plant  of  the  kind  in  Jackson 
county  and  employs  ten  men.  The  plant  was 
started  in  July,  1009,  and  iioAv  manufactures 
cement  drain  tile,  building  blocks,  etc.  It  cov- 
ers an  area  of  60x1.50  feet  and  has  a  daily 
capacity  of  from  2.000  to  4.000  tile,  the  sizes 
manufactured  ranging  from  four  to  twenty-two 
inch.  There  is  a  ready  sale  for  the  product 
and  the  company  is  meeting  with  success.  A 
ditching  machine  is  also  owned  by  the  com- 
pany, utilized  to  cut  trenches  and  lay  the  tile. 
It  has  a  capacity  of  from  500  to  800  feet  per 
day.  according  to  the  size  of  the  tile  and  tlie 
depth   of   the   ditch. 

Mr.  Grein  was  married  in  Rost  township 
.Janiiary  11,  1892,  to  Miss  Anna  Schultz,  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  seven  children,  as  follows:  Henry,  Willie, 
Herman,  Lizzie,  Alonia.  Lilly  and  Mabel.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church,  of  which  Mr.  Grein  is  treasurer  and  one 
of  the  elders.  He  is  now  serving  his  second 
term  as  a  member  of  the  village  council. 


JOHN  G.  TJEPOLD  (1S7.5)  owns  a  quarter 
section  farm  in  LaCrosse  township,  a  few  miles 
northwest  of  Heron  Lake,  upon  which'  he  has 
lived  ail  except  the  first  three  months  of  his 
life.  He  was  born  in  Austria  ATay  9,  187-5, 
and  when  an  infant  in  arms  was  brought  by 
his  parents  to  the  ITnited  States  and  to  Jack- 
son county. 

The  parents  of  our  subject.  Franz  and  Bea- 
trice (Winkler)  Liepold,  came  from  the  old 
country  during  the  summer  of  1875  and  took 
as  a  homestead  claim  the  east  half  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  2.  LaCrosse  town- 
ship, upon  which  they  lived  until  the  year 
1901,  when  they  sold  the  homestead  to  their 
son  and  moved   to  Heron  Lake.     Mrs.  Liepold 


died  there  February  13,  1905,  at  the  age  of 
08  years.  Their  first  house  on  the  old  home- 
stead was  made  of  sun-burned  clay  with  a  hay 
thatched  roof.     It  still  stands  on  the  farm. 

•John  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  1901. 
Then  he  married  and,  purchasing  the  home 
]ilace,  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own  account, 
lie  also  owns  the  north  half  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  1.  Jlr.  Liepold  is  clerk 
of  school  district  No.  44  and  before  tak- 
ing that  position  held  the  office  of  director. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church  of 
Heron  Lake  and  of  the  Catholic  Order  of 
Foresters. 

Mr.  Liepold  was  married  in  LaCrosse  town- 
ship October  15,  1901,  to  Anna  Hedrick.  She 
was  born  in  Austria  March  5,  1878,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Frank  and  Anna  Hedrick,  of 
Graham  Lakes  township.  Nobles  county.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lie- 
pold,  namely:    Alphons.   Irene   and   Beatrice. 


.lOHN  L.  STEINER  (1888).  carpenter  and 
builder  of  Alpha,  has  resided  in  Jackson  county 
since  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  was 
born  in  Calumet  county,  AVisconsin,  April  4, 
1875.  the  son  of  Anton  and  Magdalen  (Born- 
lander)   Steiner. 

In  his  native  county  our  subject  lived  until 
he  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  Then  in  1888 
he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Jackson  county, 
and  until  he  was  of  age  lived  with  them  on  the 
farm  a  little  northeast  of  the  .Jackson  depot. 
Upon  reaching  his  majority  in  1896  he  worked 
one  year  on  a  farm  south  of  .Jackson  and  the 
next  year  on  a  farm  near  Mallard.  Iowa.  In 
1898  Mr.  Steiner  moved  to  the  little  town  of 
Alpha  and  engaged  in  carpenter  work,  which 
he  has  since  followed.  He  owns  property  in 
the  village  of  Alpha  and  eighty  acres  of  land 
in  St.  Louis  county.  Minnesota.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Catholic  church  of  .Tackson  and  of 
the   Catholic  Order  of   Foresters. 

Mr.  Steiner  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Gertie  Beekman,  of  Madelia.  To  them  have 
been  born  the  following  named  children:  Louis, 
born  December  14.  1904,  died  February  17, 
1905;  Herman  J.,  born  November  6,  1905; 
Bernard   L..  born   November   14.   1907. 


PAUL  IMOLDEN  (1892)  is  a  farmer  and  land- 
owner of  Delafield  township  residing  one'mile 
east   of   the   village   of  Wilder.     He   owns   the 


532 


BIOGKAPIIIC'AL  IITSTOKY. 


southwest  i|iiailiT  <>i  M'ctiiiii  0  and  fiiniis  200 
acres  of  rented  land   in  uddititin. 

Mr.  .Molden's  parents  were  II.  (I.  and  Mabel 
(Wal)  Molden.  botli  of  whom  died  in  Norway. 
Their  children  arc  (iilliort.  Paul  and  Chestie, 
of  whom  the  latter  lives  in  the  old  country. 
Paul  was  born  in  Norway  January  22,  1871. 
Until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age  he  lived 
with  his  parents  in  his  native  land,  assisting 
with  the  farm  work  and  attending  school.  lie 
came  to  America  in  1890,  lived  one  year  at 
Sioux  City,  Iowa,  one  year  in  Cottonwood  coun- 
ty, and  then  in  1892  came  to  Jackson  county. 
For  three  years  he  worked  out  as  a  farm  hand; 
then  he  bought  his  present  farm — at  the  time 
unimproved — and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
agricultural  jiursuits.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Xorwegian  Lutheran  church,  has  been  a  di- 
rector of  the  Wilder  public  schools  for  the 
past  six  years  and  has  been  road  overseer 
for  several  years. 

Mr.  Molden  was  married  in  Delafield  town- 
shop  October  25,  1894,  to  Tillie  Skinrud.  a 
daughter  of  Hans  and  Louisa  Skinrud,  pioneer 
settlers  of  Delafield  township.  She  was  born 
in  Delafield  December  11,  1876.  One  child,  ^la- 
bel L..  has  heen  born  to  this  union. 


FRKDERiCK  B.  FABER  (1895),  junior  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  Knox  &  Fabcr  of  .Jackson, 
is  a  native  of  Seymour,  Connecticut,  and  was 
born  January  13,  1805.  His  parents,  Jacob 
P.  and  Mary  C.  (Conde)  Faber.  were  natives 
of  Germany,  but  come  to  the  United  States 
when  young  and  were  married  in  Seymour, 
Connecticut.  His  father  died  in  that  New  Eng- 
land  town:    his  mother  still   resides  there. 

Frederick  B.  Faber  grew  to  manhood  in 
Connecticut.  In  18S9  he  was  graduated  from 
the  Wesleyan  university  at  Middlctown,  Con- 
necticut, and  later  from  the  Minnesota  Law- 
school.  In  1895  he  moved  to  Jackson  and  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  and  five 
years  later  formed  a  partnership  with  T.  J. 
Knox. 

On  June  27.  1900.  Mr.  Fabcr  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Bertha  S.  Meyer,  of  Wabasha.' 
Minnesota,  and  to  them  have  been  born  two 
children:  Henrietta  and  Russell  C.  Mr.  Fabcr 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America  lodges. 

AUGUSTUS  TALL:\[AN  (1884),  in  partner- 
ship with   his  brother  Donald  Tallman,  farms 


440  acres  01  land  on  section  10,  Jleron  Lake 
townsliip— land  owned  by  their  father,  who  re- 
sides in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa. 

Augustus  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  three 
chihlrcn  born  to'N.  H.  and  Rhoda  N.  (Pollock) 
Taliinan.  He  was  born  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa, 
July  It!,  1880,  and  came  to  Jackson  county 
with  his  parents  in  1884.  His  father  bought 
the  north  half  of  the  north  half  of  section  10, 
Heron  Lake  township,  and  upon  that  farm 
our  subject  was  brotight  up.  With  the  exception 
of  three  years  spent  as  an  engineer  in  a  flouring 
mill  at  Jasper,  Minnesota,  Augustus  has  made 
his  home  on  that  farm  ever  since  coming  to 
the  county.  He  worked  fur  his  father  until 
1905,  when  they  moved  back  to  their  old  home 
in  Cedar  Rapids.  I^ince  then  Augustus  and 
Diuiald  Tallman  have  farmed  the  home  place. 
In  the  spring  of  1909  the  elder  Tallman  bought 
the  other  property  on  section  10  and  the  boys 
farm  that  also.  X.  H.  and  Rhoda  Tallman 
are  natives  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  respectively. 
Tliey  located  in  Cedar  Rapids  in  an  early  day. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Jackson  coimty 
February  17,  1904,  to  Ida  Mar<]uardt,  who 
was  born  in  Illinois  February  17,  1880.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  the  late  Lewis  Marquardt 
and  Minnie  (Hasse)  Marquardt,  who  lives  in 
Liikefield.  Three  daughters  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tallman:  Gertrude,  born 
July  31,  1905:  Kdna,  born  March  8,  1907: 
Doris,  born  November  9,  1908.  Mr.  Tallman  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  \V.  A.  lodge. ' 

Donald  Tallman.  a  brother  and  partner  of 
.\uguslus  Tallman.  was  born  in  Cedar 
Rapids,  Iowa,  January  27,  1882.  He  has  lived 
in  Jackson  county  since  his  second  birthday, 
securing  an  education  in  the  district  schools, 
brother  rented  the  home  place  and  began  farm- 
brother  rented  the  home  place  and  began  farm- 
ing on  t'lcir  own  a<'<i>unt. 


FDWARD  MILBRATH  (1883)  in  a  West 
Heron  Ijike  township  farmer  and  the  manager 
of  tlic  Okabena  creamery.  He  was  born  on 
his  father's  homestead  in  Rost  township,  Jack- 
son county.  May  7,  1883,  the  eldest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  five  living  children.  His  father.  Fer- 
dinand Jlilbrath.  was  born  in  Germany  and 
canu'  to  America  when  fourteen  years  of  age. 
lie  lived  in  Wisconsin  and  Fillmore  county, 
Minnesota,  before  locating  in  Jackson  county. 
Upon  his  arrival  to  Jackson  county  he  took 
a  homestead  <laim  in  Rost  township,  where  he 


BIOGRxVrillCAL  HISTORY. 


533 


has  ever  since  lived.  Tlie  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, Matilda  (Meisterf  Milbrath,  was  born  in 
Wisconsin. 

Edward  grew  to  maiiliond  in  Rest  township, 
making  his  home  with  his  parents.  AVhen  a 
young  man  he  left  home  and  located  in  Lake- 
field,  where  he  clerked  in  a  hardware  store  three 
years.  The  next  three  years  were  spent  clerk- 
ing in  a  hardware  store  in  Okabena,  and  tlien, 
in  1C04,  ho  bought  his  present  160  acre  farm 
adjoining  the  Okabena  townsite.  He  has  made 
all  the  improvements  on  the  place  and  has  a 
fine   home. 

Mr.  ;MilIirath  has  stock  in  the  bank  at  Oka- 
bena and  in  the  elevator  and  ci-eamery  of  the 
same  village,  being  the  manager  of  the  last 
named  institution.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church.  For  four  years  he 
was  justice  of  the  peace  in  West  Heron  Lake 
township  and  he  is  now  one  of  the  directors 
of  school  district  No.  57. 

In  Heron  Lake  township  on  September  24, 
1905;  Mr.  Milbrath  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Emma  Malchow,  She  is  a  daughter  of  C.  F. 
W.  Malchow  and  was  born  in  Jackson  county 
September  22,  1883. 


15ERT  WILLFORD  (1890)  is  a  Hunter 
townsliip  farmer  residing  two  and  one-lialf 
miles  southeast  of  Lakefield.  He  is  a  native 
of  Cottonwood  county  and  was  born  October 
13,  1871,  the  son  of  John  and  Nancy  (Allison) 
Willford.  His  father  was  born  in  Ohio  Jan- 
uary 2,  1824,  and  died  September  20,  1881;  his 
mother  was  born  in  Illiiiois  May  5,  1828,  and 
died  May  IS,  1892.  They  were  the  parents  of 
eleven  children,  of  whom  Bert  was  the  young- 
est. 

Wlion  our  subject  was  five  years  of  age  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Colorado,  and  that 
state  was  his  home  seven  years.  He  then  took 
up  his  residence  in  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  where 
he  lived  until  he  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1890,  Since  his  arrival  here  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming,  having  rented  the  farm  on 
section  two.  Hunter,  where  he  now  lives,  in 
the  spring  of  1909.  Wliile  a  resident  of  Des 
Moines  township  Mr,  Willford  served  four 
years  as  clerk  of  school  district  No,  7  and 
for  six  years  he  was  constable  of  his  precinct. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  M,  W,  A,  lodge, 

Mr.  Willford  was  married  at  Jackson  March 
25.  1894,  to  Emmogene  Wood,  a  native  of 
Hamilton,  Fillmore   county,  Minnesota,   and   a 


daughter  of  J,  H,  Wood,  of  Des  Moines  town- 
ship. To  Mr,  and  Mrs.  Willford  have  been 
horn  seven  children,  named  as  follows:  John 
G.,  born  April  23,  1895;  Elmer  R,,  born  No- 
vember 9,  1896;  Arthur  C,  born  August  5, 
1899;  Isabelle  G.,  born  July  3,  1901;  Donald 
A,,  born  April  4,  1906;  Vernon  L,,  bom  Jan- 
uary 22,  1909;  Violet  V,,  born  January  22, 
1909, 


THOMAS  KULSETH  (1879),  of  Christiania 
township,  was  born  in  Norway  October  29, 
1828,  the  son  of  John  and  Betsy  (Thompson) 
Thompson,  of  whom  the  former  died  at  the  age 
of  65,  the  latter  at  the  age  of  97,  Thomas 
received  a  common  school  education  and  after 
growing  up  engaged  in  farming.  He  lived  in 
Norway  over  fifty  years,  and  then  came  to 
America  in  the  spring  of  1879  and  located  in 
Christiania  township,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided.  He  owns  160  acres  of  land  on  section 
26. 

Mr.  Kulseth  was  married  in  1851  to  Ger- 
trude Pauls.  To  them  have  been  born  seven 
daughters  and  one  son,  named  as  follows: 
Julia  (Mrs.  Anton  Berge),  of  North  Dakota; 
Bessie  (Mrs.  Peter  Hofl'land),  of  JeflFers,  Min- 
nesota; Carrie  (Mrs,  Peter  Borsgard),  of  Chris- 
tiania; Sarah  (Mrs.  Ludwig  Ehern),  of  Chris- 
tiania; Bessie  (Mrs,  Albert  Jacobson),  of 
Christiania;  Lena  (Mrs,  Paul  Olson),  deceased; 
Mary  (Mrs,  John  Hamm),  of  Christiania;  John, 
of  Christiania.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 


CHARLIE  PETERSON  (1880),  who  is  en- 
gaged in  the  restaurant  business  at  Jackson, 
is  a  Jackson  county  boy,  having  resided  here 
since  he  was  a  boy  five  years  of  age.  He  is 
the  son  of  the  late  John  Peterson  and  Sophia 
Peterson.  The  former  died  in  1906  at  the  age 
of  67  years;  the  latter  lives  in  Jackson.  To 
tliese  parents,  in  Christiania,  Norway,  Charlie 
Peterson  was  born  October  29,  1875. 

In  1880  the  family  emigrated  to  America 
and  came  direct  to  Jackson  county,  locating  in 
Enterprise  township.  One  year  later  the  fam- 
ily home  was  made  in  Jackson  and  our  sub- 
ject has  been  a  resident  of  that  village  ever 
since.  He  was  educated  in  the  Jackson  schools 
and  then  began  clerking.  In  1898  he  and  his 
brother,  Julius,  went  into  the  general  mer- 
chandise   business    at    Lakefield,    which    they 


534 


BTOCiHAlMIICAL  HISTORY. 


cuiitiiiueil  one  yoiir.  Cliailic  ciilistod  in  com- 
pany II  (\Vortliinf,'ton),  of  the  Kifleeiitli  Min- 
nesota Volunteer  infantry,  on  July  5,  1898, 
at  the  time  of  tlie  Spanish-American  war,  and 
served  in  the  army  until  tlie  muster  out  of  tlie 
regiment  on  March  2",  18'J9.  He  was  stationed 
with  his  icginient  at  Camps  Kamsey  and  SncU- 
ing  (St.  I'aul,  Minnesota),  Camp  Meade  (Har- 
risburg.  Pa.),  and  Camp  McKenzie  (Augusta, 
C!a.)  The  regiment  did  not  see  service  at  the 
front.  In  1908  Jlr.  Peterson  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  James  Shay  and  purchased  the  res- 
taurant of  Albert  Jackson,  wliicli  tlie  partners 
conducted  until  tlic  spring  of  1909.  At  tliat 
time  .Mr.  Peterson  purchased  his  partner's  in- 
terests and  has  since  conducted  the  business 
alone.  He  has  built  up  an  excellent  trade  and 
is  doing  a  prosperous  business. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  married  at  Slierburn,  Min- 
nesota, May  4,  1908,  to  Minnie  Schwager,  a 
native  of  Martin  county.  To  this  union  has 
been  born  one  child,  Ronald.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peterson  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 


MIKK  WIIISNKY  (1891),  of  Des  Moines 
township,  is  a  native  of  Slovis,  Austria,  and 
he  was  born  November  25,  IStia,  the  son  of  An- 
drew and  Mary  (Zepi)  Wliisney.  The  first 
si.xteen  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  his  na- 
tive land,  attending  school  and  working  for 
his  parents  on  the  farm.  He  came  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  in  1881  to  make  his  fortune  in  the 
new  world,  his  earthly  possessions  at  the  time 
of   his   arrival  being  a   five   cent   piece. 

Mr.  Whisney  worked  as  a  teamster  a  few 
nuuilhs  in  llazcltown,  Pennsylvania,  drove  a 
(iiuii  in  a  stone  quarry  a  couple  of  years  at 
Marble  Head,  Illinois,  was  in  Chicago  a  few 
niniidis,  worked  in  the  coal  mines  of  Streator, 
Illinois,  for  a  time,  worked  as  a  farm  hand 
near  Sibley,  Iowa,  several  years,  and  again 
took  up  his  residence  in  Streator  for  a  short 
time.  He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1891 
ami  with  the  savings  of  former  years  bought 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  30,  Des 
Moines  township,  and  began  farming.  Later 
he  added  to  his  holdings  until  today  he  ha" 
a  fine  farm  of  20G  acres,  all  of  the  improve- 
ments upon  which  he  has  made.  The  boy 
who  landed  in  America  twenty-eight  years  ago 
has  prospered.  He  is  vice  president  of  the  Des 
Moines-IIunter  Telephone  company,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  district  No.  11,  and 
has  served  six  years  as  load  overseer. 


Mr.  Whisney  was  married  at  Streator,  Hli- 
nois,  May  10,  1887,  to  .\nnie  Riko,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Austria.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
children,  named  as  follows:  John,  Joseph, 
Mary,  Julia,  Mike  and  Lawrence.  The  family 
me  members  of  the  Lutheran  church  and  Mr. 
Whisney  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


HENRY  F.  POIU.MAN  (1884)  is  one  of 
Jackson  county's  successful  farmers,  having  a 
fine  home  on  the  east  shore  of  Heron  lake  in 
Heron  Lake  and  Weimer  townships,  where  he 
owns  ICti  acres.  He  was  born  April  29,  1873, 
in  kreis  Minden,  Holtzhausen,  Westfallen,  Ger- 
many, son  of  the  late  Carl  Pohlman  and  Chris- 
tina  (Gieselnian)   Pohlman. 

Until  lie  was  eleven  y^-ars  of  age  Henry 
lived  in  his  native  land.  In  1884  lie  accom- 
panied the  family  to  America,  arriving  in  the 
little  village  of  Livkefield  on  March  24.  The 
head  of  the  family  bought  a  farm  on  section 
8.  Heron  Lake  township,  and  that  was  the 
home  of  our  subject  seven  years.  Thereafter 
until  his  marriage  in  1897  he  lived  with  his 
parents  on  section  2,  West  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship. He  received  an  education  in  the  district 
schools  and  in  the  German  school  of  Delafield 
township.  After  his  marriage  in  1897  Mr. 
Pohlman  moved  onto  his  present  farm,  which 
he  had  bought  two  years  before,  and  upon 
that  farm  he  has  ever  since  made  his  home. 
He  has  made  all  the  improvements  on  the 
farm. 

In  addition  to  his  farming  operations  Mr. 
Pohlman  has  other  business  interests.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  Farmers  Klevator  company 
of  Lakefield.  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Lakefield,  in  the  Jackson  County  Cooperative 
company's  store  at  Lakefield  and  in  the  Sontng 
Lumber  company  of  Heron  Lake.  Resides  his 
home  farm  Mr.  Pohlman  owns  a  half  interest 
in  a  half  section  farm  in  Criggs  county.  North 
Dakota.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Pohlman  was  married  in  Heron  Lake 
township  June  7,  1897,  to  Alvina  Malchow, 
who  was  born  in  Heron  Lake  township  April 
II,  1877,  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  C.  F.  \V. 
and  Augusta  (Kietzer)  Malchow.  of  Lakefield. 
To  Mr.  an<l  Mrs.  Pohlman  have  been  born 
the  following  named  four  children:  Louisa, 
born  May  7,  1898;  Kmil,  born  July  l.">,  1902; 
Arnold,  born  May  5,  1904;  Esther,  born  Sep- 
tember 13,  1906. 


,  thenewyorF 


**TOS,  L£r«:X  A<M 
TH.OEN  fOUNO*TB«^ 


F.  E.  MALCIIOW 
A  Wilder  Business  Man. 


WILLIAM  G.   MALCHOW 
Cashier  of  the  Farmers  State  Bank,  Wilder. 


SAMUEL  L.  RANK 
Postmaster  of  Wilder. 


LOUIS  KIESEL 
A  Jackson  Business  Man. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IllSTOKY. 


535 


JESS  A.  HOLM  (1890)  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Wisconsin  township  and 
lias  been  a  resident  of  the  county  twenty 
years.  He  is  of  .Danish  birtli  and  first  saw 
the  light  of  day  July  18,  1863.  He  is  the  only 
child  of  the  late  Peter  Holm  and  Annie  (Scott) 
Holm.  His  father  died  in  Jackson  December 
14,  1905,  aged  68  years.  His  mother  makes 
her  liome  with  her  son  and  is  75  years  of  age. 

Jess  received  his  education  in  Denmark  and 
spent  the  first  seventeen  years  of  his  life  in 
his  native  land,  residing  with  his  parents.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  in 
1S80  and  located  at  Burlington,  Iowa.  From 
the  time  of  his  arrival  until  1890  he  worked  in 
the  sliops  of  the  Cliicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
railroad.  In  the  last  named  year  he  came  to 
Minnesota,  and,  after  living  si.x  months  in 
!Martin  county,  became  a  resident  of  Jackson 
county.  Witli  the  exception  of  three  years, 
when  he  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Enter- 
prise township,  Mr.  Holm  has  resided  upon 
his  present  farm  ever  since  coming  to  the 
county.  He  farms  585  acres  of  land,  raises 
considerable  stock  and  milks  twenty-five  cows. 
He  is  also  quite  an  extensive  hay  dealer,  ship- 
ping from  twelve  to  fifteen  cars  annually. 

j\lr.  Holm  was  married  at  Burlington,  Iowa, 
October  10,  1884,  to  Amanda  Selburg,  a  na- 
tive of  Keokuk,  Iowa.  Her  parents  were  both 
natives  of  Sweden  and  both  are  dead.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Holm  are  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren: Emma,  born  June  21,  1886;  Hans,  born 
August  20,  1888;  Nellie,  born  April  12,  1890; 
Bennie,  born  January  24,  1892.  Mr.  Holm  is  a 
member  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood  lodge  and 
for  tlio  past  four  years  has  been  treasurer  of 
school  district  No.   14. 


IX)UIS  L.  JOHNSON  (1901),  assistant  cash- 
ier of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Jackson,  was 
born  in  Burr  Oak,  Kansas,  October  6,  1879,  a 
son  of  Bennet  H.  and  Martha  (Moore)  John- 
son, natives  of  Connecticut  and  Vermont,  re- 
spectively. These  parents  were  among  the 
very  early  settlers  of  Jackson  county,  having 
come  here  from  Sauk  county,  Wisconsin,  in 
1865.  They  homesteaded  in  Wisconsin  town- 
ship, where  they  resided  until  1873.  That 
year  the  family  moved  to  Kansas,  which  was 
the  family  home  until  recent  years,  when  B. 
H.  Johnson  and  family  again  became  residents 
of  Jackson  county. 

Louis    grew    to    manhood   in    the    Simflower 


state.  He  was  educated  in  the  Burr  Oak  pub- 
lic schools  and  in  the  Kansas  Wesleyan  Busi- 
ness college.  After  his  graduation  from  the 
business  college  Mr.  Johnson  entered  the  Jew- 
ell County  National  Bank,  where  he  was  em- 
plojed  as  a  clerk  until  he  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1901.  He  located  in  Jackson  and 
took  the  position  of  assistant  cashier  in  the 
First  National  Bank,  which  he  has  since  held. 
Mr.  Johnson  was  married  at  Burr  Oak,  Kan- 
sas, June  20,  1907,  to  Ethel  Olney,  a  native  of 
that  place  and  a  daughter  of  A.  N.  and  Lida 
Olney.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic ami  Woodmen  lodges.  He  owns  a  home 
in   the  city. 


LEONARD  ACKERMAN  (1903)  is  a  Rost 
township  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  July  3,  1874,  one  of  a  family 
of  seven  children  born  to  Hiram  and  Rempke 
(Leenderas)  Ackerman.  His  parents  were  of 
German  birth  and  came  to  America  in  1854. 
They  lived,  respectively,  near  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, in  Adams  county,  Illinois,  and  in  Liv- 
ingston county,  of  the  same  state.  His  father 
now  resides  in  that  county  and  is  87  years  of 
age.     His  mother  died  in  1884. 

Leonard  spent  nearly  his  entire  life  in  Liv- 
ingston county,  Illinois,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  district  schools  and  working  for  his 
father  until  nineteen  years  of  age.  At  that 
age  he  took  the  management  of  his  father's 
farm  and  conducted  it  until  the  year  1903. 
That  year  he  came  to  Jackson  county  and 
located  upon  his  present  farm  in  Rost  town- 
ship— the  southeast  quarter  of  section  10. 

jNlr.  Ackerman  was  married  in  Livingston 
county,  Illinois,  February  20,  1895,  to  Dorothea 
Tk  Post.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Albert  J. 
Post  and  was  born  in  the  county  in  wliich  she 
was  married.  Seven  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ackerman,  as  follows:  Harm, 
Albert,  Reinhard,  Theodor,  Frances,  Paulus 
and  Annie.  Mr.  Ackerman  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  of  his  precinct  during  1906  and  1907. 


F.  E.  MALCHOW  (1877)  is  the  manager  of 
the  implement  business  of  Malchow  Brothers 
(if  AVihler.  He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Chris- 
tine (Kilen)  Malchow.  During  the  hard  times 
of  the  seventies  Charles  Malchow  and  family, 
who  had  settled  in  Heron  Lake  township  in 
an    early    day,    were    obliged    to    temporarily 


536 


BiO(;i;AiMiir.\L  insTOitY 


abandon  the  farm  and  seek  employment  at 
-Mankato.  It  was  during  a  leniporary  resi- 
denoe  in  that  town,  on  tlic  lUlli  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1ST7,  that  F.  E.  Maleliow  of  this  skeleli 
was  born.  Tlie  family  returned  to  the  farm 
in  Heron  Lake  township  the  year  of  his  birth. 

Our  subject  grew  to  manhood  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  county.  After  completing  the 
course  of  study  furnished  in  the  country  school 
he  attended  the  Brcck  school  at  Wilder  two 
years,  lie  made  his  home  on  his  father's  farm 
until  seventeen  years  of  age.  The  next  five 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  Windom,  in  the 
employ  of  a  Windom  merchant.  Returning  to 
Wilder,  he  worked  at  the  grain  business  sever- 
al years — one  and  one-half  years  for  C.  W. 
i:illrtm,  one  year  for  the  Citizens  Klcvator  com- 
jiany,  and  then  for  Thorn  &  Chrislcnscn  until 
Auj;nst.    1907. 

In  1907  Mr.  ilalehow  went  to  Lincoln  coun- 
ty, Colorado,  where  he  took  a  homestead  and 
resided  one  year.  He  and  his  brother,  J.  C. 
JIalchow,  are  now  tlie  owners  of  a  stock  and 
dairy  farm  in  that  county.  Keturning  to 
Wilder  in  1908,  Mr.  Malcbow  took  the  man- 
agement of  the  implement  liouse  of  Malchow 
Brothers  and  has  been  engaged  in  that  busi- 
ness since.  The  firm  of  which  he  is  now  the 
manager  was  organized  May  1,  190"),  his  part- 
ner being  J.  C.  .Malchow. 

Mr.  Malchow  was  married  at  Wahpeton, 
North  Dakota,  January  16,  1001,  to  Stella 
Wellington,  a  native  of  Wisconsin  and  a 
daughter  of  S.  A.  Wellington.  The  hitter,  who 
now  lives  in  Windom,  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil 
war  and  an  ex-prisoner  of  Andersonville  and 
Libby  piisons.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Malchow  have 
been  born  two  children:  Althca  W.,  born 
September  4,  1905,  and  Saniucl  Byron,  born 
March  10,  1909.  >Ir.  Malchow  served  as  presi- 
dent of  the  Wilder  village  council  several  years 
and  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  education 
three  years.  He  is  a  mcmlier  of  the  M.  W.  A. 
lodge. 


ROLLEX  W.  LIVKN'C.OOn  (1902),  manager 
and  owner  of  the  Jackson  Plan  sifter  flouring 
mill,  has  not  been  a  resident  of  Jackson  coun- 
ty a  great  many  years,  but  he  was  born  in 
the  neighboring  county  of  Martin.  The  date 
of  his  birth  was  April  30,  1873,  and  he  is  the 
son  of  R.  F.  and  Ophelia  (Fallett)  Livengood, 
natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York  state. 


respectively.  The  fatlier  came  to  Fillmore 
county,  Minnesota,  when  .seven  years  of  age. 
He  is  now  living  and  is  02  years  old.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  is  living  at  the  age  of 
GO  years.  Rollen  is  one  of  a  family  of  four 
children,  his  brothers  and  sister  being  Fred  K., 
John  S.  and  Nellie  V. 

Rollen  grew  to  manhood  in  Martin  county 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
.'■^herburn  and  Fairmont.  Until  he  was  six- 
teen years  of  age  he  lived  at  home  and  as- 
sisted with  the  work  in  his  father's  flouring 
mill  at  Fairmont.  He  then  set  out  in  life  for 
himself,  working  from  that  time  until  1902  in 
flouring  mills  in  difl°crent  parts  of  this  state 
and  at  Kgan.  South  Dakota,  where  he  was  for 
one  and  onclialf  yea»s.  In  19(V2  he  moved  to 
Jackson  and  bought  a  half  interest  in  the 
flouring  mill  at  that  point,  his  father  being 
the  owner  of  the  other  half  interest.  In  the 
summer  of  1909  he  purchased  his  father's  in- 
terest and  is  now  sole  owner.  The  mill  is  one 
of  the  town's  important  industries.  Mr.  Liven- 
good  manufactures  flour  and  feed  and  deals  in 
fuel.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge 
and  holds  the  otTice  of  past  grand  in  that  in- 
stitution. 

Mr.  Livengood  was  married  at  Fairmont  on 
Christmas  day,  1891,  to  Mary  Youmans,  a  na- 
tive of  Martin  county  and  a  daughter  of  Levi 
and  Samantha  Voumans,  both  deceased.  To 
Jlr.  and  Mrs.  Livengood  has  been  born  one 
child,  E.  Jay  Livengood,  born  May  12,  1893. 


JOSEPH  H.XYOSTEK  (1897).  Hunter  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  in  Hungary  in  March, 
1801,  the  son  of  Matt  and  Mary  Hayostek, 
both  of  whom  died  in  their  native  land. 

Jo.seph  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  lived 
in  Hungary  until  1886.  That  year  he  emi- 
grated to  America  and  for  the  next  eleven 
yi-ars  was  employed  at  railroad  work  and  in 
factories  in  Elk  and  other  counties  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  in  Ohio.  lie  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1897,  bought  a  farm  on  section  33, 
Hunter  township,  lived  there  four  years,  and 
then  bought  his  present  farm,  the  southeast 
i|narter  of  section  32,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  is  a  director  of  school  district  No. 
113. 

Mr.  Hayostek  was  married  in  Youngstown, 
Ohio,  in  1886,  to  Mary  Buday,  who  died  in 
;\Iarch,   1892.     As  a  result  of  this  union  three 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


children  were  born,  named  as  follows:  Steve, 
Mary,  Annie.  The  second  marriage  of  Mr. 
Hayostek  occurred  in  Klk  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  November,  1892,  when  he  wedded  An- 
nie Kubis.  Three  sons  have  been  born  to  this 
marriage,  as  follows:  Frank,  Mike  and  Jo- 
seph. 


WILLIAM  A.  McQUILLIN  (1872),  of  Middle- 
town  township,  lias  been  a  resident  of  the 
county  since  he  was  tliree  years  of  age.  He 
owns  the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  30,  Middletown,  and  farms  a  rented 
quarter  section  in  addition. 

Mr.  McQuillin  is  a  native  of  Hamilton,  Fill- 
more county,  Minnesota;  and  was  born  August 
15,  1869,  the  son  of  Ezra  L.  and  Annie  (Waite) 
McQuillin.  When  he  was  three  years  of  age 
he  moved  with  the  family  to  Jackson  county. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  four  years  of 
Kge,  and  thereafter  he  made  his  home  with  his 
grandparents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  C.  Waite. 
He  was  educated  in  the  country  schools  of 
Minneota  township  and  took  a  two  years' 
course  in  Pillsbury  academy.  Until  eleven 
years  ago  William  made  liis  Iiome  with  his 
grandparents  on  section  36,  Minneota.  Then 
his  grandfather  sold  the  Minneota  property 
and  bought  the  farm  which  our  subject  now 
owns.  After  reaching  his  majority,  Mr.  Mc- 
Quillin worked  for  his  grandfather  on  the 
farm  for  wages,  and  after  the  latter's  death, 
three  years  ago,  he  inherited  the  property  and 
has  since  made  his  home  there. 

Mr.  McQuillin  was  married  at  Spirit  Lake, 
Iowa,  April  2,  1902,  to  Miss  May  Farmer,  a 
native  of  Dickinson  county.  To  them  have 
been  born  three  children,  as  follows:  Vera, 
Geraldine  and  a  baby  girl. 

Our  subject  holds  the  office  of  clerk  of 
school  district  No.  12  and  has  served  as  con- 
stable and  school  treasurer.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church  of  Loon  Lake. 

JOHN  QUALEY  (1888),  wagon  maker  of 
Jackson,  was  born  in  Norway  May  31.  1866, 
one  of  a  family  of  four  children  born  to  Svend 
and  Martha  (Larson)  Qualey,  who  still  make 
their  home  in  their  native  land. 

.John  Qualey  was  brought  up  in  the  home 
of  his  grandparents,  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Norway  and  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1888,  coming  direct  to  Jackson.     For 


three  years  he  worked  at  odd  jobs.  He  took 
a  position  in  0.  A.  Sathe's  wagon  shop  in  18P1 
and  continued  in  that  gentleman's  employ, 
with  the  exception  of  one  year,  until  October, 
1907.  Then  he  purchased  the  shop  and  has 
since  conducted  it.  In  addition  to  this  busi- 
ness he  is  secretary  of  the  Jackson  Building 
and  Loan  association.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church  and  of  the  A.  0.  U.  W.  and 
Sons  of  Norway  lodges. 

Mr.  Qualey  was  married  in  Jackson  January 
17,  1897,  to  Anna  Lee,^  who  was  born  in  Nor- 
way and  who  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1888.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Qualey  have  been  born 
three  children:  Martha  J.,  Albert  C.  and 
Tliorina  B. . 


SIEBEND  H.  SAATHOFF  (1890)  owns  and 
farms  120  acres  on  section  28,  Wisconsin  town- 
ship. He  is  a  native  German  and  was 
born  Septtmlx'r  U),  1870.  His  father,  Heie 
Saathoff,  came  to  America  in  1882  and  settled 
in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  where  he  died  the 
following  year.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
Annie  (Wioltzen)  Saathoff,  resided  in  Illinois 
until  1890,  when  she  and  her  sons  moved  to 
.lackson  county, 

Siebend  came  to  America  with  his  parents 
in  1882  and  to  Jackson  county  with  his  moth- 
er in  1890.  He  rented  the  farm  upon  which 
he  now  lives,  farmed  it  twelve  years,  and  then 
bought  it.  Upon  his  arrival  he  had  bought  an 
eighty  acre  tract  on  section  27,  which  he  rent- 
ed, and  sold  that  three  years  ago,  and  bouglit 
the  forty  acre  tract  on  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  28,  He  has  made  all  the  improve- 
ments now  on  his  farm,  including  the  grovi\ 
Siebend  is  the  youngest  of  three  brothers,  the 
other  two  of  whom,  Henry  and  Heie,  own 
land  and  reside  in  the  same  precinct,  Mr. 
Saathoff  is  treasurer  of  the  Des  Moines  Ger- 
man Mutual  Fire  and  Lightning  Insurance 
company  of  Jackson  and  Martin  counties,  an 
office  he  has  held  for  the  last  seven  years.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church, 

Mr,  Saathoff  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
February  27,  1897,  to  Augusta  Werner,  a  na- 
tive of  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Mr, 
and  Mrs,  August  Werner,  of  Petersburg  town- 
ship. Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Saathoff.  namely,  Henry,  born  November 
28,  1898;  Emma,  born  March  15,  1900;  Albert, 


33 


538 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IIISTOIIY. 


l)orn  January  24,  1903;   ]:^die,   born  December 
7,   1905;    Clara,  born  November  27,   1908. 


MARTIN"  B.  UOFSTAD  (1881)  is  a  Delafield 
township  farmer  residing  only  a  sliort  distance 
from  Windom.  lie  was  born  in  Xorway  Jan- 
uary 3,  1802,  the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Ingar 
(Houghdal)  Uofstad  and  one  of  a  family  of 
five  boys  and  two  girls.  The  father  of  our 
subject  died  in  Xorway  December  17,  1892, 
aged  82  years;  his  mother  lives  in  the  old  coun- 
try and  is  80  years  of  age. 

Martin  came  to  America  and  to  Jackson 
county  in  1S81  when  nineteen  years  of  age. 
For  several  years  he  worked  for  farmers  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  present  home  and  then  he 
spent  several  years  in  Minneapolis  and  in 
the  northern  pineries.  He  spent  one  year  in 
Alaska,  and  returning  to  the  states,  again 
came  to  Jackson  county.  He  conducted  a  res- 
taurant in  Lakefield  four  years  and  then  lo- 
cated on  his  present  place  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming.  His  farm  consists  of  160 
acres   on   section   2. 

Mr.  Hofstad  was  married  in  Delafield  town- 
ship December  4,  1898,  to  Albertina  Olson  Sax- 
haug,  daughter  of  Claus  Olson  Saxhaug,  who 
homesteaded  the  farm  upon  which  Mr.  Hofstad 
now  resides  in  1870  and  resided  there  until  his 
death  December  25,  1885.  Mrs.  Hofstad  was 
born  in  Norway  June  23,  1864,  and  came  to 
the  United  Slates  wlien  two  years  of  age.  Mr. 
and  ^Irs.  Hofstad  have  no  children  of  their 
own,  but  they  have  an  adopted  daughter, 
Mariah,  born  October  16,  1896. 

Mr.  Hofstad  is  a  member  of  tlie  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.,  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Maccabcc  lodges 
and   the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 


MARTIN  ARNDT  (1896)  is  a  farmer  and 
landowner  of  Dcs  Moines  township,  having  a  fine 
home  on  section  31.  He  owns  the  southeast 
quarter  of  that  section  and  the  west  half  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  29.  He  is  a 
native  of  Germany  and  was  born  October  18, 
1861,  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  five  children 
born  to  Anton  and  Rosa  (Kanthack)  Arndt, 
both  deceased. 

The  first  twenty-three  years  of  the  life  of 
our  subject  were  spent  in  his  native  land.  He 
attended  school  and  worked  for  his  parents 
and  spn'cd  two  years  in  the  German  army.  In 
1884   lie   camp   to  America,  worked  on  a  farm 


near  Milbank,  South  Dakota,  until  the  next 
spiiiig,  and  then  located  at  Fairmont,  Minne- 
sota. He  resided  there  two  years,  working  as 
a  farm  hand  one  year  and  on  the  railroad  one 
year.  He  worked  on  the  railroad  at  Huntley, 
Minnesota,  four  years  and  then  rented  a  farm 
in  Faribault  county,  which  he  conducted  until 
1890.  That  year  he  came  to  Jackson  county 
and  located  upon  his  farm  in  Des  Moines 
township,  which  he  had  bought  before  coming 
tu  reside  permanently.  Later  he  bought  his 
other  farm  land  on  section  29. 

Mr.  Arndt  was  married  at  Fairmont,  Min- 
nesota, February  14,  1886,  to  Susana  Wiacor- 
ack,  who  was  bom  in  Germany  and  who  died 
October  6,  1901,  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight 
years.  Six  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
named  as  follows:  Anna,  Martha,  Paul,  Jo- 
seph, John  and  Bruno.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church  at  Jackson.  He 
was  a  township  supervisor  two  years  and  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  dis- 
trict No.   11. 


FERDINAND  FLAGMAN  (1893),  farmer 
and  stock  raiser  of  Sioux  Valley  township, 
was  born  in  Propststei,  Holstein,  Germany, 
November  6,  1848,  the  son  of  Hans  and  Cath- 
erine Flagman. 

Ferdinand's  parents  died  before  he  was  six 
months  old  and  he  was  taken  into  the  family 
of  an  uncle  and  aunt,  with  whom  he  lived 
until  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  Then  he  went 
to  live  with  a  family  in  the  country  and  made 
his  home  there  until  a  man  grown.  In  1874 
he  came  to  America  and  located  in  Scott  coun- 
ty. Iowa,  where  he  was  employed  as  a  farm 
hand  until  1881.  He  spent  the  next  year  work- 
ing on  a  farm  in  Crawford  county,  Iowa,  and 
in  1882  moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Holstein,  Ida 
county,  where  he  leased  an  eighty  acre  tract 
of  land  and  engaged  in  farming  one  season. 
We  next  find  Mr.  Flagman  in  Lyon  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  bought  a  120  acre  farm  and 
farmed  until    1893. 

In  the  fall  of  1893  Mr.  Flagman  came  to 
.Tackson  county  and  bought  his  farm,  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  1,  Sioux  Valley 
township,  then  only  slightly  improved.  He  did 
not  at  once  begin  farming  the  place,  but  rent- 
ed it  to  Herman  Frodermann  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1895  Mr.  Flagman  returned  to  hia 
old  home  in  Germany,  where  he  spent  four- 
teen   months    visiting.     Returning,    he    bought 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


J39 


forty  acres  of  land  in  the  southern  part  of 
Sioux  Valley  townsliip  and  farmed  it  ten  years. 
A  few  years  ago  llr.  Flagman  took  possession 
of  his  farm  on  section  1,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  is  quite  an  extensive  stoclc  raiser 
and  is  a  successful  farmer.  Jlr.  Flagman  serv- 
ed as  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  72  for 
six  years.  He  belongs  to  the  Sons  of  Her- 
mann lodge. 

In  Dennisonj  Crawford  county,  Iowa,  on  Aug- 
ust 20,  1806,  Mr.  Flagman  was  married  to 
Mary  Fenern,  who  was  born  in  Holstein,  Ger- 
many, January  21,  1860.  To  them  has  been 
born  one  child,  Harry,  born  November  3,  1897. 
By  a  fojmer  marriage  Mrs.  Flagman  is  the 
mother  of  one  child.  Otto  Fenern. 


wiiere  he  lived  fifteen  years.  He  then  came  to 
Jackson  county  and  located  on  section  17,  Pet- 
ersburg township,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
He  was  married  to  Mary  Week  June  29,  1868. 
He  owns  360  acres  of  land  in  Petersburg. 

John  C.  Wendelsdorf  of  this  sketch  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Jackson  county  in  the 
spring  of  1882.  He  received  a  common  school 
education  and  until  he  was  twenty-five  years 
of  age  lived  on  the  home  farm.  Since  that 
time  he  has  been  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self, farming  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
19. 

Mr.  Wendelsdorf  was  married  October  25, 
1905,  to  Miss  Mary  Heser.  To  them  have  been 
born  two  children:  Mabel,  born  October  11, 
1906;    Irene,  born  August   5,   1908. 


WILLIAil  F.  DREWS  (1903),  cashier  and 
manager  of  the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Heron 
Lake,  is  a  r.ative  of  Carver  county,  Minnesota, 
and  was  born  November  20,  1883.  He  is  the 
fifth  child  of  a  family  of  nine  children  born  to 
G.  Drews  and  Augusta  Drews.  These  parents 
now  reside  at  Seaforth,  Minnesota. 

When  William  was  si.x  months  old  the  family 
moved  to  Gibbon,  Sibley  county,  Minnesota, 
and  that  was  the  family  home  fifteen  years, 
William  securing  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Gilibon.  He  located  in  Seaforth, 
Redwood  county,  and  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  with  his  father  until  1903.  That  year 
he  moved  to  Heron  Lake  and  took  a  position 
as  bookkeeper  in  the  Farmers  State  Bank.  He 
was  made  assistant  cashier  in  1905  and  cash- 
ier in  1908  and  has  had  charge  of  the  bank 
for  the  past  three  years.  Mr.  Di-ews  is  a 
member  of  the  Heron  Lake  village  council. 
Fraternally  he  is  associated  with  the  Masonic, 
Eastern  Star  and  Woodmen  lodges. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  in 
Heron  Lake  June  20,  1907,  when  he  wedded 
Jennie  Smith,  a  native  of  Heron  Lake  and  a 
daughter  of  John  T.  Smith. 


JOHN  C.  WENDELSDORF  (1882),  Peters- 
burg  township  farmer,  was  born  in  Greengar- 
den,  Illinois,  March  25,  1879,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Week)  Wendelsdorf,  of  the 
same  township. 

John  Wendelsdorf,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
was  born  in  Germany  October  13,  1845,  came 
to  the  United  States  when  twenty-one  years 
of    age,   and   located   in    Greengarden,   Illinois, 


TILBERT  THORESON  (18S6),  Christiania 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  Cottonwood 
county,  Minnesota,  June  22,  1881,  the  oldest 
child  born  to  Anton  and  Carrie  (Larson)  Thore- 
son.  Wlien  he  was  five  years  of  age  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Jackson  county,  where 
he  has  ever  since  lived.  After  growing  to 
manhood  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  he  now 
farms  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  31.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

The  pai'ents  of  our  subject  were  natives  of 
Norway.  The  father  was  a  well  digger  and 
farmer.  He  died  in  1895.  His  widow  makes 
lier  home  with  the  subject  of  this  biography. 
There  are  six  children  in  the  family,  namely: 
Tilbert,  born  June  22,  1881;  Olof,  born  Jan- 
uary 24,  1885;  Lizzie,  born  November  28,  188S; 
Igman,  born  September  16,  1S90;  Emil,  born 
October  12,  1893;  Clara,  born  December  19, 
1894. 


JOHN  A.  NAVARA  (1887),  rural  mail  car- 
rier from  the  Lakefield  oflice,  was  born  in 
Chicago  May  18,  1878,  the  son  of  Vit  and  Mary 
(Kosticka)  Navara.  His  parents  were  born  in 
Bohemia,  came  to  America  after  their  marriage 
and  settled  in  Chicago.  They  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1887  and  lived  on  the  farm  in  Hun- 
ter township  until  1907,  when  they  moved  to 
Lakefield,  and  now  make  their  home  with  their 
son. 

John  came  to  Jackson  county  with  his  par- 
ents in  1887  and  until  he  was  a  young  man 
made  his  home  on  his  father's  farm,  the  east 
half   of   the    southeast   quarter    of   section    16, 


540 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IIISTUKV. 


Hunter  townsliip.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  of  Hunter  township  and  the  high 
schools  of  Jackson  and  LakefleUl,  and  when 
nineteen  years  of  age  took  a  course  in  the 
Metropolitan  lUisiness  college  of  Chicago.  For 
u  time  after  his  school  days  he  worked  in 
Iwakclield  at  various  occupations,  and  in  1901 
took  the  position  of  mail  carrier,  which  has 
since  been  his  occupation. 

Mr.  Navara  was  married  at  Chicago  August 
Iti,  11104,  to  Tcsse  l'"eli.\,  who  was  born  in  Chi- 
cago October  13,  1884.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Tesse  Felix.  Her  father  died  nine 
years  ago;  her  mother  lives  in  Chicago.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Navara  have  been  born  three 
children,  as  follows:  Elsie,  born  June  3,  1905; 
Theodore  J.,  born  May  9,  1906,  died  January 
1,  1909;  Lawrence,  born  September  9,  1908. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  I..akefield 
Catholic  church,  lie  is  a  member  of  the  West- 
ern Catholic  Union  of  Jackson  and  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  lodge.  He  iiolds  membership  in 
the  Kural  Letter  Carriers  association  and  is 
treasurer  of  the  Jackson  county  branch. 


JOIIX  L.  lIuFLAXn  owns  a  120  acre  farm 
on  sections  14  and  13,  Delafield  township, 
where  he  has  lived  his  entire  life,  having  been 
born  on  that  farm.  His  parents  were  Andrew 
and  Carrie  (Thompson)  Holland,  natives  of 
Norway  and  Wisconsin,  respectively. 

His  parents  homcsteaded  the  farm  in  1870 
and  spent  the  rest  of  their  years  on  the  place. 
There  John  grew  to  manhood  and  in  the  dis- 
trict school  he  was  educated.  His  father  died 
when  John  was  nine  jears  of  age,  and  soon 
thereafter  he  took  the  active  management  of 
the  place,  continuing  to  make  his  home  with 
his  mother  until  her  death  July  13,  1907.  He 
now  has  charge  of  the  estate.  John  is  the  old- 
est of  five  children,  the  other  children  l)eing 
Sr)]iliia  Dahl.  of  Canada;  Lena  Matson.  of  Jack- 
son county;  Augusta  Hanson,  of  Edgerton, 
Minnesota;  Emma,  who  resides  with  her 
brother. 

Sfr.  Hofiand  is  unmarried.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of  Windom 
ond  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge.  He  served  one 
voar  as  road  overseer. 


AUGUST  KIELT!IX)CK  (1892)  is  a  Wiscon- 
sin township  former  and  land  owner,  residing 
on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  3.'i.    He  is 


a  native  of  Brandcnherg,  Germany,  and  was 
born  .August  9,  1859.  the  son  of  Carl  and 
Chariot  e   (Fogel)   Kielblock,  both  decca.sed. 

August  received  a  common  .school  education 
in  his  native  land  and  resided  there  until 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  engaging  in  farm- 
ing after  growing  up.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1882  and  located  at  Minonk,  HIinois. 
He  moved  to  Kewaiicc,  Henry  county,  in  1884 
and  resided  there  until  1892.  During  part  of 
the  time  of  his  residence  in  Illinois  he  was 
engaged  in  farming,  the  rest  of  the  time  he 
was  employed  by  a  steam  heating  company. 
Jlr.  Kielblock  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
March,  1892,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming  in  Wisconsin  township.  He  owns  160 
acres  of  land  and  has  stock  in  several  local 
enterprises,  including  a  creamery,  elevator  and 
horse  company.  He  has  served  as  school  treas- 
urer nine  years  and  has  held  other  official 
positions. 

Mr.  Kielhloi-k  was  married  May  M.  1884, 
to  Miss  Caroline  Zobal,  who  was  born  April  4, 
1865.  To  them  have  been  born  the  following 
named  eight  children:  Winnie  L,  M.,  born  No- 
vember 21,  1887:  Caroline  M.  A.,  born  Decem- 
ber 13,  1889;  Anna  D.,  born  September  7,  1891; 
Edwin  A.  H.,  born  November  28,  1893:  August 
George  0.,  born  October  6,  1896;  William  H. 
A.,  born  March  22,  1899;  Frederick  C,  born 
July  12,  1901:  Theodore  H.  E.,  born  November 
2,  1905.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church. 


JOHN  M.  SAWYER  (1885).  Hunter  township 
farmer,  was  born  In  Whiteside  county.  Illi- 
nois. August  12,  1860,  the  son  of  Rol>ert  and 
Louisa  (McUmber)  Sawyer,  natives  of  Scot- 
land and  New  York  state,  respectively.  John's 
father  died  when  the  subject  of  this  biography 
was  five  years  old,  and  soon  afterward  he  and 
his  mother  located  in  Tama  county.  Iowa,  His 
mother  bought  a  farm  there,  and  there  young 
Sawyer  was  educated  and  grew  to  manhood. 

John  worked  on  his  mother's  farm  in  Tama 
county  until  1885;  then  they  came  to  Jackson 
county  and  located  on  section  15.  Hunter 
township,  where  our  subject  still  managed  his 
mother's  farm  until  1890.  That  year  he  was 
married,  bought  liis  present  farm  on  section 
12.  and  has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself.  His  mother  died  in  Grundy 
county,  Iowa,  in  1905. 

'Mr.  Sawyer  was  married  at  Eureka  Springs, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


541 


Arkansas,  January  5,  1890,  to  Ella  Puokett,  a 
native  of  Illinois.  To  tliem  have  been  born 
the  following  nameil  nine  children:  James, 
Sarah,  Mary,  Jessie,  Charles,  deceased;  Rosa, 
Aggie,  Tlionias  and  Allen.  For  a  number  of 
years  llr.  Sawyer  was  clerk  of  school  district 
No.  15.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men lodge. 


CLAUS  KNUTH  (1891),  farmer  of  Ewington 
township,  was  born  in  Germany  August  11, 
1864,  the  second  of  a  family  of  eight  children 
livifig.  His  father  is  H.Miry  Knuth,  who  in  tlip 
old  country  was  a  rope  maker  and  who  now 
makes  his  home  with  his  son.  Our  subject's 
mother,  who  is  now  dead,  was  Wiebke  (Clod- 
ius)  Knuth. 

Claus  made  his  home  with  his  parents  and 
attended  school  until  he  was  sixteen  years  of 
age.  Tlien  he  worked  one  year  in  his  father's 
rope  and  harness  shop.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1881  and  located  in  Woodford  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  he  worked  out  as  a  farm 
laborer  until  1890.  That  year  he  came  to 
Jackson  county  and  bought  his  pi-esent  farm, 
the  soul^west  quarter  of  section  2.5,  Ewington 
township.  He  did  not  locate  on  his  farm  at 
once,  but  for  several  years  lived  on  an  uncle's 
farm  on  section  16.  Later  he  improved  his 
own  place  and  has  since  made  his  home  there. 
Mr.  Knuth  has  been  a  member  of  the  township 
board  for  tlie  past  six  or  seven  years  and  he 
has  served  as  school  director  of  district  No. 
54  for  the  last  two  years.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Knuth  was  married  in  .Jackson  county 
May  8,  1898,  to  Flora  -Janssen,  a  native  oi  Il- 
linois. They  have  six  children,  as  follows: 
Margaret,  John,  Henry,  Hannah,  Willie  and 
Mary. 


JOSEPH  H.  GRAVES  (1899)  owns  and  farms 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  31.  Des  Moines 
township.  He  is  a  native  of  Stark  county. 
Illinois,  and  was  born  March  22,  1875.  His 
parents,  .James  and  Caroline  (Fling)  Graves, 
were  born  in  Ohio,  came  to  Illinois  in  the  early 
days,  and  now  reside  in  Iroquois  county  of 
that  state,  aged  68  and  64  years,  respectively. 
They  are  the  parents  of  six  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Ida,  Isaac,  Laura,  Anna,  Joseph  and 
Leroy. 

Joseph,  the  next  to  the  youngest  of  this  fam- 


ily, accompanied  his  parents  from  Stark  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  when 
four  years  of  age,  and  later  he  located  with 
them  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
received  his  education  and  grew  to  manhood. 
He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1899,  and  until 
the  fall  of  1908  farmed  rented  farms  in  Des 
Moines  and  Middletown  townships.  He  then 
bought  his  present  quarter  section  and  took 
possession  in  the  spring  of  1909.  He  is  a  di- 
rector of  the  Jackson  Cooperative  association 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
lodge. 

Tlie  marriage  of  our  suliject  occurred  in 
Iroquoi.?  county,  Illinois,  May  5,  1896,  when  he 
wedded  Mary  Purviance,  a  native  of  Union 
county.  Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  Mark  and 
Katherine  Purviance.  Seven  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  namely:  Mary  Frances, 
Harry  Purviance,  Katherine  Matilda,  Charles 
Heiny,  Bruce  Edward.  Walter  Howard,  Joseph 
Leroy. 


F.  H,  SANDER  (1899)  owns  and  farms  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  19,  Petersburg 
township.  He  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago and  was  born  September  22.  1872,  the 
son  of  F.  H.  and  Annie  C.    (Reiles)    Sander. 

When  he  was  three  years  old  our  subject 
moved  wi-th  his  parents  to  Middleton,  Dane 
county.  Wisconsin,  and  resided  there  until  he 
was  twenty-five  years  of  age.  He  spent  one 
year  in  Roberts  county.  South  Dakota,  and 
tlien  came  to  Jackson  county  in  the  spring  of 
1899,  and  that  fall  took  up  his  residence  in 
Cottonwood  county.  He  there  engaged  in 
farming  for  himself.  He  returned  to  .Jackson 
county  in  the  spring  of  1901,  bought  his  pres- 
ent farm,  and  has  ever  since  made  his  home 
there.  He  has  stock  in  the  Middletown  Tele- 
phone company,  in  the  Jackson  County 
Fair  association  and  in  the  Peoples  Coopera- 
tive company.  He  served  three  years  as  a  di- 
rector of  the  school  district  in  which  he  lives. 

Mr,  Sander  was  married  November  22,  1899, 
to  Minnie  A.  Kreyssler,  a  native  of  Petone, 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Maria 
Kreyssler,  and  to  them  Imve  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  .Julia,  born  Sep- 
tember 12.  1901,  died  March  4.  1909:  Leona. 
born  January  20.  1904;  Leverna.  born  June  24, 
1906.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sander  are  members  of 
the  Evangelical  church. 


542 


BlOLiWArilKAL  HISTOUY. 


I'KANK  G.  AL15EKTUS  (1899),  proprietor 
of  the  Alhcrtus  Clotliing  company's  store  at 
Jaokson,  was  born  in  Owatonna,  Minnesota, 
I'Vbriiary  14,  1881,  the  son  of  G.  F.  and  Eli/.;i- 
IjL-tli  (lloi'fcr)  Albertns,  the  former  being  a 
pioneer  nierobant  ami  real  estate  dealer  of 
Owatonna,  \\bi>  dicil  al  that  jdace  Oilobcr  21, 
1909. 

Frank  spent  his  boyhoo<l  days  in  Ids  native 
eity.  being  edneated  in  tlic  liigli  school  of  that 
(ity  and  in  Pillsbnry  Military  academy,  liav- 
ing  been  graduated  from  the  latter  school.  In 
1898  he  moved  to  Wortliington  and  for  one 
j-ear  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  clothing 
store  of  his  brother.  A.  R.  Albcrtus.  He  moved 
to  Jackson  in  1899  and  for  a  little  less  than 
three  years  clerked  in  the  store  of  Bnrnham 
Bros.  &  Co.  He  organized  the  Albertns  Clotli- 
ing company  in  1902,  opened  the  store  and  has 
since  been  at  the  head  of  that  institution.  lie 
holds  membership  in  Good  Faith  Lodge  No.  90, 
A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  Albertns  was  married  in  Jackson  Au- 
gust 24.  1904.  to  Mina  O.  Matteson.  a  native 
of  Jackson  county  and  a  daughter  of  Benja- 
min and  Jannett  Matteson,  pioneres  of  the 
county.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albertus  has  been 
born  one  child,  Gladys,  who  was  born  on  June 
30,  190S. 


DTi.  IIKRBERT  L.  ARZT  (1901)  is  a  prac- 
ticing physician  in  tlie  village  of  Jackson, 
where  he  iias  resided  for  the  last  eight  years. 
He  is  a  native  of  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  where 
he  was  born  June  22.  187.5.  the  son  of  Christian 
and  Caroline  (Erkle)  Arzt. 

Tlie  father  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, his  mother  in  the  city  of  Paris.  Coming 
to  the  United  States  when  young  and  before 
their  marriage,  they  lived  respectively  in  New 
York  City,  in  Ohio,  and  in  St.  Paul,  where  they 
were  married  fifty-five  years  ago  in  the  first 
brick  building  erected  in  tliat  city.  Christian 
Arzt.  whose  life  occupation  was  contracting, 
still  lives  in  St.  Paul  and  is  sevenlynim' 
years  of  age.  Caroline  Arzt  died  in  St.  Paul 
in  1908  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  Her- 
bert is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  the  following  four  are  living:  E.  A. 
Arzt.  of  Sioux  City,  Iowa:  Mrs.  James  W. 
Turner  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Ty.  Smith,  of  St.  Paul, 
and  tlie  subject  of  this  biography. 

Dr.  Arzt  was  graduated  from  the  St.  Paul 
high  school  and  look  a  scientific  course  in  the 


Minnesota  stale  university.  After  securing  hi» 
general  education  he  matriculated  in  Rush 
-Medical  college  of  Chicago,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  was  graduated  in  1901.  .\ftcT  a 
short  service  in  the  Presbyterian  hospital  of 
Chicago,  in  the  fall  of  1901,  Ur.  Arzt  moved  to 
Jackson  and  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  that  village  has  since  been  his 
home.  In  the  fall  of  1909  he  took  a  postgrad- 
uate course  in  the  New  York  Polyclinic  Hospi- 
tal, 

Dr.  Arzt  is  coroner  of  Jackson  comity,  hav- 
ing been  elected  in  the  fall  of  1908;  is  medical 
examiner  for  the  M.  W,  A.  lodge,  and  is  a  di- 
rector of  the  Jackson  Building  &  Loan  asso- 
ciation. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic,  Odd 
Ki'lloHs  and  Modern  Woodmen  lodges. 

In  Jackson  on  July  .3,  1907,  Dr.  Arzt  was 
united  in  marriage  to  iliss  Blanche  J.  Pad- 
dock, daughter  of  G.  B.  Paddock,  of  Jackson, 
one  of  the  county's  pioneers.  Mrs.  Arzt  is  a 
graduate  of  tlie  Jackson  high  school,  and  for 
seven  years  before  her  marriage  was  principal 
iif  one  of  the  schools  in  the  city  of  Meriden, 
Connecticut, 


JOHN  GRUNST  (1890),  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  of  Enterprise  township,  was  born  in 
(lermany  June  22.  1874,  the  son  of  Carl  and 
(iustie  (Schultz)  Grunst.  both  of  whom  reside 
in  Enterprise,  His  father  served  three  years 
in  the  German  army  and  ha«  been  engaged  in 
farming  all  his  life, 

John  lived  in  the  fatherland  until  he  was 
six  years  of  age.  He  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1880.  lived  in  Cook  county,  Illi- 
nois, ten  years,  and  then,  in  March.  1890.  came 
to  Jackson  county.  He  resided  with  his  par- 
ents until  1902.  and  then  began  farming  for 
himself.  He  farmed  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  2.  Enterprise,  for  three  years,  and  then 
moved  to  his  present  location,  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  .3.  Besides  general  farming 
he  breeds  Shorthorn  cattle.  Poland  China  swine 
and  Belgian  and  Perchcron  horses.  He  owns 
stock  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  company  of 
Alpha. 

Mr.  Grunst  was  married  October  23.  1901. 
tn  Miss  Bertha  WollT.  who  was  born  .Tiiniiary 
12.  1SS3.  To  them  have  been  born  the  fol 
lowing  named  children:  George,  born  in  1902; 
Willie,  born  1903;  Earl,  born  1905,  died  1908; 
Elsie,  born  1907.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  German  Lutheran  church  of  Kimball, 


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THE  NEV/  YORK 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

•«-:!>,  iz'tnx  AHt 

'    -'        1    (=  U U tl 3a T !£.«)». 

BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTOEY. 


543 


LOUIS  KRUJrVVIEDE,  (1899)  is  a  farmer 
and  landowner  of  Hunter  township,  residing 
two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Lakefield.  His 
parents  are  Henry  and  Dora  (Sternberg) 
Knimwiede,  who  reside  in  Iroquois  county,  Il- 
linois. They  came  from  Germany  soon  after 
tlieir  marriage,  lived  a  few  years  in  Cook  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  and  in  the  early  seventies  located 
in  Iroquois  county.  They  are  the  parents  of 
.nine  children,  as  follows:  Mary,  Henry,  Au- 
gust, Fred,  Louis,  Emma,  Bertha,  Will  and 
George. 

Louis  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Illinois, 
January  22.  1864.  When  a  child  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Iroquois  county,  and 
that  was  his  home  until  he  came  to  Jackson 
county.  He  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  in  a  German  school  at  Buckley,  and  work- 
ed on  his  father's  farm  until  twenty-five  years 
of  age.  He  was  married  in  1889  and  for  the 
ne.\t  ten  years  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account  and  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
in  Buckley,  which  he  followed  three  years. 
Mr.  Krumwiede  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1899  and  bought  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 2,  Hunter  township,  upon  which  he  has 
since  resided.  On  the  place  at  the  time  of 
purchase  was  a  dug-out,  built  by  an  early 
settler.  This  he  has  replaced  by  a  modern 
home  and  he  has  made  other  improvements, 
including  a  complete  system  of  tiling. 

At  Buckley,  Iroquois  county,  Hlinois,  on  De- 
cember 18,  1889,  Mr.  Krumwiede  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mary  Larson,  who  was  born  in 
Cook  county,  Hlinois,  November  20,  1870.  To 
them  have  been  born  two  children:  Malinda 
(Mrs.  Charles  Severson),  of  Enterprise  town- 
ship, born  October  15.,  1890;  Leonard,  born 
January  14,  1893.  Mr.  Krumwiede  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 


GUIDO  E.  PIETSCH  (1878)  is  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  of  LaCrosse  township,  his  240 
acre  farm  being  only  a  short  distance  from 
Miloma.  He  is  an  early  day  settler  of  north- 
western Jackson  county  and  has  lived  on  his 
present  place  ever  since  he  was  seven  years  of 
age. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Austria  November 
19,  1871,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Rosalia  (Klap- 
ka)  Pietsch.  The  former  was  born  February 
6,  1830,  came  to  the  United  States  and  1o 
Jackson  county  in  1878,  and  died  April  14,  1898. 
The  latter  was  born  in  1829  and  is  now  living 


in  Jackson  county.  Our  subject  is  one  of  a 
family  of  eleven  children  born  to  these  par- 
ents, the  other  children  being:  Franz,  who 
resides  in  Austria,  born  November  5,  1851; 
.Josef,  of  Mankato,  born  January  24,  1854; 
Alois,  born  .January  12,  1856,  died  February 
12.  1856;  Aloisia,  of  Murray  county,  born 
January  18,  18.57;  Alois,  of  Madison  Lake,  Min- 
nesota, born  December  14,  1858:  Marie,  of 
Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  born  September 
o,  I860:  .Johann.  of  Sleepy  Eye,  Minnesota, 
born  September  20,  1862;  Francisca,  of  No- 
bles county,  born  June  17,  1865;  Edward,  born 
February  12,  1868.  died  March  20.  1868;  Adolph, 
of  Aberdeen,  Washington,  born  .January  19, 
1869. 

Guido  accompanied  the  family  from  their 
Austrian  home  to  America  in  June,  1878,  and 
has  ever  since  made  his  home  on  the  farm  he 
now  owns.  The  head  of  the  family  bought  the 
land  upon  arrival,  it  being  then  without  a 
building  of  any  description  on  it.  and  only 
five  or  six  acres  had  been  broken.  The  Pietschs 
put  lip  buildings  and  at  once  started  to  make 
their  fortune  in  the  new  world.  The  grass- 
hoppers and  a  series  of  wet  seasons  brought 
hard  times  to  the  family,  who  were  poor  when 
they  arrived,  having  only  enough  money  to 
pay  half  of  the  purchase  price  of  the  land, 
and  during  the  first  five  years  of  their  resi- 
dence in  Jackson  county  they  suffered  many 
hardships.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the 
district  school  of  the  neighborhood  and  until 
he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age  worked  for 
his  father.  At  that  age  he  bought  the  home 
farm  and  has  since  conducted  it  to  his  own 
account.  He  has  since  added  to  the  farm  by 
the  purchase  of  eighty  acres  adjoining  and 
has  developed  the  place  to  a  well  improved 
farm.  He  diversifies  his  farming,  raising  con- 
siderable stock  and  engaging  quite  extensively 
in  dairying. 

ilr.  Pietsch  was  elected  clerk  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  97  in  1899  and  served  in  that  capa- 
city during  the  next  five  years.  Thereafter 
he  was  chosen  a  director  of  his  district  and 
filled  the  office  four  yeirs.  Again  in  1909  he 
was  elected  clerk  and  now  holds  the  office. 
He  was  chosen  road  overseer  when  he 
was  twenty-one  years  of  age  and  held  the  of- 
fice four  years.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church  of  Heron  Lake. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Pietsch  occurred  at 
Heron  Lake  July  20,  1897.  when  he  wedded 
Ccacilia  Winkler,  who  was  born  on  section  28, 


544 


BlOOUAl'FIICAI,    IIIS'IORY. 


LnCrosse  towiisliip,  Jiiiio  li),  1878.  She  is  a 
diuigliter  of  Frank  and  Miirif  (.lonos)  VVinklor. 
who  came  to  Jarkson  county  in  1876  and  who 
arc  now  living  at  ruiric.  Minnl'^ota.  Mr.  Wink- 
ler was  born  in  Austria  October  18,  185.'),  cauic 
to  America  when  seventeen  years  of  a<tc.  lived 
in  Chicago,  in  Wisconsin,  and  came  to  .laekson 
county  in  187(i.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
years  he  took  as  a  homestead  claim  the  land 
upon  whicli  Mrs.  Pietscli  was  born.  Jlrs. 
Winkler  was  born  in  Austria  March  22.  1857, 
came  to  the  United  Stntes  in  187C  and  was 
married  in  .Jackson  county  in  1877.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Piefsch  have  four  cliiUlron,  named  as  fol- 
lows: Adela,  born  June  10,  ISHS;  Laura,  born 
August  24,  1900;  Alfons,  horn  September  7, 
100.3;  Orlando,  born  November  11,  1905. 


ANDREW  BKXSOX  (1871),  Petersbuig 
tnwn.ship  farmer,  was  born  in  .Jackson  county 
May  20.  1871,  and  has  made  his  home  here 
all  his  life.  He  is  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Bertha 
(Ashly.son)  Benson.  He  received  a  common 
school  education  and  after  growing  to  man- 
hood engaged  in  farming  for  himself.  He 
owns  200  acres  of  land  in  Petersburg.  160  acres 
in  Xortli  Dakota  and  198  acres  in  Iowa,  and 
has  stock  in  the  Petersburg  creamery  and  the 
.Jackson    teleplione. 

Mr.  Benson  was  married  March  11.  ISOG.  to 
Bertha  Xasby.  To  them  have  been  born  two 
iliildrcn:  Balmnre,  born  .\pril  15.  1899,  and 
-Mlicrtina  R..  l)orn  .Tnlv  22.  1002. 


I'RANK  A.  MATU.SKA  (1881).  wlio  o«1is  a 
half  interest  in  tlie  butcher  shop  and  hardware 
store  of  the  firm  of  Maluska  &  Skalicky,  was 
born  in  tlic  city  of  (^hicago  May  2R.  1873.  the 
eldest  of  a  family  of  five  children  born  to  .Jo- 
seph and  Mary  (Basak)  Matuska.  The  other 
children  are  John,  Joseph,  Annie  and  Mary. 
The  parents  of  our  subject  were  born  in  Bo- 
hemia, came  to  America  when  children,  and 
were  married  in  Oiicago.  His  father  was 
killed  in  n  runaway  accident  in  .Jackson  coun- 
ty twelve  years  ago:  his  mother  lives  in  Hun- 
ter township. 

Frank  received  his  early  training  in  Chicago. 
He  came  to  .Jackson  county  with  tlie  family 
in  1881.  and  until  1901  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  in  JIunter  township.  Then  he  moveil  to 
Jackson  and  in  partnership  with  John  Bedner 
opened   n   butclier  shop,   which   was  conducted 


in  partnersliip  one  year.  Mr.  Mutusku  bought 
out  his  partner  and  ran  the  sliop  one  year. 
Then  a  partnership  was  formed  lietweeu  Mr. 
Matuska  and  I'rank  Skalicky.  Iiy  whii'li  each 
obtained  a  half  interest  in  the  hardware  store 
and  meat  market.  In  1900  Frank  .Skalicky 
sold  !iis  interests  to  his  brother,  Emil  .Skalicky. 
F'arly  in  1908  the  firm  also  engaged  in  the 
liarne.sg  business,  and  during  1909  erected  one 
of  tlie  finest  business  blocks  in  Jackson,  in 
which  are  housed  both  the  hardware  and  har- 
ness businesses,  while  the  meat  market  occu- 
pies a  building  adjoining. 

Mr.  Matuska  owns  over  a  half  section  of 
land  in  Canada,  a  farm  in  Hunter  township 
and  a  half  interest  in  the  village  property.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  cliurch.  of  the 
Cathnlic  Order  of  Foresters,  tlie  Modern  Wood- 
men of  .\merica  and  the  Western  Union. 

Tn  .January.  1900.  at  .Jackson.  Mr.  Matuska 
was  married  to  Mary  Skalicky,  a  native  of 
Wisconsin  and  a  daughter  of  Frank  Skalicky. 
To  them  have  been  born  four  children:  Jo- 
seph. Mary.  Lilly  and  Rosa. 


TOLLEF  OLSON  (1870)  has  been  a  resident 
of  Belmont  township  nearly  forty  years,  ever 
since  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  He  is  a 
native  ofdayton  county.  Iowa,  and  was  born 
April  15.  18.57.  the  son  of  Ole  and  .Sarah  Tol- 
Icfson.  These  parents  were  born  in  Norway  and 
came  to  America  when  children.  They  were 
married  in  Wisconsin  and  later  took  up  their 
residence  in  Clayton  county.  Iowa.  In  1870 
tliey  came  (o  Jackson  county,  bought  lanil  in 
Helmont  township  and  honiesleaded  in  Chris- 
Uania  township.  Mr.  Tollefson  did  about  fif- 
teen y<'ars  ago.  His  widow  married  Lars  Brat- 
ager.  of  llelnionl.  and  died  in  HM17.  There 
Here  eight  children  in  the  family,  of  whom  the 
following  four  are  living:  Isiibella.  Annie, 
ToIIef  and  Nels. 

Tollef  lived  in  his  native  county  until  1870, 
when  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  .Jackson 
county.  Until  he  was  twenty-five  j-ears  of  age 
lie  lived  on  the  parental  farm  on  section  10, 
Belmont.  Then  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his 
own  account,  renting  land  in  Christiania  town- 
ship. Five  years  later  lie  bought  his  present 
farm,  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  18.  then 
iininiprnveil  land,  and  he  has  made  his  home 
on  the  place  ever  since.  He  now  has  n  model 
farm,  improved  with  substantial  buildings.    In 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


545 


addition    to   liis   own    farm   lie   rents   a   quarter 
seetion  adjoining. 

On  Deeember  I'.i,  1SS7,  Air.  Olson  was  mar- 
ried in  Belmont  township  to  Betsey  Johnson, 
al.so  a  native  of  Iowa.  The  following  four 
children  have  been  born  to  them:  Sophia, 
Anna  (!Mrs.  Arlo  Christensen),  Obena  and 
Thea.  Mi-.  Olson  has  held  the  oft'ice  of  clerk 
of  school  district  No.  18. 


lie  moved  to  Alpha,  wliere  ho  served  as  village 
marshal  one  year  and  as  bartender  for  Carl 
Thuesen  two  years.  He  then  returned  to  the 
farm.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church 
of   Jack.son. 

Mr.  Kable  was  married  February  22,  1900, 
to  Dora  Wiseman,  of  Sherburn.  They  are 
the  parents  of  one  child,  Viola,  born  January 
13,  1907. 


FRANK  8TEVERT  (1888)  is  a  farmer  and 
tlircsherman  of  West  Heron  Lake  townshiji. 
He  was  born  in  the  state  of  Illinois  April  25, 
1884,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren born  to  Fritz  and  Sophia  Sievert.  His 
parents  are  of  German  birth.  They  came  to 
the  United  States  and  after  living  in  Illinois 
for  a  short  time  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1888  and  resided  on  the  farm  in  West  Heron 
Lake  township  now  occupied  by  their  son.  The 
father  died  in  1898;  the  mother  still  lives  on 
the   farm. 

Frank  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson 
county  in  1888  when  four  years  of  age  and 
he  has  ever  since  resided  on  the  home  farm, 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  19.  West  Her- 
on Lake.  He  is  now  engaged  in  farming  the 
place  and  for  the  last  several  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  threshing  business  in  partner- 
ship with  F.  C.  Ruthenbeck. 

Mr.  Sievert  was  married  in  West  Heron 
Lake  township  ]\Iay  1.  190.5.  to  Matilda  Becker, 
also  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been  born  Oc- 
tober 29,  1886.  To  this  union  liave  been  born 
two  children:  Leda.  born  January  .5,  190C; 
Walter,  born  September  16,  1907.  The  family 
arc  members  of  the  Oerman  Lutheran  church 
of   Okabenn. 


THOMAS  KABLE  (1886).  in  partnership 
witli  his  brother  Henry,  farms  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  2.5,  Enterprise  township, 
and  ha.?  spent  nearly  his  entire  life  in  Jack- 
son county.  He  was  born  at  Winona.  Minne- 
sota, August  25.  1882,  the  son  of  Wensel  and 
Anna  Kable.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Jackson  county  in  April,  18SC.  and  this  has 
ever  since  been  his  home. 

The  family  located  in  Enterprise  township, 
and  there  Thomas  grew  to  manhood,  receiving 
a  country  school  education.  Until  1905  he 
lived  on  the  farm,  assisting  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  place  and  in  threshing.     In   1905 


.L4MES  D.  fiHAY  (1899).  of  .Jackson,  was 
born  in  Chillicothe,  Illinois,  November  14,  1872, 
the  son  of  .John  D.  and  Bridget  (Shay)  Shay. 
His  father  now  resides  in  Ewington  township; 
his  mother  died  in  1905.  Both  parents  were 
natives  of  Ireland  and  came  to  the  United 
States   soon  after  their  marriage. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  lived  with  his 
parents  in  Illinois  until  1891.  There  he  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  which  was 
supplemented  with  a  course  in  the  Sherburn 
high  school  after  the  family  moved  to  Martin 
county.  Mr.  Shay,  Sr..  bought  land  in  Jack- 
son county,  but  the  family  home  was  in  Mar- 
tin county  until  1899.  James  was  engaged 
in  railroad  work  in  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas,  and 
Kansas  City,  Kansas,  three  years  and  did  car- 
penter work  in  Martin  county.  He  was  also 
engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  busi- 
ness. He  moved  to  Ewington  township  with  his 
parents  in  1899  and  was  engaged  in  farming  sev- 
eral years.  He  ran  a  restaurant  in  Dubuque, 
Iowa,  one  year  in  partnership  with  a  brother- 
in-law,  and  taught  school  one  term  in  Martin 
county.  In  1908  Mr.  Shay,  in  partnership 
with  Charlie  Peterson,  bought  the  Albert  Jack- 
son restaurant  and  was  a  partner  in  that 
business  until  the  spring  of  1909,  when  he 
sold  out  to  his  partner,  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  the  restaurant  business  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  street.  Mr.  Shay  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  church.  He  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  a  school  board  in  Martin  county  three 
years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Carpenter's 
union  and  Carmen's  union. 


GERHARD  KUHNAU  (1880).  Weiraer  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  near  Green  Bay,  Wis- 
consin, August  31,  1873,  the  eldest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children  born  to  Robert  and  Al 
vina  (Shoeman)  Kuhnau.  These  parents  were 
born  in  Germany  .and  soon  after  their  mar- 
riage came  to  America  and  located  near  Green 


546 


BrOOT7.\PIIICAT,  TTTSTOT^Y. 


Bay.  Wisconsin.  In  1880  tiny  i;inic  to  Jack- 
son coiinly  and  cnpruK'''!  i"  farming;  in  Heron 
Ijike  township,  near  lake  Klalifrty.  Tlic  fatli- 
er  of  oiir  suliject  diril  tlicro  in  Maivli.  18!)7,  at 
the  age  of  56  years.  His  inotlier  still  lives  on 
the  home  farm  with  a  son.  The  other  eliildren 
of  the  family  are  Arthur,  I>cTihard,  Robert, 
Ttiid(il|ih.  Richard,  Rcinhuld  and  I.ottio. 

At  the  age  of  seven  years  Gerhard  accom- 
panied the  family  from  Wisconsin  to  Jackson 
county.  Until  1807  he  lived  on  the  Heron  Lake 
township  farm,  securing  a  country  school  edu- 
cation and  working  on  his  father's  farm.  He 
then  married  and  engaged  in  farming  on  the 
present  place,  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
36,  Weimer,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

Mr.  Kulinaii  was  married  Octoher  26.  1897, 
in  Wcimcr  township  to  Minnie  Winzcr,  who 
was  born  in  the  same  township  May  17,  1883. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Ida  Win- 
zer,  pioneer  settlers  of  Weimer.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kuhnau  have  been  born  the  following 
namcff  five  children:  Robert,  Ernest,  Henry. 
Lena  and  Irena. 


nAN.«;  STAHL  (1888),  Sioux  Valley  town- 
ship farmer  and  land  owner,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many November  If..  18.52.  the  son  of  Hans  and 
Elsaler  Stabl.  both  of  whom  died  in  Germany, 
There  were  twelve  children  in  the  family. 

Hans  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  his  na- 
tive land,  attending  school  and  making  bis 
home  with  bis  parents  until  past  nineteen 
.years  of  age.  He  came  to  America  in  1872 
and  located  in  Scott  county.  Iowa,  where  be 
lived  ten  years,  engaged  in  farming,  threshing, 
corn  shelling  and  working  out.  He  then  took 
up  his  residence  in  Diirant.  Iowa,  where  he 
bought  a  small  place  and  engaged  in  farming, 
threshing  and  corn  shelling  for  the  next  six 
.years.  In  1888  be  came  to  Sio\ix  Valley  town- 
ship, of  .Tackson  county,  and  conducted  a 
rented  farm  on  section  23  three  years.  He 
then  bought  bis  present  farm— the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  24— and  upon  that  place  be 
has  since  lived.  He  rents  land  wliich  be  farms 
in  addition  to  bis  own  land,  farming  3.12  acres. 
When  he  bought  bis  farm  the  only  improve- 
ments consisted  of  a  little  shanty,  and  be  has 
practically  made  all  the  improvements  on  the 
place. 

Mr.  Stabl  was  married  in  Cedar  county, 
Town,  in  T)ecemb<T.  1.881,  to  Laura  Oamma, 
a  native  of  Scott  county,  Iowa.     To  Mr.  and 


-Mrs.  Stalil  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren: Meta,  Malinda.  Matilda.  Hilda.  Dena, 
Aiinimla,  Albert  and  Terdinand.  Mr.  Stuhl 
was  a  director  of  school  district  \f>  77  for  two 
A  ea  rs. 


GKORGK  li.  Cl'.\XrN(;HAM  (1800)  is  the 
rural  mail  carrier  for  route  Xo.  J  out  of  Heron 
Lake.  He  is  a  native  of  Green  county,  Wis- 
consin, and  was  born  July  18.  1869.  His  par- 
ents, William  and  Mary  (Land)  Cunningham, 
now  deceased,  were  natives  of  Indiana  and  Il- 
linois, respectively. 

The  subject  of  this  biograpb.v  has  resided  in 
many  different  parts  of  the  country  and  been 
engaged  in  various  occupations.  Until  he  was 
seventeen  .years  of  age  be  made  his  home  with 
bis  parents,  during  this  time  living  seven 
years  in  Green  county,  Wisconsin,  nine  years 
in  Franklin  county,  Iowa,  and  then  locating 
in  Uamilton  county,  Nebraska.  After  starting 
in  life  for  himself  ilr.  Cunningham  engaged 
ill  clerking,  in  the  sewing  machine  business 
and  in  the  dray  business,  living  five  years  in 
Hamilton  eount.v,  Nebraska,  three  years  in 
Chase  county  and  one  year  in  .''heridan  conn- 
(.v,  of  the  same  state. 

In  1893  Mr.  Cunningham  went  to  Alberta, 
Canada,  making  the  trip  overland  in  three 
weeks'  (ime,  and  there  he  bomesteaded  and 
■engaged  in  farming  two  years.  Owing  to  the 
lack  of  markets  at  that  time  Mr.  Cunningham 
met  with  financial  reverses.  Returning  from 
the  north  in  ISO.'),  he  lived  in  Cherokee  county, 
Iowa,  one  .vear.  and  then,  having  married,  he 
came  to  .lackson  county  in  October,  1896.  He 
located  in  Heron  Lake  and  for  several  years 
engaged  in  various  occupations.  In  Januar.y, 
1003.  be  was  appointed  mail  carrier  and  has 
been   so   employed   since. 

Mr.  Cunningliam  was  married  in  Pl.vmoulh 
county,  Iowa.  October  20.  1896,  to  Christina 
Herman,  who  was  born  in  Germany  March  20, 
1876.  Her  parents  reside  at  Rushmorc.  Min- 
nesota. Seven  children  have  been  born  to  ^fr. 
and  Airs.  Cunningham,  as  follows:  Dudle.v, 
Liovd.  Orville.  Raymond.  Ulancli.  Frederick  and 
Rcrtlia.  Mr.  Cunningliam  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  AV.  A.  and  Yeomen  lodges. 


ALBERT  PETERSON  (1891).  who  is  a 
farmer  and  landowner  of  Kimball  township, 
was  born  in  Sweden  December  4,  1857,  one  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


547 


a  family  of  seven  children  born  to  Peter  and 
Mary  (Johnson)  Peterson.  Until  he  was  fif- 
teen years  of  age  he  lived  at  liome;  then  he 
started  in  life  for  himself,  working  out  in 
Sweden  until  he  was  of  age. 

When  he  reached  his  majority  Mr.  Peterson 
came  to  America  and  located  at  Manistee, 
Michigan,  where  he  worked  in  the  timber  and 
on  the  river  until  1888.  He  then  made  a  visit 
to  liis  old  home  in  Sweden.  Returning,  he 
lived  a  few  months  at  Mooseliead  Lake,  Maine, 
and  then  went  to  Gardner,  of  the  same  state, 
where  he  worked  on  the  docks  for  a  while. 
Again  coming  west,  he  worked  in  the  woods 
about  Manistee,  Michigan,  until  1891.  That  is 
the  date  of  his  arrival  in  Jackson  county.  So 
early  as  1885  Mr.  Peterson  had  bought  a  farm 
on  section  26,  Kimball  township,  and  when  he 
came  to  the  county  to  reside  permanently  he 
located  upon  that  farm,  which  has  ever  since 
been   his   home. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  married  in  Kimball  town- 
ship July  9,  1892,  to  Augusta  Johnson,  who 
was  born  in  Sweden  in  September,  1862.  To 
them  have  been  born  the  following  named 
seven  children:  Alfred,  Gustaf,  Harry,  Elmer, 
Albert,  Marie  and  Beda.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Swedish  Mission  church. 

CHARLIE  SEVERSON  (1890),  of  Enter- 
prise township,  was  born  in  Wabasha  county, 
Minnesota,  October  14,  1879,  the  son  of  Char- 
lie and  Minnie  (Moglind)  Severson.  The  for- 
mer emigrated  from  Denmark  in  1876:  the  lat- 
ter, who  is  now  deceased,  was  born  in  New 
York  state. 

Tlie  subject  of  tliis  biograpliy  moved  with 
his  parents  from  Wabasha  county  to  Jackson 
county  in  March,  1890,  and  grew  to  manhood 
on  a  Hunter  township  farm.  He  secured  a 
common  school  education  and  made  his  home 
with  his  parents  until  1904.  That  year  lie 
went  west  and  one  year  resided  in  the  Big 
Bend  country  of  central  Washington.  Return- 
ing, he  located  on  a  farm  two  miles  east  of 
Lakefield,  and  in  1909  moved  to  his  present 
farm,  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  34,  En- 
terprise. 

Mr.  Severson  was  married  August  5.  1906,  to 
Milanda  Krnmwedc.  of  Lakefield.  who  was 
born  October   13,   1890. 

HARRY  L.  BOND  (1901),  cashier  of  the 
Jackson  County  State  Bank  of  Lakefield,  is  a 


native  of  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  where  he  was  born 
November  20,  1866,  the  son  of  A.  J.  and  Ada 
Dennis)  Bond.  His  education  was  received  in 
tlie  country  schools,  in  the  Johnson  county, 
Iowa,  high  school,  and  in  tlie  low'a  state  uni- 
versity. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  Mr.  Bond 
began  his  business  career  as  bookkeeper  in  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Storm  Lake,  Iowa. 
Three  years  later  he  took  a  position  as  cor- 
responding clerk  for  the  Iowa  Land  &  Loan 
company,  of  Storm  Lake,  and  later  became 
treasurer  of  the  Iowa  Investment  company,  of 
Sioux  City,  which  position  he  held  several 
years.  In  1S94  he  became  cashier  of  the  Chero- 
kee County  State  Bank  of  Meriden,  Iowa,  and 
was  employed  in  that  capacity  seven  years.  In 
1901  Mr.  Bond  nioved  to  Lakefield,  having 
bought  out  the  interests  of  M.  H.  Evans  in 
the  Jackson  County  State  Bank  in  partner- 
ship with  J.  M.  Putman,  and  since  that  date 
has   been  identified  with  the  bank. 

During  his  residence  in  Lakefield  Mr.  Bond 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  village  council 
and  of  the  school  board.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  A.  r.  &.  A.  M.  and  Eastern  Star  lodges. 


FRANK  L.  POPE  (1886)  is  a  Christiania 
township  farmer  who  owns  400  acres  of  Jack- 
son county  land  and  160  acres  of  Cottonwood 
county  land.  He  is  a  native  of  England,  hav- 
ing been  born  February  18,  1870. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  are  Dr.  Alfred 
Pope  and  Isabella  (Hoagraves)  Pope,  who  re- 
side in  England.  Dr.  Pope  is  a  noted  physician 
and  lecturer.  Thirty  years  ago  he  lectured  in 
America  before  various  medical  colleges,  and 
later  returned  to  his  native  land. 

Frank  received  a  common  school  education 
in  England  and  when  si.xteen  years  of  age  left 
home  and  came  to  the  United  States.  It  was 
in  1886  that  he  located  in  the  village  of  Win- 
dom.  where  he  resided  for  a  number  of  years. 
In  1901  he  bought  his  present  farm  in  Chris- 
tiania township  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
its  care.  He  owns  stock  in  the  telephone  com- 
pany and  in  the  Farmers  Elevator  company 
of  Windom.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
cliurch. 

Mr.  Pope  was  married  May  6,  1903,  to  Paul- 
ine Hohenstein,  of  Lakefield.  To  them  have 
been  born  two  children:  Frances,  born  Feb- 
ruary 1,  1904;  Henry,  born  February  20,  1908. 


fi48 


liKxii; Ai'iiK  \i.  iiis-riiin-. 


IIKKMAX  (JIIUTZ  IISSK)  is  one  of  llio  Li^ 
larmi'is  of  Miililli'tnwii  tuwnsliip.  He  owns 
tlic  east  half  of  soetiuii  17  nnd  120  acr('>.  of 
tlie  southwest  quarlor  of  section  10,  nil  uf 
which  he  farms.  He  is  a  native  of  Will  oouD- 
ty,  Illinois,  nnd  was  born  Xovoniber  Ki,  1863. 
His  parents,  William  anil  Christina  Guritz, 
were  born  ami  married  in  tJermany,  emigrat- 
ing to  the  liiili'd  States  soon  after  the  lat- 
ter event,  and  died  in  this  country.  They 
wore  tlie  |)arents  of  eighteen  children,  all  liv- 
ing. 

Herman  attended  the  public  scliouls  of  his 
native  county  and  resided  with  his  parents 
until  1888,  workinj;  on  liis  father's  farm  and 
those  of  nei^'hliorin;;  farmers.  He  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1888  and  located  upon  the 
land  in  Middletown  township  where  he  lias 
ever  since  lived.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church. 

.Mr.  (.'uritz  was  married  in  Cliica^'o  in  'ISOO 
to  Kmma  Foshaga,  a  native  of  Will  county,  Il- 
linois. The  following  named  six  children  have 
been  born  to  them:  Minnie,  Henry,  Amel, 
Herman.  Tillio  and  Manda. 


UK.  OSCAR  K.  ROHKRTS  (1900),  dentist,  of 
.Jackson,  was  linin  in  Cottage  Grove,  Washing- 
ton county  Minnesota,  on  the  eighth  day  of 
September,  1870.  He  is  of  Dutcli-Irish-Scotch 
descent.  His  paternal  grandfather  came  from 
Holland  when  a  chilii  and  fought  in  the  war 
of  1812.  His  father,  Richard  Roberts,  was 
born  in  New  York  state,  oame  to  the  territory 
of  Jlinnesota  in  185'),  and  ever  since  that  date 
has  lived  at  Cottage  Grove,  being  now  eighty 
.years  of  age.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is 
Anna  (McChesney)  Roberts,  who  is  now  about 
seventy  years  of  age. 

f)scar  K,  Roberts  made  his  home  with  his 
parents  until  after  he  had  finished  his  educa- 
tion in  IIIOO.  He  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Cottage  (Jrove.  studied  two  years  in  the 
Hastings  high  school,  two  years  in  Carleton 
loIlegoofN'orthfleld.  and  then  entered  the  stnto 
university.  from  the  dental  department  of 
which  institution  he  was  graduated  after  tak- 
ing a  four  years'  course.  Dr.  Roberts  located 
in  Jackson  in  July.  1000.  nnd  has  since  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  is 
a  niemlier  of  the  Pn'sbyterian  church  and  of 
the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  lodge. 

Dr.  Roberts  was  married  at  Jackson  .Tannary 
l.'i,   1003,  to  Ethel  Raub,  a   native  of  Iroquois 


county,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  George  and 
Sarah  (Coleman)  Raub.  She  came  to  Jackson 
I  •Muity  in  the  spring  of  1898.  To  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Roberts  have  been  born  two  children:  Doro- 
thea, born  March  20,  1(104,  and  .Murial,  born 
January   10,  11107. 


WII.I.IAM  .1.  (.  sriiit(ii;i)]-;i;  (1880),  grain 
and  dairy  farmer  of  Petersburg  township,  has 
resided  in  Jackson  county  since  he  was  five 
yenrs  of  nge.  He  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Il- 
linois, December  .'>.  1881,  the  son  of  William 
and  Maria   (Meyer)   .Soliroeder. 

The  family  arrived  in  Jackson  county  JIarcli 
24,  1880.  William  received  a  country  school 
education  and  was  brought  up  on  the  farm, 
working  for  his  father  and  for  other  farmers 
until  he  was  of  age.  Soon  after  reaching  his 
nuijority  he  engaged  in  farming  for  himself 
two  years,  then  hauled  cream  one  year.  After 
that  he  bought  machinery  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  business  for  him.self,  farming  land 
on  tlic  northwest  quarter  of  section  27,  Peters- 
linrg  township.  ;Mr.  Scluoeder  owns  stock  in 
the  Petersburg  Creamery  company  and  is  a 
nicmlier  of  the  (ierman  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Schroeder  was  married  November  20, 
IIIII7.  in  Mary  Sehnlte,  of  Arcadia,  Iowa.  To 
lliein  lias  lieen  born  one  child.  Klla.  born  Feb- 
ruarv    10.   1909. 


MARTIX  A.  FOSS  (1809).  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  of  Heron  Lake  township,  is  one  of  the 
county's  pioneers.  He  wns  born  near  the  city 
of  Christiania.  Norway,  the  son  of  Anton  and 
Martha  Foss.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm 
and  when  twelve  years  of  age  came  to  .Xnierica 
witli  his  parents. 

After  living  in  Olmsted  county,  Minnesota, 
one  year  the  family  came  to  Jackson  county 
nnd  located  on  section  IS,  Delafield  township. 
They  were  the  first  family  to  make  improve- 
ments in  that  precinct,  although  one  or  two 
claims  had  been  tnken  before  that  date.  For 
several  years  JIarlin  worked  for  his  father 
and  for  neighboring  farmers,  and  in  1882  he 
bought  his  present  farm,  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  18,  Heron  I^ikc  township,  and 
farmed  it  ten  years.  He  went  to  Windom  in 
1892  and  fr<un  that  date  until  1899  was  in  the 
general  merehaiidise  business  at  Windom  and 
Heron  Lake.  Returning  to  the  farm.  Mr.  Foss 
has  since  been  engaged  in  farming.    In  1901  he 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 


MM 


BIOGRAPHICAL.  HISTORY. 


549 


built  his  present  house,  one  of  the  very  finest 
farm  homes  in  tlie  whole  of  Jackson  county. 

Mr.  Foss  has  stock  in  and  is  a  director  of 
tlie  First  National  Bank  of  Lakefield  and  lias 
stock  in  the  Jackson  County  Cooperative  Store 
company  and"  the  Farmers  Elevator  company 
of  tlie  same  town.  He  is  clerk  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  17  and  has  served  since  1900,  and  he 
has  held  the  office  of  township  treasurer.  Mr. 
Foss  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  cliurcli  of  Lakefield. 


J.  P.  NELSON  (1907),  the  manager  of  the 
Farmers  Mercantile  company's  store  at  Jack- 
son, was  born  in  Argyle,  Wisconsin,  March  25, 
1803,  the  son  of  Lars  and  Karen  (Gaukrud) 
Nelson.  He  secured  a  common  school  education 
in  Argyle  and  was  a  student  at  Valparaiso 
(Indiana)  college  one  year.  After  his  school 
days  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in  a  store 
ill  Argyle.  and  in  1SS9,  in  partnership  with  a 
brotlier,  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
business.  Two  years  later  he  sold  out,  and  iji 
1802  moved  to  Superioi',  Iowa,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business 
fifteen  years.  In  the  spring  of  1907  Mr.  Nelson 
moved  to  Jackson,  and  has  since  been  the 
manager  of  the  Farmers  Mercantile  company's 
store. 

ilr.  Nelson  owns  44.5  acres  of  land  in  Peters- 
burg township,  and  a  comfortable  home  in 
Jackson.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church  and  of  the  I.  0.  0.  F.,  M.  W. 
A.  and  R.  N.  A.  lodges. 

At  Superior,  Iowa,  on  March  1.").  18S9,  Mr. 
Nelson  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Anna 
C.  Anderson.  To  them  have  been  born  six  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Ora  C,  born  January  20, 
1890;  Leland  G.,  born  November  29,  1891; 
Homer  A.,  born  September  10,  1893;  Velma  R., 
born  February  8,  1896;  Gladys  J.,  born  Febru- 
ary 22,  1898;  J.  Philo,  born  March  19,  1900. 


ERNEST  E.  PEARSON  (1882)  is  a  Middle- 
town  township  farmer  and  has  lived  in  the 
county  since  he  was  two  years  of  age.  He  is 
a  native  of  Hardin  county,  Iowa,  and  was 
horn  May  II.  1880,  the  son  of  Jess  G.  and 
Samantha  (Campbell)  Pearson.  The  parents 
of  our  subject  were  born  in  Fort  Wayne,  In- 
diana, and  Hands  county,  Iowa,  respectively, 
and  were  married  in  the  latter  place.  They 
came   from   Hardin   county,   Iowa,   to   Jackson 


county  in  1882,  bought  a  farm  upon  which 
their  son  now  lives,  engaged  .in  farming  there 
until  November,  1900,  when  they  moved  to  tlie 
state  of  Washington,  where  they  now  reside. 
They  are  the  parents  of  nine  children:  Olive 
(Mrs.  L.  S.  Allen),  Robert  A.,  Ernest  E.,  Mar- 
tin E.,  James  E.,  Lizzie  D.  (Mrs.  E.  C.  Arm- 
stead),  William  A.,  Jess  L.,  Benton  W.  and 
Florence. 

Ernest  was  only  two  years  of  age  when  he 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson  county, 
and  he  was  brought  up  on  the  farm  he  now 
conducts.  Until  he  reached  Ids  majority  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm;  then  for  a  few 
years  he  worked  for  neighboring  farmers.  lu 
1904  he  went  to  Washington,  remained  there 
about  six  months  and  returned  to  Jackson 
county.  He  rented  a  farm  near  his  father's 
place,  conducted  it  until  1900,  when  he  mar- 
ried and  rented  his  father's  place,  which  he 
has  since  conducted. 

Mr.  Pearson  was  married  December  26,  1906, 
to  Ella  Kephart,  who  was  born  in  Middletown 
township  March  21,  1886,  and  who  is  the 
daughter  of  Brunee  and  Mary  (Myers)  Kep- 
hart, of  Lakefield. 


HERMAN  H.  KOEP  (1903),  farmer  of  Dela- 
field  township,  was  born  in  Benton  county, 
Iowa,  June  25,  1873.  His  parents.  Clans  and 
Mary  (Paulson)  Koep,  were  born  in  Germany 
and  came  to  America  in  1862,  locating  in  Iowa. 
The  former  died  .September  12,  1890,  aged  55 
years,  4  months  and  28  days.  His  mother  lives 
in  Benton  county,  Iowa,  and  is  75  years  of  age. 

Herman  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  edu- 
cated in  district  schools.  He  lived  on  his 
father's  farm  until  1897;  then  he  married  and 
engaged  in  farming  on  rented  land  in  Benton 
county.  He  came  to  .lackson  county  in  the 
spring  of  1903  and  located  upon  his  farm, 
wliich  he  had  bought  in  the  fall  of  1902.  He 
owns  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  25,  Dela- 
field,  and  forty  acres  adjoining  in  section  30, 
Cliristiania.  His  farm  was  only  slightly  im- 
proved when  he  bought.  He  erected  the  barn, 
fenced  the  land  and  made  many  improvements. 
He  makes  a  specialt}'  of  stock  raising  and  has 
good  grades  of  stock.  He  is  a  stockholder  in 
tlie  I'^armers  Elevator  company  of  Windora  and 
in  the  Mutual  Telephone  company  of  the  same 
village.  Mr.  Koep  is  a  member  of  the  M.  B. 
A.  lodge  of  Windom.    He  is  treasurer  of  school 


550  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 

distrift   No.  70,  having  servcU  for  tlic  past  two 


years. 

Our  subject  was  married  in  Benton  county, 
Iowa,  February  24,  1897,  to  Katie  Ijickniann, 
who  was  born  in  Benton  county  ilarcli  1,  1879. 
She  is  the  diiufihter  of  George  and  Annie  (Mil- 
ler) Laekniann,  of  Hcnton  county,  Iowa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Koep  are  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Clara,  born  December  8,  1897;  Agnes,  born 
January  11,  1900;  Bernhardt,  born  February 
1,  1902;  Helen,  born  October  6,  1903;  Elsie, 
born  .laniiary  Iti,  1907 :  Kdwin,  born  October 
20,   1909. 


I.KONARI)  F.  ZINSER  (1903),  retired  evan- 
gelist and  minister  of  the  gospel,  is  now  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Hunter  township,  a  short 
distance  west  of  Lakefield,  where  he  owns  a 
farm  on  section  6.  Kev.  Zinser  was  born  near 
'lilVin,  the  county  seat  of  Seneca  county,  Oliio, 
August  27,  186G,  the  son  of  A.  F.  and  Mary  C. 
(Miesse)  Zinser.  He  is  of  German  descent,  his 
grandfather  having  establislied  the  American 
branch  of  tlie  family.  The  father  of  our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  Oliio  in  1839  and  now  lives 
at  Storm  Lake,  Iowa.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  born  near  Lancaster,  F'airlield 
county,  Ohio,  in  1840  and  is  living.  These 
parents  had  eight  cliildren,  of  whom  six  are 
living,  of  which  Leonard  is  the  eldest. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  months  our  subject 
accompanied  his  parents  from  his  native  state 
In  l-:!  I'aso,  Illinois,  at  which  place  he  grew 
111  manhood.  He  was  brought  up  on  a  farm 
and  early  in  life  engaged  in  farming,  wliieh  he 
continued  until  1894.  After  receiving  his  pri- 
mary education  he  became  a  student  at  the 
Illinois  Wesleyan  university  of  Bloomington 
and  for  the  next  three  years  engaged  in  evan- 
gelistic work  as  a  gospel  singer.  He  next  en- 
tered the  ministry  and  for  six  years  had 
charge  of  churches  in  Illinois,  two  years  at 
Hennepin,  two  years  at  Tremont  and  two 
years  at  Flanagan.  In  1903,  on  account  of 
poor  health,  Rev.  Zinser  was  obliged  to  give  up 
his  chosen  jirofession,  and  that  year  he  came 
to  Jackson  county.  He  bought  a  farm  on 
section  G,  Hunter  township,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming.  During  the  first  three 
years  of  his  residence  in  the  county  he  occu- 
pied the  pulpit  at  Welcome,  but  for  the  past 
three  years  has  devoted  his  time  exclusively  to 
his   farming   operations.     lie   is   at    present   a 


local     minister     of     the    Methodist     Episcopal 
church. 

Rev.  Zinser  was  married  at  Johnstown, 
Pennsylvania,  June  1,  1896,  to  Barbara  E.  Paul, 
who  was  born  in  Canada  November  4,  1807. 
Her  father,  E.  S.  Paul,  lives  with  his  daugh- 
ter; her  mother,  Elizabeth  (Straycr)  Paul, 
died  in  February,  1900.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Zinser,  Fern  F., 
born  April  23.  ISO!);  Pauline,  born  August  29, 
1900. 


NKWTON  FREER  (1874),  Alba  township 
farmer,  was  born  in  Ulster  county.  New  York, 
October  20,  1844,  the  son  of  J.  D.  and  Anna 
L.  (Hasbrook)  Freer,  both  natives  of  the  Em- 
pire state.  They  came  west  in  1851  and  lo- 
cated in  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa,  moved  to 
Jackson  county  in  1874,  and  died  in  Heron 
Lake.  Newton  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren born  to  these  parents. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  moved  from 
Ulster  county,  New  York,  with  his  parents 
when  a  child  and  grew  to  manhood  in  Win- 
neshiek comity,  Iowa.  He  s])ent  his  early 
years  with  his  parents  on  the  farm  with  the 
exception  of  five  years  when  he  was  employed 
in  a  flouring  mill  at  Frankville.  Iowa.  He 
spent  three  years  in  the  Black  Hills  country, 
and  then,  in  1874,  became  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son county.  He  took  as  a  homestead  claim 
the  east  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 24.  Alba  township,  and  upon  that  place 
he  has  ever  since  resided,  being  one  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  precinct. 

Mr.  Freer  was  married  in  Winneshiek  coun- 
ty. Iowa,  F'ebruary  6,  1874.  to  Rosa  Rath- 
burn,  a  notive  of  the  county  in  which  she  was 
married,  having  been  born  September  Ifi,  1854. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Walter  and  Welthy 
(Lummis)  Rathburn.  One  child  was  born  to 
this  union,  Lloyd,  born  in  April,  1886,  and 
died  in  September,  1894.  They  have  an  adopt- 
ed son,  Emmet,  aged  fourteen  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Freer  are  members  of  the  Melhodist 
church.  He  has  served  as  n  member  of  the 
Alba  township  board  and  now  holds  the  olTice 
of  treasurer  of  school  district  No.  8.'). 


GUSTAVE  J.  CHRISTLE  (1899).  deputy 
sheriflf  of  Jackson  county  and  proprietor  of 
the  Lakefield  liouse.  was  born  in  Germany 
February  2,  1801.     His  father,  Joseph  Christie, 


BIOGEAPmCAL  HlSTOllY. 


551 


died  in  Germany  when  Gustave  was  a  boy  of 
tliiiteen  years  of  age.  His  mother,  Amelia 
(Wurst)  Cliristle,  still  makes  her  home  in 
the  fatherland  and  is  73  years  of  age.  Of  the 
six  children  of  the  family  Gustave  is  the  only 
one  in  America. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  our  subject 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  grand- 
father. After  spending  one  year  in  Cedar  Rap- 
ids, Iowa,  he  moved  to  Chelsea,  Tama  county, 
Iowa,  and  for  three  years  made  his  home  on 
the  farm  of  an  uncle,  Mathias  Michael.  The 
next  eighteen  months  were  spent  on  the  plains 
of  southwestern  Nebraska.  Mr.  Christie  then 
located  in  Mills  county,  Iowa,  where  he  work- 
ed as  a  farm  laborer  three  or  four  years  and 
where  he  was  married  in  1883. 

After  his  marriage  Mr.  Christie  moved  to 
Charles  Mix  county.  South  Dakota,  and  lo- 
cated on  government  land.  One  year  later  he 
went  to  Brule  county,  of  the  same  territory, 
and  engaged  in  farming  six  years.  We  find 
our  subject  next  in  Lyon  county,  Iowa,  where 
for  two  years  he  farmed  rented  land.  Mov- 
ing to  Xoliles  county,  Minnesota,  from  that 
place,  he  bought  a  farm  in  Lorain  township, 
upon  which  he  lived  six  years.  Mr.  Christie 
sold  out  in  1898  and  moved  to  Worthington. 
He  bought  a  restaurant  in  that  village,  con- 
ducted it  a  year,  and  then  moved  tb  Lakefield 
in  189'J  and  bought  the  Lakefield  house.  He 
has  been  the  boniface  of  that  hotel  for  the 
past  ten  years.  Besides  his  duties  in  the  ho- 
tel ilr.  Christie  d.evotes  part  of  his  time  to 
looking  after  his  farm  in  Ransom  county, 
Xorth  Dakota,  and  attending  to  his  duties  as 
deputy  sheriff,  to  which  ofl'ice  he  was  ap- 
pointed in  1906. 

Mr.  Christie  was  married  in  Glenwood,  Milh 
county,  Iowa,  June  16,  1883,  to  Miss  Emma 
V.  Goft",  a  native  of  Illinois  and  a  daughter 
of  George  Goff.  Two  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christie. 
The  eldest  daughter,  Amelia,  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  Persons  and  resides  on  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  her  husband  being  a  bookkeeper 
in  the  government  employ.  The  other  children 
are  Edward,  !Maud  E.,  Cora  Dell  and  !Mer- 
ritt  G. 


JOE  GOGOLINSKI  (1901),  Des  Moines  town- 
ship farmer  and  breeder  of  Percheron  horses, 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  where  he  was  born 
February  6,  1878.     He  is  the  son  of  the  late 


John  Gogolinski  and  Annie  (Pekorski)  Gogol- 
inski,  of  Dutch-Poland  stock  but  natives  of 
Germany.  They  came  to  America  in  1880  and 
the  former  died  in  this  country;  the  latter 
lives  in  Chicago. 

Joe  accompanied  his  parents  to  America 
when  two  years  of  age  and  until  he  was  twelve 
years  old  resided  with  his  parents  in  Chicago. 
At  that  age  he  went  to  Wisconsin,  lived  there 
a  short  time  and  then  returned  to  Chicago, 
wliere  he  lived  several  years.  He  learned  the 
machinist's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  until  his 
health  failed.  In  1901  he  left  the  city  and 
located  in  Jackson  county,  engaging  in  farm- 
ing the  Des  Moines  township  farm  of  his 
father-in-law.  He  is  a  well  known  horse 
breeder  and  several  of  his  brood  mares  and 
colts  have  been  awarded  the  first  premiums  at 
the  Jackson  coimty  fairs. 

Mr.  Gogolinski  was  married  in  the  city  of 
Chicago  October  9,  1900,  to  Emma  Tousek, 
who  was  born  in  the  city  in  which  she  was 
married.  To  these  parents  have  been  born 
three  children:  Alfonso,  born  in  Chicago; 
Marj'  and  Helen  (twins),  born  in  Des  Moines 
township. 


JOHN  E.  ELOFFSON  (1876j  is  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  and  large  landowners  of 
Belmont  township.  He  owns  520  acres  of 
land  in  on.?  body  and  farms  it  all.  His  hold- 
ings include  all  of  section  14,  except  the  north 
half  of  the  north  half,  and  a  forty  acre  tract 
on  section  23. 

ilr.  Eloffson  was  born  in  Norway  June  9, 
1847,  the  son  of  Elof  and  Annie  M.  Eloffson, 
both  deceased.  He  is  the  next  to  the  oldest  of 
a  family  of  nine  children.  He  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  country,  working  on  his 
father's  small  farm  and  engaging  in  fishing  and 
sailing.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1873, 
lived  three  years  in  Nicollet  county,  Minne- 
sota, and  then  located  in  Jackson  county, 
which  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  For  sev- 
eral years  he  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade 
in  Jackson,  and  as  he  accumulated  money  he 
invested  it  in  Belmont  real  estate.  He  moved 
onto  his  farm  in  1883. 

Besides  his  mammoth  farming  operations 
'Mr.  Eloft'son  is  interested  in  several  other  lines 
of  business.  He  is  a  director  of  the  Norwegian 
store  in  Christiania  township,  in  the  Belmont 
Creamery  company,  in  the  Belmont  Telephone 
company   and   has   stock   in   the  new   elevator 


i;\lMlliAL   HISTORY. 


ronipuiiy.  He  lias  hold  the  office  of  township 
supervisor,  treasurer  of  school  district  No.'  :W, 
and  road  overseer.  He  and  his  family  are 
nii'inliii  ■;  (if  the  Xorwi';;ian  Lutheran  church. 

-Mr.  Kloffson  was  married  in  Jack.«on  coun- 
ty in  June,  1884,  to  Mary  Flatgard,  a  native 
of  Norway.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Tory  Flat- 
gard and  came  to  Jackson  county  when  a 
Imhy.  They  have  eleven  children,  named  as 
follows:  Alvin  T.,  professor  of  a  school  in 
\Vasliin;;ton:  Julia,  Annie,  {!ear,  Clara,  Emma, 
Hilda,  Handa,  Julius,  Olga,  Lorain. 


ANDREW  II.  MKLVIl.LE  (1001)  owns  a 
section  of  Jackson  county  land  and  farms  the 
home  place  on  the  shore  of  Heron  lake,  in 
West  Heron  Lake  township,  descrihcd  as  lots 
one,  two  and  three  of  section  14.  Ho  has  a 
pretty  home  located  on  a  peninsula  jutting 
out  info  the  lake.  Mr.  I^Ielville,  after  devot- 
ing many  years  to  ed\uatioiiaI  work,  was  oh- 
lif{cd  to  ^ive  up  his  ciiosen  profession,  and 
since  1901  has  been  trying  to  regain  his  health 
hy  engaging  in  farming. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
was  born  in  Peotone,  Will  county,  Illinois, 
Jime  17.  1872,  the  son  of  Dr.  A.  H.  Melville 
and  Catherine  (Melville)  Melville.  His  par- 
ents were  horn  in  Scotland  and  came  to  Pros- 
cott,  Ontario,  Canada,  in  their  childhood  days. 
His  father  was  educated  in  the  university  of 
Edenburg  and  McGill  college,  at  Montreal. 
During  the  civil  war  he  volunteered  his  ser- 
vices to  the  northern  cause,  came  to  the  Unit- 
ed States,  and  was  made  a  surgeon  of  the  79th 
New  York  Scotch  Highlanders.  He  later  be- 
came head  surgeon  of  the  regiment  and  serv- 
ed throughout  the  war.  He  died  soon  after 
his  discharge  from  the  army.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  died  when  Andrew  was  seven  yeara 
of  age. 

Andrew  Melville  received  his  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  country  schools  of  Will  county,  Il- 
linois. He  was  a  student  at  the  state  normal 
school  at  Bloomington  five  years  and  com- 
pleted his  education  in  1890  in  the  university 
of  Chicago.  He  then  took  up  teaching  as  a 
profession.  He  taught  in  Chicago  one  year, 
was  principal  of  the  training  department  of 
the  Hlooniinglon  normal  school  three  years 
and  was  teacher  of  pedagogj-  at  DeKalb,  Illi- 
nois, one  year.  Then  he  gave  up  his  profes- 
sion and  located  on  bis  farm  in  .Tackson  coun- 
ty.    In  addition   to  his   home   farm   Mr.   Mel- 


ville owns  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
111,  Helinont,  the  northwest  (juarter  of  sec- 
tion 14,  Ewingtoii,  and  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section   23,  Host. 

-Mr.  Melville  was  married  at  Utica,  Illinois, 
October  25,  1900,  to  Miss  Lydia  M.  Fedde,  who 
was  born  in  Columbia  county.  New  York.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Richard  U.  and  Rhoda  S. 
(Weaver)  Fedde.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melville  are 
meniliers  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


W  II. 1. 1  AM  WKEDE  (1886),  farmer  of  En- 
ii-i|iri>e  luwiisliip,  was  born  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  lives  February  1.  1880,  the  son  of  John 
and  Amelia  (Sclionlield)  Wrede.  John  Wrcde 
came  from  (lermany  in  1870,  lived,  respectively, 
in  Cairo,  Illinois;  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Rock 
Island,  Illinois;  and  in  Jackson  county,  where 
he  died  in  1900.  During  the  time  he  lived  in 
Rock  Island  he  was  employed  in  a  sawmill; 
otherwise  he  engaged  in  agricultural  jjursuits 
all  his  life.  Our  subject's  mother  lives  in  En- 
terprise township  and  owns  the  southeast 
(luarter  of  section  10,  which  her  son  farms. 

William  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion, graduating  from  the  school  of  district 
No.  107  in  1902.  He  helped  his  father  with 
the  farm  work  during  his  younger  years,  and 
after  the  lattcr's  death  assumed  the  manage- 
ment of  the  place.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Cerman  Lutheran  church.  He  holds  the  ofTice 
of  road  overseer  of  his  district. 


PETER  JEPSON  (1894),  the  Jackson  village 
marshal,  is  a  native  of  Schleswig-Holstein, 
(Jermany.  and  was  horn  November  8,  1S72. 
He  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  four  chil- 
dren, all  living  in  the  United  States.  His 
brothers  and  sister  are  John  P..  Soren  P.  and 
.\iinie  "M.  Jepson.  The  parents  of  these  chil- 
dren were  John  Peter  and  Anne  ^Margaret 
(Hrink)  Jepson,  who  died  in  their  native  conn- 
try,  the  former  May  18,  1891,  the  latter  De- 
cember 31,  1890. 

Peter  secured  an  education  in  Germany  and 
until  after  his  father's  death  worked  in  the 
hitter's  rope  factory.  In  the  fall  of  1S91  he 
came  to  America  and  located  at  Himtley, 
Faribault  county.  Minnesota,  where  he  worked 
on  the  farm  of  his  brother,  John  Jepson,  imtil 
the  spring  of  1894.  On  March  15,  of  the  last 
named  year,  he  moved  to  Jackson.  For  four 
years  he  worked  in  the  village  at  different  oc- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


553 


cupations,  and  on  December  8,  1898,  received 
the  appointment  of  village  niglil  watchman. 
He  served  until  April  1,  1902.  He  was  again 
appointed  to  tlio  position  on  Xovember  15, 
190-2.  and  tlic  following  April  was  appointed 
village  marshal,  which  oflicc  he  still  holds. 

Mr.  .Jepson  was  married  in  .Jackson  October 
21.  19(11.  to  Georgine  llarj'  Hanrlevidt,  a  na- 
tive of  Gardner,  Illinois,  and  a  danghter  of 
Nels  P.  and  Petrie  Handevidt.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Jepson  have  been  born  two  children:  Ar- 
thur Peter,  born  July  2,  1904;  Pearl  Margaret, 
born  February  2.3,  1907.  Mr.  Jepson  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


FRKI)  W.  {;.  HARTMAN  (1898)  is  a  Peters- 
burg township  farmer  and  stockraiser  residing 
upon  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  20.  He 
was  born  in  Bleckendorf,  Germany.  December 
3,  18G1,  the  son  of  John  and  Teresa  (Rust) 
Hartman,  both  deceased. 

The  first  thirty  years  of  the  life  of  o\u-  sub- 
ject were  passed  in  Germany,  where  he  secur- 
ed his  education  and  where  he  worked  in  a 
tile  factory  after  reaching  manhood.  After 
reaching  that  age  Mr.  Hartman  decided  to  try 
his  fortunes  in  the  new  world  and  in  January, 
1892,  arrived  in  this  country.  He  located  first 
in  the  town  of  Renwick,  Wright  county,  Iowa, 
and  five  months  later  went  to  Goldfield,  in  the 
same  county,  where  for  five  years  he  lived, 
working  in  a  tile  factory  four  years  and  en- 
gaging in  farming  one  year.  He  moved  to 
.Jackson  county  in  Marcli,  1898,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming  in  Petersburg  town- 
ship. 

Mr.  Hartman  was  married  in  Germany  on 
the  first  day  of  the  year  1884  to  Miss  Mary 
Koenig.  To  this  union  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  Mary,  born  October  8, 
1884;  Dora,  born  June  6,  1886;  Elesbetli,  horn 
December  1,  1887:  Emma,  born  June  10,  1890; 
Hulda,  born  August  17,  1892;  Paul,  born  .July 
6,  1894;  Ida,  born  July  14,  1897;  Martha,  born 
I'ebruary  10,  1902.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  German  Lutlieran  church. 


JOHN  HOVELSRUD  (1874).  in  partnership 
with  his  brother  Bernhard,  owns  and  farms 
240  acres  of  land  on  section  27.  Heron  I^ake 
township,  a  short  distance  northeast  of  I^ake- 
field.  lie  is  a  native  of  the  county,  having 
been  horn  on  his  fatlier's  homestead  on  section 


34,  Heron  l^ake  township,  Octoljcr  22,  1874. 
His  parents,  Mathias  H.  and  Ingeborg  (Lunde) 
Hovelsrudj  were  born  in  Norway  and  came  to 
America  in  their  youth.  They  were  early  day 
residents  of  Minnesota  and  canii'  to  .lackson 
county  in  1873,  taking  a  homesteail  a  little 
cast  of  the  present  village  of  Laketield.  The 
father  died  there  in  June,  1S99,  aged  .■)7  years. 
The  mother  still  lives  on  the  old  liomestead. 
Eight  children  were  born  to  them,  as  follows: 
Julia  (Mrs.  A.  J.  Christy),  of  Okabena;  Hilda 
(deceased),  .John,  Bernhard,  Gilbert,  Julius,  of 
St.  Paul;  Ever  (deceased)  and  Halmar,  of 
Story  City,  Iowa. 

Until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age  John 
lived  with  his  parents,  securing  an  education 
and  working  on  the  farm.  After  reaching  his 
majority  he  engaged  in  school  teaching  and 
in  1900  he  and  his  brother  bought  their  pres- 
ent farm  on  section  27  and  have  since  farmed 
the  place  in  partnership.  Neither  of  the  broth- 
ers is  married.  During  the  summer  of  1909 
they  erected  a  commodious  residence  on  the 
farm.  John  Hovelsrud  has  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  school  board  of  district  No.  80  since 
1900. 


FRED  0.  FREDERICKSON  (187.5)  is  the 
manager  of  the  St.  .John  Grain  company's  ele- 
vator at  Wilder  and  of  the  Sontag  Lumber 
company's  yards  in  the  same  village.  He  is  the 
son  of  Ole  Frederickson  Bokke  and  Mary  (Mel- 
lem)  Frederickson  Bokke,  residents  of  Delafield 
townsiiip.  These  parents  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1870,  located  at  Muskegon,  Michigan, 
and  the  same  fall  took  up  their  residence  at 
Madelia.  The  next  year  they  located  at  Win- 
dom,  where  our  subject's  fatlier  worked  on  the 
railroad  one  year  and  where  he  conducted  a 
riiilioa.l  lioarding  house  three  years.  In  1S72 
lie  had  entered  a  homestead  claim  in  Dela- 
tii'ld  townsiiip.  .Jackson  county,  and  when  he 
moved  from  Windom  located  on  the  land  where 
li^  has  ever  since  made  his  home  and  where  he 
owns  COO  acres  of  land.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
way  in    1844,   his   wife   in    1846. 

Our  subject  is  the  eldest  of  five  children 
born  to  these  parents,  the  others  being  Ole, 
Albert,  Ella,  Gina  (Mrs.  John  J.  Swenson).  He 
was  horn  in  Norway  February  19,  1860.  and 
when  one  year  of  age  accompanied  his  parents 
to  America.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  Dela- 
field township  farm,  receiving  an  education  in 
the    district    schools    and    in    the    Breck    school 


34 


554. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  IIISTOIIY, 


of  WilJor,  where  lie  Ktiulied  tliroe  years,  tak- 
ing a  business  roursc  in  addition  to  the  sci- 
cntifie  course.  After  obtaining  an  education 
Air.  Krcderickson  assisted  his  father  in  the 
management  of  the  big  farm  and  made  liis 
liome  oM  the  farm  until  1!)(»4.  That  year  he 
moved  to  Wihler  and  accepted  tlie  position  of 
manager  of  the  St.  John  elevator,  whicli  po- 
sition he  ha.s  sinee  held.  When  the  yards  of 
the  Sontag  Lumber  company  were  established 
in  Wilder  Mr.  I'rederickson  was  made  manager 
and  has  held  that  positiiui  in  addition  to  his 
duties   with    the   elevator   company. 

Oviring  his  residence  in  Delafield  township 
Mr.  Frederickson  served  two  years  as  township 
elerk.  He  is  a  niemher  of  the  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran church  of  Delafield. 


KMII,  I'KIKRS  (1880)  is  a  farmer  of  Sioux 
Valley  township,  where  lie  farms  iJSO  acres  of 
land.  He  is  the  son  of  Nicholas  and  Vatcn 
Peters,  now  residents  of  Lake  Park,  Towa,  for 
many  years  residents  of  Jackson  county.  The 
father  came  from  Germany  in  1882,  where  be 
had  been  a  shoemaker.  After  living  in  Dav- 
enport, Towa,  and  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  a  few- 
years  he  came  to  .lackson  county  and  engaged 
in  farming.  He  prospered  and  became  one  of 
the  heavy  land  owners  of  his  neighborhood, 
now  owning  nn  even  thousand  acres  of  land  in 
Sioux  Valley  and  Rost  lowniships. 

Emil  Peters  was  born  in  riermany  February 
22,  187r>,  and  came  to  America  witli  his  \nxr- 
ents  when  six  years  of  age.  The  first  year  of 
his  life  in  the  new  world  was  spent  in  Daven- 
port. Iowa,  and  then  the  family  home  was 
made  in  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  There  Emil 
attended  school  and  worked  in  a  lumber  yard, 
carrying  water  and  driving  a  team.  He  came 
to  Sioux  Valley  township  with  his  parents  in 
ISSit  and  immediately  began  working  out  for 
neighboring  farmers.  After  being  so  employed 
five  years  he  again  took  up  his  residence  with 
his  parents  and  lived  with  them  until  he  was 
twenty-seven  years  old.  assisting  with  the  farm 
work.  He  was  married  in  1902.  rented  his 
father's  half  section  farm  in  Rost  township 
and  started  in  life  for  himself.  In  1006  his 
father  retired  from  the  farm  and  Emil  ren- 
ted the  home  place,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
He  farms  280  acres  of  his  father's  land  and 
raises  lots  of  cattle,  horses  and  hogs.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Hermann  lodge. 

Mr.    Peters    was    married    in    Sioux    Valley 


township  Jlareh  4,  1!H)2,  to  Ella  Rrocknian. 
She  i>  the  daughter  of  Hans  and  Annie  Brock- 
nuin,  of  Lakefield,  and  was  horn  in  Tama 
county,  [owa,  March  23,  ISTi).  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peters,  as  fol- 
lows: Luverna  Luella.  born  February  12,  190."); 
Leonard  Roy,  born  Octcdier  19,  1900. 


.JOll.N  C.  iiKllKKNS  (19{)3|  owns  and  farms 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  14.  Delafield 
township.  He  has  one  of  the  best  improved 
farm.-;  in  the  township,  all  tileil  and  fenced. 
When  he  bought  the  farm  in  1901  practically 
the  only  imprnvemenf  consisted  of  tlio  dwell- 
ing house. 

-Mr.  Hehrens  was  born  in  Uerniany  March  21, 
IStiT,  the  elder  of  a  family  of  two  children  horn 
to  Eli  and  Marguerita  (Behrens)  Rohrens. 
'I'lie  former  died  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois, 
in  1S79;  tlie  latter  is  living  at  the  age  of  67 
years.  John  C  Behrens  accompanied  his  par- 
ents from  the  fatherland  to  the  new  world  in 
1S74.  liiti!  he  was  of  age  he  resided  on  the 
farm  in  Wliitesidc  county,  Illinois.  Then  he 
married  and  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account,  having  rented  a  farm  in  that  county. 
Three  years  later  he  moved  to  Plymouth  coun- 
ty. Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  eleven 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1903  Mr.  Hehrens  came 
til  .laikson  cdunty  and  located  upon  his  present 
place,  which  he  had  bought  in  I'.lOl,  and  there 
he   has   sinee  made   his   home. 

In  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  on  FVhruary 
22,  1S8S.  .Mr.  Behrens  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Ida  Folkers.  wlio  was  born  in  the  county  in 
which  she  was  married  July  28,  1807,  and  who 
is  the  daughter  of  Henry  Folkers.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Behrens  have  had  twelve  children,  of 
whom  three  died  in  infancy.  They  arc  mem- 
bers of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Mr. 
Mehrens  is  a  member  of  tlie  board  of  supervis- 
ors of  Delafield  township. 


STEPHEN  a.  CAiif^  (1907).  manager  of  and 
owner  of  a  half  interest  in  the  Jackson  Tile 
and  Itrick  company,  is  a  native  of  liclllngham, 
Washington,  where  he  was  born  August  21, 
18.S0.  In  188.5  he  accompanied  his  parents, 
.fames  F.  and  Matilda  (McCrea)  Cass,  to  Seat- 
tle, and  in  that  city  he  was  bro\iglit  up.  He 
received  his  primary  education  in  the  Pnget 
sound  city,  and  in   1898  became  a   student  at 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


555 


Grand  Prairie  seminary,  Onarga,  Illinois,  where 
lie  pursued  liis  studies  two  years. 

Mr.  Cass  located  in  Chicago  in  I'Jdii  and  foi 
live  years  was  engaged  in  tlie  wholesale  dry 
goods  trade.  Early  in  190G  he  went  to  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  remained  there  six  months,  and 
in  August  of  the  same  year  located  in  Culloni, 
Illinois.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  Jackson 
in  August,  1007,  purchased  a  half  interest  in 
the  Jaeksnn  Tile  and  Brick  company's  plant, 
E.  S.  Shearer  being  the  owner  of  the  other 
half  interest,  and  has  since  been  engaged  as 
manager  of  the  plant. 

At  Denver,  Colorado,  February  1,  lOOli,  Mr. 
Cass  was  married  to  Miss  Florence  E.  Shearer. 
To  them  have  been  born  two  children:  Stephen 
Bruce,  born  February  6,  1907,  and  Jeanette  E., 
horn  Xovember  15,  1908. 


JoIlX  A,  CHALUPNIK  (1901 )  owns  and  farms 
the  west  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 15,  Hunter  township,  four  miles  south  of 
Lakefield.  He  is  a  native  of  Marshall  county, 
Iowa,  and  was  born  April  27,  1870,  the  son  of 
Anton  and  Tina  (Salasek)  Chalupnik.  These 
parents  were  born  in  Austria  and  emigrated  to 
America  before  their  marriage.  They  are  now 
residents  of  Traer,  Iowa,  and  have  a  family 
of  ten  children,  the  living  ones  named  as  fol- 
lows: Joseph,  John,  Mary,  Rosa,  Fannie,  Julia, 
Josie  and   Emma. 

John  A.  Chalupnik  accompanied  his  parents 
from  his  native  county  when  two  and  one-half 
years  of  age  and  located  in  Tama  county, 
Iowa,  and  that  was  his  home  until  he  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1901.  He  made  his  home 
with  his  parents  on  the  farm  until  he  was  of 
age  and  then  he  and  his  brother  Joseph  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  a  rented  farm.  He  was 
married  in  1892  and  then  took  up  his  residence 
in  Traer,  where  for  a  number  of  years  he  en- 
gaged in  teaming  and  threshing.  In  June,  1900, 
he  bought  his  Jackson  county  farm  and  the 
following  March  moved  on  to  the  place,  whert 
where  he  has  since  lived.  Besides  his  farming 
operations.  Mr.  Chalupnik  has  been  engaged  in 
the  threshing  business  for  the  last  four  years. 

Our  subject  was  united  in  marriage  to  Fan- 
nie Vlasak  in  Tama  county,  Iowa,  January 
6,  1892.  She  was  born  in  Linn  county,  Iowa, 
October  16,  1870.  One  child  has  been  born  to 
this  union.  Lucy  A.,  born  July  5.  189.3.  Mr. 
Chalupnik  has  served  as  chairman  of  the  town- 
ship   board    of    supervisors    for    the    past    two 


years  and  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  schoo'i 
board  of  district  No.  8-1  for  the  past  six  years. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Z.  C.  B.  .J.  lodge. 


FREDERICK  W.  SCHOELLERMAX  (190.1) 
is  the  proprietor  of  the  general  merchandise 
store  of  Sioux  Valley  township  and  was  the 
last  postmaster  of  Sioux  Valley  postoflfice.  He 
was  born  in  Germany  September  12,  18.52,  the 
son  of  Frederick  and  Katherina  (Thompson) 
Schoellerman.  Both  his  parents  died  in  the 
year  1905  at  advanced  ages.  Thej-  had  only 
two  cliildren,  Elza  Oelke  and  the  subject  of 
this  biography. 

At  the  age  of  two  years,  in  1854,  Fred  ac- 
companied his  parents  from  Germany  to  Am- 
erica. The  family  located  at  Garnavillo,  Clay- 
ton county,  Iowa,  and  in  that  town  our  sub- 
ject grew  to  manhood  and  spent  his  early  aduit 
years.  Until  he  attained  his  majority  he  I'e- 
sided  at  home,  learning  the  wagonmaker's  and 
carpenter's  trades  in  Garnavillo.  After  mas- 
tering his  trades,  Mr.  Schoellerman  moved  to 
Farmersburg.  also  in  Clayton  county,  and  con- 
ducted a  wagonmaker's  shop  until  1884.  That 
year  he  moved  to  Beadle  county.  South  Da- 
kota, and  took  a  homestead,  and  there  he  re- 
sided until  1903,  engaged  in  farming  and  work- 
ing at  the  carpenter's  trade. 

Because  of  an  accident  wliile  building  a 
church  in  1903,  resulting  in  a  broken  arm,  ifr. 
Schoellerman  sold  out  in  South  Dakota  and  be- 
came a  resident  of  Sioux  Valley  township, 
Jackson  county.  He  bought  the  little  store 
conducted  in  a  16x24  foot  building  by  Mrs. 
Green  and  received  the  appointment  of  post- 
master of  the  Sioux  Valley  office,  which  was 
conducted  in  the  store.  Mr.  Schoellerman  en- 
larged the  building  to  24x64  feet,  built  an 
addition  for  a  residence,  and  put  in  a  full 
line  of  general  merchandise.  He  has  built  up 
a  lucrative  trade  and  now  handles  all  classes 
of  general  merchandise,  dry  goods,  groceries 
and  hardware.  He  is  assisted  in  the  store  ))y 
his  son.  Ben. 

ilr.  Schoellerman  was  married  at  Garnavillo, 
Iowa,  Xovember  17j  1874,  to  .Jvilia  Quencel, 
who  was  born  in  Garnavillo,  October  10,  1852. 
These  parents  have  seven  living  children,  as 
follows;  Julius,  of  Beadle  county.  South  Da- 
kota: Will,  of  Ward  county,  Xorth  Dakota: 
Hubert,  of  Clark  county.  South  Dakota:  Al- 
fred, of  Sioux  Valley  township:  Ben,  resid- 
ing  at    home:    Ora    and   Olga    (twins),   attend- 


556 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY 


ing  school.  Mr.  Sclioellermaii  is  a  meiulier  of 
tlic  A.  U.  U.  \\'.,  till'  Ilcrnmnnsoii  and  the 
(■i-imniiia    lodges. 


llKNIiV  W.  VdKllL  (IStlll.  One  of  Iho  most 
sm-i'cssfiil  fanners  of  Host  lownshij)  is  the  gen- 
tlonian  wliose  name  lieads  tliis  biography. 
Henry  \V.  X'oelil  was  born  in  IjiSalle  county, 
Illinois,  September  2,  1870,  the  son  of  L'onrad 
and  Barbara  (Steinhardt)  Voelil.  When  lie 
was  two  years  old  the  family  moved  to  Iro- 
quois county,  and  there  be  i;iexv  to  manhood, 
lie  attended  the  country  schools  and  worked 
on  his  father's  farm.  As  farm  land  was  high 
in  that  county,  in  the  spring  of  1S!)I,  Henry  was 
.sent  to  Jackson  county  to  work  on  a  farm 
there  for  one  season,  to  find  out  the  oppor- 
tunities ofVered,  the  climate  conditions,  etc. 
licing  well  pleased  with  the  country  he  went 
back  to  Illinois  in  December,  18!)I.  and  re- 
turned to  Jackson  county  in  the  spring  of 
1892.  accompiuiied  by  his  parents"  brothers 
and  sister  and  numy  other  immigrants  from 
Iroijuois  county,  the  ])arty  having  with  thenl 
an  entire  train  load  of  stock,  niacliiiiery  and 
household  goods. 

After  arriving  in  Jackson  county  Henry  com- 
pleted his  education  with  a  year's  course  in 
the  Brock  college  of  Wilder,  and  thereafter  he 
worked  on  his  fatheu's  Host  township  farm  un- 
til ISfli).  That  year  he  engaged  in  farming  for 
liim.self.  having  bought  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  1(>  the  year  before,  and  that  has 
ever  since  been  his  home.  Whcti  he  bought  the 
farm  it  was  unimproved  prairie  land,  and  all 
the  improvements  which  grace  the  place  to- 
day are  the  results  of  his  work.  He  has  a  com- 
modious residence,  modern  in  every  particulor. 
His  farm  is  all  tiled  and  fenced  with  hog- 
tiglit    fencing  in   the  six-field  system. 

Besides  his  farming  operations  Mr.  Voelil  is 
interested  in  many  other  lines  of  business.  lie 
has  jns(  begun  the  breeding  of  the  thorough- 
bred llolstein  cattle  for  dairy  purposes,  and 
expects  to  engage  in  the  business  extensively. 
For  the  past  nine  years  he  lias  owned  and  op- 
erati'd  a  threshing  machine.  When  the  Host 
Cooperative  Dairy  association  was  organized  in 
ISnS  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  was  its 
first  secretary,  an  olTicc  he  also  hohls  at  the 
present  time.  He  has  also  been  president  and 
a  director  of  the  company.  Mr.  Voehl  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  one  of  the  first  rural 
telephone    lines    in   Jackson   county — the   Kost 


Telep!  one  company  and  has  ever  since  been 
secretary  of  the  company.  He  has  stock  in 
the  I'iist  National  Bank  of  Lakefield  and  is 
vice  president  of  the  bank.  lie  is  also  a  stock- 
bolder  ill  the  First  State  Bank  of  Okabcna  and 
ill  the  Jackson  County  Cooperative  company's 
store  at  Lakefield.  He  has  shares  in  and  is  a 
director  of  the  Farmers  Cooperative  Klevator 
coiiipany  of  Lakefield. 

In  church  matters  Mr.  N'ochl  takes  a  promi- 
nent part.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Uost  Uer- 
man  Lutheran  church  and  has  been  treasurer 
of  the  church  society  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
a  local  political  way  he  has  also  been  active. 
He  has  been  clerk  of  Kost  township  since 
March,  1805,  and  has  been  clerk  of  school  dis- 
trict Xo.  103  for  the  past  seventeen  years.  He 
was  the  census  enumerator  for  the  townships 
of  Rost  and  EMiiglon  when  the  federal  cen- 
sus of  1900  was  taken.  He  also  does  survey- 
ing for  tile  drains. 

The  parents  of  Henry  N'oebl  came  to  the  Uni- 
ted States  from  (Sermany  in  the  spring  of 
1870.  They  lived  in  LaSalle  county,  Illinois, 
a  short  time  ami  then  located  in  Iroquois  coun- 
ty. They  fiiiiie  to  Jackson  county  in  1801 
mill  iiunle  their  home  in  Rost  township.  The 
father  died  March  18,  VMXi,  at  the  age  of  00 
years.  The  mother  still  lives  in  Kost  and  is 
()9  years  of  age.  Henry  is  the  youngest  of 
a  family  of  four  children,  the  others  being  Con- 
rad R.,  Walter  and  Lizzie   (Mrs.  Henry  Brill). 

Mr.  Voehl  is  a  man  of  family.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Uost  township  June  18,  1890,  to  Mary 
Albers.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  An- 
nie (Krnst)  Albers  and  was  born  in  Cook 
county.  Illinois.  July  8,  1877.  To  .Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Voehl  have  been  born  four  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Annie  B..  I..uii  liilv  1.  1000:  Lillian  E., 
liiirii  April  4,  lOOJ:  Leoiia  F..  born  June  il. 
1000:    Sadie  M..  born  January  2,  lfK)9. 


THKODOP.K  Fr(;LKSTKKN  (1800)  resides 
in  .Middletowii  township,  a  short  distance 
south  of  the  village  of  Jackson.  He  engages 
in  farming  and  sloekraising  and  buys  and  ships 
stock  on  an  extensive  scale.  He  owns  a  120- 
acre  farm  on  section  1.  Middlctown,  and  eighty 
acres  on  sections  6  and  7,  Petersburg,  and  al.so 
has  an  interest  in  a  quarter  section  in  l>iicl 
county.  Smith  Dakota.  He  has  a  finely  im- 
proved farm,  and  is  on  the  road  to  success. 

Mr.  Fuglesteen  is  a  Norwegian  by  birth, 
and    first    saw    the   light   of   day    February   23, 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PUBLIC  UBRARY 


**''"01,  LflOX   *NB 


BIOGEAPHKJAL  HISTORY. 


557 


1870.  His  parents  were  Edward  and  Mary 
(Lundcl  I'ugk'stecn.  tlie  father  dyingr  when 
our  suliji'i't  was  si.K  years  of  age.  He  was  the 
eldest  eliild,  and  at  the  tender  age  of  six  he 
began  tn  work  to  help  support  the  family. 
He  attended  school  as  opportunity  otTered, 
and  when  fifteen  years  of  age  came  to  Ameri- 
ca. For  iive  years  he  worked  on  farms  near 
LeRoy,  Minnesota,  attending  the  Anwrican 
schools  during  the  winter  months.  In  1890 
he  rented  a  farm  near  LeRoy  and  engaged  in 
farming  there  three  years.  In  1809  he  moved 
to  Jackson  county,  and  he  and  his  brother- 
in-law.  John  Westerse,  farmed  on  section  12, 
Middletown.  in  partnership  three  years.  Dur- 
ing the  next  four  years  he  engaged  in  the 
threshing  and  horse  business;  then  he  moved 
onto  the  farm  upon  which  he  still  makes  his 
home,  having  previously  traded  western  land 
for  it.  Mr.  Fuglesteen  is  a  director  of  the 
Jackson  County  Cooperative  Elevator  and  Stock 
company. 

At  Lakefield,  on  September  0,  1907,  Jlr.  Fug- 
lesteen was  married  to  Helen  Monson,  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin.  One  child,  a  daughter,  has 
blessed  this  union,  having  been  born  Novem- 
ber   29,    1908. 

Theodore  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  six 
living  children,  named  as  follows:  Theodore, 
Knute,  Ole,  Conrad,  Peter  and  Carrie  (Mrs. 
John  Westerse),  of  Middletown. 


FREDERICK  W.  TROSIN  (1881)  owns  and 
farms  240  acres  of  land  in  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship a  short  distance  north  of  Lakefield.  where 
he  has  resided  nearly  thirty  years. 

Mr.  Trosin  was  born  in  Germany  September 
28,  18.57.'  There  lie  received  his  education  and 
there  he  spent  the  first  twenty-fnur  years  of 
his  life.  His  early  days  were  spent  working 
at  farm  work  but  during  the  last  seven  years 
of  his  residence  there  he  was  engaged  as  a 
fisherman.  Our  subject  came  to  America  in 
1881  and  proceeded  immediately  to  Jackson 
county.  Two  months  after  his  arrival  he  be- 
came a  land  owner,  buying  a  part  of  his  pres- 
ent farm.  He  spent  the  first  two  or  three 
years  working  out  on  neighboring  farms,  then 
married  and  engaged  in  farming.  The  farm 
at  the  time  of  purchase  was  unimproved  ex- 
cept for  a  little  homesteader's  caliiii  (in  avIucIi 
he  lived  four  or  five  years)  and  he  has  made 
all   the  improvements  the  place  boasts. 

The   parents   of   our   subject   were   Frederick 


ajid  Cliristina  (Mattzlof)  Trosin.  They  came 
to  America  the  .same  time  their  son  did,  and 
the  father  died  on  his  son's  farm  in  Heron 
Lake  township.  There  are  nine  children  in  the 
family — si.x  boys  and  three  girls — and  all  are 
living  in  the  L'nited  States. 

ilr.  Trosin  was  married  in  Rost  township 
December  21,  1884,  to  Tillie  Mittelstadt,  who 
was  born  in  Germany  and  who  came  to  Am- 
erica when  one  year  old.  She  accompanied 
her  parents.  Frederick  and  Sojdiia  Mittelstadt. 
from  the  old  country,  lived  in  Wisconsin  a 
short  time  and  then  located  in  Rost  township. 
Her  father,  who  was  one  of  the  early  home- 
steaders of  Rost  township,  died  in  1900;  her 
mother  is  yet  living.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tro- 
sin have  been  born  five  children,  as  follows: 
Bertha  (Mrs.  Ferdinand  JIalchow).,  Othela, 
!Menna,  Emma  and  Leonard.  William  died  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  months  and  Richard  died 
when  sixteen   years  of   age. 

Mr.  Trosin  was  largely  responsible  for  the 
organization  of  school  district  No.  80  and  he 
has  been  the  treasurer  of  the  district  ever 
since.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lu- 
tlieran  church  of  Lakefield. 


CARL  J.  SWENSON  (1884),  of  Jackson,  was 
born  in  Rockford,  Illinois.  August  .30,  1883, 
the  son  of  Olof  O.  Swenson  and  Ida  (Swenson) 
Swenson.  His  j^arents  were  natives  of  Sweden. 
His  father  died  in  1897:  his  mother  lives  in 
Petersburg  township. 

Carl  came  to  .Jackson  county  witli  his  par- 
ents when  seven  months  old.  His  father 
bought  a  homestead  right  to  tlie  northeast 
(puirter  of  section  2,  Petersbiirg  township, 
and  upon  that  farm  Carl  grew  to  manhood.  He 
attended  tlie  district  school  and  assisted  with 
the  farm  work  until  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age.  He  then  located  in  Alpha  and  for  several 
years  was  R.  F.  D.  carrier  on  route  No.  1  out 
of  Alpha.  During  two  years  of  this  time  Jlr. 
Swenson  spent  his  mornings  and  afternoons 
working  in  the  Bank  of  Alpha.  During  the 
year  1908  he  also  conducted  a  livery  barn  at 
Alpha,  but  disposed  of  that  and  located  in 
Jackson,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

Mr.  Swenson  was  treasurer  of  the  Alpha 
liri'  department  three  years,  was  treasurer  of 
the  Alpha  cornet  band  four  years  and  was  con- 
stable of  Alpha  village  one  year.  He  is  a 
member  of   the   Presbyterian   church   of  Alpha 


558 


BIOCTtAIMlICAT.   TIl^^TnnY. 


mill   of    till-    .\1.   tt.    A.    loj;,'!',   1)1"    wliiili    In-    luis 
liclil  thi'  oirii'o  of  sfcrclary. 


MAX  IIARTNEC'K  (IS'idi,  i.io|,iiol(ir  nf  a 
dray  line  in  Heron  Lake  and  local  agent  of 
the  Standard  Oil  company,  is  a  native 
Minnesotan,  liavinp  been  born  in  Xcw  Ulni 
June  19.  18fi7.  His  parents  were  Joseph  and 
Rosa  (Kach)  Hartneck.  who  came  to  Rrown 
county.  Miiincsiila.  from  Chica-io  in  18.V). 
making  the  trip  in  a  small  steamboat  up  the 
Mississippi  and  Minnesota  rivers.  The  father 
died  in  Brown  county  about  thirty-seven  years 
ago  and  flic  mnllicr  in  l!>n7  ;it  the  age  of  TO 
years. 

Max  secured  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
Xew  V]m  and  made  his  home  tliere  \intil  )ie 
was  nineteen  years  of  age.  Then  he  moved 
to  Tracy,  Minnesota,  where  for  the  ne.xt  eleven 
years  he  worked  in  a  butcher  shop  and  ice 
plant.  He  moved  to  Heron  Lake  in  1806  and 
that  village  has  since  been  his  home.  He  work- 
ed in  a  butcher  shop  one  year  and  four  years 
in  a  lumber  yard.  In  1001  Mr.  Hartneck  be- 
came local  agent  for  the  Standard  Oil  com- 
pany and  one  year  Inter  he  engaged  in  the 
draying  business  and  has  since  been  so  en- 
gaged. 

^fr.  Hartneck  has  served  as  constable  of  Her- 
on Lake  for  the  last  two  years  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Heron  Lake  fire  department 
for  the  last  eleven  years.  He  holds  member 
ship  in  the  M.  W.  A.,  K.  I'..  .\l.  H.  A.  miM 
riiini'cr  lodges. 

Mr.  Hartneck  was  manicil  in  llcroii  Lake  iu 
I.S07  to  IJrs.  Annie  Hopkins,  vvlio  was  born 
in  Xcdjh's  rounty.  They  have  no  children  of 
their  <i«n  but  have  an  ndopti'd  daughter.  Jla- 
mie  K.  l!y  a  fornu-r  marriage  Mrs.  Hartneck 
is   the   mother  of  one  child,  I'rank   Hopkins. 


(■Ai;i.  TKIi;  dOO.-})  is  :i  llunlrr  township 
farmer  who  resides  two  miles  south  of  the 
vilhige  of  Lakefield.  He  is  a  native  of  Story 
county,  Iowa,  and  was  born  June  20,  1870, 
the  son  of  Ole  and  Sarena  Teig.  These  jiar- 
ents  were  born  in  Norway  and  came  to  the 
United  States  thirty-five  years  ago.  From  thab 
time  until  lP<t4  they  lived  in  Story  and  Har- 
din counties,  Iowa:  then  they  came  to  .Tack- 
son  county  and  have  since  lived  in  Belmont 
township.    Their  children  are  Carl,  John,  Ode, 


.\rlhur.  -Martha,  .\lalinda,  deceased;  tii^na,  Ma- 
linda  and  Mabel. 

Carl  niaile  his  home  with  his  parents  in 
Story  and  Hardin  counties  until  he  was  twen- 
ty years  of  age,  being  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Hardin  county.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
married  and  engaged  in  the  carpenter  business, 
having  served  an  appreuticesliip  at  the  trade 
before  that  time.  Hi>  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Story.  Hardin  and  Hamilton  counties  until 
loon,  when  he  came  to  .lackson  county.  He 
engaged  in  farming  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  S,  Hunter  township,  and  that  place 
has  since  been  his  home. 

Mr.  Teig  was  married  in  Hamilton  county. 
l..«a.  October  8,  ISOfl,  to  Julia  Itervc.  n  na- 
tive of  Ogle  county.  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Nels  and  Anna  Hcrve.  Mr.  and  .Mrs.  Teig  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  named  children: 
Amos,  born  .July  18.  1S07:  Silas,  born  Janu- 
ary (>.  1800;  Otis,  born  October  24.  HlOO; 
Nora,  born  Xovember  1."),  1002:  Clara,  born  De- 
cember .>,  1004;  Xels.  born  .lunc  2.").  I!t0(i:  Clar- 
ence, born  .September  1.  1008.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
ehiucli    of    Lakefield. 


.loll.V  I).  SCHNAPP  (100.->)  owns  and  farms 
4IH1  acres  of  land  on  section  28.  Sioux  Valley 
township.  He  was  born  in  Sangamon  county, 
Illinois,  October  .i,  ia»!4,  the  eldest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children  born  to  Jacob  and  Maggie 
(Kliersaulf)  Schnapp.  now  living  in  Menard 
county.    Illinois. 

John  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in 
his  native  state.  Until  he  was  twenty-four 
years  of  age  he  resided  on  the  farm  with 
his  parents;  then  he  rcnti'd  the  home  place  and 

I dueled    if    until    1800.     That   year  he  rented 

another  farm  in  the  southern  part  of  .Suii- 
g:inion  coiuity  and  engaged  in  farming  there 
four  years.  He  located  in  Dickinson  county. 
Iowa,  in  1000.  buying  a  farm  and  engaging  in 
f:uniing  live  years.  He  sold  o\it  in  1005  and 
bought  his  present  farm  in  Sioux  Valley  town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  resided,  ilr.  Schnapp 
has  made  most  of  the  improvements  his  farm 
has.  During  the  season  of  1000  he  raised  ,'5,000 
bushels  of  corn  and  about  2,000  bushels  of 
small  grain.  He  has  lioen  a  director  of  school 
district  No,  04  for  the  past  two  years, 

Mr.  Si-hnapp  was  married  in  Menard  county. 
Illinois,  on  Aug\is|  24.  1887,  to  Annie  McNcal, 
she  having  been  born  in  that   county  in  I8C6. 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HTSTOEY. 


559 


Tliey    liuvc    six    cliildrcii.    named    as    follows: 
Lerov.   Allic']-1.  Alnnra.  -lacoli.   Lela   and   Rosa. 


DANIEL  R.  HASBAROEX  (1890)  is  a  grain 
and  dairy  farmer  of  Wisconsin  township.  He 
owns  a  320  aore  farm  on  sections  34  and  27. 
He  was  born  in  Germany  January  0.  1861, 
the  son  of  Ralph  A.  and  Wate  (Greenhoff)  Has- 
bargPH.  and  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eifjlit 
children.  Two  sisters  and  one  brother  of  this 
family  are  living,  namely,  Frederieka  (Mr.s. 
Henry  Saathoff),  Harmcna  (Mrs.  C.  Eeisken) 
and  Charles. 

The  father  of  our  subject  died  in  tlic  old 
country  at  the  age  of  30,  in  1872,  leaving  his 
wife  with  a  large  family  of  children.  She  and 
the  children  came  to  America  in  1882,  lived  in 
Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  several  years  and  then 
came  to  Jackson  county.  Mrs.  Hasbargen  is 
now  seventy-seven  years  of  age  and  makes  her 
home  with  her  son,  Charles,  in  Wisconsin  town- 
ship. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  immigrated  to 
America  in  1880  and  for  ten  years  engaged  in 
farming  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois.  -  Then 
he  came  to  Jackson  county,  bought  the  first 
quarter  section  of  his  present  farm,  and  has 
ever  since  made  his  home  in  Wisconsin  town- 
ship. He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church.  For  six  years  he  was  a  director  of 
school  district  No.  9. 

Mr.  ilasbargen  was  married  in  Iroquois  coun- 
ty, Illinois.  April  10,  188S,  to  Anchen  Tholen, 
who  was  born  in  Germany.  Ten  children  liav" 
been  born  to  this  union,  of  whom  Ralph,  Hat- 
tie  and  an  infant  have  died.  Those  living  are 
Ralph,  Henry,  Carl,  Johannes,  Walter,  Martin 
and  Katie. 


FRANK  M.  LEV  (1880),  carrier  for  R.  F.  D. 
route  No.  1  out  of  .lackson,  was  born  in  Bo- 
hemia A]iril  24.  187o,  the  son  of  Albert  H. 
and  Anna  M.  (Veverka)  Lev.  The  father  now 
lives  in  Jackson  and  is  77  years  of  age;  the 
mother  died  at  Jackson  April  10,  1000,  aged 
68  years  and  eight  months.  There  are  three 
living  children  of  this  family  besides  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biography.  They  are  Mrs.  Mary 
Vajner.   Albert   A.   Lev   and   Mrs.   Anna   Renda. 

In  1883  Frank  accomnanied  his  parents  to 
America,  the  family  home  being  made  at  Mount 
Vernon.  Iowa.  In  1889  the  family  moved  to 
Jackson   county  and  made  their  home   on  the' 


south  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
eight,  Des  Moines  township.  Frank  lived  with 
his  parents  on  that  farm  until  1006.  Then  he 
acquired  (he  propertly,  rented  it  and  moved 
to  .Jacksim.  where  he  bought  village  pi-operty. 
He  took  the  position  of  mail  carrier  for  route 
one  in  1006.  and  lias  since  been  engaged  in  that 
occupation. 

Mr.  Lev  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church, 
lie  was  married  in  Chicago  December  11,  1006, 
to  Anna  R.  Benesh,  a  native  of  the  city  in 
wlu'ch  she  was  married  and  a  daughter  of 
\\cnzel  and  Mary  Benesh.  Mr.  and  ^Irs.  Lev 
are  the  pai-ents  of  one  child,  Elenora,  born 
April   3,   1908. 


WILLIAM  HUNT  (1880)  is  a  farmer  and 
landowner  of  Middletown  township  and  has 
lived  in  tlic  county  over  twenty  years.  He  is 
a  native  of  London.  England,  and  was  born 
August  4.  1870,  the  son  of  Frederick  J.  and 
Isabelle  (Dick)  Hunt.  His  father  was  also  a 
native  of  England  and  died  in  his  native  land 
in  1873.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  of 
Scottish  birth,  having  been  born  at  Kelso.  After 
the  death  of  her  first  husband  she  married 
Thomas  Sinclair,  of  Rockford.  Illinois,  hav- 
ing come  to  the  United  States  in  1881.  Mr. 
Sinclair  died  in  1908  and  his  widow,  the  mother 
of  our  subject,  now  lives  at  Spirit  Lake. 

William  Hunt  is  one  of  a  family  of  four 
children.  He  spent  the  first  fourteen  years  of 
his  life  attending  school  in  his  native  coun- 
trv.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  188.5 
and  located  at  Rockford,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
sided three  years,  learning  the  printer's  trade. 
He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1889  and  for 
years  lived  with  his  step-father  on  section  1.5. 
Middletown  township.  He  then  started  out 
in  life  for  himself  and  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Des  Moines  and  Middle- 
town  townships.  He  located  on  his  present 
farm,  the  nortlieast  quarter  of  section  6,  Mid- 
dletown, in  the  spring  of  1008.  While  a  resi- 
dent of  Des  Moines  Mr.  Hunt  served  as  treasur- 
er of  school  district  No.  11.  and  he  is  now 
clerk  of  district  No.  Tw.  He  is  a  member  of 
tlie   A.   O.   U.   W.   lodge. 

In  Middletown  township  on  November  26, 
1804.  Mr.  Hunt  was  united  in  marriage  to  Min- 
nie Moil-,  who  was  born  in  the  county  April  0, 
187.5.  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  that  pioneer 
settler,  R.  C.  Muir.  Seven  children  have  been 
born   to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hunt,  as  follows:   Rob- 


560 


BI0(!1!A1'1II(  AL   IIIS'IOIIV. 


or)    1!..    ICilwanI    W..    Isalpcllc.    Marie,    Cordcni, 
Rov  ani  Beatrice. 


ni>E  TIIOUKSON  (190:)),  attorney  at  law  at 
I-akelielil,  is  a  native  of  St.  Croi.\  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  lie  was  born  December  1, 
1872.  He  is  the  .son  of  Tliore  and  Infrcborg 
(Haldorson)  Thoreson.  His  parents  were  born 
in  Xorway  and  were  married  there.  They 
came  to  the  United  .States  in  tlie  late  sixties 
and  located  in  St.  Croix  county,  where  tiny 
liomesteaded  land  and  where  they  still  reside. 
Our  subject  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  child- 
ren, as  follows:  Thore,  TIeiny.  C.  V..  Ole.  To- 
bey,  Anna  and  Peter. 

Our  subject  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  his 
father's  farm  in  St.  Croix  county.  He  began 
attendinrr  the  district  schools  when  six  years 
of  age  and  when  fourteen  he  entered  St.  Olaf 
college  at  Northficld.  Jlinnesota,  where,  with 
the  exception  of  one  year,  he  was  a  student 
for  six  years.  After  finishing  his  junior  year 
y\r.  Thoreson  was  made  principal  of  the 
school  at  Woodville,  Wisconsin,  his  home  town, 
and  taught  one  year.  After  leaving  St.  Olaf 
he  entered  ^linnesota  state  university  and 
completed  llie  academic  course  in  l!l(ll.  Two 
years  later  he  began  his  studies  in  the  law 
department  of  the  uiversity  and  was  grad- 
uated in  inof).  having  been  admitted  to  the  bar 
.Tune  2.  I'.lO.").  He  at  once  moved  to  Lakefield. 
opened  an  ofTicc  and  has  since  been  prac- 
ticing his  profession  in  that  city.  He  practices 
in    all    courts. 

Mr.  Thoreson  was  married  in  T.akefield  De- 
cember 20.  1!)07.  to  Amanda  Erickson.  a  na- 
tive of  .Tackson  county  and  a  da\igli(er  of 
Kmil  and  Amelia  Erickson,  of  Lakefield.  To 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Thoreson  has  Iwen  born  one  child. 
Tola  Evelyn,  born  Xovembcr  .'i.  IflO.S.  .  Mr.  ami 
Mrs.  Thoreson  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church. 


HENRY  RESTE  (1000)  is  a  farmer  and  land 
owner  of  Sioux  Valley  township.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Germany  and  was  born  .July  2,  ISiJS, 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  three  children  born 
to  August  and  Carolina  fMiller)  Besle.  Both 
his  |)arents  died  in  the  old  country.  A  brother 
of  our  subject  is  August  Beste,  of  the  United 
States  navy.  He  is  a  captain  of  one  of  the 
gunboats  and  took  part  in  the  Spanish-Amer- 
ican war. 


Ilrnry  came  to  America  from  (Germany  in 
IsiiT  Miid  located  first  at  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
He  spent  the  first  winter  driving  a  l)aggage  wa- 
gon in  that  city  and  then  located  at  Little 
^■()rk.  Pennsylvania,  where  for  the  next  year 
111'  was  employed  as  a  stock  tender  on  the 
(lliio  river.  Returning  to  Baltimore  after  his 
serviee.  he  was  employed  as  a  .sausage  maker 
a  year  and  a  half.  Mr.  Besie  then  returned 
to  his  old  home  in  (ivrmany  and  enlisted  in 
tl:e  (Jerman  army  to  fight  in  the  war  between 
tlial  iiiurity  ami  Kr.iiiee.  lie  being  enlisted  as 
an  ambulance  driver.  After  the  war  Mr. 
lieste  remained  in  (icrmany  three  years,  being 
employed  as  a  driver  of  a  stone  wagon. 

Returning  to  the  United  Slates.  Mr.  Reste 
located  in  Scott  county,  Towa.  where  for  three 
years  he  had  employment  on  the  section.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming  in  Scott  eoiuity,  rent- 
ing for  a  number  of  years  and  later  buying 
seventy  (wo  acres  of  land.  Mr.  Reste  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  IflOO  and  bought  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  26.  Sinux  Valley  town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  lived.  In  addition  to 
liis  .Jackson  county  farm  ilr.  Beste  owns  a 
ipiarter' section  of  land  in  Butte  county.  South 
Dakota.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Herman  Lu- 
theran   church    nnil    of    the    M.    \\".    A.    lodge. 

Mr.  Beste  was  married  in  (icrmany  No- 
vember 12.  1883,  to  Agnes  Miller.  To  them 
have  been  born  the  following  named  ehildren: 
Ernest.  Henrietta.  Agnes.  Caroline.  Hilda, 
Henrv.  Alfred,  Ereda. 


WILLIAM  ADA^IS  (1000).  proprietor  of  a 
.Tackson  dray  line  and  agent  for  the  Standard 
nil  iiiinp;iiiy.  wa^  Imrn  in  Nobles  eounly.  .Miii- 
ne.M)ta.  .lanuary  27.  1884,  the  only  son  of 
Ceorge  and  .Tane  (Rhilhour)  Adams.  Rcilli  Ids 
parents  located  in  Nobles  county  in  the  seven- 
ties. His  mother  died  there  when  William 
was  si.x  years  of  age;  his  father  moved  to  Jas- 
])er  county.  Indiana,  and  died  several  years 
years  later. 

After  his  mother's  death  our  subject  went 
to  Rensselaer.  Jasper  county.  Indiana,  where 
he  resided  with  his  grandparents  four  years. 
Then  he  began  working  out  on  farms  and 
earning  his  own  living.  When  sixteen  years  of 
age  he  movd  to  Wabash  county.  Illinois,  lo 
make  his  honn'  with  an  nnile.  and  two  years 
later  Incated  in  l-:n\renfi'  liuinty,  Illinois, 
ami  worked  as  a  farm  liand.  Tliiee  years 
were  spent   in  central   Illinois  after  that,  and 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTOllY. 


561 


then,  in  Februaiv.  lltOO,  lie  located  in  Jack- 
son, where  he  has  since  lived.  The  first  two 
years  in  the  village  he  worked  out,  and  in 
1902  he  established  the  dray  business  which 
he  has  since  conducted. 


WILLIAM  POHLHIAX  (1882).  of  Weimer 
township,  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of 
that  precinct.  He  was  born  in  (Jerniany  .July 
22.  1803,  the  son  of  Karl  and  Christina  (Geis- 
elnian)  Pohlman.  He  is  the  eldest  of  five 
Eons,  all  of  whom  arc  living  in  Jackson  coun- 
ty. His  father  died  in  September,  1902.  aged 
03  years;  his  mother  lives  in  Heron  Lake 
township. 

William  vcceived  his  education  and  grew  to 
manhood  in  Iiis  native  lanil.  He  accompanied 
his  parents  to  the  new  world  in  1882  and  with 
them  came  to  Jackson  lounty.  He  worked  on 
the  farm  one  year  and  tlien  located  in  Cotton- 
wood county,  where  he  worked  as  a  farm  la- 
borer nine  years.  He  spent  the  next  year 
working  in  Windom  and  then  again  became  a 
resident  of  Jackson  county.  For  a  time  he 
lived  with  his  parents  in  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship and  in  1808  married  and  located  on  the 
southwest  (|uarter  of  section  30.  Weimer  town- 
ship, wliich  he  had  previously  bought.  He  has 
made  all  the  improvements  on  the  farm  and 
has  a  nice  home.  He  farms  280  acres  of  land 
in  Weimer  and   Heron  Lake  townships. 

ilr.  Pohlman  was  married  in  Jackson  July 
2,  1898,  to  Elsie  Peter,  daughter  of  August 
Peter,  a  pioneer  settler  of  the  county.  She 
was  born  in  Weimer  township  February  14, 
1881.  They  have  three  children:  Christina, 
Paulina  and  Harold.  Jlr.  Pohlman  and  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 


CHARLES  HECHT  (1805),  a  Petersburg 
township  farmer,  was  born  in  Germany  April 
21,  ISol,  the  son  of  Carl  and  Josephine  (Rad- 
vow  Winkel)  Hecht.  At  the  age  of  thirteen 
years  he  came  to  America  and  located  in  the 
city  of  Chicago,  where  he  lived  five  years  and 
where  he  learned  the  butcher  trade. 

Mr.  Hecht  moved  from  Chicago  to  Taylor 
and  in  that  vicinity  engaged  in  fanning  many 
years.  He  came  to  .Tackson  county  on  the 
last  day  of  February.  189.5,  located  in  Peters- 
burg township,  and  there  he  has  since  lived. 
He  owns  400  acres  of  land. 


Mr.  Heciit  was  married  April  10,  1877,  to 
Anna  Loocks,  who  was  born  February  9,  1858. 
Ten  children  have  been  born  to  this  union,  as 
follows:  Laura,  born  March  16,  1878;  George, 
born  July  17.  1879,  died  October  8,  1903;  Mar- 
tha, born  June  4,  1881 ;  Henry,  born  June 
4.  1883:  :\Iinnie.  born  September  6,  1885;  Char- 
ley, horn  October  15,  1S87:  Anna,  born  Xo- 
vember  15,  1889;  Jennie,  liorn  December  23, 
1891;  August,  born  October  3,  1895;  Milton, 
born  September  2,  1897.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of   the  German  Lutheran   church. 


.JOlIX  iIA(iVAK  (IHSO).  of  Jackson,  was 
liorn  in  Hungary  April  5,  1871,  the  eldest  of  a 
family  of  four  children  born  to  George  and 
Anna  (Cicman)  Magyar.  Tlie  other  children 
are  Mary  Durabala,  who  died  in  the  spring  of 
1900;  Anna  (Mrs.  John  Olsavsky)  and  George 
P..  of  Elkton,  Colorado. 

The  father  of  our  subject  came  to  America 
in  1879  and  located  in  Xew  Jersey,  where  he 
lived  a  year  and  a  half.  He  moved  from 
there  to  Carbon,  Wyoming,  where  he  was  join- 
ed in  1881  by  his  wife.  He  lived  there  two 
jears,  and  thereafter  lived  two  years  in  What 
Cheer,  Iowa,  four  years  at  Excelsior,  Iowa, 
and  since  1889  in  Jackson  county,  owning  a 
farm  on  section  1,  Belmont  township. 

John  Magyar  did  not  come  to  America  witli 
either  of  his  parents,  but  he  arrived  in  1883 
and  joined  them  at  What  Cheer,  Iowa.  He 
came  to  -Jackson  county  with  them  and  resided 
upon  the  farm  until  twenty-foiu"  years  of  age. 
He  then  located  in  Jackson.  For  four  years 
he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  the  T.  H.  Stall 
store,  and  in  1001  became  a  member  of  the 
firm.  He  was  in  business  three  years  and 
then  took  a  position  in  the  department  store 
of  Peter  Hansen. 

Jlr.  Magyar  was  married  at  .Jackson  Sep- 
tember 18,  1805,  to  Anna  Svatlik,  a  native  of 
JIanitowoc  county,  Wisconsin.  To  them  have 
been  born  six  children:  Regina,  Frank,  Mary, 
Cecelia,  Leona  and  Martha.  Mr.  Magyar,  wife 
and  children  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  He  owns  forty  acres  of  land  in  sec- 
tion 1,  Belmont  township.  He  is  a  member 
of  tlie  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters  and  the 
Bohemian  Catholic  Western  Union,  having 
held  ofl'ice  in  both  organizations  since  their 
establishment  and  having  been  a  cliarter  mem- 
ber  of   both   local   organizations. 

Mr.   Magyar   was  one   of   those   who  organ- 


562 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


i7ed  the  first  i.iM»r  i>i  the  Jackson  Catholic 
church-  rfrteen  years  ago.  ami  he  is  still  the 
leader  and  organi?t.     Tli  'le  first 

choir  were  Anna  Mott  i\  -  »cy,  so- 

pranos: Anna  STetlik  imi  .Maiiida  )lotl.  al- 
tos: Wenzel  Motl  and  Frank  Svetlik.  tenors; 
Emil  J.  Skalieky  and  John  Sia^ar,  bass. 


CHARI.>  -   -  \PKOHL  (1903)  is  a  Sioux 

Valley    t^'  rmer.     He   is   a    native   of 

Seott  county.  Iowa,  and  was  bom  Xorember 
11.  ISW.  His  father.  Jochim  Schlapkohl.  w:is 
bom  in  Germany,  came  to  America  when 
nineteen  years  of  age  and  lived  in  Scott  coun- 
ty. Iowa,  all  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  died  in 
1SS4  at  the  age  of  fifty  years  and  seven 
months.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Eliza- 
I  Dietz)  Schlapkohl.  was  bom  in  Germany  and 
is  now  Irving  in  Muscatine  county,  Iowa. 

Charles  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  and  edn- 
•-.it>*<l  in  the  district  schools.  He  spent  his 
fM.rhood  days  at  home  and  after  his  fathers 
L-.rli.  which  occurred  when  he  was  twenty 
vciirs  of  age,  he  conducted  the  home  farm  for 
his  mother.  He  married  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
seven,  rented  the  home  farm  at  that  time  and 
>'ondncted  it  until  he  came  to  Jackson  county 
in  1903.  He  bought  his  200  acre  farm  on  sec- 
tion 2.  "^ioux  Valley,  upon  his  arrival  and  has 
•■■;  the  place  ^ince.  His  farm  is  tiled 
-•lI   ■j:;---rwise  well  improved. 

Oar  subject  is  chairman  of  the  town  board, 

an  office  he  has  held  for  the  last  three  years. 

Ife  has  also  served  as  one  of  the   supervisors 

i-  treasurer  of  sohool  district  Xo.  48.  an 

■  .■  he  has  held  four  years.  He  is  a  mem- 
l«r  of  the  If.  W.  A.  and  il.  B.  A.  lodges  of 
l^kefield. 

Mr.  Schlapkohl  was  married  in  Scott  cotm- 
ty.  Iowa.  March  2.  1892,  to  Bertha  Strohbeen, 
ilau;:ht»>r  ot  Henry  and  Margreta  Strohbeen. 
Mr-.  S»-lilapkohl  was  bom  in  Scott  county. 
Towa.  August  11.  1S70.  They  are  the  par- 
«-nta  of  four  children:  Walter,  bom  Decem- 
l*r  7.  1892:  EIU.  bom  January  22.  1896: 
I.aura.  bom  Xovember  25,  1899:  Charlie,  bom 
.\pril  30.  1007. 


SKTBERT  CHRISTOFFERS  (1896)  is  one  of 
tilt-  prominent  farmers  of  Ewington  township. 
He  was  bom  in  Germany  -Tune  21.  18.51,  the 
-on  of  .Tulius  and  Mary  Christoffers,  both  of 
whom   died  in   their  native   land,     .Seibert   13 


the  eUier  of  two  living  children,  the  other 
child  being  Bernhardt, 

L'ntil  be  was  fourteen  years  of  age  Seibert 
lived  on  the  farm  with  his  parents.  Then  he 
worked  out  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  at  which  time  he  entered  the  German 
army,  serving  an  enlistment  of  three  years 
and  six  weeks.  He  came  to  America  in  1881 
and  located  in  Will  county.  Illinois.  He  work- 
ed on  a  farm  there  one  year,  one  year  in 
Woodford  county,  and  then  returned  to  Will 
county,  where  he  farmed  rented  land  fourteen 
jears.  Mr.  Christoffers  came  to  -Jackson  coun- 
ty in  1896  and  bought  the  south  half  of  sec- 
tion ID.  Ewington  township,  where  he  has 
ever  since  lived.  At  the  time  of  purchase  the 
place  had  only  a  little  shack  of  a  dwelling  and 
a  four-horse  bam.  He  has  made  all  the  im- 
provements on  the  farm  and  ha;  a  nice  place. 
He  has  made  a  success  and  is  considered  one 
of  the  township's  strongest  farmers.  He  has 
his  farm  tiled. 

Mr.  Christoffers  was  married  in  Woodford 
c<.unty.  Illinois.  .January  30.  1883.  to  Mar- 
garet Henreichs.  who  was  horn  in  Germany 
May  11.  1859.  and  who  came  to  the  United 
Slates  in  1881.  .'^he  is  the  daughter  of  Henry 
and  Margsret  Henreichs,  Si.x  children  have 
been  bom  to  this  union,  named  as  follows: 
.John.  Margaret.  Mary.  Henry.  Louie  and  Min- 
nie, ifr.  Christoffers  is  one  of  the  supervisors 
of  his  township,  having  served  as  such  for  the 
past  seven  years.  He  was  also  a  director  of 
school  district  Xo.  91.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
rr>trster  Farmers  Elevator  company.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church. 


ISAAC  WADSWORTH  M906).  proprietor  of 
the  .Jackson  creamery,  has  been  engaged  in 
tl^c  butter  making  business  thirty-five  years— 
twenty-eight  years  in  the  states  of  Vermont 
and  Xew  York  and  seven  years  in  the  statC'? 
of  Michigan.  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  His 
parents  are  William  and  Catherine  (Brooks) 
Wadsworth,  natives  of  Vermont  and  Xew 
York  state,  respectively.  The  father  is  now 
living  in  Xew  York  state  and  is  84  years  of 
age.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  civil  war.  having 
-•■ne  I  in  company  K.  n2nd  Xew  York  volun- 
teers. The  mother  of  our  subject  is  73  years 
of  age.    They  have  been  married  56  years. 

To  these  parents,  in  Stockholm.  St.  L.iw- 
rence  county,  Xew  York.  Isaac  Wadsworth  was 


-«:";SL%- 


HOME    <)F   JOHN    BAUMANA.    HLUi.i.N    LAkh   loWNSiHU' 


HOME  OF   FRITZ  SCHULDT,   ROST  TOWNSHIP 


BIOGEAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


563 


Ijoiii  IJpccmlier  1,  1853.  He  was  brought  up 
on  tilt'  fiiriu  iiiiil  was  cilucati'il  in  tlie  county 
of  liis  bii-tli.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began 
learning  the  butter  and  cheese  makers  busi- 
ness in  his  home  county  and  has  been  engaged 
in  the  work  ever  since.  He  came  west  in 
in(12,  and  after  a  few  years  spent  in  Michi- 
gan and  Wisconsin  moved  to  .Jackson,  in  lOOG. 
Upon  his  arrival  he  bought  tlie  creamery  plant 
of  Henry  Valgamure.  The  plant  has  a  capac- 
ity of  75.000  pounds  of  butter  fat  per  year, 
and  it  pays  out  to  the  farmers  of  the  vicinity 
between  $25,000  and  .$30,000  per  year. 

Mr.  "Wadsworth  was  married  at  Carsonville, 
Michigan,  May  13,  1902,  to  Jiiss  Ella  Tyler, 
a  native  of  Lexington,  Michigan,  and  a  daugh- 
ter of  Philo  and  Martha  (Kemp)  Tyler.  By 
a  former  marriage  Mr.  Wadsworth  is  the 
fatlier  of  one  chihl,  Roy  G.  Wadsworth,  born 
July  2,  1897.  Mr.  Wadsworth  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church  and  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters. 


JOHN  BAUMANN  (1888),  farmer  and  dairy- 
man of  Heron  Lake  township,  is  a  native  of 
Switzerland  and  was  born  January  16,  1860. 
His  father,  Fred  Baumann.  was  born  in  1824 
and  died  February  18,  1901.  His  mother,  Anna 
Baumann.  was  born  in  1821  and  is  still  liv- 
ing in  her  native  country.  .John  is  next  to 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  five  children  born 
to  these  parents. 

John  Baumann  lived  witli  his  parents  in  his 
native  land  until  he  was  twenty-four  year's  of 
age,  securing  an  education  and  working  on  his 
father's  farm  and  serving  a  three  years'  en- 
listment in  the  army.  He  came  to  the  Unit«!d 
States  in  1884  and  located  in  Green  comity, 
Wisconsin,  wliere  he  resided  four  years.  He 
came  to  Jackson  county  in  1888,  worked  as  a 
lalicucr  two  years,  and  then  bought  the  south 
half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  24, 
Heron  Lake  township — part  of  his  present 
farm.  Tliere  were  then  only  a  slianty  and  old 
stable  on  the  place,  and  the  fine  home  Jtr. 
Baumann  has  today  is  the  result  of  his  labor. 
He  also  owns  the  west  half  of  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  19,  Belmont,  and  the  north 
half  of  the  quarter  upon  which  is  his  house — 
a  240  acre  farm  in  one  body. 

Our  subjeet  was  married  in  Green  cnuntv, 
Wisconsin,  August  9.  1886.  to  Eliza  Krahcn- 
buhl,  who  was  born  in  Switzerland  April  17, 
1864,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in   1884. 


She  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Kra- 
henbuhl.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baumann  have 
been  born  three  children:  Fred,  born  Septem- 
ber 25,  1888;  William,  born  December  25,  1889; 
Anna,  born  March  2,  1897.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church. 


FRITZ  SCHULDT  (1888).  Among  the  first 
of  the  German  farmers  to  settle  in  the  town- 
sliip  of  liiist  and  one  of  the  township's  most 
progressive  citizens  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  lieads  this  sketch.  He  owns  040  acres 
of  choice,  improved  land  in  the  township,  of 
which  he  farms  one-half  section,  while  the  ^ 
rest  is   farmed  by  his   sons. 

ilr.  Schuldt  was  born  in  Bergen,  Insel  Is- 
land, Rugen.  Germany,  February  10,  1850.  His 
father.  Bogislaf  Schuldt,  a  tanner  by  trade, 
was  born  in  the  year  1800  and  died  in  1863. 
His  mother,  Wellielmina  (West]diahl)  Schuldt, 
was  born  in  1810  and  died  in  Germany  in 
1868.  Until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age 
Fritz  Schuldt  lived  in  his  native  land.  He 
was  brought  up  in  the  city  of  Bergen  and  was 
educated  there.  When  he  was  seventeen  years 
of  age  he  began  working  at  the  wagonmaker's 
trade,  which  he  followed  during  the  rest  of 
the  time  he  lived  in  the  old  country  and  for 
many  years  after  coming  to  America. 

Our  subject  arrived  in  the  new  world  in  No- 
vember, 1871,  and  went  direct  to  tlie  city  of 
Chicago,  immediately  after  the  destruction  of 
the  city  by  the  great  fire.  He  remained  in 
Chicago  two  years,  for  a  time  assisting  in 
clearing  away  the  wrecked  buildings  and  later 
working  at  his  trade.  In  1873  he  moved  to 
Ratavia,  Illinois,  and  that  city  was  his  home 
until  he  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1888.  Dur- 
ing all  of  the  time  of  his  residence  in  Batavia 
Mr,  Schuldt  worked  at  his  trade  in  the  New- 
ton wagon  factory. 

Giving  up  the  wagonmaker's  trade,  Mr. 
Schuldt  decided  to  become  a  farmer.  On 
Marcli  27,  1888,  he  arrived  in  .Jackson  county 
and  located  upon  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 29,  Rost  township,  wliich  he  had  bought 
the  year  before  and  upon  which  he  has  ever 
since  lived.  When  he  bought  his  original  farm 
only  sixty  acres  of  it  had  been  put  under  the 
|dow  and  there  was  not  a  building  or  a  tree 
on  the  place.  He  lias  made  all  the  improve- 
ments and  has  one  of  the  fine  farm  homes  of 
the  township.  Since  his  arrival  Mr.  Schuldt 
has  added  to  his  real  estate  holdings  until  to- 


564 


r.ioci;  Ai'iiicAi. 


■()I!V. 


ilay  lie  owns  an  even  sootioii  of  land.  Altliou};li 
Ins  entire  previous  life  liu.l  lieen  spent  in 
eities,  lie  has  miide  a  success  of  liis  farniin-^ 
operations  anil  has  prospered  greatly. 

Mr.  Scliuldt  is  interested,  in  many  of  the  co- 
operative coiuerns  which  have  wrought  good 
to  the  farmers  of  Jackson  county,  having 
stock  in  the  Rost  creamery,  tlie  Rost  teleplionc, 
the  farmers'  elevator,  store  and  bank  at  Lake- 
field.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
IJerman  Lutheran  church  of  Rost  township. 
Mr.  Schuldt  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
sdiool  matters  since  locating  in  the  county. 
Wlien  his  district  was  organized  and  before 
the  school  house  was  built  he  tendered  the  use 
of  the  front  room  of  his  home  for  a  school 
room,  and  the  first  two  months  school  of  the 
district  was  held  in  Ids  liouse.  Wlien  tlie  dis- 
trict was  organized  in  1S8!)  lie  was  chosen 
one  of  the  din'ctors  and  lie  has  ever  since  held 
the  oll'ice. 

At  Batavia.  Illinois,  November  29,  1874.  oc- 
curred the  marriage  of  Mr.  Schuldt  to  Albcr- 
tina  Grocner.  She  was  born  in  Pomern,  Ger- 
many, August  20.  1856,  came  to  the  TTniled 
.States  in  1870  and  located  at  Batavia,  Illi- 
nois. To  ^Ir.  and  Mrs.  Schuldt  have  been 
born  the  following  named  eleven  children,  all 
living:  Kred.  a  physician  of  St.  Paul,  born 
November  2ti.  1S7;'):  Henry.  Post  township 
farmer,  liorn  .January  II,  1878;  Frank,  Rost 
township  farmer,  born  Ma.v  9,  1S80:  Clara,  who 
resides  at  home,  born  March  20.  1882:  Walter, 
a  Lutheran  minister  of  Virginia,  born  .Tan\iary 
.'il,  188.3:  Reinhold,  who  resides  at  home,  born 
.March  24,  1887:  Alex,  who  is  a  student  at 
Concordia  college  of  St.  Paul,  born  July  20, 
ISS'.i:  Prances,  Ijorn  June  27,  1801;  Herbert, 
b(.rn  April  1.  1804;  Uhle.  born  A]iiil  2.  ISOfi: 
Marcus,  born  A]tn]  24.  1800. 


WILLIAM  y.  AUTEN  (1807).  grain  buyer 
for  the  RIppe  Grain  and  Milling  company  and 
manager  of  the  elevator  at  Jackson,  was  born 
at  Grand  Meadow,  Mower  county,  Minnesota, 
March  21,  1877,  Ilis  parents  are  the  late 
Charles  L.  Auten  and  Mai-y  (Collins)  Autcn, 
both  natives  of  New  York  state.  Both  his 
father  iuid  mother  came  to  Minnesota  in  an 
early  day,  before  their  marriage,  the  fornu-r 
locating  in  Mower  county,  the  latter  in  Olm- 
sted county.  The  elder  Auten  was  engaged 
in  the  grain  business  at  Grand  Aleadow  for 
many  years,  and  in  1885  moved  to  South  Da- 


kota, v.heie  the  family  lived  twelve  years. 
They  came  to  Jackson  in  1807,  and  in  that 
village  Mr.  Auten,  Sr.,  died  May  24,  1904,  aged 
04  years.  The  mother  of  our  subject  lives  in 
.Jackson. 

William  Auten  resided  with  his  parents  un- 
til he  was  a  man  grown.  He  was  educated 
in  tiie  schools  at  Willc.w  Lake  and  Howard. 
South  Dakota,  and  at  an  early  age  began 
working  at  the  grain  business:  in  fact,  with 
the  exception  of  three  years  spent  in  clerking 
in  general  stores  at  Andover  and  Willow  Lake, 
South  Dakota,  he  has  spent  his  whcde  life  at 
the  business.  He  accompanied  the  family  to 
Jackson  county  in  1897  and  took  a  position 
with  the  Rippe  Grain  and  Milling  company, 
having  charge  of  the  elevators  at  Alpha  and 
Jackson.  For  the  last  two  years  he  has  de- 
voted his  time  exclusively  to  tli<'  manage- 
ment of  the  company's  business  at  Jackson. 
Tie  Hi|)i)e  com|).>nv  has  elevators  in  .southern 
Minnesota  and  northern  Iowa  and  a  large 
llonring  mill  at  Fairmont. 

.Mr.  Auten  was  married  at  Jackson  Septem- 
l;er  2.  1004.  to  Charlotte  Halstead  Ellsworth, 
a  native  of  Jackson  and  a  <l;uightcr  of  Wil- 
liaui  and  Bertha  (EUingson)  Ellswortli.  To 
these  parents  one  child — a  son — was  born  April 
Ifi,  1908.  During  his  residence  in  Alpha  Mr. 
Auten  served  one  year  as  a  member  of  the 
village  council.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  K.  P. 
and   M.   W.   A.  lodscs. 


lIKXin  ll.\SSIN(;  (JSOl).  \\lio  owns  the 
southeast  (|uarter  of  section  ll>.  Middletown 
township,  is  a  native  Minncsotan,  having  been 
born  in  Faribault  county  April  12,  lS(i.">.  Henry 
is  the  third  of  a  family  of  nine  living  children. 
Ilis  parents  were  Hcmv  and  Rosina  IKiser) 
Hassing,  native  Cernians.  who  came  to  Ameri- 
ca early  in  life,  lived  a  short  time  in  Wiscon- 
sin, and  then  settled  in  Faj-ilmult  county,  Jlin- 
nesota,  where  tliey  honiesteaded  and  resided 
until  their  death. 

Henry  resided  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
twenty-thr"e  years  of  age.  attending  school 
and  working  <m  the  farm,  .\tler  working  out 
a  short  time  after  leaving  the  parental  roof, 
he  rented  a  farm  and  conducted  it  until  he 
came  to  .Taekson  county  in  1801.  Arriving  in 
this  county,  he  located  upon  his  present  farm, 
which  he  had  bought  the  year  before.  At  the 
time  of  ])nrihase  the  land  was  raw  prairie 
and  he  has  made  all  the  improvements  on  it. 


BlOGlLVnilCAL  HISTORY. 


565 


Mr.  Massing  was  director  of  scliool  district  No. 
92  for  nine  years,  and  was  road  overseer  for 
tliree  years.  He  is  a  member  of  tlie  Catliolic 
cluirch  and  of   the  C.  0.  V.  lodge. 

At  E:\ston,  Jlinnesota.  Mr.  Hassing  was  mar- 
ried .January  29,  1894,  to  Frances  Paul,  a  na- 
tive of  Wisconsin.  They  have  seven  living 
children:  Johanna,  Angus,  John,  Lawrence, 
Ernest,   Loretta   and    Eddie. 


ALBERT  J.  JOHNSON  (1883),  Belmont 
township  farmer,  was  born  on  the  farm  where 
he  now  lives  January  30,  1883,  the  son  of 
John  H.  and  Bertha  (Iverson)  Johnson.  These 
parents  were  born  in  Norway  and  came  to 
America  when  young  children.  They  were 
married  in  Goodhue  county,  ilinnesota,  and  in 
a  very  early  day  came  to  Jackson  county  and 
homesteaded  in  Belmont.  They  are  still  liv- 
ing and  make  their  home  with  their  son.  He 
is  64  years  of  age;  she  is  60.  Eight  children 
were  born  to  them,  as  follows:  Anna,  Jo- 
seph, Andrew,  Ada,  Bertha,  Albert,  Julia  and 
Clara. 

Albert  attended  the  district  school  and  grew 
to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm.  He  worked 
for  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  and  then  took  the  management  of  the 
place,  having  since  worked  it  on  shares.  The 
farm  consists  of  160  acres  on  section  24. 


DR.  MEREDITH  J.  .JAMES  (1908),  dentist 
of  Lakefield,  is  a  native  of  Blue  Earth  coun- 
ty, Minnesota.,  where  he  was  born  March  28, 
1884.  The  doctor's  parents  are  .John  J.  and 
Hannah  (Meredith)  James,  who  were  born  in 
Wales  and  came  to  America  in  childhood  and 
settled  near  Utica,  New  York.  The  father 
served  in  the  union  army  during  the  war  of 
the  rebellion  and  after  the  war  located  in 
Blue  Earth  county,  Minnesota,  where  he  was 
married  and  took  a  homestead.  Both  parents 
now  live  in  Blue  Earth  county.  He  is  04  years 
of  age  and  she  is  66  years  old.  They  have  five 
children:  .John  C,  Robert  G.,  Bezalee,  Mere- 
dith J.  and  William  H. 

Meredith  lived  on  the  farm  with  his  parents 
until  fifteen  years  of  age,  attending  the  coun- 
try schools.  Then  he  went  to  Lake  Crystal 
and  attended  the  high  school,  from  which  he 
received  his  diploma  in  1904.  Two  years  later 
he  entered  the  dental  department  of  the  state 
university   and   was   graduated   in  June,   1908. 


The  next  niontli  he  moved  to  Lakefield,  bought 
the  dental  business  and  apparatus  of  Dr.  C. 
A.  Bell,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  prac- 
tice. He  has  an  ofl'ice  in  the  .Jackson  County 
State  Bank  building. 


OLE  i;,  OLSON  (1880),  Christiania  township 
farmer,  is  a  native  of  tliat  precinct,  having 
been  born  April  26,  1880,  the  son  of  Ryar  and 
Gertie  Olson,  His  parents  came  from  Norway 
and  to  Jackson  county  in  an  early  day  and 
liomestcaded  land  on  section  12,  Christiania 
township.  They  are  still  residents  of  the 
county. 

Our  subject  has  spent  his  entire  life  in 
Christiania  township.  He  received  a  common 
school  education  and  until  he  grew  up  work- 
ed for  his  father.  Then  he  engaged  in  farm* 
ing  for  himself.  He  farms  200  acres  of  land, 
the  home  place  being  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  22,  Besides  his  farming  operations  he 
has  conducted  a  threshing  machine  for  the 
last  fourteen  years, 

Mr,  Olson  was  married  March  12,  1903,  to 
May  Hjony,  of  Des  Moines  township,  Mr. 
Olson  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  and  of  the  Sons  of  Norway  lodge. 


JOHN  TORDSEN  (1892),  farmer  of  Hunter 
township,  is  a  son  of  Peter  Tordsen,  of  Rost 
township,  and  Christina  (Hendricks)  Tordsen, 
who  died  in  Iowa  January  26,  1888, 

John  was  born  in  Ida  county,  Iowa,  April 
3,  1884,  and  accompanied  his  father  to  Jack- 
son county  in  1892,  He  was  brought  up  on 
his  father's  Rost  township  farm  and  was  edu- 
cated ill  the  district  schools.  He  resided  at 
home  until  1907,  Then  he  went  to  McLean 
connt.v.  North  Dakota,  resided  there  one  year, 
and  then  returned  to  Jackson  county.  He  was 
married  in  1008,  and  since  that  time  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  18,  Hunter  township,  which  is  owned 
by    his    father, 

ilr,  Tordsen  was  married  in  Jackson  Novem- 
lier  2."),  1908.  to  JIarie  Lamp,  who  was  born 
in  (lermany  January  13,  1888,  and  who  came 
to  the   United  States   in   1902, 


CONRAD  W.  Ll'FT  (1894),  of  Petersburg 
township,  was  born  in  Lee  county,  Illinois, 
June   30,   1871,  the   >nn   of  W.  il,  and   Barbara 


566 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


(Leich)  Lull,  botli  defeased.  Tlie"lirst  two 
mid  one-half  years  of  his  life  were  passsed  in 
liis  native  county,  the  next  two  years  in 
Crawford  eounty,  Iowa,  and  tlien  the  family 
loi-aled  |)ernianently  in  Sac  county,  Iowa.  In 
that  coiinly  Coiniid'f,'ri'w  to  nianliood,  receiving 
a  common  sdiool  education.  Ho  came  to  Jack- 
son county  in  Ucccmber,  18U4,  lived  here  five 
years,  and  then  took  up  hi.-»  residence  at  Su- 
perior, Iowa.  Three  years  later  he  came  back 
to  the  county  and  has  since  resided  here.  He 
is  en);ayed  in  farming  on  section  C,  Petersburg 
township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  (iermiin 
Lutheran   church. 

Mr.  Lufl  was  mairicil  December  15,  1898, 
to  Miss  .\mui  .Mueller.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  them:  Charles,  born  December 
11,  1899;  Henry,  born  July  28,  1901. 


family  moved  to  Jackson  county,  and  upon  bis 
father's  Wisconsin  township  farm  Alfred  work- 
ed until  he  reached  his  majority.  After  be- 
coming of  age  lie  took  the  management  of  the 
home  farm,  the  west  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  33,  whieh  he  still  farms  in 
addition  t<J  his  own  property,  the  east 
half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
4,  Petersburg  township.  Mr.  Ambrose  owns 
stock  in  the  Farmers'  Cooperative  Elevator 
company,  of  Alpha.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
M.  \V.  A.  and  Z.  C.   U.  J.  lo.lg.'s  of  .lackson. 

(In  September  24,  1901,  Mr.  Ambrose  was 
married  to  Miss  Josie  Skalsky.  To  these  par- 
ents have  been  born  the  following  named  chil- 
dren: Bennie,  born  Decemlwr  7,  1902;  Al- 
bert, born  October,  1904:  Agnes,  born  No- 
vember 7,  1906;  baby,  born  January  16,  1908. 


fJKOUCE  CIllUSTlAXSEX  (1885)  is  a  Her- 
on Lake  township  farmer,  owning  the  north 
halt  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  12. 
He  has  lived  in  Xobles  and  Jackson  counties 
all  his  life,  having  been  born  in  the  former 
January  7,  1878,  the  .son  of  .Tnhn  and  Mollie 
( ITalverson)   Christiansen. 

(Jeorge  was  educated  in  the  district  schools 
and  brought  up  on  the  farm.  His  fatlier  died 
in  Xobles  eounty  when  he  was  a  child  and 
in  1S83  he  accompanied  1  is  mother  to  Jackson 
countj',  where  he  has  ever  since  lived.  He 
lived  on  the  farm  with  his  mother  in  Bel- 
mont township  seven  years  and  later  made  liis 
home  with  her  on  the  farm  on  section  22, 
Heron  Lake.  In  IIHIS  he  located  upon  his  own 
farm,  which  !»•  liad  bought  three  years  be- 
fore, and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming 
the  place. 

The  parents  of  Mr  Cliristiansen  were  born 
in  Norway  and  came  from  the  old  country  to 
Xobles  county.  Mrs.  Christiansen  lives  on  her 
Heron  Lake   township  farm. 


ALFRED  AMBROSE  (1884),  a  Wisconsin 
township  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  is  a  native 
of  Austria  and  was  born  September  5,  1874. 
His  father.  Paul  Ambrose,  died  April  5.  1900, 
his  mother  is  still  living  and  resides  with  her 
son. 

Alfred  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
parents  when  only  two  years  of  age  and  un- 
til the  spring  of  1884  resided  at  Earlham, 
Madison  county,  Towa.     On  April  fl.   1884,  the 


.lOllX  II.  ALLERS  (1906)  is  one  of  the  pro- 
gressive young  farmers  of  Sioux  Valley  town- 
ship. He  is  a  native  of  Benton  county.  Iowa, 
and  was  born  May  4,  1886.  AVhen  he  was  five 
years  of  age  his  parents  moved  just  across 
the  line  into  Tama  county  and  on  his  father's 
farm  in  that  county  he  grew  to  manhood. 

John  continued  to  make  liis  home  with  his 
parents  and  to  work  for  his  father  until  1900. 
That  year  he  married  and  moved  to  Jackson 
county,  taking  possession  of  his  father's  farm, 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  34,  Sioux  Val- 
ley township,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He 
lias  up-to-date  ideas  in  regard  to  farming  and 
he  is  carrying  them  out  in  the  management 
of   the   place. 

.\lr.  .\llers  is  one  of  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren, the  others  being  Vena  and  Minnie.  His 
father  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Iowa,  No- 
vember 13,  1800.  and  was  married  at  Daven-* 
port  January  5,  1882,  to  Minnie  Anderson, 
who  was  born  in  Mecklenberg,  Germany,  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1865.  The  parents  of  our  subject 
are  now  residents  of  Tama  county,  lown. 

John  Allers  was  married  in  Hentoii  county, 
Iowa,  December  10,  1906.  to  Eiunia  Ehrnestein. 
She  was  born  in  Germany  October  '28,  1880, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Fred  and  Loui.sa  Ehrne- 
stein. who  live  in  Benton  county,  Iowa.  One 
child  was  born  to  Mr.  and  Jlrs.  Allers, 
Agnes  Clara,  born  September  15,  1908.  Mr. 
Allers  is  a  member  of  the  (Jerman  Lutheran 
church  and  of  the  Germania   lodge. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


567 


PETlCll  C.  JACOBSEX  (1S!)G),  of  Jackson, 
is  a  native  of  Denmark  and  was  born  April  7, 
18G1.  He  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  four  are  living.  His  father, 
.Jacob  jVIatsen,  a  butcher  by  trade,  died  in  his 
native  land  in  1879,  aged  54  years.  His  moth- 
er, Anna  C.  (Soi-ensen)  Matsen,  died  in  1885, 
aged  64  years. 

Peter  made  his  home  with  his  parents  only 
until  seven  years  of  age;  then  he  started  out 
in  life  for  himself.  He  secured  a  good  edu- 
cation, completing  it  with  a  year's  course  in  a 
high  school.  After  his  school  days  he  worked 
as  a  farm  hand  until  eighteen  years  old. 
Then  he  started  a  meat  market  in  the  city  of 
Copenhagen,  which  he  conducted  until  1891. 
He  left  his  native  land  July  9,  1891,  and  ar- 
rived at  Winnebago  City,  Minnesota,  July  24, 
of  the  same  year.  Near  that  town  Mr.  Jacob- 
sen  worked  on  a  farm  three  years;  then  lie 
rented  a  farn\  and  conducted  it  two  years.  He 
arrived  in  .lackson  county  in  1S9G  and  for  two 
or  three  years  worked  as  a  farm  laborer  and 
at  odd  jobs.  He  then  married  and  located  in 
Jackson,  and  for  the  next  four  yeai'S  worked  in 
(ieorge  Sawyer's  coal  yards.  The  next  four 
years  were  spent  as  an  employe  of  the  Stand- 
ard Oil  company.  Since  then  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  on  a  small  scale.  He  owns 
seventeen  acres  of  fine  land  on  Thomas  hill  in 
the  east  part  of  Jackson,  which  he  intends  to 
plat  as  an  addition.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  and  Danish  Brotherhood 
lodges,  and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  .Tacobsen  was  married  in  Copenhagen, 
Dinniark.  February  8,  1883,  to  Hannah  Peter- 
son, a  native  of  Sweden.  She  died  April  4, 
1886,  aged  23  years.  Two  children,  both  of 
whom  died  in  infancy,  were  born  to  these  par- 
ents. The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Jacobsen  oc- 
curred at  Jackson  November  3,  1899,  when  he 
wedded  Mrs.  Christ  Larsen,  who  was  formerly 
Miss  Caroline  Mortensen,  a  native  of  Denmark. 
By  her  former  marriage  Mrs.  Jacobsen  is  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Carrie  Larsen.  To  Mr. 
and  J[rs.  .lacobsen  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren: Myrtle,  born  September  14,  1902;  Pearl 
and   r.uth. 


CARL  0.  YOUXGREK  (1897),  of  Alpha,  is 
a  native  of  Martin  county,  Minnesota,  where 
he  was  born  May  1,  1888,  the  son  of  Swen 
and  Carrie    (Xelson)    Voungren.     Carl  lived  in 


Martin  county  with  his  parents  until  nine 
years  of  age  and  then  accompanied  them  to 
Jackson  county,  in  the  spring  of  1897.  With 
tlie  exception  of  one  year  spent  in  Groton, 
South  Dakota,  this  has  been  his  home  ever 
since.  Mr.  Youngren  is  a  member  of  the  Swed- 
ish Lutheran  church. 

SAMUEL  W.  SHEARER  (1894)  is  one  of 
the  large  landowners  and  successful  farmers 
of  Wisconsin  township.  He  own,s  the  east  half 
of  section  5,  the  southwest  cjuarter  of  section 
4  and  the  north  half  of  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  3.  He  has  an  elegant  home  built 
on  the  first  described  property.  Samuel  W.  is 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  five  living  children. 
The  other  members  of  tlie  family  are  Joseph 
P.,  John  L.,  Uriah  S.  and  Emma  (Mrs.  J.  W. 
XuU),  of  Illinois.  Another  sister,  Mary  E. 
Hildebrand,  died  September  19,  1894. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in 
Franklin  county,  Ohio,  May  24,  18.51,  the  son 
of  J.  J.  and  Catherine  (Lehman)  Shearer.  Un- 
til he  was  of  age  he  resided  with  his  parents 
and  assisted  with  the  farm  work,  the  family 
having  moved  to  Livingston  county,  Hlinois, 
in  1868.  In  that  county,  upon  reaching  his 
majority,  he  rented  one  of  his  father's  farms 
and  conducted  it  until  1877.  That  year  he  was 
married,  and  he  and  Ids  brother,  .1.  P.  Shearer, 
bought  the  farm,  conducted  it  as  partners  sev- 
eral years,  and  later  our  subject  secured  entire 
control.  He  conducted  the  farm  alone  until 
1894.  In  1892  he  came  to  Jackson  county  and 
bought  the  half  section  upon  which  his  home 
is  now,  and  two  years  later  moved  onto  the 
place.  He  has  prospered,  and  has  since  added 
the  other  property  to  his  holdings.  During  his 
residence  in  Wisconsin  township  Mr.  Shearer 
has  held  the  offices  of  supervisor,  chairman  of 
the  town  board  and  assessor.  He  is  now 
clerk  of  school  district  Xo.  1.  He  is  member 
of  the  Jlennonite  church. 

Mr.  Shearer  was  married  at  Chatsworth,  Il- 
linois, on  the  first  day  of  the  year  1877,  to 
Lizzie  Grahill.  a  native  of  Grundy  county.  Il- 
linois. To  these  parents  have  been  born  ten 
children,  of  whom  the  following  nine  are  liv- 
ing: Byron  A.,  Harry  M.,  Grace  M.,  Charles 
E.,  OIlie  J..  Fred  S..  Russell,  Mary  E.  and  J. 
Wesley. 

LEROY  D.  STEWARD  (1908).  proprietor  of 
a  Laketield  barber  shop,  was  born  in  Donahoe, 


568 


BIOGRAPJIK  AI.   IllsTOUY. 


Iowa.  Ortobcr  3,  1883,  the  eldest  of  a  family 
of  four  fliildreii  born  to  ticorge  and  Martlia 
(Mickehviigjit )  Steward,  the  other  eliihlren  he- 
iiij;  t'liarlcs,  Howard  and   Fannie. 

Both  his  parents  died  wlien  Leroy  was  a 
iliiUl  and  lie  was  brought  up  in  the  family  of 
an  unele,  with  whom  he  lived  until  seventeen 
year.s  of  age.  He  was  educated  in  the  Dona- 
hoe  pul>lie  schools  and  after  leaving  the  home 
of  Ids  uuele  worked  on  a  farm  until  he  was  of 
age.  He  then  started  working  at  the  barber's 
trade,  learijing  the  business  in  shops  in  Dona- 
hoe,  Iowa,  and  Denneh,  Iowa.  After  master- 
ing the  trade  Air.  Steward  worked  in  shops  in 
Kansas  City,  Jlissouri,  l.uverne,  Minnesota, 
and  other  places.  He  located  in  l.akcficid  in 
August.  1908,  buying  the  George  Albert  Arm- 
strong shop,  in  the  Jackson  County  State  Bank 
building.  He  conducts  a  two  chair  shop.  Mr. 
.Steward  is  a  member  of  the  1.  O.  ().  I".,  tlie  K. 
P.   and    M.   \V.   A.   lodges. 


lAllIKi;  KlDdl.l'll  MATtK'SEK  (1808), 
until  recently  ])astor  of  St.  Wenccslaus  Cath- 
olic church  of  .laekson,  was  born  in  IjOmnitz, 
.Moravia.  .April  12.  l.Sii.'i.  llic  son  <n  l.ouie  and 
Antonia  (Kapoun)  Matousek.  He  received  his 
early  education  in  Lomiiitz,  b\tt  at  the  age  of 
eleven  years  he  went  to  Brunn,  the  capital 
city  of  Moravia,  and  for  eight  years  was  a 
student  there,  two  years  of  the  time  studying 
theology.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  his 
native  country,  and  for  two  year.s  was  a  stu- 
dent at  a  theological  school  at  Louvaiu,  Bel- 
gium. 

In  1888  Father  Matousek  eame  to  America 
and  for  nearly  nine  years  had  charge  of  a 
church  at  Rock  Creek,  near  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri. In  1807  he  returned  to  Europe  for  a 
visit  with  his  father,  but  retiu^ned  the  next 
year,  and  on  May  .5,  1808,  took  up  liis  duties 
in  Jackson,  where  he  ministered   until  the  fall 

of  mno. 


OLOK  ARXTSOX  (1881)  owns  280  acres  of 
land  on  sections  4  and  1(1.  lielmont  townshij). 
all  of  wliieh  he  and  his  sons  farm.  His  par- 
ents are  the  late  Arnt  Swenson  and  Gracie 
Swenson,  who  came  from  Norway  in  1899  and 
made  their  home  with  our  subject.  The  father 
died  September  15,  1908,  aged  81  years;  the 
mother  still  lives  and  is  77  years  of  age. 

Olof  is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  three  chil- 
dren and  was  born  in  Xorway  September  19, 
ISiili.  There  he  grew  to  manhood,  working  on 
his  father's  farm  with  the  exception  of  seven 
years  spent  in  the  army,  lie  came  to  America 
in  1881,  locating  in  Jackson,  where  he  worked 
on  the  railroad  three  years.  The  ne.xt  two 
years  were  spent  in  farming  on  section  6,  En- 
terjirise  township.  He  then  bought  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  4,  Melmont  townshiji. 
from  Taul  Hanson,  who  had  honicsteaded  it  in 
l.St!4,  and  iias  ever  since  made  his  home  there. 
I.\iying  his  other  property  later.  He  has  been 
treasurer  of  .scluxd  district  No.  89  for  the  past 
five  years  and  has  been  mad  overseer  of  his 
district,  lie  is  a  member  ol  the  Norwegian 
I..utheran   church. 

Mr.  Arnt  son  was  married  in  Norway  Jan- 
uary 22,  187(!,  to  Mary  DIena.  who  was  born 
October  ti,  18.).3.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
children:  Gust,  Oracle  (Mrs.  Ole  Aas),  Osear, 
Albert,  Julian  and  Bennie. 


CHARLES  HASBARGEN  (1888)  is  one  of 
tlie  prosperous  farmers  of  Wisconsin  township. 
He  owns  the  northeast  <iuarter  of  si'ction  :).'!,  a 
few  miles  southeast  of  Jackson. 

.\lr.  Ila>liargcn  was  born  in  Germany  April 
3,  LS70.  the  son  of  Ralph  A.  and  Wecke  (Orun- 
holf)  llasbargen.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
he  came  to  the  Inited  States,  lived  four  years 
in  lroc|iiois  county,  Illinois,  and  one  year  in 
LaSalh'  county.  He  received  a  high  school 
education  and  while  in  LaSalle  county  at- 
tcmlcd  a  college.  He  came  to  Jackson  county 
in  .Xjjril.  1888,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming    in   Wisconsin    township. 

Our  subject  has  stock  in  the  Alpha  Cream- 
ery association  and  in  the  Alpha  Horse  com- 
pany. He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
management  of  the  creamery  and  for  the  past 
nini'  years  has  been  secretary  of  the  associa- 
tion, and  before  that  served  two  years  as  a 
director.  He  was  a  member  of  the  township 
board  ten  years,  was  a  school  director  eighteen 
jears  and  has  been  secretary  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church  of  Jackson  for  eighteen  years. 

Mr.  Hasbargen  was  married  to  Theresa  Buck 
huinarv  22.  1803.  As  a  result  of  this  union 
linvc  been  born  the  following  named  children: 
Willie,  born  March  4,  1804;  Alma  H.,  born  Jan- 
uary 3.  1890;  Rudolph  D..  born  Noveiiiber  II, 
1807;  Lena  M.,  born  April  14.  1900.  died  S<-|i- 
tember    28.    1901;     Albert     D..    horn    June     19, 


THE  NEW  YORK 

IPUBUCUBRARY 


MTOfI,  LEf-JOX  »M» 
TtCDEN   FOUNO*T>»*ft. 


FAMILY  OF  MR.  AND'.MRS.  EI.LING  ELNESS,  CHRISTIAKIA 


SOUTHWESTERN  MINNESOTA  HOSPITAL,  HERON  LAKE 


BIOGEAPIirCAL  IIISTOEY. 


569 


1902;     Vilciira    F.,    born    September    28,    1904; 
Hiram,  born  September   19,  1900. 


JOHN  R.  rORMAN  (1903),  a  school  teach- 
er in  district  number  7,  is  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son, He  was  born  in  Kankakee,  Illinois,  Jan- 
uary 15,  1878,  the  son  of  Charles  M.  and 
Sarah  (Jliehael)  Forman,  natives  of  New  York 
and  Illinois,  respectively.  The  family  moved 
to  Nebraska  in  grasshopper  days,  resided  there 
four  years,  and  then  returned  to  Illinois,  where 
they  resided  until  1902,  That  year  they  moved 
to  Jackson,  where  they  now  reside. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  resided  with 
his  parents  in  Kankakee,  Illinois,  until  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  He  then  located  in  Mar- 
sliall,  Minnesota,  and  four  months  later  en- 
listed in  the  45th  United  States  regiment  of 
infantry  and  was  sent  to  the  Philippine  is- 
lands. His  army  service  covered  a  period  of 
twenty-one  months,  eighteen  of  which  were  in 
foreign  service.  He  received  his  discharge  at 
San  Francisco  in  June,  1901.  He  returned  to 
his  old  home  in  Illinois  after  his  discharge,  but 
in  1903  located  in  Jackson.  For  a  few  years 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  teaching  school. 
and  three  years  ago  entered  the  .mail  service 
as  carrier  out  of  Jackson,  which  he  followed 
until  September  1.  1909.  when  he  resigned  to 
again  take  up  school  teaching.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church  and  of  the  M.  W. 
A.  lodge. 

Mr.  Forman  was  married  in  Jackson  May  18, 
1904,  to  Miss  Cardelia  M.  Odbert,  a  native  of 
Jackson  and  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Clara 
Odbert.     To   Mr.   and   Mrs.    Forman   has  been 

born   one   child,  Edith,   born   :\rarcb    12.    1905. 


ALFRED  H.  COOK  (1901),  buyer  for  the 
Benson  Grain  company  of  Heron  Lake,  al- 
though a  resident  of  .Jackson  county  only  a  few 
years,  was  born  in  the  neighboring  county  of 
Nobles  and  all  bis  life  has  lived  only  a  short 
distance  from  .Jackson  county.  He  is  the  son 
of  Edward  V,  and  Eliza  (Gage)  Cook,  who 
now  live  at  Fulda, 

Edward  Cook  is  a  native  of  New  York  state. 
He  enlisted  in  that  state  and  served  three 
years  in  the  union  army  during  tlie  war  of  the 
rebellion.  After  the  war  be  moved  to  Iowa, 
where  he  was  married.  Locating  in  Nobles 
county    in    an   early   day,   he   homesteaded    in 


Seward   township,     lie    lived    there   until    1877, 
and  .since  that   date  has  resided  in  Fulda, 

To  these  parents  were  born  nine  children,  of 
whom  eight  are  living,  Alfred  is  the  fourth 
in  age  of  this  family  and  was  born  on  the 
Seward  township  farm  December  29,  1877. 
When  an  infant  he  was  taken  with  his  par- 
ents to  Fulda  and  in  that  town  grew  to  man- 
hood and  was  educated.  He  was  in  the  grain 
business  in  Fulda  two  years  and  taught  school 
in  Murray  comity  two  years.  He  was  in  Sioux 
Falls,  South  Dakota,  during  the  year  1801. 
ilr.  Cook  moved  to  Heron  Lake  in  July,  1901, 
and  since  that  date  has  been  employed  as 
grain  buyer  for  the  Benson  Grain  company. 
This  company  was  incorporated  in  1901  and 
is  one  of  the  big  financial  institutions  of  the 
county,  owning  and  operating  twenty  elevators 
in  ilinnesota  and  Nebraska, 

Mr.  Cook  was  married  at  Fulda  January  1, 
1901.  to  ifartha  E.  Suthers,  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin. One  child,  Clifford  H,,  has  blessed  this 
union,  having  been  born  April  10,  1902.  Mr. 
Cook  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


ALECK  F.  ELNESS  (1877)  was  born  in  Chris- 
tiania  to^^^lship  .June  4,  1877.  and  has  resided 
there  all  h.is  life.  He  owns  the  east  half  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20.  He  is  the 
son  of  Filing  N.  Elness,  who  now  lives  in  Ore- 
gon, and  Ellen  Elness.  who  died  in  1900  at  the 
age  of  .55  years.  His  parents  came  from  Nor- 
way and  located  in  Jackson  county  in  1870, 
homesteading   land    in   Cbristiania    township. 

Aleck  received  his  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  his  native  township,  and  after  gi-ow- 
ing  up  engaged  in  farming.  He  owns  stock 
in  the  Windom  Telephone  company  and  in  the 
company  that  owns  the  Bergen  store.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church 
of  Belmont, 

Mr.  Elness  was  married  May  2.  1900,  to 
Gea  Engan,  and  to  this  marriage  have  been 
born  four  children:  Emmet,  born  February 
20,  1901;  Ouvin,  born  April  27,  1903:  Allen, 
born  Mav  25,  1905;   Mvriel,  born  Mav  9,  1907. 


EDWARD  J.  LEWIS  (1904).  Among  the 
several  really  meritorious  enterprises  of  which 
the  county  seat  boasts  is  the  .Jackson  nur- 
sery. Edward  J.  Lewis,  who  has  made  that 
business  his  life's  study,  is  the  proprietor.  Al- 
though  his  business  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  its 


35 


570 


BTOGRAPniOAL  HISTORY. 


success  is  assiirod.  He  produces  all  kinds  of 
fruit  and  slmde  trees  and  many  varieties  of 
ImmHcs  He  employs  several  ajrcnts.  wlio  sol! 
liis  goods  tlirougliont  southwestern  Minnesota, 
nortliern  Iowa  and  North  Dakota. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  born  in  Howard  county, 
Iowa,  A\ipust  8,  1883,  being  the  only  son  of 
William  and  Emma  (Moore)  Lewis.  His  fath- 
er died  when  our  subject  was  two  years  of 
age:  his  moflier  lives  in  Cresco,  Iowa.  Kd- 
ward  lived  in  Howard  couniy.  Iowa,  until  'le 
reached  his  majority.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age; 
then  he  began  working  in  a  nursery,  which 
has  ever  since  been  his  occupation.  He  moved 
to  Jackson  in  the  spring  of  in04.  bought  a  ten 
acre  tract  of  ground  on  Thomas  hill,  made  im- 
provements and  started  his  nursery,  which  has 
since  occupied   his  attention. 

At  Cresco,  Iowa,  June  22.  1903,  Mr.  Lewis 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Alice  Bents,  a 
native  of  the  village  in  which  she  was  married. 
To  (liis  union  have  been  born  two  iliildrcn. 
Virginia  and  Venita.  Mr.  Lewis  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America. 


REIKHOLD  STUERMER  (1800)  is  a  Bel- 
mont township  farmer,  owning  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  33  of  that  township  and  the 
northwest  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  4.  Des  Moines  township.  He  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Fred  and  .Tohanna  (Hartwig)  Stuer- 
mer,  natives  of  Germany.  After  their  mar- 
riage in  the  old  country  the  parents  of  our 
subject  came  to  America  and  located  at  Man- 
istee. Miehignn.  They  resided  there  tintil  ISOO, 
when  they  came  to  .Tackson  county  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Bolmont  township.  Fred 
Stuermer  died  in  1001  at  the  ngc  of  63  years; 
his  wife  died  in  April.  1000.  aged  73  years. 
Four  children  survive  them.  They  are  Augusta 
(Mrs.  Pari  Pnhlman).  Tillie  (Mrs.  Julius 
CenfzK  Ij-na  (Mrs.  Fred  Bretzmanl  and  Rein-" 
hold. 

To  these  parents  in  Manistee.  Michigan, 
•Tune  12.  lR7fi.  Reinhold  Stuermer  was  born. 
He  bcgnn  his  education  there  and  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years,  in  1800.  accompanied  bis 
parents  to  .Jackson  county.  He  has  ever  since 
made  his  home  on  the  Belmont  farm.  He 
worked  for  his  father  until  the  lafter's  death 
and  then  fell  heir  to  the  farm,  which  he  has 
since   conducted. 

Mr.  Stuermer  was  married  in  Jackson  coun- 


ty July  24,  1004,  to  Clara  Krumwcide,  who  was 
born  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois,  March  18, 
1881),  and  who  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  Krum- 
wcide, now  living  in  Iroquois  county,  Illinois, 
Two  children  have  been  born  to  this  union, 
namely:  Lydia,  born  July  7,  1007;  Esther, 
born  August  27,  1908. 


CHRIS  L.  HEMMING  (1907),  proprietor  of 
a  .saloon  at  Heron  Lake,  is  a  native  of  Den- 
mark and  was  born  July  18,  1870.  the  son  of 
Robert  and  Caroline  (Brown)  Hemming.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  the  United  States 
in  1882  and  located  in  Minnesota.  The  fam- 
ily resided  one  year  in  Olencoe,  two  years  in 
St.  Paul,  and  in  Kcnynn.  Minnesota,  from  I88.'> 
to  1894.  Chris  receiving  a  public  school  edu- 
cation in  the  last  named  town. 

In  1804  Mr.  Hemming,  then  a  boy  of  fifteen 
years,  set  out  in  life  for  himself.  He  was  em- 
ployed on  a  work  train  on  the  Soo  line  out  of 
Minneapolis  two  years  and  in  1806  went  to 
Pennington,  Wisconsin,  where  he  spent  the 
next  winter.  After  spending  a  short  time  in 
South  Park,  St.  Paul,  and  in  Oehvein,  Iowa,  he 
went  to  work  for  Swift  &  Company,  in  St. 
Paul,  and  was  employed  by  that  company  one 
year.  The  next  year  he  tended  bar  in  St. 
Paul,  and  in  1890  went  to  Escanaba.  Michi- 
gan, where  for  a  year  and  a  half  he  was  a 
fireman  on  the  Northwestern  railroad.  Re- 
turning to  St.  Paul  in  1001,  Mr.  Hemming  took 
a  position  as  fireman  on  the  Great  Western 
and  on  .Tune  1,  1902.  was  made  an  engineer. 
He  moved  from  St.  Paul  to  Plum  City.  Wis- 
roiisin.  in  100.5  and  was  engaged  in  tlir  saloon 
business  there  two  years,  still  owning  the 
property.  He  arrived  in  Heron  Lake  in  the 
spring  of  1007  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
the  saloon  business  in  that  village.  He  owns 
110  acri's  of  land  in  Diinn  cn\inty,  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Hemming  was  married  in  St.  Paul  in 
.Tune,  1000,  to  Miss  Jfayme  Bcrgcon.  and  to 
them  have  been  born  two  children:  Marie  V., 
born  at  Escanaba,  Michigan,  March  12,  1901; 
Ruth  I.,  born  in  Heron  I.«ke  March  IB,  1907. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church. 


BERT  KEPHART  (1890)  is  a  CTiristiania 
township  farmer  living  a  short  distance  north 
of  Bergen,  He  is  a  native  of  Dubuque  county, 
Iowa,  and  was  born  April  24,  1863. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


571 


The  parents  of  our  subject  are  Milton  atid 
Margaret  (Mettler)  Kepliart,  now  of  Lakefield. 
The  grantljia  rents  of  our  subject  came  from 
Pennsylvania  to  Iowa  in  a  very  early  d:iy 
anil  Jlilton  Kepliart  was  born  in  that  state  in 
tlie  forties.  There  are  eleven  children  in  tlie 
family,  namely:  Ellmore,  a  carpenter  of  Spir- 
it Lake,  Iowa;  Bert,  of  this  sketch;  Elenor 
(Mrs.  .James  Darcy),  of  Lakefield;  Rose  (Mrs. 
Henrj'  Hardman),  of  Spirit  Lake;  Lizzie  (Mrs. 
Charles  Yoder),  of  Spirit  Lake;  Ernest,  of 
Canada;  Tillie,  of  Lakefield;  Maggie,  a  school 
teacher;  Milton,  of  Lakefield;  Elbe,  farmer 
and  well  digger  of  Dakota;  Sarah,  who  resides 
at   home. 

Tlie  first  four  years  of  the  life  of  Bert  Kep- 
hart  were  spent  in  Dubuque  county,  Iowa, 
and  the  next  eleven  years  in  Clayton  county 
of  the  same  state.  In  1880  he  moved  to  Dick- 
inson county,  Iowa,  and  in  the  spring  of  1890 
he  came  to  Jackson  county  to  reside.  He  en- 
gaged in  the  well  digging  business,  which  he 
has  followed  for  eighteen  years.  He  has  been 
engaged  in  farming  the  last  six  years.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 

Mr.  Kepliart  was  married  May  8,  1887,  to 
Lucy  Willford,  of  Spirit  Lake.  To  them  have 
been  born  the  following  named  three  children: 
Guy.  born  February  5,  1888;  Ollie,  born  .July 
18,   IsnO:    Helen,  liorn  June  IT,   1890. 


ISIAH  L.  SMALLEY  (1901)  resides  in  Heron 
Lake  township,  just  west  of  Lakefield,  where 
he  owns  and  farms  286  acres  of  land.  He  is 
one  of  the  township's  successful  farmers  and 
has  not  had  a  crop  failure  since  he  located 
in  the  county.  He  is  a  native  of  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  boi-n  August 
21,  1849.  His  father,  Nathaniel  Smalley,  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1812  and  died  March  13,  1902. 
His  mother,  Rachael  (Smith)  Smalley,  was  a 
native    of    Pennsylvania. 

His  mother  having  died  when  he  was  a 
baby,  our  subject  made  his  home  with  his 
father  until  he  was  twenty -five  years  of  age. 
At  the  age  of  six  years  he  w-ent  to  Putnam 
county,  Illinois,  and  three  years  later  to  La- 
Salle  county,  where  he  grew  to  manhood.  He 
worked  for  his  father  until  twenty-five  years 
of  age;  then  he  began  farming  for  himself, 
buying  land  adjoining  his  father's  farm.  He 
sold  out  his  interests  in  Illinois,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1882  located  in  Osceola  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  and  his  father  bought  580  acres  of 


land.  They  farmed  this  land  in  partnership 
five  years  and  then  divided  the  estate.  Mr. 
Smalley  continued  his  farming  operations  in 
that  county  until  1901.  In  the  yejir  last 
named  he  became  a  resident  of  Jackson  county, 
locating  in  Lakefield,  wliere  he  bought  property 
and  resided  three  years.  In  1904  he  bought  his 
present  farm  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
its    cultivation. 

Mr.  Smalley  was  married  in  Osceola  county, 
Iowa,  in  1883,  to  Emma  J,  Woolstrom.  Siie 
died  in  1888,  after  having  borne  him  one  child, 
Clarence  E.,  born  May  11,  1887.  Mr.  Smalley  s 
second  marriage  occurred  in  Osceola)  county 
in  May,  1889,  when  he  wedded  Jlinnie  E.  Can- 
tonwine,  who  was  born  in  Benton  county,  Iowa, 
January  19,  1873.  To  them  have  been  born  the 
following  named  children:  Oliver  C,  born 
February  6,  1891;  ZoeUa  E.,  born  January  7, 
1893;  Darrel  M.,  born  March  30,  1898;  Fleda 
M.,  born  July  11,  1904;  Uanda  I.,  born  April, 
1909. 


JOSEPH  EDEL  (1889),  a  retired  farmer  liv- 
ing in  Belmont  township,  was  born  in  Bo- 
hemia in  1841.  He  resided  with  his  parents 
in  the  old  country  until  twelve  years  of  age, 
and  then  began  working  out  as  a  farm  hand, 
later  engaging  in  the  livery  business.  He  came 
to  America  in  1876  and  located  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  where  for  many  years  he  worked  in  fac- 
tories. He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1889 
and  bought  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
23,  Belmont  township,  where  he  has  ever  since 
resided.  In  recent  years  ilr.  Edel  turned  over 
the  management  of  his  farm  to  his  sons  and 
now   lives    a    retired   life. 

Mr  Edel  was  married  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to 
Catherine  Peterlek,  a  native  of  Bohemia.  Seven 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  of  whom  the 
following  five  are  living:  Joseph,  Thomas, 
Edwin,  Alba  and  Rosa.  Two  children,  named 
James  and  Alba,  are  dead.  The  two  daughters 
are  married:  Alba  to  Joseph  Hayek,  of 
Mountain  Lake,  Minnesota;  Rosa  to  Burriel 
Hruby,  of  Thief  River  Falls-,  Minnesota.  The 
family   are   Catholics. 


FRANK  SKALSKY  (1898)  owns  and  farms 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  3,  Petersbing 
township.  His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Nora 
(Skalsky)  Skalsky  and  he  was  born  in  Bo- 
hemia August  4,  1853. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


Our  subject  liad  but  few  lulvaiiliiges  in  an 
educational  way.  At  tlie  age  of  fifteen  years 
he  started  working  as  a  glass  blower  and  he 
followed  that  occupation  fifteen  years.  At  the 
age  of  thirty  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
Sjtates  and  for  tlic  next  liltcen  years  engaged 
in  farming  near  Karlliani,  Iowa.  He  moved  to 
Jackson  county  in  August,  1898,  bought  his 
farm  in  Petersburg  township,  and  that  has 
since  been  his  home.  He  owns  stock  in  the 
Farmers'  Cooi>crative  Elevator  company  of 
Alpha. 

Mr.  Skalsky  was  married  in  April,  1883,  to 
Julia  Krost.  To  tliese  parents  have  been  born 
the  following  named  children:  Joseph,  born 
June  l(i,  1884;  Frank,  born  August  28,  18S'J; 
Tony,  born   September  5,   1890. 


JENS  JENSEN  (1904)  is  the  proprietor  of  a 
Jackson  blacksmith  shop.  He  is  a  native  of 
Denmark  and  was  born  October  7,  1881.  He  is 
the  eldest  of  a  family  of  four  children,  all  but 
himself  living  in  the  old  country.  His  father, 
Nels  Jensen,  died  ten  years  ago;  his  mother, 
Hannah   (Erickson)  Jensen,  lives  in  Denmark. 

Jens  lived  with  his  parents  in  Denmark  un- 
til 1904.  Tlicre  he  received  liis  education  and 
there  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  He 
came  to  America  in  1904,  worked  a  short  time 
in  Canada  and  a  short  time  in  Chicago,  and 
the  same  year  arrived  in  Jackson  county.  He 
worked  in  the  manufacturing  plant  of  Ludvig- 
sen  Brothers,  Jackson,  until  October,  1908. 
Then  he  bought  the  W.  T.  Muir  blacksmith 
shop  and  has  since  been  in  business  for  him- 
self. He  does  general  blacksmithing,  horse- 
shoeing, repairing  and  boiler  work. 

Mr.  Jensen  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church  and  of  the  Danish  Brotherliood  lodge. 


HENRY  PAULSON,  Kimball  township 
farmer,  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  Jackson 
county.  He  was  born  in  Kimball  township,  the 
son  of  John  and  Betsy  Paulson.  These  parents 
were  born  in  Norway,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1807,  and  homesteaded  on  section  30, 
Kinibnil  township,  in  1871.  Mr.  Paulson  still 
lives  on  the  homestead;  his  wife  died  in  1805. 
There  are  three  sons  in  the  family,  Fred,  Henry 
and  John. 

Henry  scoured  a  district  school  education 
and  lived  on  the  home  place  until  he  was  of 
age.     Then  he  located  upon  his  present  farm. 


the  SDUthwest  quarter  of  section  30,  and  that 
has  ever  since  been  his  home.  He  is  a  member 
of  the   Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  I'.iulson  was  married  November  7,  I'JUl, 
in  Kimball  township,  to  Ida  Bergc,  a  native 
of  Jackson  county  and  a  daughter  of  Die 
Berge,  deceased.  To  them  have  been  born  four 
children,  as  follows:  Oscar,  Mamie,  Bertha, 
I'erry. 


JOHN  TUSA  (1884)  is  a  farmer  of  Wiscon- 
sin township  residing  just  south  of  the  village 
of  Alpha.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
August  31,  1S7(),  the  son  of  John  and  Maria 
(Frantna)  Tusa.  He  came  to  Jackson  with 
his  parents  in  July,  1884,  and  resided  at  home 
until  1892,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age. 
He  then  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  work- 
ing the  first  six  years  for  W.  W.  Tuttle.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming  one  year,  and  in 
1899  bought  a  well  digging  outfit,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  the  well  drilling  occupation  for  seven 
years.     In   1906  he  began  farming  again. 

Mr.  Tusa  was  married  February  22,  1908, 
to  Josie  Ambrose,  to  whom  have  been  born 
two  children,  as  follows:  Alfred,  born  July 
14,  1907;  Mary,  born  September  18,  1908.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  chunh  of 
.luokson  and  he  belongs  to  the  Modern  Wood- 
men lodge. 


CHARLES  GEISSEL  (I90.t)  is  one  of  the 
successful  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Mid- 
dletown  township.  He  owns  and  farms  the 
north  half  of  section  28.  In  addition  to  his 
general  farming  he  makes  a  specialty  of 
breeding  Shropshire  sheep  and  Duroc-Jersey 
hogs.  Another  specialty  is  the  raising  of  pop 
corn,  which  he  finds  to  be  a  very  profitable 
crop.  Each  year  he  raises  about  eighty  acres 
of    that   cereal. 

Mr.  Geissel  was  born  in  Benton  county,  Iowa, 
November  22.  1860,  the  eldest  of  a  family  of 
two  sons  born  to  Fred  and  Catherine  (Quit- 
zow)  (ieissel.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he 
moved  with  the  family  to  Sac  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Snc 
county  and  in  the  state  agricultural  college  at 
Ames,  where  he  was  a  st\idcnt  four  years.  Un- 
til he  roiiched  his  majority  Mr.  Geissel  re- 
sided with  liis  parents.  Then  he  took  the  man- 
iigcment  of  the  Cook  ranch  in  Sac  county,  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


573 


of  the  largest  individual  farms  in  the  state 
of  Iowa  and  comprising  an  area  of  twelve  sec- 
tions. Tliat  his  management  was  satisfactory 
is  attested  bj'  the  fact  tliat  he  remained  in 
cliarge  eighteen  years.  He  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  1905  and  located  upon  his  present 
farm,  which  he  had  bought  in  1900. 

Since  coming  to  Jackson  county  Mr.  Geissel 
has  interested  himself  in  several  enterprises. 
He  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Middletown  Farmers  Telephone 
company  and  is  secretary  of  the  company. 
Largely  throngli  his  interest  in  the  matter  the 
county  ditch,  intending  to  drain  15,000  acres 
of  land  is  being  constructed,  bonds  to  the 
amount  of  $68,000  having  been  sold  for  the 
purpose.  He  is  a  director  of  school  district  No. 
00  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  and  Odd 
Fellows  lodges. 

Mr,  Geissel  was  married  in  Sac  county,  Iowa, 
January  15,  1888,  to  Emma  Griesse,  a  native  of 
Benton  county,  Iowa.  Five  children  have  been 
born  to  this  union,  named  as  follows:  Cather- 
ine, Elenora,  Minnie,  Elmer  and  Herbert. 


PETER  KLEIN  (1903)  is  a  farmer  and 
stopkraiser  of  Christiania  township.  He  was 
born  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  July 
27,  18G0,  the  son  of  Peter  and  Isabella  (Heald) 
Klein.  The  former  was  a  truck  gardener  by 
trade  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States  from 
France  in  the  forties,  having  ever  since  tliat 
time  made  his  home  in  Brooklyn. 

Peter  grew  to  manhood  in  one  of  the  sub- 
urbs of  Brooklyn.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  in  Winsburg  business  col- 
lege, and  after  growing  up  engaged  in  the 
truck  gardening  business.  He  made  his  home 
in  his  native  city  for  nearly  forty  years,  and 
then  in  1809  came  west  and  located  in  Grundy 
county,  Iowa.  Four  years  later,  in  March,  1903, 
he  came  to  Jackson  county  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming  on  section  21,  Christiania 
township.  Mr.  Klein  engages  extensively  in 
stock  raising  and  makes  a  specialty  of  red 
polled  cattle,  which  he  has  been  raising  for 
the  last  three  years.  The  head  of  his  herd 
received  three  first  premiums  at  the  Minnesota 
state   fair. 

The  subject  of  tliis  biography  was  married 
March  31,  1881,  to  Mary  Kumarde,  and  to  this 
union  have  been  born  the  following  named  chil- 
dren: Peter  H.,  born  August  13,  1882;  Charles, 
born   June    1,    1884;   Lizzie,  born   February   1, 


1886;  John,  born  February  17,  1888;  Christ, 
born  May  25,  1890;  Joseph,  born  January  22, 
1802;  Minnie,  born  February  10,  1894.  Mr. 
Klein  served  three  years  as  deputy  sheriff.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge. 


FRANK  H.  BROWN  (1896),  of  Jackson, 
was  born  in  Brown  county,  Wisconsin,  Decem- 
ber 21,  1873,  the  son  of  W.  X.  and  Jlepa  (Hay- 
den)  Brown,  natives  of  Maine  and  New  Hamp- 
shire,  respectively. 

Until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age  Frank 
lived  with  his  parents  on  the  farm  in  Brown 
county,  Wisconsin,  and  then  he  accompanied 
them  to  Dickinson  county,  near  Spirit  Lake, 
Iowa.  He  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  tn-enty  years  of  age.  Then  he 
married  and  engaged  in  farming  on  rented 
land  for  himself  three  years.  He  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1896  and  during  the  next 
five  years  engaged  in  farming  in  Middletown 
township.  Giving  up  farming  in  1901,  he  moved 
to  Jackson  and  for  several  years  was  engaged 
in  various  occupations.  In  1907  he  engaged 
in  the  livery  business  in  Jackson  in  partner- 
ship with  Scott  Huestis,  having  bought  out 
Robert  Henderson,  and  conducted  the  barn 
until  the   spring  of   1909. 

Mr.  Brown  was  married  in  Jackson  county 
March  22,  1893,  to  Edith  Gruhlke,  a  native 
of  Waseca,  Minnesota,  and  a  daughter  of  Ed- 
ward Gruhlke,  deceased.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown  liave  been  born  the  following  children: 
Harry  L.,  Vera  M.,  Iva  G.  and  Earl.  Mr. 
Brown  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  lodge. 


AUGUST  LARSON  (1902),  a  farmer  of  Dela- 
field  township,  was  born  in  Sundsvall,  Sweden, 
October  12,  1877,  the  son  of  Lars  Erick  Erick- 
son  and  Ingeborg  (Nelson)  Erickson.  His 
father  still  lives  in  Sweden;  his  mother  died 
in  Sweden  in  1893. 

August  lived  in  his  native  land  until  1902. 
He  received  a  public  school  education  and  was 
raised  on  the  farm.  After  becoming  old 
enough  to  work  he  spent  the  summer  months 
working  on  the  farm  for  his  father  and  the 
winter  months  working  in  the  woods.  He  ar- 
rived in  Windom,  Minnesota,  direct  from 
Sweden  on  May  31,  1902,  and  since  that  time 
has  been  a  resident  of  Jackson  county.  For 
three  years  he  worked  for  his  brother  Oscar  on 
the  farm  south  of  Wilder.  Then  he  rented  Mrs. 


574 


BIOGRAPJIICAL  HISTORY. 


IVtcr  J.  Johnson's  farm  in  Dchifield,  farmed  it 
tlircc  years,  anj  in  the  spring  of  1908  rented 
Ilia  present  farm,  the  sonUiw  est  quarter  of  nee- 
tion  2Cj  Delulicld.  lie  owns  a  1(50  acre  farm  in 
Saskatchewan,  Canada,  wliich  he  bought  in 
11)04.  .Mr.  Larson  hu.s  been  III  much  of  the 
time  in  recent  years— to  such  an  extent  that 
he  was  unable  to  work  at  times.  A  serious 
operation  was  performed  in  the  winter  of 
l'.K)S-09. 

.Mr.  Larson  was  married  in  Jackson  April  17, 
1905,  to  Emma  Johnson,  who  was  born  in 
Uelafield  townsliip  Jfarch  20,  1874.  She  is  the 
daugliter  of  Peter  J.  and  Majlen  Jolmson.  Two 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lar- 
son, namely:  Agnes  Alida,  born  October  2, 
190.'>;  .MaMii  'Ihcollld.  Imru  September  11, 
1908. 


WILLIAM  ALLKX  (1908)  is  an  Eirtcrpriso 
township  farmer  who  farms  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  14.  He  was  born  at  Morris,  Ill- 
inois, March  17,  1807,  tlie  son  of  Dewitt  and 
Dorothy  (Talbott)  Allen,  On  his  father's  side 
Mr.  Allen  descends  from  an  old  New  York 
state  family.  His  mother  came  from  England 
when  a  small  girl.  She  died  September  19, 
1880. 

When  William  was  two  years  old  the  family 
moved  to  the  city  of  Joliet,  and  tliat  was  the 
home  of  our  subject  for  twenty-six  years. 
There  lie  received  a  common  school  education 
and  after  growing  up  worked  at  various  oc- 
cupations. For  six  years  he  worked  in  a  wire 
mill  as  a  wire  drawer,  and  during  the  last 
nine  years  of  his  residence  there  was  a  street 
car  motorman.  In  1905  lie  moved  to  Martin 
county,  Minnesota,  and  for  three  years  reside(r 
in  the  adjoining  county.  He  moved  to  Jack- 
son county  February  12,  1908,  and  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming  in  Enterprise  town- 
ship. He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge 
No.  CIS.}  at  Alpha. 

Mr.  Allen  was  married  in  1895  to  Miss 
Sophie  Meyer,  who  was  born  November  14, 
1872.  To  them  have  been  born  the  following 
named  children:  Iiia.  born  October  15,  1895, 
(lied  I)ecenilier4, 190:t;  Luverne.  born  August  27, 
1897:  HiTtha.  born  August  19.  1899,  die<l  X.i- 
veuiher  28,  Um-.  Floyd,  born  August  10,  1901; 
KIsle,  born  August  20,  1903;  Alva,  born  Octo- 
ber 12,  19115;  Florence,  born  .September  10, 
19ns. 


OTIK  VAGT  (1902),  of  MIddletown  town- 
ship, i~  one  of  the  county's  successful  farmers 
and  big  stock  feeders  and  shippers.  He  owns 
all  of  section  9  and  with  his  sons  farms  it  all. 
He  feeds  hogs  and  cattle  extensively  and  each 
year  ships  three  car  loads. 

Mr.  V'agt  was  born  in  Germany  June  25, 
1854,  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  following  four  are  living: 
Mary  (Mrs.  Herman  Lippold),  of  Memphis, 
Tennessee;  Louisiv  (Mrs.  Uartwig  Uuene),  of 
Germany;  Dora  (Mrs.  Christ  Carlson),  of 
(lerniany,  and  Otto.  The  parents  of  our  sub- 
ject were  Nicholas  and  Anna   (llinak)   Vagt. 

Otto  lived  in  liermaiiy  until  nineteen  years 
of  age,  attending  school  and  working  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1873  and  located  at  Davenport  Iowa.  He 
worked  in  a  butcher  shop  in  the  city  one  year 
and  on  a  farm  nearby  two  years;  then  he 
rented  land  in  the  vicinity  and  engaged  in 
farming  eight  or  nine  years.  His  next  location 
was  I'ipestone  county,  Minnesota,  where  he 
bought  a  half  section  farm  and  engaged  in 
agricultiiial  pursuits  until  he  came  to  Jack- 
son>  county  in  1902.  He  bought  his  040  acre 
farm  of  C.  H.  Puckett. 

Mr.  V'agt  was  married  at  Keinbeck,  Grundy 
county,  Iowa,  November  3,  1883,  to  Mary 
Hrix,  also  a  native  of  Germany.  They  have 
nine  children,  named  as  follows:  John,  born 
August  10,  1884;  August,  born  October  19, 
1.S85;  Herman,  born  January  20,  1887;  Hugo, 
born  June  8,  1888;  Emma,  born  January  2, 
1S90:  Anna,  born  August  20,  1893;  Louisa, 
born  September  11,  1894;  Frank,  born  October 
23,   1897;    George,  born  January   21,   1901. 

Mr.  Vagt  is  a  member  of  the  German  Luth- 
eran ihuieh  and  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 


I.AIIS  IIKLVIG  (1904),  Christiania  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  in  Norway  October  10, 
1803,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Larson)  llel- 
vig.  Both  parents  are  living  and  will  soon 
celebrate  their  golden  weading;  the  father  is 
72  years  of  age,  the  mother  73. 

Lars'  father  followed  the  sea  in  the  early 
(lays,  and  when  our  subject  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  became  a  sailor,  at  which  he  was 
employed  five  years.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
tame  to  America  and  located  in  Story  county, 
Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  twenty 
years.  In  the  spring  of  1904  he  moved  to 
Jackson  county  and  began  farming  the  south- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


575 


west  quarter  of  section  4,  Christiania,  and 
tliat  lias  since  been  his  liome.  In  addition  to 
liis  general  farming  Mr.  Helvig  raises  blooded 
stock  and  lias  a  fine  herd  of  Chester  White 
hogs. 

Mr.  Helvig  was  married  September  22,  1892, 
to  Carrie  Sampson.  As  a  result  of  this  union 
there  liave  been  born  the  following  named  chil- 
dren: Oscar  C,  born  July  28.  189.3;  May, 
born  October  30,  189.5;  Louis,  born  .July  19, 
1898;  Allie,  born  February  3,  1903;  Arthur, 
born  February  6,  1906;  Euth,  born  February  2, 
1909.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Luther- 
an church. 

THOMAS  J.  CONNER  (1905),  of  Jackson, 
is  a  native  of  Clayton  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
was  born  April  30,  1858,  the  son  of  Thomas  and 
ilarie  (Taylor)  Conner.  In  1804,  when  six 
years  of  age,  he  moved  with  the  family  to 
Delaware  county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  the 
next  sixteen  years  of  his  life.  He  was  educat- 
ed in  the  town  of  Manchester  and  was  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  of  that  town  in  1877. 

In  1879  Mr.  Conner  stnrtert  learning  the  bar- 
ber trade  in  Manchester  and  two  years  later 
moved  to  Osage,  Iowa,  where  he  conducted  a 
shop  eight  years.  He  then  disposed  of  his 
business  and  in  1889  moved  to  Lj^le,  Minnesota, 
where  for  six  years  he  conducted  a  saloon. 
The  next  four  years  were  spent  in  Austin.  He 
spent  six  months  of  the  year  1899  in  Dead- 
wood,  South  Dakota,  and  again  took  up  his 
abode  in  Au?tin.  A  short  time  later  he  moved 
to  Sheldon,  Iowa,  and  in  that  town  and  in 
Sanborn  he  lived  three  years.  He  lived  in  St. 
James  one  year,  and  on  the  first  day  of  July, 
1905,  moved  to  Jackson  and  engaged  in  the 
saloon  business. 

Mr.  Conner  was  married  July  8,  1881.  to 
Miss  Margaret  Coonfair  and  to  them  have 
•been  born  the  following  children:  Verda,  born 
September  10,  1886;  Ruthford,  born  September 
10.  1890.  died  at  the  age  of  seventeen  months; 
Vera,  born  December  30,  1904. 

OLE  M.  NORDBERG  (1891)  farms  a  half 
section  of  land  in  Belmont  township  and  lives 
on  section  24.  He  was  born  in  Norway  Novem- 
ber 20.  1865.  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  three 
children  born  to  Sefanias  and  Bertha  (Otteson) 
Nordberg.  The  other  children  of  the  family 
are  Anna  Nelson,  who  lives  in  Norway,  and 
Nels   T.  Nordberg,  of  Minneapolis. 


Our  subject  was  tlirown  on  his  own  resources 
when  eight  or  nine  years  of  age.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  began  working  at  the  black- 
smith trade  and  followed  that  trade  during 
the  remainder  of  his  residence  in  the  old  coun- 
try. In  1891,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  he 
came  to  America  and  to  the  village  of  Jack- 
son. There  he  established  a  blacksmith  shop, 
which  he  conducted  thirteen  years.  During 
the  next  four  years  he  conducted  a  shop  in 
Christiania  township,  and  then,  in  1908,  be- 
cause of  failing  health,  he  sold  out  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  renting  a  half  section  in  Bel- 
mont for  a  period  of  five  years. 

Mr.  Nordberg  was  married  in  Norway  Janu- 
ary 31,  1890,  to  Mary  Nelson,  daughter  of  the 
late  Nels  Bordson.  To  them  have  been  born 
two  children,  John  C.  and  Beiinie  M.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Norwegian  Luther- 
an  church. 


HENRY  struck;  (1897)  is  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful and  prosperous  farmers  of  Kimball 
township.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany  and  was 
born  December  28,  1870,  the  son  of  Christ 
and  Katie  Struck.  His  parents  emigrated  to 
America  in  1894  and  lived  in  Martin  county, 
Minnesota,  until  their  death.  The  father  died 
December  24,  1908.  aged  79  years;  the  mother 
died  June  19,  1902.  aged  66  j'ears.  There  were 
four  children  in  the  family.  Henry  being  the 
tliird   in  point  of  age. 

In  his  native  country  Henry  Struck  lived 
with  his  pai-ents  until  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  working  at  various  occupations  and  serv- 
ing two  years  in  the  German  army  during 
the  early  nineties.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1892  and  for  five  years  lived  in  Mar- 
tin county,  during  part  of  which  time  he 
farmed  rented  land.  He  rented  a  farm  in  En- 
terprise township,  .Jackson  county,  in  1897, 
and  farmed  it  four  years.  He  then  moved 
onto  his  present  place,  the  southwest  quarter 
of  section  25,  Kimball,  which  he  bought  at  the 
time  and  where  he  has  ever  since  lived.  There 
was  not  a  building,  fence  or  tree  on  the  place 
when  Mr.  Struck  bought  the  farm,  and  the 
present  fine  improvements  are  all  the  result 
of  his  work.  He  now  lives  in  a  fine  home, 
erected  at  a  cost  of  .$3,000.  and  the  barns  and 
other  buildings  are  in  keeping  with  the  house. 
Mr.  Struck  was  married  in  Cedar  township, 
Martin  county,  Minnesota,  September  10,  1895, 
to    Ursula    Eussenberger,    who    was    born    in 


576 


BIOGRAIMIICAL  HISTORY. 


Switzerland  February  11,  1870.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Hans  and  Magdalena  Russenbcr- 
ger,  who  came  to  tlin  United  .Slates  in  1891. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Struck  liave  no  children.  During 
tlic  winter  of  190809  tlicy  made  a  trip  to 
France,  Germany,  Switzerland  and  England. 
They  are  nieniliers  of  the  German  Lutheran 
church  of  Kimball  township. 


PETER  JACOBSEN  (1893)  owns  a  half  sec- 
tion of  Belmont  town^ihip  land  on  ?icctions  12 
and  13.  He  is  a  native  of  Denmark  and  was 
born  Xovembcr  22,  1863,  the  son  of  Christ  and 
Inger  (Hansen)  Jacobsen.  Peter  received  liis 
early  training  in  his  native  land,  working  out 
by  the  year  on  farms  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age.  lie  came  to  the  United  States  in 
ISSO.  and  for  twelve  years  resided  in  the  city 
of  Chicago.  Eight  years  of  this  time  he  wag 
employed  in  a  brick  yard:  during  the  rest  of 
the  time  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a  grocery 
store. 

Mr.  Jacobsen  sold  out  ids  business  interests 
in  Chicago  and  came  to  Jackson  county  in 
1803.  Upon  his  arrival  he  bought  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  12,  Belmont  township, 
and  began  farming,  which  has  been  his  occu- 
pation ever  since.  He  made  all  the  improve- 
ments on  his  farm,  and  has  added  to  his  real 
estate  holdings  by  the  purchase  of  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  13.  Tn  addition  to 
farming  this  land  he  rents  a  forty  acre  tract. 
Mr.  Jacobsen  is  a  director  of  school  district 
No.  30.  He  belongs  to  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  and  to  the  Danish  Brotherhood  lodge. 
On  the  sixth  day  of  June,  ISS.").  in  the  city 
of  Oiicago,  Afr.  Jacobsen  was  married  to  Mary 
Peterson,  a  native  of  Denmark.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
.Tacobscn  have  been  blessed  with  offspring,  hav- 
ing thirteen  children,  all  living.  They  are 
Inger,  Mamie,  John,  Augusta,  Jennie,  Tillie, 
Christ.  Peter.  Mabel,  Myrtle.  Walter,  Mary 
and  Arthur. 


HERMAN  Sm'DATH.  (1002).  a  farmer  of 
Christiania  township,  was  born  in  Winneshiek 
county,  Iowa,  February  12,  1882.  the  son  of 
Hans  and  Rachel  (Lunbo)  Shudahl.  His  father 
was  a  stone  mason  and  marble  cutter  and 
was  born  in  Iowa.  He  died  in  1884.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother  was  born  in  Norway  and  came 
to  .America  in  the  seventies. 

Herman  receive,!  n  common  school  education 


and  made  his  home  with  his  parents  in  bis 
native  county  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of 
age.  He  spent  two  years  in  Houston  county, 
Minnesota,  two  years  in  Fillmore  county, 
and  in  March,  1902,  came  to  Jackson  county, 
lie  farmed  si.\  years  on  section  27,  Christiania 
township,  and  in  1908  moved  to  his  present  lo- 
cation  on    section   22. 

Mr.  Shudahl  was  married  December  24,  1903, 
to  Miss  Nellie  Olson,  a  daughter  of  Ryar  and 
Gertie  Olson,  of  Christiania  township.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shu- 
dahl, namely:  Horace  K.,  born  March  12,  1905; 
Gordon,  born  September  23,  190C;  Harry,  born 
February  18.  1908.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Norwegian  Lutheran  church. 


Wri.I.IAM  E.  C.\RR  (1891),  proprietor  of 
the  Ucst  hotel  of  Jackson,  was  born  in  Lewis 
county.  New  York,  April  2,  1855,  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Cli.stie  (Walker)  Carr. 

When  he  was  young  William  Carr  moved 
from  his  New  York  state  home  to  LaSalle 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  with  an  uncle 
and  where  he  was  engaged  in  tiling  until  1881. 
That  year  he  moved  to  Greene  county,  Iowa, 
and  for  the  ne.xt  ten  years  was  engaged  in  the 
dray  business.  He  moved  to  Jackson  in  1891 
and  for  two  years  ran  a  dray  line  in  that  vil- 
lage. Selling  out,  he  moved  onto  a  farm  in 
Wisconsin  townsliip,  and  conducted  it  four 
years.  Ho  then  located  in  the  new  village  of 
Alpha,  eng.-iged  in  the  dray  business  there  five 
years  and  in  the  hotel  business  three  years.  He 
again  took  up  liis  residence  in  Jackson  in  May, 
190",  rented  tlie  West  hotel,  and  has  since  been 
its    landlord. 

Mr.  Carr  was  married  in  .lackson  January 
29,  1893.  to  Mrs.  Chloc  S.  Vanduzee.  who  was 
born  in  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin.  .January  9, 
1S70.  To  them  have  been  born  two  children, 
Nellie  and  Ralph.  By  a  former  marriage  Mr. 
Carr  has  one  daughter,  Flossie,  now  Mrs.  J.  J. 
Kloehnk. 

While  residing  in  Wisconsin  townsliip  .Mr. 
Carr  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  of 
district  No.  104,  and  while  living  in  Alpha 
served  two  terms  as  a  member  of  the  village 
council.  He  is  a  niembr  of  the  M.  W.  A.  and 
M.  B.  A.  lodges. 


ALBERT    F.    TRAMM     (1906),    of    Peters- 
burp  township,  is  a  native  of  Will  county,  H- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


577 


linois,  and  was  born  January  21,  1874,  the  son 
of  John  and  Louis  (Triibach)  Tramm.  Until 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  lie  lived  on  the 
liome  farm  with  his  follcs  in  Illinois,  and  then 
went  to  Lake  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
worked  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Joe  Hayden  for 
one  year.  In  the  year  1893  he  worked  in  Will 
county  as  a  carpenter  for  Mr.  E.  Koch.  After 
that  he  worked  at  different  places  in  Lake 
county,  Indiana,  and  Will  county,  Illinois, 
for  six  years. 

On  the  14th  day  of  November,  1899,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  ilinnie  Berg,  of  Lowell, 
Indiana.  Four  children  have  been  born  to 
this  union,  as  follows:  Jennie  G.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1901;  EInora,  born  May  7,  1903; 
Lizzie  B..  born  September  16,  1905.  died  .June 
9,  1907;   Minnie  M.,  born  September  30,   1907. 

Jlr.  Tramm  belongs  to  the  E.  F.  U.  lodge. 
At  this  writing  he  has  served  two  years  as 
school  director  in  his  district. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Tramm 
moved  onto  his  old  homestead  and  farmed  it 
for  a  terra  of  six  years.  On  the  first  day  of 
March,  1906,  Mr.  Tramm  arrived  in  Jackson 
county,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Petersburg  township. 


CONEAD  HUSSONG  (1900)  is  one  of  the 
prosperous  and  successful  farmers  of  Alba 
township.  He  owns  240  acres  of  choice  farm- 
ing land  and  rents  an  additional  eighty.  His 
place  is  well  improved  with  fine  buildings  and 
other  improvements  and  he  is  putting  in  a 
complete  system  of  tiling  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Hussong  is  of  German  birth  and  was 
born  August  25,  1870.  He  came  to  America 
with  whis  father  when  nine  years  of  age, 
lived  seven  years  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois, 
and  then  located  in  Iroquois  county  of  the 
same  state,  where  he  resided  until  coming  to 
Jackson  county  in  1900.  He  received  his  pri- 
mary education  in  his  native  country  and  after 
coming  to  America  completed  his  schooling 
in  the  English  schools.  Until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  Mr.  Hussong  resided  with  his 
father.  Then  he  married  and  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  own  account.  Upon  his  ar- 
rival to  Jackson  county  Mr.  Hussong  bought 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  23,  Alba,  then 
bare  of  improvements,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ins.  Tn  1907  he  added  to  the  dimensions  of 
his  farm  by  buying  the  west  half  of  the  south- 


west quarter  of  section  24,  known  as  the 
Freer  homestead. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Louis  and 
Louisa  (Golzer)  Hussong,  of  whom  the  lat- 
ter died  in  Germany  in  1879.  Mr.  Hussong 
later  married  Margaret  Weber  and  they  came 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Illinois. 
Jlr.  Hussong  died  there  in  1900,  aged  58  years. 

Conrad  Hussong  was  married  in  Iroquois 
county,  Illinois.  February  17,  1892,  to  Martha 
J.  Krowas,  who  was  born  in  LaSalle  county, 
Illinois,  December  24,  1873,  the  daughter  of 
Carl  Krowas.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hussong  have 
been  bom  the  following  children:  Charles  L., 
born  March  4,  1894;  Edward  0.,  born  January 
10,  1897:  Louis  H.,  born  October  18,  1901;  Ray- 
mond W.,  born  May  16,  1904:  Minnie  A.,  born 
April  7,  1907;  Hilda  M.,  born  February  24, 
1909. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hussong  are  members  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church  and  he  belongs  to 
the  M.  W.  A.  lodge.  For  six  years  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  district 
No.  85,  and  for  two  vears  was  road  overseer. 


.JOSEPH  J.  CHALUPXnC  (1904)  is  a  Hunter 
township  farmer  who  owns  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  26.  He  is  a  native  of 
Marshall  county,  Iowa,  and  was  born  October 
15,  1868.  His  parents,  Anton  and  Antonia 
(Salesek)  Chalupnik,  were  born  in  Austria, 
came  to  America  in  the  early  sixties  and  set- 
tled in  Marshall  county,  Iowa,  where  they 
were  married.  They  moved  to  Tama  county, 
Iowa,  in  1873,  bought  land  there  and  now 
reside  in  Traer,  Tama  county.  Joseph  is  the 
oldest  of  a  family  of  eight  children  born  to 
these    parents. 

Joseph  accompanied  the  family  to  Tama 
county,  Iowa,  when  five  years  of  age,  and 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  there.  Until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  old  he  lived  with 
his  parents;  then  he  rented  land  and  engaged 
in  farming  on  his  own  account.  Mr.  Chalup- 
nik came  to  Jackson  county  in  January,  1904, 
and  located  upon  his  present  farm,  which  he 
had  purchased  in   1902. 

In  Tama  county,  Iowa,  October  10.  1893,  Mr. 
Chalupnik  was  married  to  Anna  Uridel,  who 
was  born  in  Tama  county,  Iowa,  November 
27,  1876.  To  these  parents  have  been  bom 
the  following  named  children:  Adolph,  born 
August  21,  1894;  Olga,  born  December  31,  1895; 
Lottie,  born  August  19,  1897;  Elsie,  born  Feb- 


578 


mOGRAl'illl'AL  HISTORY. 


nmry  28,  1890;  Kiiimu,  born  November  24, 
1900;  Albiiin,  born  April  3,  1902.  Mr.  Cbalup- 
iiik  is  a  niciiibcr  of  (lie  Z.  C.  B.  J.  lodge. 


FKRDINANI)  KSSEFt  (1907),  proprietor  of 
a  .saloon  at  Heron  Lake,  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, near  the  city  of  Madison,  Wisconsin, 
September  10.  1875,  the  son  of  John  and  Ag- 
nes (Fischenich)  Esser.  He  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  and  resided  in  the  vil- 
lage of  his  nativity  until  past  twenty-one 
years   of  age. 

Mr.  Esser  left  home  in  the  .spring  of  1897 
and  located  at  Adrian,  Nobles  county.  He 
tended  bar  for  his  brother  for  ten  months 
and  then  bought  a  butcher  shop,  which  he 
conducted  until  1905.  He  was  retired  from 
active  pursuits  for  a  couple  of  years,  and 
then,  in  March.  1907,  moved  to  Heron  Lake 
and  engaged  in  the  saloon  business.  Mr.  Esser 
owns  an  eighty  acre  tract  of  land  in  Summit 
Lake  township.  Nobles  county.  He  is  a  mem 
her  of  the  Catholic  church  and  of  the  Catho- 
lic  Order   of   Foresters. 

At  Adrian  on  October  22,  1901.  Jlr.  Esser 
was  married  to  Miss  Cliristine  Ulrich.  To  these 
parents  have  been  born  four  children:  Mar- 
garet, born  September  9,  1902;  Ccrtrude.  born 
September  5.  1904;  John,  born  April  21,  190(1; 
Louisa,  born  March  8,  1908.  Mrs.  Esser  died 
March  29.  1909,  aged  28  years  and  11  days. 


OSRO  C.  MAHCV  (1905)  owns  320  acres  of 
land  on  sections  13  and  12,  Christiania  town- 
ship, and  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of 
that  precinct.  He  is  a  native  of  Mitchell 
county,  Iowa,  and  was  born  June  17,  lS,")ii, 
the  .son  of  .Tames  and  ^fary  (Bert)  Marcy. 
Both  parents  were  born  in  New  York  state 
and  his  father  was  a  cabinet  maker  by  trade. 
Roth  parents  are  dead.  William  Marcy,  an 
uncle  of  our  subject's  father,  was  a  former 
governor  of  New  York  stale. 

In  1871  Osro  Marcy  moved  from  his  native 
county  to  Northwood,  Worth  county,  of  the 
same  state,  and  there  he  grew  to  manhood. 
In  1882  he  moved  to  De  Smet,  Kingsbury 
county.  South  Dakota,  but  returned  to  Iowa 
in  1894.  He  located  in  Cottonwood  county, 
Minnesota,  in  l.SOfi  and  engaged  in  farming 
there  until  March.  1905,  when  he  bouglit  liis 
present  farm  and  became  a  resident  of  Jack- 
son county.    He  makes  a  specialty  of  raising 


."Shropshire  sheep.  Mr.  Marcy  owns  stock  in 
the  Farmers  State  Bank  of  Windom  and  in  the 
Farmers  Elevator  company  of  the  same  vil- 
lage. He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  and 
A.  ().  U.  W.  lodges. 

-March  30,  1887,  Mr.  Marcy  was  married  to 
Lura  <iebler,  of  Chicago.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  named  children:  Ralph, 
born  December  17j  18,S7;  Raymond,  born  Janu- 
ary 23.  1889;  Hert  (!..  born  December  20,  1891; 
Vernon  H.,  born  January  15,  1894;  Donald  1!., 
born  December  14,  1896;  Theodore  McKinley, 
born   Mav   24,   1902. 


MAURICE  MADDEN  (1903)  is  a  Middle- 
town  tiiwnship  farmer  residing  a  few  miles 
southwest  of  .lackson.  He  is  a  native  of 
Springfield,  Sangamon  county,  Illinois,  and 
was  born  October  Id.  1.S55.  tin-  son  of  John 
and  Margaret   (Fitzgerald)   Madden. 

Maurice  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in 
his  native  county.  Until  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age  he  lived  on  the  farm  with  his 
parents;  then  lie  spent  seven  years  working 
out  as  a  farm  hand.  Locating  in  the  city  of 
Springfield,  he  was  employed  one  year  as  a 
street  car  driver  and  in  a  roller  mill.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming  for  himself,  renting 
his  father's  farm  two  years  and  another  farm 
ill  tlic  same  county  thirteen  years,  lie  speiil 
the  next  four  years  farming  in  Nebraska, 
and  in  1903  came  to  .Jackson  county.  He  has 
since  farmed  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion  3.   Middlefown   township. 

Mr.  Madden  was  married  in  BufTaln.  Illinois, 
October  18.  1888,  to  .Tohanna  Veniieinann.  a 
native  of  Spriiigfielil.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  the  follnwing  named  ten  children:  John 
L..  Catherine  M..  Florence  W.,  FraJicis  X, 
Petranilla  R.,  Frederick  T.,  Alfonso  E.,  Theresa 
M..  Ena  E,  and  Cycil  C. 


NICK  W.  WETS  (1909).  proprietor  of  a 
blacksmith  and  machine  shop  at  T^kefield,  was 
born  in  Luxemberg,  nerniany.  September  7. 
1873.  the  .?on  of  Pliilip  and  Mary  (Schmidt) 
Weis,  who  still   live  in  Germany. 

In  Oermany  Mr.  Weis  was  educated  and 
learned  the  machinist's  trade,  living  with  his 
parents  until  he  emigrated  to  .Americi  in  ISO."). 
Upon  his  arrival  to  the  new  world  he  located 
at  Omaha.  Nebraska,  where  he  worked  three 
vcars   and   two   months.     He   then   located   at 


RESIDENCE  OF  T,  J.  KNOX,  JACKSON 


RESIDENCE  OF  P.  H.  BERGE,  JACKSON 


--^-'AAftl 


*»TOFt,  LEfKJX 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


579 


Petersburtr,  Nebraska,  where  he  opened  a  ma- 
cliine  shop  of  his  own,  wliich  he  conducted 
four  years.  Selling  out  there,  he  moved  to 
Ladysmith,  Wisconsin,  where  he  bought  a  farm 
and  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  three 
years,  working  in  a  saw  mill  part  of  the  time. 
The  ne.\t  two  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in 
Ladysmith  in  charge  of  the  electric  lighting 
plant.  We  next  find  our  subject  at  Kose 
Creek,  Minnesota,  where  he  conducted  a  ma- 
chine shop  until  he  located  in  Lakefield  in 
February,  1909.  He  bought  the  James  Rost 
machine  shop  and  has  since  conducted  it.  Be- 
sides his  business  property  in  Lakefield,  Mr. 
Weis  owns  a  farm  in  the  state  of  Wiscon- 
sin. 

At  Underwood,  Iowa,  December  12,  1900,  Mr. 
Weis  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rebecca  M. 
Church,  a  native  of  Missouri  Valley,  Iowa. 
Three  children,  named  Rosa,  Charles  and  Flor- 
ence, have  been  born  to  this  union.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Catholic  church  and 
Mr.  Weis  belongs  to  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
Workmen  lodges. 


EDWIN  STREATOR  (1896)  is  a  farmer 
and  land  owner  of  Weimer  township.  He  was 
born  in  Winnebago  county,  Illinois,  July  20, 
1840,  the  son  of  Price  S.  and  .Jemima  (Sweet) 
Streator.  His  parents  were  both  natives  of 
Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  his  father  being 
descended  from  a  well  known  family  who 
came  from  France  in  colonial  times.  His  par- 
ents were  married  in  Pennsylvania  and  located 
in  Illinois  in  183.5.  his  father  dying  in  Winne- 
bago county,  of  that  state,  in  1848.  Mrs. 
Streator  later  located  in  Fillmore  county,  Min- 
nesota, where  she  died  in  1880,  aged  over 
seventy  years.  There  were  seven  children  in 
the  family,  of  whom  the  following  named  are 
living:  L.  L.  Streator,  of  Fillmore  county;  Mi-s. 
A.  M.  Kingsbury,  of  Mason  City,  Iowa;  Mrs. 
H.  M.  Graham,  of  Woonsocket,  South  Dakota, 
and  Edwin   S..  of  this  sketch. 

Edwin  came  to  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota, 
with  his  mother  in  18.54,  he  being  then  four- 
teen years  of  .age,  and  there  he  lived  until  1872. 
That  J'ear  he  came  west  and  took  a  homestead 
claim  on  section  34,  Springfield  township,  Cot- 
tonwood county,  where  he  resided  until  1896. 
He  then  located  on  his  present  farm  on  section 
4,  Weimer  township,  and  has  since  made  his 
home  there.    He  owns  240  acres  of  land.  During 


his  residence  in  Cottonwood  county  Mr.  Strea- 
tor held  various  township  offices. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  in  Fill- 
more county  .Jaiuiary  9,  ISfiO,  when  he  wedded 
Celia  E.  Eddy,  a  native  of  Ohio.  To  these 
parents  have  been  born  two  children:  Orley  E., 
of  Bowman  county.  North  Dakota,  born  October 
15.  1871;  Clara  E.,  born  November  21,  1873. 


JOHN'  H.  GURITZ  (1902)  is  a  Middletown 
township  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Washington 
township,  Will  county,  Illinois,  June  20,  1870, 
and  spent  his  early  years  in  his  native  county. 
His  parents.  Will  and  Mary  (Schaffer)  Guritz, 
were  born  in  Germany  but  came  to  America 
in  an  early  day.  The  former  worked  in  a 
mill  in  Chicago  for  a  number  of  years  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Will  county,  to  which  place 
he  moved  in  the  early  seventies.  He  died  there 
in  1905,  aged  72  years.  Our  subject's  mother 
now  lives  in  Beecher.  Illinois. 

John  Guritz  attended  the  district  schools 
of  Will  county  and  with  the  exception  of  one 
year  spent  in  Iowa,  he  resided  there,  working 
on  his  father's  farm,  until  1902.  That  year 
he  married  and  came  to  Jackson  county.  He 
rented  the  farm  upon  which  he  has  ever  since 
lived — the  southwest  quarter  of  section  25 — 
and  has  made  his  home  there  since.  He  bought 
the  property  in  the  year  1908.  Mr.  Guritz 
has  held  the  office  of  treasurer  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  23  for  the  last  seven  years. 

At  Northfield,  Illinois,  on  February  2.  1902, 
Mr.  Guritz  was  united  in  marriage  to  Martha 
Tate,  a  native  of  the  city  in  which  she  was 
married  and  a  daughter  of  Will  and  Sophia 
(Holste)  Tate.  One  child  has  been  born  to 
this  union,  Harvey,  born  January  26,  1903. 


0.  M.  TEIG  (1906),  farmer  of  Cliristiania 
township,  was  born  in  Story  county,  Iowa, 
October  1,  1886,  the  son  of  Ole  K.  and  Nellie 
(Raymond)  Teig.  The  former  emigrated  from 
Norway  in  1881,  after  having  spent  his  young- 
er days  as  a  sailor,  and  located  in  Story 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  until  he  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1006. 

0.  M.  Teig  secured  a  common  school  educa- 
tion and  grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  coun- 
ty. He  accompanied  his  parents  to  .Jackson 
county  in  the  spring  of  1906  and  resided  with 
them  on  section  15,  Christiania,  until  1908. 
In  the  last  named  year  he  engaged  in  farming 


")80 


BIOGRAl'IllCAL   llkSTOHV. 


on  liis  own  account,  liaviiig  rented  the  nortli- 
west  quurtcr  of  section  22,  on  the  bank  of 
Lower's  lake.  Mr.  Tei^  is  a  nienilicr  of  the 
Xorweginn  Lutlioran  church. 


JAMES  C.  .TOnXSOX  (18!t7).  of  Jackson, 
was  born  in  Olborug,  Denmark,  March  4,  1864, 
the  son  of  Christ  and  Marie  (Jensen)  Johnson. 
He  received  a  coninion  school  education  in  his 
native  country  and  lived  there  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age. 

Mr.  Johnson  came  to  America  in  1883  and 
located  at  Spencer,  Iowa,  where  he  lived  four- 
teen years,  being  employed  at  various  kinds 
of  labor.  He  moved  to  Lakeficld  in  1897  and 
for  two  years  was  employed  as  a  grain  buyer. 
He  then  moved  to  Jackson  and  that  village 
has  been  his  home  ever  since. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  occurred  at 
Spirit  Lake.  Iowa,  October  30,  1890,  when  he 
wedded  Miss  Minnie  Scharf.  Seven  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union  as  follows:  Leon- 
ard E.,  Orover  G.,  Frances  E.,  Ruby  R.,  Iceland 
('.,  Lyla  M.  and  Lyle  .L  The  family  are  mem- 
liors  of  the  Lutlieran  church. 


MATTHIAS  B.\UMAX  (1903)  is  a  farmer 
atid  landowner  of  Ewington  township,  owning 
the  west  half  of  the  west  half  of  section  13. 
He  was  born  in  Baden,  fJermany,  January  9, 
1847,  son  of  Leonard  and  Barbara  (Ba)iman) 
Bauman.  The  former  died  in  Champaign 
county,  Hlinois,  in  1889,  aged  64  years;  the 
latter  died  in  Germany  in  1869. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  lived  in  Ger- 
many until  he  was  past  twenty  one  years  of 
age.  He  was  raised  on  a  farm  and  educated 
in  the  village  school,  making  his  home  with  his 
jiarents  during  bis  boj'hood  days.  He  came  to 
.America,  arriving  in  New  York  June  7.  18G8, 
and  located  in  Marhsall  coimiy.  Illinois.  There 
he  worked  as  a  farm  hand  ten  months  and 
(hen  returned  to  his  old  country  lionie.  Re- 
turning to  America  again  in  March,  1S69, 
Mr.  Bauman  took  up  his  home  in  Champaign 
county,  Tllinois,  where  lie  bought  a  farm  and 
engaged    in   agricultural   pursuits   eight   years. 

The  next  home  of  our  subject  was  Iroquois 
county,  Illinois,  which  was  his  home  the  next 
twenty-seven  years.  He  owned  an  eighty  acre 
i:irni  there  but  farmed  a  half  section.  In 
the  year  1902  Mr.  Bauman  sold  out  in  Illi- 
nois and   bought  hi.s  farm  in  Ewington   town- 


ship, and  on  February  27,  1903,  moved  to  his 
new  home.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical 
church  of  Ewington  township.  He  served  us 
a  director  of  school  district  Xo.  92  for  two 
years  and  has  held  the  office  of  road  overseer. 

Mr.  Bauman  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  marriage  occurred  in  Marshall  county, 
Illinois,  January  23.  1872,  when  he  wedded 
Mary  Goetz,  who  was  born  in  Canada  and  who 
died  in  Iroquois  county  May  0,  1890.  Eight 
children  were  born  to  this  union,  as  follows: 
Caroline  (deceased),  Rosa  (deceased).  Charles 
(deceased).  .lohn.  a  Ewington  township  farm- 
er; Ben,  Edward,  school  teacher  of  Ewington; 
Annie,  school  teacher  of  Alba  township;  Aggie 
(Mrs.  Herman  Meinhard),  of  Illinois. 

The  second  marriage  of  Mr.  Bauman  oc- 
curred in  Iroquois  county  in  August.  1803.  when 
he  wedded  Maggie  Haefner,  a  native  of  Mar- 
shall count}-,  Illinois.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  the  following  named  five  children:  Leon- 
ard. Lloyd,  Wilbert.  Leona  and  Grace,  all  liv- 
ing at  home. 

Mr.  Bauman's  eldest  daughter,  Caroline,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Albert  Lenz.  was  nmrdcred 
in  cold  blood  in  Iroquois  county.  Illinois,  in 
Xovember,  1897,  by  a  man  named  Ilartman. 
who  later  paid  the  penalty  of  his  crime  by 
hanging  at  Paxton,  Hlinois. 


M.  V.  MONTEE  (1909)  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  the  northern  part  of  Christiania  town- 
ship, his  home  being  on  the  bank  of  Fi.sh  lake. 
He  is  a  native  of  EUisburg,  New  York,  and 
was  born  July  6,  1854.  He  is  of  French  de- 
scent, his  ancestors  having  come  from  France 
and  establislied  a  French  colony  on  what  ix 
now  Montce's  bay,  where  they  received  a  land 
grant.  His  father,  Abraham  Montee,  was  born 
in  Xew  York  and  died  in  So\ith  Dakota,  being 
77  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.  His 
mother.  Trulove  (Bennett)  Montee.  was  horn 
in  Vermont  and  died  in  South  Dakota  at  the 
age  of  fiS  years.  The  father  of  our  subject, 
his  grandfather  and  a  brother  were  veterans 
of  the  civil  war,  liis  father  and  brother  hav- 
ing enlisted  in  an  Iowa  regiment.  The  former 
-orved  from  1861  to  the  fall  of  1.S64:  the  lat- 
ter received  injuries  while  acting  as  a  scout 
and    was    discharged. 

Our  subject  resided  in  his  native  town  one 
year,  in  Wisconsin  four  years,  in  Xew  Boston. 
Illinois,  four  years,  in  Ionia,  Iowa,  six  years 
and    in   Adell,   Iowa,   eleven   years.     He   went 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


581 


to  South  Dakota  in  1880  and  took  a  govern- 
nient  homestead.  Tic  came  to  Jackson  county 
in  March,  1909.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
oilist  churcli  of  AVindom  and  of  the  Yeomen 
lodge. 

;Mr.  Jlontee  was  married  April  7,  1891,  to 
Nellie  Cone.  To  them  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Tracy  D.,  born  February  27, 
1892;  Jesse,  born  June  1,  1894;  Hobert,  born 
August  ,5,  1896;  Floy,  born  April  30,  1899; 
Page,  born  April  6,  1901;  Perry,  born  Janu- 
ary 18,  1903;  May,  born  November  23,  1905; 
Ethel,  born  March  5,  1907. 


FRANK  STOFFERAHN  (1907),  Sioux  Val- 
ley township  farmer,  is  a  comparative  new 
comer  to  Jackson  county.  He  was  born  in 
Carroll  county,  Iowa,  March  23,  1875,  the  son 
of  John  and  Minnie  fStade)  Stofferahn.  His 
parents  are  native  Germans,  but  came  to 
America  in  cliildliood  and  were  married  in 
Clayton  county,  Iowa.  They  resided  in  that 
county,  in  Carroll  and  Ida  counties,  Iowa,  and 
are  now  residents  of  Garrison,  North  Dakota. 
Frank  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children. 

Our  subject  resided  in  his  native  county 
only  seven  years;  then  he  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Ida  county,  Iowa,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood,  making  his  home  with  his  parents 
initil  twenty-ono  years  of  age  and  receiving 
a  district  school  education.  After  reaching  his 
majority  he  began  working  out  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three  married  and  engaged  in  farm- 
•  ing  for  himself  on  rented  land.  One  year 
after  his  marriage  Mr.  Stofferahn  moved  to 
Dickinson  county,  Iowa.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing there  ciglit  years  and  in  1907  took  up  his 
residence  in  .Tackson  county,  renting  the  east 
half, of  section  20.  Sioux  Valley  township.  Dur- 
ing tlie  season  1909  he  raised  3,000  bushels 
of  corn  and  1,600  bushels  of  small  grain. 

Mr.  Stofferahn  was  married  at  Holstcin, 
Ida  county,  Iowa,  February  19,  1898,  to  Dora 
Bauer.  She  was  born  in  Blue  Grass,  Scott 
county,  Iowa,  April  29,  1877,  and  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  Willia,m  and  Lena  (Stark)  Bauer.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs  Stof- 
ferahn. as  follows:  Ferdinand,  born  June  17, 
1900;  Henrietta, bom  Novonbcr  13,  1902;  Louie, 
born  November  7.  1904. 

Mr.  Stofferahn  is  a  director  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  72  and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  cream- 
ery company  of  Sioux  Valley.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran  church  and 


he  belongs  to  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge  of  Lake 
Park  and  the  Germania  Vcrein,  a  social  or- 
ganization of  Sioux  Valley  township.  This  or- 
ganization was  perfected  June  28,  1908,  with 
tliirty  charter  members  and  it  now  has  a 
membership  of  110.  Meetings  are  held  on 
the  second  Sundays  of  each  month  at  Reimera' 
lial!  during  the  winter  months  and  in  groves 
in   111  •   vicinity   during   the   summer. 

MARTIN  QUALL  (1907)  is  a  farmer  and 
landowner  of  Des  Moines  township,  residing  up- 
on the  old  Simon  Olson  farm  a  few  miles  up 
the  river  from  Jackson.  He  is  a  native  of 
Union  county.  South  Dakota,  where  he  was 
born  October  3,  1880.  He  is  the  son  of  Ole 
and  Mary  (Ofstad)  Quail,  who  were  horn  in 
Norway  and  came  to  America  before  their  mar- 
riage. They  resided  in  Michigan  several  years, 
and  then  located  in  South  Dakota,  where  they 
still  reside.  Martin  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight 
children,  all  living.  They  are  Annie,  Mary, 
Ella,  EliaSj  Kjiute,  Martin,  Peter  and  Ole. 

Martin  received  his  education  in  South  Da- 
kota and  resided  with  his  parents  until  he  came 
to  Jackson  county  in  1907.  At  that  time  he 
bought  the  Simon  Olson  farm  on  section  3, 
Des  Moines  township,  famous  as  the  location 
of  part  of  the  old  townsite  of  Belmont,  founded 
in  18.58.  Mr.  Quail  is  not  married,  but  makes 
his  home  with  a  family  employed  by  him  on 
the  farm.  He  is  a  mei'nber  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran   churcli. 

FRED  H.  MEYER  (1903).  Petersburg  town- 
ship farmer,  was  born  in  Martin  county,  Min- 
nesota, March  23,  1878,  the  son  of  John  and 
.Johanna  (Voges)  Meyer,  both  deceased.  Fred 
received  a  common  school  education  and  spent 
his  early  days  on  his  father's  farm.  In  1897 
he  moved  to  Fairmont  and  for  a  year  was 
employed  in  the  erection  of  windmills. 

Mr.  Meyer  enlisted  in  the  army  in  1898 
during  the  Spanish-American  war  and  was 
in  the  service  seven  montlis,  being  stationed  at 
Chickamauga,  Georgia.  In  addition  to  this 
service  he  has  served  three  years  in  the  state 
militia.  After  his  discharge  from  the  army 
Mr.  ]\Ieyer  engaged  in  farming  in  Martin 
county  until  1903.  when  he  located  in  Peters- 
burg township,  .Tackson  county.  He  farms 
land  on  section  6.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
German  Lutheran  church  and  of  the  M.  W. 
A.  lodge. 


582 


BIOGRAPHICAL  ITISTOHY. 


On  SrpU'inlK'r  27,  iM'.iy,  .Mr.  Mfver  was  mar- 
ried to  Minnie  Ziemer.  To  tliem  liavc  lic<?n 
l(«rn  file  follo\vin<;  eliildren:  Kddy,  Imrn  August 
Hi,  1001;  Ellsworlli,  liorn  .Inly  l>.  liXtJ: 
Clarence.  Korn  .March  Id,  l!Miii;  Ucizclhi.  Imrn 
July  1,  VM>,  died  December  12,  I'.IU". 


FRANK  KOPESTE  (1907)  owns  and  farms 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  4,  LaCrosse 
township.  He  is  a  native  of  Peoria.  Illinois, 
an.l  was  Imrn   April  2.5,   1809. 

The  parents  of  our  subject  were  Frank  and 
Marj'  Proehazka  Kopeste.  both  natives  of  Aus- 
tria. They  were  married  in  their  native  land 
and  came  to  .\nierica  in  1867,  living  respective- 
ly in  Uacine.  Wiscnnsin;  Pernia.  Illinois:  Hibson 
City,  Illinois;  Spirit  Ijikc,  Iowa:  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa;  and  Ues  Moines,  Iowa.  Mr.  Ko- 
peste was  a  farmer  and  carpet  weaver.  lie  died 
at  Des  Moines  in  1891,  aged  63  years.  ^Mrs. 
Kopeste  now  lives  at  Cedar  Riipids,  Iowa. 
Frank  is  next  to  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  nine 
children   in  this   family. 

Frank  spent  his  early  years  with  his  par- 
ents, rcsidinj;  in  the  dilTi'rent  places  mentioned, 
engaging  in  farming  and  carpenter  work  after 
growing  to  manhood.  He  worked  at  his  trade 
six  years  in  Marslialltown,  Iowa,  and  Dos 
Moines,  Iowa,  and  then  engaged  in  farming 
in  Linn  county,  Towa.  In  the  spring  of  1907 
he  came  to  .Jackson  county  and  bought  his 
present  farm,  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 4.  LaCrosse.  township.  He  is  clerk  of 
school  district  No.  122  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Uohemian  lodge  of  Jackson. 

Mr.  Kopeste  was  married  at  Des  Jloincs, 
Iowa.  November  0.  1.S89,  to  Katie  Kesl.  who 
was  born  in  Belle  Plaine.  Iowa,  in  1872.  To 
tlicni  have  been  born  si.x  children,  named  as 
follows:  Mary.  Frank.  .Almics.  Kniily.  Adelaide 
and    Miirgurel 


.lOllN  LARSON  (1902)  is  a  ndmont  town- 
ship farmer.  lie  is  a  native  of  Sweden  and 
was  born  May  8,  ISoS.  (he  eldest  of  a  family 
of  six  children  born  to  Gustav  and  Mary  (An- 
derson) Larson.  The  other  children  of  this 
family  are  (Iscnr,  A\ignsta,  Hannah.  Sophia 
and   Tillie   Nelson. 

Mr.  Larson  resided  with  his  parents  in  Swed- 
•  11  until  fourteen  years  old:  then  he  worked 
out  for  a  few  years  and  in  187.'>  crossed  the  wa- 
ter to  America.     The  first  seventeen  years  of 


his  life  in  the  new  world  were  passed  as  a  resi- 
dent of  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  where  he 
worked  out  for  a  few  years  and  then  engaged 
in  farming.  From  1802  to  1902  he  lived  in 
Emmet  county,  liiwa,  where  he  bought  lanil 
and  engaged  in  farming.  He  came  to  Jackson 
county  in  the  year  last  mentioned,  bought 
his  present  farm  of  100  acres  on  sections  9 
and  lu,  Belmont  township,  and  lias  since  made 
his  home  there.  He  is  a  director  of  school 
district  No.  123  and  has  served  as  road  over- 
seer. He  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge. 
In  Buri'au  comity,  Illinois,  our  subject  was 
married  on  June  17,  188.5,  to  Clara  A.  Larson,  a 
native  of  Sweden.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  nine  children,  named  as  follows:  John 
(deceaijed).  Susie,  Willie,  Esther.  Ivan.  Mary. 
Lewis.  Levi  and  Vernie. 


THOMAS  EDKL(1889),  who  with  his  broth- 
ers, have  charge  of  their  father's  farm — the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  23.  Belmont— was 
born  in  the  city  of  Cleveland.  Ohio.  S«'pteniber 
12.  1S7C.  the  son  of  ,Iosepb  and  Catherina  iPe- 
terlek)  Edel.  He  came  to  Jackson  county  with 
the  family  in  1889  and  has  ever  since  made 
his  home  with  his  father  in  Belmont  township, 
.securing  an  education  in  the  district  schools  and 
working  on  the  farm.  In  June,  1907.  ^Ir.  Edel 
filed  on  a  homestead  claim  in  Martin  county. 
North  Dakota.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Z. 
C.  B.  J.  lodge. 


.\NTON  XAVKICIIEK  (1906).  who  owns  the 
Clear  Lake  creamery  on  section  24.  Hunter 
township,  is  a  biittermaker  of  many  years  ex- 
perience. He  was  born  in  the  proviiire  of 
Moravia,  .\ustria.  November  24,  LSOS,  tli«  son 
of  .\nton  and  Antionette  (Vukl)  Vavricliek. 
When  he  was  one  year  old  the  family  came 
to  the  United  States  and  located  nt  Western 
College,  Linn   county,  Iowa. 

Anton  received  his  education  in  Linn  coun- 
ty and  grew  to  manhood  there.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  eighteen  years  in  Linn  county  he 
moved  to  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  where  he  resided 
seven  years.  During  this  time  he  learned  the 
creamery  business,  taking  a  seven  months' 
course  in  the  Iowa  state  agricultural  school  at 
Ames.  Moving  to  Colorado,  he  conducted  his 
first  creamery  there  one  year:  then  he  re- 
turned and  located  at  Spencer,  Iowa.  He  op- 
erated a  creamery  there  on  salary  five  years, 


BlOCJBArmCAL  HISTORY. 


583 


and  then  conducted  it  for  his  own  account 
one  year.  We  next  find  Mr.  Vavrichek  nt 
Mount  Vernon,  South  Dakota,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  foreman  of  a  creamery  plant. 
He  came  to  Jackson  county  in  May,  1900, 
bouglit  tlie  Clear  Lake  creamery,  and  has 
since  conducted  it,  building  it  up  to  the  stan- 
dard it  maintains  today.  Mr.  Vavrichek  has 
served  as  township  supervisor  one  year.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  lodge. 

Mr.  Vavrichek  was  married  to  Miss  Anna 
C.  Anderson,  of  Spencer,  Iowa,  on  Christmas 
day,  1899.  To  tliem  has  been  born  one  child, 
Tjlnvd.  born  .Tanuarv  24,   1900. 


JOHN  A.  SALTN  (189.5),  of  Jackson,  was 
born  in  Sweden  July  20,  1850,  the  son  of  John 
and  Betsy  (Benson)  Salin.  At  the  age  of  four 
j'ears  he  accompanied  his  parents  to  America 
with  the  Bishop  Hill  colony  and  for  thirty-five 
years  lived  in  Henry  county,  Illinois.  In  1889 
Mr.  Salin  went  to  Litchfield,  Nebraska,  lived 
there  six  years  and  on  July  19,  1895,  located 
in  Jackson,  where  he  has  since  resided. 


FREDERICK  W.  ALEXANDER  (1901)  farms 
tlie  Herman  Miller  farm  on  sections  30  and  31, 
Wisconsin  township.  He  was  born  in  Ger- 
many May  25,  1801,  the  son  of  Frederick  and 
Annie  (Clausen)  Alexander.  His  father  is 
dead:  his  mother  lives  in  the  old  country. 

Frederick  received  his  education  in  the  old 
country  and  until  he  was  twenty-two  years  of 
age  worked  on  his  father's  farm.  He  then  came 
to  America  and  located  in  Olmsted  county, 
Minnesota.  Two  years  later  he  went  to  Clin- 
ton county,  Iowa,  which  was  his  home  about 
seventeen  years.  For  several  years  he  worked 
in  the  town  of  Clinton,  and  after  that  worked 
at  farm  work  near  the  town.  He  arrived 
in  Jackson  county  in  1901,  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  farming  the  place  upon  which  he 
now  lives.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
lodge. 

Mr.  Alexander  was  married  in  Olmsted 
county,  Minnesota,  in  October,  1883,  to  Cath- 
erine Young,  who  was  born  in  the  county  in 
which  she  w-as  married  September  24,  1804. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander  are  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  as  follows:  Peter  Frederick, 
born  February  2.5,  1884;  Williclm  H.,  born  .June 
20,  1886;  Johan  Ferdinand,  born  May  22,  1889; 
Theodore  Otto,  born  November  27,  1891;  Fred- 


erick Carl,  born  August  28,  1897;  Frederick 
Adolph,  born  August  28,  1903;  Wilhelmina 
Magdalena  Elisabea,  born  January  4,  1900; 
Frederick  Wilhelni,  born  May  4,  1908. 


WALTER  CAPELLE  (1903)  is  the  profes- 
sor in  charge  of  the  Lutheran  parochial  school 
of  Rost  township.  He  was  born  in  Sheboygan 
county,  \\'isconsin,  March  13,  1884,  the  son  of 
Henry  and  Amelia  (Heyse)  Capelle,  natives 
of  Wisconsin  and  Germany,  respectively.  His 
father  died  in  1908;  his  mother  lives  in  She- 
boygan, county,  Wisconsin.  Walter  is  the 
fourth  child  of  a  family  of  seven  childien. 

Our  subject  spent  the  first  fourteen  years 
of  his  life  on  his  father's  farm  in  Sheboygan 
county,  Wisconsin,  attending  the  parochial 
school.  He  then  went  to  Addison,  Illinois, 
and  took  a  five  years'  course  in  the  Teachers' 
Seminary  of  that  place,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  in  June,  1903.  Immediately  after 
his  graduation  he  came  to  Jackson  county 
to  accept  the  principalship  of  the  school  in 
Rost,  where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in 
the    same    work. 

Professor  Capelle  was  married  in  Luxem- 
burg, Wisconsin,  July  15,  1900,  to  Louisa 
Goetsch,  who  was  born  in  that  town  and  who  is 
the  daughter  of  William  and  Sophia  Goetsch. 
They  have  one  child,  Evelyn,  born  October  5, 

1908.  Professor  Capelle  is  the  organist  of  the 
Lutheran   church   of   Rost   township. 

BARNEY  GRAVE  (1909),  proprietor  of  a 
saloon  at  Heion  Lake,  was  born  in  Aurich,  Ger- 
many, July  21,  1877,  the  son  of  Bergart  and 
Tena  (Voght)  Grave.  He  came  to  America 
witii  his  parents  in  1880  and  settled  in  Carroll 
county,  Iowa. 

Barney  lived  on  the  farm  with  his  parents 
until  his  mother's  death  when  he  was  ten  years 
of  age.  Then  he  began  to  battle  with  the 
world  on  his  own  account.  For  a  few  years 
he  worked  on  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home, 
doing  what  little  a  boy  of  that  age  could. 
From  1892  to  1901  he  was  employed  in  hotels 
in  Sioux  City  and  Sibley,  Iowa.  He  then  took 
a  position  as  bartender  in  a  saloon  aj;  Sibley, 
Iowa,  and  was  so  engaged  until  February  18, 

1909,  wliere  he  moved  to  Heron  Lake  and 
bought  tlie  saloon  of  Frank  Appel.  Mr.  Grave 
is  a  member  of  the  German  Reformed  church. 
He   owns  village   property   at   Sibley,   Iowa. 

Mr.  Grave  was  married  at  Sibley  March  25, 


584 


BIOG  HA  PHI  CAL  111  STORY. 


1902,  to  Delia  Beck,  who  was  born  in  Ger- 
many and  came  to  America  when  a  cliild.  Slie 
!=■  the  liauglitcr  of  B.  Beck,  of  George,  Iowa. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grave  have  been  born  two 
children.  Jesse  and  Delbcrt. 


KKINHuLl)  C.  WEGNER  (1891)  is  a  school 
teacher  now  located  at  Cass  Lake,  Minnesota, 
his  permanent  home  being  in  Heron  Lake  town- 
ship. He  is  a  native  of  Buckley,  Illinois,  and 
was  born  May  10,  1884.  At  the  age  of  seven 
years  ho  accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson 
county  and  grew  to  manhood  on  his  father's 
farm,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  22, 
Heron  Lake  township.  He  was  educated  in 
the  district  schools,  in  tlie  German  school  at 
Lakcfield,  in  Concordia  college  of  St.  Paul 
and  in  the  Addison  German  Lutheran  seminary 
of  Addison,  Illinois,  from  which  lie  was  gradu- 
ated in  1908.  Since  his  graduation  he  has 
been  employed  as  a  teacher  in  a  Gcinian  Luth- 
eran school  at  Cass  Lake. 

Our  subject  is  the  son  of  Albert  and  Minna 
(Gicrlz)  Wogner,  natives  of  Germany.  They 
came  to  the  United  States  when  young  and, 
before  they  came  to  Jackson  county  in  1891, 
lived  at  Buckley,  Illinois.  The  family  lived 
on  their  farm  in  Heron  Lake  township  after 
coming  to  the  county.  Mr.  Wogner  died  June 
21,  1900,  aged  08  years.  Mrs.  \Vegner  still 
lives  on  the  home  place,  the  farm  being  con- 
ducted by  her  two  sons,  Albert  and  Louis. 
.There  are  Cve  children  in  the  familj',  namely: 
Reinhold,  Charlie,  Martha  (Mrs.  C.  J.  Mar- 
quardt).  of  Princeton,  Wisconsin;  Albert  and 
Louis. 


BERT  ALDRICII  (19n'2)  is  a  Middlctown 
township  farmer  who  resides  three  miles  south 
of  Jackson.  He  was  born  near  Hastings,  Mich- 
igan, December  12,  1882,  the  eldest  son  of 
Brice  and  Lydia  (Smith)  Aldrich.  Ilis  par- 
ents reside<l  in  Jackson  county  several  years 
and  are  now  residents  of  Colorado,  where  they 
have  recently  taken  a  government  homestead. 

Bert  was  three  years  of  nge  when  his  par- 
ents moved  from  Michigan  to  Springfield,  Mis- 
souri, which  was  the  family  home  si.\tecn 
months.  Seven  years  were  spent  in  Sac  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  and  then  the  family  located  in 
Wright  county,  Iowa,  where  Bert  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  secured  a  country  school  education 
and   worked   on   his   father's   farm   in    Wright 


county  until  1902.  Coming  lu  Jackson  co\inty 
in  1902,  Bert  continued  to  work  for  his  father 
in  Middletottu  towiisliip  until  the  fall  of  1908. 
Then  he  married  and  rented  the  farm  on  sec- 
lion   1   from   P.  H.   Sawyer. 

The  date  of  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Aldrich  was 
August  20,  1908,  when  he  led  to  the  altar 
Esther  A.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Chicago.  One 
child  has  been  born  to  this  union,  a  son 
born  June  28,  1909. 


BALSKR  WEPPLER  (1902),  saloon  keeper 
of  Lakcfield,  was  born  in  Germany  August 
22,  1805,  the  j'oungest  of  a  family  of  si.\  chil- 
dren born  to  Adam  and  Elizal>eth  (Wenk) 
Weppler.  Both  his  parents  died  in  Tazewell 
county,   Illinois. 

Balser  came  across  the  ocean  with  his  par- 
ents when  eight  years  of  age.  The  family  lo- 
cated on  a  farm  in  Tazewell  county,  Illinois, 
and  that  was  the  home  of  our  subject  until  he 
reached  his  majority.  He  then  started  out  in 
life  for  himself  and  for  four  or  five  years  work- 
ed as  a  farm  laborer  near  Gilman,  Iroquois 
county.  After  his  marriage,  which  occurred  in 
1891,  he  rented  a  farm  in  Iroquois  county  and 
farmed  seven  years.  He  then  moved  to  the 
village  of  Gilman,  where  he  bought  and  con- 
ducted a  saloon  three  years.  He  came  to 
Jackson  county  in  1902,  bought  a  saloon  in 
Alpha,  and  operated  it  two  years.  Moving 
to  Lakcfield  in  1904,  he  purchased  the  saloon 
of  Ed.  Kolander,  and  has  since  conducted  it. 
Mr.  Weppler   owns  his   home  in   Lakcfield. 

On  the  2nth  day  of  Deeomber.  1801.  Mr. 
Wep|iler  was  married  to  Mary  Brill  at  Gilman, 
Illinois.  Five  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union:  Carl,  Frank,  died  April  8,  1909,  at  the 
age  of   14  years;    Ernie,  Lizzie  and  Martha. 


JOHN  DIEDRICH  BARGFREDE  (inOiiLwho 
is  engaged  in  farming  in  Petersburg  township, 
was  born  in  Hamburg.  Germany,  July  31, 
1872,  the  son  of  Fred  and  Mary  Bargfrede.  His 
father  died  October  17,  1908,  aged  75  years. 

Our  subject  came  to  America  when  nineteen 
years  of  age,  resided  respectively  in  Armstrong, 
Emnu't  county.  Iowa;  Vale.  Crawford  comity, 
Iowa;  and  Arcadia,  Carroll  county,  Iowa.  He 
arrived  in  Jackson  county.  Minnesota,  Febru- 
ary 0,  190.'),  and  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming  on  section  2.3,  Petersburg  township. 

Mr.  Bargfrede  was  married  January  18,  1905, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


585 


to  Emma  Schiilte.  Tliey  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children:  Louie,  Herman,  Alice 
and  Alma.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
German    Lutheran    church. 


HENRY  KABLE  (1886)  is  an  Enterprise 
township  farmer.  He  was  born  at  Rushford, 
Minnesota,  August  10,  1878,  and  is  the  son  of 
Wensel  and  Anna  Kable.  When  a  little  past 
seven  years  of  age  Henry  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Jackson  county,  and  has  ever  since 
made  his  home  in  Enterprise  township.  He 
received  a  common  school  education  and  until 
reaching  man's  estate  assisted  in  the  farm 
work  on  his  father's  farm.  He  and  his  broth- 
er Thomas  now  farm  in  partnership  and  for 
the  past  five  years  have  been  engaged  in  the 
threshing  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  church  of  Jackson. 


JOHN  A.  ALBERT  (1008)  is  the  proprietor 
of  a  restaurant  and  pool  hall  at  Okabena.  He 
is  a  native  of  Germany  and  was  born  Novem- 
ber G,  1882,  the  son  of  Zaeharias  and  Tina  (Ed- 
zards)  Albert.  In  1893  he  came  to  America 
with  liis  parents  and  located  in  Cumberland, 
Cass  county,  Iowa.  There  he  continued  his 
schooling,  which  had  been  begun  in  the  old 
country.  In  1895  he  moved  to  Laurens,  Iowa, 
and  two  years  later  to  Fonda.  In  1906  he  lo- 
cated at  Round  Lake,  in  Nobles  county,  and 
in  December,  1908,  located  in  Okabena,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  restaurant  and  pool  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Albert  is  a  member  of  the  German  Luth- 
eran church  and  of  the  M.  W.  A.  lodge.  He 
was  married  at  Round  Lake  September  23, 
1908,  to  Miss  Sena  Koster,  a  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  .John  Koster,  of  Round  Lake,  Minne- 
sota. 


EDWARD  TETG  (190G),  of  Christiania  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Story  county,  Iowa,  August 
18,  1887,  and  is  the  son  of  Ole  K.  and  Nellie 
(Raymond)  Teig.  In  his  native  county  he  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education,  having 
been  brought  up  on  his  father's  farm.  He 
accompanied  his  parents  to  Jackson  county  in 
1906  and  has  .since  made  his  home  on  the  farm 
on   section    15.   Christiania   township. 

Mr.  Teig  was  married  May  17,  1909,  to 
Victoria  Thompson.    He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 


bers   of    the    Norwegian    Lutheran    church    of 
Christiania    township. 


JOHN  S.  CRAA\'LEY  (1901),  cashier  of  the 
State  Bank  of  Alpha,  was  born  in  Tuscola, 
Douglas  county,  Illinois,  February  3,  1865, 
and  in  that  town  spent  his  boyhood 
days  and  grew  to  manhood.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Tuscola  and  just  be- 
fore reaching  his  majority  he  took  a  position 
with  the  Diamond  Prospecting  company,  of 
Chicago,  a  firm  handling  mining  machinery  and 
engaging  in  general  prospecting.  He  remained 
with  this  firm  five  years  and  then  engaged  in 
the  loan  and  real  estate  business  at  Tuscola. 

Two  years  later  Mr.  Crawley  moved  to  Mar- 
Jin  county,  Minnesota,  bought  a  farm  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  two  years.  He 
then  located  in  Sherburn  and  for  the  next  three 
years  was  ernployed  by  a  real  estate  firm.  The 
next  year  he  spent  working  in  the  Bank  of  Sher- 
burn, and  in  1901  located  in  the  village  of  Al- 
pha. For  a  few  years  he  was  employed  as 
cashier  of  George  R.  Moore's  private  bank,  and 
wlien  the  bank  was  incorporated  as  a  state 
bank  in  1904  he  became  a  stockholder  and  has 
since   served   as   cashier. 

The  bank  of  which  Mr.  Crawley  is  cashier 
was  organized  as  a  private  bank  in  1899  by 
George  R.  Moore  and  C.  F.  Albertus,  the  form- 
er being  president  and  the  latter  cashier.  On 
July  1,  1904  it  was  incorporated  as  a  state 
bank,  capital  stock  $10,000,  and  the  name  was 
clianged  to  State  Bank  of  Alpha.  The  pres- 
ent officers  are  George  R.  Moore,  president; 
J.  A.  Krause,  vice  president;  J.  S.  Crawley, 
cashier.  At  the  present  time  the  bank  has  a 
surplus  of  $2,500.  It  does  a  general  banking 
business,  makes  collections,  loans  and  writes 
insurance.  The  bank  building  was  erected  in 
1899. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  E.  S.  Crawley, 
w'ho  was  born  in  Tazewell,  Tennessee,  August 
23,  1830.  His  maternal  ancestors  were  colonial 
stock,  having  come  from  England  and  settled 
in  Virginia.  E.  S.  Crawley  moved  to  In- 
diana when  thirteen  years  of  age  and  to  Tus- 
cola, Illinois,  in  1855.  He  spent  the  rest  of  his 
life  in  Illinois,  and  died  in  Champaign  county 
at  the  age  of  79  j-ears.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  Almetta  J.  (Lester)  Crawley, 
a  native  of  Illinois  and  a  descendant  of  old 
Kentucky  stock.  Her  maternal  ancestors  came 
from  Scotland  and  her  paternal  ancestors  from 


586 


BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY. 


England.  Her  futlier  took  part  in  the  Black- 
liawk  war  and  the  old  ritle  that  hcrarried  in 
now  in  the  possession  of  our  subject.  E.  S. 
Crawli-v  and  AIniotta  .J.  Li'sler  were  married 
ill  Illinois  Kebriiary  4,  1858.  She  died  in  Tus- 
cola, Illinois,  at  the  age  of  .'iO  years.  There 
were  seven  children  in  the  family. 

Our  subject  was  married  at  Indianapolis,  In- 
diana, in  April,  1804,  to  Nora  Smith,  a  native 
of  Douglas  county.  Illinois,  having  been  born 
.January   10,  1803.     She  is  the  daughter  of  Da- 


vid and  .\nn  Smitli.  For  eight  years  she  served 
as  superintendent  of  schools  of  Douglas  coun- 
ty, Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawley  have  si.x 
living  children.  They  are  named  Keith,  Gene, 
Hose,  Lloyd,  Gail  and  Max.  The  first  born, 
Wayne,  died   when  /ivc  or  six   years  of  age. 

Mr.  Crawley  is  treasurer  of  Alpha  village, 
treasurer  of  the  creamery  as.sociation  and  is 
a  member  of  the  local  school  board.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  AI.  W.  A.  lodges.