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Full text of "Past and present of Calhoun County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress, and achievement"

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BEAUMONT E. STONEBKAKKR 



PAST AND PRESENT 

OF 

CALHOUN COUNTY 

IOWA 

A Record of Settlement, Organization, 
Progress and Achievement 



BEAUMONT E. STONEBRAKER 

\ 

SUPERVISING EDITOR 



ILLUSTRATED 



VOLUME I 



CHICAGO 

THE PIONEER PUBLISHING COMPANY 
1915 



TUS KEVi' YORK 
PUBLIC LISnAIlY 

1003531^ 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I 
GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY 

LOCATION — LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE — BOUNDARIES — RIVERS AND 
CREEKS — GENERAL SURFACE TWIN LAKES — THE PRAIRIES — GEOL- 
OGY AGE OF AMERICA WHITE'S SURVEY OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

THE GLACIAL EPOCH — CHARACTER OF THE GLACIAL DRIFT — THE 

WATER SUPPLY GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AS SHOWN BY DEEP 

WELL RIXORDS 1 

CHAPTER II 
ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS 

THE MOUND BUILDERS PROBABLE USE OF THE MOUNDS THEIR ARCHI- 
TECTURE — RELICS FOUND IN THEM WORK OF THE UNITED STATES 

BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY — THE UNITED STATES DIVIDED INTO DIS- 
TRICTS — THEORIES REGARDING THE MOUNDS AND THEIR BUILDERS — 
MOUNDS AND RELICS FOUND IN IOWA — THE INDIANS — GREAT 
GROUPS OF FAMILIES — DISTRIBUTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 
SIXTEENTH CENTURY — THE SACS AND FOXES — THEIR GREAT 
CHIEFS — THE lOWAS AND THEIR MIGRATIONS — MAHASKA — THE 
POTT AAV ATOM I — THE WINNEBAGO — THE SIOUX — INDIANS IN CAL- 
HOUN COUNTY 12 

CHAPTER III 
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 

EARLY EXPLORATIONS IN AMERICA — CLAIMS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE AND 

SPAIN — THE JESUITS DISCOVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI BY :MAR- 

QUETTE AND JOLIET — LA SALLE — LOUISIANA — CONFLICTING INTER- 
ESTS — FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR — FUR COMPANIES — CLARK's CON- 
QUEST OF THE NORTHWEST NAVIGATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI — THE 

iii 



iv CONTENTS 

LOUISIANA PURCHASE — UNITED STATES JURISDICTION — TERRITORY 

OF lOAVA ACQUIRING THE INDIAN LANDS POLICIES OF DIFFERENT 

NATIONS IN DEALING WITH THE INDIANS TREATY OF 1804 BLACK 

HAWK WAR THE NEUTRAL GROUND TREATY OF 1830 TREATY 

OF 1832 TREATY OF 1842 FORT DES MOINES THE LAST 

TREATIES 32 



CHAPTER IV 
SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 

PROGRESS OF WHITE SETTLEMENTS IN IOWA — FORT DES MOINES — FIRST 

COUNTIES — CALHOUN ORIGINALLY A PART OF DUBUQUE COUNTY 

THE ORGANIC ACT CHANGING THE NAME FIRST SETTLERS FIRST 

I,AND ENTRIES — BRIEF MENTION OF LEADING PIONEERS — THE FIRST 
MILL PIONEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS AMUSEMENTS AND PAS- 
TIMES THE FIRST ELECTION LOCATING THE COUNTY SEAT 

REMOVAL OF THE COUNTY SEAT TO ROCKWELL CITY 54 



CHAPTER V 
PUBLIC BUILDINGS 

NECESSITY FOR PLTBLIC BUILDINGS FIRST COURTHOUSE AT LAKE 

CITY — SECOND COURTHOUSE — DESTROYED BY FIRE — THIRD COURT- 
HOUSE HOW IT AY AS BUILT PRESENT COURTHOUSE COST AND 

DESCRIPTION COUNTY JAIL CONTRACT WITH AMERICAN EMI- 
GRANT COMPANY PRISONERS KEPT IN OTHER COUNTIES JAIL 

BUILT AT ROCKWELL CITY — THE COUNTY HOME — FIRST POOR 
FARM PRESENT POOR FARM A SELF-SUSTAINING INSTITUTION . . 72 

CHAPTER VI 
THE SWAMP LANDS 

ORIGIN OF SWAMPS — SWAMP LAND GRANT OF 1850 — ACCEPTED BY IOWA 
LEGISI,ATURE AND LANDS GIVEN TO COUNTIES — CALHOUN COUNTY 
SELLS HER LANDS TO THE AMERICAN EMIGRANT COMPANY — 
CHANGES IN THE CONTRACT — TRUST DEED — HOW LANDS ARE 

ENTERED LITIGATION IN THE UNITED STATES COURTS LANDS 

SOLD TO CALLANAN & SAVERY INDIGNATION MEETING AND A TEST 

CASE THE QUESTION FINALLY SETTLED 85 



CONTEXTS V 

CHAPTER VII 
TO^^ NSHIP HISTORY 

COXGKESSIOXAL AXD CIVIL TOWNSHIPS — ORIGIN OF THE TOWNSHIP 

FIRST TOWNSHIPS IN IOWA — CALHOUN COUNTY A PART OF JULLEN 

TOWNSHIP — THE SIXTEEN TOAVNSHIPS OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

BUTLER— CALHOUN — CEDAR — CENTER — ELM GROVE — GARFIELD 

GREENFIELD — JACKSON — INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH THE EARLY 
SETTLEJIENT — ORGANIZATION — BRIEF SKETCHES OF PIONEERS — 
PRESENT DAY CONDITIONS — RAILROADS — POPUX^VTION AND WEALTH 
— SCHOOLS, ETC 93 

CHAPTER VIII 
TOWNSHIP HISTORY, CONTINUED 

L^VKE CREEK TOWNSHIP — THE GREGG SETTLEMENT — LINCOLN — Y^ATES- 

VILI,E LOGAN READING SHERJIAN TWIN LAKES UNION 

WILLIAMS HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EACH SOME OF THE PIO- 
NEERS TRANSPORTATION AND EDUCATION^YL FACILITIES STATIS- 
TICS OF POPULATION AND WEALTH — TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS — MIS- 
CELLANEOUS EVENTS, ETC 113 

CHAPTER IX 
LAKE CITY AND ROCKWELL CITY 

BEGINNING OF LAKE CITY ADDITIONS TO THE ORIGINAL PLAT — EARLY' 

BUSINESS CONCERNS — POSTOFFICE — THE TOWN INCORPORATED 

LIST OF :<IAYORS — WATERWORKS — PUBLIC LIGHTING — PUBLIC 
PARK GENERAL CONDITIONS POPULATION, ETC. 

ROCKWELL CITY LOCATION AND ORIGIN — ADDITIONS FIRST ENTER- 
PRISES — POSTOFFICE — SCHOOLS — INCORPORATION — LIST OF MAY'- 

ORS — AVATERWORKS — ELECTRIC LIGHT— FIRE COMPANY — SEWERS 

MISCELLANEOUS 129 

CHAPTER X 
TOWNS AND VILLAGES 

EARLY DAY SPECULATION IN TOAVNSITES — FATE OF THE EARLY' TOWNS 
—LIST OF TOAVNS AND VILLAGES IN CALHOUN COUNTY — HISTORICAL 
SKETCH OF EACH POSTOFFICES AND RURAL MAIL ROUTES IN 

1915 145 



vi CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XI 

MILITARV HISTORY 

causes le^vding up to the clvih war — the slavery question — the 

missouri coml'rojiise the omnibus bill the kansas-ne- 

biuiska bill political campaign oe 18(30 secession of seven 

states before lincoln's inauguration — formation of the 
southern confederacy^ — tali. of fort sumter — president 
Lincoln's proclajiation calling for volunteers — ioava ready 

— governor KIRKAVOOD's call for troops SPECIAL SESSION OF 

THE LEGISLATURE IN CALHOUN COUNTY TENTH AND THIRTY- 
NINTH IOWA INFANTRY MISCELLANEOUS ENLISTMENTS — THE 

AVORK AT HOJIE — SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR — UPRISINGS IN CUBA 

AGAINST SPANISH RULE THE OSTEND MANIFESTO THE TEN YEARS' 

AVAR REA'OLT OF 1895 AVEYLER's CRUELTY SENTIMENT IN THE 

UNITED STATES — DESTRUCTION OF THE MAINE AVAR DECLARED 

FIFTV-FIUST AND FIITY-SECOND IOWA INFANTRY 164 

CHAPTER XII 
FINANCE AND INDUSTRY 

PUBLIC FINANCES BONDFJ) DEBT OF THE COUNTY PROPERTY VALUA- 
TION — DRAINAGE BONDS — EA'OLUTION OF MODERN BANKING SYS- 
TEMS—HISTORY OF CALHOUN COUNTY BANKS — AGGREGATE DEPOS- 
ITS AGRICULTURE — CROP AND LIAE STOCK STATISTICS — FARMERS' 

INSTITl'TES MANUFACTURING TELEPHONE COZNIPANY 186 

CHAPTER XIII 
INTERNAL IMPROYEMENTS 

CONDITIONS NOAV AND SIXTY YEARS AGO INDIAN TRAILS TRAA-EL IN- 
EARLY DAYS PUBLIC HIGHAVAYS NORTHAVESTERN STAGE COM- 
PANY COUNTY ROADS UNDER THE LAAV OF 1913 — ROAD TAXES 

THE RAILROAD ERA EARLY OPPOSITION ILLINOIS CENTRAL IOAVA 

&: PACIFIC CHICAGO \ XOI! 11 IWESTERN CHICAGO, MILAVAUKEE 

.«;: ST. PAI^I. (CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC CHICAGO GREAT 

AVESTERN — FORT DODGE. DES :M0INES >V: SOUTHERN RAILROAD PRO- 
JECTS THAT I-'AILED — DRAINAGE HELL AND SHIPMAN SLOUGHS 

BQXDS — EFFECTS OF THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM ON THE AVEALTH OF THE 
COUNTY ^^J' 



CONTEXTS vii 

CHAPTER XIV 
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

CHARACTER OF THE EARLY SCHOOLS — THE IKOXTIER SCHOOLHOUSE — 
TEXT BOOKS OE E^UtLV DAYS — SPELLING SCHOOLS — THE THREE r's — 
EVOLUTION OF IOWa's SCHOOLS — THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND 

— SCHOOL FUNDS OF CALHOUN COUNTY TOWN SCHOOLS — RURAL 

SCHOOLS — VALUE OF SCHOOL. PROPERTY — COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL — 
PUBLIC LIBRARIES — THE PRESS — BRIEF SKETCHES OF THE CALHOUN 
COUNTY NEWSPAPERS 223 

CHAPTER XV 
CHURCH HISTORY 

CHURCH HISTORY DIFFICULT TO WRITE — METHODIST EPISCOPAL 

CHURCH CHRISTIAN CHURCH — CHURCH OF CHRIST — CATHOLIC 

CHURCH — CONGREGATIONALISTS — THE LUTHERANS — EVANGELICAL 

CHURCH PRESBYTERIANS — THE BAPTISTS — BRIEF SKETCHES OF 

EACH SOCIETY MISCELLANEOUS CHURCHES GENER.VL COM- 

3IENT 238 

CHAPTER XVI 
THE BENCH AND BAR 

PROVINCE OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT — PURPOSE OF THE COURTS — THE 
LAWYER AS A CITIZEN — EARLY JUDGES IN CALHOUN COUNTY — THE 
FIRST JURY — HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT COURT — CIRCUIT COURT — 

THE BAR — PIONEER LAWYERS — RESIDENT ATTORNEYS IN 1915 

NOTED TRIALS — THE WILCOX HOMICIDE — THE PRATT CASE — STATE 
VS. BROWN 255 

CHAPTER XVII 
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 

MEDICINE IN ANCIENT TIMES — THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH — EVOLUTION OF 
THE PROFESSION — HO:mE REMEDIES IN NEW SETTLEMENTS — THE PIO- 
NEER DOCTOR — HIS CHARACTER AND STANDING AS A CITIZEN HIS 

METHODS OF TREATMENT — FIRST PHYSICIANS IN CiVLHOUN COUNTY 
— MENTION OF EARLY DOCTORS — LIST OF PHYSICIANS OF 1886 — CEN- 
TRAL DISTRICT MEDICAL ASSOCIATION COUNTY"^ MEDICAL SOCI- 
ETIES 267 



viii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER XVIII 
SOCIETIES AND FRATERNITIES 

OLD SETTI,ERS' ASSOCIATION THE COJISTOCK CANE DECREE Ol" 

COURT AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES ROCKWELL CITY FAIR ASSOCIA- 
TION MANSON FAIR AND RACING ASSOCIATION CALHOUN COUNTY 

FAIR ASSOCIATION MASONIC FRATERNITY — SKETCHES OF JIASONIC 

LODGES — ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR — INDEPENDENT ORDER OF 
ODD FELLOAVS — LODGES IN CALHOUN COUNTY — DAUGHTERS OF RE- 

BEKAH KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBI.IC — 

women's RELIEF CORPS — MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES — WOMEN's 
CLUBS — THE P. E. 276 

CHAPTER XIX 
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY 

PRAIRIE FIRES — HISTORIC STORMS — BLIZZARD OF 1869 TORNADO OF 

1878 — SE\'ERE WINTERS — THE POMEROY TORNADO — STORM OF JUNE, 

1899 A PECULIAR HAIL STORM TWIN LAKES CYCLONE THE LAST 

LYNX HUNT A BANK ROBBERY MYSTERIOUS MURDER A QI^AIXT 

CHARACTER 301 

CHAPTER XX 
STATISTICAL REVIEW 

POPULATION AS SHOAVN BY THE UNITED STATES CENSUS — WEALTH AND 
PROGRESS — LIST OF COUNTY OFFICERS SINCE 1855 — CHRONOLOGY — 
SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL E\'F:NTS CONNECTED WITH THE HISTORY 
OF CALHOUN COUNTY POSTSCRIPT 315 



Past and Present of Calhoun County 

CHAPTER I 
GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY 

LOCATION — LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE — BOUNDARIES — RIYEKS AND 
CREEKS — GENERAL SURFACE — TWIN LAKES — THE PRAIRIES — GEOL- 
OGY AGE OF AMERICA — AVHITE's SURVEY OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

THE GLACIAL EPOCH — CHARACTER OF THE GLACIAL DRIFT — THE 

WATER SUPPLY GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AS SHOWN BY DEEP 

WELL RECORDS. 

Calhoun County is situated northwest of the center of the state, 
in the fourth tier of counties east from the INIissouri River and the 
fourth tier soutli from tlie north Hne of the state. It is about mid- 
way between the forty-second and forty-third parallels of north lati- 
tude, and the ninetj^-fourth and ninety-fifth meridians of longitude 
Avest from Greenwich. The county includes townships 86, 87, 88 and 
89 north in ranges 31, 32, 33 and 34 west. It is therefore twenty- 
four miles square and lias an area of 57Q square miles, or 368,0-10 
acres, nearly all of which is well adapted to agriculture. Tlie line 
between townships 88 and 89 is what is known in the survey as a "cor- 
rection line," so that the northern tier of townships extends a little 
more than two and a half miles farther Avest than the main body of 
the county lying south of that line. Calhoun is bounded on the north 
by Pocahontas County; on the east by Webster; on the south bj' 
Greene and Carroll, and on tlie west by the County of Sac. Webster 
County also forms a little of the northern boundary of Greenfield 
Township and Sac County a little of the southern boundary of Wil- 
liams Township, owing to the jog caused bj- the correction line. 

RIVERS AND CREEKS 

The principal stream of Calhoun County is the Coon River, which 
crosses the western boundary about three-fourths of a mile south of 



y 



2 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

the iiortliwest corner of Jackson Township, flows thence in a south- 
easterly direction into Calhoun Township ahout one and one-fourth 
miles north of the Carroll County line. Here it turns southward 
and crosses the southern houndary of the county in section 31, near 
the southwest corner of Calhoun Township. Along the river the sur- 'i 
face is somewhat broken, the banks of the stream rising in places into 
picturescpie bluffs. It was along this stream that the first white 
settlers located their claims, chiefly on account of the growth of native 
timber. 

Lake Creek, the princii)al tributary of the Coon River in Calhoun 
County, derives its name from the fact that it is the outlet of South 
Twin Lake. Its uj^per course is along the boundary between Twin 
Lakes and Center townships. It next flows through the southwestern 
part of Center and the northwestern part of Logan Township and 
enters Lake Creek Township in section 24. From this point its course 
is more toward the southwest, crossing the northwest corner of Cal- 
houn Township and emptj'ing into the Coon River about three miles 
southwest of Lake City. 

Cedar Creek, the next stream of importance, has its soiu'ce in 
I^incoln Township, a short distance south of the Town of JNIanson. 
At first it follows a southeasterly direction to the southeast corner 
of Lincoln Township, where it turns more to the southward and 
meanders through Greenfield, Cedar, Reading and Union townships 
until it enters Greene County. 

There is also a Cedar Creek which flows south and southwest 
across Williams Township. It has two small tributaries — one from 
the east and the other from the west. 

Purgatory Creek rises in Pocahontas County and crosses the 
northern boundary of Calhoun about two miles east of the Town of 
Pomeroy. After entering the county it flows by a rather sinuous 
course through Sherman and Center townships until it discharges its 
waters into Lake Creek, about a mile and a half northeast of Rock- 
well City. 

Another creek bearing the same name rises in the western part of 
Greenfield Township and follows a general southwesterly direction 
through Center, Logan, Union and Calhoun townships until it enters 
Carroll County. It is said these two creeks were so named because of 
the great difficulty in crossing them in early days. The banks were 
muddy and if a man started to cross with a team and wagon he never 
knc'\\- whether he would get to the other bank or mire down in the 
attempt to reach it. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 3 

Camp Creek has its source in the northern part of Twin Lakes 
Township, whence it flows southwest across the southeast corner of 
Garfield Township and into Ehii Grove. There it turns more south- 
ward and finally empties into the Coon River in the northwestern 
part of Jackson Township. Its principal trihutary, or West Fork, 
rises in the southwest corner of Butler Townsliip. After just touch- 
ing the southeast coi'ner of Williams Township, it flows southward 
through Garfield and joins the main stream in section 8, Elm Grove 
Township. In the early days elk were plentiful along Camp Creek 
and its valley was a favorite hunting ground for the pioneers. 

Prairie Creek has its beginning in the southern part of Twin 
Lakes Township and follows a southwesterly course, almost parallel 
to Lake Creek, until its waters mingle with those of the Coon River 
near the center of Jackson Township). 

Hardin Creek rises in Webster County. It crosses the east line 
of Calhoun near the middle of Cedar Township, flows in a soutli- 
westerly direction until it enters Reading Township about two miles 
from the northeast corner, and from that point southward into Greene 
Countv. 

South Lizard Creek flows across the northeast corner of Lincoln 
Township and enters Webster County about a mile and a half south 
of the northeast corner of Calhoun. There are a few smaller streams 
in the comity, but the above are the jirincipal water courses. Every 
civil townshiji in the county is fairly well watered, with the possible 
exception of Butler, which has no creek of importance. 

GENERAL SURFACE 

Taken as a whole. Calhoun County is a level or gently undulating 
prairie, with some elevations along the larger creeks that in a few 
places rise to the dignity of hills or bluff's. When the first white 
men came to the county thej' found a large part of the surface com- 
posed of marshes drained by sluggish sloughs. In the marshes numer- 
ous ponds were formed, a few of the largest of which were designated 
lakes. The largest of these are the Twin Lakes, a few miles north 
of Rockwell City. North Lake lies nearly all in Sherman Township 
and South I^ake in Twin Lakes Township. In the eastern part of 
Williams Townshi]) is another pond of considerable size known as 
Brushv Lake. Pond Grove Lake, about two miles east of Lake City, 
has been drained and is no longer in existence. A small lake soutli of 
^lanson, originally drained by the west fork of Cedar Creek, has also 



4 PAST AXU PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

been ol)literated by the excellent system of drainage inaugurated 
abf)ut twenty-Hve j-ears ago, and a small lake a little northeast of 
the center of Cedar Township, about two miles from Somers, has also 
disappeared. An account of the artificial drainage and reclamation 
of swamp lands will be found in another chapter. According to 
statistics conij)iled some years ago by the State of Iowa, Calhoun 
County had but 765 acres of native timber within its borders when 
the first settlements were founded. The absence of timber has caused 
considerable speculation among geologists and botanists as to the 
cause of the vast, treeless plains called ])rairies, none of which existed 
east of the State of Ohio. Professor ^Vllitney, who made some early 
scientific observations in Iowa, says: 

"The cause of the absence of trees on the prairies is. due to the 
physical character of the soil, and especially its exceeding fineness, 
which is })rejudicial to the growth of anything but a superficial vege- 
tation, the smallness of the particles of the soil being an insuperable 
barrier to the necessary access of air to the roots of deeply-rooted 
vegetation, such as trees. Wherever, in the midst of the extraordinary 
fine soil of the prairies, coarse and gravelly patches exist, there dense 
forests occur." 

Prof. James Hall, another early Iowa geologist, agrees in the 
main with Whitney's theory, but not so with Dr. Charles A. AVhite, 
who was Iowa's state geologist in the early '70s. After calling atten- 
tion to the fact that prairies are found resting upon all sorts of bed 
rock, from the Azoic to the Cretaceous ages, and that all kinds of 
soil — alluvial, drift and lacrustral. including sand, gravel, clay and 
loam — are frequently found upon the same prairie, he says: 

"Thus, whatever the origin of the prairies might have been, we 
have positive assurance that their present existence in Iowa is not 
due to the influence of the climate, the character or composition of 
the soil, nor to the character of any underlying formations. 
There seems to be no good reason why we should regard the forests 
as any more natural or normal condition than are the praii-ies. 
Indeed, it seems the more natural inference that the occupation of 
the svu'face has taken place by dispersion from original centers, and 
that they encroached upon the vmoccupied surface until they were 
met and cliecked by the destnictive ])Ower of fires. The prairies doubt- 
less existed as such almost immediately after the close of the glacial 
epoch." 

^Vhite's statement that the prairies are not due to the character 
or composition of the soil is borne out by the fact that in the towns 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 5 

that have been built up on the prairies and around the farm houses 
where trees liave been phmted, they have grown with as much vigor 
as though the surface liad once been covered with a growth of native 
timber. But, no matter liow the prairies originated, the people who 
live in a prairie region, such as Calhoun Comity, have found, after 
the swamps have been drained, that it is the equal of any part of the 
country in health and productiveness. 

GEOLOGY 

Although America is called the New World, geologists believe 
that it is older than any of the continents of the Eastern Hemisphere. 
Says Agassiz: "Here was the first dry land lifted out of the waters; 
here the first shores were washed by the ocean that enveloped all the 
earth besides; and while Europe was represented only by islands ris- 
ing here and there above the sea, America already stretched in one 
unbroken line of land from Nova Scotia to the far West." 

It is not within the province of a work of this nature to enter into 
a discussion as to how the geologists reached this view, but other 
authorities, equally as eminent as Agassiz, are inclined to the same 
opinion regarding the age of the continent upon which we live. If 
their hypothesis be true, Calhoun County may have been inhabited by 
the creatures of the reptilian type, during the Jura-Trias and Cre- 
taceous eras, while the so-called Old World was still under water. 

The only published report of an official geological svu-vey in Cal- 
houn County is that of Dr. Charles A. White, which was issued in 
1870. A more detailed survey has recently been made by Professor 
jNIcBride, but the results had not been made public at the beginning 
of the year 191.5. Owing to the limited time allotted for the work, 
White's observations in the county were necessarily somewhat super- 
ficial, and his remarks on the subject are of the most general character. 
From his report it is learned that there are but few rock exposures 
in the county: that these exposures are small and the rocks of doubt- 
ful age. 

In the southwest part of the county, along the Coon River and 
the lower portion of Lake Creek, may be seen small exposures of a 
soft iron-bearing sandstone, which White thinks is a continuation 
of a similar stone which outcrops on the North Raccoon in Greene 
and Carroll counties and on the Middle Raccoon in the counties of 
Greene and Sac. If so, the rocks exposed in Calhoun belong to the 
Ijower Cretaceous era. 



6 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTT 

In Webster County, on Lizard Creek and the Des INIoines River, 
are oiitcroppings of the lower coal measures, and some geologists 
are inclined to think that this formation extends westward into Cal- 
houn, but no indications have yet been found to sustain such a theory. 
It is known, however, that a narrow strip of the glacial drift in the 
eastern part of the coiuity rests upon the Carboniferous limestones, 
but by far the greater portion has for a foundation the Cretaceous 
rocks of a later geological period. 

Along some of the streams, White noticed terraced formations, 
or second bottoms, with gravel in some places affording underground 
drainage, but the greater part of the surface is composed of glacial 
drift, in which ponds, bogs and marshes occur at frequent intervals. 
One distinguishing feature observed by him is thus described in liis 
report : 

"Peaty deposits are not infrequent, though none of any consider- 
able importance has as yet been discovered. Those that have been 
examined were found to be of limited extent and largely mixed with 
sand and other foreign matter, in consequence of which their value 
as fuel is greatly lessened. However, it is not improbable that a 
thorough examination might bring to light important deposits of this 
material. On David Haines' place, section 7, township 86, range 34, 
a peaty accumulation several feet in thickness is found in the brow of 
the bluff overlooking the west side of the valley. It is formed along 
the line at which springs issue from the gravel beds: is gradually 
increasing by crowding down the slope, or following the course of the 
moisture, and terminating abruptly at the point where the spring 
waters again sink into the loose deposits forming the terraces or 
high bottom lands." 

That was written forty-five years ago, but no important deY)osits 
of peat have as yet been "brought to light," as White thought might 
be probable as the result of a thorovigh examination. In fact, no 
mineral deposits of economic value have been developed in the county, 
aside from certain beds of clay that have been utilized in the manu- 
facture of brick and drain tile. 

THE GLACIAL EPOCH 

Far back in the geologic past, about the close of the Tertiary 
era, came the Pleistocene or "Ice Age," during which the entire pres- 
ent State of Iowa was covered with one vast sheet of ice called a 
glacier. This glacier extended from the country about the Great 



PAST AND PRP:SEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 7 

Lakes westward to the Rocky INIountains and southward to about 
the latitude of St. Louis. It was formed in the northern part of 
the continent by successive falls of snow. The weight added by each 
snowfall had a tendency to compress the great mass below into a solid 
body of ice. After many years of this formative process, the entire 
glacier began to move slowly southward, carrying with it great boul- 
ders, clays, soils, etc., to be deposited upon the bedrocks of a region 
far distant from which they were taken. As the huge mass moved 
slowly along, the boulders and other hard substances at the bottom 
of the glacier left scratches (called stria; by geologists) upon the 
bedrocks, and from these scorings the course of the glacier may 
be readily determined. Examination of these strife at various places 
in Iowa, where the bedrock is exposed, indicates that the direction 
followed by the great central glacier was in general toward the south- 
east. 

As the ice melted, the materials carried by the glacier were 
deposited upon the bedrocks in the form of drift, composed of allu- 
vium, loess and till. At the close of the ice age the earth's surface 
over which the glacier had i)assed was void of either animal or vege- 
table life. The action of the rain and winds graduallj' leveled the 
surface, the heat from the sun warmed the earth and life in its most 
l^rimitive forms made its appearance. Everywhere, the soil is the 
l^roduct of rock disintegration. Prof. Samuel Calvin, at one time 
Iowa's state geologist, in commenting upon the fertility of the soil 
of the state, says : 

"And for this rich heritage of soils we are indebted to the great 
rivers of ice that overflowed Iowa from the north and northwest. The 
glaciers, in their long journey, ground up the rocks over which they 
mo^■ed, mingled the fresh rock flour from granites of British America 
and Northern JNIinnesota with pulverized limestone and shales of 
more southern latitudes, and used these rich materials in covering 
up the bald rocks and leveling the irregular surface of preglacial 
Iowa. The materials in places are hundreds of feet in depth." 

It was in this way that the surface of Iowa was foi-med. As the 
glacier moved forward it left a ridge at the edge called a "lateral 
moraine." Where two glaciers came together a larger ridge called a 
"median moraine" was formed, and at the terminvis of the ice sheet, 
where all the residue carried by the glacier was deposited, the ridge 
thus formed is known as a "terminal moraine." Nowhere in Calhoun 
County can be seen a ridge having the characteristics of a moraine. 
This \vould indicate that this portion of the state was in the very heart 



8 PAST AXU PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUXTY 

of the great central glacier, an indication that is further borne out 
by tlie almost uniform thickness of the drift, which is from 60 to 100 
feet. 

The boulders commonly called "nigger heads" that are to be seen 
in nearly all parts of the state, were deposited by the glacier. These 
boulders are ff)und in large numbers all over Xorthwestern Iowa, 
particularly along the Little Sioux River, to which the Sioux Indians 
gave the name of Ela-ne-ah-wad-e-pon, which in their language means 
"Stone River." In the southern part of Cherokee County is a red 
granite boulder 40 feet wide by GO feet long, and standing twenty 
feet or more above the surrounding surface. It is called "I'ilot Rock," 
for the reason that it can be seen for a considerable distance and 
serves as a landmark "to guide the weary traveler on his way." 

CHARACTER OF THE DRIFT 

At the bottom of the drift deposited by the glacier is the till — 
sometimes called the lower till — composed of a blue clay, charged 
with boulders, with deposits of sand in places. At the place called 
"Yellow Banks" on the Des JNIoines River, the lower till consists of 
"twenty-five feet of sand resting upon blue clay and over this fifteen 
feet of silty clay, dark above and overlain by eight feet of yellow 
clay, which in turn is capped by a thin veneer of loess." 

Above the lower till comes the loess, which consists of a fine ash- 
colored silt, or a porous clay, rich in the carbonate of lime. A'^ery 
little loess is to be seen in Calhoun or any of the adjoining counties, 
unless it be Webster, but it is distributed all over the southern and 
eastern ])arts of the state, where it ranges in thickness from two feet 
to fifteen feet or more. 

Above the loess lies the alluvium or soil, which is made up of the 
lighter materials carried by the glacier, to which has been added a 
large volume of decayed vegetable matter that has accumulated since 
the close of the glacial epoch. As this portion of the drift consti- 
tutes the surface and is seen everywhere in Calhoun County, it is not 
necessary to go into any extended account of its character or com- 
position. 

THE WATER SUPPLY 

Springs are scarce in the county, as they are usually found in the 
moraines left by the great glaciers or in the limestone formations, 
both of which are wanting in Calhoun County. There are a few 



PAST AXU PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY « 

springs in the bluff's along Coon River and some of the other streams, 
but their water is little used for domestic purposes. ]Most of the 
well water is obtained from the strata of water-bearing sand of the 
(hi ft. Some of the deepest wells penetrate to the lower till, and a 
few liave gone to the rock formations underlying the drift. 

Rockwell City well No. 2, which was sunk for the purpose of 
obtaining a supply of water for the city, is the deepest well in the 
county. From the log, or record, of the drillers of this well, the 
geological structure of the adiacent territory may be ascertained. 
The section shows as follows: 

1— Soil 3 feet 

2 — Yellow, sandy clay 20 

3— Blue till ..'....'. 133 

4— Yellow till 6 

.5— Dark drab shale 90 

6 — White sandstone 3 

7 — Dark colored shale 50 

8 — Dark ])yrite liearing shale 5 

9 — Light drab shale 12 

10— Dark buff dolomite 194 

11 — Coarse buff dolomite 85 

12— Light blue shale 220 

13 — Limestone and dolomite 73 

14 — Gray dolomite . . .* 7 

15— Buff dolomite 80 

16 — Blue-gray limestone (trace) 

17 — Brown crystalline dolomite 50 

18 — Brown compact dolomite 110 

19 — Blue-gray cherty dolomite 51 

20 — Light yellow dolomite 75 

21 — Buff crystalline dolomite 30 

22 — Cream -colored dolomite 43 

23 — Whitish limestone 75 

24 — Greenish shale 59 

2.5 — St. Peter sandstone 5 

Total depth of well 1,479 feet 

In the above table numbers 5 to 9, inclusive, belong to the Penn- 
svlvanian formation of the carboniferous era; numbers 10 to 12 to 



10 PAST AND PIIESEXT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

the Mississippian formation of the same j)eriod; numbers 13 to 16 to 
the Devonian era, and the remainder of the well to the upper and lower 
Silurian. 

Lake City draws its water supply from wells simk to the bottom 
of the glacial drift. The record of well No. 1 is given below, 

1— Soil 4 feet 

2 — Yellow clay 20 

3— Blue clay 36 

4 — Water-bearing sand 6 

5— Blue clay 20 

6 — Hardpan 6 

7 — Hard, dark colored clay 18 

8 — Variegated clay and sand 119 

Depth of well 229 feet 

No. 4 of the Lake City well — the stratum of water-bearing sand — 
is that which furnishes water to a majority of the so-called surface 
wells of the county. At Lake City this stratum was encountered sixty 
feet below the surface, but in many places in the county it has been - 
struck at a much less depth. Although the wells at the Lake City 
waterworks are not so deep as those of Rockwell City and Manson, 
they afford a bountiful supply of pure, wholesome water. 

The Manson well shows a geological structure slightly different 
from that at Rockwell City, as may be seen from the following drill 
record : 

1— Soil and yellow clay 23 feet 

2— Blue clay 187 

3 — Water-bearing gravel 3 

4— Blue clay 97 

5 — Variegated shale or slate 740 

6— St. Peter sandstone 170 

7— Red shale 30 

Depth of well 1,2.50 feet 

In the Manson well the St. Peter sandstone of the lower Silurian 
era was first stmck at a depth of 1.0.50 feet, which is 600 feet above 
the a'coloo-ical level of that formation at Fort Dodge and 424 feet 



(-1^ '^ o' 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 11 

iibove the same sandstone in the well at Rockwell City. As the dif- 
ference in tlie elevation of these three places above the level of the 
sea is inconsiderable, the record of the Manson well indicates that 
durin<)- the preglacial days that portion of Calhoun County was situ- 
ated upon an anticline— that is, the summit of an arch formed in the 
bed rocks. Upon reaching a depth of 1,250 feet in the well at JNlan- 
son, the drill struck a hard, granite-like rock, which offered such 
stubborn resistance that further efforts were abandoned. 

The Iowa Geological Survey has the record of two flowing wells 
in Calhoun County, but as they show a geological structure very 
similar to those already given, it is deemed unnecessary to reproduce 
them here. One of these flowing wells is located at Lohrville and 
the other at Somers. The Lohrville well is 180 feet deep. The water 
from this well is pumped to a large tank and distributed to the citi- 
zens of the town under a j^ressure of thirty-five povmds to the square 
inch. The well at Somers was drilled in 1904 by C. A. Stickney, of 
St. Paul, jSIinnesota, for the Chicago & Great Western Railroad 
Company. It is next to the Rockwell City well in depth, being 1,470 
feet deep, and flows 100 gallons of water per minute. Both the 
Somers and Lohrville wells are situated near small streams or sloughs, 
but the source of the water is not definiteh^ known. 

The Town of Pomeroy obtains its water supply from wells quite 
similar in depth and character to those of Lake City and there are a 
few other deeji wells in the county. Most of the water from these 
Avells is of that variety known as "hard" water, and in some of the 
^vells it is strongly impregnated with iron. 



CHAPTER II 
ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS 

THE MOUXl) BUILDERS PROBABLE USE OF THE IIOUXDS THEIR ARCHI- 
TECTURE RELICS EOLTND IN THEM "WORK OF THE UNITED STATES 

BUREAU OF ETHNOI.OGY THE UNITED STATES DIVIDED INTO DIS- 
TRICTS THEORIES REGARDING THE MOUNDS AND THEIR BUILDERS 

MOUNDS AND RELICS FOUND IN IOWA THE INDIANS GREAT 

GROUPS OF FAMILIES DISTRIBUTION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 

SIXTEENTH CENTURY THE SACS AND FOXES THEIR GREAT 

CHIEFS THE lOWAS AND THEIR MIGRATIONS MAHASKA THE 

POTTAWATOJII THE WINNEBAGO THE SIOUX INDIANS IN CAL- 
HOUN COUNTY. 

Before the Avliite man the Indian; before the Indian, Avho? Tlie 
question is more easily asked than answered. From the time the 
first Avhite settlements were made along the Atlantic coast, in the 
early part of the seventeenth century, nearly one hundred and fifty 
years elapsed before the discovery of indications that the interior of 
the continent had once been occupied by a peculiar race of people. 
These evidences were found in the numerous mounds and earth- 
works, fragments of pottery, stone weapons and implements, etc. 
A report issued l)y the United States Bureau of Ethnology says; 

"During a period beginning some time after the close of the ice 
age and ending with the coming of the white man — or only a few 
years before — the central part of North America was inhabited by 
a people who had emerged to some extent from the darkness of 
savagery, had acquired certain domestic arts, and practiced some 
well defined lines of industry. The location and boundaries inhab- 
ited by them are fairly well marked by the mounds and earthworks 
they erected." 

The center of this ancient civilization — if such it may be called — 
seems to have been in the present State of Ohio, where the mounds 
are more numerous than in any other part of the country. Iowa 

12 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 13 

may be regarded as the western frontier of the domain once occupied 
by this peculiar race, to which the name of "^lound Buiklers" has 
been given by archaeologists, and various theories have been advanced 
as to their origin, identity and the manner in wliieh they became 
extinct. 

Although no relics of the JNIound Builders have been found in 
Calhoun County, it may be interesting to the reader to know some- 
thing of these theories, as well as the character of the works they 
constructed. ]Most of the mounds discovered are of conical form, 
\aryiiig in height, and when opened have generally been found to 
contain human skeletons. For this reason they have been designated 
bv archaeologists as burial mounds. Next to the biu'ial mound comes 
the truncated pyramid — that is, a moinid square or rectangular at 
the base and flattened on the top. The mounds of this class are 
nearly always higher than the highest of the burial mounds. Their 
greater height and the fact that on the summit of several have been 
found ashes and charcoal, gave rise to the theory that they were used 
as lookout stations, the charcoal being the remains of signal fires. 
In some sections of the country may still be seen well defined lines 
of earthworks, sometimes in the form of a square, but more fre- 
quently of oval or circular shape, bearing every indication tliat they 
were erected as a means of defense against hostile invaders. Still 
another class of works, less numerous and widely separated, consists 
of one large mound surrounded by an embankment, outside of which 
are a number of smaller mounds. The siiialler mounds in these 
groups are generally devoid of skeletons or other relics, and even in 
the large mound within the embankment but few skeletons, imple- 
ments or weapons have been found. The absence of relics and the 
arrangement of the mounds in woi'ks of this character have led anti- 
quarians to form the theory that such places were centers of saci'ifice 
or religious ceremonies of some kind. 

Among the earliest investigators of the mounds were Squier and 
Davis, who about 18.50 published a work entitled, "Ancient JNIonu- 
ments of the IMississippi Valley." Between the years 184.5 and 1848 
these two archaeologists, working together, explored over two hun- 
dred mounds and earthworks, the descri])tion of which was published 
by the Smithsonian Institution. Following them came Baldwin, 
McLean and a number of other Avi'iters. ])ractically all of whom held 
to the theory that the Moimd Builders belonged to a separate and 
distinct race and that many of the relics were of great antiquity. 
Some of these early writers took the view tliat the ^Nlound Builders 



14 PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

first established their civilization in the Oliio Valley, from wliich 
region they gradually moved southwestwardly into JNIexico and Cen- 
tral America, where the white man found their descendants in the 
Aztec Indians. Others, with argiiments equally as plausible, con- 
tended that the people who left these interesting relics originated in 
the South and slowlj' made their way northward to the country about 
the Great Lakes, where their further progress was checked by hostile 
tribes. L^pon only one phase of the subject were these early authors 
in accord, and that was that the JNIound Builders belonged to a very 
ancient and extinct race. This theory was sustained by the fact that 
the Indian tribes with whom the tii'st white men came in contact had 
no traditions relating to the mounds or the people who built them, 
while the theory of great antiquity was further supported by the 
great trees, often several feet in diameter, growing upon manj^ of 
the mounds and earthworks. 

Soon after the United States Bureau of Ethnology was estab- 
lished it undertook the work of making an exhaustive and scientific 
investigation of the mounds and other relics left by this ancient 
people. Cyrus Thomas, of the bureau, in analyzing and compiling 
the information collected, has divided the region once inhabited by 
the JNIound Builders into eight districts, each of which is marked by 
certain features not common to the others. In making this division 
Mr. Tliomas evidently did not adhere to anj' of the proposed theories 
as to the origin or first location of the Mound Builders, as he begins 
in the northwestern part of the country and proceeds toward the 
east and south. His classification is as follows: 

1. The Dakotah District, which includes North and South 
Dakota, JNIinnesota, the northwest corner of Iowa and the State of 
AVisconsiii. As a rule the burial mounds in this district are small, 
l>ut what they lack in archaeological interest is more than made up 
by the beautiful effigy mounds, that is, mounds constructed in the 
i'orm of some bird or beast. Near Prairieville, Wis., there is a mound 
resembling a turtle, and not far from the Town of Blue INIounds, in 
the same state, is a mound in the form of a man lying on his back. 
The turtle mound is fifty-six feet long and the effig\^ of the man is 
120 feet in length. Some writers are of the opinion that such mounds 
were made to re]:)rcsent the totem of some tribe or clan, and others 
tliink they are the images of some living creatin-e that was an object 
of veneration. 

2. The Huron-Iroquois District includes the country once inhab- 
ited by the Huron and Iroquois Indians, viz.: the lower peninsula 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 15 

of Michigan, the southern part of Canada, a strip across the northern 
part of Ohio and the greater part of the State of New York. A few 
fortifications have been noted near Toledo and Sandusky, O., but 
by far the greater part of the reHcs in this district are tlie small burial 
mounds and the "hut rings," or foundations of ancient dwellings. 

3. The Illinois District embraces the middle and eastern portions 
of Iowa, Northeastern Missouri, Northern Illinois and the western 
half of Indiana. Several mounds of the truncated pyramid variety 
have been found in this district, the great mound near Cahokia, 111., 
being one of the finest and best preserved specimens of this class so 
far discovered. Burial mounds are numerous and a few fortifica- 
tions have been found, but they are greatly inferior, both in structure 
and dimensions, to those of the Ohio District. West of the Missis- 
sipi)i River the burial mounds gradually decrease in size as one pro- 
ceeds toward the south. Agents of the Bureau of Ethnology exam- 
ined a number of these mounds in Southeastern Iowa, but found only 
some decayed human bones, a few stone chips and some fragments 
of pottery. 

■i. The Oliio District takes in all of the State of Ohio, except 
the strip already mentioned as belonging to the Huron-Iroquois Dis- 
trict, the eastern half of Indiana, and the southwestern portion of 
West Virginia. Here the JNIound Builder flourished in all his glory. 
Burial mounds are to be seen in large numbers and are much larger 
than those found elsewhere, many of them having a diameter of one 
hundred feet or more and rising to a height of sixty to eighty feet. 
Over ten thousand mounds have been explored in the State of Ohio 
alone. The Grave Creek JNIound, in West Virginia, is one of the 
largest lookout or signal mounds yet discovered. The earthworks in 
this district surpass those found hi any other part of the country. 
Situated on a bluff in Adams County, O., is tlie "Great Serpent," 
an earthwork in the form of a snake nearly fourteen hundred feet in 
length. This is one of the best preserved and most perfect specimens 
of the iNIound Builders' fortifications and the site has recently been 
pin-chased by the state with a view to its preservation. Near Ander- 
son, Ind., is a circular fortification that is connected by a subterranean 
passage with the White River, evidently for the purpose of obtaining 
water in time of siege, and scattered over the district are many sacri- 
ficial mounds surrounded by embankments. 

.5. The Ap])alachian District, as its name indicates, includes the 
mountainous regions of Southwestern Virginia, Western North Caro- 
lina. Eastern Tennessee and the northern part of Georgia. Judging 



16 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

by the structure of the mounds and the character of the rehcs found 
here, the inhabitants of this district differed in many respects from 
the Mound Builders in other sections of the country. Stone graves 
are numerous, the mounds are of (hfferent construction, and among 
the relics thus far found are a number of copper awls, needles, knives 
and other utensils ; tobacco pipes molded of clay and baked, and a few 
pipes carved from a peculiar kind of stone have alsp been found. 

G. The Tennessee District, which adjoins the above, includes 
jNIiddle and \Vestern Tennessee, the southern portion of Illinois, 
practically all the State of Kentucky, a small section of Northern 
Alabama, and the central portion of Georgia. Here pottery has 
been found in many of the mounds explored, a long-necked jar of 
graceful outline being especially abundant. A number of stone 
images, believed by archaeologists to have been objects of worship, 
have also been found in this district. Several Avell preserved forts are 
to be seen, a distinguishing feature of which is the covered or sub- 
terranean passage connecting the entrenchments with a near-by spring 
or stream, indicating that such works were constructed with a view 
of withstanding a siege. 

7. The Arkansas District includes the state from which it takes 
its name, the southeastern corner of ^Missouri, and a strip across 
Northern Louisiana. The buiial mounds of this district are small 
and few in number, though hut rings are numerous and several vil- 
lage sites have been noted. Pottery has been found in all parts of 
the district. 

8. The Gulf District, which, as its name indicates, embraces the 
country bordering on the Gulf of ^Mexico, contains several fine trun- 
cated pyramids, some of them with terraces. Skeletons in bark cof- 
fins have been found in mounds and other skeletons without coffins 
have been found in caves. A distinguishing feature of this district 
is the use of obsidian for weapons. The entire district is rich in ])ot- 
tery and utensils of polished stone. 

WHO WERE THEY? 

Reverting to the theories concerning the age and origin of tlie 
INIound Ruilders, it is worthy of note that in more recent years arch- 
aeologists, Avho have made extensive research among the mounds, 
and those who have made a careful and systematic study of the relics 
in connection Avith the work of the Rureau of Ethnology, are inclined 
to doubt the theory of great anticjuity and are practically a iniit in 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 17 

the conclusion that the jNIound Builder was nothing more than the 
ancestor of the Indian. That tlie theory of great age is erroneous, 
to some extent at least, is seen when it becomes known that the early 
Frencli and Spanisli explorers in the southern part of what is now 
the United States found that among the Natchez Indians the house 
of the chief was always built upon an artificial mound. As eminent 
an authority as Pierre ^largry says: "When a chief dies they demolish 
his cabin and then raise a new mound, on wliich tliey Iniild the cabin 
of the chief who is to replace the one deceased in this dignity, for the 
chief never lodges in the house of his predecessor." 

How long this custom has prevailed no one knows, but it may 
account for the large number of small artificial mounds throughout 
the region once inliabited by the Natcliez and their ancestors. It has 
also been learned that the Yamasee Indians of Georgia built mounds 
over the warriors killed in battle, and Charlevoix found among the 
Canadian tribes some Avho built earthworks quite similar to tliose 
described by Thomas as having once existed in the Huron-Iroquois 
District. 

Early investigators found in many of the small mounds burnt 
or baked clay and charcoal, for which they were at a loss to account. 
Subsequent explorations have disclosed the fact that among certain 
early tribes. ])articularly in the lower JNIississippi country, tlie family 
hut was fre<iuently built upon an artificial mound. ^ This has led 
Brinton to advance the hypothesis that the house was constructed of 
poles, the cracks between which were filled with clay. When the liead 
of the family died, the body was bm'ied under the center of the hut, 
wliicli was then bvu'ncd. This custom, which might have been fol- 
lowed for generations, \vould account for the burnt clay and charcoal, 
as well as the large number of small mounds, each containing a single 
human skeleton, the bones of which have sometimes been foimd 
charred. 

Still another evidence that there is some relationship between the 
ancient Mound Builder and the Indian of more modern times is seen 
in the pottery made by some of the southwestern tribes. This pottery 
is very similar in texture and design to tliat found in some of the 
ancient mounds. In the light of these recent discoveries, it is not 
surprising that scientists are discarding the theory of a separate race 
and great anticpiity and proposing one of a vastly different nature, 
to wit: That the ]\Iound Builder was nothing more than the ancestor, 
more or less remote, of the North American Indian. Some archaeolo- 
gists have even gone so far as to assert that the cliff dwellers of the 



18 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Southwest are the remnant of the once numerous and widely dis- 
tributed Mound Builders. However, the discovery of these evidences 
connecting the ancient INIound Builder and the modern Indian have 
not lessened the interest in the subject of the aboriginal inhabitant. 
Says Thomas: "The hope of ultimately solving the great problems 
is perhaps as lively today as in former years. But with the vast 
increase of knowledge in recent years, a modification of the hoj^e 
entertained has taken jilace." 

MOUNDS IN IOWA 

Along the INIississippi River from Dubuque southward mounds 
are numerous. One near Dubuque was opened some years ago and 
found to contain a vault divided into three compartments. In the 
central compartment were eight hviman skeletons sitting in a circle, 
in the center of which was a drinking vessel made of sea shell. The 
chamber or vault in which these skeletons were found was covered 
with logs incased in a sort of cement. Pipes, ornaments, and some 
other relics were found wrapped in a kind of coarse cloth. 

Near Davenport were found two stone pipes, each carved in the 
image of a bird, one having ej'cs of copper and the other eyes of 
pearl, and still further southward mounds have been opened and 
found to contain skeletons, pottery and stone utensils of various 
kinds. 

The mounds extend westward to the Little Sioux River, several 
of the most interesting specimens of this ancient architecture having 
been found in the Des INIoines Valley. On a bluff overlooking the 
Des JNIoines River a few miles above the City of Des ^loines are 
several acres covered with mounds. Near the same stream in Marion 
County Kimberling examined a mound in I880 or 1886, which he 
describes as follows: "Two feet of soil; sixteen inches of hard baked 
clay, ashes and charcoal; five feet below the clay layer, a hearth, two 
feet by four feet and ten inches deep, full of ashes and charcoal; the 
Avails of the furnace were glazed by heat; the arch is twelve feet in 
diameter and its height was such tliat a tall man might stand under 
it. In the center of the mound was a jjiece of cement with a crushed 
human skull below it." 

Near Marysville, Marion County, is a great collecting ground for 
archaeologists and relic hunters. Himdreds of arrow and spear heads, 
stone axes and celts, etc., have been found within a radius of two 
miles from the town. Among the curios found in this county is a 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 19 

copper spear head about five inches in length. A large oval mound 
in Boone County — 90 by 110 feet at the base — was explored in 1908. 
In the center of this inound were found about four thousand pieces 
of pottery, some of them of such size as indicated vessels three feet 
in diameter. Four or five human skulls, a few bones, a large amount 
of ashes and charcoal and a collection of shells were found mingled 
with the 2)ottery. On the summit of this mound were two oak trees 
two feet or more in diameter. 

The mounds are nearly always found upon a bluff near a stream 
of water, or upon a highland. This may account for the fact that 
none of these interesting relics has been found in Calhoun County, 
which, as far back as the memory of man runs, was chiefly an open 
prairie with a level, marshy surface. West of the county, along the 
Eittle Sioux River, a number of mounds have been explored, and on 
the east, near Lehigh, Webster County, are the remains of an elaborate 
system of earthworks. The proximity of these relics on either side 
of the county seems to indicate that, though the JNIound Builder estab- 
lished no domicile within the limits of the present County of Calhoun, 
he doubtless passed back and forth over its surface as he made his 
trips between the ancient settlements on the Little Sioux and Des 
]\[oines rivers. Perhaps he trapped muskrats and hunted water fowl 
about Twin Lakes and in the numerous marshes of the county cen- 
turies before the white man knew that such a region as Iowa existed. 

THE INDIANS 

For years before the actual discovery of America, it had been the 
hope and dream of Christopher Columbus to establish communication 
with the eastern shores of Asia by sailing westward and circumnavi- 
gating the globe. The first European explorers in the New World, 
believing that Columbus had realized his long cherished dream and 
that the country they visited was India, gave to the race of copper 
colored people they found here the name of "Indians." Subsequent 
explorations developed the fact that Columbus had really discovered 
a hitherto unknown continent, but the name conferred upon the natives 
remains to this day. This race is divided into several groups, or fami- 
lies, each differing from the others in certain physical characteristics 
and the dialect spoken. At the beginning of the sixteenth century 
these groups were distributed over the continent of North America 
as follows: 



20 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

In the far North, the country about the Arctic Circle was inhab- 
ited by tlie Eskimo, a tribe that has never played any conspicuous 
part in history, excej^t as guides to polar expeditions. The Algon- 
quian family, the largest and most powerful of all the Indian groups, 
occupied a large triangle, which may be roughly bounded by the 
Atlantic coast from Labrador to Cape Hatteras and lines from these 
points to the western end of Lake Superior. In the very heart of 
the Algonquian domain — along the shores of Lake Ontario and the 
upper waters of the St. Lawrence River — was the country of the 
Iroquoian tribes, viz.: The Oneidas, Onondagas, Senecas, ]NIohawks 
and Cayugas. These tribes became known to the early colonists as 
the "Five Nations." Some years later the Tuscaroras were added to 
the confederacy, which then took the name of the "Six Nations." 
South of the Algonfiuian and Iroquoian groui)s was a large tract of 
country inhabited by the JNIuskhogean family, the principal tribes of 
which were the Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Cherokee. In the 
Northwest, about the sources of the jNIississippi River and extending 
westward to the JNIissouri River, was the territory of the Siouan 
group, composed of a number of tribes noted for their physical 
pi'owess and warlike tendencies. South and west of the Siouan coun- 
try were the bold, vindictive Comanche, Apache and other tribes, 
closely allied to the Sioux in appearance, language and customs, and 
in various parts of the continent were minor tribes that claimed kin- 
ship with none of the great families. They were generally inferior 
in numbers and sometimes nomadic in their habits, hence they are of 
little historical importance. 

Volumes have been written on the North American Indian and 
the subject lias not yet been exhausted. In a work of this nature it 
is not the design to give an extended account of the race as a whole, 
but to notice only those tribes whose history was comiected with the 
region now comjjrising the State of Iowa and Calhoun County. Fore- 
most among these tribes were the Sacs and Foxes, the lowas, the 
Sioux, the Pottawatomi and tlie Winnebagoes. 

THE SACS AND FOXES 

These two tribes, which at one time inhabited practically the entire 
State of Iowa, are usually spoken of as one peojile, though they were 
two separate and distinct ti'ibes, which became allied by force of cir- 
cumstances for their mutual })Votecti()n. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 21 

The Sacs — also called Sauks and Saukies — belonged to the Algon- 
quian family and w^re known as "The people of the outlet." Some 
writers also refer to them as "People of the yellow earth." Their 
earliest known habitat was in the lower peninsula of INIichigan, where 
they lived with the Pottawatomi. The name Saginaw, as applied to 
a bay and city in ]Michigan, means "the place of the Sac," and marks 
the place where they once dwelt. According to their traditions, they 
w ere here allied with the Pottawatomi, IMascoutens, Foxes and Kicka- 
poos before they became an independent tribe. The Sacs are first 
mentioned as a separate tribe in the Jesuit Relations for 1640, though 
even then they were confederated with the tril)es above enumerated, 
and also with the Miami and Winnebago nations. Father AUouez, 
one of the early Jesuit missionaries, writing of these Indians in 1667, 
says: "They are more savage than all the other peoples I have met; 
they are a populous tribe, although they have no fixed dwelling place, 
being wanderers and vagabonds in the forests." 

Their traditions also tell how they were driven from the shores 
of Lake Huron by the Iroquois and Neuters before the middle of the 
seventeenth century. They then retired by way of JNIackinaw and 
about the middle of the century found a new abode along the shores 
of Green Bay, Wisconsin. This portion of their traditions is first 
told by Father Dablon, in the Jesuit Relations for 1671. Says he: 
"The Sacs, Pottawatomies and neighboring tribes, being driven from 
their own countries, which are the lands southward from INIissilimaki- 
nac, have taken refuge at the head of this bay, beyond which one can 
see inland the Nation of Fire, with one of the Illinois tribes called 
Ouniiami, and the Foxes." 

In the same year that this was written by Father Dablon, the 
Hurons and Ottawas started out to invade the Sioux country. On 
the way they persuaded the Sacs and Pottawatomi to join the expedi- 
tion. The allied tribes Avere defeated with heavy losses by the Sioux 
c-md the surviving Sacs returned to Green Bay, where it seems they 
were content to li\e for several years before making any further war- 
like demonstrations against their enemies. 

Dorsey divides the Sac tribe into fourteen gentes or clans, viz. : 
Trout, Sturgeon, Bass, Great Lynx or Fire Dragon, Sea (or Lake), 
Fox, Wolf, Bear, Bear-Potato, Elk, Swan, Grouse, Eagle and Thun- 
der. ^Marriages were usually made between men and women of dif- 
ferent clans, though they were not forbidden between couples of the 
same clan. Polygamy was practiced to some extent, though in this 
respect the Sacs were not so bad as some of the other Algonquian 



22 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

tribes. Their religion consisted of a belief in numerous "Manitous" 
and was rich in myth and fable. 

The Foxes, also an Algonquian tribe, resembled in many jiarticu- 
lars the Sacs, with whom tliey became confederated. They were 
also called Musquakies. or "People of the red earth." Sometimes 
they were designated as "The people of the other shore," by which 
name they were known to the Chippewa Indians. Their original 
dwelling i)lace is somewhat uncertain. Their tribal traditions say 
that at a very early date at least a portion of the tribe lived along the 
^Vtlantic coast in the vicinity of the present State of Rhode Island. A 
little later some of them oceu])ie(l the country along the southern shore 
of Lake Superior, fiom \\hich they were driven by the Chippewas. 
In the early part of the seventeenth century Nicollet found a band 
of Foxes living on the Fox River, not far from Green Bay, Wiscon- 
sin, and in 1676 Father Allouez found some of them on the AVolf 
River, in the same state. In his writings of that year he speaks of 
a "]Mus(iuakie village with a population of about five thousand." 

The name "Fox" originated with the French, who called them 
"Renards." They were regarded by neighboring Indian tribes as 
"avaricious, thieving, passionate and quarrelsome." With an intense 
hatred for the French they planned the attack on the post at Detroit 
in 1712. The timely arrival of reinforcements saved the post and the 
Indians suffered an overwhelming defeat. The Foxes who took part 
in this attack on Detroit then joined those spoken of bv Father 
Allouez on the Wolf River. 

About 1730 the English and Dutch traders operating in the coun- 
try alK)ut the Great I.,akes, knowing of the hatred of the Foxes for 
the French formed an alliance with the tribe for the pm-])ose of driv- 
ing out the French competition. In o})position to tiiis movement the 
French enlisted the co-operatioiT of the Ottawa, Huron, Pottawatomi 
and some minor tribes. In the war which followed the Foxes were 
defeate<l and found a shelter with the Sacs in the neighborhood of 
Green Bay. The French authorities, thinking the tribe had not been 
sufficiently jjunished, sent a force of French soldiers and Indian allies, 
under an officer named De Villiers. to the Sac village to demand the 
surrender of the refugees. The demand was peremptoi-ily refused 
by the Sac chiefs and a hard-fought battle followed, in which the 
Sacs were defeated, but the Foxes were not surrendered. This 
occiu-red in 1733 and soon afterward an alliance was formed between 
the Sacs and Foxes. Since that time the two tril)es have nearly 
always been sjioken of as one people. Their alliance, however, was 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 23 

more in the nature of a confederacy, each tribe maintaining its ident- 
ity, though one chief ruled over both. 

Of all the Indians the Foxes were perhaps the only tribe that had 
what might be called a coat of arms, a design consisting of an oblique 
luie (supposed to represent a river) with the figin-e of a fox at each 
end and on opposite sides. Following a victory in war this emblem 
was painted or carved on rocks and trees to tell the story of their 
valor and at the same time serve as a warning to their enemies. 

Twelve gentes are mentioned by Dorsey, viz.: Bear, Fox, Wolf, 
Eig Lynx. Buffalo, Swan, Pheasant, Eagle, Sea, Sturgeon, Bass 
and Thunder. Their principal deities were ^Visaka and Kiyapata, 
who were bi-others. The former ruled the day and the latter the night. 
Animal fable and mythology were the principal features of their 
religion and the tribe had manj' ceremonial observances. The Foxes 
practiced agriculture in a primitive way, raising corn, beans, tobacco, 
squashes and some other vegetables. In a few instances some war- 
rior of note or a big chief was permitted to have more than one squaw, 
but polygamous marriages were the exception rather than the rule. 

In 1731 some of the Sacs founded the village of Sau-ke-nuk on 
the Rock River, in Illinois. When the Foxes were driven from ^Vis- 
consin by the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, allies of the French, 
they formed the alliance with the Sacs above mentioned and at the 
beginning of the nineteenth century there were some eight thousand 
of the allied trilies living along the Rock River near its mouth. About 
1780, or perhaps a few years earlier, a part of the tribes crossed the 
jMississi^jpi River near Prairie du Chien and took up their abode in 
Iowa, near the present City of Dubuque. In 1788 these Indians 
granted a concession to Jidien Dubuque to Avork the lead mines and 
sold him part of the lands claimed by them. In that same year 
Dubuque established the first white settlement within the present 
State of Iowa. When Lieut. Zebulon M. Pike went up the Missis- 
sippi in 180.3, he visited the Sac and Fox villages in Illinois and Iowa. 

Two of the greatest chiefs in the history of the North American 
Indians belonged to the allied tribes of the Sacs and Foxes. They 
were Black Hawk and Keokuk, both born of Sac parents, but recog- 
nized as chiefs by the Foxes. Black Hawk was a warrior and Keokuk 
a ])olitician. 

Black Hawk (Indian name INIa-ka-ta-wi-mesha-ka-ka) was a 
member of the Thunder clan and was born at the Rock River village 
in 1767. His father, Py-e-sa, was a direct descendant of Nan-a-ma- 
kee (Thunder), to whom the Great Spirit had intrusted the medicine 



24 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

bag uf the Sac nation. When Black Hawk was about nineteen j'cars 
of age his father was killed in an encounter with the Cherokees and 
he became the custodian of the great medicine bag, which represented 
the soul of the Sac nation. This medicine bag had never been dis- 
graced and to prepare himself for the onerous duty of preserving it 
unsullied Black Hawk took no part in the military affairs of his tribe 
for about five years, though he had been trained in the arts of war by 
his father and had already distinguished himself upon the field of 
battle. The five years were spent in praying to the Great Spirit for 
the necessary strength and wisdom to perform his duty as custodian 
of the sacred bag. Dining that period he would frequently go to 
the promontory near his home on the Rock River, where he would 
spend hours at a time smoking and meditating. The promontory is 
still called "Black Hawk's Watch Tower." now a favorite summer 
resort connected with the City of Rock Island by a electric railway. 

Black Hawk and a number of his followers were greatly displeased 
with the treaty of 1804, in which General Harrison induced the tribes 
to cede to the United States their lands on the Rock River, and in 
the War of 1812 allied themselves with the British. After that war 
a large part of the Sacs and Foxes entered into a treaty of peace and 
agreed to remove to the west side of the INIississippi River. Black 
Hawk and his friends remained obstinate and their obstinacy finally 
culminated in the Black Hawk war. In the negotiations that followed 
this war the United States Government ignored Black Hawk and 
recognized Keokuk as the principal chief of the Sac and Fox con- 
federac}'. It is said that when the annoiuicement of Keokuk's recog- 
nition was made in the council Black Hawk was so incensed that he 
jerked off his loin cloth and slapped Keokuk in the face with it. A 
report of the United States Bureau of Ethnology- says: "The act 
of creating Keokuk chief of the Sacs has always been regarded with 
ridicule by both the Sacs and Foxes, for the reason that he was not 
of the ruling clan." 

Shortly after Black Hawk was thus unceremoniously deposed as 
chief, he retired to his new village on the Des ]Moines River, near 
lowaville, where he passed his declining years in peace. His death 
occurred on October 3, 1838. About a year later it was discovered 
that his grave had been robbed, but tlirough the efforts of Governor 
Lucas his bones were recovered and sent to St. Louis, where they were 
cleaned and the skeleton wired together. It was then returned to 
the governor and the sons of the old chief were content to allow it 
to remain in the custody of the state. The skeleton was afterward 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 25 

given to the Burlington Geological and Historical Society and it was 
among the relics destroyed hy fire in 18.5.5. Chief Black Hawk was 
never personally connected with the history of Calhovui County, but 
his people claimed the land in this section of the state. Through the 
treaty of 18'}2, that followed immediately after the Black Hawk war, 
the first land in Iowa was opened to the settlement of the white man 
and the white settlements were gradually extended westward until 
Calhoun County came within the domain of civilization. 

Keokuk (the Watchful Fox) was born near Rock Island, Illinois, 
in 1788, and was therefore aliout twenty years the junior of Black 
Hawk. There is a story that his mother was a French half-breed. If 
this be true he was not a chief by heredity, but won that distinction 
through his power of intrigue. One of his biographers says: "He 
was ambitious and while always involved in intrigue never ojienly 
exposed himself to his enemies, but cunningly played one faction 
against the other for his personal advantage." 

It was during the War of ,1812 that Keokuk adopted the policy 
that made him a leader among his people. Black Hawk and a num- 
ber of the Sac and Fox braves were absent, fighting with the British 
against the I/nited States, when news was received at the village on 
the Rock River that the Federal troops were approaching. Some of 
the Indians immediately began making preparations tq abandon the 
village, but Keokuk called them together and addressed them as fol- 
lows: "I have heard with sorrow that you ha\e determined to leave 
our village and cross the ^Mississippi, merely l)ecause you have been 
told that the Americans are coming in this direction. ^Vould you 
leave our village, desert our homes and fly before an enemy a\)- 
proaches? Give me charge of your warriors and I will defend the 
village while you sleep." 

This little speech won the confidence of his people and Ijy the 
time of the Black Hawk Avar bis influence was great enough to pi-e- 
vent a large number of the young men from joining Black Hawk in 
his hostility to the white men. It was chiefly because he was the 
leader of the peace party that the United States officials recognized 
him as the leading chief after the war and in all subsequent dealings 
A\ itli the Sacs and Foxes. An incident that occurred while the Black 
Hawk war was in progress shows the manner in which Keokuk molded 
]Mil)lic opinion. Some of his supporters grew dissatisfied and urged 
bim to join Black Hawk in the effort to recover the Rock River coun- 
try which was once the favorite dwelling jjlace of the two tribes. 
These disgruntled warriors even went so far as to hold a war dance 



26 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

and commence their preparations for taking the tield. At the con- 
ckision of the dance a council was called. With solemn mien Keokuk 
rose in his place and said: 

"Warriors: I am your chief. It is my duty to lead you to battle 
if you are determined to go. ( Here the speaker made a long pause 
while a murmur of approbation ran through the council, after which 
he continued.) But, remember, the United States is a great nation. 
Unless we conquer them we must perish. I will lead you to war 
against the white men on ane condition. That is we shall first put our 
old men, our women and children to death, to save them from a linger- 
ing death by starvation, and then resolve that when we cross the ^lis- 
sissippi we will never retreat, but perish among the graves of our 
fathers, rather than yield to the white men." 

This speech presented the matter in a different light, checked the 
warlike sentiment and resulted in the expedition being abandoned. 
It was a characteristic instance of Keokuk's methods in dealing with 
problems of this nature — acquiescing in the demands of the tribe but 
deftly raising doubts and interposing objections that almost invariably 
won the majority to his view and strengthened his position for the 
next crisis. 

After the treaty of 1832 Keokuk lived on a reservation of 400 
square miles pn the Iowa River. In 1836 this reservation was sold to 
the United States and he removed to Avhat is now Wapello County. 
Here he lived until the treaty of October 11, 1842, soon after which 
he removed to a new village, about five miles southeast of Fort Des 
Moines. In 184.3 he went with the tribe to Kansas and died there in 
April, 1848. His remains were brought to Iowa in 1883 and buried 
in Rand Park, at Keokuk, upon a high l)luff overlooking the JNIissis- 
sippi River. In 11)13 the Keokuk Chapter, Daughters of the Ameri- 
can Revolution, unveiled a monument over his grave. 

Other jMominent Sac and Fox chiefs were Appanoose, Poweshiek 
and Wapello, each of whom was the leader of a considerable band. 
In the language of the tril)e the name Appanoose means "A chief 
when a child," showing that he was a chief by inlieritance. He was a 
Sac and was a member of the peace party at the time of the Black 
Hawk war. Poweshiek, a chief of the same rank as Ajipanoose, 
escorted General Street through the cession made by the treaty of 
1837, and after the removal of the Indians west of what was called 
the "Red Rock Line" in 1843 located on the Skunk River, near the 
present City of Colfax, in Jasper County. ^Vhen the main body of 
the tribe removed to Kansas, a portion of Poweshiek's band located 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 27 

in Tama County. la. AVapello was born at Prairie dii Chien, Wis., 
in 1787, and died near tlie forks of the Skunk River on INIarch 15, 
1842, more than six months before the negotiation of the treaty that 
forced his peojjle from their hunting grovmds in Iowa to a strange 
land beyond the 3Iissouri River. He was a warm personal friend of 
Gen. Joseph M. Street, agent of the Sacs and Foxes, and was buried 
by his side at the Sac and Fox agency (now Agency City, \Vapello 
County). All three of those chiefs were with the party that visited 
Washington, D. C, in 1837, and the people of Iowa have named 
counties in their honor. 

]Matanequa, the last war chief of the Sacs and Foxes, is deserving 
of more tlian passing mention. He was born at Dulnique in 1810 and 
is said to have been a typical Indian, both physically and intellectuallj\ 
Like Keokuk, he was not a member of the ruling clan, but won his 
chieftainsliip through his bravery in war and his skill in hantlling and 
controlling men. He possessed executive ability of a bigh order, an 
attribute recognized by his people in July, 18.)7, when he was made 
one of the five men to select a new place of residence in Iowa for 
his band. JNIatanequa and his four associates purchased eighty acres 
of land in Tama County, la., to which they removed the memliers of 
their band. Other purchases were made from time to time until they 
owned about three thousand acres. iNIatanequa was the last survivor 
of the five who selected the location. He died on October 4, 1897, 
and such was the esteem in which he was held by the white people that 
many of the citizens of Tama County closed their places of business 
to attend his funeral. He was known as the "^Varwick of the jNIus- 
quakies" — a man who elevated others to positions of power but was 
never king himself. 

THE lOWAS 

Next in importance to the Sacs and Foxes in the history of the 
Indian tribes of Iowa were the lowas (Sleepy Ones), who gave to 
the great Ilawkeye State its name. Ethnologically they belonged 
to the Siouan group, but, according to their traditions they once were 
allied with the Winnebagos and lived with that nation north of the 
Great I^akes. They were first noticed by white men in 1690. Avhen 
they occupied a district on the shores of Lake ^Michigan, under a 
chief called ]Man-han-gaw. Here they separated from the Winne- 
bago and, for some reason not made plain, received the name of "Gray 
Snow Indians." Schoolcraft says this tribe migrated no less than 



28 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

fifteen times. After separating from the Winnebago they took up 
their abode on the Roek River, in llhnois, Avhere they became affihated 
with the Sacs and Foxes. Next they removed to the valley of the 
Iowa River. In ISiS an Iowa Indian prepared a map showhig the 
movements of the tribe from the time they left the Winnebago nation. 
Connected with this map was a tradition which says: 

"After living on the Rock River for several years, the tribe left 
the Sacs and Foxes and Avandered off westward in search of a new 
home. Crossing the IMississippi, they turned southward and reached 
a higli l)lufF near the mouth of the Iowa River. I^ooking off over the 
beautiful valley spread out before them, they halted, exclaiming 
'loway! loway!' which in their language means 'This is the place.' " 

They next lived in the Des jNIoines Valley, in the present counties 
of Davis, Van Bui-en, Jefferson and Wapello. From here they went 
farther up the Des JNIoines into what is now JMahaska County, which 
bears the name of one of the leading Iowa chiefs. Their next move 
was to the INIissouri River, thence up into Dakota and Northwestern 
Iowa, about Spirit Lake and the headwaters of the Big Sioux River. 

The tribe was divided into eight gentes or clans, to wit: Elk, 
Eagle, Pigeon, Buffalo, Bear, ^Volf, Beaver and Snake. They wor- 
sliijjed the Great Spirit and had a tradition of a great flood that 
destroyed all the animals and people except those who escaped in a 
great canoe. The Great Spirit then made a new man and woman 
from red clay, and from this couple were descended all the Indian 
tribes. Hawks and rattlesnakes were objects of veneration. 

jNIahaska (White Cloud) , one of the most noted of the Iowa chiefs, 
claimed to be a direct descendant of the great chief jNIan-han-gaw. 
It is said that while he Avas chief he led his braves in eighteen battles 
with the Sioux on the north and the Osage tribe on the south and 
always came off victorious. In 182-1, accompanied by his wife, Rant- 
che-wai-me, he was one of the party of chiefs that visited ^Vashing- 
ton. Upon their return to the tribe Rant-che-wai-me warned the 
Indian Avomen against the vices and follies of their AA'hite sisters as 
she saAv them during the tour. The folloAving year (182.3) the loAA-as 
ceded all their interest in loAva lands to the LTnited States. 

THE POTTAAVATOMI 

This tribe Avas at one time one of the poA\'erful tribes of the great 
Algonquian family. They Avere closely allied Avith the Sacs and 
Foxes and a ])ortion of the tribe at one time dAvelt in loAva. INIany 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 29 

of the early treaties made witli the Sacs and Foxes were approved or 
ratified hy the Pottawatonii before they heeaine effective. French 
missionaries and traders first came in contact with these Indians near 
the northerzi limits of the ^Michigan peninsula, where they were known 
as the "Nation of Fire." Nicollet met Avitli some of them in Wiscon- 
sin as early as 1()(U. Baccineville de la Potherie, an early French 
writer, says: "In lliG.") or l(i()(5 the Pottawatonii took the southern and 
the Sac the northern shores of Green Bay, and the Winnebago, who 
were not fishermen, went back into the forests to live on venison and 
bear meat." 

About the close of the Revolutionary war a part of the tribe moved 
eastward and in the early years of the nineteenth centuiy occupied 
practically all that part of Indiana north of the Wabash River. By 
the treaty of August 'i-l, 1816, they ceded to the United States the 
greater portion of their lands along the shores of I^ake jNIichigan, 
including the site of the present City of Chicago, and received in 
exchange therefor some of the Sac and Fox lands in AVestern Illinois. 
In 1833 they ceded all their lands in Indiana and Illinois and received 
a tract of .5,000,000 acres in Southwestern Iowa, to which they 
removed in 1835. Peter A. Sarpy was one of the first traders among 
these Indians after they came to Iowa, and in 1838 Davis Hardin 
opened a farm and built a mill for the tribe near Council Bluffs, which 
city is the county seat of a county bearing the tribal name, though 
their agency was located in what is now ^Nlills County. At the time 
they removed to their Iowa reservation the tribe numbered about three 
thousand people. By the treaty of June 5, 184<6, the Pottawatonii 
suiTendered their lands in Iowa in exchange for a reservation thirty 
miles square in Kansas, where a few of them still live. 

THE WINNEBAGO 

Strictly speaking, this tribe belonged to Siovian family, but far 
back in the past they became allied with the Algonquian tribes liv- 
ing about the Great Lakes and some ethnologists class them as being 
members of the Algonquian group. They are first mentioned in his- 
tory as early as 1669, when they were allied with the lowas, Pottawa- 
tomi, Chippewa, Sac and Fox and other Algonquian tribes. In the 
Revolutionary war the Winnebago fought on the side of the Brit- 
ish; took jjart in the battle of Fallen Timbers against the forces com- 
manded by Gen. Anthony Wayne in the summer of 1794; some of 
the tribe was in the battle of Tippecanoe in November, 1811. and 



30 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

joined the Pottawatomi in the massacre at Fort Dearborn (now Chi- 
cago) in 1812. They were friendly to Black Hawk at the time of 
his uprising in 1832, though it was through the treachery of some 
of this tribe that Black Hawk was captured. For some time the 
Winnebago occupied the tract known as the "Neutral Ground" in 
Northeastern Iowa as a reservation, which they received in exchange 
for their lands east of the JNIississippi. One of the leading Winne- 
bago chiefs was Wee-no-shiek (or Winneshiek), in whose honor one 
of the counties in Northeastern Iowa was named. By intermarriage 
with the Sacs and Foxes they became closely allied with those tribes 
and roamed freely all over the State of Iowa. 

THE SIOUX 

Under this general name were grouped all the tribes of the Siouan 
family. The French first met with these Indians in 1640, near the 
headwaters of the Mississippi River. Father Hennepin and his band 
of explorers were captured by the Sioux in April, 1080, and held in 
captivity until the following Scptemlier, when they were rescued by 
DuLuth. When the French traders came into the Sioux country five 
years later they found there sixteen distinct tribes. During the fol- 
lowing years most of the tribes became hostile to the French and in 
the hostilities some of the Indians were driven back to the country 
about the sources of the Des INIoines River and Okoboji and Spirit 
lakes, in Northwestern Iowa. All the Sioux tribes were noted for 
their bravery and warlike disposition. One of their most noted chiefs 
in the early part of the nineteenth century was Waneta, the leader 
of the Yankton band, who, with a number of his tribesmen espoused 
the cause of the British in the War of 1812 and took an active part 
in the battle of Sandusky. Another Sioux chief of later years was 
Inkpadutah, who led his bloodthirsty warriors against the early white 
settlers of Dickinson County, la., in what has become known as the 
"Spirit Lake ^Massacre." 

In this chapter the aim has been to give to the reader some general 
idea of the character of the INIound Builders — the first inhabitants of 
the interior of the United States — and of the leading Indian tribes 
that once had their hunting grounds in the present State of Iowa. In 
the next chapter will be found an account of the treaties by which the 
white man gained possession of the land. Through the operation of 
the various treaties of cession, the red men had nearly all been removed 
from Iowa before the first settlement was made by white men in 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 31 

Calhoun County, though small hunting parties of Indians occasion- 
ally passed through the county after the first settlers came. Although 
no well-defined Indian village sites, nor no relics of historic impor- 
tance have heen found in the comity, evidence is not wanting that the 
Sacs and Foxes, the Pottawatomi, the Winnehago, the Sioux, and 
perhaps the Iowa Indians all, at some period or another, hunted 
through this section of the state and sojourned for a time at least 
within the jiresent limits of the county. There is a legend or tradition 
that a hattle was once fought between two tribes near Twin Lakes, 
but the particulars of the engagement cannot be learned. 



CHAPTER III 
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 

EARLY EXPLORATIONS IN AMERICA CLAIMS OF ENGLAND, FRANCE AND 

SPAIN THE JESUITS DISCOVERY OF THE :MISSISSIPPI BY Z^IAR- 

QUETTE AND JOLIET LA SAIJ.E LOUISIANA CONFLICTING INTER- 
ESTS FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR FUR COMPANIES CLARK's CON- 
QUEST OF THE NORTHWEST NAVIGATION OF THE 3IISSISSIPPI THE 

LOUISIANA PURCHASE — UNITED STATES JURISDICTION — TERRITORY 
OF IOWA — ACQUIRING THE INDIAN LANDS — POLICIES OF DIFFERENT 

NATIONS IN DEALING WITH THE INDIANS TREATY OF ISO! BLACK 

HAWK WAR THE NEUTRAI, GROUND TREATY OF 1830 TREATY 

OF 1832 — TREATY OF 1842 — FORT DES MOINES — THE LAST TREATIES. 

The old saying "Rome Avas not built in a day," will fitly apply to 
every city, every political division or subdivision of the various 
civili/ed countries of the world. Civilization is the product of a grad- 
ual evolution, and Calhoun County, like all other political subdivisions 
of the United States, is the outcome of a series of events running 
back for many years. I^ong before the county, as such, was even 
dreamed of, the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus 
started the chain of evejits that has led to the establishment of the 
Republic of the United States and the division of the interior of the 
continent into states and counties. It is quite probable that many of 
the citizens of Calhoun Comity never gave this subject a serious 
thought, but in order that the reader may be able to form some gen- 
eral idea of the evolution of the State of Iowa and the County of 
Calhoun, it is deemed a])propriate to give a general account of the 
events that preceded and led up to their establishment. 

In 1493, the year following the first voyage of Columbus to the 
New World, the pope granted to the King and Queen of Spain "all 
countries inhabited by infidels." The extent of the continent discov- 
ered was not then known, but this papal grant included in a vague 
way the present State of Iowa, the whole of what is now the United 

32 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 83 

States beiiiu' tluii iiiliabited by Indian tribes that knew not the reh- 
ly'um (if the C'athohc Church and therefore came within the categoiy 
of "intidels." 

Three years hiter Hemy VII of Enghind granted to John Cabot 
and his sons a patent of discovery, possession and trade "to all lands 
they may discover and laj' claim to in the name of the English crown." 
Between that time and the close of the fifteenth century the Cabots 
made explorations along the Atlantic coast, and their discoveries 
formed the basis of England's claim to all the central portion of 
North America. 

While Spain was operating in the West Indies and along the 
coast of the Gulf of Mexico, and the English along the Atlantic 
coast from the vicinity of Cape Ilatteras northward, the French Gov- 
ernment sent Jacques Cartier on an expedition to America. Cartier 
discovered and laid claim to the Valley of the St. Lawrence Kiver 
and the region a])out the Great Lakes, whence the French pushed 
their explorations westward to the JNIississippi River and southward 
into the Ohio Valley. 

Following the custom of tb.at period, each of these three great 
European nations claimed title to certain territory "by right of dis- 
covery." Spain's papal grant was supplemented by the expedition 
of Hernando de Soto into the interior in 1540-42. De Soto died in 
the wilds and his body was buried in the great river he discovered. 
The few survivors finally reached the Spanish colonies in Florida and 
upon their report Spain claimed all the land bordering upon the IVIis- 
sissippi as well as the Gulf coast. 

In 1620 the British Government, ignoring the authority of the 
pope and the exploratif)ns of De Soto, issued a charter to the Ply- 
mouth Company including "'all the lands between the fortieth and 
forty-eighth parallels of north latitude from sea to sea." Eight years 
later the JNIassachusetts Bay Company received from the English 
crown a grant that included a strip about one hundred miles wide 
through the central part of the present State of Iowa. The northern 
boundary of this grant crossed the Mississippi not far from where 
Prairie du Chien, Wis., now stands, and the southern boundary 
crossed the river a few miles south of the present City of jNIuscatine, 
la. Thus Iowa, or at least a portion of it, was claimed by both Spain 
and England "by right of discovery," but no effort was made by 
either nation to extend settlement into the interior. The Spaniards 
were so busily engaged in the search for the rumored rich gold and 
silver mines that they paid but little attention to the establishment of 



34 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

permanent settlements, while the English were apparently content 
with their Httle colonies at Jamestown, Va., and in New England. 

Meantime the French were not idle. Port Royal was settled in 
IGOJ. and Quebec was founded by Samuel Champlain in 1608, only 
about a year after the English colony was planted at Jamestown. 
Tlu-ee years later Jesuit missionaries from Quebec visited the Indian 
tribes living about the Great Lakes, and in 1616 a French explorer 
named Le Caron visited the country of the Huron and Iroquois 
Indians. The rc])orts of Le Caron and the missionaries showed the 
possibilities of o])ening up a profitable trade with the natives, espe- 
cially in furs, and French explorations were pushed still farther west- 
ward. In 163-1 Jean Nicollet reached the Fox River country, in what 
is now the State of Wisconsin. For more than half a century, how- 
ever, after the founding of Quebec, no systematic effort was made by 
the French to establish anything like a colony in the Great Lake 
country. 

In the fall of 166.^ Claude iVllouez, who was one of the most active 
of the Jesuit Fathers, held a council with the Indians at the Chippewa 
village, on the southern shore of Lake Superior. At this council sev- 
eral of the most powerful Indian tribes were represented. Chiefs 
of the Sioux, Chippewa, Sacs, Foxes, Pottawatomi and Illini were 
j)resent and to them and their ])eoj)le AUouez promised the protec- 
tion of the great French father, thus opening the way for the estab- 
lishment of trading posts in the Indian country. Some of the Sioux 
and Illini chiefs told Allouez of a great river farther to the westward, 
"called by them the Me-sa-sip-pi, which they said no white man had 
yet seen (these Indians knew nothing of the expedition of De Soto), 
and along which fur-bearing animals abounded." 

The first white settlement in the present State of INIichigan — the 
Mission of St. Mary's — was established by Father Allouez and 
another missionary named Claude Dablon in 1668. Friendly rela- 
tions were soon built uj) between the inhabitants of the mission and 
the neighboring Indians, which, with the reports carried back by 
Nicollet, led the French authorities in Canada to send Nicholas Perrot 
as the authoi-ized agent of the Government to arrange for a grand 
council with the natives. The council was held at St. Mary's in May, 
1671. Refore the close of that year Jac(iues ^Marquette, one of the 
most influential of the Jesuit missionaries in America, founded the 
mission of Point St. Ignace, near where the City of Mackinaw now 
stands, for the benefit of the Huron Indians. For many years this 
mission was considered as the key to the great, unexplored ^Vest. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 35 

Father ^Marquette had tirst hcaiil of the ^reat river througli the 
aeeoiiiit ^iveii l)y ^VUouez of the eouiieil liehl at the Chippewa vilhige, 
and Avas tilled with a desire to verify the reports of the Indians regard- 
ing its existenee. Fearing hostility, or at least some opposition, on 
the ])art of the Indians, he made no effort in that direetion nntil after 
the eouiieil of KiTl. Some time was then spent in making his prepara- 
tions, and in ohtaining the consent of the Canadian officials. In the 
spring of lOT-'i, armed with the projjer credentials, he went to Michili- 
niackinac to complete his final arrangements. It is said that the 
friendly Indians, when they learned his intention, tried to discourage 
him hy telling him tliat the Indians along the great river were cniel 
and treacherous, and that the river itself was the abiding place of ter- 
rible monsters that could swallow both men and canoes. 

Notwithstanding all such horrible stories, IMarcjuette hurried for- 
ward his })reparations for the start and on iSlay l.'J, 1673, accompanied 
by Louis Joliet, explorer and trader, and five voyageurs, with two 
large canoes, the little expedition left the mission. Passing up Green 
Bay to the mouth of the Fox River, they ascended that stream to 
the portage, crossed over to the \Viseonsin River and descended it 
in the belief that it emptied into the great river of which they were 
in search. Nor were they mistaken in their reckoning. On the morn- 
ing of June 17, 1673, a little more than a month after leaving INliehili- 
mackinac, their canoes floated out upon the broad bosom of the Mis- 
sissippi and for the first time in history white men beheld the Iowa 
bluffs near the present City of INlcGregor. Turning their canoes 
southward they descended the great Father of Waters, carefully 
noting the landmarks as they passed along. On the 25th of Jvme 
they landed on the west bank of the river, "sixty leagues below the 
mouth of the \Visconsin River," where they noticed footprints in the 
soft earth. Sixty leagues below the mouth of the Wisconsin would 
throw this landing about the present Town of ]\Iontrose, Lee Coimt>% 
la. There is little doubt that Maniuette and Joliet were the first 
white men to set foot upon the soil of Iowa. 

Desirous of meeting the natives whose footprints they saw upon 
the river bank, Marquette and Joliet left the five voyageurs to guard 
the canoes and sujjplies and went back into the country. They fol- 
lowed the trail for several miles, when they came to an Indian village 
and noticed two other villages in the vicinity. The Indians informed 
^Marquette and Joliet that they belonged to the Illini tribe and that 
the name of their village, as well as the river upon which it was situ- 
ated, was "Moingona." After a visit of several days among the 



36 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Indians tlic two Frenchmen were accompanied back to their canoes 
by the chiefs and a large party of warriors. Upon arriving at the 
INIississippi one of the chiefs addressed Marquette as follows: 

"I thank the black-gown chief for taking so much pains to come 
and visit us. Never before has the earth been so lieautiful nor the 
sun so bright. Never has the river been so calm and free from rocks, 
whicli your canoe has removed. Never has the tobacco liad so fine 
a flavor, nor our corn appeared so beautiful as we behold it today. 
Ask the Great Spirit to give us life and health, and lie you pleased 
to come and dwell among us." 

One of the chiefs then presented Marquette witli a calumet, or 
peace pipe, elaborately decorated, as a token of the tribe's good 
wishes, after which the two Frenchmen continued their voyage down 
the JNIississippi until they met with a tribe of Indians whose language 
they could not understand, when they returned to Canada. 

In 1678 Louis XIV, then King of France, granted to Robert 
Cavelier, Sieiu- de la Salle, a patent to explore tlie western portions 
of New France, as the French possessions in America were called. 
La Salle's ambition was to follow the great river from its source to 
its mouth, and after several unsuccessful attempts his ambition was 
realized. In the expedition of 1680 he sent Father Louis Hennepin 
to lead an expedition from the mouth of the Illinois River to the head- 
waters of tlie jNIississippi, and in April of tliat year Father Hennepin 
readied the Falls of St. Anthony. The descent of the stream was 
not so easy, but after several failures La Salle finally readied the 
mouth of the river, where on April 9, 1682, he planted the cross and 
took possession of all the territory drained by the ^Mississippi and its 
tributaries in the name of France, giving the territory the name of 
Louisiana, in honor of the French king. 

On April 8, 1689, Nicholas Perrot took formal possession of the 
upper JNIississippi Valley for his government and built a trading post 
on a river which he named St. Nicholas. In 1700 liC Sueur went up 
the river looking for some lead mines, which Indian traditions said 
existed somewhere in that region, but four score years elapsed before 
the mines became the property of the white man through the conces- 
sion granted by the Sac and Fox Indians to Julien Duliucjue. 

It is not surprising that in time a conflict of interests arose among 
the English, Sjianish and French. Spain claimed the interior of the 
continent by virtue of De Soto's discovery of the Mississippi River. 
England had sent no expeditions into the interior, but upon the dis- 
coveries made bv the Cabots claimed tlic countrv "from sea to sea." 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 37 

France was really the first to make actual explorations in the INIissis- 
sippi A'alley ; the claim of La Salle was acknowledged by other Euro- 
pean nations, and what is now the State of Iowa thus became a part 
of the French jDossessions in North America. At the close of the 
seventeenth century the English settlements occvipied the Atlantic 
coast from ]Maine to Georgia; Spain was in possession of Florida 
and that part of the Gulf coast not included in Louisiana; and France 
held the Valley of the St. Lawrence, the Great Lake Basin and the 
Mississippi Valley. 

Soon after the beginning of the eighteenth century, France 
decided to send colonists to Louisiana tlirough the medium of a cor- 
poration or proprietor. Consequently, in 1712 the French Govern- 
ment granted to Antoine Crozat. a wealthy merchant, a charter giv- 
ing him exclusive control of the Louisiana trade under certain con- 
ditions. But when his agents arrived in America to carry out his 
orders they found the Spanish ports on the Ciulf coast closed to Cro- 
zat's vessels, for Spain, while recognizing France's claims to the 
province of Louisiana, as based upon the discoveries of La Salle, was 
jealous of French ambitions. After five j-ears of Spanish opposition 
and other difficulties, Crozat surrendered his charter and was suc- 
ceeded by the JNlississijipi Company, which was organized bj^ John 
Law as a branch of the Bank of France. In 1718 Law sent some 
eight hundred colonists to Louisiana and the next year Philipe 
Renault went up the INIississippi to the Illinois country with about 
two hundred colonists, his object being to establish posts and open 
u]) a trade with the Indians. Law was a good promoter but a poor 
executive. In 1720 his whole scheme collaj^sed, and so dismal Avas the 
failure that his company is known in history as the "Mississippi Bub- 
ble." For several years he contimied his feeble efforts, but finally on 
April 10, 1732, he surrendered his charter and Louisiana again became 
a French crown province. 

In the meantime the English had been gradually pushing the 
frontier of their civilization farther toward the west. As early as 
1067 the Hudson's Bay Company had been organized and its trap- 
pers and traders passed freely among the Indian tribes of the interior, 
despite the French claim to the territory and oblivious to French pro- 
tests against their trespasses. 

FRENCH AXD IXDIAX AVAR 

As mentioned in the preceding cha])ter. the Fox Indians made 
an attack on the French j^ost at Detroit in 1712. Their action on 



38 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

that occasion had been incited by some of the EngHsh traders. Again 
in 1730 the English and Dutch traders made an effort to drive out 
French competition by inciting the Indians to hostility. But the first 
open rupture between the two nations did not come initil 17.)3, when 
the French began the establishriient of a line of forts from the Great 
Lakes to the Ohio River for the pin-pose of resisting further English 
enci"oachments upon French domain, claiming that the Allegheny 
Mountains marked the natural boundary, beyond which the British 
should not pass. At least one of the French forts was located upon 
land claimed by Virginia, and Governor Dinwiddle of that colony 
sent George Washington, then just turned twenty-one, to demand 
of the French commandant an explanation of this invasion of Eng- 
^ lish rterritory while the nations were at peace. The reply was insolent 

and in 1854 Washington was sent with a detachment of troops into 
I, the disputed territory, having been promoted to the rank of lieutenant- 

colonel. 

Some years prior to this time a charter had been granted by the 
British Government to a company called the Ohio Company. The 
charter carried with it a grant to a large tract of land and the right 
to trade \\'ith the Indians on the Great Miami River. In 1750 the 
Ohio Company built a fort and established a trading post near the 
site of the present City of Piqua, O. Regarding this as an encroach- 
ment upon French territory, the Canadian authorities sent a detach- 
ment of French soldiery and Indians to break up the post. The Ohio 
Company then began a new post at the head of the Ohio River, where 
the City of Pittsburgh now stands, but again they were driven away 
by the French. Part of Washington's instructions in 175-i was "to 
complete the fort already commenced by the Ohio Company at the 
forks of the Ohio, and to capture, kill or drive out all who attempted 
to interfere with the English posts." 

An order of this nature aroused the indignation of France and in 
INIay. 17.)r), that nation formally declared war against Great Britain. 
The conflict that followed is known in American history as the 
"French and Indian ^Var," and in Europe as the "Seven Years War." 
After keeping the American colonies and Indian tribes in a state of 
unrest for several years, the war was concluded by the treaty of Fon- 
tainebleau on November 3, 1762, by which France ceded that part 
of Louisiana lying east of the IMississip^n River (except the city and 
island of New Orleans) to England. The treaty of Fontainebleau 
was ratified by the treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763, and on the 
same day it was announced that, by an agreement previously made 



J 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 39 

in secret, all that jiart of Louisiana lying west of the INIississippi was 
ceded to Spain. Through the negotiation of these treaties the juris- 
diction of France in what is now the United States was brought to 
an end and Iowa became a Spanish possession. 

About the time that Western Louisiana was transferred to Spain, 
a fur company was organized in New Orleans for the purpose of 
trading with the Indian tribes living in the country betAveen the upper 
Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Pierre Laclede, one 
of the organizers of this company, laid out the City of St. Louis, Mo., 
which (juickly became the headquarters of the company, its rej^re- 
sentatives operating in Avhat are now the states of JNIinnesota, Iowa, 
Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. 

About 1766 a number of independent English trappers and 
traders also came into the upper jNIississippi Valley, and some writers 
.state that they traded with the Indians of Iowa. At first they operated 
without the sanction of the English colonial authorities and were not 
always strictly within the limits of the law in their dealings with the 
natives. To remove this difficulty and render them amenable to law 
they were organized as the Nortliwest Fur Company, which con- 
tested with the French traders of the New Orleans Company for the 
Indian trade of the great Northwest until the commencement of the 
Revolutionary war. 

At the close of the French and Indian war many of the people 
living west of the INIississippi remained in the province, became Span- 
ish subjects, and took an active part in business and public affairs. 
On the east side of the river it was different. INIany of the French 
subjects there refused to acknowledge allegiance to Great Britain 
and removed to the Spanish possessions across the river. When the 
English colonies declared war against the mother country, a large 
number of them retm-ned to the east side of the river and joined the 
colonists in their struggle for independence. In the temtory acquired 
by Great Britain by the treaty of Fontainebleau, several posts had 
been established, the most important of which were those at Detroit, 
Vincennes, Cahokia and Kaskaskia. At the lieginning of the Revolu- 
tion Detroit had al)out two hundred houses, Vincennes and Kaskaskia 
about eighty each, and Cahokia about fifty. There were also a few 
families living at Prairie du Rocher, just across the Mississippi from 
St. I>ouis. Virginia then claimed a large expanse of country extend- 
ing westward and including the posts in Indiana and Illinois. In 
1778 the I.,egislature of that colony, upon the recommendation of 
Gov. Patrick Henry, authorized an expedition under Gen. George 



40 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Rogers Clark for the reduction of the British posts upon ^^irginia 
territory. One of tlie most thriUing campaigns of the War for Inde- 
pendence was Clark's conquest of the Northwest, by which the map 
of Central North America was once more changed, for by the treaty 
of 1783, which ended the Revolutionary war. the western boundary 
of the United States was fixed at the JNIississippi River, thus giv- 
ing to the new republic a large tract of country in addition to the 
thirteen colonies that had rebelled against British injustice and 
oppression. 

It was not long after the independence of the United States was 
established until the new nation became involved in a controversy 
with the Spanish officials in Louisiana over the free navigation of the 
Mississip])i. The final settlement of this controversy had a direct 
and important influence u])on that part of the country now compris- 
ing the State of Iowa. Posts were established by the Spanish at 
various places along the river, and every boat descending the stream 
was compelled to land at such posts and subnut to arbitrary revenue 
exactions. As the JNIississippi constituted the natural outlet for a 
large part of the commerce of the United States, it was humiliating 
to the American citizen to see it under the control of a foreign power. 
Moreover, the system of revenue duties inaugiu'ated by the Spanish 
authorities materially decreased the ])rofits of the American trader. 
After much discussion and diplomatic correspondence, the (juestion 
was finally settled, temporarily at least, on October '20, 179.), by the 
treaty of ]Madrid, which provided that "The JNIississippi River, from 
its source to the gulf, for its entire width, shall be free to American 
ti'ade and commerce, and the people of the United States shall be 
permitted, for three years, to use the ))ort of New Orleans as a port 
of deposit without payment of duty." 

During the three years that Amei-icans were allf)wed the use of 
the Y>ort of New Orleans the commerce of the states bordering on the 
]NIississip])i showed a marked increase in volume. But at the expira- 
tion of that time Spain showed a .disposition to retiu'u to the old order 
of things and the free navigation of the JNIississippi again became a 
subject of vital interest to the people of the United States. It was 
pointed out that the language of the treaty was such that the three- 
years provision ajiplied oidy to the use of the port of New Orleans, 
and not to the navigation of the river. While the question was imder 
discussion a secret treaty was negotiated between France and Sjiain, 
at San Ildefonso in the fall of 1800. by which S])ain agreed to cede 
Louisiana back to France, under certain conditions. The secret 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 41 

ao-reenient was ratified bv the treaty of JNIadrid wliich was concluded 
on ^larch '21, 1801, and was soon afterward made public. A copy of 
it was sent to President Jefferson by Rufus King, the United States 
minister to England. The recession of Louisiana to France changed 
the whole situation, inasnuich as the United States must now negoti- 
ate with France for the free navigation of the river. 

Little progress was made during the next two years toward a 
satisfactory adjustment of the navigation matter. On January 7, 
1803, the lower house of the United States Congress adopted the fol- 
lowing: "Resolved, that it is the unalterable determination of the 
United States to maintain the boundaries and the rights of naviga- 
tion and commerce through the jNIississippi River, as established by 
existing treaties." 

The next move was made by President Jefferson a few days later, 
when, with the consent of Congress, he despatched Robert R. Living- 
ston and James 31onroe as special envoys to Paris with instnictions 
to negotiate a treaty that woidd secure to the United States the free 
navigation of tlie ^Mississippi, "not as a favor, but as a right." They 
\vere also instructed to secure, if possible, the cession of the city and 
island of New Orleans to the United States, which would give this 
nation the full control of the mouth of the river. At the first favorable 
opportunity Livingston and Monroe presented the question of the 
cession to M. Talleyrand, the French prime minister, who (piietly 
suggested that it might be possible for the United States to acquire 
the entire Province of Louisiana. A few days later the envoys extra- 
ordinary had an interview with Napoleon, who offered to cede the 
entire province to the United States and mentioned the sum of 
82.5,000.000 as a fair consideration therefor. There were no tele- 
graphs or other methods of quick communication in those daj^s; Wash- 
ington is a long way from Paris; yet whatever was done had to be 
done {juickly. and wlien a few days later Napoleon reduced the price 
to $1.5,000,000 the offer was accepted, notwithstanding the histruc- 
tions given to Livingston and INIonroe did not contemplate such action 
nil their pai't. They saw, however, that the acquisition of Louisiana 
offered a complete solution to the navigation problem, by giving the 
L'nited States the complete control of the entire river, and accepted 
the proposition hoping that the i)resident would a]J])rove and Con- 
gi'ess ratify the proceeding. The treaty was accordingly concluded 
on the last day of April, 1803, by which Iowa became a part of the 
territory of the L^nited States. 



42 PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Had Livingston and ^Monroe been lacking- in initiative and adhered 
strictly to the letter of their instructions, they might have acquired 
the city and island of New Orleans, leaving all the rest of the province 
in the hands of France. In that case, what the history of Iowa might 
have been can only be conjectured. But the desire of Napoleon to 
dispose of the entire province and the fact that the envoys exceeded 
their instructions place Iowa among the states of the American Union. 

The treaty was promptly ratified by Congress and on December 
20, 1803, Gen. James Wilkinson and Gov. William Claiborne, of 
Mississippi, acting as commissioners on behalf of the United States, 
took formal possession of the province and raised the Stars and 
Stripes at New Orleans. Thus the territory of the United States 
was extended westward to the Rocky Mountains and northward from 
the Gvdf of jNIexico to the forty-ninth parallel of north latitude. 

Fifteen millions represented a large sum of money at that time 
and in giving his ajjproval to the action of Livingston and JNIonroe 
President Jefferson exjjressed some doubt as to whether the people 
would likewise approve the acquisition of such a vast and practically 
uninhabited domain. His fears were without foundation, however, 
as he was again elected president in 180-1. The great plains of the 
West have since then become the greatest wealth producing section 
of the country. At the present time there is not a county in Iowa in 
which the property is not valued at more than the original purchase 
price of all Louisiana. In Calhoun the property is valued at nearly 
three times that sum. 

UNITED STATES JURISDICTIOInT 

On ]\Iarch 26, 1804, President Jefferson approved an act of 

Congress dividing Louisiana, by providing that from aTid after Octo- 

bei- 1. 1804, all that part of the province lying south of the thirty-third 

parallel of north latitude was to be known as the Territorv of Orleans, 

• , * . . 

and the country north of that parallel as the District of Louisiana. 

In the latter was included the ])resent State of Iowa. The District 

of Louisiana was placed under the jurisdiction of the Territory of 

Indiana, of which Gen. AVilliam H. Harrison was then governor. On 

July 4, 180;3, the District of I^ouisiana was organized as a separate 

territoiy with a government of its own. In 1812 the Territory of 

Orleans was admitted into the Union as the State of Louisiana and 

the name of the upper district was then changed to the Territory of 

Missouri. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 43 

When the State of ^Missouri was admitted uito the Union in 
3Iarch, 1821, the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase was left 
without any form of civil government. No one seems to have given 
the matter any serious thouglit. at the time, as the only white people 
in the territory were a few hunters, trappers and the agents of the 
different fin* companies, all of whom were more interested in their 
occui^ations than in paying taxes. Eleven years later the large tract 
of land in Eastern Iowa known as tlie "Black Hawk Purchase" was 
accjuired by the United States through the treaty with the Sacs and 
Foxes on September 21, 1832. This was the first cession of Indian 
lands in Iowa intended for white occupation. Preparations for the 
settlement of the new purchase were soon commenced and it then 
became necessary to establish some form of government over a region 
that had lain without the pale of authority for about twelve years. 
On June 28, IH^i, President Jackson approved an act of Congress 
attaching Iowa to the Territory of ^Michigan, which then included 
all the territory from Lake Huron westward to the JNIissouri River. 
Iowa thus became a part of ]Michigan. 

On April 20, 1836, the President approved the act creating the 
Territory of Wisconsin, but it did not take effect until the foiu-th 
of July following. Gen. Henry Dodge was appointed governor of 
the new territory, which embraced all the country west of the Mis- 
sissippi River, and on October 3, 1836, pursuant to Governor Dodge's 
proclamation, the first election ever held in Iowa was held for the 
election of members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature. 

TERRITORY OF IOWA 

Early in the fall of 1837 the question of dividing the Territory 
of Wisconsin and establishing a new territory west of the ^Mississippi 
became a subject of engrossing interest to the people living west of 
the river. The sentiment in favor of a new territory found definite 
expression in a convention held at Burlington on November 6, 1837, 
which a(lo])ted a memorial to Congress asking that body to establish 
a new territory west of the ^lississippi. In response to this expres- 
sion of ])()pular sentiment. Congress passed an act, which was 
approved by President Van Buren on June 12, 1838, dividing the 
Territory of AVisconsin and erecting the Territoiy of Iowa. The 
act became effective on July 3, 1838. President Van Buren appointed 
Robert Lucas, of Ohio, as the first territorial governor; William B. 
Conway, of Pennsylvania, secretary; Charles IMason, of Burlington, 



44 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

chief justice; Thomas S. Wilson, of Dubuque, and Joseph WilHams, 
of Pennsylvania, associate judges. 

The boundaries of Iowa Territory, as described in the original 
organic act, included "all that part of the Territory of Wisconsin 
which lies west of the ]Mississippi River and west of a line drawn 
due north from the headwater or sources of the JMississippi to the 
northern boundary of the territory of the United States." 

On February 12, 1844, more than eleven years before Calhoun 
County was organized, the Iowa Legislature, with the consent and 
authority of the Federal Government, passed an act jH-oviding for 
the election of delegates to a constitutional convention, Avhich met 
at Iowa City on October 7, 1844, and finished its work on the first 
day of November. The constitution framed by this convention was 
submitted to the peojjle at the election on August 4, 184.5, and was 
rejected by a vote of 7,6.56 to 7,23.5. 

On JNIay 4, 1846, a second constitutional convention assembled 
at Iowa City and remained in session for two weeks. The result of 
its labors was submitted to the people at the general election held on 
August 3, 1846, when the constitution was ratified by a vote of 9,492 
to 9,036. It was also approved by Congress and on December 28, 
1846. President Polk affixed his signature to the bill providing for 
the admission of Iowa into the Union as a state. 

ACQUIRING THE IXDIAX LAXDS 

Through Gen. George Rogers Clark's conquest of the British 
posts in Indiana and Illinois the lioiindary of the United States was 
extended westward to the ISIississippi River at the close of the Revo- 
lutionary war. By the Treaty of Paris, concluded on April 30, 1803, 
France sold the entire Province of Louisiana to the LTnited States, 
thereby extending the boundary to the Rocky JNIountains. But 
neither the treaty of 1783, which concluded the Revolution and rec- 
ognized the independence of the American Republic, nor the Treaty 
of Paris had the power to extingiiish the Indian title to the lands. 
That problem was left to the Federal Government I'or solution. It 
was therefore necessary, before the United States coidd come into 
full and formal possession of the territory, that some agreement 
should be made with the Indians. In order that the reader mav 
imderstand tlie oiigin of Indian treaties of cession, it is deemed 
appropriate to notice briefly the policies of the several European 
nations claiming territorv in America in dealing with the Indians. 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUXTY 45 

When Hernando Cortez was commissioned captain-general of 
New Spain in 1.529, his instrnctions were "to give special attention 
to the conversion of the Indians, and see that none are made slaves 
or servants." When Bishop Kainirez, as acting governor, undertook 
to ohey these instructions he (luicldy learned that policy and practice 
were two widely different things. Instead of sustaining him in his 
efforts to carry out the announced policy, Spain took the lands of 
the Indians without compensation, leaving them only what the Span- 
ish officials considered sufficient for a dwelling place; little or no 
attention was given to their conversion; and in numerous instances 
natives were enslaved and compelled to work in the mines or upon 
the plantations. 

The French Government issued no instructions to colonial offi- 
cials in America regarding the treatment of the natives. The early 
French trader cared little for the land. In the estahlisliment of 
trading posts not a great amount of land Avas required and the trader 
and his assistants lived with the Indians as "tenants in conunon." 
Occasionally a small tract near the trading post was cleared for the 
purpose of raising a few vegetahles, but the trader was chielfy inter- 
ested in the preservation of the Indian hunting grounds, from which 
came the rich supply of fvn-s that he handled at an enormous profit. 
Even when the charter was granted to Antoine Crozat in 1712, which 
stipulated that the Indians and negroes living in Louisiana were to 
be given religious instruction, no provision was made for extinguish- 
ing the Indian title to the land. 

The English policy was radically different. Parkman says that 
in all the early land grants made by the British crown "the Indian 
was scorned and neglected." While a few of the earlj^ English immi- 
grants were interested in the fur trade, a majority of them were 
husbandmen. Their greatest desire was to establish permanent 
homes and to become tillers of the soil. Under those conditions it 
was but natural that possession of the land was the first and greatest 
consideration. The policy of the English crown is seen in a provision 
of Lord Baltimore's charter to INIaryland, giving the grantee the 
authority "to collect troops, wage Avar on barbarians and other ene- 
mies who may make incursions into the settlements; to pursue, even 
beyond the limits of the province, and, if God shall grant it, to van- 
quish and captivate them; and the captives to put to death, or, accord- 
ing to their discretion, save." 

Similar provisions are to be found in other English colonial char- 
ters. As the people who founded the Government of the United 



46 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

States were nearly all descendants of the first English colonists, and 
British subjects until they declared themselves independent, they 
naturally copied the English policy. In the Articles of Confedera- 
tion — the first organic law of the Federal Government — article IX 
provided: "That Congress shall have the sole and exclusive right 
and power to regulate the trade with, and manage the affairs of the 
Indians." 

Under the authority conferred by this article. Congress issued 
an order of September 22, 1783, forbidding all persons to settle upon 
the Indian domain. The Articles of Confederation were superseded 
by the Constitution, which likewise gave to Congress the exclusive 
power to regulate Indian affairs. By the act of JNIarch 1, 1793, 
Congress declared: "That no purchase or grant of lands, or any 
title or claim thereto, from any Indians, or nation or tribe of Indians, 
within the bounds of the United States, shall be of any validity, in 
law or equity, unless the same be made by a treaty or convention 
entered into pursuant to the Constitution." 

By the enactment of this law Congress aimed first, to prevent 
irresponsible persons from trespassing upon the Indian lands, thereby 
arousing the hostihty of the natives; second, to acquire, througli 
treaties, a valid title to tlie lands for all time to come. The first 
treaties between the United States and the Indian tribes were merely 
agreements of peace and friendsliip, but as the whitfe population 
increased treaties were negotiated l)y the Government for the acqui- 
sition of land and the continuation of the policy gradually crowded 
the Indian farther and farther westward before the advance of civil- 
ization. 

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the white man was 
already looking with longing eyes upon the broad prairies. of Illinois. 
When the Louisiana Purchase was made a clamor arose for the 
removal of the Indian tribes in Illinois to the new domain Avest of 
the INIississippi. Among those tribes were the Sacs and Foxes, with 
whom Gen. William H. Harrison, then governor of Indian Terri- 
tory, negotiated a treaty at St. Louis on November 4, 1804, by which 
the confederated tribes ceded to the United States their lands east 
of the great river, but retaining the privilege of dwelling thereon 
imtil the lands were actually sold to white settlers, when they were 
to remove to the west side of the river. At that time it was the 
custom of the Sacs and Foxes to give instnictions to their cliiefs or 
delegates to a treaty convention as to what course should be pursued, 
or. in the absence of such instructions, afterward confirm the action 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 47 

of the delegates by a vote. One faction of Indians claimed that the 
delegates to the St. Louis council had no instructions to sell the lands 
east of the ]Mississi}){)i, and a considerable number, under the leader- 
ship of Chief Elaek ILiwk. refused to confirm the sale. The opposi- 
tion to the St. Louis treaty was largely responsible for the alliance 
of Black Hawk and his band with the British in the War of 1812. 
After that war treaties of peace and friendship were made with sev- 
eral of the tribes that had fought on the side of the British. Black 
Hawk and his followers were the last to enter into such an agreement. 
On May 13, 1816, at St. I^ouis, a number of Sac and Fox chiefs and 
head men were induced to sign a treaty confirming that of 1804, 
which ceded the Sac and Fox lands in Illinois to the United States. 
One of the twenty-two chiefs Avho signed the treaty of 1816 was 
Black Hawk. who. although he never denied that he had "touched 
the goose quill," afterward repudiated the agreement. 

It required considerable diplomacy on the part of the United 
States to induce Black Hawk to remove to the w^est side of the JNIis- 
sissippi River, but in 1830 he and his band crossed over into Iowa 
"under protest." Not satisfied with his new surroundings, he 
recrossed the river in the spring of 1831 with a number of his braves 
and their families and took possession of their former cornfields on 
the Rock River. A force of troops under General Gaines was sent 
to expel the Indians and Black Hawk was solemnly admonished not 
to repeat the offense. 

Despite the warning, the old chief, influenced by a "bad medicine 
man" called Wa-bo-kie-shiek, again crossed over into Illinois in 1832. 
Again troops were sent against him and the conflict which followed 
is known in history as the "Black Hawk Avar," which ended in the 
defeat of the Indians at the battle of Bad Axe, August 2, 1832. 
Black Hawk and his two sons were captured and held for some time 
as prisoners of war. 

THE XEUTKAL GROUND 

Going back a few years, it is necessary to notice a treaty which, 
tliough no lands were ceded by it. played a conspicuous part in the 
subsequent history of Iowa. About 182.5 some of the tribes in Iowa, 
INIiiuiesota and Wisconsin became engaged in a controversy over the 
limits of their respective hunting grounds and the United States 
undertook to adjust the difficulty. William Clark and Lewis Cass 
were appointed commissioners, with instructions to hold a council 



48 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

and endeavor to fix a line that would define the boundaries of the 
different tribes. A general council was held at Prairie du Chien, 
Wis., August 19, 182.3. in which the Sacs and Foxes, Sioux, Chij}- 
pewa, Pottawatonii, Ottawa, Winnebago and some minor tribes took 
})art. The northern boundary of the Sac and Fox lands was fixed 
upon a line 

"Beginning at the mouth of the Upper Iowa River, on the west 
l)ank of the INIississippi, and ascending said Iowa River to its west 
fork; thence up said fork to its sovu'ce; thence crossing the fork of 
the Red Cedar River in a direct line to the second or upper fork of 
the Des IMoines Rives; thence in a direct line to the lower fork of the 
Calumet (Bix Sioux) River, and down that stream to its junction 
v/ith the ]Missoiu-i River." 

North of the line the coiuitry was to be the hunting grounds of 
the other tril)es that agreed to the treaty. It was further agreed 
that the Iowa Indians should have the privelege of dwelling in the 
Sac and Fox county until the Government could make some pro- 
vision for them. It soon became apparent that the imaginary line 
thus estal)lished was not sufficient to keep the contending tribes from 
trespassing upon each other's premises. Another council was there- 
fore called to meet at Prairie du Chien on July 1.5, 1830. In the treaty 
negotiated at this council the Sacs and Foxes ceded to the Ignited 
States a strip of land twenty miles wide along the northern boundary 
of their domain, extending from the ^Mississippi to the Des ]Moines. 
and immediately north of and adjoining this strip the northern tribes 
ceded a tract twenty miles between the same rivers. The 40-mile 
strip thus formed was intended to act as a sort of buffer between the 
tribes and was called "The Neutral Ground." It remained neutral 
until in 1841, when it was granted to the Winnebagoes for a reserva- 
tion. A few years later that tribe ceded it to the United States. 

TREATY OF 1830 

On July l.>. 1830. at the same council which established the Neu- 
tral Ground, the SacS and Foxes ceded to the United States a tract 
of land described as follows: 

"Beginning at the up])er fork of the Demoine River and passing 
the sources of the Little Sioux and Floyd rivers to the fork of the 
first creek which falls into the Big Sioux or Calumet River on the 
east side; thence down said creek and the Calumet River to the Mis- 
souri state line above the Kansas River; thence to the highlands 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 49 

between the waters falling into the Missouri and Demoine rivers, 
passing- to said highlands along the dividing ridge between the forks 
of the Grand Kiver: thence along said highlands or ridge separating 
the waters of the 31issonri from those of the Demoine to a point 
opposite the source of the Boyer River, and thence in a direct line to 
the upper fork of the Demoine, the place of beginning." 

Part of the land thus ceded is in ^Missouri and part in JNIinnesota. 
That portion in Iowa is bounded on the west by the ^lissouri River; 
on the south by the line separating Iowa and ^lissouri; on the east 
by a line passing through or near the towns of Estherville and 
Emmetslnu-g until it struck the Avest fork of the Des IMoines' River, 
about ten miles above Fort Dodge. The line along the highlands or 
\\atershed between the Des ]\loines and jNIissouri passed about ten 
miles west of Carroll, about half-way between Audubon and Guth- 
rie Center, just east of Greenfield, west of Afton and through the 
Town of JNlount Ayr. The line from the source of the Boyer River 
to the Des ]Moines (the last boundary mentioned in the above descrip- 
tion) passed across the northern part of the present County of Cal- 
houn. The greater part of Williams Townshii^, about half of Butler, 
and a strip across the northern part of Sherman lay within the cession. 

The lazids so ceded were not opened to white settlement, the 
treaty expressly stipulating that "The lands ceded and reliiujuished 
by this treaty are to be assigned and allotted under the direction of 
the President of the United States to the tribes now living thereon, 
or to such other tribes as the President may locate thei'eon for hunting 
and other purjjoses." 

TREATY OF 1832 

While Black Hawk and his two sons were confined at Fortress 
3Ioiu'oe. Va., the United States negotiated the treaty of Se])tember 
21, 18.'52. with the Sac and Fox chiefs under the leadership of Keo- 
kuk, in which the allied tribes ceded to the United States "all lands 
to which said tribes have any title or claim included within the fol- 
lowing boundaries, to-wit: 

"Beginning on the IMississippi River at the point where the Sac 
and Fox northern boundary line, as established by article 2 of the 
treaty of July 1.), 1830, strikes said livei--. thence up said boundary 
line to a jjoint fifty miles from the IMississippi, measured on said line; 
thence in a right line to the nearest point on the Red Cedar of loway, 
forty miles from the IMississippi; thence in a right line to a point in 



50 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

the northern houndary Hne of the State of Missouri fifty miles, meas- 
ured on said line, from the ^Mississippi River; thence by the last men- 
tioned boundary to the INIississippi River, and bj^ the western shore 
of said river to the place of lieginning." 

The territory included within these bounds embraces about six 
million acres. It was taken by the United States as an indemnity 
for the expenses of the Black Hawk war, and for that reason was 
called the "Black Hawk Pin-chase." The cession included the present 
counties of Dulnique, Delaware, Jackson, Jones, Clinton, Cedar, 
Muscatine, Scott, Louisa, Henry, Des Moines and Lee, and portions 
of Clayton, Fayette, Buchanan, Linn, Johnson, Washington, Jeffer- 
son and Van Buren. The Black HaAvk Purchase was the first land 
obtained from the Indians in Iowa for white settlement. 

TREATY OF 1842 

The irregular boundary of the Black Hawk Purchase on the 
west soon led to disputes between the settlers and the Indians. To 
settle these difficulties some of the Sac and Fox chiefs were persuaded 
to visit the Great Father at Washington, where on October 21, 1837, 
they ceded to the United States an additional tract of 1,2,50,000 acres 
for the piu-pose of straightening the western boundary. When the 
survey was made it was discovered that the cession Avas not sufficient 
to make a straight line, and it Avas not long until the Indians again 
accused the Avhite settlers of encroaching upon their lands. Negoti- 
ations were commenced for additional land to straighten the bound- 
ary. Some of the Aviser chiefs saAv that it Avas only a question of 
time until the Indians Avould have to relinquish all their lands in 
Iowa to the Avhite men. Keokuk, ^Vapello and PoAveshiek advised 
a treaty peaceably ceding the lands to the Government, rather than 
to Avait until they should be taken by force. Through their influence 
a council Avas called to meet at the Sac and Fox Agency (noAV 
Agency City) in Avhat is uoav Wapello County. 

John Chambers, then governor of Iowa Territory, was appointed 
commissioner on behalf of the United States to negotiate the treaty. 
A large tent Avas set up near the agency for the council. On one side 
of the tent was a platform, upon Avhich sat Governor Chambers, John 
Beach, then Indian agent; Lieut. C. F. RufF of the First United 
States Dragoons, and the interpreters, Antoine Le Claire and Josiah 
Swart. The Indians arranged themselves around the tent, leaving 
an open space in the center. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUXTY 51 

Governor Chambers, wearing the uniform of an army officer, 
made a short speech stating the purj^ose for which the council was 
assembled. Keokuk, clad in all his native finery and decked with 
ornaments and trinkets, responded. After that there was "much 
talk." as nearly every chief present had sometliing to say. On Octo- 
ber 11. 184^2, a treaty was concluded by which the Sacs and Foxes 
agreed to cede all their remaining lands in Iowa to the United States, 
but reserved the right to occupy for three years from the date of 
signing the treaty "all that part of the land above ceded which lies 
west of a line running due north and south from the Painted or Red 
Rocks on the White Breast fork of the Des JNIoines River, which 
rocks will be found about eight miles in a straight line from the 
junction of the White Breast and Des Moines." 

The red sandstone cliffs, called by tlie Indians the Painted Rocks, 
are situated on the Des jMoines River in the northern part of Marion 
County, near the toAvn called Red Rock. The line described in the 
treaty forms the boundary between Appanoose and Wayne counties, 
on the southern border of the state, and passes thence northward 
between Lucas and JNIonroe, tlu-ough JMarion, Jasper, Marshall and 
Hardin counties to the northern limit of the grant. East of the line 
the land was opened for white occupation on ]May 1, 1843, and west 
of the line on October 11, 1845. 

Fearing the opposition and perhaps the hostility of the Sioux 
and Pottawatomi, who still held lands on the north and west, the 
Government sent Captain Allen of the First Dragoons to select a 
site on the Des JMoines River for a fort. Allen selected the site where 
the City of Des JMoines now stands and in his rei:)ort gives his reasons 
for such selection as follows: 

"It will be far enough up the river to protect these Indians against 
the Sioux, and is in the heart of the best part of the country, where 
the greatest effort of the squatters will be made to get in. The soil 
is rich; wood, stone, water and grass are all abundant; all the Sacs 
have determined to make their villages on a large prairie bottom 
about two miles below, and the traders have selected sites there also. 
It will be about the head of keel-boat navigation on the Des Moines. 
I think it will be better than any point farther up, because it will be 
harder to get supplies farther up, and no point or post that may be 
established on this river need be kept up for more than three years, 
or until these ludians leave. . . . One of their agents has told 
me that the American Fur Company would send a steamboat up to 



52 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

the Raccoon on the early spring rise. If they do it would be a good 
time to send up army supplies." 

In the spring of 18-13 the little steamer lone brought up a detach- 
ment of troops — Lieut. John H. King's company of infantry and 
Lieut. William N. Grier's company of cavalry — and a store of sup- 
plies, and Fort Des ^Moines was established upon a military reserva- 
tion one mile square. Captain Allen gave the post the name of Fort 
Raccoon, but General Scott disliked that name and gave it the name 
of Fort Des JNIoines. The settlement that grew up abovit the post 
has grown into the capital of the State of Iowa. For several years 
it was the principal trading point and jKistotfice for the early settlers 
of Calhoun County. In the fall of 184..5 most of the Sac and Fox 
Indians removed from the state and the rest followed in the spring 
of 1846. 

THE LAST TREATIES 

By the treaties of June .5 and 17, 1846. the Pottawatomi. Chip- 
pewa and Ottawa tribes relinquished "all the lands to which they 
have claim of any kind whatsoever, and especially the tracts or par- 
cels of land ceded to them l)y the treaty of Cliicago. and subsequent 
thereto, and now in whole or in part possessed by their people, lying 
and being north and east of the River JNIissouri and embraced in the 
limits of the Territory of Iowa." 

\Vith the conclusion of these last treaties and the departure of 
the tribes therein mentioned, the great State of Iowa became the 
undisputed possession of the pale-face. The period of preparation 
for a civilized people — a period which began more than two centuries 
before — was !iow completed, and what were once the Indian hunting 
grounds became the cultivated fields of the white man. The Indian 
trail has been broadened into the highway or the railroad. Instead 
of the war-whoop of the savage and the liowl of the wolf is heard 
the shriek of the factory whistle. Halls of legislation have sup- 
l)lanted the tribal council; the modern residence occupies the site of 
the Indian tepee; news is borne by the telegraph or telephone instead 
of signal fires upon tlie hilltops, and the church spire rises where once 
the totem pole stood as an object of veneration. Indian villages have 
disappeai-ed and in their i)laces have come cities with paved streets, 
electric lights, stately school buildings, newspapers, libraries and all 
the evidences of modern progress. 

liut al'ter all there is a sort of grim pathos in the story of how 
the red man was persuaded to i-elinciuish his lands to a superior race 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 53 

and retire step by step toward the setting- sun. Less than a century 
iigo tlie Indian roamed at will over the broad prairies or through the 
forests of Iowa. Like Robinson Crusoe on his lonely island, he was 
"monarch of all he surveyed." Then came the proud Caucasian, 
with his superior intelligence and superior cunning, and all was 
changed, xibout all that is left of the departed race are the names 
taken from their language and conferred upon some of the counties, 
towns and streams in the comitry once inhabited by the red man. 
And all this change has come about within the memory of persons 
yet living. To tell the story of these years of progress and develop- 
ment is the province of the subsequent chapters of this history. 



CHAPTER IV 
SETTLEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 

PROGRESS OF WHITE SETTLEMENTS IN IOWA — FORT DES MOINES — FIRST 

COUNTIES C^VLHOUN ORIGINALLY A PART OF DUBUQUE COUNTY 

THE ORGANIC ACT CHANGING THE NAME — FIRST SETTLERS — FIRST 

LAND ENTRIES — BRIEF MENTION OF LEADING PIONEERS — THE FIRST 
MILL PIONEER LIFE AND CUSTOMS AMUSEMENTS AND PAS- 
TIMES THE FIRST ELECTION LOCATING THE COUNTY SEAT 

REMOVAL OF THE COUNTY SEAT TO ROCKWELL CITY. 

As stated in the preceding chapter, the first white men to behold 
the State of Iowa, or to set foot uj)on her soil, were Marqviette and 
Joliet, who visited some Indian viHages in the southeastern part in 
the summer of 1673. The first white settlement within the present 
borders of the state was founded by Julian Dubu(jue in 1788, where 
the city bearing his name now stands. Eight years later Louis Honore 
Tesson received from the Spanish authorities of Louisiana a grant 
of land at the head of the Des Moines Rapids of the ^lississippi, in 
what is now Lee County. A few French traders established posts 
along the Mississippi and Des Moines rivers about the beginning of 
the nineteenth century, and in 1808 Fort Madison was built by order 
of the Government where the city of that name is now located. A 
trading house wj^s built and a small settlement was made upon the 
site of the present City of Keokuk in the early '20s, and Burlington 
was founded in the fall of 1832, soon after the lands of the Black 
Hawk Purchase were ceded to the United States. During the next 
fifteen years the settlements extended rapidly westward and in 1843 
Fort Des Moines was built upon the site now occupied by the city of 
that name. 

The first counties — Dubuque and Des Moines — were authorized 
by an act of the INIichigan liCgislature in September, 1834. Dubuque 
County included all that portion of the present State of Iowa lying 
north of a line drawn due westward from the foot of Rock Island, 

54 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 55 

Des ^Nloines County lying sonth of that line. The present County 
of Calhoun was therefore originally a pai't of Uubuque County. 

In many of the older counties of the state settlements were made 
before the boimdaries of the county were defined or a name adopted. 
Not so with Calhoun. When the state was admitted into the Union 
in December, 1846, there were but few organized counties west of 
the Red Rock line established by the treaty of October 11, 181<2. 

THE ORGANIC ACT '' 

On January 1j, 18.51, Gov. Stephen Hempstead approved an act 
of the Iowa I^egiskiture creating fifty new comities in the unorgan- 
ized territory in the western part of the state. Section 20 of that act 
is as follows: 

"That the following shall be the boundaries of a new county which 
shall be called Fox, to-wit: Beginning at the northwest corner of 
Townshijj 89 north, range 30 west; thence west on the line dividing 
townshii^s 89 and 90 to the northwest corner of township 89 north, 
range 34 west; thence south on the line dividing ranges 34 and 3.5 
to the southwest comer of townshij) 86 north, range 34 west; thence 
east on the line between townships 85 and 86 to the southwest corner 
of township 86 north, range 30 west ; thence north on the line between 
ranges 30 and 31 to the place of beginning." 

Tlie boundaries as thus defined are identical with the present 
boundaries of Calhoim County. Immediately west of Fox County 
was erected the County of Sac, the two being named for the allied 
tribes of Indians that once inhabited the country, and directly east 
of Fox was the County of Risley. 

CHANGING THE NAME 

When the legislature of 18.53 assembled, several of the members 
ex])ressed their dissatisfaction with some of the names adopted by 
the preceding assembly for the new counties. One member, who was 
an ardent admirer of John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, proposed 
to change the name of Fox County to Calhoun. There was some 
opposition to the proposition, but it was finally accepted, on condition 
-that the name of the county on the east should be changed to Web- 
ster, in honor of Daniel Webster, who was a political opi;)onent of 
Calhoun. Consequently, section 4 of an act approved by Governor 
Hempstead on January 12, 1853, pro^nded: 



56 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 



"That the name of the County of Wahkaw shall be changed to 
AVoodbuiy, the name of the County of Risley shall be changed to 
Webster, and the name of the County of Fox to the County of 
Calhoun." 

The act of Januaiy 12, 18.53, also contained the following provi- 
sions for the organization of the new counties: 

"Whenever the citizens of any unorganized county desire to have 
the same organized, tliey may make application by petition in writing, 
signed by a majority of the legal voters of said county, to the county 
judge of the county to Avhich such xmorganized county is attached; 
whereupon the said county judge shall order an election for countj'' 
officers in such unorganized county. 

"Tliat a majority of the citizens of any county, after becoming 
so organized, may i)etition tlie district judge in whose judicial dis- 
trict the same is situated, during the vacation of the general assembly, 
whose duty it shall be to appoint three commissioners from three 
different adjoining counties, who shall proceed to locate the county 
seat for such county, according to the provisions of this act." 

THE FIRST SETTLEES 

At tlie time the above mentioned act was passed by the legislature, 
there Avas not a single white man living within the confines of Cal- 
hoim County who could rightfully be called an actual settler. The 
distinction of being the first white man to establish a domicile in 
Calhoun belongs to Ebenezer Comstoek, who brought his family to 
the Coon River Valley in April, 1854, and located a claim in section 
12, township 80, range 34, near the westei-n limits of the present 
Town of Lake City. There he built his log cabin and for several 
weeks he and his family were the only inhabitants of the county. 

Some time in the following summer, William Impson, John Con- 
dron and J. C. INI. Smith settled in the southwestern ])art of the 
county, not far from Comstoek. William Impson was the first black- 
smith in the county and the second man to "stick a plow into the 
soil." He and Condron settled in section 28, township 86, range 34, 
south of the Coon River, and J. C. M. Smith located in section 9 of 
the same townslu'p and range, north of tlie river. 

Early in the fall of 18.54 two brothers, Peter and Christian Smith, 
living in Polk County, learned from a trapper named Crundey that 
there was an abundance of big game on the upper waters of Coon 
River and some of its tri])utary branches, and decided to go on a 




A PIOXKKK SOI) HOUSE 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 57 

hunting exi)edition. On September 27, 1854, tlie two Smiths, Allen 
jMeCoy, Jesse Marmou and the two Criimleys assembled at Mr. 
Comstock's cabin for an elk hunt. They encamped on Lake Creek, 
a sliort distance northeast of where Lake City now stands, and after 
killing three elk ^Marmon and the two Smiths decided to locate claims 
in the county. Peter Smith bought the claim of Mr. Comstock, 
Christian selected land in section 13, townshij^ 86, range 34, and 
]Marmon selected the southwest quarter of section .5, township 86, 
range 33. 

Prior to ]\Iarch, 18.53, there was no land office west of Iowa City. 
Western Iowa was then divided into two land districts and offices 
were opened at Des JNIoines and Council Bluffs. The eastern three- 
fourths of Calhoun County lay in the Des JNIoines district and the 
western fourth — range 34 — was in the Council Bluffs district. In 
the sununer of 18o4 the land office at Des JNIoines was ordered closed 
until the first JNIonday in October. When Jesse JNIarmon and the 
two Smiths decided to settle in the county they abandoned their elk 
hunting and hurried to Des JNIoines to be present at the reopening 
of the land otKce. The tract selected bv JNIr. JNIarmon, being in rang-e 
33, was subject to entry at Des JNIoines and was the first land entered 
in the county. Peter Smith also entered a tract that was afterward 
laid out as Smith's Addition to Lake City. The Comstock claim 
bought by Peter Smith and the land selected by his brother Christian 
were in range 34 and the brothers had to make a trip to Council 
Bluffs to secure their title. 

Later in the year 1854 the little colony in the southwestern ])art 
of the county was>«gmented by the arrival of William Oxenford, 
James Reams. Joel Golden. Levi D. Tharp, Alford White and Rich- 
ard Bunting, all of whom came from Cass County, JNIich., and John 
Smith, who came from JNIissouri. 

Jesse JNIarmon built a log house on his land soon after entering it, 
and Peter Smith built a house of basswood logs. It was a story and 
a half high and was at that time the most pretentious Iowa residence 
north of Jefferson and west of Fort Dodge. In constructina' this 
house wooden pins were used instead of nails; the only floor for a 
time was "mother earth," though a puncheon floor was later added. 
JNIr. Smith also 1)uilt a sod chimney, probably the first in this part of 
Iowa. Other settlers, who came late in the season, erected cabins 
that afforded but meager protection against severe weather, but for- 
tunately for these pioneers the winter of 1854-55 was a mild one and 
they managed to get through without serious inconvenience. 



58 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Allen JNIcCoy, who was one of the elk hunters in the fall of 1854, 
entered land in the county and l)ecaine a resident the following spring. 
He had formerly lived in ]Michigan and was a famous hunter. In 
1858 he moved west of the JNIissouri River and settled near the line 
between Kansas and Nebraska. 

Charles Amy came from Cass County, jNlich., in the fall of 1855. 
He was a man of good education, a bookkeeper, and ])ossessed excel- 
lent business qualifications. He was born in Ohio, removed to Cass 
County, INIich., in 1846, and taught school there several terms before 
coming to Calhoun County, where he was joined by his family in 
1856. When the county seat was established at Lake City in the 
spring of that year, JNIr. Amy was the snr^'eyor that ])latted the town. 
He was one of the contractors that Inu'lt the first courthouse in Cal- 
houn County; was elected treasurer and recorder in Angiist, 1857; 
afterward held the offices of county surveyor and justice of the peace, 
and served for about fifteen years as postmaster of Lake City. His 
death occurred on August 24, 1872. 

Other early settlers were Josiah Ijumpkin and his sons — John, 
JNIortimer and Ezekiel; Jesse Hutchinson and his two sons and two 
daughters — Norman, Henry, Olive and Estelle: ]Moses Sherman, 
William Ripley, Roma JNIaranville, George Gray and Rev. Sylvester 
INIcGeorge and their families. Olive Hutchinson became the wife 
of James Reynolds, who died at Bird's Point, jMo.. in 1862. while 
serving as a soldier in the Tenth Iowa Infantry, and her sister Estelle 
became the wife of IMortimer Ivum])kin. Jesse Hutchinson was a 
native of Vermont, where he was liorn in 180(5. From that state he 
went to New York, thence to ^Michigan, and in 1857 settled in Cal- 
houn County, la., where he passed the remainder of his life, his death 
occurring in 1880. 

Still others Avho came during the '50s were Jonathan H. INIanlove. 
Lucius C. ]\Iorey, P. G. Hull. John U. Skiimer. E. :M. Reynolds. 
Greenlee Scott and his two sons — James B. and Hiram. Jonathan 
H. Manlove married a daughter of Alford White and was the second 
county judge of Calhoun County. I^iucius C. jNIoi-ey was the first 
man in the county to hold the office of comity suiiervisor. The first 
white child born in the county was Reuben D. Smith, a son of Chris- 
tian Smith. He was born late in the year 1855 or early in 1856. and 
at last accounts was still living in the City of Des Moines. A further 
account of many of the pioneers will be found in the chapters on 
Township History. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 59 

In the sprino- of ]8.>.5 Henry W. Smith, a brother to Peter and 
Christian Smith, built a mill on the Coon River, about four miles 
west of Lake City. Before coming to Calhoun County he had been 
engaged in the mercantile business at Cassopolis, Mich. The frame 
timbers of the mill and the material for the water-wheel were hewn 
from the native timber, but the machinery was hauled from Des 
Moines with ox teams. In 18.58 Mr. Smith sold the mill to AVilliam 
Oxenford and Christian Smith and a little later the latter sold his 
interest to John Oxenford, a brother of William. This was the first 
Tuill in the county and for a number of years it furnished the only 
milling facilities for the settlers over a wide territory. A sawmill 
was afterward added to the equipment and the lumber for the first 
frame house in the county was made at Oxenford's JNIill. In the big 
flood of 1866 the mill and about one thousand bushels of wheat were 
carried away. It was rebuilt the same summer, and in hauling the 
new machinery from Glidden the wagon bearing the water-wheel 
got swamped in a slough and remained there for about six weeks i^ 
licfoie the ground became firm enough to extricate it from its pre-/o ^rJ 
dicament. 



PIONEEE LIFE AND CUSTOMS 

Looking back over a period of a little more than three score years, 
to the time when Ebenezer Comstock built his lonely cabin in Lake 
C]-eek Grove, it occiu's to the writer that the young people of the 
present generation might be interested in knowing how the first set- 
tlers in a new country managed to exist. Imagine a vast, unbroken 
ti-act of rolling prairie, stretching away in all directions beyond the 
range of human vision, with little groves of timber here and there 
along the water courses. Such was Calhoun County when the first 
white men came to establish their homes within its borders. All over 
the broad prairie were swamps and ponds, where muskrats and water- 
fowl abounded. The Indian had departed and the only denizens of^' 
the country were the wild animals. Big game was plentiful, espe- 
cially the elk; a few Ijtix and wild cats were to be found in the little 
forests; beaver, otter, mink and some other fur-bearing animals 
inhabited some localities; prairie wolves were numerous and their 
howling at night sometimes caused little children to shudder with 
fear, as they cuddled together in their beds, wishing that daylight 
would come. There was also a small animal called a "swift," because 
of its fleetness of foot. In appearance it resembled a fox, but was 



60 PAST AXU PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

smaller and not so cnnning. As the country settled up this swift 
became such a pest that the county authorities off'ered bounties upon 
swift scalps. 

It was into this wild, desolate region that the first settlers came, 
determined to conquer all obstacles, and it is to this determination 
that the population of the present day is indebted for the manifold 
comforts and conveniences of modern civilization. 
~ One of the first things necessary for the pioneer was shelter of 
some sort for himself and family. The early settlers located con- 
venient to the timber along the Coon River and Lake Creek, and the 
first houses they erected were log cabins. Sometimes, when two or 
more families came into a neighborhood at the same time, one cabin 
would be built, in which all would live together until each settler 
cf)id(l Iniild a dwelling of his own. The first settler in a commimity, 
who had to build his cabin Avithout assistance, selected small logs that 
he could raise to the walls, but after a number came larger logs were 
used and the "house raising" was a social as well as an industrial 
event. After the logs were cut and dragged to the site of the ])ro- 
posed cabin, the settler Mould send out invitations to his neighbors, 
some of whom probably lived several miles away, to attend the 
"raising." 

When all were assembled four men Avould be selected to "carry 
up the corners," and took their stations at the four corners of the 
cabin. As the logs were lifted up to them they shaped a "saddle" 
upon the top of one log and cut a notch in the underside of the next 
to fit upon the saddle. By cutting the notches in the "butt end" of 
the logs a little deeper and alternating the butt and top ends the 
walls of the cabin were carried up approximately level. No openings 
were left for the doors and windows, these being saAved out after the 
walls were up. An opening would also be cut at one end for a fire- 
place, outside of which Avould be constructed a chimney of logs, lined 
inside with clay to prevent its catching fire. Sometimes the chimney 
would be built of squares of sod, laid up as a mason lays up a wall 
of bricks. The roof of the cabin was invariably of clapboards and 
the floor, if there was one, was of puncheons — that is, slabs of timber 
split as nearly as possible of the same thickness. After the floor was 
laid the upper surface woifld be smoothed off" Avith an adz. Hard- 
ware was a luxiuy in a new country, and not infrequently an entire 
cabin Mould be completed Avithout a single article of iron being used 
in its construction. The clapboards of the roof would be held in 
place by poles running the full length of the cabin and fastened to 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 61 

the end logs with ^^■oo(len pins. The door, made of tliin puncheons, 
was also fastened together with wooden pins, hung on wooden hinges 
and provided with a wooden latch. To raise the latcli from the out- 
side, a thong of deerskin was passed through a small hole in the door. 
At night the thong was drawn inside and the door was locked. This 
custom gave rise to the expression, "The latchstring is always out," 
signifying that a ^■isitor would he welcome at any time. 

The furniture was generally of the "home-made" variety and was 
of the simplest character. Holes bored in the logs of the walls were 
fitted with strong pins, upon which were laid clapboards to form the 
"china closet," the front of which was a curtain of some cheap cotton 
cloth, though in many cases the curtain was lacking. Stools and 
benches took the place of chairs. Stoves were almost imknown and 
the cooking was done at the great fireplace, an iron teakettle, a long- 
handled skillet and a large iron pot being the principal cooking uten- 
sils. Bread was baked in the skillet, Avhich was set upon a bed of live 
coals and more coals heaped upon the lid, so that the bread would 
bake at both top and bottom. The iron pot was used for the "boiled 
diimer," two or three kinds of vegetables often being cooked together. 
"Johnnj' cake" was made by spreading a stiff dough of cornmeal 
upon one side of a smooth board, which Avas propped up in front of 
the fire. When one side was sufficiently baked, the dough would be 
turned over, to give the other side of the cake its inning. ]Many 
times a generous supply of "johnny cake" and a nnig of fresh milk 
constituted the only supper of the pioneer. While preparing the 
meals, the housewife Would nearly always wear a deep "sunbonnet" 
to ]:)rotect her face from the heat. 

Somewhere in the cabin, two hooks, formed from the forks of 
small trees, would be pinned against the Avail to form a "gun rack," 
in Avhich rested the long, heavy rifle of the settler, while suspended 
from its muzzle, or from one of the hooks, hung the bullet-pouch 
and powder-horn. The rifle was depended upon to furnish the family 
supply of meat. 

In the early days there Avere no sawmills to furnish a supply of 
lumber; there Avere no brickyards, hence, frame or brick houses were 
out of the question, and the log cabin was the universal type of 
dwelling. A little later, Avhen the settlement of the prairies began, 
many of the pioneers constructed sod houses by cutting squares of 
the native turf and laying them up in a Avail to the required height. 
Occasionally a frame house woifld be built of rough boards, around 
Avhich would be built a Avail of sod for greater protection from the 



62 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

cold. If lunibei- could be obtained, the roof of the sod house ^\•ould 
be laid of boards eight or ten inches wide running from the peak to 
the eaves, the joints being covered with narrower boards to keep out 
the rain. Where lumber could not be procured, the roof consisted of 
a framework of small poles covered with a thatch of prairie grass. 
From an arcliitectural standpoint, the sod house was not a "thing 
of beauty." but it constituted the only home of a large number of 
the early settlers of Calhoun County, and quite a number of the 
prominent citizens can recall incidents of their childhood when they 
hved in sod houses, such as finding "bull snakes" in the walls, etc. 

In this twentieth century, with banks in eveiy town of any conse- 
quence and plenty of money in circulation, when anyone needs assist- 
ance he can hire someone to come and help him. When the first 
white men came to Calhoun Countj^, money was exceedinglv scarce 
and they overcame the lack of money by "swapping work." Fre- 
quently ten or a dozen men would gather in some neighbor's wheat- 
field, and while some would swing the cradle the others would bind 
and shock the sheaves. When one field was finished the whole party 
would move on to the next where the wheat was ripest, until the 
wheat crop of the entire neighborhood was made ready for threshing. 

While the men were engaged in the harvest field, the women 
folks would get together and j^repare dinner, each bringing from her 
own store some little delicacy that she thought the others might not 
be able to supply. Elk meat and venison were common on such occa- 
sions, and, as each man had a good appetite by the time dinner was 
ready, when they arose from the table it "looked like a cyclone had 
stiiick it." But each family had its turn in providing for the har- 
vesters, and by the time the work of the neighborhood was all done 
no one was placed at any disadvantage as to the amount of provi- 
sions consumed. 

In 18.55 Alford White bought a "King of the West" threshing 
machine in JMichigan, shipped it from there to Rock Island, 111., and 
then hauled it to Polk County. la. Two years later William Oxen- 
ford ])urchased an interest in the machine, when it was brought to 
Calhoun Comity, the first threshing machine in this part of Iowa. 
The second machine, of the same type, was brought to the county 
by E. M. Reynolds, in 1860. 

The problem of fuel was one of diflicult solution for some of the 
pioneers of Calhoim Coimty. Those who settled in the timber could 
burn wood, but the settlers upon the prairie were less fortunate. The 
prairies were covered in many places Avith a sort of shrub which had a 



PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUX COUXTY 63 

strong root of a dark red color, from which the settlers gave the plant 
the name of "red root." In the older plants the roots attained to a 
considerable size, often strong enough to break a plow. As the pio- 
neer husbandman broke the raw jJi'airie the children would follow 
and collect the "red roots" to be used for fuel. Before the advent 
of the railroad many of the early settlers would go to the coal banks 
on the Des Moines Kiver near Fort Dodge for coal. The trip required 
two days — one to go and one to return — and in bad weather it was 
a tiip more to be dreaded than desired. Hundreds of bushels of 
coi-n were burned during the early days, when the price was so low 
that it would not pay to haul the corn long distances to exchange for 
coal. But the building of railroads brought the market in touch 
witli the Calhoun County farmer, so that his corn could be easily 
transported to some commercial center and a supply of coal brought 
back for his consumption. ]Matches were rare in the new settlements 
and a little fire was always kept somewhere on the premises "for 
seed." In the fall, winter and early spring, the fire was kept in the 
fire]:)lace, but when the summer months came and the weather became 
so warm that a fire in the house would be uncomfortable, it was kept 
out of doors. If, by some mishap, the fire was allowed to become 
extinguished, one of the family would have to make a pilgrimage to 
the nearest neighbor's to "borrow" a fresh supply. 

How easy it is at the present time to enter a room, turn a switch 
and flood the whole place witli electric light! It was not so sixty 
years ago when the first settlers came to Calhoun County. The kero- 
sene lamp had not yet been invented and the housewife constructed 
a lamp of her own by using a shallow dish, partially filled with lard 
or some other kind of grease. Into this grease was placed a loosely 
twisted cotton rag, one end of which projected over the side of the 
disli. The projecting end Avas tlien lighted, and though the smoke 
and odor emitted by such a lamji would be almost intolerable to fas- 
tidious persons now, it answered the purpose then. X^ext came the 
tallow candle, which was made by pouring melted tallow into moulds 
of tin, a cotton wick having previously been placed in position in the 
center of the mould. Sometimes a new settlement could boast but 
one set of candle moulds, which passed freely from house to house 
until all had a supply of candles laid away in a cool, dry place, suffi- 
cient to last for many weeks. Diu'ing the winter seasons the family 
would often sit in front of the fireplace, with no light in the cabin 
except that which came from the roaring fire. 



64 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Just now it is a common thing for one to telephone to the grocer 
to send up a sack of flour, a few pounds of sugar, a basket of tropical 
fruit, a package of salt — in fact almost anything necessary to supply 
the household larder. But in the days before the Civil war to provide 
the famil}^ supplies was no light affair. Des ]Moines was the most 
convenient trading post and several days Avere required to go and 
return. There were no roads opened and traveling was a matter 
attended by many diflficidties. Once the settler returned to his caliin 
with the barest necessities, economy was the watchword, for waste 
meant another long, dreary journey to the trading post. BreadstufFs 
were obtained by taking a "turn of corn" or a few bushels of wheat 
to the nearest mill and waiting luitil the grain could be ground. 
^Vhile thus waiting the settlers would Avhile away the time by running 
foot-races, wrestling, shooting at a mark, or pitching horseshoes. 
Oxenford's jNlill, ali-eady mentioned, was for some years the only 
one in Calhoun County and provided flour and meal for the early 
settlers scattered over a wide territory. After a time Fort Dodge 
came into prominence as a trading point and other mills were built, 
when the trips to Des INIoines were practically abandoned and bread- 
stuft's could be more easily obtained. 

Before the swam])s and ponds were drained they formed a veri- 
table breeding ground for mostjuitoes — a great annoyance to the early 
settlers. As evening approached myriads of these insects would 
besiege the cabin and in many a family the members went to sleep 
fighting mosquitoes. Screens had not been invented then, and even 
if they had many of the pioneers were not able to afford them. The 
only method of combating the pests was to build a flre, or "smudge," 
which was fed at intervals with damp grass, or some fuel that would 
create a great deal of smoke. The smoke caused some coughing and 
watery eyes, but it kept the mosquitoes ofi^. As one old settler 
ex])ressed it recently, "It's a wonder the people of Calhoun County 
had any complexion left." 

One feature of early life in Calhoun County should not be over- 
looked, and that was the manner of marking live stock so that animals 
could be identified l)y the owner. Stock of all kinds was permitted 
to run at large and often strayed far from home. To protect himself 
against loss, the frontier farmer marked his cattle, hogs and sheep in 
a peculiar manner and the marks were filed with the countj^ recorder 
with the same care as titles to real estate. Among the most common 
marks were the under and upper bits, the round hole, the smooth 
crop, the slit and the swallow fork. By the combination of these and 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 65 

a few others each settler could mark his stock in such a way that his 
marks would not conflict with those of his neighbors. The "upper 
bit" was a small notch cut in the upper side of the ear; the "under 
bit" was just the reverse, being cut in the lower side; the round Iiole 
needs no explanation; the "smooth crop" was made by cutting off a 
small portion of the ear squarely across the end; the "swallow fork" 
was a fork cut in the end of the ear, similar in shape to a swallow's 
tail, from which it derived its name, and so on. The traveler through 
a new coimtry might have seen posted up on trees along the roadside 
such notices as this: "Lost, a two-year-old heifer, red and white spot- 
ted, marked with a crop off the left ear and a swallow fork in the 
right. Finder please connnunicate with John Doe," etc. The marks 
were seldom violated and they protected the owner of live stock as 
surely as the manufacturer is protected against infringement by his 
registered trade-mark. 

AMUSEMENTS AND PASTIMES 

Although the pioneers had their hardsliips, it must not be imag- 
ined for a moment that their lives were utterly devoid of relaxation 
and entertainment. One form of amusement was the "husking bee," 
in which pleasure and profit were combined. On such occasions the 
corn to be husked would be divided into two piles, as nearly equal in 
size as possible. Two of the guests would then "choose up" — that 
is, divide those present into two companies, the contest being to see 
which side would first finish its pile of corn. JNIen and women both 
took part in the "bee" and the young man who found a red ear was 
permitted by the rules of the game to kiss the lassie next to him. 
"JNIany a merry laugh went round" when someone found a red ear 
and the lassie objected to being kissed. Quite frequently the young 
men would play an underhand game by passing the red ear surrep- 
titiously from one to another. 

The women had their quilting parties, when a number would take 
their needles and thimbles and assemble at some house to join in 
making a quilt. Here there was friendly rivaliy to see who could 
run the straightest hne or make the neatest stitches. 

Corn huskings and quiltings were frequently followed hy a dance. 
Nearly every frontier settlement had at least one man who could 
play a violin. The "fiddler," as he was universally called, would be 
called into requisition and the guests would s])end an hour or two in 
"tripping the light fantistic toe," though it must be confessed that 



66 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

oftentimes the toes were neither hght nor fantastic. The tango, the 
fox trot and the hesitation waltz had not then made their appearance, 
but the Virginia reel, the stately minuet or the old-fashioned cotillion, 
in which someone called the figures in a voice that could be heard 
some distance from the cabin, were very much in evidence. The old- 
time tiddler may not have been much of a musician, when measured 
by classic standards, but he could make liis old violin respond to such 
tunes as "Turkey in the Straw," "]Money Musk," "The Bowery 
Gals." "The Irish Washerwoman," etc., and it is quite probable that 
some of tliese frontier people derived more real pleasure from their 
social dance than do many of the aristocracy at the inaugural ball 
of a President. 

If the host had conscientious scruples against dancing, some other 
form of amusement was substituted. In that case "Old Sister Phoebe 
would sit under the juniper tree," or the "Happy old miller would 
live by his mill." 

Then there were the spelling schools that came in with the intro- 
duction of the public school system. On a given evening the whole 
conmiunity — men, women and cliildren — would gather at the school- 
house to engage in a spelling contest. As at the husking bee, two 
jjcrsons would be selected to "choose up," the winner selecting the 
best speller first, and so on until all who cared to take part Avere 
arranged upon two sides. Usually, words were given first to one 
side and then to the other. If a speller missed a word he took his 
seat and the contest went on until only the victor was left standing. 
To "spell down" a whole school district was considered an honor. 
At tlie close of the exercises the young men, with quickened pulse 
for fear of "getting the mitten," would ask permission to "see the 
girls home." If one of these acquaintances ripened into an intimacy 
tliat ended in a wedding, it was usually followed by a charivari, or. as 
it was pronounced on the frontier, a shivaree — a serenade in which 
noise took the place of harmony. The serenade was generally kept 
up imtil the bride and groom showed themselves, and the affair ended 
all tlie more pleasantly if each of the serenaders was treated to a 
piece of the wedding cake. Doubtless the young men of that period 
were no more superstitious tlian those of more recent years, but it is 
certain that many of them placed the morsel of wedding cake under 
their pillows upon retiring, hoping that it would bring some pleasant 
dream that would come true. 

Another favorite pastime of early days was the fishing parties. 
After the spring planting was done the whole neighborhood would 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 67 

o-ather on the banks of the Coon River, Lake Creek or the Twin 
Lakes for a day's recreation in luring the finest specimens of the finny 
tribe from their watery home. When the narrow gauge (now the 
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul) railroad was completed through 
the county, special trains were run from Des ]Moines carrying hun- 
dreds of fishermen to Twin Lakes. Jolley is the nearest railway 
station to the lakes and many an honest* penny was earned by some 
of the early settlers in conveying the fishermen from the railroad to 
the lake shores. 

L'ufortunately, in these days when everybody wears "store 
clothes," there are some j^eople inclined to sneer at the homely and 
uneventful life of the pioneers and their homespun clotliing. Then 
the wool raised upon the farm was sj)un into yarn by the good house- 
wife and her daugliters, the yarn was woven into cloth upon the old 
hand loom and the cloth was made into garments witli the needle. A 
girl sixteen years of age who could not spin her "six cuts" a day or 
make her own dresses could rarely be found in a new settlement, and 
if sucli a girl was found she was looked upon as a curiosity and would 
liardly be considered as qualified for the duties of matrimony. Yet 
how many of the young ladies who graduated from the various high 
schools of Calhoun County in the year 1915 know what the term "six 
cuts" means? All things considered, the pioneer is entitled to a place 
of honor in the memories of the present generation. He braved the 
dangers of the frontier and amid adverse conditions overcame all 
obstacles, building up an empire in the wilderness. His life was hard 
and his reward meager, Avhen compared with more modern conditions, 
but his work was well done. It was of such an environment as his 
that Robert Burns wrote: 

"But buirdly chiels and clever liizzies 
Are bred in sic a way as this is." 

THE FIEST ELECTION 

By the act of January 12, 18.53, Calhoun County was attached 
to the County of Greene for judicial and tax purposes. In the spring 
of 1855 the few settlers in Calhoun observed that they were paying 
taxes to Cireene County and that verjr little of the revenue came 
back to them in the way of needed improvements. They therefore 
decided to take the necessary steps for organizing the county. Pur- 
suant to the provisions of the act of January 12, 185.3. they submitted 
a petition to William Phillips, then county judge of Greene County, 



68 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

askint^' liim to order an election for county officers. Judge Phillips 
granted the petition and designated the first JNlonday in August, 
/1 855, as the day on which such election should be held. At that time 
^ Peter Smith was elected county judge; Joel Golden, clerk; Christian 
Smith, recorder and treasurer; William Oxenford, sheriff; and 
Ebenezer Comstock, prosecuting attorney. Christian Smith resigned 
his ofTice on January 7, 1856, and Eli Van Home was appointed to 
the vacancy. 

LOCATING THE COUNTY SEAT 

Having elected officers, the next step toward perfecting the county 
organization was to petition the district judge to appoint commis- 
sioners to locate the county seat. Accordingly a petition was pre- 
sented to Judge C. J. INIcFarland, of the Fifth Judicial District, at 
the October term of the Boone County Court. After hearing the 
petition. Judge IMcFarland, on October 10, 1855, appointed William 
Phillijis, John F. Howes and Rufus Keigley as such commissioners, 
and instructed them to meet at the house of Peter Smith on November 
7, 1855, for the performance of their duty. The comniissioners met 
at the time and place appointed and after looking over the field made 
the following report: 

"We. the undersigned, commissioners appointed by his honor, 
C. J. INIcFarland. judge of the Fifth Judicial District, Iowa, for the 
location of the county seat of Calhoun County, Iowa, met at the 
office of the county judge of said county on the 7th of November, 
A. D. 1855, and proceeded to view and locate the seat of justice of 
said county, after being duly swt)rn by the county judge aforesaid. 
And we, as said conunissioners, beg leave to report that we have 
located said seat of justice for said County of Calhoun on the south 
half of the southeast quarter of section 27, and also on the north half 
of the northeast quarter of section 34, all in township 87 north of 
range number 33 west of the fifth i)rincipal meridian, Iowa, said 
tract of land containing 160 acres, more or less; and we do hereby 
name and call said seat of justice Brooklyn." 

The report was dated November 9, 1855, and was signed by all 
three of the commissioners. The site of the Town of Brooklyn, as 
selected by the commissioners, is about four miles northeast of the 
present Town of Lake City, in the southeastern part of Lake Creek 
Township. The act of January 12, 1853, provided that the com- 
missioners should receive $2.00 per day for the time actually 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 69 

emjjloyed "to be paid out of the first money received from the sale of 
town lots in the county seat so located." In the case of Calhoun 
County payment was anticipated, as the commissioners received war- 
rants on the county on the same day they prepared their report — 
November 9, 18,).5. Warrant No. 1 was drawn in favor of John F. 
Howes, for fees and mileage, in the sum of $.33.00; warrant No. 2, 
for $17.00, was issued to William Phillips for like services, and war- 
rant No. 3, for $28.00, was issued to Rufus Keigley. These were the 
first warrants drawn upon the treasury of Calhoun County. 

The reader should remember that in 18.3.5 the only settlements in 
Calhoun County were located along the Coon River and the lower 
waters of Lake Creek, in what are now Jackson and Calhoun town- 
ships. When the commissioners reported the selection of a site for 
the seat of justice at such a distance from the nearest actual settle- 
ment, their act was almost universally condemned by the people. 
Consequently, on January 7, 18,56, a petition "of sundry citizens of 
the county" was presented to the County Court by Jacob Young, ask- 
ing for the removal of the county seat "to the northwest quarter of 
the northeast fjuarter of section 18, and the southwest quarter of the 
southeast quarter of section 7, townshij) 86 north, range 33 west." 

Mr. Young made the necessary affidavit that the petition was 
signed by a majority of the legal voters of the county, whereupon 
Peter Smith, in his official capacity as county judge, ordered the 
question of removal to be submitted to the people at an election on 
tile first ^Monday in April following. The election was held at the 
house of Peter Smith on April 7. 18.56, the same being the first INIon- 
da\' in the month. Levi Tharp cast the first vote and the total num- 
ber of votes polled was twenty-five. On the question of removing 
the county seat four voters failed to express themselves, but the 
twenty-one votes cast were all in favor of the removal. At this elec- 
tion William Oxenford was re-elected sheriff and Eli Van Home, 
treasurer and recorder; Allen INIcCoy was elected surveyor; Henry 
^V. Smith, school fund conmiissioner; and Joshua McCoj', coroner. 

The site selected by the voters at this election for a seat of justice 
is now within the corporate limits of Lake City. On May 10, 1856, 
Charles Amy was employed to lay out the town and three days later 
Alford White and Peter Smith and their wives deeded the land to 
the county, in consideration of one-half the proceeds arising from 
tlie sale of town lots. The first public sale of lots was on July 1, 
18.56. A courthouse was built the next year and Calhoun County 
took her place among the regularly organized counties of the state. 



70 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

COUNTY SEAT REMOVED TO ROCKAVELL CITY 

Shortly after the close of the Civil war settlers began coming into 
the northern part of the county. Several new civil townships were 
established, the Illinois Central Railroad was bnilt through that sec- 
tion of the county in 1870 and by 187o INIanson and Pomeroy had 
grown to villages of considerable size. A movement was then started 
to have the seat of justice removed to some point nearer the geo- 
graphical center of the county. A committee of citizens was chosen 
to select a site and prepare a petition to be presented to the board of 
supervisors, asking that the question be submitted to the voters. At 
the head of that committee was John Somerville, of JNIanson, after- 
ward a member of the board of supervisors. G. R. Pearson, of 
Fort Dodge, offered to donate all the land the county would need 
if the committee should select section 19 in Center Township. He 
represented to the committee that the land was diy and rolling, Lake 
Creek running through the section, and that the location would be 
only a mile and a half nortli of tlie center of tlie county. John i\L 
Rt)ck\\ell also came forward with an offer to donate every other lot 
in a tract tA\enty acres in the northeast quarter of section 36 in 
Twin liakes Township, almost in the exact geographical center. On 
June 17, 1876. the committee met at the house of Calvin Childs, near 
the site proposed by JNIr. Rockwell, selected that location and pre- 
pared the jjetition, which was circulated over the county by ]\[r. 
Somerville, JNI. INI. Smith and others. In due time the petition was 
presented to the board of supervisors and on September 5, 1876, 
that body adopted tlie following resolution: 

"Whereas, a petition has been presented to the board of super- 
visors, signed by 449 legal voters of Calhoun County, la., praying 
that an election for the removal of the county seat from Lake City 
to the projjosed Town of Rockwell, on the northeast quarter of sec- 
tion 36, township 88, range 33, west of the fifth principal merid- 
ian, Iowa, be ordered to be held on the day of the next general elec- 
tion; and 

"Whereas, it appears on examination that the petitioners have 
fully com])lied with the law in reference to publication of notices, 
legality of signatm-es. etc.. and that 449 is a majority of the legal 
voters of Calhoun County, as shown by the census of 187-5; there- 
fore be it 

"Resolved, by the Board ni' County Supervisors of Calhoun 
County, la., that the prayer of the petitioners be granted, and it 




lakj: e iTV about isr.j 

I.odkiiif; siiiitliwc'st I'niiii Ccntnil scIhkiI Imililiii" 




PUBLIC SQUARE AT LAKK (ITV 
Jiist ai'tci- tile ri'iiiiival of tl Jintlicnisi' 



PAST AXD PKESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 71 

is hereby ordered that a vote be taken at the next general election, to 
be held on November 7, 1870, upon the question of the removal of 
the county seat from Lake City to the proposed Town of Rockwell, 
on the nortlieast quarter of section 36, township 88, range 83. And 
the auditor is hereby authorized and instructed to publish in the 
Lake City Journal and issue an order to a constable of each town- 
ship in the county for tlie posting of the necessary notices of said 
election. 

"And be it further resolved, that the form of ballot shall be as 
follows : 

"For the county seat at Rockwell, or 
"For the county seat at Lake City." 

The proposition to remove the county seat was carried by a sub- 
stantial majority of the votes cast at the election on November 7, 
1876, and on January 4, 1877, E. S. Clow and Thomas INIiller, two 
members of the board of supervisors, were appointed as a commit- 
tee to superintend the building of a coin-thouse at Rockwell City. 
The courthouse was completed and accepted by the board on Sep- 
tember 3, 1877, and at the same session the county officers were 
ordered to remove all books, papers, etc., to the new seat of justice 
by tlie 10th of the same month. The first session of the l)oard of 
supervisors in the new county seat began on October 15, 1877. 



CHAPTER V 
PUBLIC BUILDINGS 

NECESSITY FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS — FIRST COURTHOUSE AT LAKE 
CITY — SECOND COURTHOUSE — DESTROYED BY" FIRE — THIRD COURT- 
HOUSE HOAV IT AVAS BUILT PRESENT COURTHOUSE COST AND 

DESCRIPTION COUNTY' JAIL CONTRACT AVITH AMERICAN EMI- 
GRANT COMPANY' — PRISONERS KEPT IN OTHER COUNTIES — JAII- 

BUILT AT ROCKAVELL CITY' THE COUNTY HOME FIRST POOR 

FARM — PRESENT POOR FARM — A SELF-SUSTAINING INSTITUTION, 

The visitor to the County of Calhoun at the present time Avill find 
pubhc buildings that compare favorably Avith those of any county in 
the Union of similar AA'ealth and population. But AA'hen the county 
Avas first organized in August, 185.5, there Avas not a building of any 
kind Avithin its boundaries that Avas suitable for the transaction of 
pu])lic business. In fact, there Avere but a fcAv private dAvellings, 
most of Avhich Avere log cabins of limited dimensions and poorly 
adapted to the needs of the county, even had they not been occupied 
by their OAvners. Under these circmiistances it Avas a case of "do the 
best you can." Tlie regular sessions of the County Court Avere held 
at the house of the county judge, and the other county officials kept 
their records and transacted their business at their homes. 

On April 7, 1856, the site of Lake City Avas selected by vote of 
the people as the place for the county seat and on ISIay 10th an agree- 
ment Avas entered into Avith Charles Amy to lay out the toAvn. INIore 
than a year passed, however, before any steps Avere taken to erect the 

•first COURTHOUSE 

In the spring of 1857 Peter Smith, the county judge, gave notice 
that he Avould receive proposals until INIay 27, 1857, for the erection 
of a courthouse. When that time arrived and the bids AA'ere opened 
it Avas found that Charles Amy and INIoses Sherman had submitted 

72 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 73 

tlie bt'st proposition to build a courthouse "according to a plan and 
specifications contained in their written contract." The contract was 
therefore awarded to them for $1,100. The building was completed 
in the fall of that year, but the contractors did not receive all their 
money until ^lay 3, 18.58, when a warrant for $110.75 was drawn in 
their favor as the "full and final payment for building the court- 
house." 

The problem of heating the building was solved by the purchase 
of a stove from C. P. Luse & Company, of Des JNIoines, on Decem- 
ber 1. 18.57. the purchase price being $21.20, and the county was 
granted six months' time in which to make payment. 

On jNIay 16, 1802. John Stennett was awarded a contract for 
"building a i^artition across the lower room of the courthouse and 
jjutting in one window of twelve lights 8 by 10 inches," etc., for Avhich 
he was to receive $20 upon the completion of the work. Moses 
Sherman was awarded a contract on the same date for build- 
ing a wood house 16 by 20 feet in dimensions, "according to plans 
and specifications annexed," for $89.7->. With these improvements 
and alterations the courthouse served the county as long as the seat 
of justice remained at Lake City. After the county seat was 
removed to Rockwell City in 1877, the courthouse at Lake City was 
removed to another location and in the spring of 191.5 was still stand- 
ing. 

SECOND COURTHOUSE 

The second courthouse in Calhoun County was built at Rockwell 
City. On .January 4, 1877, the board of supervisors appointed E. S. 
Clow and Thomas ^Miller a committee to supervise the erection of a 
courthouse and at the same term a contract was entered into with 
]\Ioses Davidson k Brother to erect the building. Immediately after 
the adjournment of the board John Somenille, one of the super- 
visors, and H. J. Griswold, county surveyor, went to the new town 
of Rockwell City to select a site for the courthouse. Block 6 was 
chosen for the public square and JNIr. Somerville drove the first stake 
for a building in Rockwell City. 

A diligent search thi'ough the records fails to disclose a copy of 
the contract, but from other sources it has been learned that the cost 
of the building was a little over $2,000. The rooms on the first floor 
were fitted up for county offices and vaults were built for the preser- 
vation of the records. On the second floor were the court and jury 
rooms. The building was destroyed by fire on September 18, 1884. 



74 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

THIKD COURTHOUSE 

At a special session of the boarti of supervisors held on Septem- 
ber 30, 1884, twelve days after the burning of the courthouse, the 
board adopted the following: 

"Resolved, that a proposition be submitted to the electors of 
Calhoun County, la., at the general election to be held on the 4th 
day of November. 1884. to issue negotiable bonds of the said county 
to the amount of $15,000 for the purpose of erecting a courthouse at 
the county seat of said county; said bonds to be payable in ten years 
and to bear interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum, payable 
semi-annually. Also that a special bond tax of one-half mill on the 
dollar of the assessable valuation of the property of said county be 
levied and collected each year for the years 1885. 1886, 1887, 1888 
and 1889, and one mill on the dollar thereafter for the purpose of 
paying the interest and principal of said bonds till said bonds are 
paid, and tliat said special tax be first levied in the year 1885, said 
special tax to be paid at the same time and subject to the same pen- 
alties for non-payment as ordinary taxes." 

At the same special session the county auditor was instructed to 
have a temporary building, one story high, erected on the site of 
the old courthouse, using the old foundation, for the use of the county 
officers and the protection of the vaults, which had withstood the fire. 
The only damage done to the vaults was the warping of the doors, and 
new doors were ordered. 

In January, 1885, at a regular session of the board of supervisors, 
the building known as the Patterson property was accepted by the 
board for the use of the court, and the Lewis k Smith hotel was 
secured for the use of the juries during the Febmary term of court, 
the rental in each case being $1 per day. A resolution was 
ado])ted authorizing the chairman of the board to appoint a com- 
mittee "to investigate the matter of disposing of the courthouse 
square and report at tlie next meeting." The principal reason for 
this action was that after block 6 had been selected as the public 
square the Des Moines & Northwestern Railroad came into Rock- 
well City ami its tracks cut off one corner of the sciuare, the noise of 
passing trains sometimes interfering with the business of the court. 
A. W. Eshbaugh was made chairman of the connnittee and at the 
April term submitted the following report: 

"Whereas, the electors of the County of Calhoun at the general 
election lield November 4. 1884, did by an overwhelming — almost 



PxVST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 75 

unanimous — majority declare their wishes against bonding the 
county for the purpose of building a new courthouse, and 

"Whereas, the county officers occupying the courthouse now in 
use by the county have expressed themselves as more comfortably 
and conveniently situated than they were before the burning of the 
former court building, and 

"Whereas, new doors have been purchased for the vaults, thus 
rendering them perfectly secure, and 

"Whereas, there is no difficulty in renting suitable rooms in Rock- 
well City at very reasonable rates for coiu't purposes, and 

"Whereas, the present courthouse, after being well painted and 
a few minor improvements made, will be in suitable condition for 
occupancy until such time as the county is better prepared to build, 
therefore be it 

"Resolved, by the Board of Supervisors of Calhoun County, la., 
that in the judgment of the board it is inexpedient at the present 
time to take anj^ action whatever toward disposing of the property 
now owned liy the County of Calhoun in the Town of Rockwell City, 
or toward building new court buildings." 

A majority of the supervisors were of a different opinion, how- 
ever, and the report, or rather recommendation, of the committee 
was rejected. H. W. Heston then offered a motion to the effect that 
the lioard proceed to sell block 6, which motion was adopted after 
some discussion, and an amendment provided that the square should 
be sold to the highest bidder on ]May 1, 188.5. At the sale Washing- 
ton Lewis bid $6,700 for the square, except the corner cut off by the 
Des ^Moines & Northwestern Railroad, which bid was accepted by 
the board and the jiroperty was conveyed to INIr. Lewis. 

As an echo of the old question of removing the county seat to 
Rockwell City, at the April term of the supen^isors' court in 1885, 
Thomas Beaumont and others presented a petition signed by 1,033 
legal voters, asking the board to submit to the voters, at the Novem- 
ber election in 188.5, a proposition to remove the county seat to Lake 
Citv. To offset the influence of such a petition, J. F. Lavender 
presented a remonstrance signed by 1,'2'29 voters, and the board 
refused to grant the prayer of the petitioners. 

In the meantime a committee had been appointed by the board 
to prociu'e ])lans and specifications for a new courthouse. This com- 
mittee made its report on the last day of April, 1885, and the plans 
selected were approved by the board. A building committee, con- 
sisting of G. R. Allison, H. W. Heston and .Jasper Clark, was then 



76 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

apj)oiiited to advertise for bids and supervise the erection of the 
biiihling. The day following this action, the public square was sold 
and the question of a location for the proposed new courthouse came 
ujj for consideration. 

When the county seat Avas removed to Rockwell City in 1877, 
and block 6 was selected as the public square, some of the citizens 
expressed a desire to have block 5, immediately west, set apart as a 
public park. That block was the proj^erty of John M. Rockw^ell, 
but he generously exchanged it for one belonging to the county. The 
board now decided to erect the courthouse on that square and on 
Jiuie 3, 188.5, a resolution to that effect was formally adopted. The 
resolution also provided that the main front of the building should 
face the east, "the front wall to be placed on the center line of said 
block running north and south and the center of tlie building to be 
on the center line running east and west." 

Upon opening the bids the board found that the proposal sub- 
mitted by the firm of Post & Burson was the most acceptable and the 
contract w^as awarded to them for the sum of $6,519. In order to 
raise funds for the erection of the building, the board decided to use 
<$;5,000 of the $6,700 received from the sale of block 6, and on June 
3, 1885, after the opening of the bids, ordered "that there be appro- 
priated, in addition to the $5,000 already appropriated, the sum of 
$1,519 of the insurance money received for the house burned on 
September 18, 1884." 

The building was completed early in the year 1886 and was occu- 
pied by the county for more than a quarter of a century. In 1913, 
when the contract was let for a new courthouse, the old one was 
removed to the west side of the public square and occupied while the 
new building was under construction. It was then sold by the coimty 
to the Cathohc Church of Rockwell City and removed to the north- 
west part of town for a parochial schoolhouse. 

PRESENT COURTHOUSE 

The first move toward the erection of a new courthouse was made 
on September 11, 1902, when the board of supervisors adopted a 
resolution to submit to the voters a proposition to issue bonds to the 
amount of $70,000 for that purpose. The proposition was defeated 
at the election on November 4, 1902, by the decisive vote of 1,678 
to 275. and the old building contiiuied in use for nearlv ten years 




CALHOUX CDIXTY eorKTHOUSi;, lidCKW Kl.L lITY 




STREET SCEXE. ROCKU KLI. ( ITV 



!<■ KVW VriDK 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 77 

longer before another attempt was made to build a new one. On 
June 3, 1912, the following petition eanie before the board: 

"'To the Board of SujKM-visors: 

"We, the undersigned, a eommittee appointed by the Business 
Glen's Association of Rockwell City, la., hereby request that your 
board submit the question to the legal voters of Calhoun County, la., 
at the general election in the year 1912 of building a new courthouse 
and bonding the county therefor. 

"AVe, on investigation and in conversation with various people 
from different parts of the county, believe this a proper time to sub- 
mit such (juestion, knowing that it will take nearly two j^ears to build 
one, and that the next election would be in the year 1914, unless a 
special election was ordered at a great expense. We know that the 
present courthouse is old and in a state of decay; that there is not 
sufficient vault room to preserve the records of the county; that there 
is not sufficient room for the transaction of the business of the county; 
that material is constantly advancing and we believe will continue to 
advance; that our farm land is becoming more valuable each year; 
that it w ill create no hardship on the taxpayers to build a sufficient 
and respectable courthouse. 

"Therefore we ask your body to pass a resolution of necessity to 
build a courthouse, on the present courthouse site, to cost not less 
than $12.3,000; that you jirovide for bonding the county in said sum; 
tliat said bonds Ije made to draw 4 per cent interest and to run for 
twenty years, with optional payments on the same after ten years, 
and that you pass a resolution instructing your county attorney, or 
any attorney you may select, to prepare the necessary resolutions and 
(juestions legally and properly to build the same. 

"All of which is respectfully submitted." 

The petition was signed by J. F. Hutchinson, W. E. Gray, D. L. 
Wheeler and M. W. Frick and was laid over by the board until July 
23, 1912, when it was granted and a resolution adopted submitting 
the question to the electors of the county at the general election to be 
held on November 5, 1912, whether bonds to the amount of $12.5,000 
should be issued by the county and an annual tax of five mills on the 
dollar be levied upon the taxable property of the county to pay the 
principal and interest of said l)onds. The movement for a new 
courthouse received (juite an impetus at the October term of the Dis- 



78 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

trict Court, when S. G. Fowlie. foreman of the grand jury, submit- 
ted a report eondemning" the vaults used by the auditor, treasurer 
and clerk, and recommending the board of supervisors to provide a 
safe and suitable place for the records. 

At the general election on November 5, 1912, there were 3,o90 
votes cast on the question of a new courthouse — 1,930 in favor of the 
proposition, 1,630 against it, and 30 ballots spoiled in marking were 
thrown out as defective. On the 12th, after the votes were canvassed 
and the result made known, it was decided that the entire board should 
act as a building committee, with J. J. Coady as chairman. 

Arrangements were completed with the Falls City Construction 
Company, of Louisville, Ky., early in December, bj^ which that com- 
l)any was to furnish plans and specifications for $750, with the under- 
standing that if the said company was awarded the contract for the 
erection of the building that amount would be refunded to the county. 
On December 24, 1912, the plans were accepted by the board, "sub- 
ject to the approval of the architect whom the board will appoint, as 
to the capacity of the foundation and the structural members of the 
building to carry the loads imposed," etc. The board selected W. F. 
Cernandt, an architect of Omaha, Neb., to examine the plans. On 
January 2, 1913, the county auditor was instructed to advertise for 
bids until February 11, 1913; INIr. Gernandt made his report on Jan- 
uary 13, suggesting a few minor changes, and on the 21st W. E. 
INIcClure was appointed superintendent of construction by INIr. Ger- 
nandt. The contract was awarded to the Falls City Construction 
Company on February 11, 1913, for $102,600. 

The next step was to clear the ground for the new stnicture. 
Bids were asked for the removal of the old courthouse west to the 
sti'eet line and the tearing down of the old vaults. .Joseph Kist was 
the successful l)idder in this contest, receiving $.500 for tlie work. 

On April 7, 1913, the board adopted a resolution "That the old 
soldiers have charge of the laying of the corner-stone for the new 
coiu'thouse and the auditor be authorized to arrange a date for the 
said laying with Col. J. M. Stewart, Lake City, la., and to forward 
him a co])y of this resolution." The stone was laid on July 17, 1913, 
with ajjpropriate ceremonies, Hon. M. F. Healy, of Fort Dodge, 
being the orator of the occasion. 

The building was accepted by the board as complete on jNfay 16, 
1914, and final payment ordered. The total cost of the courthouse 
was as follows: 



PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 79 

Original contract $102,600.00 

Extra work allowed 4,462.95 

Newton «S: Iloit Company, furniture 7,326.50 

Paul 31. Seifert. decorations 1,850.00 



Total $116,238.4 



o 



Tliis left a balance of $8,761.55 of the original appropriation of 
$125,000 to pay for grading the grounds, etc., thus bringing the cost 
of the building and its appurtenances within the original sum. 

The Calhoun County courthouse is three stories in height, exclu- 
sive of the basement. On the east and west sides are the entrances 
to the main floor. North of these entrances are the otfices of the 
clerk, recorder and sheriff, the south side being occupied by the 
offices of the auditor and treasurer and the board room, where the 
supervisors hold their meetings. The District Court room occupies 
the north side of the second floor, on which are the offices of the county 
attorney, county engineer and superintendent of the public schools. 
On the upper floor are the cells for prisoners, while in the basement 
are the heating plant, janitor's room, men's toilet room and extra 
storage vaults. The walls are of brick, with an outward facing of 
Indiana oolitic (commonly called Bedford) limestone, and the roof 
is of red clay tiles. Steel and concrete construction prevails through- 
out and the building is practically fireproof. 

In the sale of the courthouse bonds may be seen an instance of 
the high financial standing of Calhoun County. Soon after the con- 
tract was let to the Falls City Construction Company, the board of 
supervisors advertised for bids on the bonds, which were made pay- 
able in twenty years, with optional payment after ten years, and 
bearing interest at 5 per cent per annum, payable semi-annually. On 
]May 12, 1913, the day set for opening the bids, the entire issue of 
bonds was sold to George M. Bechtel & Company, of Davenport, 
la., at a premium of $977. 

THE COUNTY JAIL 

The first mention of a county jail in the public records of Cal- 
houn County appears in the supen'isors' minutes of December 12, 
1861. in connection with the sale of the swamp lands to the American 
Emigrant Comjiany. In return for a title to those lands that com- 
pany agreed to make certain public imjirovcTnents, among which was: 



80 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

"One timber jail, in all respects to be just like the jail agreed to 
be built for the County of Greene by agreement lately made with the 
lioard of Sujaervisors of Green County by the American Emigrant 
Company; said jail not to be commenced until two years from the 
1st day of March next, and to be completed in one year thereafter 
on such lot as the Board of Supervisors of the County of Calhoun 
shall select and notify as the place. 

"In case the county, before the said 1st day of March, 1864, shall 
Avish to have any other public lawful improvement made by the party 
of the second part, in lieu of said jail, and shall notify the party of 
the second ])art in said agreement thereof, then the party of the sec- 
ond part shall make any such other improvements, providing the laws 
shall then authorize the making thereof with the swamp land and 
funds in said agreement ai)pvo])riated to the building of said jail; 
and in such case the cost of said jail is estimated at $.5,000, and that 
sum is the sum agreed upon as the sum in such case to be applied to 
such other improvements, within a grist and saw mill, or anything 
else so authorized by law to be made by said coimty with said fimds." 

The jail thus agreed upon was never built, for the reason that the 
board of supervisors in 186-i availed themselves of the privilege of 
changing that part of the contract to another building. It should be 
borne in mind that the first courthovise was a frame structure, heated 
only by stoves, and not very much of a protection against fire. As 
the population increased and the public records began to luultiply, 
the board of supervisors, composed of David Reynolds, Henry Sif- 
ford and Cyreno W. Thompson, on July 14, 1864, passed a resolution 
changing that part of the contract with the American Emigrant Com- 
pany relating to the jail so as to secure the erection of a "safe build- 
ing 24 feet long, 20 feet wide, walls 9 feet high — to be divided into 
two rooms by a wall 8 inches thick, and to have a safe 4 feet wide 
the whole length of the building — supposed to be fireproof." 

At the January term in 1878. after the county seat had been 
removed to Rockwell City, the "brick building owned by the county 
in Lake City" was designated as a county jail, AV. A. Townsend was 
allowed $10 for making certain repairs thereto, and the other build- 
ings were ordered sold. The brick building thus referred to was the 
one erected by the American Emigrant Company in lieu of the jail 
mentioned in the original contract. Evidently the board soon discov- 
ered that the building was not calculated to serve the j)urposes of a 
jail, for on July 15, 1878, Thomas INliller, chairman of the board, 
and W. H. Fitch were ajjpointcd a conunittcc to confer with the 



PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 81 

authorities of counties having suitable jails for the safe keeping of 
prisoners for the accommodation of prisoners from Calhoun County; 
and in case no satisfactory arrangements could be made by the com- 
mittee, the whole board was constituted a committee for tlie purpose 
of erecting a jail "and providing the same with cells for four persons, 
at a cost not to exceed $1,500." 

^lessrs. jNIiller and Fitch reported that a satisfactory agreement 
liad been made with the authorities of Greene County for the safe 
keeping of prisoners from Calhoun and no steps were taken toward 
the erection of a jail. For some twelve years persons sentenced to 
jail in Calhoun County were imprisoned in the jails of some of the 
adjacent counties. 

In April, 1885, the Lohrville lockup Avas declared a jail for the 
commitment of persons bj- the justices' courts for minor offenses. 
Early in the year 1890 it was suggested to the board of supervisors 
that it would be more economical for the county to build a jail of its 
own for violators of law than to pay other counties for their support 
during their terms of imprisonment. On ]March 27, 1890, tlie board 
decided to visit and inspect the jail at Dakotah, the county seat of 
Humboldt County, with a view to the erection of a jail at Rockwell 
City, and set apart Wednesday, April 2, 1890, as the day for their 
visit. 

After the inspection of the Humboldt County jail no definite 
action was taken until June 5, 1890, when the following was unani- 
mously adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Calhoun County: 

"Be it resolved by the Board of Supen'isors of Calhoun County, 
Iowa, that a committee composed of tlie chairman and two members 
of the l)oard to l)e apjjointed by the chair, to enter into negotiations 
for suitable grounds for the erection of a jail, and to receive plans, 
specifications and bids for the same, and if in their judgment they 
deem it expedient, that said committee be, and is hereby, authorized 
to purchase suitable grounds and to let a contract for the construction 
of a suitable jail, the cost not to exceed the limit provided by law 
($.5,000), and said committee is also authorized to supei"vise the erec- 
tion of said jail." 

H. W. Heston, ehainnan of the board, appointed as his fellow 
members of that committee A. F. Stonebraker and J. G. Robinson. 
There was some opposition to the idea of building a jail, but the 
members of the committee carefully figured the cost of a building and 
compared it witli the cost of maintaining prisoners in other county 
jails, finally reacliing the conclusion that the outlay in the constnic- 



82 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

tioii of a jail would in the end prove to be a profitable iuvestuient. 
Consequently, on August 28, 1890, the lot at the northwest corner of 
INIain and Fifth streets w^as purchased of Charlotte jNI. Rockwell for 
a consideration of $1,0.50. Soon after that a contract was entered 
into with Charles Hoft', a contractor and builder, for the erection of 
a brick jail, two stories high, with cells on the lower floor for men 
and on the upper floor for women. This is another instance of where 
a building was erected by a committee and a copy of the contract 
cannot be found. It is known, however, that the cost of the building 
was about $3,500. After the new courthouse was completed in 1914, 
and the cells on the upper floor of that building were made ready for 
the reception of prisoners, the old jail was torn down by P. C. Hol- 
doegel, who purchased the property from the county. 

THE COUNTY HOME 

During the early years of the county's history, the unfortunate 
poor were cared for by the townships or by individuals, avIio received 
allowances from the county treasury to jjay for the maintenance of 
paupers placed vuider their care. But as the population increased 
the calls for assistance correspondingly increased and it became 
a])pai'ent that some better system of caring for the poor would have 
to be inaugurated. On January 6, 1872, the board of supervisors 
took the following action: 

"Whereas, the board of supervisors, after due consideration, 
deem it advisable to select and purchase a body of land suitable for 
a poor farm and have, after an examination of lands in the desired 
locality, selected the following described tract of land, to-wit: The 
northwest quarter of section 17, township 87 north, range 32 west of 
the fifth principal meridian. 

"Be it therefore resolved by the board of supervisors, that the 
auditor be authorized and required to issue warrants to secure the 
purchase of the above described land, at a price not to exceed $4. .50 
per acre. 

"For the above purpose the auditor will issue warrants first on 
the swamj) land fiind on hand, and then issue warrants on the county 
fund for tlie balance." 

The tract of land purchased under this resolution is situated in 
the western part of Logan Township, about four miles southeast of 
Rockwell City and directly west of the Chicago. INIilwaukee t*v St. 
Paid Railroad. The farmhouse already standing upon the land was 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 8'.i 

remodeled in some respects for the accommodation of inmates and 
was Calhoun County's first poorhouse. Subsequent boards of super- 
visors declined, for various reasons, to erect more commodious build- 
ings upon the farm, and in the course of a few years the county was 
compelled to resort to the old custom of carino- for the poor. Tender 
the law the board could expend only $.>,000 for the erection of public 
buildings Avithout first submitting the question of expenditure to a 
vote of the people, and as that sum would not be sufficient for the 
erection Of a poorliouse the board adopted the following resolution 
on September 8, 189'J: 

"Whereas, in the ojjinion of the board of supervisors, the county 
poor farm is too small and shoiUd consist of not less than .'J20 acres, 
and 

"\Vhereas the present poor farm consists of only 160 acres, and 
the buildings are not suitable for the proper care of the paux^ers of 
the county, and 

"Whereas, a large number of paujiers are aided outside of the 
poorhouse for the reason that tlie same is unsuitable and too small to 
accommodate all the poor of the county, and 

"Whereas, it costs the county a large sum of money to care for 
the poor outside of the poorhouse, and, in the opinion of the board, it 
would be a large saving to the county to have a suitalile place to care 
for all the county ])oor, and. in the judgment of the board, the pres- 
ent poor farm should be sold and a larger one purchased and suitable 
buildings erected thereon, and 

"Whereas, it is the opinion of the board that such a farm would 
be self-sustaining, while the present one is not, therefore be it 

"Resolved, by the board of supervisors, that the following ques- 
tion be submitted to the voters of Calhoun County, Iowa, at the 
regadar election of 1899: 'Shall the board of supervisors levy a tax 
of not exceeding two mills on the dollar for two successive years to 
be used in ])urchasing a poor farm and erecting suitable buildings 
thereon ?' " 

At the election in November the vote on the proposition to levy 
a tax for the purchase of the poor farm and the erection of new build- 
ings was .56.5 for to .525 against it, and at the January session of the 
board of supervisors in 1900 H. C. ^Vetter, George W. Reeves and 
S. L. Kent were appointed a committee on poor farm, with authority 
to employ a competent architect to make plans for a building, etc. 
Mv. Reeves was later succeeded on the committee by A. I^. Johnson. 
The year 1900 passed without any definite action being taken toward 



84 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

the erection of a county home, but on April 11, 1900, the north half 
of section 22, township 88, range 32, was purchased of James Bragin- 
ton and wife for a consideration of $11,200, and in September fol- 
lowing a resolution authorizing the sale of the old poor farm was 
adopted. It was sold on April 1, 1901, to W. M. Prince for $7,000. 

The present poor farm is located near the center of Center Town- 
ship, about four miles northeast of Rockwell City and a little over a 
mile west of Richards. In January, 1901, the conmiittee appointed 
the preceding year submitted plans made by Hallet & Rawson. archi- 
tects of Des ]Moines, for a two-story brick building containing about 
forty rooms, the estimated cost of which was $8,000, exclusive of 
heating. The plans were approved by the board, bids were advertised 
for, and on March 9, 1901, the contract was let to J. W. Zitterell, of 
Webster City, la., for $9,061, with the proviso that it was to be com- 
pleted by the first day of August following. The contractor car- 
ried out the conditions of his agreement and on August 8, 1901, the 
new county home was accepted by the board of supervisors. The fol- 
lowing description of the institution is taken from the county audi- 
tor's report for tlie year 1913: 

"There is a large, well furnished main building for the inmates, 
together with large barns, hog house, windmill and cattle sheds. The 
main building was built in 1901 and is modern in every respect. It 
is 36 by 61 feet and contains three stories and basement. Iniilt of solid 
brick. The basement story is finished in rockfaced brick and the 
superstructure is white brick. It is heated throughout with hot water 
and a water supply system furnishes hot and cold water on the sev- 
eral floors. On each of the first and second floors is a bathroom and 
toilet and the whole building is a model of comfort and convenience. 

"The farm is well ecjuipped with machinery and is well stocked 
witli horses, cattle and hogs. The land was bought and the buildings 
built from the proceeds of the old poor farm, which w^as situated in 
liOgan Township, and by a direct tax which was levied for that ]mr- 
pose. The total value of the farm, togetlier with improvements, live 
stock and furnishings, is estimated at about $60,000." 



CHAPTER VI 
THE SWAMP LANDS 

ORIGIN OF SWAMPS — SAVAMP LAND GRANT OF 1850 — ACCEPTED BY lOAYA 
LEGISLATURE AND LANDS GIVEN TO COUNTIES — CALHOUN COUNTY 

SELLS HER LANDS TO THE AMERICAN EMIGRANT COMPANY 

CHANGES IN THE CONTRACT — TRUST DEED — HOW LANDS ARE 

ENTERED LITIGATION IN THE UNITED STATES COURTS LANDS 

SOLD TO CALLANAN & SAA'ERY INDIGNATION MEETING AND A TEST 

CASE — THE QUESTION FINALLY SETTLED. 

Whenever the drift or conglomerate deposited during the glacial 
epoch contains sand or gravel only in limited quantities, thereby 
forming a sin-face layer but slightly porous, and this surface layer 
rests upon a bed of glacial clay that is impervious to water, the geo- 
logical conditions exist for the formation of swamps. Following the 
glacial era, the rains gradually filled the earth until the surface layer 
was completely saturated, after which the water accumulated in the 
low places in the form of ponds or marshes. Such was the condition 
of Calhoun County when the first white men came to make their 
homes in this section of Iowa. The first settlements were made upon 
the dry lands bordering the streams, or at least within the limits of 
the territory drained by the natural Avater courses. The wet lands 
Avei-e then considered worthless, but in course of time the swamp land 
question became one of importance to the people of the county. 

On September 28, 18.50, President Fillmore approved an act of 
Congress granting to the several states certain swamp lands lying 
Avithin their borders. The grant to loAva Avas accepted by the Legis- 
lature and in February, 1853, the General Assembly approved an 
act gTanting to each county the swamp lands included in the act of 
Congress lying in that county. On June 2, 1856, Peter Smith, then 
county judge of Calhoun County, appointed Charles Amy and H. 
C. CraAvford "to select and survey the SAvamp lands Avithin this county 
in accordance Avith the laAvs passed at the session of the Legislature of 
1852-.53." 

85 



86 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

In 1860 the office of county judge was abolished and the man- 
agement of county affairs was vested in a board of supervisors. Soon 
after the change was made the board in Calhoun Coimty ordered : 

"That wlienever Charles Amy and H. C. Crawford (Amj^ & 
Crawford) shall make proof of the swamp land satisfactory to the 
surveyor-general of the States of Iowa and Wisconsin, or to the regis- 
trar of the state land office, their contract in the matter, dated August 
5, 1861, shall be fulfilled," etc. 

The area of swamp land in Calhoun County, subject to the Con- 
gressional grant and the state law of February, 1853, was estimated 
at 42.417 acres, which amount of laud was to be selected and sur- 
veyed by Amy & Crawford. Ultimately it was discovered that this 
estimate was too low to cover all the swamp lands that came within 
the scope of the Congressional enactment and the contract of Ann' & 
Crawford was extended. Before the selection and survey was com- 
l^leted a new factor entered the swamp land prol)lem. 

That factor was the American Emigrant Company, a corporation 
formed for the purpose of securing and exploiting the swamp lands 
in several of the western states, along with certain other fimctions, 
such as the encouragement of inmiigration and making certain public 
improvements in payment for the swamp lands. On December 12, 
1861, the County of Calhoun entered into a contract with the Amer- 
ican Emigrant Company by which that company was to build cer- 
tain public works, to-wit : 

"One timber spile bridge over the Coon River, just above the mill 
of William Oxenford, near where a gravel pit now is, or at any other 
point where the board of supervisors may decide to have it made, and 
notify them liefore drawing any of the materials to the site. The 
bents to be from fifteen to twenty feet apart and of sufficient height 
to be above high water; all the materials to be of good quality, the 
work well done in a workmanlike manner, and strong built and good; 
all the timbers to be of sufficient size and strength to form a perma- 
nent, good bridge, as well finished as any other bridge in the county 
and as strongly made throughout; tlie whole to be of burr oak; the 
bents to be one foot square, and when round timber is used for spiles 
to be at least one foot thick; the stringers to be 5 by 12 inches at 
least; the planks to be two inches thick and not more than one foot 
wide, and well S])iked with iron spikes. 

"Also to build sufficient bridges on all the sloughs, not exceeding 
ten in number, on the road leading from Fort Dodge and to grade and 
turnpike the said sloughs, each in proportion to its length and size — 




ML'«KKAT HUUSlvS IX A lALIKH'X ((ILNTY SWAMP 



THE NEW 
PUBLIC LIBRA 



ASTOI; 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUXTY 87 

as long, as high, as wide and as well as those already built and made 
on that road are done; said bridges to be as good and as well made 
in all respects as those already built; and if less than ten are desired 
on said road, the remainder of like magnitude shall be made on any 
other sloughs in the county requested and notified by the board of 
iiupervisors as more desirable to be made, all of which ten separate 
works on sloughs are to be comi^leted on or before the 1st day of 
January, A. D. 1863, said bridge across the Coon Jliver to be com- 
j)lcted on or before the 1st day of January, 1864." 

The company also agreed to build a jail, like the one in Greene 
County. That part of the contract relating to the jail will be found 
in the preceding chajiter. On the other hand the County of Calhoini 
agreed "upon the completion of all the works and jobs mentioned in 
this agreement and schedules, or so soon thereafter as the county 
shall receive the title to all of said lands, the county is to convej^ and 
the party of the second part take the title to said lands." 

It was mutually understood that the American Emigrant Com- 
pany was to take the swamp lands subject to all legal charges existing 
against the same, and to release the county, state and United States 
"from all claims and liability they or any one of them might be sub- 
ject to for, or on account of, the reclaiming of said lands, or drainage 
of any of said lands, and from all the conditions imposed by the act 
of Congress of September 28, 18.50, relating to swamp lands." 

It was further agreed that, before becoming effectiA-e, the con- 
tract was to be submitted to the legal voters of the county. The con- 
tract was entered ujjon the records on December 30, 1861, and on the 
same day tlie board of suj^ervisors fixed upon January 24, 1862, as 
the date of a special election, at which the voters should ratify or 
reject the contract. At that election thirty-six votes were cast, 
twenty-two of whicli were in favor of ratifying the contract, and 
fourteen were opposed. To some people of the present day it may 
seem that the people of Calhoun County thus did a very foolish thing 
in conveying to the American Emigrant Company several thousand 
acres of what is now the most productive land in the county. But it 
must be remembered that in 1861 these lands were too wet for culti- 
vation, that the comity revenues were small, and that the public im- 
provements mentioned in the agreement were badly needed. 

It is often more easy to make a contract than it is to carry out its 
provisions. The history of the public improvements ordered by the 
contract with the American Emigrant Company is one of delays. 



88 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

On August 23, 1862, T. E. Brown, then the agent of the company, 
presented a jietition to the board of supervisors setting forth that: 

"At tlie time said company purchased said lands they purchased 
also the claim on the United States for these lands sold by the United 
States belonging to said covmty since the swamp land grant of 1850, 
which claim on the United States it is believed amounted to from 
10.000 to 15.000 acres, more or less; that by the decision of the com- 
missioner of the general land office such claim is rejected on the 
grovuids that the selection papers therefor were not filed on or before 
the 3d day of JNIarch, 1857, which causes gi'eat loss on the part of 
yom- petitioners ; on account of such loss and the consideration of one 
dollar paid the said county by the American Emigrant Company, the 
receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, yovir petitioners ask that 
an extension of one year be granted to such company, within which 
to perform so much of said contract as was by the agreement to be 
done and performed within the year 1862; that no other jiart of said 
contract is hereby asked to be extended and that no change of any 
kind whatever is asked to be made except the extension aforesaid. 

"AMERICAN EMIGRANT COMPANY, 

"By T. E. BROWN, Agent." 

At the same term of the sujiervisors' court a supplementary peti- 
tion, to the same end, was jsresented by "sundiy citizens of the 
county." This petition was signed by Charles Amy, Peter Smith, 
B. C. Kuder, Henry SifFord, George W. Beebe, Jesse ]Marmon, 
George Gray, John W. Athey, Nelson Gray, L. C. INIorey, Fred 
Hucke, R. M. Lumpkin, H. PL Hutchinson, *W. W. Ripley, C. W. 
Thompson, Christian Smith, Haynes Parker, William Oxenford, 
■John Oxenford, Jonathan Bishop, A. G. Gils, John D. INIararbre, 
liai-kin Williams, E. W. Reynolds, Alford White. John Lumpkin 
and Ranson Kile. 

Some of these men were afterward accused of playing into the 
hands of the American Emigrant Company in petitioning for the 
extension of time, but a glance at the list of names shows tliat a ma- 
jority of the leading citizens of the county signed the petition and 
they were no doubt conscientious in their belief that it was the best 
thing to be done under the circumstances. 

In the meantime the board of supervisors, at a meeting on Maj'- 
22, 1862, recommended to the Governor of Iowa the a])p<»intmcnt 
of James C. Savery, of Des [Moines, as a special agent "for the pur- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 8<) 

jjose of exjjediting the settlement of the clami of Calhoun County 
with the United States for the swamp lands lying within said county." 

A new arrangement was made on June 2, 18G2, when the Amer- 
ican Emigrant Com])any paid the county $8.)() and agreed to pay 
$8j4i more, when called upon by the comity treasurer to do so, any 
time after October 1, 1862, in consideration of being released from 
that part of the contract relating to the bridges across the ten sloughs 
on the Fort Dodge road. At the same time the company was given 
one year more to complete the bridge across the Coon River. 

In January, 18().'i, a new board of supervisors came into office 
and before the close of that year an entirely new deal was made with 
the American Emigrant Company with reference to the swamp lands. 
On September 14., 1803, the board executed a trust deed to the swamp 
lands to Andrew G. Hammond, John Hooker and Henry K. W. 
Welch, of Hartford, Conn., as the trustees for the American Emi- 
grant Company, the principal features of that deed being as fol- 
lows : 

"That the said Comity of Calhoun, in and In' a certain agreement 
made in writing by and between the said county and the American 
Emigrant Company, bearing date the 12th day of December, A. D. 
1861. and now on file in the office of the clerk of the District Court 
of said comity, has sold to the said company all the claims of the said 
county on the United States for or on account of such swamp or 
overflowed lands as have been sold for cash or located with warrants 
or scrip by or under authority of the United States since the swamp 
land grant (so called). 

"Now. therefore, in pursuance of said agreement in writing and 
in consideration of the sum of $6,000 to the party of the first part 
(Calhoun County) paid by said company, jjarty of the second part, 
or such trustees aforesaid, all and singular the lands and real estate 
hereinafter mentioned and described, the same being situated in the 
said County of Calhoun, that is to say (Here follows several pages 
of description) is hereby conveyed to the said trustees," etc. 

It was further set forth in the deed that "in case said county at 
this time has not fully obtained a perfect title in fee to any of tlie 
said lands, any interest, claims or titles thereto the county shall here- 
after acquire under or by virtue of the said swamp land grant shall 
inure to the benefit of the party of the second part without any 
further or subsequent conveyance." 

The deed was signed by Peter Smith, David Reynolds and Cy- 
reno W. Thompson, supervisors, and Jonathan Bishop, clerk. After 



90 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

it was executed some four or tive years elapsed before the swamp 
land question again came into Calhoun County history. During the 
years 186G to 1868 the land office at Fort Dodge permitted a number 
of homestead entries on the lands claimed by the American Emigrant 
Company. No complaint was made by the company at the time, the 
settlers went ahead and made improvements upon their homesteads. 
and then received notice that they were occupying lands owned by 
the American Emigrant Company. Quite a number of settlers were 
thus victimized, especially those who had located claims in the north- 
ern part of the county. They lost all their improvements, unless 
they agreed to buy their lands over from the American Emigrant 
Company at greatly advanced prices, and many of them wondered 
how such an egregious blunder could have been committed by the 
attaches of the land office. 
; In this connection, although it has no bearing upon the swamp 

V land problem, the reader may be interested in knowing just how the 
first land entries were made. Prior to the passage of the Homestead 
Bill bj" Congress in 1862, people became individual owners of land 
by purchase or pre-emption, or by location of land warrants. By 
the first method the settler selected the tract of land desired, obtained 
an accin-ate description thereof — secti(jn, townshij) and range — after 
which he went to the land office and paid the i)urchase price of $1.2.7 
per acre. At the land office he received a certificate upon which a 
patent or title was issued by the government and signed by the Presi- 
dent of the United States. By the second method the settler filed at 
the land office a pre-emption claim and received a certificate giving 
him title for one year. If Avithin that time he paid the regulation 
price of $1.2o per acre he received a patent in the same manner as 
the man who purchased his land outright. I^and warrants were issued 
to certain persons for certain services, such as serving in the army or 
navy, and such warrants gave the holders the right to select and 
receive title to any tract of land upon public domain. Very few tracts 
in Calhomi County were located by warrants. 

The complications arising by the action of the Fort Dodge land 
office were i)artially corrected by the Government giving to Calhoim 
County indenmity scrip, by which other lands could be selected. In 
fact, some lands were actually selected in lieu of the tracts sold by 
the United States between the year 18r)0. when the swamp land grant 
was made by Congress, and the selection of the lands in 18.57. Some 
of the homesteaders who had entered lands belonging to the Amer- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 91 

ican Eniigraut Coiupam- were given tlie opportunity of selecting new 
homes upon the lands located by the indenuiity scrip. 

About the time the Fort Dodge land office was permitting home- 
stead entries to be made upon tlie swamp lands, the feeling became 
rife in Calhoun County that the American Emigrant Companj- \\as 
not giving the people of the county a square deal. In 1868 the board 
of supervisors, then composed of Robert Sliideler, Joseph Yates and 
A. W. Zane, decided to test the matter in the courts and employed 
D. D. Miracle, an attorney of Webster City, to bring suit in the 
United States Circuit Court at Des JMoines to overthrow the claim 
of the American Emigrant Company to any swamp lands in Calhoun 
County. Suit was accordingly filed, but the attorneys of the Amer- 
ican Emigrant Company resorted to various means for delaying 
action by the court and the case threatened to rival the famous chan- 
cery case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, as told by Charles Dickens in his 
Bleak House. 

A change in the board of supervisors brought T. P. Gregg, Joseph 
Yates and Cornelius Pocock into office and on March 11, 187"2, this 
board adoi:)ted the following: 

"Resolved, by the board of supervisors of Calhoun County, Iowa, 
in special session, that D. D. JNIiracle, attorney of said county, having 
the management of the suit of Calhoim County against the American 
Emigrant Comjiany now pending in the United States Circuit Court, 
he, and he hereby is, authorized, instructed and directed to comjiro- 
mise said suit on the part of said county, and consent and agree on 
the part of said county to a decree vesting and declaring the title to 
all the swamp lands and swamp land interest of said county, now 
in dispute in said suit, in said American Emigrant Company upon 
the following basis and terms, to- wit: 

"The said American Emigrant Company is to pay to the said 
county the sum of $2,300 in cash and pay all costs and expenses of 
said suit heretofore incurred, including the said Miracle's fees, except 
$500, which the said county shall pay in addition $300 already ad- 
vanced bj' the said county to the said Miracle, and this resolution 
and action of said board of supervisors shall be sufficient authority 
for so adjusting said suit." 

Again the vexed question was settled for a brief period, but the 
swamp land problem was a veritable Banquo's ghost to Calhoun 
County and would not down. After the suit was compromised 
Tinder the above resolution, the board listed the lands of the com- 
pany for taxation. The company refused to pay the tax, claim- 



92 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

ing that such action on the part of the county authorities was a 
violation of the origuial agreement, and in 1873 procui'ed an injunc- 
tion in the courts against W. T. Smith, then county treasurer, pro- 
hibiting him from putting said lands upon the dehnquent tax list, 
or from collecting the taxes already due. Thereupon the county 
employed Judge James Grant, of Davenport, to test the matter in 
the courts, and after about two years of litigation in the United 
States Circuit and Supreme courts, the county was defeated, the 
injunction being sustained by the highest tribunal in the nation. This 
caused a loss of some five or six thousand dollars to the county in 
court costs, attorney's fees and taxes that it was fully expected could 
be collected. 

In 1887-88 an agent of the American Emigrant Company came 
to Calhoun County and was noticed examining lands here and tliere. 
The rumor then became current that the company was preparing to 
make a new selection of swamp lands. As a matter of fact the com- 
pany did at that time make what purported to be a new selection of 
some fifty-three thousand acres, after which the company conveyed 
their interest in the swamp lands of Calhoun County to Callanan & 
Savery, of Des Moines. 

When the news of this action reached Calhoun County an indig- 
nation meeting was called at Rockwell City and was attended by a 
large number of people, particularly those whose titles were in dis- 
pute. At that meeting it Mas decided to bring the matter into the 
courts and the owners of nearly two thousand acres of the lands in 
question were made the plaintiffs in the test case to determine the 
title of the American Emigrant Company and their successors. Cal- 
lanan & Savery. The suit was set for trial at the June term of the 
District Court, but by that time it was learned that a large nmnber , 
of the settlers had adjusted the matter with Callanan & Savery by^^ 
paying a small amount and receiving a clear title to their lands. 
Other occupants of the lands followed the same course and the ques- 
tion that had kept Calhoun County in a turmoil for more than a 
quarter of a century was finally settled. 

An account of the improvement and reclamation of the swamp 
lands of Calhoun County will be found in Chapter XIII. Lands 
that Avere once considered worthless are now among the most pro- 
ductive in the State of Iowa and are worth all they cost in litigation 
and compromise extending over so many years. 



CHAPTER VII 
TOWNSHIP HISTORY 

CONGRESSIOX^VL AXD CIVIL TOWNSHIPS — ORIGIN OF THE TOWNSHIP — 
FIRST TOAVXSHIPS IX lOAVA — CALHOUN COUNTY A PART OF JULIEN 

TOWNSHIP — THE SIXTEEN TOWNSHIPS OF C^VLHOUN COUNTY 

BUTLER — CALHOUN — CEDAK — CENTER — ELM GROVE — GARFIELD — • 
GREENFIELD — JACKSOX — INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH THE EARLY 

SETTLEMENT ORGANIZATION — BRIEF SKETCHES OF PIONEERS — 

PRESENT DAY CONDITIONS — RAILROADS — POPULATION AND AVEALTH 
SCHOOLS, ETC. 

The term "towiisliip," as ai^plied to iniuor political or topograph- 
ical subdivisions of the United States, has a double significance, refer- 
ring alike to the congressional township and the civil township. The 
former, as established by the official survey of the public domain, is 
always six miles square and contains an area of thirty-six square miles 
— or at least theoretically so, fractional sections sometimes occurring 
on account of the convergence of the meridians of longitude as the 
sun^ej^or proceeds northward. To correct the errors resulting from 
this convergence correction lines are established every sixty miles. 
Two of these correction lines are to be seen in the State of Iowa, the 
first running east and west through the City of Des Moines, and the 
second through Calhoun Coimty, six miles south of the northern 
boundary. The congressional township is designated by a number 
and is bounded on the east and west by range lines. 

The civil township varies in size, the boundaries often being formed 
by natural features, such as creeks or rivers. It is distinguished by 
a name instead of a number and differs from the congressional town- 
ship in that it has a local government as a minor political subdivision 
of the county. 

In Calhoun County the congressional and civil townships coin- 
cide. Each township of the official survey has been given a name 
and government. The county, being twenty-four miles square, is 

93 



9i PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

composed of sixteen townships, viz.: Butler, Calhoun, Cedar, Center, 
Elm Grove, Garfield, Greenfield, Jackson, Lake Creek, Lincoln, 
Logan, Reading, Sherman, Twin Lakes, Union and Williams. 

The townshij) as a body politic came into existence in England 
during the old Anglo-Saxon regime, where it was known as the 
"tunseijje." A popular assemblage, in which every citizen had a voice 
and vote on all questions relating to the local public welfare, was called 
the "tun moot," and the chief executive officer of the "tunscipe" was 
designated as the "tun reeve." He. with the parish priest and four 
lay delegates, represented the "tmiscipe" in the popular assembly of 
the county or shire. 

Upon the establishment of English settlements in America, the 
system was transplanted and the "tun moot," or town meeting, as it 
was afterward called, was in existence in this country for many years 
before the actual creation of civil townships marked by well defined 
boundary lines. 

Even yet in the Xew England States the township is of more 
im])ortance in the settlement of local questions of a political char- 
acter, or the administration of local affairs, than the county. The 
town meetings are still held regularly and through them most of the 
business of the local government is transacted. Every proposition 
to exjiend any considerable sum of money for any public purpose 
whatever is first submitted to the people at a town meeting. In the 
Middle and Western States the township is of less influence and 
prestige than in New England, though the custom provided or sanc- 
tioned by law in most of those states of submitting to the people at 
a general election the question of issuing bonds, or the incurrence of 
l)ublic indebtedness beyond a certain figure, is a relic of the old town 
meeting system. In the Southern States the township government 
is of still less importance, the business all being taken care of by the 
county officials, and in some of these states the civil township is little 
more tlian a name. 

The first attempt to establish local civil government in what is 
now tlie State of Iowa was made in September, 1834, when the Leg- 
islature of ]\Iichigan, to which Iowa was then attaclied, created two 
counties west of the Mississippi River. All that part of the state 
Ivinff north of a line drawn due west from the foot of Rock Island 
was called Dubuqtie County, and that portion south of the line was 
called the County of Demoine. The northern county, which embraced 
about two-tliirds of the state, was named in honor of Julien Dubuque, 
who founded the first white settlement in loAva. and the whole county 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 95 

was erected into "Julien Tow nsliip." Callioim County was there- 
fore originally a part of Julien Township, Dubuque County, wlaile 
Iowa was still under the jurisdiction of the Territory of JMicliigan. 
An old map, published in 183G, shows a region between the Lizard 
and Coon rivers — about where Calhoun County is now — marked as 
the "Thousand I^akes," indicating that even in that 'early day some 
knowledge of the country, with its numerous ponds and marshes, 
had been obtained by the early explorers and adventurers. 

Calhoun County was organized in Augiist, 18o.5, and in March, 
18.56, the entire county was designated as a civil township, "to be 
known as Calhoun." Each of the sixteen townships of the present 
day was therefore once a ])art of Calhoun Township. The object 
of this chapter and the succeeding one is to give some historical accoimt 
of the settlement and organization of the several townships of the 
county. For the convenience of the reader they have been arranged 
in alphabetical order, beginning with 

BUTLER TOWNSHIP 

This township is one of the northern tier, embracing congressional 
township 89, range 33, and has an area of a little over thirty-six 
square miles. It is bounded on the north by Pocahontas County, on 
the east by the Township of Sherman, on the south by Twin Lakes 
and Garfield, and on the west by Williams Township. 

On December 1;5, 18.54, R. O. C. Anderson, a surveyor in the 
•employ of the United States, certified to Wanier Lewis, surveyor 
general for the State of Iowa, that the sun'ey of township 89, range 
33, was completed and the lands ready for entry. Several years 
elapsed, however, before any settlements were made in that part of 
the county. 

The first change in township lines that affected the present Town- 
ship of Butler was made in the summer of 1866, when Lincoln Town- 
ship was organized and included within its limits the six northeastern 
townshi])s of the county. Butler then remained a part of Lincoln 
Township until the organization of Sherman Township, which in- 
cluded Butler, as it is known today. On June 5, 1871 a petition, 
signed by a number of citizens living in the western half of Sherman 
Township, was presented to the board of supervisors asking for the 
division of that township and the establishment of a new civil town- 
ship, to include township 89, range 33. The petition was granted 
by the supervisors at the same session and it was ordered "that said 



^ 



1^7 / 



96 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

new township be called Butler." The county auditor was ordered 
to organize the townshij) in the manner provided by law. 

As thus established Butler Townshiji included only the congres- 
sional township named in the petition. On July 18, 1899, a petition 
signed by nine residents living in section G and the west half of sec- 
tion 7 in Sherman Township, was presented to the board of suj^er- 
visors, showing that they had been annexed to the Town of Pomeroy, 
located in Butler Township, and asking for a change in the line divid- 
ing the two townships so that the territory mentioned in the petition 
might be taken from Sherman and added to Butler. The petition 
was granted and in this way the area of Butler was increased to a little 
more than the original thirty-six square miles. 

INIost of the land in the odd-numbered sections of Butler Town- 
ship was included in the land grant to the Dubiujue Si. Sioux City 
Railroad Company. Among the first land entries in the even-num- 
bered sections was a tract in section 12, which was entered by William 
Knoke on September 4, 1868. On the 12th of the same month Claus 
Holtorf entered a part of section 10. and John Heide on the 15th 
entered part of the same section. Others who entered land prior to 
1870 were: Jacob Foster, John Shaw, George Smith, Edward J. 
Price, Benjamin and John W. Dunn and Arthur J. Briggs. 

Ednuuid Briggs, who located in the northeastern part of the to^\ n- 
ship, near the present Town of Pomeroy, was one of the fii'st white 
men to locate in what is now Butler Township. He came from Tama 
City, la., in 1868, and his nearest neighbors were Brown, Joslyn 
and Cornell, who lived near Twin I^akes. INIr. Briggs was one of 
the early justices of the peace after the township was organized. He 
built the first house on the site of the present Town of Pomeroy and 
also built the first schoolhouse in that part of the township. 

C. C. Holtorf came from Germany in the spring of 1868 and 
after a short stop in Benton County, la., came on to Calhoun and 
entered land in section 10 of Butler Township, as above stated. He 
was the first German settler in that part of the county. He hauled 
the lumber for his first residence from Fort Dodge. IMr. Holtorf 
was one of the charter members of the German I^utheran Church at 
Pomeroy, and was the first president of the German ^Mutual Insur- 
ance Company of Calhoun County. 

Other early settlers were J. L. Williams, Charles aud Alexander 
Lockie, N. Keefer, Edward J. Price, Thomas ]Miller, Enoch jNIorrill, 
J. M. Teach and R. C. Stewart, all of ^\hom settled about Pomeroy 
and are mentioned in connection with the historv of that town. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 97 

]Mucli of the land in Butler Township was originally marshy and 
a considerable portion of it was included in the swamp land grant to 
the State of Iowa by the act of 1850. As the white settlers came in 
the swamps and the muskrates disappeared. Ditches and tile drains 
have redeemed nmch of the wet lands, groves have been planted around 
the farm houses, highways have been opened, railroads built, churches 
and schoolhouses ei-ected, and on every hand are to be seen abundant 
evidences of civilization. In 191-4 the propertj' of the township was 
valued for taxation at '$372,114, which was about one-fourth of its 
real value. The population in 1910, including the incorjjorated towns 
of Jolley and Pomeroy, was 2,508. 

The Illinois Central Railroad crosses the northeast corner, passing 
through the Town of Pomeroy, and the Chicago, INIilwaukee & St. 
Paul runs northwest and southeast through the towns of Jolley and 
Ivnoke, furnishing good shipping and transportation facilities to all 
parts of the township. 

Butler has six school districts, employs six teachers, and enrolled 
in 1914 in the rural schools 179 pupils. This does not include the 
schools in Jolley and Pomeroy. 

In 1915 the officials of the township were as follows: Fred 
W. Hout, F. C. Muse and F. H. Meyer, trustees; H. C. Albrecht, 
assessor; R. C. Berry, clerk; George N. Davy and E. C. Clark, jus- 
tices of the peace. 

CALHOUN TOAVNSHIP 

Calhoun Township, as originally created by order of the county 
judge on INIarch 3, 1856, included the entire county. One by one 
the other fifteen civil townshijis were organized and all that is left 
for the Calhoun Township of the present day is congressional town- 
ship 86, range 33. It is therefore six miles square and has an area 
of thirty-six square miles. On the north it is bounded by Lake Creek 
Township, on the east by LTnion, on the south by Carroll County, and 
on the west by the Township of Jackson. The surface of Calhoun 
is more rolling than some other parts of the county and it is well pro- 
^-ided with streams affording natural drainage. Lake Creek flows 
in a southwesterly direction across the northwest corner; Coon River 
touches the southwest corner; Purgatory Creek drains three sections 
in the southeast corner, and a small stream called Bone Creek rises 
near the center of the to^vnship and flows south into Carroll County. 

On October 14, 1853, H. C. Caldwell, a United States deputy sur- 
veyor, certified to Warner Lewis, then sun^eyor general for the State 



98 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

of Iowa, that he had completed the official survey in township 86, 
north, range 33 west. A land office had been opened at Des ^Moines 
in JNIarch of that year. The early completion of the Government 
survey may have had something to do with the fact that the first set- 
tlements were made in the southwestern part of the county, in what 
are now Calhomi and Jackson townsliips, but it is quite likely that 
the. rolling surface and presence of some native timber along the 
streams wielded a greater influence than the sm'veyor. 

The first land entered in Calhoun Township was the southwest 
quarter of section o, township 86, range 33, which was entered in the 
name of Jesse jNIarmon early in October, 1854. Peter Smith also 
entered land in the townshijD about the same time. Jesse ]Marmon 
was the first white man to build a house in the township. It was a 
lofi- structure, like all the earlv residences on the frontier where there 
was timber enough to afford logs. jMr. JNIarmon Avas still living in 
the county in the spring of 1915. 

Peter Smith's house of basswood logs, a story and a half high, 
is described in Chapter IV. He had four sons when he settled in 
Calhoun Township, all of whom afterward became active business 
men in Lake City. About 1863 he engaged in mercantile pursuits 
at Lake City and continued in that business for ten years or more. 
A few years later, with two of his sons, he went to Glidden, la., 
and embarked in the lumber and grain business. Subsequently he 
returned to Lake City and started a bank, which was the predecessor 
of the First National Bank of that city. He was the first county 
judge of Calhoun County, served as a member of the board of super- 
visors, and was identified with nearly every important movement for 
the development of the county in early days. 

Others M-ho entered land in Calhoun Township prior to the begin- 
ning of the Civil war were: William G. Parr, John J. Delatour, 
Reuben C. Hall. Christian Smith, John R. Evans, Anson Bigelow, 
Erastus Partridge, William Hogg and Abijah Williams. Some of 
these men were speculators, who entered their lands solely for the 
purpose of selling them at an advanced price to actual settlers. 

Late in the fall of 1854, Levi D. Tharp entered land in section 5, 
adjoining the tract entered bv jNIr. Marmon, and built a cabin. He 
was born in I^ogan County. Ohio, about 1820, accompanied his father 
to INIichigan in 1843, and in 1852 removed to Iowa, settling at that 
time near Oskaloosa. In 1856 he sold his farm in Calhoun County 
to Greenlee Scott and went to Marion County, la. The following 
year he joined a hunting expedition to the headwaters of the Boyer 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 99 

River. On tlie return trip he was taken violently ill and Mas carried 
to the home of Greenlee Scott, m here he died in the cabin he had built 
nearly three years before. 

When the fu-st settlements were made in Calhoun County and 
Township, the nearest postottice was at Des ^Moines. Persons going' 
to the la ml office to enter land would bring back the mail for the whole 
community, often not more than three or four letters. Trips on horse- 
back or with an ox team were made to Des Moines to purchase such 
necessities as the local settlement could not supply. A story is told 
of a race between Peter Smith and a sj^eculator named Cavanaugh to 
see which would be the one to enter a certain tract of desirable land. 
Cavanaugh was mounted on a good horse, while Smith went on foot. 
Feeling that he could beat the liuml)le pedestrian without much effort, 
Cavanaugh. upon arriving at Des ^Moines, went to a tavern for a good 
night's rest before going to the land office. It was the old story of 
the hare and the tortoise, for while the speculator slept Peter walked 
all night and was waiting at the door of the land office the next morn- 
ing when it opened. An hoin* or two later Cavanaugh appeared and 
was courteously informed that the tract in question had just been 
entered "by a man named Smith." It is said that Cavanaugh's 
remarks were hardly fit for print, but the chances are that the next 
time he came into competition with one of those hardy frontiersmen, 
who did so much to bm'ld up Calhoun County, he transacted his busi- 
ness first and then took his nap afterward. 

During the early settlement of the county the land offices were 
cro^vded with persons seeking to acquire lands. Specvdators were 
numerous and furnished money to purchase land at $1.25 per acre, 
knowing well that it would never be worth less. Frequently these 
men charged the borrower 40 per cent for the use of the money, and 
hardly ever was the interest rate less than 20 per cnt. In 185.5 many 
had to wait for several days before they could get an opportunity 
to enter their lands. When the land office was established at Fort 
Dodge, in the fall of 1855, the officials adopted the plan of visiting 
each township and range, after giving due notice of the time when 
they would be there, and upon their arrival permitted entries only 
in the towmship and range where they were then located. This relieved 
the congestion and enabled many to acquire their lands without delay. 
Some of the lands in Calhoun Township were entered in this way. 

After the location of the county seat at Lake City in the spring 
of 1856, most of the immigrants sought lands near the new town, 
and of the 147 population in 1860 it is quite probable that two-thirds 

10035311 



100 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

lived ill Calhoun Townshij) and the majority of the other third in 
Jackson. 

Game Avas plentiful, especially elk and deer, and the settlers 
depended largely upon their rifles and their skill as marksmen to keep 
the family supplied with meat. Christian Smith used to tell of an 
expedient once resorted to by some of the hunters to protect the body 
of an elk they had killed. The elk was killed late in the day and 
some distance from the settlement. It a\ as too heavy for the hunters 
to carry, so they resorted to the following trick: The entrails were 
removed, after which the two men laid their guns upon the carcass 
and went home. ^Vhen they returned next morning Avith a convey- 
ance, there were abundant evidences that the Avolves had been about 
the carcass of the elk dm'ing the night, but doubtless thinking the 
two rifles formed some sort of a trap, did not molest it. 

Prairie chickens could be found almost any time, and aromid the 
ponds were wild ducks and geese. When the settler covild not find 
an elk or deer he could easily find enough wild fowl to keep the wolf 
from the door until large game could be killed. In the winter time 
many a catch of fish has been made through holes cut in the ice on 
the Coon River or Lake Creek. 

At the time of the Spirit Lake massacre in the spring of 18o7, 
when the bloodthirsty Sioux chief, Inkpadutah. and his band killed a 
number of the early settlers of Dickinson County and carried others 
into captivity, the few settlers living in Calhoun Township became 
alarmed for their safety. Fearing that the Indians might move south- 
ward, they fortified a cabin just over the line in Jackson Township 
and joined with the settlers there in taking measm-es for protection. 
William Oxenford and John Lumpkin, two of the pioneers, joined 
the volunteer company that went in pm-suit of Inkpadutah. But 
the Indians came not, and after a short period of terror the settlers 
returned to their homes and vocations. 

Calhoun is the most jiopulous township in the county. In 1910 
the popiflation, including Lake City, was 2,510, or nearly one-eighth 
of the entire population of the county. The Chicago l^ Northwestern 
Railroad crosses the tow^iship from east to west a little north of the 
center, passing through Lake City, and the Chicago Great Western 
touches the southeast corner. T>ake City, however, is the only rail- 
road station within the township limits. In 1914 the taxable value 
of the property w^as $423,279. The township has seven school dis- 
tricts, outside of Lake City, and employs seven teachers during the 
school vear. 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 101 

In 1915 the township oiRcials, as shown by tlie tiles in the office 
of the county auditor, were as follows: R. P. DeHart, E. T. Gorton 
and M. W. ^Nladsen, trustees; F. J. Seivert, clerk; D. J. Wright, 
assessor; Edward Freeman, justice of the peace. 

CEDAK TOWNSHIP 

As in the case of all the civil townships of the county. Cedar was 
once a part of the Township of Calhoun. It remained a part of that 
township until June, 1870, when it was taken to form a part of Green- 
field. On September 6, 1877, A. M. Boyles, Lewis Lakey and others _ 
living in the southern half of Greenfield, presented a petition to the lot/ 
board of county supen'isors, asking for the erection of a new town- 
ship to embrace congressional township 87, range 31. The super- 
visors granted the petition the same day and ordered that the new 
township be called Cedar. A. M. Boyles, George W. AVells and R. 
G. Allison were apjiointed judges, and Lewis Lakey clerk, to conduct 
the first election. Later in the month the election was held at the 
house of Lewis Lakey, but no returns can be found. 

Cedar Township is one of the eastern tier. It is bounded on 
the north by the Township of Greenfield, on the east by Webster 
County, on the south by Reading Township, and on the west by 
Logan. It has an area of thirty-six square miles, practically all 
prairie, and some of the finest farms in Calhoun County are situated 
in this township. The surface is undulating and a good natural outlet 
for drainage is afi^orded by the creeks. The east fork of Cedar Creek, 
from which the township takes its name, flows diagonally across the 
township from northeast to southwest; the west fork of the same 
stream flows southward through the western tier of sections, and the 
southeastern portion is drained by Hardin Creek. 

Townshijj 87, range 31, was one of the first in Calhoun County to 
be surveyed. The work was done by R. Jarrett, a deputy United 
States surveyor, in 1852, and a certificate of the completion of the 
work was filed with George B. Sargent, surveyor-general of the State 
of Iowa, February' 7. 1853. With the filing of this certificate the 
lands l)ecame subject to entry, but the earliest entries were recorded 
in 1858. Among those who entered land in that year were J. C. 
Tnllis, Thomas Shields, George Woodman, David Dorland, John 
Kelly and David G. Young. JMost of the odd-numbered sections 
were included in the land grant to the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad 



102 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Comj}any, so that the first entries were confined to tlie even-numbered 
sections. 

No settlements were made in the township for several years after 
the first lands wei-e entered. Among the earliest settlers were A. ]M. 
Boyles, Lewis Lakey, George W. Wells, William Carlson, Daniel 
Lowe and the Parsons family, nearly all of whom took an active 
interest in the organization of the township. 

Cedar is well supi^lied with railroads. The Chicago Great 
Western crosses the northern boundary about a mile and a half from 
the northeast corner and runs in a southwesterly direction. The 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific crosses the northeast corner. At the 
junction of these two roads is the Town of Soniers. The Fort Dodge, 
Des Moines & Southern nms through the central portion, crossing 
the .Gi'cat Western at Rinard. Easley, in the eastern part of the 
township, is a station on the Fort Dodge, Des INIoines & Southern. 
These lines, with the three stations, afford excellent transportation 
facilities. 

The eight school districts of the townshij) employ nine teachers, 
not including the schools in the incorporated Town of Somers. The 
IJopulation in 1910 was 1,105, an increase of 14.5 during the preceding 
ten years, and in lOl-l the taxable value of the property was $519, .527. 
At the beginning of the year 1915 the township goviernment was 
composed as follows: Albert Craven, John Parsons and C. W. Carl- 
son, trustees; T. A. Jones, clerk: G. A. CafFerty, assessor: W. M. 
Hunt and J. C. Carnes, justices of the peace; jNL O. CafFerty and 
E. S. Brand, constables. 

CENTER TOWNSHIP 

Center is the most northeastern of the four central townships. It 
is bounded on the north by the townships of Sherman and Lincoln; 
on the east by Greenfield; on the south by Logan, and on the west l)y 
Twin I^akes. It includes congressional township 88. range 32, and 
has an area of thirty-six scjuare miles. In common with the greater 
part of the county, the surface is level or gently inidulating. Lake 
Creek and Purgatory Creek are the principal streams, both of which 
flow in a southerly direction. 

The govermuent survey of township 88, range 32, was made by 
H. C. Caldwell, a deputy LTnited States surveyor, whose certificate 
to Warner I^ewis, surveyor-general, bears date of October 14, 1853. 
In 1858, according to the record of original land entries in the county 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 103 

recorder's office, William N. Coler, Thomas Barnard, Charles H. 
Blood, Milton and George E. Hamilton and a few others entered 
lands in what is now Center Township. These early entries were all 
in the even-nniiibeved sections, the odd-numbered ones being included 
in the grant to the Dubuque & Sioux City Kailway. 

One of the early settlers was William Judge, an Englishman by 
birth, who came to Lake City in 1866, but after a short residence there 
he seciu'ed a homestead claim in what is now Center Township, built 
a sod house, improved his land and lived there the remainder of his 
life. A better dwelling was erected after a j'ear or two. j\Ir. Judge's 
death occurred in 1889. 

In 1870 ]\L ]M. Smith settled in the township. He was born in 
Vermont in Aug-ust, 1823. In 18.52, before he reached his majority, 
he Ment to California, where he was successfid as a miner and three 
years later returned to his native state. Soon after his return he was 
married to ]Miss ^lartha J. Bliss and in 1864 removed to Wisconsin. 
Hearing good reports of Iowa he decided to try his fortunes in the 
Hawke>'e State and purchased 160 acres of wild prairie land in 
Calhoun County. ]Mr. Smith's name was the first one on the petition 
to organize Center ToAvnship and he was one of the committee that 
selected the site of Rockwell City as the county seat in 1876. 

Iloi-ace Love came from INIarshall County, la., to Center Town- 
ship about the time it was organized in 1872. Two years later he 
was elected a member of the board of county supervisors and served 
in that capacity for three years. His death occurred in October, 
1889. 

On June 8, 1871. a petition was presented to the board of county 
supenisors asking for the establishment of a new civil township to 
include township 88, range 32. Although the petition was signed by 
a number of citizens living in that part of Lincoln Township, which i o I 
it was proposed to cut off, the board refused to grant the prayer of 
the petitioners. During the following twelvemonth the people 
z"edoubled their efforts and on June 3, 1872, a larger petition came 
before the board of supen-isors. This time the efforts of the peti- 
tioners were crowned Avith success, the board ordering a new township 
to embrace the stipulated territory and to be called Center, because 
of its central location in the county. It was further ordered that the 
township organization be comjjleted by the election of officers at the 
next general election. 

The removal of the county seat to the new Town of Rockwell 
City, in the southeast corner of Twin Lakes Township, in 1870. had 



104 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

a stinuilating effect on Center by attracting new immigrants and 
adding to the population. Part of Rockwell City is now in Center. 

As a matter of fact Center Township has no important history. 
The opening of highways, the establishment of school districts, the 
drainage and reclamation of acres of swamp lands, were all accom- 
plished by the usual methods and the people have been accustomed 
to "pursue the even tenor of their way" without any startling events. 

The Chicago & Omaha division of the Illinois Central Railroad 
was built through the township in 1899 and the railroad company soon 
afterward established a station at Richards in the eastern part. This 
is the only railroad station in the township. Two-thirds of the inhab- 
itants are within easy reach of Rockwell City, where most of their 
trading, marketing and shipping are done. 

The i^opulation of Center in 1910 was 83.5, a gain of 80 during 
the preceding decade. In 1914' the taxable value of the property 
was $472,563. The county home, or poor farm, is situated in this 
townshiji. Center is divided into eight school districts. The town- 
shiji officers in 191.'5 were: B. E. IMorton, V. C. Walters and William 
Sutton, trustees; H. J. Fouts, clerk; Lehr Newhouse, assessor; ]M. R. 
Davis, justice of the peace; Clarence Wistoff and Peter Schertz, 
constables. 

ELM GROVE TOWT'fSHIP 

Elm Grove is one of the western tier of townships and includes 
congressional township 87, range 34. The western row of sections 
are scant, so that the area of the township is a little less than thirty- 
six square miles. It is bounded on the north by the Townslii]) of 
Garfield; on the east by Lake Creek; on the south by Jackson, and 
on the west by Sac County. The svirface is rolling. Camp Creek 
flows southward through the central portion and Prairie Creek 
touches the southeast corner. These streams and their smaller tribu- 
taries furnish ample outlet for drainage. 

The government survey of this township was made by James 
Hai'lan, who filed a certificate of its completion with the siu'veyor- 
general, Warner Lewis, August 6, 1853. On INIay 24, 185G, Richard 
]M. Heath entered several tracts of land in what is now Elm Grove 
Township. Later in the same year entries were made by jNIorris B. 
Pugh, John Barrett, Joseph Riggs, Frederick Hopkins, Plimpton 
Greer and Charles A. Stewart. 

Actual settlement did not begin until some years later. In 1808 
R. J. Smith purchased land in section IG with a view of making his 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 105 

home in Calhoun County. l)ut died in Fayette County, la., May 1, 
1869, just as he liad about completed his preparations to remove to 
his new purchase on the frontier. A few weeks later his widow, ^Mrs. 
]Maria J. Sniitli. with her eight children arrived at Lake City. To 
3Irs. Smith belongs the honor of building the first house in what is 
now Elm Grove Township. At the time she settled there in 1869, 
ner nearest neighbor was 3l/o miles distant. Settlement was slow 
for a few years, but along in the '70s a few others came in and began 
the work of developing their farms. 

Henry Ilarshbarger, who came to the township in 1875, might 
fitly be considered one of the pioneers. He was born near Dayton, 
Ohio, August 30, 1838, and was taken by his parents the same year 
to Spencer County, Ind. In 18.50 the family came to Iowa, settling 
in Keokuk County. At the breaking out of the Civil war young 
Ilarslibarger enlisted in the Thirty-sixth Iowa Infantry and served 
to tlie close of the war. He then returned to Keokuk County and 
lived there until 187-J, when he came to Calhoun. 

In the same year that ]Mr. Harshbarger became a resident, 
Rudolph Johnson j^urchased 200 acres of land in Elm Grove Town- 
ship, but continued to live in Jackson County, la., for several years 
before becoming an actual settler. 

Elm Grove was a part of Calhoun Township from 1856 to 1866. 
It Mas then included in the newly formed Township of Jackson until 
a numl)er of settlers came in and decided that it would be more con- 
venient to have a townshiiJ of their own. Accordingly, on January 
4, 1876, a jietition signed by a majority of the legal voters living in I K/~l L, 
township 87, range 34, was presented to the board of supervisors, 
asking for the establishment of a new civil township to include that 
teri'itory. The petition was granted at that session and the name 
Elm Grove was selected, because there was a natural grove of elm 
trees on Camp Creek within the township limits. 

Some time passed before the township was fully organized. On 
September 4, 1876, the supervisors appointed D. V. Doty, William 
Berry and xVndrew Clark judges of an election to be held at the 
schoolhouse in subdistrict Xo. 7 of Jackson Township. A. X^. Hill 
was appointed clerk of the election, which was held later in the month, 
though the names of the township officers elected at that time cannot 
be ascertained. The officials at the beginning of the year 1915 were 
as follows: J. F. Cass, Jasper Clark and C. F. Dougherty, trustees; 
George F. Johnson, clei-k; G. D. Doty, assessor; William Ashford 



106 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

and H. C. Nicholson, justices of the peace; W. J. Reaman and 
Edward Moberg, constables. 

*^ Yetter is the only town or village in the township. It is located 
in the southwest corner and was built up after the Illinois Central 
Railroad was completed through the county in 1900. This railroad 
crosses the eastern boundary a little north of the center and runs in 
a southwesterly direction to the southwest corner of the township. 
Railroad facilities ai-e afforded to the people living in the northern 
part by the Chicago, jNIilwaukee & St. Paul, the stations of Lavinia 
and Lytton being within convenient distance. 

In early days the Camp Creek Valley was a favorite hunting 
ground of the pioneers. Christian Smith used to tell what he con- 
sidered a good joke on his brother Peter, of an incident that happened 
■ on one of these hunting expeditions. The two Smiths, with one or 
two others, went uj) into what is now Elm Grove Township to hunt 
elk. Peter saw in the tall grass an animal of some sort moving cau- 
tiously along. Thinking that it was an elk calf, he conceived the idea 
of cai)turing it alive. He slipped quietly through the grass imtil close 
enough to spring, when he landed — not on an elk calf, but on a large 
prairie "coon," much larger than the ordinary raccoon. The animal 
showed fight and succeeded in getting Peter's hand in its mouth. 
Then it was like the bulldog in the "Hoosier Schoolmaster," "Heaven 
and earth coidd not make it let go." Peter's cries brought to his 
assistance his brother Christian, who stabbed the coon, but the jaws 
had to be ])ried apart before the hand could be released. 

There are eight district schools in Elm Grove, in addition to the 
graded school at Yetter. In 1910 the population was 777, an increase 
of 64> during the preceding ten years. The taxable value of the 
property in 1914 was $430,451. 

GARFIELD TOWNSHIP 

This was the last civil townshi]) to be formed in Calhoun County. 
The territory of which it is comprised was made a pai-t of Jackson 
in 18(K). Four years later it was attached to Williams when that 
township Mas organized and remained a ])art of that townshi]) for 
about twelve years. On June 6, 1882, Walter Wilcox and others 
living in the south half of Williams presented a petition to the board 
V'i ^ of supervisors asking that congressional township 88, range 34, be 
cut off" from Williams and organized into a new civil township, to 
be known as Garfield. The name was selected by the jietitioners in 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 107 

honor of James A. Garfield, President of the United States, who 
was shot by the assassin Guiteau on July 2, 1881. 

The board granted the petition and on Sej^tember 5, 1882, 
appointed William B. Harris, J. jM. Goddard and George Davis 
to conduct the first election, which it was ordered should be held at 
the house of William B. Harris. 

The surface of the township is generally level or slightly rolling. 
Through the central portion Camp Creek flows in a southerly direc- 
tion and a branch of that stream crosses the southeast corner. A 
little native timber was found along Camp Creek by the first settlers, 
but by far the larger jjart of the township is a beautiful, natural 
prairie. 

Townshi]) 88, range 3-1, was surveyed by James Harlan, United 
States de])uty surveyor, in the latter part of 1853 and the early part 
of IS.j-i, his certificate of the completion of the work having been 
presented to Warner Lewis, surveyor-general, February 25, 1854. 
In the spring of 1856 James Burns, Thomas Gilson, James H. 
JNIurray, James P. Foley, John A. Parke, Americus Don Carlos, 
Levi H. Ness, James Kelly and James jNI. Glenn all entered lands 
in the township. The history of actual settlement differs in no 
material respect from that of the other prairie townships. Immi- 
grants came, built sod houses until they could afford better ones, and 
went to work to develop the country. Among the early settlers were 
the three men named as judges of the first election. 

The Rockwell City & Storm I^ake division of the Chicago, INIil- 
waukee & St. Paul Railway System runs east and west across the 
southern part of Garfield. A portion of the Town of Lytton is in 
this township, on the western border, and the little Town of Lavinia 
is just across the line in Twin Lakes Township. These two stations 
furnish faii-ly good shipping and transportation facilities for a large 
part of the township. 

Garfield is bounded by the townshi])s of Williams and Butler 
on the north, Twin I^akes on the east. Elm Grove on the south, and 
Sac County on the west. Its area is a little less than thirty-six square 
miles, owing to the fact that it is situated immediately south of the 
second correction line and the western tier of sections are all frac- 
tional. 

In 18!)0, tile first United States census after the organization of, 
the township, the population was 482. In 1910 it was 705, showing 
a substantial growth during the preceding tewnty years. The tax- 
able value of the ])ro])erty in 1914 was $450,869. There are nine 



108 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

school districts, each employing one teacher, and in 1915 the township 
officers, as shown by the auditor's files, were as follows: H. A. Ring- 
genberg, Geoi-ge JNIiller and E. R. Wattonville, trustees; Joseph 
Zaruba. clerk; Frank Berkler, assessor, no justices of the peace nor 
constables being reported. 

GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP 

The Township of Greenfield is situated in the eastern tier and 
includes congressional township 88, range 31, with an area of thirty- 
six square miles. It is bounded on the north bj'^ Lincoln Township, 
on the east by Webster County, on the south by the Township of 
Cedar, and on the west by Center. The surface is generally level 
and niucli of tlie land was originally too wet for cultivation. The 
east fork of Cedar Creek flows southward through the central por- 
tion, and the west fork of Cedar follows the same general direction 
farther west. These creeks have been widened and deepened to 
form an outlet for tile drains, and by this method manj' acres of 
swamp land have been reclaimed. Some of the best farms in the 
county are now in tliis township. 

Townshij) 88, range 31, was surveyed in 18.52 by R. Jarrett, a 
United States deputy surveyor, who filed his certificate with George 
B. Sargent, surveyor-general, on February 7, 18.53. The odd-num- 
bered sections were subsequently included in the grant to the Dubuque 
& Sioux City Railroad Company. John M. Loyd, James and John 
Slevin, William F. Floyd, jNIichael Nessler, jM. B. Curry and several 
members of the Richards family all entered lands at an early date 
after the sin-vey. 

One of the first actual settlers was Daniel Lowe, who was elected 
director of school district No. 2 at the election for the organization 
of Lincoln Township in October. 1866, the territory now comprising 
Greenfield then forming a part of Lincoln. At the political conven- 
tion held in Lincoln Township in the fall of 1867, Mr. Lowe was 
nominated for the office of coimty treasurer, but was defeated by 
S. T. Hutchison. 

Walter J. Cooper, a native of ^Massachusetts, came to Greenfield 
with his widowed mother in 1866, when only thirteen years of age. 
He did a man's work on the farm, however, attending school for a 
few niontlis each winter, and became one of the influential citizens. 
He served as townshij) trustee and for one term as county super- 
visor. His death occurred on January 21, 1902. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 109 

F. C Loeber, a German, was one of the pioneers and lived in a 
sod house in section 12. Charles Wickniann first came to the town- 
ship in 1866 and worked as a farm hand for a few months for Joel 
Olmsted. In 1870 he located a homestead in section 10, where he 
built a frame "shanty" about eight feet square, in which he kept 
■"bach" until his marriage to ]Miss jNIary E. Loeber. 

Arthm* W. Boyce came from New England in 1868 and settled 
in Greenfield. The latter years of liis life were passed in seclusion 
and his story, which is told in chapter XIX, reads like a romance. 

In June, 1868, two petitions came before the board of supervisors 
asking for a division of Lincoln Township. One of these expressed 
the desire on the part of the citizens of township 88, range 31, to have 
a new civil township erected, but the board refused to grant either 
of the petitions. On June 7, 1869, the matter again came before the 
supervisors and a motion to erect a new township, to embrace tOAvii- 
ships 87 and 88, range 31, was lost. Another year passed and on 
June 6, 1870, a petition signed by a larger number than either of 
the preceding ones asked the supervisors to set ofi^ a new township 
composed of the same territory asked for the year before. This time 
the petition was granted and an election was ordered to be held in 
September at the schoolhouse located in section 2, township 88, 
range 31. 

As at first constituted Greenfield included all the jDresent town- 
ship of that name and all of Cedar Township. The latter was organ- 
ized as a separate township in 1877. Just how the name "Greenfield" 
came to be selected is somewhat problematical, but it doubtless has 
some reference to the general appearance of the coimtry at the time 
the township was organized, the tall prairie grass presenting the 
pleasing spectacle of a green field. 

Knierim, in the northern part, is the only town in the townshii?. 
It was established after the building of the Illinois Central Railroad 
through this part of the county in 1899, and is situated on that line 
of railway. About two miles west of Knierim the Illinois Central 
is crossed by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, which traverses the 
township from northwest to southeast. Somers is just across the line 
in Cedar Township and offers a trading and shipping point for the 
people living in the southern part of Greenfield. 

Greenfield is divided into eight school districts, exclusive of the 
graded school in the incorporated Town of Knierim. In 1910 the 
population was 1,143, an increase of 123 over the census of 1900. 
The taxable value of the property in 1914, including the Town of 



'8 7( 



no PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Knierini, was $.52.5,378. In 1915 tlie township officials were as fol- 
lows: J. A. Koske, Carl Djerf and Henry Onnen, trustees; T. W. 
Wright, clerk; L. A. Julius, assessor; J. A. JNIoeller and Clark Rich- 
ardson, justices of the peace; Elmer Burke and M. B. Campbell, 
constables. 



JACKSON TOWNSHIP 

To Jackson Township belongs the distinction of being the site 
of the first white man's cabin ever built in Calhoun County. That 
was the cabin built by Ebenezer Comstock in the little piece of timber 
known as "Lake Creek Grove," in the spring of 18.54. At the first 
election for county officers, in August, 185.5, ]Mr. Comstock was 
cliosen prosecuting attorney. Prior to that time he sold his original 
cabin to John "SL. Smith, who removed it to his claim on Camp Creek. 
I>ater JNlr. Smith sold it to Cyreno W. Thompson and it was again 
moved. Thompson sold it to Charles J. Cole, who took it back to 
Lake City. The cabin finally became the property of J. ]NL Toliver, 
Avho gave one of the logs to H. H. Harshbarger, in trust, as a historic 
relic of the first house in Calhoun Coimty. JNIr. Toliver afterward 
had a cane made out of this log, to be carried by the oldest continuous 
settler of the county. In the spring of 1915 it was carried by J. O. 
Smith. In making this cane a flint arrow point and a musket ball 
were foimd in the log. It is supposed they were fired by a band of 
Pottawattamie Indians who tried to drive iNIr. Comstock out. After 
living in the county for a few years, Mr. Comstock went to Ida 
County and died at Ida Grove. 

Others who settled in the township in 1854 Avere Christian Smith, 
in section 13; John Condron and William Impson, section "28; Rich- 
ard Bunting, section 28; Abner Tharji, section 12, on a tract of land 
entered in the name of Nathan Tharp; William and John Oxen ford, 
who had recently come from England, and a few others. Impson 
Avas the first blacksmith in the county. Condron removed to Grant 
City. Sac County, where he died on June 10, 1877. Tharp built a 
cheap ealiin, which he afterward sold to N. R. Hutchinson, who 
moved it to another tract of land and lived in it for ten or twelve years. 

The first mill in Calhoun County was in Jackson Townsliip. It 
was commenced by Henry W. Smith in the sirring of 1855 and sold 
to the Oxenfords. A further history of this mill will be found in the 
chapter on Settlement and Organization. Oxenford's Mill was for 
many vears a landmark in this section of the country. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY ill 

When the first settlements were made in Calhoun County a gang 
of horse thieves was operating along the Coon River. Horses would 
mysteriously disapjjear, and so perfect was the organization of the 
gang that the o\\ners would rarely hear anything more from the 
stolen animals. The pioneers were therefore constantly on the look- 
out for sus])icious characters. If a sojourner could not give a good 
account of himself he was ordered to leave the settlement. There 
were no courts within convenient reach and tlie pioneers took tlie 
enforcement of law upon themselves. A few of the horse thieves 
were caught in the act of running off stolen horses and they expiated 
their offense at the end of a rope, witliout the courtesy or formality 
of a coroner's inquest over the remains. None of these lynchings 
occurred in Calhoun County, but the early residents were interested 
in driving such persons out of the country. 

Other early settlers were Cyrus Fulkerson, a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, who settled near the Coon River. He brought a shingle cut- 
ting machine with him and made the shingles for the roofs of a 
number of the first houses built in the southwestern part of the 
comity; Rollin Rurch. who afterward removed to what is now Logan 
Township; H. H. and J. C. M. Smith, and W. W. Zane, who came 
from JNIichigan and settled on the Coon River. 

Jackson Township is situated in the southwest corner of the 
county. It includes congressional township 86, range 34, which was 
surveyed by James Harlan, whose certificate was filed with Warner 
Lewis, surveyor-general, August 6, 18.53. As a separate civil town- 
ship .Tackson was the third to be organized in Calhoun County. On 
December 3, 1866. the board of county supervisors ordered the west- 
ern tier of townships to be set off as a separate civil township to be 
called Jackson, in honor of Andrew Jackson, the seventh President 
of the LTnited States. 

As at first erected Jackson included the j^resent townships of 
Elm Grove, Garfield and ^Villiams. Its area was reduced in 1870 
by the organization of ^Villiams Township, and it was reduced to its ( ^ 1 ^ 
present size when Elm Grove was organized in 1876. On the north 
it is bounded by Elm Grove Township, on the east by Calhoun, on 
the south by Carroll County, and on the west by the County of Sac. 
The sm-face of this township is probably more diversified than that 
of any other in the county. Along the Coon River and the lower 
courses of some of its tributaries the ground is hilly, rising in some 
places in abrupt bluffs above the water. The Coon River crosses 
the toAvnsliip diagonally from northwest to southeast. Camp Creek, 



112 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Prairie Creek, Lake Creek and one or two smaller streams empty 
into it in Jackson Township. 

The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad crosses the township from 
east to west near the center and the people living in the northwestern 
part find railroad accommodations at Yetter, which is ahout a mile 
and a half north of the northern houndary. 

Jackson is divided into eight school districts, which does not include 
the Lake City schools. In 1910 the population, exclusive of the 
inliahitants who lived within the corjiorate limits of Lake City, was 
55'i, and in 1914 the taxahle value of the property was -^^SS.TS'i. 
At the beginning of the year 1915 the township officers were: Thomas 
Knudson, Fred Layman and Charles H. Hucka, trustees; Fred 
Peebles, clerk; JNIelvin Peebles, assessor; E. Davis and W. ISload, 
justices of the peace; J. B. Stanfield and L. H. Clow, constables. 



CHAPTER VIII 
TOWNSHIP HISTORY, CONTINUED 

LAKE CREEK TOM'XSHIP — THE GREGG SETTLEMENT — LINCOLN YATES- 

VILLE I,OGAN READING SHERJIAN TWIN LAKES UNION 

WILLIAMS HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EACH SOME OF THE PIO- 
NEERS TRANSPORTATION AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES STATLS- 

TICS OF POPULATION AND AVEALTH — TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS — MIS- 
CELLANEOUS EA^ENTSj ETC. 

LAKE CREEK TOWNSHIP 

The Township of Lake Creek is situated in the second tier from 
the southern border of the county, and in the second from the western 
boundary. It Avas taken from Calhoun Township in response to a 
l)etition si<rned by David Reed and others and presented to the board 
of supervisors on September i, 1870. As at first constituted it 
inchided the present Township of Logan. In erecting the township 
the supei-visors ordered that the first election be held at the school- 
house in subdistrict No. 3 in Calhoun Townshij). J. H. Bradt, James 
Seliern and \V. F. Winslow were appointed judges, and H. H. 
Hutchinson, clerk. In 1879 it was reduced to its present size, embrac- ' * // 
ing congressional township 87, range 33. Its northeast corner is not 
far from the geographical center of the county. On the north it is 
bounded by Twin Lakes Township, on the east by Logan, on the 
south i)y Calhoun, and on the west by Elm Grove. 

Lake Creek Township takes its name from the stream that flows 
through the southeastern part. Farther west is Prairie Creek. Both 
these streams flow in a southwesterly direction to the Coon River. 
The surface is more undulating than that in some of the adjoining 
townships and when the first settlers came they found some native 
timber along the creeks. 

Tlie Government survey was made by H. C. Caldwell, a deputy 
T'^nited States surveyor, in 18.53, a certificate to that eff"ect having 

Vol. 1—8 

113 



114 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

been filed with Warner Lewis, surveyor-general, on the 11th of 
October of that year. The odd-niinibered sections were nearly all 
included in the land grants to the Dubuque & Sioux City and the 
Iowa Central railroads. Charles W. Pairo, George F. jNIcClure, 
.Jonathan H. Manlove and James Stockdale all entered land in what 
is now Lake Creek Township in the fall of 185.3. John JNIarple and 
James C. Woodbury entered their lands the following spring. They 
were followed by Thomas J. Orr, John Getty, James A. Dinsmore, 
S. C. Richardson and Benjamin J. Howland, all of whom made their 
entries in 18.58. 

The first house in the township was built by Peter G. Smith, and 
the second was built by Tillman P. Gregg. ]Mr. Gregg was born in 
Knox Coimty, Ohio, October 28, 1827. At the age of eighteen years 
he accompanied his father to jNIichigan, where he married INIiss ^Melissa 
Grubb in 1850. Two years later he came to Iowa, locating first in 
Marion County, where he was living at the beginning of the Civil 
war. He enlisted in Company B, Third low^a Infantry, which was 
at first commanded by Capt. W. ]M. Stone, afterward governor of 
Iowa. When Cajstain Stone was promoted to the colonelcy of the 
regiment, ]\Ir. Gregg was advanced in rank and at the close of the 
war was mustered out as captain. In 1868 he came to Calhoun 
County and either that fall or the following spring built the house 
above mentioned. It was located near the center of the township 
and at the time it was built was one of only three or four houses be- 
tween Lake City and Twin Lakes. Other pioneers came in and settled 
near ]Mr. Gregg, and old timers still sometimes refer to the neighbor- 
hood as the "Gregg Settlement." JNIr. Gregg soon became promi- 
nently identified with comity affairs and in 1871 was elected one of 
the county supervisors, in which capacity he served for four years, 
when he was elected county treasurer. This office he also held for 
four years, being the treasiu'er at the time the county seat was 
removed to Rockwell City. His death occurred on ISIarch .3, 1901. 

The third house was built by Henry H. Hutchinson, who was 
born in Vermont on August 3, 1838. When about twenty years of 
age he decided to seek his fortune in the West and came to Calhoun 
Comity. In 1859, only a few months after coming to the county, he 
was elected clerk, being the third man to hold that office. He was 
again elected clerk in 1872, having previously served for two years 
as comity recorder. 

The Chicago & Omaha line of the Illinois Central Railroad 
enters the township near the northeast corner and runs in a south- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 115 

westerly direction across tlie northern portion. Since it was built the 
little ^"illag•e of Sherwood has grown up in the west side of section 8. 
It is the only village in the township. 

Lake Creek is divided into nine school districts, one teacher being 
employed in each district. In 1010 the population was .)o5, and in 
I'JIJ- the taxable value of the 2«"operty was $483, "JiO. The township 
government in 1915 was conii^osed as follows: W. W. Grant, Charles 
Reed and B. F. Holder, trustees; W. F. Ramige, clerk; G. C. Doss, 
assessor; C. H. Taylor, justice of the peace; O. Savage and F. J. 
Smith, constables. 

LINCOLN TOWNSHIP 

This was the second civil townsliip to be formed in Callioun 
County. It was established by order of the board of supervisors in 
response to a petition presented on June 4, 1866. The name of . ^C^ 
Josejjh Yates stood at the head of the petition, which asked that town- 
ships 88 and 89, in ranges 31, 32 and 33, be organized as a new town- 
shijj. The records do not show that the petition was granted, but 
on October 15, 1866, Joseph Yates was allowed $3.75 for services 
on account of the organization of the townshijj; S. H. Richardson 
was allowed $6.50 for attending the election on the organization of 
Lincoln Township, and AVilliam Gould was allowed $4 for services 
as clerk of the election. 

As originally created, Lincoln included all the present townships 
of Lincoln, Sherman, Butler, Twin Lakes, Center and Greenfield. 
One by one the others were established according to law, leaving the 
present Township of Lincoln to include only congressional township 
89, range 31, which is in the northeast corner of the county. On the 
north it is bounded by Pocahontas County, on the east by Webster 
County, on the south by Greenfield and Center townships, and on 
tlie west l)y the Township of Shennan. The towTiship was named in 
honor of Abraham Lincoln, who was President of the United States 
during the Civil war. 

The general surface is slightly rolling or imdulating and the soil 
is exceedingly fertile. Lizard Creek flows a.cross the northeast corner 
and the east fork of Cedar Creek, with its small tributaries, drains the 
remainder of the township. 

On December 9, 1854, George Berry, a deputy United States sur- 
veyor, certified to George B. Sargent, the surveyor general for the 
State of Iowa, that the survey of township 89, range 31, had been 



116 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

completed and that the lands were subject to entry. The odd-num- 
bered sections were inchided in the grant to the Dubufjue & Sioux 
City Railroad Company, and sections 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 and 24 were 
selected as part of the Agricultural College grant. On Januaiy 12, 
1809, Charles S. Jones entered a tract of land in section 28, and on 
August 23, 1869, E. F. AVheeler entered a part of section 22. These 
were the first entries bj' actual settlers. On April 7, 1871, Joseph 
Yates entered land in section 22 and Orrin Woodin in section 26. 
John Richmond had jireviously entered a part of section 2 on January 
26, 1871. Others who entered lands that year were: E. S. Brooks 
and James Van Home, in section 22; David Fluharty, in section 28; 
and John Luebke, in section 36. 

The dates above given evidently refer to the time the patent was 
issued, as the settlement of the township antedates these land entries 
b}^ several years. Joseph Yates selected his claim in the fall of 186.>, 
but sjient the following winter with his sister in Story County. The 
next year he built a frame house 20 by 24 feet, one and a half stories 
high, the first frame house in the townsliip. It stood on the road used 
by the Fort Dodge & Sioux City Stage Company, and a relay station 
was established at "Yatesville." ]\Ir. Yates was born in Pickaway 
County, Ohio, in 182.5, and was therefore forty years of age when he 
came to Calhoun County, Iowa. After settling here he became promi- 
nent in political affairs and numerous meetings were held at his house. 
He was the first postmaster in Lincoln To\\nship, ser^■ed for several 
years on the board of county supenisors, and was one of the leaders 
in the Grange movement along in the '70s. His death occurred on 
July 12, 1886. 

David Fluharty came to the township in April, 1866, and selected 
a homestead of eighty acres. He was born in Hardin County. Ohio, 
in 1838. Shortly after locating in what is now Lincoln Township a 
son was born to him and his wife — the first white child born in that 
section of the county. 

Early in INIay, 1866, a party of twenty-one emigrants left Illinois 
for Calhoun County, Iowa. Among them were E. S. Brooks, James 
Van Home, George B. Starr, Samuel Radley. the Glovers, and John 
Somerville. They all settled in Lincoln Townshi]) and several of 
them afterward became intimately identified with county affairs. 

In 1867 William H. Davidson came from Illinois and settled in 
section 34. He and his brother built the first courthouse in Rockwell 
City and lie is still living in Manson. W. T. Smith came the same 
year, though he had visited the township and selected his claim the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 117 

IH-eceding autumn. In 18G8 E. L. Hobbs settled in the township 
and afterward represented Calhoun County in the Legislature. Other 
early settlers were Leslie Jack and Benjamin Brock. 

The first mai-riage in the township was that of James Yiin Home 
and Miss ]Mary Jack, and the first death was the wife of Enoch 
Skinner in the fall of 1807. The first school was taught in the winter 
of 1867-68 at the house of James Van Home by Amelia Smith. Per- 
haps the fii-st political convention in Calhoun County was held in the 
"Lowe Settlement" in the fall of 1867. Daniel Lowe was nominated 
for treasurer: AVilliam Gould, county supervisor; C. II. Richmond, 
sheriff'; AV. T. Smith, county superintendent; C. S. French, surveyor; 
N. R. Hutchinson, coroner. The ticket thus nominated was defeated 
at the ensuing election. The convention was held on the bank of 
North Twin Lake. One of the old settlers, who attended, says: 
"There were no automobiles nor silk hats at that convention, but 
ox teams were numerous and shirt sleeves and bare feet were 
conspicuous." 

In 1870 the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad was completed 
through the northern part of the county and the settlement of Lincoln 
Township went forward by leaps and bounds. The rapid increase 
in population in this part of the county resulted in the removal of 
the county seat from Lake City to Rockwell City in 1876. 

At the first election for township officers, whic was held in Octo- 
ber. 1866, Henry Willey and Robert Glover were elected trustees — 
the name of the third trustee could not be learned; William Gould, 
justice of the peace; E. S. Brooks, constable; Samuel Radley, assessor. 
In 191.5 the township officials were: H. A. Arnold, John Leith and 
D. C. Wilson, trustees; F. W. [Moore, clerk; F. M. Griffith, assessor; 
B. F. Freeburger and R. A. Horton, justices of the peace; C. H. 
Baker and J. H. Lish, constables. 

Lincoln Township is one of the most populous townships in the 
county, being excelled in that respect only by Calhoun and Twin 
Lakes. In 1910 the population, including the Town of IManson, was 
1,835, and in 191-i the taxable value of the property was $6.'J4',.j38. 
Outside of the incorporated Town of JNIanson the township has seven 
school districts and employs seven teachers during the school year. 

LOGAN TOW^NSHIP 

Logan Townsliip is one of the four that occujjv the central part 
of the county. It is bounded on the north by Center, on the east by 



lis PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

Cedar, on the south by Union, and on the west by Lake Creek. From 
1856 to 1876 it formed a part of the Township of Calhomi. It was 
then included in Lake Creek Township until 1879. At the April 
session of the board of supervisors in 1879 a petition was presented 
by \Villiani Carmicliael and others asking for the erection of a new 
civil township to embrace congressional township 87, range B2. The . 
petition was laid over until June, but on June 4, 1879, the board issued f o / 
the order for the establishment of a new township to include the terri- 
tory mentioned in the jjetition and conferred on the new township the 
name of Logan, in honor of Gen. John A. Logan, of Illinois. It/ 
was ordered also that the first election should be held at the Sturges 
schoolhouse, and in September the board appointed the following to 
conduct the election : A. T. Bowers, L. J. Owen and Edward Bowers, 
judges; W. J. Sturges, clerk. No retmuis of this election could be 
found by the writer. 

The Government survey of what is now Logan Township was 
made in 1852 by J. T. S. and R. Jari-ett, who presented a certificate 
of the fact to George B. Sargent, surveyor general, on February 7, 
1853. 

The surface of the township is generally level, or only slightly 
rolling. Lake Creek flows in a southerly direction across the western 
l)art and Purgatory Creek waters the southeastern portion. Orig- 
inally much of the land was wet and swampy, which may account 
in a measure for the fact that the township was rather slow in being 
settled. In 1858 James Hall, Eliphalet Ladd, David ]Moore, J. B. 
Glover and a few others entered land in township 87, range 32, but 
most of these entries were made for speculative purposes. 

INIichael Powers was one of the early settlers. His daughter, 
Maria, afterward became the wife of Dr. J. W. Craig, of Lohrville. 
William Carmichael, whose name headed the petition for the organ- 
ization of the townshi}), was another pioneer. LeClaire Owen, one 
of the judges at the first election, came with his widowed mother to 
Calhoun County in 1872, and first rented a farm from Capt. W. H. 
Fitch, near Lake City. He later bought a farm in the northwest 
part of I^ogan, not far from Rockwell City. 

Rollin Burch, who is entitled to recognition as one of the early 
settlers of this township, was born in Cliautauqua County, New York, 
April 10, 1836. Upon arriving at manhood's estate he Avent to St. 
Clair County, Michigan, where he taught school for a time. In 1 859 
he located at Cedar Rapids, la. At the breaking out of the Civil war 
he entered the volunteer army as a member of Company D, Eighth 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 119 

Io\\a Infantry, and took part in numerous engagements. In 18G6 he 
came to Calhoun County, tirst settling in Jackson Township, but in 
1874 renio\ed to what is now Logan. He was elected county treas- 
urer in 1881 and held that office for four years, during which time he 
resided in Rockwell City. At the expiration of his second term he 
returned to his farm in Logan Township, where he continued to reside 
until his death on ^larch 20, 1915. 

The Des 3Ioines & Spencer branch of the Chicago, ^Milwaukee 
& St. Paul Railway system crosses the township from southeast to 
northwest, and the Fort Dodge, Ues ]\Ioines & Southern runs south- 
east from Rockwell City across the northern portion. Rands on the 
former and Piper on the latter are the railroad stations in the township. 

Logan is divided into nine school districts. In 1910 the popula- 
tion was G18, only four townships in the county having a smaller 
number of inhabitants. Notwithstanding this, Logan stood high in 
the value of jjroperty, showing in 1914 a taxable value of $542,060, 
the highest of any township in the county, exclusive of incorporated 
towns. 

In 1915 the township officials were as follows: August Bangston, 
S. D. Prince and John Harms, trustees; J. W. Archer, clerk; F. E. 
Dallenbach, assessor. 

READING TOWNSHIP 

In the southeast corner of the county is the Township of Reading, 
A\hicli was originally a part of Calhomi. On September G, 1875, a 1^1'^ 
petition signed by a nmnber of the citizens living in congressional 
township 86, range 31, was presented to the board of county super- 
visors, asking "that said township be organized as a separate civil 
township, to be known by the name of Reading." On motion the 
petition was granted and two days later the board directed the county 
auditor to issue and publish a call for an election to be held at the 
Robinson schoolhouse. C. H. Reading, J. G, Robinson and H. W. 
(iilbert were appointed judges, and A. Calhoun, clerk, to conduct the 
election. 

Reading Township is bounded on the north by Cedar, on the east 
by Webster County, on the south by Greene County, and on the west 
by the Township of Union. Purgatory Creek touches the northwest 
corner and Hardin Creek flows in a southerly direction through the 
eastern part. 



120 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

On March 16, 1853, R. Jarrett, a dej)uty United States sm've3'or, 
certified to George B. Sargent that he liad comj)leted the survey of 
townshii) 86, range 31, most of the work having been done the preced- 
ing year. The odd-numbered sections in this township were included 
in the land grant to the Iowa Central Air Line Railroad. George 
B. Dennison, John jMunn, J. C. Tullis, P. O. Babcock, A. B. Sands, 
John EUiott, William Tyson, John B. Weaver and H. H. Mason all 
entered land in 1858, but they were not actual setttlers, the lands being 
entered with the hope of selling them at an advanced price to the 
pioneers. Section 3-i was all homesteaded. 

The township was named in honor of Charles H. Reading, who/ 
was the first white man to establish a home within its borders. He 
was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, February 20, 1823; came 
west to Chicago when that great metro2)olis was but a small town ; was 
next employed by the Lake Superior JNIining Company for several 
months, and then settled on a farm near Sycamore, 111. In 1870 he 
located in what is now Reading Township, Calhoun County. At that 
time Jefferson was the nearest town where supplies could be pur- 
chased, though the towns of Gowrie and Manson were founded in that 
year. Cranes, wild ducks and geese were so numerous that they fre- 
quently destroyed or damaged the crops; deer were frequently seen 
in that part of the county, and at night the howling of the wolves 
made music for the pioneers. In 1876 JMr. Reading removed to 
Gowrie, where he lived for several years, when he went to Arkansas. 

J. G. Robinson, who was one of tlie signers of the petition to 
organize the township and one of the judges at the first election, was 
one of Reading Township's pioneers. He served on the board of 
county supervisors from 1889 to 1896. P. C. Carlson, a native of 
Sweden, was another early settler. 

After the Toledo & Northwestern (now the Chicago & Northwest- 
ern) Railroad was built through the northern part of the county in 
1881 a number of new comers located in Reading, the Town of Farn- 
hamville sprang up in tlie northeast corner, and quite a number of 
new farms were opened during the next few years. The Chicago, 
JMilwaukee & St. Paul Railroad just touches the southwest corner, 
but Farnhamville is the only railroad station in the township. 

In addition to the graded school in Fanihamville there are eight 
rural school districts in Reading. The population in 1910 was 954., 
and in 1914 the taxable value of the property, including that in Farn- 
hamville, was $514,344. 



PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 121 

The to^vllship officials in the spring of 1915 were as follows : Grant 
Haynes, Charles Rose and Green Stephens, trustees; INI. G. Beck, 
clerk; George W. McVay, assessor; George Coats and Charles 
Ikachani, justices of the peace; Roy Craven and H. Collins, con- 
stables. 

SHERMAN TOWNSHIP 

This township is one of the northern tier. It is bounded on the 
north by Pocahontas County, on the east by Lincoln Township, on 
tiie south by Center and Twin Lakes, and on the west by Butler. It 
includes all of congressional township 89, range 32, except a small 
tract in the northwest corner, which was taken from Sherman and 
added to Butler a few years ago as part of the incorporated Town 
of Pomeroy. From a certificate filed with the survej^or general, 
\\'arner Lewis, by George Berry, a dei^uty United States survej'or, 
December 9, 1854, it is learned that the official survey of the town- 
ship was made in that year and the lands returned subject to entry. 

Among the first to enter land in what is now Sherman ToAvn- 
sliip was \Villiam Featherstone, who selected a tract in section 20, near 
the head of North Twin Lake, June 11, 1866. He first built a sod 
house and later a small frame "shack," and in 1859 was joined by 
his wife and two children. The first money he earned after settling 
in Calhoun County was earned by trapping muskrats and selling 
their skins to fur buyers. He prospered and at one time owned over 
five hundred acres of land. After giving each of his children 100 
acres he retired and took up his residence in the Town of Manson, 
where he died at a ripe old age. 

]Most of the odd-numbered sections were included in the grant to 
the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company, leaving only a few 
in the southern part of the township and the even-numbered sections 
for actual settlers. Samuel JNI. Huff entered a tract in section 32, 
September 6, 1858, which is l)elieved to be the first entry in the 
township. 

Peter Peterson, a native of Sweden, came to the township in 1866, 
only a short time after Mr. Featherstone, and secured a Government 
claim of eighty-eight acres. It was raw prairie and his first plowing 
was done with four yoke of oxen. His first home in Calhoun Coimty 
was a sod house. After years of industry and develojiment he retired 
and removed to IManson. 

B. F. Freeburger brought his family from Port Byron, 111., in 
1867, and settled on a farm in Sherman, but after a short residence 



122 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

there he removed to Maiison. On November 20, 1867, Edgar L. 
Hobbs entered a part of section 20. Haakon and Nels Carlson located 
homesteads in section 20 on April 1, 1808, and the same year Fred 
Gutz, a German, homesteaded in section 29. He built a sod house 
and spent the summer months in improving his farm. During the 
late fall and winter he drove stage for the Fort Dodge & Sioux City 
Stage ConiiJanj', the line of which ran near his house. He is still 
living retired in the township. In May, 1869, Sanford L. Kent came 
from Kansas and took up a homestead in Sherman Township. His 
house was one of those destroyetl by the great tornado of August 2, 
1870. j\Ir. Kent served for several years on the board of supervisors. 
William Clark was another early settler. 

The route of the Fort Dodge & Sioux City stages ran southwest 
from Yatesville and passed over the narrow strip of land between 
North and South Twin Lakes, where the stage company had a relaj' 
station, about A\'hicli a little settlement sprang up. Here the Joslyn, 
Brown and Cornell families were among the pioneers. 

The territory now comprising Sherman Township was included 
in Lincoln, when that township was organized in 1866. The first 
mention in tlie public records of Sherman as a separate township is , 
an entry in the supervisors' minutes of September 7, 1868, when the' 
clerk was directed "to procure a ballot box for the use of Sherman 
Township." On the same date the board instnicted Joseph Yates 
"to send some justice of the peace to open the polls for the organiza- 
tion of said township." 

At the June term of the supervisors ])receding the above action, 
two petitions were preseuted asking for a division of Lincoln Town- 
ship by erecting new townships on the soutli and west. The minutes 
for that session state that the board "after due consideration, believes 
that the circumstances do not require action at the present time." 
It is quite probable that tlie petition, so far as Sherman Township 
is affected, was granted at a later term and the provisions for tlie first 
election made in September as above stated. 

^Vhen the first settlers came to this part of Calhoun County they 
found the nortli half of what is now Sherman Township covered witli 
marshes. Purgatory Creek, a slow, sluggish stream, flows through 
the township, entering from Pocahontas County about a mile east 
of Pomeroy, whence it flows sovith for a distance of about three miles. 
There it turns toward the east for about two miles, when it again 
meanders southward and crosses the soutliern boundary near the 
center. Along this creek and in tlie marshes were myriads of musk- 



PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 123 

i-ats and quite a luunber of the pioneers sold enough skins of these 
Uttle animals to pay for their lands. It is said that one man trapped 
nearly two thousand rats in one season, and several men earned from 
three to ten dollars per day in this occupation. 

The Fort Dodge ik Sioux City Division of the Illinois Central 
Railroad crosses the nortliern portion of tlie township, passing 
through the Town of Pomeroy, which is on the line between Shei'man 
and Butler townships. 

In 1!)1() tlie population, according to the United States census, 
Avas 7'3.'}, and in lOl-l the taxable value of the property was $4.57, •304. 
There are nine scliool districts in the township. The officials for the 
year 191.3 were as follows: P. J. Gustason, C. J. Meiners and John 
Ehrisman. trustees: John A. Carlson, clerk: T. C. Gutz, assessor; 
L,. C. Davy, justice of the peace; jNIicluiel Streit, constable. 

TWIN LAKES TOWNSHIP 

This township is one of the four central townships and is bounded 
as follows: On the north bj^ the townships of Butler and Sherman, 
on the east by Center, on the south by Lake Creek, and on the west 
by Garfield. It is coextensive with congressional township 88, range 
33, and has an area of thirty-six square miles. South Twin Lake is 
situated in the northeast corner and it is from the two bodies of water 
that the township takes its name. Lake Creek, the outlet of Twin 
Lakes, leaves the south lake in section 1 of this township and flows 
along the eastern border for about two and a half miles, when it 
■crosses over into Center Township. A tributary of Camp Creek 
rises near the center and flows in a soutliwesterly direction into Gar- 
field Township. The surface is gently rolling and when the first 
settlers came to this part of the county they found the low places 
filled with marshes, where the festive muskrat was the only inhab- 
itant. 

Township 88, range 33, was survej'ed during the summer of 1853 
by H. C. Caldwell, a United States deputy surveyor, who certified 
the fact to Warner Lewis, surveyor general, on the 14th of October 
of that year. Only a few of the odd-numbered sections were subject 
to individual entiy, most of them being included in the land grant to 
the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company. James S. Easlej' 
was one of the first to enter land in this township, filing on a part of 
section 1, on July 28, 18.).3. Other early entries were made by H. C. 
Ruggles, J. C. Tullis, Joseph Butterfield, James D. Sullivan, Eber 



124 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Sherman, James II. Carson, H. D. Cook, Charles Wright, William 
T. Pi-ather and James Slevin. The names of some of these men A^ill 
be easily recognized as speculators, who entered lands in several of 
the townships of Calhoun County. 

One of the first actual settlers was Nelson Bacon, who came from 
Wisconsin in 1868 and located on a section of land between the pres- 
ent Town of Rockwell City and the Twin Lakes. Before leaving 
Wisconsin he married the widow of Alonzo Long and his two step- 
sons, George I. and Thomas D. Long, accompanied the family to 
Iowa. They afterward i)uhlished the INIanson Journal for many 
years. ]Mr. Bacon i)lanted a hedge of willows around his land. They 
grew rapidly in the moist soil and became so firmly rooted that when 
an effort was afterward made to destroy them it was found to be 
(]uite a task, accomplished only by the application of great labor and 
careful vigilance in keeping the new sprouts from getting a fresh 
start. Mr. Bacon served as coroner of the county from 1877 to 1881 
and soon after the expiration removed to the Town of JNIanson. 

Others who settled Avithin the township while the territory was 
a part of Lincoln were Calvin A. Childs, James Owens, INIack Easton 
and E. W. Butterfield. The Childs homestead is now within the 
corporate limits of Rockwell City. At the time the comity seat was 
removed to Rockwell City in 1870 there were less than a dozen houses 
in the township. 

The change in the location of the county seat brought a number 
of new settlers and early in 1877 a movement was started for the 
organization of a new townshii^, to include township 88, range 33. 
A petition to that effect, headed by Nelson Bacon and signed by a 
majority of the legal voters living within the desigiiated territory, 
was presented to the board of supervisors on June 4, 1877, and was 
granted, the new township being given the name of Twin Lakes. At 
the September term the board ordered an election to be held at the 
courthouse in Rockwell City, and appointed R. Babcock, E. W. But- 
teriield and James Owens judges, and Mack Easton, clerk. With 
the eletcion of officers under this order the township organization 
was rendered complete. 

Rockwell City, in the southeast corner, and I^^avinia, near the 
western boundary, are the only railroad stations. Six lines of railway 
center at Rockwell City, giving ample traffic facilities to the sur- 
rounding country. 

Nine teachers are employed in the eight school districts, which 
does not include those employed in the schools of Rockwell City. 









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PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 125 

The population in 1910 was 1,95-1, a yaiii of 18.) during the preceding- 
ten years. In 1914 the taxable value of the property, including 
Rockwell City, was $760,544, showing Twin Lakes to be the wealthi- 
est township in the county. The officials at the beginning of the year 
1915 were: Edward Geist, F. J. Heebner and F. Riseley, trustees; 
W. S. Geist, assessor; Floyd B. Beckwith, clerk; J. C. Frick and 
George JNI. Hartley, justices of the peace; P. C. Torrence and John 
Walters, constables. 

UNION TOWNSHIP 

In response to a petition presented on April 2, 1878, signed by 
James 3IcClure and a number of others, the board of supervisors 
ordered: "That all of township 86, range 32, in Calhoun County, be, ' '^ I o 
and the same is, hereby created and organized into a new civil town- 
ship, the same to lie known as the Township of Union." 

Prior to that time the territory now comprising Union Township 
was a part of Callioun. At the same time the order above mentioned 
was issued, the board directed that the first election in the new town- 
ship should be lield at the Jenks schoolhouse on INIonday, September 
2, 1878, and appointed the following citizens to conduct said election: 
R. ]M. Tigner, Winslow Holmes and E. Abney, judges; James 
McClure, clerk. 

Union is situated in tlie southern tier of townships. It is bounded 
on the north by Logan Townshiji, on the east by Reading, on the 
south by Greene County, and on the west by the Township of Cal- 
houn. Purgatory Creek in the western part and Cedar Creek in the 
eastern, both flowing southward, furnish reasonably good drainage 
to the township, but the natural drainage has been supplemented by 
a number of open ditches and tile drains. The surface is a level or 
gently imdulating prairie and the soil is unsurpassed in fertility. 

On February 7. 185.3, R. Jarre'tt, a United States deputy sur- 
veyor, filed his certificate with the surveyor general, George B. Sar- 
gent, that township 86, range 32, had been surveyed. A few of the 
odd-numbered sections were assigned to the land grant to the Iowa 
Central Air Line Railroad Com])any. The earliest land entries in 
this township were made by William C. Betzer, H. D. Palmer, J. 
Williams, Seymour N. Case, William F. Palmer, Wilson Ilazlett 
and William Hogg. 

Among the early settlers was David INI. Brown, a native of Ver- 
mont, who came to Calhoun County in 1869 and purchased 120 acres 



126 PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

of land in what is now Union Township. At tliat time his nearest 
neiylilior was nearly two miles away and Jefferson, the county seat 
of Greene County, was the nearest trading place. He afterward pur- 
chased 224 more acres, becoming one of the largest farmers in the 
township, hut in 1892 retired and took up his residence in the Town 
of Lohrville. 

Henry J. Bolander came to the township while it was still a part 
of Calhoun. He was born in jNIarion County, Ohio, in 1840; served 
as a member of Company D, Eighty-second Ohio Infantry, in the 
Civil war, and came to Calhoun County after the death of his parents 
in 1870. He located a short distance east of Lohrville, though that 
town had not been called into existence then. Gowrie was the nearest 
railroad station, and the country was so wild that it was no unusual 
thing to see deer roaming over the prairie. He married the daughter 
of William L. Hulett, another pioneer, who came from Illinois and 
settled two miles south of Lohrville in 1870. 

James McClure, who headed the petition for the organization of 
the township, was born in Pennsylvania in 1824. In 18.50 he was 
graduated at Strasburg College, in his native state, and was for a 
time employed in teaching. Having qualified himself for the duties 
of civil engineer and surveyor, he started west in 1865 and first 
located at Sterling, 111. In 1872 he came to Calhoun County and 
located on a tract of land about a mile south of the present Town of 
Lohrville. Mv. iNIcClure served several terms as county surveyor 
and was otherwise intimately identified with county and townsihp 
affairs. 

Three lines of railroad traverse LTnion Townshi]:). The Chicago, 
IVIilwaukee & St. Paul crosses the eastern part; the Chicago & North- 
western runs east and west about a mile north of the center; and the 
Chicago Great Western crosses the township diagonally from 
northeast to southwest. All these roads pass through Lohrville, 
which is the princi])al town, and the only one except the little village 
of Wightman on the Chicago Great ^Vestern near the southwest 
corner. 

Outside of the incorporated Town of Lohrville, the townshi]) is 
divided into nine school districts, each of which em])loys one teacher 
during the school year. In 1910 the population was 1,184, and in 
1914 the taxable value of the property, including Lohrville, was 
$634,660. The township officials at the beginning of the year 191.5 
were as follows: L. L. Parker, C. D. Ealy and A. L. Morris, trus- 
tees; 1\. \V. Hicks, clerk; F. A. Spenla, assessor; E. J. Hulett and 



PAST AND PKKSEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY i;^7 

J. O. Smothers, justices of the peace; E. Cram and G. L. Hilliard, 
constables. 

WILLIAMS TOWNSHIP 

This township is situated in the extreme nortliwestern corner of 
tile county and embraces congressional township 81). range 3-1. It is 
bounded on the north by Pocahontas County, on the east by Butler 
Township, on the south by Garfield Township and Sac County, and 
on the west by Sac Coimty. The surface is generally level. A 
branch of Cedar Creek Hows in a southerly direction through the 
western part and in sections 23 and 24i is a body of water known as 
Brushy Lake. 

The first settlement was made in 1868 by William H. Stott and 
Iiis brother-in-law. William P. Bush, who located in section 14, early 
in the spring of that year. They were soon followed by Samuel 
Poland, Jacob Stiltz, George Fastle, Hugh Hocking, Sr., Hugh 
Hocking, Jr.. William and John Hocking, who located near the 
Pocahontas County line. 

In 18(i9 John Stott and his two sons, John and George, took up 
homesteads in section 18 and built a house of three rooms so located 
that one room ^\as upon each of the three homestead claims. In 
April of that year the colony was joined by William Kennedy and 
George Sanborn and their families. Before the close of the year a 
number of new settlers came in, among them Lemuel IMilnor, Rod- 
erick T. and William Abbott, Nicholas Strauss, Henry Baker, 
Orlando O. Brown and his two sons — Nathan L. and Lyman W., 
James Rigby, Obed Slater, James Whitbeck and the Flints — Silas, 
George and Charles. 

The official survey of this township was made bj- J. T. Nowlin 
in 18.).), his certificate to Warner Lewis, surveyor general, bearing 
date of December 19, 18.).). The odd-numbered sections were included 
in the grant to the Dubucpie & Sioux City Railroad Company, hence 
the early settlers located on the sections bearing the even numbers. 

The first death in the township was that of Amanda, daughter of 
Jacob Stiltz, in January or February, 1871. Her body was buried 
on her father's farm, no public cemetery having been established in 
that part of the county. The first school was taught by INIiss Harriet 
Clements before the township was organized. 

On June 6, 1870. a petition came before the board of county 
supei-\^isors, signed by a number of citizens living in the northwestern 
part of the county, asking that congressional townships 88 and 89, 



Itfl 



128 PAST AND PRESP:XT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

range Si, be organized into a new civil township. At that time the 
territory named in the petition formed a part of Jackson Townsliip. 
The petition was granted by the board and then the question of a 
name came vip for consideration. As WilHam Stott, William Rush 
and William Kennedy had been active in circulating the petition, 
someone suggested that the new township be called "Three Williams," 
but the word "three" was dropped and the name of "Williams Town- 
ship" was entered upon the records. The first election was held at 
the house of Roderick T. Abbott in the fall of 1870, but the returns 
cannot be found. 

As originally established Williams included the present Town- 
ship of Garfield, which was organized as a separate political subdi- 
uV vision of the county in 1882, when Williams was reduced to its present 
\^ area of thirty-six square miles. 

The only railroad in AN'illiams is the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
Paul, which crosses the northeast corner, but there is no station in 
the township. The people living in the northern part find railroad 
acconnnodations at Fonda, Pocahontas County, and those living in 
the southern part patronize the stations at Lytton and Sac City. 

There are nine school districts in the township, which in 1910 
reported a population of 589. In 191-t the taxal)le value of the 
property was $441,229, and in 191.5 the township officials were: 
George W. Baskerville, John Duitsman and Hemy Helmbrecht, 
trustees; John Floyd, assessor; W. II. Bradford, clerk; William 
Frazier, justice of the peace. 



CHAPTER IX 
LAKE CITY AND ROCKWELL CITY 

BEGIXXIXG OF LAKE CITY ADDITIONS TO THE ORIGINAL PLAT EARLY 

BUSINESS CONCERNS POSTOIFICE THE TOWN INCORPORATED 

LIST OF MAYORS WATERAVORKS — PUBLIC ■LIGHTING — PUBLIC 

PARK — GENER^VL CONDITIONS — POPULATION, ETC, 

ROCKAVELL CITY LOCATION AND ORIGIN ADDITIONS FIRST ENTER- 
PRISES POSTOFFICE SCHOOLS INCORPORATION LIST OF MAY- 
ORS AVATERAVORKS ELECTRIC LIGHT FIRE COMPANY SEAA'ERS 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Ill the organization of Calhonn County in 1855 a commission Avas 
apix)inted to locate the county seat. The site selected by that com- 
mission Avas not satisfactory to the people of the county and in April, 
1856, they A'oted unanimously to establish the seat of justice at Lake 
City, Avhere it remained for about tAventy years. A full account of 
ihe location and removal of the county seat has been given in a former 
chapter and in this chapter the purpose is to give the principal points 
in the history of the two toAvns that have been honored by being made 
the seat of county government. 

LAKE CITY 

The first move toAvard the establishment of a toAvn upon the site 
Avhere Lake City noAv stands Avas made on January 7, 1856, Avhen a 
number of citizens, through their spokesman. Jacob Young, presented 
a petition to the county judge asking that the county seat be located 
upon "the northAvest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 18, 
and the soutliAvest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 7, town- 
ship 86 north, range 33 west." 

Peter Smith, as county judge, issued an order submitting the 
question to the legal voters at an election to be held on the first JMon- 
day in April, Avhen tAventy-one votes Avere cast in favor of the location 

Tol. I— » 

129 



130 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

without a single vote in the negative. On jMay 10, 1856, Charles Aniy 
was employed by order of the county judge to survey and plat the 
town, which was given the name of Lake City. The original plat of 
the town was filed with the county recorder on Jmie 10, 18.56, and 
was the first town plat to be so filed in the Comity of Calhoun. It 
shows a jjarallelogram foiu* blocks wide from east to west and eight 
blocks from north to south, each block containing eight lots, except 
block 3, which was set apart for a public square. Running east and 
west are North, Adams, JNIadison, Washington, JNIain, Jefferson, 
JMonroe, Jackson and South streets. The streets running north and 
south are East, Illinois, Centre, JMichigan and West. 

In the meantime, on ]May 13, 18.56, Peter Smith and Alford 
\Miite and their wives executed a deed to the county for the land upon 
which the new town was located in consideration of one-half the pro- 
ceeds arising from the sale of lots, and Judge Smith ordered that 
the first public sale of lots should take place on July 1, 1856. On 
that occasion A. W. Davis acted as auctioneer and received $1.50 for 
his day's work. After the sale Alford White received $72.81 ; Peter 
Smith received $231.94, these sums being their respective shares result- 
ing from the sale of lots. The county, after paying $3 for adver- 
tising the sale, $3 for appraising the lots, and $1.50 to ]Mr. Davis for 
his services as auctioneer, jjlaced a balance of $297.25 in the county 
treasmy. This was a considerable sum of money for that day and 
everybody congratulated the comity authorities upon the success of 
the sale. 

For a nmnber of years the growth of Lake City was compara- 
tively slow, but with the coming of the railroad in 1881 the town 
exjierienced its first real boom, and several additions were platted. 
On April 30, 1881, Smith's addition of twelve blocks directly west of 
the original plat was filed with the recorder. This was followed by 
the First Railway Addition on June 6. 1881, which was made by the 
^Vestern Town Lot Company. It consisted of seventeen warehouse 
lots near the railroad and 100 lots for business and residence purposes. 
Subsequently all the plat of this addition was vacated except the 
warehouse lots. The plat of SifFord's Addition was filed on June 8, 
1881, showing eight blocks between INIain and INIadison streets, east 
of the original town. Tompkins' Addition was recorded on Novem- 
ber 23, 1881, and GifFord's Second Addition on December 3, 1881. 
Each of these additions consisted of eight blocks. 

Several years then elapsed before any further additions were 
made. On June 17, 1887, was filed the plat of Fulkerson's Addition 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 131 

of ten blocks northeast of the original plat. Smith's Second Addi- 
tion was made a matter of record on ^lay 8, 1888. The plat of this 
addition shows twelve blocks. 3Ioody's Addition of eight blocks 
in the northeastern part of the town was made on ]May 8, 1891, and 
]Moseley's Addition of nineteen lots was recorded on August 1, 1891. 
Georgeson's Addition was made on November 6, 1891. Five addi- 
tions were platted and filed during the year 1892, to-wit: JNIoody & 
Davy's, January 12tli: Moody & Davy's Second, July 'iGth; JNIoody 
& Davy's Garfield Park. October 2()th; Townsend's Oak Park, No- 
vember 7th; Hobbs' Addition, December 10th. In the five additions 
of 1893 about one hundred and fifty lots were added to the town. 

Soon after the town was laid off by Charles Amy in May, 1856, 
Peter Smith and David Reed began the erection of a frame store 
building, K! by 24 feet, which was the first house of any kind erected 
upon the town site. Before it Mas completed John Lumpkin pur- 
chased Smith's interest and a little later bought out Reed and put in 
a small stock of goods, becoming therebj^ the first merchant of Lake 
City. This little building is still standing, but upon a different lot 
from that where it was a£ first located. 

No other building was erected during the first year of the town's 
existence. The second structure was the courthouse, which was built 
by Charles Amy and ]Moses Sherman in 18.57, and the residence of 
Charles Amy was the third building and the first dwelling in Lake 
City. 

A postoffice was established in 18.57 and Charles Amy was ap- 
jjointed postmaster. He continued in that position until 1872. The 
office was made a money order postoffice in 1884, while A. J. Scott 
was postmaster. Some idea of the growth of Lake City may be 
gained from the knowledge that during the fiscal year ending on 
June 30, 1914, the receipts of the postoffice amounted to over six thou- 
sand four hundred dollars. Three people were then employed in the 
office and four rural routes distribute mail daily to the citizens of the 
surrounding territory. R. M. Reid was postmaster in the spring of 
1915. 

David Reed taught the first school in Calhoun County in a small 
building near Lake City, in the fall of 18.56. A year or two later a 
schoolhouse was built about where the United Brethren Church now 
stands. Here the Methodist Episcopal and Christian churches held 
services on alternate Sundays for several years before the first church 
edifice was erected by the latter denomination. 



132 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Although Peter Smith sold his interest in tlie building began by 
him and David Reed, he still had a desire to become a merchant. 
This desire became stronger after he retired from the county judge- 
shij) in August, 18.57, but it was not until 1863 that he opened his 
general store. He continued in business until 187-3, when he sold out 
to L. F. Danforth and J. J. Hutchinson. A few years later he estab- 
lished the baziking house of P. Smith & Sons, the first bank in Lake 
City. 

The first newspaper in Lake City — and the first in Callioun 
County — was tlie Calhoun County Pioneer, which was started in 1871 
by B. F. Gue, with E. W. Wood in charge as editor and resident 
manager. 

Early in 1881, when the building of the Toledo & Northwestern 
(now the Chicago & Northwestern) Railroad to I^ake City became a 
certainty, a movement was started for the incorporation of the town. 
On March 28, 1881, a petition signed by thirty-seven citizens was filed 
with the clerk of the Circuit Court asking for the legal steps to be 
taken to make Lake City an incorporated town. Accom])anying the 
petition were the afi^davits of T. B. Hotclikiss and Robert Baldwin 
to the effect that the town had a population of 320. At the next term 
of the Circuit Court, Judge John N. Weaver granted the prayer 
of the petitioners and appointed O. H. Burt, P. R. Huber, A. J. 
Scott, F. E. Stevenson and W. H. Birdsall commissoners to conduct 
an election for the jjurpose of submitting the question to the voters. 

The election was held at the schoolhouse in Lake City on Thurs- 
day, May 12, 1881, and resulted in sixty-nine votes being cast in favor 
of incorporating the town and only seven votes in the negative. 
Returns were made to the clerk of the court according to law and the 
judge of the Circuit Court ordered an election for municipal ofiicers 
to be held on the third jNIonday in Jime. Under this order the elec- 
tion was held on June 20, 1881, with the following result: H. H. 
Baldwin, maj^or; W. J. King, recorder; O. H. Burt, F. D. \Villiams, 
A. J. Scott, J. D. Saggau, H. C. Shurter and C. INlelzner, trustees. 

Following is a list of the mayors of Lake City since tlie incorpora- 
tion, with the year in which each entered upon tlie duties of his ottice: 
H. H. Baldwin, 1881; S. N. Earle, 1883; T. B. Hotclikiss, 1884; 
Aaron Hopkins, 1892; E. W. Townsend, 1894; A. H. Grant, 1895; 
John W. Jacobs, 1898; J. B. IMcCrary, 1900; J. L. Hibbs, 1902; L. C. 
Albright, 1904; J. B. McCrary, 1906; J. L. Hibbs, 1908; J. M. 
Toliver, 1910; Oscar W. Lundberg, 1914. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 133 

In 1913 the city government was administered by Oscar W. Lund- 
berg, mayor; J. ]M. Fickle, clerk; G. G. Hutchison, treasurer; John 
M. Fickle, assessor; G. R. Farley and F. O. Cottong, aldermen at 
large; R. C. Crawford, alderman from the First Ward; Dr. G. L. 
Pray, Second Ward; Edward O'Connell, Third Ward; H. A. Low, 
Fourth ^Vard; :SL H. Gormally, marshal; Ur. D. W. JNIcCrary, health 
jjhysician, 

WATERAVORKS 

The United States census in 1890 gave Lake City a population 
of 1,160. At that time the water supply was drawn from private 
wells. The quality of the water was not always of the best and in dry 
seasons some of the wells wholly or partially failed. Under the con- 
ditions some of the more progressive citizens began to agitate the 
subject of a municipal waterworks. The first ordinance relating to 
the subject was passed by the city council on June 10, 1892. It was 
merely a preliminary measure, and was supplemented by the ordi- 
nance of April 17, 1893, which authorized a bond issue of $8,000 to 
defray the cost of putting in some system of waterworks to supply 
the town. 

Both these ordinances were repealed by the city council on July 5, 
1893, when the question of issuing watenvorks bonds to the amount of 
$8,000 was ordered to be submitted to the j^eople at a special election. 
A majority of the voters favored the bond issue, which was afterward 
increased to $11. .300 by the ordinance of November 13, 1893. 

Wells of sufficient cajjacity to afford a supply of water were 
drilled to a depth of over 200 feet, a standpipe was erected in the 
northwestern part of the town with pressure enough to force the 
water to the top of the tallest buildings, mains were laid upon all the 
I«-incipal streets and problem of furnishing water to the citizens of 
the to\\ n was satisfactorily solved. 

PUBLIC LIGHTING 

On September 12, 1894, the city council passed an ordinance 
granting a franchise to establish an electric light plant in Lake City 
to E. B. Hillman & Company, of Peoria, 111. This ordinance was 
subsequently repealed and on Febniary 3, 1898, an ordinance was 
passed authorizing a special election, at which the citizens should vote 
upon the question of granting a franchise to George G. Fisher and his 
associates. The proposition to grant the franchise was carried by a 



134 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

substantial majority and the Fislier Coni]:)any was also given a con- 
tract for pumping water for the purpose of keeping the staiuipipe 
filled. 

On INIarch 1, 1900, Fisher and his associates sold out to a company 
of local capitalists, composed of E. W. Townsend, J. J. Coady, Alva 
Carskaddon. J. B. Smith, M. E. Hutchison and one or two others. 
This company filed articles of incorporation with the county recorder 
on September 20, 1900, under the name of the Lake City Electric 
Company. J. J. Coady, J. B. Smith, Ira R. Arney, Alva Carskad- 
don and M. E. Hutchison constituted the first board of directors. 
The capital stock of the company was fixed at $20,000, with the pro- 
vision that at no time should the indebtedness exceed two-thirds of 
the capital stock. According to the articles of association, the object 
of the company was to "own and operate an electric light and power 
plant and heating plant in Lake City, la., with all real estate and 
personal property necessary for pumping water for the city water- 
works, and for furnishing lights, power and heat for the City of 
Lake City and the citizens thereof." 

The new company improved the plant and operated it for some 
time, when it was sold to Otto E. Brownell, and in August, 1914, it 
was turned over to the Central Iowa Electric Company, whose plant 
is at Eraser. At a meeting of the city council on March 23, 191.5, 
a special election was ordered for ^Monday. Ai)ril 2G, 191.5, at which 
the citizens should vote on the question of granting a new franchise 
to the Central Iowa Electric Company. The proposition to grant a 
new franchise was defeated and the company is now operating the 
plant under the old franchise of the Lake City Electric Company. 

PUBLIC PARK 

After the removal of the county seat to Rockwell City the court- 
house at lyake City was removed from the public square, which Avas 
then converted into a public park. Shade trees were planted, a band- 
stand erected for public concerts, and in the center of the park a 
drinking fountain was erected in the spring of 1915 by INIrs. P. M. 
Stewart as a memorial to her daughter, Leona Stewart-Odell. This 
fountain was formally ])resentc(l to the city on June 14. 191,5, "Flag 
Uay," l)y Hon. John W. Jacobs in behalf of ^Irs. Stewart, and it 
was accepted by INIayor I^undberg for the city. Hon. George Cosson 
delivered an address. Two thousand people witnessed the ceremony. 
From the fountain in the center broad cement walks lead to the four 




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PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 135 

corners of tlie park, giving Lake City a square that is an adornment 
to the city and a resting place for her people. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS 

Lake City is located in the southwestern part of the county, on 
the line between Calhoun and Jackson townships and on the Jewell 
&z Sioux City Division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Sys- 
tem. It has two Iianks, with deposits of nearly one million dollars; 
two weekly newspajjers, the Graphic and the News ; churches of sev- 
eral of the leading religious denominations, all of wliich have com- 
fortal)le houses of worship; three public school buildings, in which 
nineteen teachers are employed and over live himdred pupils enrolled; 
broad, well shaded streets; a number of mercantile establishments, 
Avhich handle all lines of goods; lodges of various secret and fraternal 
societies, some of which own their own halls ; a public library, the gift 
of Andrew Carnegie; and a large number of handsome residences. 

About the time the waterworks were established a fire company 
was organized and apparatus for extinguishing tires was piu'chased. 
In 191.) tliis company consisted of Earl Howe, chief; J. J. Foley, 
assistant chief; Charles Dunn, secretary; W. C. Guenther, treasurer; 
Charles Rice, foreman, and the following members: Charles Bau- 
man, Charles Bawden, W. S. Chambers, G. H. Coady, Don Her- 
rick, C. H. :Miller, C. C. Myler, C. H. Newell, Samuel Redenius, 
E. E. Schwartz, A. J. Ulvestad, L. O. Wright and C. H. Zybell. 

The Lake City Commercial Club was organized some years ago 
and has been influential in advertising the merits and advantages of 
the town, and of establishing a more fraternal feeling among the 
business men. George E. Pearen was president of the club at the 
beginning of the year 1915; John W. Jacobs, vice president; G. G. 
Hutchison, secretary; L. E. Nokes, treasurer. The board of direc- 
tors was constituted of the above named officers and the following: 
E. W. Townsend, C. S. Hopkins, J. L. Hibbs, Dr. F. E. KaufFman, 
Edward O'Connell, Dr. G. L. Pray, W. H. T. Shade and F. O. 
Cottong. 

The following dispatch from Lake City to the Des INIoines Regis- 
ter and I^eader is taken from the issue of that paper for June 16, 
191.5: "The city council at its meeting Monday night entered into a 
wholesale condemnation of the brick sidewalks of Lake City by con- 
demning almost a mile of walks and ordering in new cement walks 
in lieu thereof. This is said to be only a beginning and the predic- 



136 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

tion is made that before the sumnier is ovei- more than five miles of 
new cement sidewalks will be laid in Lake City. 

"The ordinances now provide that cement only shall be used in 
the construction of walks. The local school board will put in three 
blocks of new walk of its own volition during the sumnier vacation. 
Most of this walk will be six feet wide." 

This dispatch shows the general public spirit of the people of 
Lake City, which is not only the oldest, but is also the largest incor- 
porated town in Calhoun County. In 1910 the population, according 
to the United States census, was 2,043. 

EOCKW^ELL CITY 

Rockwell City, the present county seat of Calhoun County, is 
situated near the exact geographical center of the county. Part of 
the city is located in the southeast corner of Twin Lakes Townsliij) 
and part of it in the southwest corner of Center Township. The 
town owes its origin and existence to a movement of the citizens to 
esta])lish the comity seat somewhere near the center of the county. 
On June 17, 1876, the site was selected by a committee appointed for 
the purpose and which met at the sod house of Calvin A. Childs — 
at that time the only house in the vicinity of where the town now 
stands. The selection was approved by a majority of the voters at 
the general election in November, 1870, the town was soon afterward 
laid off by Elliott Colburn for John M. Rockwell and his wife, Char- 
lotte M. Rockwell, and the plat was filed in the county recorder's 
office on December 28, 1876. 

Upon the original plat the streets running north and south are 
shown as First, Second, Third, Foiirth and Custer, and the east and 
west streets as Nortli, Lake, INIain, Court and Richmond. Custer 
Street was afterward changed to Fiftli and in the additions west of 
that street the numbers are continued consecutively. The principal 
additions that have been made to the town are as follows: J. M. 
Rockwell's, sixty lots, INIarch 9, 1882; Smith's, forty- four lots, De- 
cember 7, 1882; Lewis & Smith's, thirty-seven small and five large 
lots, INIay 9, 1883; Lewis & Smith's second, fifteen lots of four acres 
each. May 1, 188.5; Baker's, thirty lots, July 7, 1891: Burkhaltcr's. 
seven lots, September 22, 1891; Mary E. Childs', twelve lots, April 
13, 1892; Childs' second, twelve lots, April 7, 1894: C. "SI. Rockwells, 
sixtv-two lots, June 7, 1894; J. jM. Rockwell's second, six small and 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 137 

three large outlots, Ueccuiber :il, 1894; Rockwell & HubbelFs, July 
28, 1896; Hunter's, January 8, 1901. 

When thf tdwn was first platted the country around it was one 
vast prairie covered with a dense growth of slougli grass, in some 
l)laces as tall as a man. On the higher places was a luxuriant growth 
of wild flowers, es])ecially the lady slipper, the prairie lily and the 
wild pink, or s^eet william. The children of the first families that 
settled in the new county seat used to gather wild strawberries on the 
little elevation called Gopher Knoll, and wliere the fair grounds are 
now located was a large pond, about which the boys ti'apped musk- 
rats and sold the pelts to get their spending money. Even the men 
were not averse to trapping muskrats in the sloughs about the town 
and many of the household necessities in early days were purchased 
with money received from the sale of the skins of these little rodents. 
Sometimes a lone wolf could be seen standing upon some rise in the 
prairie, watching the building of the new town, as though wondering 
what it was all about, and at night the dismal howls of these animals 
would be borne on the breeze to the ears of the citizens. 

The first building material ever bi-ought to Rockwell City con- 
sisted of two Avagon-loads of brick, which were hauled from Grant 
City, Sac Comity, I)y T. B. Hotchkiss, to be used in the erection of 
a building for a newspaper office. The lumber for this building came 
from Glidden and in August, 1877, ^Ir. Hotchkiss began the pub- 
lication of the Calhoun County Journal. The office stood upon the 
lot at the northeast corner of Fourth and JNIain streets, facing the 
public square. After the Journal was removed from Rockwell City, 
the building was occupied by Smith & Jack as a hardware store. 
Some years later it was moved to the rear end of the lot, facing 
Fourth Street, to make room for the brick building that now stands 
on the corner, and in 191.5 the old Join-nal ofiice was used as a bakery. 

John M. Rockwell, the founder of the town, was a resident of 
Erie, N. Y. Shortly after the plat was filed in the recorder's office 
he came to Rockwell City and took an active interest in building up 
the town. He built the Rockwell House, the first hotel in the town, 
and conducted it until 1882. This hotel, two stories high, with a 
mansard roof, could be seen for miles over the open prairie and was 
considered one of the finest houses of entertainment in Northwestern 
Iowa in its early days. When the Savings Bank Building was erected 
in 1904 the hotel was removed to the next lot east on Court Street, 
where it is still standing. 



138 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

W. T. Smith, who was elected county recorder in 1876, claims 
the distinction of having erected the first residence in the new county 
seat. James Owens was the first merchant. Soon after he estab- 
lished himself in business a daugliter was born to him and his wife. 
She was named Alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet, because 
she was the first child bom in Rockwell City. In 1877 a postoffice 
was established and a commission issued to jNIrs. Owens as postmis- 
tress, but she declined the honor and John M. Rockwell was ap- 
pointed. He kej^t the office in his hotel. 

For a number of years the town was called "Rockwell" and fre- 
quent mistakes occurred in the mails, letters intended for some of the 
citizens being sent to Rockwell, in Cerro Gordo County. An edi- 
torial in the Rockwell City Advocate of December 15, 1898, urged 
the people of the town always to refer to it as "Rockwell City," and 
to instruct their correspondents to address letters in that manner. On 
March 3, 1902, the city council passed a resolution declaring "Rock- 
/ well City" to be the official name, and at the nnmicipal election on the 
30th of the same month the action of the council was sustained by a 
vote of 192 to 23. Since then the mistakes in the delivery of mail 
have been less frequent, though they still occur occasionally. On 
July 1, 1902, six riual mail routes — the first in Calhoun County — 
began operations from the i)ostoffice at Rockwell City. During the 
fiscal year ending on June 30, 1911-, the receipts of the office 
amounted to about ten thousand dollars. This was enough to justify 
free mail delivery to the residents of the town and that system Avas 
inaugurated on April 1, 191.5. 

Another man who played a conspicuous part in building uj) Rock- 
well City and its business interests was Washington Lewis, commonly 
called "Wash," who came from Lake City, built a store and dwell- 
ing, and entered into practically every movement calculated to ad- 
vance the welfare of the new town. Later J. H. Gregg and H. H. 
Hutchinson became associated with ]Mr. I>ewis in the store. In 188-1 
]Mr. Lewis sold out his interest to his partners and joined with \V. T. 
Smith and J. C. R. Layton in the organization of the Farmers Bank. 
He continued active in business for a number of years. His death 
occurred on June .), 1900. 

The first courthouse at Rockwell City was completed early in 
"^ September, f877, and the first school was taught in one of its rooms 
in the fall of 1878. A schoolhouse was soon afterward erected, in 
which the first teacher was Miss Anna Callaghan. That old school- 
house was used for various ]iur])oses and was removed two or three 




G. \V. FITCH 
The oiliest i-ili/en iit lluikwell ( itv rcveivin^i his first U'tter by free delivery, April 1, I'Jla 



...i; NEW YORK 1 
PT'BLIC LIBR "■:v I 



ASTOn. LI 
TILDBN FIJ 
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PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 139 

times before it was taken to the east side of Fifth Street, between 
3Iain and Court. After a better sehoolhouse was built the old one 
was sold to Joseph G. Palmer, who used it for an opera house. It 
was then sold to the Baptist Church and in 1915 it was still used by 
that congregation as a house of worship. The city now has two 
school buildings and employs nineteen teachers in the public schools. 

INCORPORATION 

Early in the '80s JNIr. Rockwell gave F. M. Hubbell a half inter- 
est in the town site at Rockwell City in consideration of the extension 
of the Des ISIoines & Northwestern Railroad, the "narrow gauge," 
as it was commonly called, from Adel to Rockwell City. When it 
was learned that the railroad was certain to be built, the town entered 
upon an era of prosperity, new buildings were erected and it was not 
long until some of the citizens became interested in the subject of 
incorporation. Consequently, at the April term of the Circuit Court 
in 1882, a j^etition was j^resented to Judge John N. Weaver asking 
for the incorporation of Rockwell City. The petition was signed 
by thirty-four residents and recommended C. G. Walker, J. F. Sea- 
right. J. H. Bradt, A. N. Jack and J. F. Lavender as suitable per- 
sons to conduct an election for the submission of the question to the 
people. The petition was granted by the court, the above named citi- 
zens were appointed commissioners, and at the election, which was 
lield on May 2, 1882, the proposition to incorporate was carried by a 
decisive majority. Judge Weaver then declared Rockwell City to 
be an incorporated town, under the laws of Iowa, and ordered an 
election for municipal officials to be held on INIay 16, 1882. At that 
election Thomas Tennant was chosen mayor; A. G. Hull, recorder; 
C. G. Walker, J. F. Searight, H. W. Dudley, R. C. Patterson, J. C. 
Toliver and ^V. II. Harlan, trustees. 

From the incorporation of the town in 1882 to 1915 the mayors 
of Rockwell City, with the year in which each was elected, were as 
follows: Thomas Tennant, 1882; Joseph G. Palmer, 1883; A. F. 
Stonebraker, 1884; R. C. Patterson, 1886 (^Nlayor Patterson left 
the city soon after the beginning of his term and a special election 
was ordered for October 4, 1886. when E. C. Stevenson was chosen 
to fill out the unexpired term) ; E. C. Stevenson, 1887 (]Mr. Steven- 
son was re-elected in 1888, but resigned and J. H. Bradt was elected 
to the vacancy at a special election on December 7, 1888) ; J. H. 
Bradt, 1889; D. W. Noel, 1891: J. IT. Bradt, 189.3; T. C. Gregg, 



no PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

1894; Charles D. Case, 1897; F. F. Hunter, 1898; L. Haytlen Fonts, 
.1902; J. T. McComb, 1904; V. N. Noel, 1906; Louis E. Eslick, 
1910; E. C. Stevenson, 1914. 

WATERWORKS 

For about ten years after the town was incorporated no attention 
was given to the water question, most of the families having indi- 
vidual wells sufficient to provide for their needs. On the night of 
January 30, 1893, the creamery of Lewis & Riseley. situated only a 
short distance north of the public square, was completely destroyed 
by fire. It was generally conceded that the building could have 
been saved had there been an adequate supply of water at hand. The 
Advocate of February "2, 1893, the first issue after the fire, made a 
strong plea for the establishment of waterworks. 

"Rockwell City," says the editorial, "is absolutely without any 
protection fi-om fire, excepting the slight benefit from common wells 
and water pails. A live, growing town of nearly one thousand in- 
habitants, with a property valuation of hundreds of thousands of 
dollars, we are completely at the mercy of a chance spark from a 
defective chinmey, or the cunning deviltry of an incendiary. ISIost 
of our business buildings are of wood and a conflagration once started 
could not be stopped by any efforts we might make. These are 
facts! Rockwell City must have some system of waterworks." 

This started some of the more progressive element to thinking. 
The council appointed a committee to visit Lake City and inspect the 
^\atei-works recently established there. On INIarch 5, 1894, the ques- 
tion of issuing bonds for the construction of a waterworks was sub- 
mitted to the voters and was defeated by a vote of 86 to .50. But, 
like Bancjuo's ghost, the question of adequate fire protection would 
not down and the advocates of waterworks prevailed on the council 
to call a special election for August 27, 1894, at which the ipiestion 
was again submitted. With the call for the special election the coun- 
cil presented a general plan of a steel tower, to support a tank with 
a capacity of 100,000 gallons. Again the proposition Avas defeated, 
but this time by only one vote. 

Encouraged by the result, the friends of the waterworks proposi- 
tion went to work with renewed vigor. A petition, signed by about 
one hundred citizens, was presented to the council the following 
spring asking that the question be once more submitted to the people. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY m 

A special election was therefore ordered for ^lay 27, 1895, when the 
vote stood 87 to .).j in favor of waterworks. 

Councihnen Eradt, Oavchs and jNlcAllister visited towns having 
Avaterworks and reported in favor of a standpipe system, honds to 
tht amount of $7,000 were issued and sokl, and a contract was made 
with Fremont Turner, of Des ^loines, for nearly two miles of mains 
and the erection of a steel standpipe 100 feet high and twelve feet in 
diameter. A Buena Vista firm was awarded a contract to drill a 
.5-inch well, hut the flow of water ohtained was not up to the speci- 
fications and the drillers gave up the undertaking. Geoi'ge Je\\'ell 
was then awarded a contract for a large reservoir well, twelve feet in 
diameter. At a depth of forty-seven feet a strong vein of water was 
struck and the flow came with such force that the workmen were 
hastily driven from the well. The standpipe and mains were com- 
pleted on January 1,5, 1896, the well was walled with hrick and early 
in the spring the water was turned on for the flrst time. 

On August 1.5, 1901. a contract was entered into between the city 
and ]M. E. Layne, of Rock Rapids. l)y which the latter was to sink 
a deep well, capable of supplying 100,000 gallons daily, for which 
he was to receive $3,500 and a quantity of iron pipe purchased by the 
council the year before. With the completion of the new well some 
additional mains were laid. Subsequently a well 1,479 feet deep was 
sunk, giving Rockwell City a system of water supply and distribu- 
tion as good as is usually found in towns of its class. 

ELECTRIC IJGHT 

On December (5, 1895, a meeting was held in INIayor Gregg's ofl^ce 
to consider the organization of a citizens' stock company to put in an 
electric light plant. Washington Lewis, E. C. Stevenson and Charles 
D. Case were appointed a committee to solicit stock subscriptions. 
A franchise was obtained and on Janviary 10, 1890. tlie Rockwell City 
Electric Light and Power Company A\as incorporated with a capital 
stock of $10,000 and the following officers: E. C. Stevenson, presi- 
dent; George B. Brown, secretary; Charles D. Case, treasurer. The 
first board of directors was composed of the above named ofl^cers, 
H. W. Dyer, Washington Lewis, .T. H. Bradt and A. L. Dean. 

An ordinance passed by the council on February 18, 1896. grant- 
ing the franchise, also made provisions for the new company to fur- 
nish power for operating the pumps at the watenvorks. Work Avas 
commenced on tlie plant in INIay, the Fort Wayne Electric Company 



y 



-■■1 



142 PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

having been awarded the contract for its construction for $8,500. 
Buildings of all kinds were wired for lights while the plant was under 
construction and on the evening of JNIonday, August 3, 189(3, Rock- 
well City was for the first time illuminated bj" electricity. After the 
Fort Dodge, Des JNloines & Southern Railroad was converted into an 
electric line, the railroad company acquired the franchise, dismantled 
the plant at Rockwell City, and current is now supplied from the 
great jjower jilant at Eraser. 

FIRE COMPANY 

On June 29, 1896, a few months after the waterworks were com- 
pleted, a fire company was organized with P. C. Holdoegel as chief; 
Z. Woodward, first assistant; C. O. Dixon, second assistant; B. E. 
Stonebraker, secretary; F. P. Hufi^, treasurer, and about twenty 
members in addition to these officers. Constitution and by-laws were 
adopted and a hook and ladder truck and hose cart previously pur- 
chased by the town Avere placed imder the control of the company. 
Frequent drills were held for a time, but, fortunately for the prop- 
erty holders, the boys had little opportunity to disjjlay their skill as 
real fire fighters. Mr. Holdoegel resigned in April, 1898, to take 
charge of the ]Manson public schools, and C. O. Dixon succeeded him 
as chief. In the meantime ]Mr. Woodward had gone to the gold fields 
of the Klondike, C. M. Randall was elected first assistant and O. R. 
Danielson second. 

During the next few years some of the members of the company 
moved away and the others lost interest, lieing seldom called u])on to 
extinguish a fire. In time the company went down, but in January, 
1913, it was reorganized and the city council soon afterward pur- 
chased a chemical engine. The officers of the company at the begin- 
ning of the year 1915 were as follows: S. E. Stanfield, president; 
J. E. Torrence, vice president; Floyd Beclovith, secretary; Earl Beer- 
man, treasurer; A. L. Johnson, chief. 

SEAVERS 

At a meeting of the city council on April 2, 1901, the mayor was 
autliorized to appoint a special committee to investigate the matter 
of securing a good outlet for a sewer large enough to drain the town, 
and the council decided to visit the Town of Clarion, la., to inspect 
the sewer system. The Rockwell City Advocate of Mav 23, 1901, 



PAST AND PHESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 143 

contained a somewhat detailed description of the receiving tank sys- 
tem in use at the Iowa Agricultural College at Ames and advocated 
the construction of a similar sj'steni for the town. 

A drainage petition was filed in February, 1902, contemplating 
a tile drainage district to include the Town of Rockwell City, with an 
outlet into l^ake Creek, after the sewage had passed through a septic 
tank and filter. The petition was granted and work on the sewer 
system was commenced in July, 1902, by King & Lambert, of Des 
Moines, contractors. A filter 30 by oO feet was built just north of 
Rose Hill Cemetery and the city drains all lead to this filter, which is 
capable of purifying 300,000 gallons of sewage every twenty-four 
hours. Later another drainage district included the remainder of the 
town and the sewer system was extended. 

illSCELLAXEOUS 

The Rockwell City Business oNIen's Association had its beginning 
in a meeting held at the courthouse on January 21, 1899, D. W. Noel 
presiding. A committee, consisting of E. E. Johnston, J. F. Laven- 
der, A. F. Dean, Ira Baker and J. H. Bradt, was apjjointed to form- 
ulate a plan of organization. A week later the committee reported, 
a code of by-laws was adopted and it was decided to canvass for mem- 
bers until the first of ]March, when a permanent organization would 
be effected. On that date D. W. Noel was elected president; E. C. 
Stevenson, vice president; Byron INIattison, secretary; Charles D. 
Case, treasurer. These officers, with J. C. Kerr, C. G. Walker, 
George Iv. Brower and E. E. Johnston, constituted the first board of 
directors. The association has been on the alert for the interests of 
Rockwell City. Through its influence the roller mill, the canning fac- 
tory, the l)iick and tile works and some other concerns were induced 
to locate here and the organization has always stood for municipal 
improvement. In 1915 W. E. Gray was president and B. E. Stone- 
braker, secretary. 

Few towns in Northwestern Iowa are as well provided with ship- 
ping and transportation facilities as Rockwell City. The Des Moines 
& Spencer division of the Chicago, ^Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway 
System runs north and south; a branch of the same system connects 
Rockwell City with Storm Lake; the Chicago & Omaha division of the 
Illinois Central runs east and west, and the Fort Dodge, Des Moines 
& Southern, an electric line, runs southeast, giving direct connection 
both by steam and electricity with the capital of the state. 



144 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Rockwell City has three banks, with aggregate deposits of ahiiost 
$1,000,000; two weekly newspapers, the Advocate and the Republi- 
can; three hotels; a handsome i)ublic library building; churches of a 
number of the leading religious denominations; a telephone exchange; 
two telegraph offices ; lodges of various secret orders ; one of the finest 
high school buildings in this part of the state; a number of well 
equipped mercantile establishments; gi-ain elevators, some manufac- 
turing enterprises and many pretty homes. On Jiuie 1, 1915, ^Nlayor 
Stevenson threw the first shovelful of earth in the beginning of what is 
said to be the largest paving contract ever let in the state. By the 
close of 1915 Rockwell City, under this contract, will have about four 
miles of roadway paved with asphalt, ^ith concrete curbs and gutters. 
In 1910 the population was 1,528, a gain of 306 during the preceding 
decade. 



CHAPTER X 
TOWNS AND VILLAGES 

EARLY DAY SPECUI^iTIOX IN TOWNSITES — FATE OF THE EABLY' TOWNS 
— LIST OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN CALHOUN COUNTY — HISTORICAL 
SKETCH OF EACH POSTOFFICES AND RURAI, MAIL ROUTES IN 1915. 

In the early settlement of the West every state was afflicted with 
speculators who seemed to have a mania for laj'ing off towns, without 
the slightest regard to the geographical importance of the site or its 
possible future commercial advantages, the principal object having 
been the sale of lots to new arrivals. Iowa was no exception to the 
rule. An early Iowa WTiter (Hawkins Taylor in the Annals of 
Iowa) says: "Everybody we met had a town plat, and every man that 
had a town had a map of the county marked to suit his town as a 
county seat." 

Sometinies tliese prospective towns were advertised throughout 
the East in a manner that did not reflect much credit upon the veracity 
of the advertisers. Circulars bearing a picture of some of the towns 
along the Des JSIoines River, showing a row of three and four-story 
buildings along the river front, tall church spires reaching heaven- 
ward, and a number of large side-wheel steamboats lying at the land- 
ing, were distributed far and wide in the hope of inducing capital 
to come to the new town. Many of these towns have been forgotten 
and where their founders hoped to see a prosperous city is now a fer- 
tile corn field. Others, by some fortunate combination of circum- 
stances, such as the location of a coimty seat, the building of a rail- 
road or the presence of a water power, have grown into cities of con- 
siderable size. Still others have continued to exist. l)ut have never 
grown beyond the importance of a neighborhood trading point, a 
small railroad station, or a post village for a district of moderate area. 

Fortunately for Calhoun County the era of speculation had about 
spent its force before the county was organized. A few towns were 
laid out purely for speculative purposes, but a majority of the towns 

Vol.1 —10 

145 



146 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

and villages of the county at least have some excuse for being on the 
map. All of them are located on the lines of railroad that traverse 
the county, and most of them were built after the railroads were com- 
pleted. From a careful examination of the plat books, atlases, old 
newspaper liles and other som'ces of information, the following list 
of the towns that are or have been projected in Calhoun County has 
been compiled: Brooklyn, Eads, Farnhamville, Jolley, Knierim, 
Knoke, Lake Citj% Lavinia, Lohrville, Lytton, JNIanson, jMuddy, 
Piper, Pomeroy, Rands, Richards, Rinard, Rockwell City, Sherwood, 
Somers, Wightman and Yetter. 

The history of Lake City and Rockwell City, the two towns that 
have been distinguished by being made the seat of justice, is given in 
the ])receding chai)ter. Several of the smaller towns, like Topsy in 
Uncle Tom's Cabin, "just growed." They have no special history, 
but such facts as the writer could gather concerning them are given in 
this chapter. The poj^ulation as given in each instance is taken from 
the United States census for 1910. 

BROOKLYN ^ 

Theoretically, the Town of Brooklyn was the first county seat of 
Calhoun County. The site was selected and the name given to the 
town by the commissioners — Phillips, Keigley and Howes — on 
November 9, 1855, the said commissioners having been appointed 
by the j.udge of the District Court to locate a seat of justice. Brook- 
lyn was located in sections 27 and 34, township 87, range 33; that 
part of the old town site in section 27 is on the farm owned in 191.3 by 
Frank Hamilton. It never got beyond the "paper stage," and in 
fact no regular j^lat of the town was ever made. The stakes driven 
by order of the commissioners to mark the location and extent of the 
proposed town could be seen for several years afterward, but no house 
was ever built in Brooklyn. 



EADS 

The railroads now known as the Chicago & Northwestern, and 
the Chicago, INIilwaukee & St. Paul, were both built through Calhoun 
County in the early '80s. Near the junction of the two roads, just 
east of Ivohrville, the Union Land Company, of which J. S. Polk was 
president and J. S. Runnells, secretary, laid off the Town of Eads, 
the plat of ^\•hich ^^aH filed in the office of the county recorder on 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 147 

February 3, 1882. The plat shows 135 lots iii the southeast quarter 
of section 11, township 86, range 32. The Town of Lohrville, a short 
distance west on tlie Chicago & Northwestern, had been laid off but 
a few months before, but the founders of Eads believed that their 
town, being nearer the junction of the two railroads, would become 
the more important. In this belief they were doomed to disappoint- 
ment, for Lohrville thrived while Eads languished. Some years later 
the land became the property of John B. Crandall, of Sterling, 111., 
at whose request tlie plat of the town was vacated. A portion of the 
land now forms CrandalFs fourth addition to the Town of Lohrville. 

rARNHAMVIL,LE 

The Town of Farnhamville, situated in the northeastern part of 
Reading Townshi]^ on the Chicago & Northwesetern Railroad, was 
laid off by Peter Folsom for Willford M. Farnham and the Western 
Town Lot Company on Augiist 9, 1881, and the plat was filed on the 
loth of the same month by Albert Keep, president, and J. B. Red- 
field, secretary, of the Western Town Lot Company. In the original 
records pertaining to the town the name apjiears as "Farnham." 

The fii-st plat included fiftj' acres in the west half of the north- 
east quarter of section 12, township 86, range 31. South of the rail- 
road were fifteen lots reserved "exclusively for railroad pvn-})oses," 
and on the north side of the railroad were ninety-seven lots of difl^er- 
ent sizes. Beginning at the east side the north and south thorough- 
fares are ^Vebster, Garfield and ]\Ioulton avenues. Those running 
east and west are Nibel, JNIain, Hardin and Foster streets, the last 
named being next to the railroad. 

At least four additions have been made to Farnhamville since the 
first plat was filed in 1881. The Western Town Lot Company sub- 
divided out lot No. 2, lying just west of ]\Iovdton Avenue, into twen- 
ty-eight small lots and filed a plat of the first addition on September 
4, 1891. The plat of Beacham's first addition was filed on March 
24, 1896; Beacham's second addition, October 8, 1900; and Beachan^'s 
third addition, October 31, 1901. 

In October, 1892, a petition signed by forty citizens was presented 
to the judge of the District Court, asking for the incorporation of 
the town. After satisfying himself that the petitioners had complied 
with all the requirements of the law the judge appointed W. H. 
Wheeler, M. J. Land, F. W. Siebert, O. L. Fowler and A. G. Bur- 
dick commissioners to hold an election for the purpose of ascertaining 



148 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

public sentiment on the question of incorporation. The election was 
held on Saturday, April 1, 1893. Of the fort\'-three votes cast, 
thirty-one were in favor of incorporating the town and twelve were 
opposed. The returns were made to the judge and the order for incor- 
poration of Farnhamville was entered upon the records on April 
5, 1893. 

Farnhamville is situated in the midst of a fertile and productive 
farming country, and, being the only railroad station on the Chicago 
& Northwestern between Lohnille and Gowrie, it is a shipping point 
of consideralile importance. The history of its development is not 
materially different from that of many other towns. One business 
interest after another came into the town and in 1915 there were sev- 
eral general stores, drvig and hardware stores, an agricultui'al imple- 
ment house, a bank, a hotel, a large limilier yard, a cement block fac- 
tory, a weekly newspaper^ — the Farnhamville Index — and several' 
minor business concerns. The town has three churches — Congrega- 
tional, Methodist Episcopal and German Lutheran, a commodious 
public school building, in which five teachers are employed during the 
school year, a money order postoffice. a telephone exchange, telegraph 
and express offices, and a population of 332. The principal officers 
in 1915 were: Thomas Parsons, mayor; M. G. Beck, clerk; George 
W. Safley, assessor. 

JOLLEY 

Eight miles northwest of Rockwell City, on the Chicago, ^Nlihvau- 
kee & St. Paul Railroad and near the line between Butler and Twin 
Lakes townships, is the incorporated Town of Jolley. It was sur- 
veyed on August 10, 1883. by James INIcClure for the Union I^and 
Company, of wliich J. S. Polk was president and F. M. Hubbell was 
secretary. Tlie original plat shows ninety-seven lots "in the north 
half of the southeast quarter of section 34, township 89, range 33," on 
the east side of the railroad. Wabash Street runs north and south 
next to the railroad and tlie next street east is INIasten. The east and 
west streets are Lake, jNIain and Elmer. 

Since the first plat Avas made the following additions have been 
survej'ed and annexed to the town: Richards', October 9, 1885; ^lal- 
lory's, October 9, 1885: Kolb's, August 15. 1893: Beach's surveyed in 
1893 but not filed until ]\Iarch 28. 1898: INIaulsby's, October 9, 1885, 
but not filed until August 21, 1901. 

Late in the summer of 1895 a movement was started for the incor- 
poration of the town. At tlie October term of the District Court a 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTS J49 

petition to that effect, signed by W. N. Steele, 11. B. Beach, Jacob 
Kolb, F. C. Mallory and a nimiber of others, was presented to the 
judge for his consideration. Affiihivits of J. R. Thompson and H. C. 
Donaker showing tliat the population Avas 225 were also filed with the 
]jetition and the court appointed W. N. Steele, F. B. Roi)erts, J. R. 
Thompson, D. DeSart and F. L. Ovitt conunissioners to hold an 
election and give the proper notice to the voters as to when and where 
the election would be held, in order that they might have ample oppor- 
tunity to express their views on the question of incorporation. The 
election was called for November 16, 189.5, at the Jolley Schoolhouse. 
Forty-four votes were cast, of which thirty-eight were in favor of 
incorporation and six were against it. Returns were made to the 
District Court according to law, and on December 4, 1895, the judge 
issued the order declaring Jolley an incorporated town. 

Jolley is one of the thriving towns of Calhoun County. With a 
population of 250, it has a bank, two general stores, a grain elevator 
and several smaller business enterj^rises, a graded school that employs 
four teachers, Christian and JNIethodist Episcopal churches, and it is 
the principal shipping and trading jjoint for a large part of Butler, 
Sherman, Williams, Twin Lakes and Garfield townships. At the 
beginning of the year 1915 H. ]\Iorwitzer was mayor and A. G. 
Andei'son, clerk. 

KNIERIM 

On the first two days of November, 1899, S. F. Moeller, then 
county surveyor, laid off a town including "all that part of the north- 
east quarter of the northeast quarter of section 9, township 88, range 
31, h'ing north of the Fort Dodge & Omaha (Illinois Central) Rail- 
road Company's right of way." The plat was filed with the county 
recorder on November 16, 1899, by William Knierim and his wife, 
AN'ilhelmina Knierim and the town was given the name of the proprie- 
tors. Shortly after that ]\lr. Knierim and his wife sold a half interest 
in the town site to INI. White and F. R. Anderson, of Winthrop, la. 

D. H. French was the fii'st man to locate in the town, having 
been sent thei'e by the railroad company as agent. A little later a 
postoffice was established and ]Mr. French was appointed postmaster. 
In April, 1901, about eighteen months after the town was platted, 
Knierim boasted a bank, two general stores, two drug stores, three 
dealers in agricultural implements, two grain elevators, two lumber 
yards, a hotel and several smaller concerns. 



150 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

On April 22, 1901, after consideration of a petition asking for the 
incorporation of Knieriin, wliich petition was signed by forty-two 
legal voters, Judge Elwood of the District Couit appointed J. B. 
Wartchow, C. liichardson, J. ^V. Campen, H. Irwin and G. C. 
Wright commissioners to hold an election to ascertain the sentiment 
of the citizens. An election was accordingly held on JNIonday, JNlay 

13, 1901, at which thirty-eight votes were cast, all in favor of incor- 
porating the town. The result of the election was made known to the 
judge of the District Court, who issued an order declaring Knierim 
incorjjorated according to the laws of Iowa. 

The first election for town officers was held on Tuesday, Jmie 4, 
1901, when J. B. Wartchow was chosen mayor; H. Irwin, clerk; 
W. E. Clagg, treasurer; M. White, assessor; G. C. Wright, C. Rich- 
ardson, D. F. Reents, T. O. ^NIcDermott, F. R. Anderson and C. E. 
Lester, councilmen. 

Knierim is situated on the Illinois Central Railroad, in the north- 
ern part of Greenfield TownshijD and ten miles from Rockwell City. 
In addition to the business interests noted above, it has a telephone 
exchange, telegraph and express offices, a graded school employing 
four teachers, an opera house, a money order postoffice, ^Methodist 
Episcojml and German Lutheran chiu-ches, and in 1910 reported a 
pojjulation of 220. The officers for 1915 were: J. B. Wartchow, 
mayor; W. C. Kennedy, clerk; Lon Chrisman, assessor. 

KNOKE 

This is the second station north of Rockwell City on the Chicago, 
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, eleven miles distant from the county 
seat. The plat of the town was made by James McClure on October 

14, 1901, for William Knoke, for whom the village was named. It 
shows nineteen lots on the west side of the railroad and seven on the 
east side, with the technical descrijition that the town is located in the 
south half of the southeast quarter of section 17, township 89, range 
33. A postoffice was established soon after the town was foimded. 
The business interests of Knoke are represented by a general store 
and a grain elevator. Being located in a rich farming district, con- 
siderable quantities of gi-ain and some live stock are shipped annually. 

LATINIA 

The little Town of Lavinia is situated in the western part of Twin 
Lakes Township, "in the south half of the northwest quarter of sec- 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 151 

tion 30, township 88, range 33." It is the first station west of Rock- 
well City — six miles distant — on the Storm Lake division of the Chi- 
cago, ]Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. The town was laid off by 
order of the ^Milwaukee Land Company, of which Roswell JNIiller 
was then president, September 27, 1899. The original plat shows 
seventy-one lots and a public park, all on the south side of the railroad. 
Railway, Center and South streets run east and west, and JNIain and 
First streets north and south. 

Lavinia is a trading center and shij)ping point for a considerable 
tract of country in Twin Lakes, Garfield, Elm Grove and Lake Creek 
townshijjs. It has a telegraph office, two general stores, a grain ele- 
vator, a bank, a iniblic school, and is connected by telephone witli the 
surrounding towns. The popidation in 1910 Avas 120. 

LOHRVILLE 

Next to Rockwell City, Lohrville is the most important railway 
center of Calhoun County. It is situated in the northern part of 
Union Township, ten miles southeast of Rockwell City, at the junc- 
tion of the Chicago, JNIilwaukee & St. Paul, the Chicago & North- 
western, and the Chicago Great Western railroads. The popula- 
tion in 1910 was GTl-, a gain of 77 during the preceding ten years. 

In 1881, while the Toledo & Northwestern (now the Cliicago & 
Northwestern) Railroad was under construction, Albert Keep, jjresi- 
dent, and J. B. Redfield, secretary, of the Western Town Lot Com- 
pany, caused the town to be laid off on land belonging to Jacob A. 
and ]Mary E. I^ohr, from whom the town takes its name. The orig- 
inal plat, which was filed with the county recorder on August I.'j, 
1881, shows fifteen lots for warehouse and railroad purposes north 
of tlie railroad and south of the railroad nine blocks divided into 104 
lots, with two large out lots not subdivided. From the railroad south 
the east and west streets are First, Second, Third and Fourtli, and 
the north and south streets are Elm, ]\Iain and Oak. 

Since the first plat was filed the town has been increased by con- 
siderably more tlian its original area by the following additions: 
Denman's, September 1, 188.j; Crandall's, November 26, 1888; 
^Nlary E. Lohr's north addition, October 1.5, 1889; Crandall's second, 
October 13, 1892; Denman's second, Marcli 29, 1893; West Side 
addition, August 2, 1894; Crandall's third, October 21, 1895; Cran- 
dall's fourth, December 2, 189.5; Crandall's fifth, May 24, 1897; 
Tower & Baird's, April 15, 1903. 



152 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

A man named Flanigan oi^ened a saloon in the first building 
erected in the town and soon afterward Enos Ralston built the City 
Hotel. John INIorrison had a saloon Avhere the Wilson House now 
stands, but his building burned in the fall of 1882, which was 
the first fire in the town. Other early business enterprises were L. W. 
Johnson's drug and hardware store, O. jNI. Hollingshead's general 
store, J. H. Griffin's restaurant and S. G. Crawford's bank. Among 
the early merchants were A. W. Safley, Hopkins k Wilkinson, and 
Adams & Dryden, all of whom conducted general stores. 

When the town was first surveyed a postoffice called "Green" 
was located a short distance south, w^ith Mr. JNIcClure as postmaster. 
It was removed to the town, the name changed to Lohrville, and John 
Allison was appointed postmaster. During the fiscal year ending on 
June 30, 1914, the receipts of the ofiice w^ere over $.3,600. Two peo- 
ple are employed in the office and four i-ural carriers make daily trips 
into the surrounding agricultural districts. 

liohrville grew rapidly during the first two years of its history 
and in the winter of 1883-84 it was incorporated, with S. G. Craw- 
ford as the first mayor. In the spring of 1915 the mayor's office 
was held by J. E. Barr, and W. H. JNIarple was city clerk. The town 
has a good system of waterworks, a deep well furnishing a supply 
sufficient for all domestic purposes and ordinary fire protection. The 
water is raised by pumps to a large tank mounted upon a steel tower, 
from which it is distributed to the town under a pressure of thirty- 
five pounds to the square inch. The business interests of Lohrville 
are represented by tAvo banks, grain elevators, a weekly newspaper — 
the Enterprise — a number of well stocked mercantile establishments, 
a hotel and a few other enterprises. Churches of several denomina- 
tions have neat and comfortable houses of worship, a fine high school 
building was recently erected, six teachers are employed in the public 
schools, and the school library numbers 27-'5 volumes. In 1914 the 
property of the town was assessed for taxation at $143,968. As the 
taxable value is only one-fourth of the actual value, Lohrville has 
over eight hundred and fifty dollars' worth of property for each man, 
woman and child as shown by the census of 1910. 

LYTTON 

The Town of Lytton is situated on the western boundary line of 
Garfield Township, the greater portion of it being in Sac County. 
It is a station on the Storm Lake division of the Chicago, ^Milwaukee 




•'ii *'-1 




, il \ 




!St. Joseph's Catholic Cliiircli ami J'ai.^uniiyi- 





New Methodist Episcopal Church 



Christian (livuili 




Bird's- J-:yr \ i-v. ..i l.uhrvilli. 
SCENES l.N L(illK\ Il.l.i; 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 153 

ik St. Paul Railroad twelve miles west of Rockwell City. Sigwalt's 
addition, which is that i)art of the town lyini>' in Calhoun County,. 
Mas surveyed on April 29. 1901, by A. T. INIaitin, but nine-tenths of 
the 500 population live in Sac County. Eytton has two hanks, a 
weekly newspaper, three general stores, hardware, drug' and imple- 
ment houses, a grain elevator, Presbyterian and INIethodist Episcopal 
churches, telephone connections with the siu-roiniding towns, express 
and telegrai)h service, and is the principal station between Rockwell 
Citv and Sac Citv. 



MANSON 

The first ])lat of the Town of INIanson was filed in the office of the 
county reeortler on November 11, 187'2, by the Sioux City & Iowa 
Falls Town Lot and Land Company. It included part of the north- 
west (juarter of section 17, township 89, range 31, and consisted of 
forty-eight lots lying north of the Dulnuiue & Sioux City (now the 
Illinois Central) Railroad. In the original plat the north and south 
streets are shown as ^lain and Howard, and the streets running east 
and Avest are First and Second, First Street being next to the railroad. 

A number of additions have been made to the original town, eight 
of which were laid off by the same comi)any that made the first plat, 
or its successor, the Iowa Railroad Land Company. The first addi- 
tion was made on July 28, 1875, consisting of forty-six lots lying 
west of the original town; the second, December 22, 1879, fifty-three 
lots east of Howard street; the third, July 22, 1880, consisted of 
sixty-three lots; the foiu-th, October 18, 188.5, twelve small and two 
large lots; the fifth, Septenil)er 11, 1888, seven lots and a large lot 
marked as "JNIill Lot;" the sixth, September 11, 1888, fifteen large and 
eighteen small lots; the seventh, jNIay 15, 1891, sixteen large lots,, 
and the eighth, A])ril 1, 1892, eighteen lots of various sizes and three 
large blocks not subdivided. 

Other additions are Willey's, April 26, 1879, twenty large lot.s 
and fifty- four smaller ones; Willey's second, JNIay 26, 1881, forty 
lots; Hallahan's, July 12, 1881, seven large lots; Hallahan's second, 
April 27, 1883, nine large and- fifty-one small lots; Hallahan's third, 
April 18, 1884, twenty-six lots; Griswold's, July 21, 1881, four large 
and fifty-two small lots; Young's addition, Jidy 17, 1894, eleven lots. 

The settlement of JNIanson began about two years before the 
town was officially establi.shed. In 1870, when the Dubuque & Sioux 
City Railroad was under construction through the northern part of 



154 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

tile county, James Glover opened a general store on the site and built 
one of the first dwellings in the town. He was soon followed by 
H. J. Kichmond and B. F. \Valton, merchants, and Seth Thomas, 
who built the first hotel, known as the Seth Thomas House. When 
the railroad station was established, E. F. Freeburger was appointed 
agent and soon afterward engaged in the hardware business. All 
these and a few other improvements were made in the year 1870. 
The railroad dej)ot was also built that year. 

Joseph Yates, one of the first settlers of Lincoln Township, in 
which ]\Ianson is situated, lived a short distance east of the town. 
His house was a relay station on the old Fort Dodge & Sioux City 
.stage line and a postoffice was established there under the name of 
Yatesville. After ^Nlanson began to show indications of activity the 
postoffice was removed to that place and the name was changed to 
corresjjond to that of the town. Some indication of the growth of 
jManson and the development of the surrounding country may be seen 
in the fact that in 1914 the receipts of the ^Nlanson postoffice amounted 
to more than $6,600 and it was then the origin of four rural delivery 
routes. 

At the April term of the District Court in 1877 a petition signed 
by thirty-one citizens was presented asking for the incorporation of 
the Town of JManson. The judge appointed J. L. Brown, William 
Clark, B. F. Freeburger, Henry Willey and W. C. bloody commis- 
sioners to hold an election and submit the question to the legal voters. 
The election was accordingly held on Saturday, INIay .3, 1877, when 
twenty-seven votes were cast in favor of the proposition to incorjio- 
rate and nineteen were cast in the negative. The court then issued 
the order declaring ]Manson a town duly incorporated vmder the laws 
of the state, and on June .5, 1877, was held the first election for town 
officials. Henry Willey was elected mayor; George R. Allison, 
recorder; AVilliam Clark, Jeremiah Halihan, James Glover, Henry 
Young, H. R. Feathers and James Tourtelotte, trustees. 

In the spring of 1880 the municipal authorities entered into a 
contract with the firm of Ware & O'Conner, of Dubuque, to sink an 
artesian well, that firm having just completed a well on the Blanden 
stock farm north of the town. In July, after several mishaps, the 
firm abandoned the work and a lawsuit resulted, in which the town 
was defeated, the costs being considerable. Several small wells, 
fitted with ordinary pumps, were then dejiended upon for a water 
supply and fire in'otection until 1800, when the first deep well was 
sunk and contracts let for about three blocks of mains on the prin- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CAEHOUN COUNTY 155 

cipal streets, a large wooden tank and the erection of a windmill. The 
well did not afford enough water to till the tank and in 1891 a well 
t^velve feet in diameter and eighty feet deep was put down. Ten 
years later the town had grown l)eyond the resources of this Avell and 
in 1901 work was commenced on another deep well, which was com- 
pleted in 1902 at a cost of $.5,000. Since the sinking of this well 
Manson has an abundant supply of excellent water. A pumping sta- 
tion and some additional mains were established in 1902. Connected 
with the station is a building for housing tlie fire-fighting a])paratus 
belonging to the town, and on the second floor a room is fitted up for 
council meetings, etc. The total cost of IManson's waterworks, up to 
1915, amounts to about $18,000. 

Hock Brothers erected an electric lighting plant in 1890, but 
al)out two years later sold out to G. E. Haney, who was granted a 
franchise for twenty years by the town council. Under the new man- 
agement the plant was practically rebuilt, greatly increasing its effi- 
ciency. jNIr. Haney afterward sold to a ]\Ir. Fiddler and he to par- 
ties in iNIinneapolis, ]Minn., by whom the works are still operated, 
giving ]Manson plenty of current for lighting purposes and power 
for small manufactiu-ing concerns. 

About the beginning of the present century the Gowrie & Sibley 
division of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railway system was 
completed through Manson, giving the town facilities for shipping 
and transjjortation in all directions and adding materially to its pros- 
perity. 

Jonathan P. Dolliver, who represented the Tenth Iowa District 
in Congress from 1889 to 1899, and who Avas afterward one of the 
United States senators from Iowa until his death on October 1.5, 
1910, began the practice of law in IManson. 

IVIanson is pleasantly situated in the western part of Lincoln 
Township, about fourteen miles northeast of Rockwell City. It has 
two banks, one of which is the successor of the first bank started in 
Calhoim County in 1879; churches of various denominations have 
handsome church edifices; there are two weekly newspapers — the 
Journal and the Democrat — and a number of stores that handle all 
lines of merchandise. Eleven teachers are employed in the public 
schools and in the spring of 1915 the school board let a contract for 
a new high school building to cost $40,000. The principal officers 
for 1915 were J. P. Calmer, mayor; W. C. INIoody, clerk; J. V. Gro- 
shong, assessor. In 1910 the population was 1,236. 



136 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

MUDDY 

The extinct Town of ^Nlucldy was located in Cedar Township, a 
little more than a mile southwest of the present Town of Somers. It 
was located on the farms of Albert Craven, Robert Felton and a 
man named Humbert, but no plat of the place was ever filed with the 
county recorder. W. C. Parks and Thomas ^Michael opened a gen- 
eral store and W. E. Barton estal)lished a blacksmith shop. In the 
fall of 1889, when a movement was under way to secure a postoffice 
for tlie new town, the subject of a name came up for consideration. 
Cedarville and Parksville were proposed, but met with some objec- 
tions. Someone suggested that, as the rt)ads were rather muddy at 
the thne, the place be called "JMuddy." Although proposed in a 
spirit of jest, the name was adopted. A jNIethodist church was soon 
afterward built and a lodge of Odd Fellows was organized. In 1900, 
when the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was completed 
and the Town of Somers was started, the church, the lodge and all 
the l)usiness concerns of jNIuddy were removed to the new town on the 
line of the railroad and ]\Iuddy passed into history. 

PIPER 

Piper is a small station on the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & South- 
ern Railroad (commonly called the interurban), in the northern part 
of Logan Township and four miles southeast of Rockwell City. It 
has no business interests of imi)ortance. 

rOMEROY 

Situated in the southeast corner of Butler Township, on the Chi- 
cago & Sioux City division of the Illinois Central Railroad, is the 
incorporated Town of Pomeroy. The town was laid off by Fred- 
erick Hess about the first of September, 1870, on land belonging to 
John I. Blair. The original plat shows 152 lots, all south of the rail- 
road. Parallel to the railroad are First, Second and Third Streets 
atid the cross streets, beginning at the east, are Cayuga, Ontario and 
Otsego. 

On June 19, 1880, J. Van Deventer, president of the Sioux City 
& Iowa Falls Town Lot and Land Company, filed a plat of the first 
addition to the Town of Pomeroy, showing twenty-one lots east and 
thirty-one west of the original town. The plat of the second addi- 



IM 







• O fit'. «; » » ,_J^ ■ Kir j||.,t» 





HiiiTT sriionr,. i'()Mi-:r,nv 




STREET 8CEXK. l'i_)_\l lOKoV 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 157 

tion, by the same company, was filed on September 16, 1887, and 
shows thirty-t\\'o lots. 

Since then seven additions to the town have been made by the 
Iowa Railroad Land Company and two additions by individuals, 
bloody & Davy's addition, tiled February 23, 1892, shows seventy 
lots, and Peterson's addition, filed January 3, 1900, shows five large 
outlots north of the railroad. The seven additions of the Iowa Rail- 
load Land Company aggregate nearly two hundred lots. 

The first settler in the vicinity of Pomeroy was P^dmund Briggs, 
who came from Tama City in 1868. In the spring of 1870, when it 
became assured that the railroad was soon to be completed to the site 
of Pomeroy, N. Keefer opened a store at that point. Soon after- 
ward a postofRce was established and ]Mr. Keefer was appointed the 
first postmaster. He also dealt in coal and lumber. In the fall, 
shortly after the town was officially surveyed, Alexander Lockie came 
from Illinois and built a hotel; E. J. Price started a blacksmith shop; 
R. C. Stewart, a shoe shop; B. B. Spencer and Daniel Harvey em- 
barked in the mercantile business; ]M. F. IMullan established a drug 
store and it was not long until it was plainly to be seen that Pomeroy 
had "come to stay." 

Other early merchants were E. JNIorrill & Son, Blomberg Broth- 
ers, Williams & Long, who came from Wisconsin together and 
formed a partnershij) soon after their arrival. F. INI. Virden began 
dealing in grain; T. ]M. Mcllvain opened a harness shop; J. A. Goidd 
was the first attorney and Jacob Stehman the first tailor. Dr. J. jNI. 
Carroll came to Pomeroy in 187-3. 

In March, 1880. a petition was presented to the Circuit Court, 
signed by the requisite number of citizens, asking for the incorpora- 
tion of Pomeroy. J. M. Carroll, F. M. Virden, Alexander Lockie, 
Enoch ]Morrill and G. C. Lowrey were appointed commissioners to 
hold an election and submit the question to a vote of the citizens. The 
election was held on Thursday. April 22. 1880, and the ])roposition 
to incorporate was carried l)y a vote of thirty-five to three. Returns 
were made to the judge of the Circuit Court, who ordered the incor- 
poration of the town to be made a matter of record. The officers 
in 191.5 were: W . J. Johnson, mayor: S. H. McClure, clerk; G. A. 
Stewart, assessor. 

On the evening of July 6, 189.3, the Town of Pomeroy was almost 
completely "wiped off the map" by one of the most destnictive tor- 
nadoes that ever visited Northwestern Iowa. A full account of this 
frightfid storm will be found in another chapter. Another disaster 



158 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

that came to Ponieroy was the destruction by fire of the public school 
building on the night of March 4, 1899. 

In 1904 the town authorities took uj) the question of establishing 
a system of waterworks. A well IG.j feet in depth was drilled and 
two large tanks constructed, from which the citizens are generally 
supplied with plenty of good, wholesome water for all domestic pur- 
poses. JNIains were laid on all the principal streets and for a town of 
its size Pomeroy has a source of water supply and system of distribu- 
tion above the average. 

On the evening of November 27, 1913, Tlianksgiving Day, Pom- 
eroy was lighted for the first time by electricity. The town has no 
electric lighting plant of its own, current being supplied by the elec- 
tric liglit and power plant at Huml)oldt, la. 

Pomeroy is one of the active business centers of Calhoun County. 
Grain and live stock are shipi)ed in considerable quantities every year 
and tlie merchants have a large trade with the farmers of Butler and 
Sherman Townships and of the southern part of Pocahontas County. 
The town has two banks, a cement block factory, large grain ele- 
vators, lumber yards, a nmnber of up-to-date mercantile establish- 
ments, a hotel, a weekly newspaper (tlie Herald), an opera house 
and many cozy homes. Six religious denominations have organized 
societies and cliurch edifices. Six teachers are employed in the ])ublic 
scliools and the school library is the largest in the county, numbering 
in 1914 over eighteen hundred volumes. The population in 1910 
was 744. 

RANDS 

The little Village of Rands is located a little south of tlie center 
of Logan Township, on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, 
five miles from Rockwell City. It was surveyed by James jMcClure 
for O. P. Hayes on December 2, 1891, and is officially described as 
])eing "in the west part of the southwest quarter of the southeast 
quarter of section 21, township 87, range 32." The plat shows fifteen 
lots and two large outlots on the west side of the railroad. A plat of 
A. J. Scott's Addition of twenty-four lots was filed with the county 
recorder on December 21, 189.), and Hayes' Addition of four small 
lots and three outlots was recorded on December 9, 1899. 

A postoffice was established at Rands soon after the town was 
laid off. On the night of April 24, 1902, burglars broke into the 
store of Richards & Son, where the postofiice was kept, took about 
four dollars in money, a few postage stamps and some fifty dollars* 



PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 159 

worth of goods, mostly shoes. On May 28, 1902, Sheriff A. L. Rise- 
ley arrested James Rogers at Grand Junction, Greene County, and 
hrouglit him back to Rockwell City. ^Ir. Richards identified some of 
the stolen goods that had been sold by Rogers at Lake City and the 
latter pleaded guilty to the burglary. He was sentenced to the pen- 
itentiary for one year. A few years later the postoffice was discon- 
tinued and the people of Rands now receive mail by rural carrier 
fi-om Rockwell City. A general store and grain elevator are the only 
business concerns of any importance. 

RICHARDS 

On 3Iay 3-4, 1900, Geoorge E. Royd laid off a town in the south- 
west quarter of section 13, township 88, range 32, for E. A. and Res- 
sie P. Richards. The plat, showing 101 lots, was filed with the county 
recorder on June 6, 1900, and the town was given the name of the 
i:)ioprietors. The plat of Rraginton's Addition — eighteen lots — was 
filed on October 31, 1900. 

Richards is located in the eastern part of Center Township, on 
the main line of the Illinois Central Railroad between Chicago and 
Omaha, six miles from Rockw'ell City. It has a money order post- 
office, two general stores, a telegraph office, grain elevator and a few 
minor shops. Polk's Iowa Gazeteer for 1914 gives the population of 
Richards as 53. 

EIXARD 

Riiiard was surveyed in June, 1904, by order of R. C. Wight and 
G. F. I'hillips, president and secretary respectively of the Iowa Town- 
site Company. The original plat, which was filed in the recorder's 
office at Rockwell City on Jime 21, 1904, shows 158 lots and two large 
outlots, in the southeast quarter of section 17, township 87, range 31. 

Reing situated at the junction of the Chicago Great Western 
and the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern railways, Rinard soon 
came into notice as a shipping point and trading center for the adja- 
cent farming comitry. A postoffice was established soon after the 
town was laid off and a bank was opened in 1907. 

On September 28, 1914, a petition signed by twenty-six legal 
voters of the town was presented to the District Court asking for the 
incorporation of Rinard. The judge appointed Charles H. Wetter, 
Herman E. Neyens, A. J. Shriver, F. D. Harmon and Fred Simpson 
commissioners to conduct an election, which was held on Tuesday, 



160 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

October 27, 1914. Thirty-five votes were cast, of wliich twenty-two 
were in favor of the proj^osition to incorporate and thirteen were 
opposed. Uj)on returns being made to the court the order for incor- 
poration was issued and the same commissioners were directed to hold 
an election for town officers on Tuesday, December 8, 191-i. At that 
election John Parsons was chosen mayor; J. C. Carnes, treasurer; 
M. B. CaiFerty, assessor; Will Heath, Charles Hurd, Jolm Tulis, 
A. J. Shriver and F. A. Simpson, councilmen. 

The business interests of Rinard are represented by the bank, 
a general store, a hotel, a telegraph office and a few other enterprises. 
The town has Christian and Methodist Episcopal cliurches and a 
pojjulation of about one hundred and fifty. 

SHEEAVOOD 

The plat of this town was filed in the county recorder's office on 
December 20, 1899, under the name of Mosely. It was surveyed a 
short time prior to that date by H. C. Allen for R. E. IMosely and 
wife, for whom the town was named. The original plat shows fifty- 
eight lots, with ^lain and Hobson streets running north and south, 
and Iowa, Allen and Dewey streets running east and west, and is 
described as being located "in the northwest quarter of the southwest 
quarter of section 8, township 87, range 33. 

Sherwood is located on the Chicago & Omaha division of the Illi- 
nois Central Railway System, five miles southwest of Rockwell City. 
It is the only town in Lake Creek Township. When the postoffice 
was established it was given the name of Sherwood, and that name has 
been ado])ted by the railroad company. Polk's Gazetteer for 1914 
gives the jjopulation as thirty-five. Sherwood has a general store, 
an express office, a postoffice, a grain elevator and is connected with 
the surrounding country by telephone. 

SOMERS 

The incorporated Town of Somers is situated in the northeast 
part of Cedar Township, at the junction of tlie Chicago, Rock Island 
& Pacific and tlie Chicago Great Western railroads, about twelve 
miles east of Rockwell City. It was surveyed by F. A. JNIalcolm for 
A. R. Daughenbaugh and in his report INIr. INIalcolm describes the 
location as being "in the south half of the northwest quarter of section 
2, township 87, range 31." The plat was filed with the county 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 161 

recorder on April 19, 1900, showing 105 lots. Harvey's Addition of 
forty-six lots was filed on August -i, 1900; the Central Addition was 
iiled by the Iowa Townsite Company on December 26, 1902, showing 
lifty lots immediately north of the original plat, and the Southern 
Addition was filed on February 16, 1904 — fifty-eight lots across the 
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad from the original plat. In 
Harvey's Addition a tract of ground was set apart for a park and 
named "^IcKinley Park." 

In jNIarch, 1900, E. F. Richey opened a general store and was tlie 
first business man of Somers. When the postoffice was removed from 
jNIuddy and the name changed to Somers, jMr. Richey was appointed 
postmaster and up to jMay, 1915, he has been the incumbent of that 
position. The second merchant was C. I. Johnson. W. H. Haber- 
mehl started in the blacksmithing business on February 22, 1900, and 
claims to have been the first resident of the new town. A bank was 
opened in the spring of 1901 and after the Chicago Great Western 
Railroad was built through Somers the next year a number of new 
business concerns came in. 

At the February term of the District Court in 1902 a petition 
signed by a number of citizens was presented to the court asking that 
Somers be incorporated. Judge Church appointed E. F. Richey, 
^y. H. ]Martin, W. O. Smouse, C. I. Johnson and B. L. Ham com- 
jnissioners to hold an election and submit the question to the legal 
voters. The election was held on Monday, March 17, 1902 (St. 
Patrick's day), and the proposition to incorporate was carried by a 
vote of twentj'-six to fifteen. The first officers of the town were: 
J. W. Crouch, mayor; George W. Jacobs, clerk; Lewis Wing, treas- 
urer; W. E. Fanning, C. I. Johnson, C. W. Hanson, E. F. Richey, 
B. L. Ham and C. F. Sjjeriy, councilmen. In 1915 W. H. Lotspeich 
held the office of mayor; R. E. Lewis, clerk; and H. C. Hesser, 
assessor. 

One of the early business concern, the elevator near the Chicago, 
Rock Island & Pacific Station and belonging to the Reliance Elevator 
Companj', of Minneapolis, JNIinn., was totally destroyed by fire on 
January 15, 1909, with about seven thousand bushels of wheat and 
oats. The loss was in the neighborhood of ten thousand dollars. This 
is the only disastrous fire Somers has ever experienced. 

In 1910 the population of Somers was 169, but the growth since 
that time has added quite a number of inhabitants. The town has the 
usual complement of business houses to be found in towns of its size. 
The Congregationalists and the Methodists have neat houses of wor- 



Vol. I— 1 1 



162 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

ship; each uf the two railroad stations has a telegraph office; and the 
public schools enii^loy four teachers. 



WIGHTMAN 

On September 29, 1903, Arthur H. Heitland surveyed the Town 
of Wightnian for R. C. Wight and G. F. Phillips, president and 
secretary of the Iowa Townsite Company. In his report JNIr. Heit- 
land describes the site as "a piece or parcel of land, l)eing the west 
half of the northwest quarter of section 29, township 8G, range 8-1." 
The plat was filed in the comity recorder's oflfice on October 2G, 1903, 
and shows 170 lots of ordinary size and three large outlots. 

^Vightman is located in the southwestern part of Union Township 
and is the outgrowth of the Chicago Great Western Railroad, which 
was built tln-ough that part of the county in 1902. It has a postofiice, 
a general store, a grain elevator, an agricultural implement house, and 
is the princijial trading and shipping point for a rich farming district 
in Union and Calhoun townships. 

YETTER 

Yetter, the only town in Elm Grove Township, was laid off on 
July 1.5, 1899, by E. K. Blanchard for L. M. Yetter and wife, for 
whom the town was named. On July 27, 1899, the ])lat was filed in 
the office of the county recorder at Rockwell City. The description 
accompanying the plat gives the location of the town as "in the 
northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 30, township 87, 
range 34." Seventy-eight lots are shown, with North, Plum and 
South streets running east and west, and IVIain Street and West View 
Avenue running north and south. On November 19, 1902, the plat 
of Yetter's first addition — twenty-eight lots — was filed for record. 

A petition signed by twenty-seven citizens was presented to the 
District Court on October 30, 1903, asking that the proper legal steps 
be taken to incorporate the Town of Yetter. Judge Church appointed 
H. C. Nicholson, C. E. Richards, Jasper Yepsen, A. E. Clark and 
Leonard Brugger commissioners to hold an election and submit the 
question to the legal voters residing within the territory it was pro- 
posed to incorporate. The election was accordingly held on the first 
day of December and the vote resulted seventeen for and three against 
incorporation. Retm-ns were made according to law and on Decem- 
ber 1.), 1903, Judge Church ordered the incorporation of Yetter to be 



PAST AND PKESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 163 

made a matter of record. At the same time he ordered an election 
to be hehl on the second Monday in January, 1904, when Leonard 
Brugger was elected ma3'or; \V. O. JNliles, clerk; C. L. Richards, 
treasurer; H. C. Keaman, D. W. Swender, William Ashford, Law- 
rence ^I. Vetter. 1). H. Shea and August Aushorn, councilmen. In 
11)1 j II. C. Nicholson was mayor; II. S. xUexander, clerk; and L. C. 
French, assessor. 

Yetter is located on the Chicago & Omaha division of the Illinois 
Central Railway System, twehe miles southwest of Rockwell City 
and one mile from the Sac County line. It has a bank, a general 
store, a hotel, a grain elevator and some other business enterprises, 
and in 1910 reported a population of 107. From its money order 
postoffice one rural route supplies mail daily to the farmers of the 
surromiding neighborhood. 

POSTOFFICES 

The United States Postal Guide gives the following offices in 
Calhoun Comity, the figures in parentheses after the name indicating 
the number of rural free delivery routes from the office: Farnham- 
ville (1), Jolley (1), Knierim (1), Knoke, Lake City (4), Lavinia, 
Lohrville (4), Manson (4), Pomeroy (2), Richards, Rinard, Rock- 
well City (6), Sherwood, Somers (1), Wightman, Yetter (1). All 
are money order offices except Knoke and AVightman, and the offices 
at Lake City, Lohrville, jManson, Pomeroy and Rockwell City are 
autliorized to issue money orders on foreign countries within the 
postal union. 



CHAPTER XI 

MILITARY HISTORY 

causes leading up to the civil avar — the sla\tery question — the 
missouri compromise — the omnibus bill — the kansas-ne- 
braska bill political campaign of 1860 secession of seat^n 

states before lincoln's inauguration formation of the 

southern confederacy fall of fort sumter president 

Lincoln's proclamation c^vlling for volunteers — iowa ready 
— governor kirkavood's call for troops — special session of 

THE legislature — IN C^VLHOUN COUNTY — TENTH AND THIRTY- 
NINTH lOAVA INFANTRY! MISCELLANEOUS ENLISTMENTS THE 

WORK AT HOME SPANISH-AMERICAN AVAR UPRISINGS IN CUBA 

AGAINST SPANISH RULE — THE OSTEND MANIFESTO — THE TEN YEARs' 
AA'AR — REVOLT OF 1895 — AVEYLEr's CRUELTY — SENTIMENT IN THE 

UNITED STATES — DESTRUCTION OF THE MAINE AA^AR DfeCLARED 

FIFTY-FIRST AND FIFTY-SECOND lOAVA INFANTRY. 

Unfortunately, the pages of the history of human progress are 
too often darkened Avith stories of Avar, rapine and hloodshed, and it 
has been said that "Avar l)ring.s an element of patriotism that can never 
be aAvakened in the people by any other agency." Aggressive Avars 
have been Avaged by strong nations for the conquest of a Aveaker peo- 
ple, or to uphold the regal poAver and "divine right" of kings; and 
defensive Avars have been fought to maintain established governments 
or to safegiiard the rights and liberties of the people. The independ- 
ence of the United States AA'as gained by an eight years' AA^ar, and of 
all the civilized countries of the Avorld the Unites States is the only 
one that has never declared Avar except to defend her institutions or 
to secure greater liberties for doAvntrodden humanity. 

One of the greatest Avars in history Avas the Civil Avar of 1861-65, 
betAveen the northern and southern states, commonly knoAvn as the 
"War of the Rebellion," in Avhich the North fought to preserve and 
the South to dissolve the Union. 

164 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 165 

Almost from the very beginning of the American Republic, the 
slavery question became a dominant issue in political affairs and a 
"bone of contention" between the free states on one side and the slave 
states on the other. Slavery was introduced in America iii 1619, when 
a Dutch trader sold a few negroes to the planters of the Jamestown 
Colony. The custom of owning negro slaves gracKially spread to the 
other colonies, but by 1819 seven of the original thirteen states had 
made j^rovisions for the emancipation of the slaves within their bor- 
ders. Tlie first clause of section 9, article 1, of the Federal Constitu- 
tion provides that "The migration or importation of such persons as 
any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit shall not 
be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year 1808." 

Under this clause Congress had no power to interfere with the 
foreign slave trade until 1808, but in that year a law was passed pro- 
hibiting the further traffic in or importation of negi-o slaves. The 
Britisii parliament also jjassed a law about the same time forbidding 
English merchants and ti'aders to engage in the slave trade. 

Between the time the Constitution was adopted and the year 1819, 
Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama had been 
admitted as slave states, and Vermont, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois as 
free states. Six of the original thirteen states had retained slavery 
and seven had abolished it, so that in 1819 the country was equally 
divided — eleven free and eleven slave states. Such was the situation 
when JNIissouri sought admission into the Union in 1820. After a 
tedious and at times acrimonious debate, that state was admitted under 
the act known as the "31issouri Comi^romise." which provided for the 
admission of Missouri without any restrictions as to slavery, but ex- 
pressly stipulated that in all the remaining portion of the Louisiana 
Purchase north of the line marking the latitude of 36° 30' slavery 
should be forever i)rohibited. 

At the conclusion of the Mexican war in 18-17 the United States 
acquired a large expanse of territory, to which the advocates of slav- 
ery immediately laid claim and again the question came up for con- 
gressional consideration. According to tlie views of the opponents of 
slavery, the "Omnibus Bill," or Compromise of 18.50, was a violation 
of the terms of the JNIissouri Compromise, because it sought to carry 
slavery north of the line 36° 30'. Four years later the Kansas-Ne- 
braska Bill added fresh fuel to the already raging flames and its pass- 
age was one of the potent influences that led to the organization of 
the reiJublican party, which opposed the extension of slavery beyond 
the territorv where it already existed. 



166 PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

In the political canipaigii of 1860 the issues were clearly defined 
and some of the southern states declared their intention of withdraw- 
ing from the Union in tlie event of Abraham Lincoln's election to the 
Presidency. The people of the North regarded such declarations as 
so many idle threats, made simply for political effect. Through the 
division in the democratic party. ]SIr. Lincoln was elected and on 
December 20, 186,0, South Carolina carried out her threat, when a 
convention of delegates, elected to decide what course to pursue, 
passed an ordinance of secession, declaring that the state's connection 
with the Union was severed and that all allegiance to the United 
States was at an end. IMississippi followed with a similar ordinance 
on January 9, 1861; Florida seceded on January 10th; Georgia, Jan- 
uary 19th: Louisiana, January 26th, and Texas, February 1, 1861. 

All these states except Texas sent delegates to a convention at 
]\Iontgomery. Alabama, February -4, 1861, when a tentative consti- 
tution Mas adopted; Jefferson Davis elected provisional president and 
Alexander H. Stevens vice president of the Confederate States of 
America. ISIessrs. Davis and Stevens were inaugurated on Friday, 
February 22. 1861. the anniversary of the birth of George Washing- 
ton. Hence it was, when jNlr. Lincoln was inaugiu-ated on ^iareh 4, 
1861, he found seven states, with an organized government, in oppo- 
sition to his administration. Still the President, his advisers and the 
people of the North generally, clung to the hope that the situation 
could be overcome without an open rupture between the North and 
South, and that the citizens of the seceded states coidd be induced to 
return to their allegiance. 

Relations between the two sections of the country were still fur- 
ther strained about the beginning of the year 1861, when Maj. Rol)- 
ert Anderson, then in command of all the defenses of the harbor at 
Charleston, South Carolina, secretly removed his garrison and su])- 
plies from Fort IMoultrie to Fort Sumter, because the latter place 
could be more easily defended in case of an attack. The people of 
the South claimed tliat this move was a violation of an agreement witlT 
Presiilent Buchanan, and the feeling was intensified when it was dis- 
covered that IMajor Anderson, just before his removal, had s]Hked 
the guns in Fort ^Moultrie. On the other hand the press of the North 
was practically unanimous in justifying !Major Anderson's action, 
and in demanding that reinforcement and supi)lies be sent to him in 
Fort Sumter. The steamer Star of the West, with 250 men, a stock 
of amnumition. provisions, etc., was ordered to Fort Sumter, but on 
January 9, 1861, while passing JSIorris Island, the vessel w^as fired 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 167 

ujjoii by a masked battery and forced to turn back. Tbis incident is 
regarded in tbe official records as tbe beginning of the Civil war, 
though the ^jopular awakening did not come mitil some three months 
later. 

Soon after President Lincoln's inaugiu-ation General Beaure- 
gard, commanding the Confederate forces hi Charleston and vicinit}', 
opened negotiations with ^Nlajor Anderson for the evacuation of tlie 
fort. Slow progress was made and it was not until April 11, 18(31, 
that Anderson, seeing his little stock of provisions daily growing 
smaller, informed General Beauregard that he would vacate the fort 
on the 1.5th, "unless ordered to remain and the needed supplies are 
received." The reply was not satisfactory to the Confederate com- 
mander, \\ho feared that the new administration might send reinforce- 
ments and supplies that Avould enable Anderson to hold the fort, 
which, in that case, would become a constant menace to one of the 
Confederate strongholds. He therefore sent word to Anderson at 
3.20 A. jNI. on Friday, April 12, 1861, that within an hour fire would 
be opened upon the fort. At 4.30 Capt. George Janes fired the 
signal gun from Fort Johnson, the shell bursting almost directly over 
the fort, and a few seconds later a solid shot from a battery on Cum- 
mings Point went crashing against the walls of Fort Sumter. The 
war had begun. 

Anderson's gallant little band responded promptly and the bom- 
bardment continued all day Friday. Late in the afternoon fire broke 
out in one of the casemates of the fort and the Confederates increased 
their fire, ho])ing to force the garrison to surrender. But Anderson 
held out against all the desperate odds until Sunday, the 14th, when 
he was permitted to evacuate the fort with all the honors of war, 
even saluting his flag with fifty guns before hauling it down. 

When the telegraph flashed the news of Sumter's fall through 
the loyal states of the North, all hope of bringing about a peaceable 
settlement of the diff'erences was abandoned. Political controversies 
of the past were buried in the insult to the flag and there was but 
one sentiment — The L^nion must and shall be preserved. On ]Mon- 
day, April 1.5, 1861, President Lincoln issued the following 

PROCLAMATION 

"Whereas, the laws of the L'nited States have been for some time 
past and now are opposed and the execution thereof obstructed in the 
states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, 



168 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTF 

Louisiana and Texas by combinations too powerful to be suppressed 
by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings or bj' the powers vested 
in the marshals by law: 

"Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United 
States, in virtue of the power in me vested by the Constitution and the 
laws, have thought fit to call forth, and hereby do call forth, the 
militia of the several states of the Union to the aggregate number of 
7.5,000, in order to suppress said combinations and cause the laws to be 
duly executed. 

"The details for this object will be immediately communicated to 
the state authorities through the war department. 

"I appeal to all loyal citizens to favor, facilitate and aid this 
effort to maintain the honor, the integrity and the existence of our 
National Union and the perpetuity of popular Government, and to 
redress wrongs already long enough endured. 

"I deem it proper to say that the first service assigned to the forces 
hereby called forth will probably be to repossess the forts, places and 
property which have been seized from the Union; and in every event 
the utmost care will be observed, consistently with the objects afore- 
said, to avoid any devastation, any destruction of or interference 
with i)roperty, or any disturbance of peaceful citizens in any part of 
the country. 

"And 1 hereby command the persons composing the combinations 
aforesaid to disperse and retire peaceably to their respective abodes 
within twenty days from this date. 

"Deeming that the present condition of public affairs presents 
an extraordinary occasion, I do hereby, in virtue of the power in me 
vested by the Constitution, convene both Houses of Congress. Sen- 
ators and representatives are therefore summoned to assemble at 
their respective chambers at 12 o'clock noon on Thursday, the 4th day 
of July next, then and there to consider and determine such measures 
as, in their wisdom, the public safety and interest may seem to demand. 

"In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused 
the seal of the United States to be affixed. 

"Done at the City of Washington, this l.Jth day of April, A. D. 
1861, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-fifth. 

"Abrahajh Lincoln. 

"By the President: 

"W. H. Seward, Secretary of State." 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 16!) 

On the day following the issuance of the above proclamation, Gov- 
ernor Kirkwood, of Iowa, I'eceived the following telegram from the 
secretary of Mar: "Calls made on you by tonight's mail for one regi- 
ment of militia for immediate service." It is said that when this mes- 
sage was delivered to the governor he expressd some doubts as to 
Iowa's ability to furnish an entire regiment. Despite his misgivings 
on the subject, as soon as he received the call he issued his proclama- 
tion calling for troo2)s, to-wit: 

"Whereas, the President of the United States has made a requi- 
sition uj^on the executive of the State of Iowa for one regiment of 
militia, to aid the Federal Govermiient in enforcing its laws and sup- 
pressing rebellion: 

"Now, therefore, I, Samuel Kirkwood, governor of the State of 
Iowa, do issue this proclamation, and hereby call upon the militia of 
the state immediately to form, in the different counties, volunteer 
companies with a view of entering the active military service of the 
United States for the purpose aforesaid. The regiment at present 
required will consist of ten companies of at least seventy-eight men 
each, including one caj^tain and two lieutenants to be elected by each 
company. 

"Under the present requisition only one regiment can be accepted, 
and the companies accejited must hold themselves in readiness for duty 
by the "iOth of J\Iay next at the farthest. If a sufficient number of 
companies are tendered their services may be required. If more com- 
panies are formed and reported than can be received under the present 
call, theii- services will be required in the event of another requisition 
upon the state. 

The nation is in peril. A fearful attempt is being made to over- 
throw the Constitution and dissever the Union. The aid of every loyal 
citizen is invoked to sustain the general Government. For the honor of 
our state, let the requirement of the President be cheerfully and 
promptly met. 

"Samuel J. Kirkwood. 

"Iowa City, Ai^ril 17, 1861." 

The statement in the proclamation that the companies must hold 
themselves in readiness for duty by the 20th of IMay needs some ex- 
planation. The first telegram from the war department called for one 
regiment "for immediate service," but late on the afternoon of April 
16, 1861, a second message was received by the governor saying: "It 



170 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

will suffice if your quota of volunteers be at its rendezvous by the 
20th of ]\Iay." 

Governor Kirkwood's next step was to call an extra session of 
the State Legislature, to nieet on ^Nlay 16. 1861. At the opening 
of the special session the governor said in his message: 

"In this emergency Iowa must not and docs not occupy a doubt- 
ful position. For the Union as our fathers formed it, and for gov- 
ernment founded so wisely and so well, the peoiale of Iowa are readj'^ 
to pledge every fighting man in the state, and every dollar of her 
money and credit, and I have called you together in extraordinary 
session for the jnu'pose on enabling them to make the pledge formal 
and effective." 

lie then explained how, when the call for volunteers came, he 
had no funds under his control for emergencies — such as organizing. 
e(iuipping. subsisting and trans])orting troops — nor had the state any 
efficient military law under which he could operate. He also explained 
how the chartered banks and wealthy, loyal citizens of the state had 
come to the rescue by placing at his disposal all the funds he might 
need, and concluded this ])ortion of his message by saying: "I deter- 
mined, although witiiout authority of law, to accept their offer, trust- 
ing that this body would legalize my acts." 

In this matter the governor did not trust in vain. The immediate 
and universal response to his call for volunteers had removed any 
doubts he might have entertained as to Iowa's ability "to furnish an 
entire regiment," and the General Assembly crystallized the patriotic 
sentiment of the people of the state by legalizing every act of the 
governor, passing a law for the organization of the militia upon a 
war footing, and appropriating a sum of money large enough to cover 
all probable expenses in comiection with the raising of volunteers. 

IN C.AXHOUX C'OrXTY 

Barely seven years had passed between tlie time Ebenezer Com- 
stock settled in Calhoun County and the fall of Fort Sumter. In 
the year 18()() the county had a total ])opulation of 147, according 
to the Ignited States census. At the beginning of the war the county 
had neither telegraph, fast mail train nor newspaper. The only means 
of communication was by stage and several days elapsed after hostili- 
ties had actually begun before the news reached Calhoun. ^Vlun the 
news did arrive there was no division of o])inion among the few inhab- 
itants, all being heartily in favor of upholding the Federal Govern- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 171 

ment in its efforts to suppress the rebellion. From other parts of the 
state, where better facilities for travel and the transmission of news 
existed, had come more than enough volunteers to answer the first 
call and the people of Calhoun County had no opportunity under that 
call to demonstrate their loyalty. Under the call of July S, 1861, was 
organized the 

TENTH IOWA INFANTRY 

In Company H of the Tenth Infantry were four men from the 
vicinity of Lake City, viz: Oscar Gray, Norman R. Hutchinson, 
James Reynolds and George W. Short, some of whom walked all the 
way to Ues ^Moines to enlist. According to the Iowa Roster of Vol- 
unteers, the record of each of those men is as follows: 

Oscar Gray was severely wounded at Corinth, JNIiss., October 3, 
1862, and died three days later. 

Norman R. Hutchinson was mustered in as seventh corptjral and 
was mustered out at Kingston. Ga., September 28, 1864, by rea- 
son of expiration of term of enlistment. 

James Reynolds first enlisted in Company K on August 6, 1861, 
but was transferred to Comjjany H. He died of erysipelas at Bird's 
Point, INIo., January 14, 1862. 

George ^^^ Short was promoted to third corporal on ^Slarch .5, 
1862. He was severely wounded in the battle of Champion's Hill, 
May 16, 1863, and was honorablj^ discharged on August 11, 1863. on 
account of his disabilities. 

The Tenth Iowa Infantry was mustered in at Iowa City on Sep- 
tember 6-7, by Capt. Alexander Chambers of the regular army, with 
Nicholas Perczel, of Davenport, as colonel. The commissioned offi- 
cers of Company H at the time of muster in were: Jackson Orr, of 
Greene County, ca])tain; Solomon Shepherd, of Iowa City, first lieu- 
tenant; iVndrew Perteuch, of Greene County, second lieutenant. 

On Se])tcmber 24, 1861, the regiment embarked on transports at 
Davenport and dropped down the INIississippi River to St. Louis, 
where the men received their arms and equipments. On October 1, 
1861, Colonel Perczel received orders to proceed to Cape Girardeau, 
Mo., which ])lace was then threatened by a Confederate force under 
Gen. JefF Thompson. After a short stay at Cape Girardeau the reg- 
iment moved to Rii-d's Point, from which base several expeditions 
were made into the surrounding country. On one of these expedi- 
tions the i-cffiment encountered a force of the enemy near Charleston 



172 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

and in the engagement that ensued the Tenth lost eight men killed and 
sixteen wounded. In IMarch, 1802, the regiment took part in the mili- 
tary ojjerations about Fort INladrid and in the reduction of Island 
No. 10. It was then engaged at the battle of Tiptonville, Tenn.,. 
the siege of Corinth, JNIiss., and the battle of luka. General Kose- 
crans, in his official report of the last named action, said: "The 
Tenth Iowa, under Colonel Perczel, deserves honorable mention for 
covering our left flank from the assault of the Texas Legion." 

The Tenth was again at Corinth in October, 1862, where it dis- 
ting-uished itself, after which it was engaged during the Avinter in a 
number of expeditions destroying railroads, stores, etc. In the spring 
of 1863 it joined the army under General Grant for the siege of 
Vicksburg. On the approach to Vicksburg it was engaged at Ray- 
mond, Port Gibson, Jackson and Champion's Hill, and in the assault 
on the enemy's works at Vicksburg, INIay 22. 1863, it bore a conspicu- 
ous part. After the surrender of Vicksburg, the Tenth joined Gen. 
W. T. Sherman and marched to the relief at Chattanooga, Tenn. 
It took an active part in the battle of Missionary Ridge and spent the 
greater part of the following fall and winter in Alabama, where it 
was engaged in a number of minor skirmishes. 

In the spring of 1864 those who had re-enlisted received their 
veteran furlough, at the expiration of which they rejoined Sherman's 
army as the Tenth Iowa Veteran Infantry and took part in a number 
of engagements of the Atlanta campaign. The regiment next 
marched with Shei'man to the sea and was a part of the force that cap- 
tured Fort ^McAllister that guarded the approach to Savannah, Ga. 
Then followed the campaign up through tiie Carolinas, that resulted 
in the surrender of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, and the grand review at 
Washington in INIay, 186.5. The regiment was then ordered to Louis- 
ville, Ky., and from there to Little Rock, Ark., where it remained on 
garrison and provost duty until nmstered out on August 1.5, 186.5. 

THIRTY-NINTH lOW^A INFANTRY 

According to the state roster, eleven men in Company E, Thirty- 
ninth Iowa Infantry, came from Calhoun County. At the time the 
company was mustered in on November 2-i, 1862, the commissioned 
officers were: Robert M. Ripley, captain; John N. Coulter, first lieu- 
tenant; Jacob M. Toliver, second lieutenant, all from Greene County. 
The record of the eleven men who wont from Calhoun County is one 



PAST AXD PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 173 

of lionorable service, as may be seen by the following extracts taken 
from the official roster: 

John ^^^ Athey, enlisted as a private; captured at Shady Grove, 
Tenn., December 30, 1862; paroled and exchanged; rejouied his com- 
pany and was mustered out with the regiment. After the war he 
removed to Kansas. 

Charles ^V. Eeebe, private, killed at Allatoona, Ga., October 5, 
186J.. 

George ^V. Beebe, mustered in as sixth corporal; promoted to 
second corporal; captured at xAJlatoona, Ga., October 5, 1864; paroled 
and exchanged, and was mustered out w itli the regiment. Settled in 
Kansas after the war. 

Howison C. Crawford, mustered in as third sergeant; promoted 
to fu'st lieutenant, Augiist 7, 1864; captured at Allatoona, Ga., Octo- 
ber 5, 1864; paroled, exchanged, rejoined his command and on Janu- 
ary 7, 1865, was made captain of the company. 

Nelson Gray, enlisted at the age of twenty-three years as a pri- 
vate, pased through the war "without a scratch" and was mustered 
out with the regiment. After the war he went to Nebraska. 

Benjamin C. Kuder, served the entire term of enlistment as a 
private and was mustered out with the regiment. Removed to 
Nebraska. 

Benjamin F. Reynolds, enlisted as a private; was transferred 
to Companj' H, Seventh Iowa Infantry, INIay 30, 1865, and was mus- 
tered out with that regiment. 

Lemuel Salisburj', enlisted as a private; was transferred to Com- 
pany H, Seventh Iowa Infantry, ]May 30, 1865; was mustered out 
with that regiment, and after the war located at Grant City, Sac 
County. 

Hiram Scott, private; cajitured at Allatoona, Ga., October 5, 
1864; was jjaroled and ujDon being exchanged rejoined the comjjany; 
was transferred to Company H, Seventh Iowa Infantry, May 30, 
1865; was mustered out \\ith tliat regiment, and after the war went 
to Wyoming. 

Henry H. SiiFord, enlisted as a private; promoted to third cor- 
poral; captui-ed at Allatoona, Ga., October 5, 1864; escaped and was 
mustered out at Clinton, la., July 13, 1865. 

Charles A. Tillottson, private; wounded at Allatoona, Ga., Octo- 
ber 5, 1864, and died at Louisville, Ky., June 6, 1865, from the effect 
of his wounds. 



174 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

The Thirty-ninth Iowa Infantry was organized under the call 
of July 2, 1862, and was mustered in at Camp Herron, Davenport, 
by Capt. H. B. Hendershott, of the regular army, November 24, 
1862, with 933 men rank and file and Henry J. E. Cununings, of 
\Vinterset, as colonel. On December 13, 1802, it left its rendezvous 
at Davenport by rail for Cairo, 111., where Colonel Cummings reported 
to General Tuttle. After two days at Cairo, the regiment was em- 
barked on a steamer for Columbus, Ky. The situation at Columbus 
had changed, however, so that its services w^ere not needed at that 
jjoiiit and it started for Corinth, JNliss., under orders to report to Gen. 
Grenville M. Dodge. Before reaching Corinth the orders were 
changed and the Thirty-ninth was sent to Jackson, Tenn., to reinforce 
the post whicli was threatened by General Forrest. Soon after its 
arrival at Jackson, Forrest moved northward and it was feared he 
would destroy the railroad upon which the Union forces depended for 
their supplies. General Sullivan therefore pursued and the Thirty- 
ninth Iowa was in the advance brigade in the battle of Parker's Cross 
Roads, where Forrest was defeated. 

On Januarj' 6, 1803, the regiment moved by rail to Corinth, jNIiss., 
where it remained for a time on garrison duty. Attached to General 
Dodge's command, it operated in Tennessee and Alabama until the 
spring of 1864, when it joined General Sherman's army for the 
advance upon Atlanta. The Thirty-ninth Iowa led the advance 
through the Snake Creek Gap against Resaca and on ]May 16, 1864, 
it was actively engaged at Lay's Ferry. Shortly after that the bri- 
gade to whicli it was attached was ordered to Rome, Ga., in pur- 
suit of AVheeler's Confederate cavalry, and remained in the vicinity 
of Rome during the greater part of the summer of 1864. 

General Sherman established a base of supplies at Allatoona, Ga., 
where he had about one million rations and some other supplies stored 
in the early part of October, 1864, guarded by a small detacliment 
of troops commanded by Colonel Tourtelotte, of the Fourth ]\Iinne- 
sota. The capture of the stores at Allatoona meant a new lease of 
life to the Confederate army and on the morning of October 5, 1864, 
the post was vigorously attacked by a considerable force commanded 
by General French. Learning of the movement. Slierman ordered 
Gen. John ^l. Corse, to whose command the Thirty-ninth Iowa was 
attached, to make a forced march to the relief of Colonel Tourtelotte. 
Corse arrived in the nick of time and saved the stores from capture. 
In this action the Thirty-ninth Iowa was in the thick of the fight 
and suffered severe losses. Sherman heard the sound of the guns 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTV 175 

at his headquarters on Kenesaw ^Mountain and hurried General Cox 
\vith the Twenty-third Army Corps to Corse's support, at tlie same 
time signahng to Alhitoona: "Hold the fort; reinforcements on the 
way.' This incident ga\e rise to the well known hymn: "Hold the 
fort, for 1 am coming." The battle was over before the arrival of 
Cox — \von by General Corse and his Iowa soldiers. 

After the engagement at Allatoona the regiment returned to 
Kome for a few days and then joined Sherman at Atlanta for the 
famous march to the sea. While the army was at Savannah, Ga., 
the Iowa troops were visited by Governor Stone in Uecember, 1864. 
Early in January, 1865, the army started on the campaign through 
the Carolinas, in which the Thirty-ninth Iowa bore an honorable part. 
Then followed the march to Washington and the Grand Review. 
The regiment was mustered out at W^ashington, D. C, June 5, 1865. 

MISCELLANEOUS ENLISTMENTS 

It frequently hajJi^ened, especiall}' in the early days of the war, 
that a citizen of one covmty would enlist in another and would be 
credited to the county from which he enlisted. Again, after counties 
adopted the policy of ofl[*ering bounties for volunteers, men would 
sometimes leave their own county and enlist in another in order to 
obtain a larger bounty. 

In the official roster of Iowa troojjs the name of James B. Scott, 
who lived in Calhoun County both before and after the war, a]ipears 
as a member of Company C, Thirty-third Iowa Infantry, though he 
is credited to ]Mahaska County. While serving in the infantry he 
was promoted to sixth corporal and on October 6, 1863, he was trans- 
ferred to Company L, Ninth Iowa Cavahy, as fifth corporal. The 
following February he was reduced to the ranks at his own request 
and on April 23, 186'i, he was honorably discharged on account of 
disability. 

Another Calhoun County man who is known to have served in 
the Union army during the Civil war was Haynes Parker. Old vet- 
erans state that he was a member of the Thirty-second Iowa Infantrj% 
but the writer was unable to find his name in the official records of 
tliat regiment. After the war he lived for several years at Lake City. 

Just at a glance, it may seem that the people of Calhoun County, 
in furnishing only seventeen volunteers to the army in the great Civil 
war, were lacking in patriotism. Such was not the case. When one 
])auses to consider that the total population in 1860 was but 147, of 



176 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

whom jjrobably not more than forty were men of mihtary age, it will 
be seen that Calhoun sent to the front as large a percentage of her 
fighting men as many of the older counties. Then, too, it should be 
remembered that in 1861 Calhoun County was "on the frontier." 
Without transportation facilities or means of quick communication 
with the outside world; with the nearest neighbor in many instances 
several miles distant; almost on the border of the Indian country and 
in danger of an uprising of the savages, it required more courage, 
more sacrifice to leave home and friends under such conditions than 
were required of those who volunteered in the older and more popu- 
lous counties. And the seventeen men who went out from Calhoun, 
some of them walking for many miles across the trackless prairies to 
enlist, were certainly inspired by motives of loyalty and patriotism 
of the most exalted character. 

In 1885, twenty years after the conclusion of the war, and after 
the organization of Grand Army posts in the county, there were 
among the inhabitants about two hundred and fifty veterans. Of 
these about seventy served in Iowa regiments; Illinois contributed 69; 
New York, 29; Wisconsin, 25; Ohio, 16; Indiana. 14; JNIichigan, 8; 
Pennsylvania. 7; INIaine, 4; Vermont, 2; and the others Avere from 
<lifFerent states. 

THE WORK AT HOME 

While the "Boys in Blue" were at the front on the march, the 
tented field or the firing line, those they left behind were not unmind- 
fid of the interests of the loved ones dependent upon them for sup- 
port. And the county authorities, although the county was young 
and far from opulent, made liberal appropriations from time to time 
to encourage enlistments and care for the families of soldiers. On 
AugTist 18, 1862, the board of supervisors unanimously adopted the 
following order: 

"That all volunteers who may volunteer, or have vohmteered, 
under or bj^ call of the President of the United States, if under the 
call for 300,000 additional volunteers, be allowed a bounty of $25, 
and that the clerk of the board is hereby ordered to issue a warrant 
for the aforesaid amount of $25 to all persons belonging to and being 
residents of this county, who shall produce a certificate from the 
proper ofl^cer to the foregoing effect. 

"Ordered further, that if any person, being a resident of this 
county, shall be drafted according to law and by the recent procla- 



PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALIIOUX COUNTY 177 

niation of the secretary of Mar, he shall he allowed the following 
houiity, to-wit: Any married man wlio may he drafted from tliis 
comity be allowed $50 and any single man from this county he allowed 
$25, and that the clerk of this board is hereby authorized to issue 
warrants as aforesaid upon the certificate of the proper officer being- 
produced." 

Under this action of the board John W. Athey, Nelson Gray and 
George W. Beebe each received $25. On September 1, 18G2, the 
board again took up the question of bounties and the records of that 
thite show the following order was adopted: 

"That the board of supervisors allow to volunteers the following 
bounty : To those who may volunteer and to save the county from a 
draft have and be allowed to themselves and families the following 
sums, to-wit: For each volunteer the sum of $50, to be paid on 
demand; and provided that there be no draft in said county, then 
one year from date the county agrees to pay said volunteer the sum 
of $50 added bounty, to be paid out of the county treasury on demand 
or on the order at the end of the year. 

"And it is further ordered that the following bounty be allowed 
the families of volunteers, to-wit: For the wife of each volunteer 
tlie sum of $5 per month, and for each child she may have the simi 
(jf $2 per month, to be paid by the treasin-er of said county upon the 
order or request of said wife of said volunteer, whether she may at 
the time be in the County of Calhoun or any other county; and to be 
paid to said wife and children until the present war terminates, and 
fi'om the time said volunteers enter into the service until they are 
discharged. 

'And it is further ordered that the families of the volunteers who 
enlisted prior to the 29th day of August, 1802, be and are hereby 
allowed the same bounty as the volunteers who enlisted in said county 
on tlie 29th day of August, 1862; and that it is expressly understood 
and ordered that the boimty for the sujjport of families of vohmteers 
is to commence on and continue from and after the said 29th day of 
August, 1862, as aforesaid, and in case said volunteers do not return, 
said bounties are to he paid to their heirs or legal representatives." 

It was soon discovered that the fixed amount of $5 per month for 
the wife and $2 for eacli child was not enough in some cases, wliile 
in others it was not essentially necessary. To work more equality 
among those who needed assistance, the board on June 1, 1863, 
amended the relief order as follows: 



178 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

"From and after this date the wives and children of the vcjlun- 
teers are not to have the bounty which was allowed by the order of 
September 1, 1862, but in lieu thereof three commissioners are ap- 
pointed to wait on them and estimate what they need and report to 
the clerk. William Oxenford, Charles Amy and Jesse Hutchinson 
are hereby appointed said commissioners, and it is further ordered 
that said clerk issue warrants for the necessaries prescribed by the 
commissioners." 

From this time to the close of the war scarcely a session of the 
board of sui)ervisors Avas held at which a number of relief orders 
was not i^resented for payment. The commissioners appear to have 
been thorough in their work and in numerous instances recommended 
sums far above the $.5 for the wife and $2 for each child, as stipulated 
in the original order. The total amount received from taxes was 
comparatively small, but the demands of the soldiers' families occu- 
pied the jilace of first consideration in the disbursement of the public 
funds. 

The supervisors' minutes of October 19, 1863, show the follow- 
ing entry: "A motion that there be allowed $250 to each married 
man that may volunteer or be drafted from this county, and $200 
to each single man, to be paid upon receipt of an order showing them 
to be accepted into the United States service, or as soon as drafted, 
unless exempted. And it is further ordered that the clerk shall issue 
his warrants for said amounts." 

Under this order Lemuel Salisbury, in February, 1864, was 
allowed a bounty of $250. As late as June 8, 1871, Norman R. 
Hutchijison presented a claim for a bounty of $100; for a wife's 
allowance for twentA'-five months, $125; and for the allowance for 
foin- children for the same length of time, $200 — a total of $425, on 
which he acknowledged a credit of $142. After considering the claim 
the board ordered a warrant for the amount drawn in favor of iNIr. 
Hutchinson. 

In addition to the official relief given by the county authorities 
there was perhaps as large a sum given to the families of volunteers 
by charitably inclined individuals. Many a basket of provisions, or 
bundle of second-hand clothing, found its Avay to the house of some 
soldiers' family; books were provided for soldiers' children that they 
might attend school; sons and daughters of vohmteers were given 
preference in the matter of employment by some of the citizens, and 
the aggregate amount contributed by the county and individuals will 
probably never be ascertained. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CAEllOUX COUXTY 179 

One action was taken by the board of supervisors while the war 
was in progress that has been considered by many as a "blot on the 
escutcheon." On June 1, 1863, the board adopted an order to the 
effect that Frederick Hucke, Jonathan Bishop, L. C. JNIorey, Peter 
Smith. Closes Sherman and Cyreno W. Thompson were to be exempt 
from military duty. At that time the board was composed of Peter 
Smith, Cyreno ^V. Thompson and David Ueynolds. It is not known 
\\hy ^Ir. Reynolds was not included with the other two members of 
the board in the exemption order, nor do the records show any reason 
for the adojjtion of such a measure. 

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR 

From the time Cuba was first discovered in 1492 to 1898 — a little 
over four centuries — the island was a dependency of Spain. While 
Spain was losing her other American possessions one by one, the 
people of Cuba remained loyal in their allegiance, even going so far 
as to declare war against Xapoleon in 1808, when he overthrew the 
Spanish Bourbon dynasty. For the attitude of the Cubans at that 
time the Spaniards were wont to refer to Cuba as the "Ever-Faithful 
Isle," or the "Pearl of the Antilles." But the treatment accorded 
the people of the island by the Spanish government did not harmon- 
ize with the sentiment expressed by these endearing names. About 
the beginning of the nineteenth century the island was placed under 
the control of a ca])tain-general. which form of government continued 
until Spain relimjuished her authority. The royal decree of the 
Omnimodas in 182.5 empowered the captains-general to rule at all 
times as if the island was under martial law, thus placing the lives 
and fortunes of the Cuban i:)eople at the absolute disposal of the 
governors of the island. The "conquistadores" had been about three 
hundred years in coming, but they had at last arrived. 

Under the humane policy of Las Casas as captain-general, the 
{)eople prospered, but he was succeeded by a man of an entirely dif- 
ferent cast of mold, and in 1829 a conspiracy was formed for the 
])ur])ose of throwing off the Spanish yoke. The movement was dis- 
covered before the consjjirators were ready to act and cruelly crushed. 
Xext came the uprising of the blacks in 1844, which resulted hi noth- 
ing more than to intensify Spanish cruelty in dealing with the island- 
ers. Then followed the futile expeditions of Narcisso Lojiez in 1849 
and 18.51. 



180 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

About this time, or a little earlier, the United States made an 
eiFort to purcliase the island and President Polk instructed the Aiiier- 
ican minister to Spain to offer $100,000,000 for Cuba, if the Spanish 
government refused to take less. The offer was not accepted and 
in 1854- James Buchanan, James M. Mason and Pierre Soule, minis- 
ters to England, France and Spain, drew up what was known as the 
"Ostend JNIanifesto" in the interests of the slaveholders of the United 
States, declaring this country had the right to annex Cuba in case 
Spain continued to refuse to sell. The only effect of the "iNIani- 
festo" was to encourage Lopez to organize another expedition for the 
liberation of the Cubans, but it met with the fate of his former 
attempts. 

In 18G8 there was a general uprising of the Culjans against Span- 
ish oppression and for ten years tlie island was the scene of war. 
During that time Spain sent 2.30,000 soldiers to Cuba and so great 
was the sacrifice of human life that less than fifty thousand of tliem 
returned to Spain. Three hundred million dollars' worth of property 
was destroyed dui'ing the war and the enormous debt contracted by 
Sjjain was saddled upon the Cubans in the way of taxes as a penalty 
for their rebellion. To offset the general dissatisfaction that fol- 
lowed, the Spanish Cortes in 1880 passed an act abolishing slavery 
in Cuba. 

The discontent remained, however, and the people began planning 
for anotlier insurrection. Their experiences of the past taught them 
to move with caution and for more than fifteen years they continued 
their preparations with the greatest secrecy. In 189.5 the insurrec- 
tion broke out in several places simultaneously under the leadership 
of Generals Gomez, Maceo and Garcia. Spain sent troops to Capt.- 
Gen. INIartinez Campos and instructed him to suppress the insurrec- 
tion,at all hazards. Campos conducted liis military operations along 
the lines laid down by the rules of civilized warfare, which policy was 
not satisfactory to the Spanish authorities. He was therefore re- 
moved and in his place was appointed General Weyler, a man known 
for liis drastic ti'eatnient of rebels. The new captain-general adopted 
the method of removing the people from the rural districts to the 
cities, where they were kejit imder guard, in order to prevent them 
from i'lirnishing supplies to the revolutionists. The supply of food 
in the cities soon became inadequate to the demand of the "reconcen- 
trados," as the people confined in the cities were called, and many 
of them actually were starved to death. Wevler's inhumanity in 



PAST A^D TKESEXT OF CALHOUX COUNTY ISI 

ailoptiiig and carrying out such a policy aroused the indignation of 
the civilized world. 

In the United States jjolitical conventions, irrespective of party, 
couunercial organizations in a number of the leading cities, and a 
few of the State Legislatures, adopted resolutions calling upon the 
Federal Government to intervene in behalf of the suffering Cubans. 
A proposition to raise a fund in the United States for the relief of 
the starving reconcentrados started riots in Havana, some of the 
citizens of that city asserting that any intervention on the i)art of 
the people of the United States meant the ultimate annexation of 
Cuba. 

About the beginning of the year 1898 the Atlantic squadron of 
the United States na\y was ordered to the Dry Tortugas, within six 
hours' sail of Havana, and on the evening of January 2.5, 1898, the 
battleship ]Maine dropped anchor in the harbor of Havana. The 
Ijresence of a war vessel was not pleasing to the Spanish officials, who 
sought a measure of retaliation by ordering the armored cruiser Viz- 
caya to anchor off Xew York. Thus matters stood until February 9, 
1898, when the Spanish minister to this country resigned his position 
and asked for his passports. On the evening of the 1,5th the Elaine 
was blown up, causing a loss of over two hundred of her officers 
and men. A court of inquiry afterward reported that the vessel was 
blo\\n up "by a submarine mine, wliich caused the partial explosion 
of two or more of her forward magazines." 

The destruction of one of the best ships in the national navy, with 
the consequent loss of life, sent the excitement in the United States 
to fever heat, and the demands for intervention became more insist- 
ent. About this time General Blanco, who had succeeded Weyler 
as captain-general, issued a proclamation declaring a suspension of 
hostilities and announcing that the reconcentrados would be permitted 
to return to their homes. For this reason the federal administration 
refused to take any positive action, until American consuls reported 
that Blanco's promise was not being kept, and that the suffering 
among the imprisoned people had not in the least been diminished. 

An appropriation of $.50,000,000 for the national defense was 
made by Congress on ^March 8, 1898, but nothing further was done 
for more than a month, or until it was learned for certain that Gen- 
eral Blanco's promise to release the reconcentrados had not been 
fulfilled. 

On April 19, 1898, Congress adopted a resolution declaring that 
the "people of Cuba are and of right ought to be independent," and 



182 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

demanded that Sixain immediately withdraw her troojis and relinquish 
all authority over the island. The resolution closed with these words : 
"The United States hereby disclaims any disposition or intention to 
exercise sovereignty, jurisdiction or control over said island, except 
for the pacification thereof, and asserts its determination when that 
is accomplished to leave the government and control of the island to 
its people." 

The resolution also authorized the President to employ the forces 
of the United States army and navy to aid the Cubans, and an act 
was passed to increase the regular army to 61,000 men. The next 
move on the part of the Government was to order Rear Admiral 
Sampson to blockade the Cuban ports, which was followed by a 
formal declaration of war against Spain, and on April 23, 1898, 
President jNIcKinley issued his jjroclamation calling for 125. 000 vol- 
unteers, to be supplied as far as practicable from the militia of the 
several states. 

A short time before war was formally declared, the Iowa Legis- 
lature, just before its adjournment, appropriated $.500,000 "to aid 
the general Government in case of war." On April 21, 1898. two 
days before the President issued his call for 125,000 \'olunteers, 
Adjutant-General Byei-s promulgated a general order to the company 
conmianders in the Iowa National Guard to have all officers and men 
undergo a physical examination to determine their fitness for active 
military service. On the 25th. Governor Shaw received a telegram 
from the secretary of war advising him of Iowa's quota of troops 
under the call. The state fair grounds, near Des JNIoines, were 
secured by the state authorities as a point for the mobilization of 
the Iowa National Guard and the commanding officers of the four 
infantry regiments composing the guard were ordered to report with 
their commands, "with the least possible delay." 

In arranging for the nmstering of the Iowa regiments into the 
service of the LTnited States, Governor Shaw ordered them to be 
numbered to follow the last of the Iowa infantry regiments in the 
Civil war. The First Regiment of the National Guard therefore 
became the Forty-ninth: the Second, the Fiftieth; tiie Third, the 
Fifty-first, and the Fourth, the Fifty-second regiments of Iowa Vol- 
unteer Infantry. The Forty-ninth came from the eastern part of 
the state, and there was but one Calhoun County man — Charles V. 
JNIitchell, of INIanson — in the Fiftieth, serving as a member of Com- 
pany F. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 183 

FIFTY-FIRST IOWA INFANTRY 



In this regiment Robert 13. Kershaw, of jManson, was a member 
of the regimental band, and there were tive Callioun County boys 
in Company A, viz.: Harry L. Ai-ney, Herbert U. Berry, John L,. 
Eakin (diseharged on August 31, 1899, at San Francisco), Walter 
E. Hutchison (died at Manila, P. L, August 8, 1899), Max J. Love 
(discharged at San Francisco, November 10, 1898). 

The Fifty-first was mustered in at Des JMoines on JNIay 30, 1898, 
with John C. Loper as colonel. The commissioned officers of Cosn- 
pany A at that time were: William R. Gibson, captain; Frank W. 
Kilborn, first lieutenant; Park A. Finley, second lieutenant; all from 
Hes ^loines. 

On June 2, 1898, Colonel Loper received orders to proceed with 
his regiment to San Francisco. Some delay was experienced in get- 
ting transportation, but on the 5th it left for the Pacific Coast. The 
regiment remained in camp at San Francisco until November 3, 1898, 
Avhen it embarked on the transport Pennsylvania for ^lanila, P. I., 
1,0-10 strong. At Honolulu thirty-three men were left in the mili- 
tary hospital and on December 7, 1898, the transport dropped anchor 
in ^Manila Bay. The Fifty-fii-st Iowa was assigned to the First Sep- 
arate Brigade, Eighth Army Corps, commanded by Gen. M. P. 
^Miller. On December 26, 1898, the regiment was ordered to Iloilo 
and from there to Cavite, where it disembarked on January 31, 1899, 
the men having been ninety-four days on the transport. 

The regiment w'as next on outpost duty near San Roque, serving 
sometimes as a regiment, but more frequently by battalions. For a 
time the First Battalion was stationed near an old monastery at 
Pasai, where it was engaged with the enemy and won a decided 
victory. The Fifty-first was in the fight at Culi Culi Church and 
the engagement at San Pedro INIacati. It was next in the operations 
around Quingua and along the Bagbag River, where the First Bat- 
talion, mider Major Duggan, and a detachment of South Dakota 
troops drove the enemy from the trenches. At Calumpit the regi- 
ment distinguished itself and it was the first regiment to march into 
San Fernando when that city was captured. On September 6, 1899, 
Colonel Loper received order to retiu'n to Manila, preparatory to 
starting for home. Just before leaving San Fernando the men were 
addressed by General INIcArthur, who closed by saying: "God bless 
the Iowa boys; may you have a safe voyage home. We will endeavor 
to complete the work which you have so well begun." 



18i PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

On Se^jteniber 22, 1899, the regiment embarked on the transport 
Senator at ^Manila and on October 22, 1899, the vessel arrived at San 
Francisco. The boys retm-ned to their old cam^j at the Presidio and 
remained there until Xov ember 2, 1899, when the regiment was mus- 
tered out and the men returned to their homes in Iowa. In his offi- 
cial report Colonel Loper says of the men composing the Fifty-first: 
"They were gentlemen as Avell as soldiers, and they did not fail to 
uphold the honor of the regiment and the dignity of the state from 
wliich they were sent." 

Koss A'ontress, a Calhoun County boy, who enlisted from Hope- 
ville, la., in Company F, Fifty-first Iowa Infantry, afterward served 
three terms as clerk of the District Court in Calhoun County. 

Theodore Dangerfield, another Calhoun County boy, enlisted at 
Villisca, ]\Iontgomen- County, as a private in Company B. Fifty-first 
Infantry; was promoted to corporal on August 1, 1898; was made 
quartermaster sergeant on August 20, 1898, and was discharged at 
San Francisco on September 15, 1899. 

FIFTY-SECOXD IOWA IXFAXTRV 

This regiment — formerly the Fourth Regiment of the Iowa Na- 
tional Guard — was composed of companies raised in the northwest- 
ern part of the state, and in its ranks were ten men from Calhoim 
County. Francis L. Love, of ^Nlanson, a private in Company C, was 
promoted to the regimental band on August 13, 1898: Carl E. Axel- 
son, John ]M. Cairns, Charles ]McVay, Hariy ]McVay and James A. 
Main, of Farnhamville, and Clarence E. Whittlesey, of ]Manson, 
served in Company B ; William O. Demo, of Rockwell City, enlisted 
as a private in Company D and died in the Red Cross Hospital at 
Des :Moines on September 23, 1898; Harry V. Bartlett, of ]Manson, 
and Xiles W. Parker, of Pomeroy, served as privates in Company G. 

The Fifty-second was mustered into the United States senice at 
Des INIoines on INIay 25, 1898, with William B. Humphrey, of Sioux 
City, as colonel. Soon after being mustered in it was ordered to 
Chickamauga Park, Ga., Avhere it was assigned to the Third Brigade, 
Second Division, Third Army Corps, commanded by General AVade. 
On August 8, 1898, it was ordered to Porto Rico, but before embark- 
ing the order was revoked, much to the chagrin of the men, many of 
whom belonged to the order of Sons of Veterans and were anxious 
to maintain the records their fathers established in the Civil war. 



PAST AND PRESENT OE CALHOUX COUNTY 185 

The regiment then remained in camp at Chickaniaiiga Park until 
August 2'J, 1898, wlien it was ordered to Des Moines. Upon arriv- 
ing there the men were given a thirty-day furlough and allowed to 
visit their homes. The furlough was afterward extended, hut on 
Octoher 30, 1898. the companies reassemhled at Des ^loines and the 
regiment was mustered out. In his official report Colonel Humphrey 
says: "Had the opportunity presented, the regiment would have 
acquitted itself with honor and credit to the state." 

Such has heen the military history of Calhoun Comity. Other 
counties fin-m'slied a greater numher of volunteers to the army in the 
Civil war, but few furnished a larger ratio of the population subject 
to military duty. And in both the Civil and Spanish- American wars 
the men \\ ho Avent out from Calhoun were of high character. Realiz- 
ing the advantages of discipline in all military organizations, they 
were obedient to the commands of tlieir superior officers and, loyal to 
the core, they cheerfully performed any dnty assigned them, whether 
on picket in the silent watches of the night or on the firing line in 
the thick of battle. Their military service ended, they returned once 
more to the sliops and fields, Avhich they had left to answer their 
country's call, and resumed their peaceful occupations. 



CHAPTER XII 
FINANCE AND INDUSTRY 

PUBLIC FINANCES — BONJDICD DEBT OF THE COUNTY — PROPERTY VALUA- 
TION DRAINAGE BONDS EVOLUTION OF MODERN BANKING SYS- 
TEMS HISTORY OF CALHOUN COUNTY BANKS AGGREGATE DEPOS- 
ITS AGRICULTURE CROP AND LIVE STOCK STATISTICS FARMERS' 

INSTITUTES MANUFACTURING — TELEPHONE C05IPANY. 

Fortunately for the people of Calliuun County, the public reve- 
nues have generally been handled by men of conservative ideas and 
have been disbursed without any notable instances of unwarranted 
extravagance and not a single case of defalcation. As a result of 
this conservative management, the public credit of the county has 
always been of the highest standing, as may be seen by the ease with 
which bonds have been sold whenever a bond issue was necessaiy. 
Fortunately, too, for the taxpayers, the bond issues have been but 
few in number and for comparatively small amovmts. On January 
1, 1915, the outstanding bonds of the county aggregated $105,000, 
of which $125,000 represented the courthouse bonds issued under the 
resolution of April 1, 1913, and $40,000 the bridge bonds issued a 
few years earlier. At the time the courthouse bonds were issued 
there was a floating debt of $11,000. bringing the total indebtedness 
of the county up to $176,000. This has since been reduced to some 
extent by the payment of outstanding warrants. 

The holder of Calhoun County bonds has a security that is abso- 
lutely "gilt-edged." His bonds constitute a lien upon the entire 
taxable property of the county, the actual value of which is estimated 
at more than fifty million dollai-s. Even considering the custom of 
listing property for taxation at about one-fourth of its real value, 
the security represents nearly sixty dollars of wealth for each dollar of 
debt. The firm or corporation with $60 of assets for each iloUar of 
liabilities would certainly be declared solvent — not only solvent, but 
in excellent financial condition. What further need be said as to 
the financial standing of Calhoim County? 

186 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 187 

According to the auditor's tax duplicate for the year 1914, the 
valuation of the taxahle property was distrihuted among the several 
civil townships and incorporated towns of the county as follows: 



TOWNSHIPS 

Butler $ 372,114 

Calhoun 423,279 

Cedar 519,527 

Center 472,563 

Ehn Grove 430,451 

Garfield 450,869 

Greenfield 487,185 

Jackson 488,782 

Lake Creek 483,249 

Lincoln 428,392 

Logan 542,060 

Reading 457,835 

Sherman 457,504 

Twin Lakes 452,076 

L^nion 490,692 

Williams 441,229 

Total for townshijjs $7,397,807 

TOWNS 

Farnhamville $ 56,840 

Jolley 39,549 

Knierim 38,193 

Lake City 265,604 

Lohrville 143,968 

Lytton (Part of) 5,252 

JNIanson 206,146 

Pomeroy 129,628 

Rockwell City 308,468 

Somers 35,208 

Yetter 25,508 

Total for towns $1,254,414 



188 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Now, to the value of the property ia the townships and towns 
must be added money and credits, which the laws of Iowa require to 
be assessed separate from other forms of projjerty, to the amount of 
$1,390,301, bringhig the grand total up to $10,048,522, which does 
not exceed one-fourth of the actual value of the projjcrty of the 
county. If the true value be taken into consideration as a security 
for the payment of the bonds outstanding, the wealth of the county 
represents over two hundred and fifty dollars of security for each 
dollar of the indebtedness, ^^'itll such a financial showing it is not 
surprising that the bonds of Calhoun County luid a ready sale when- 
ever they are jslaced on the market. 

In the above table the incorporated Town of Rinard is omitted 
for the reason that the town was not incorporated until after the 
auditor's tax list was completed. Tlie property valuation of Rinard 
is therefore included in the figures given for Cedar Townshii). In 
looking over the table one cannot but be impressed by the even and 
uniform distribution of the county's wealth. Only two of the town- 
ships show a valuation of over half a million dollars; one falls below 
$400,000, and the otlier thirteen show a difference of but a few thou- 
sand dollars between the highest and the lowest. 

The fu'st rejjort as to the ])ublic revenues of Calhoun Countj^ was 
made late in the year 1855, about three or four months after the 
county was organized. At tliat time Christian Smith, treasurer and 
recorder, reiiorted the receipts of his office as $3.50; Peter Smith, 
county judge, reported fees collected amounting to $6.30; and Joel 
Golden, clerk, reported a collection of 25 cents, making the total 
receipts for the first three months of the county's history $10.05. 

Five years later, at the close of the fiscal year ending on July 1, 
18G0, the receipts amounted to $1,561.68, and the disbiu'sements to 
$1,162.01, leaving a balance in the treasury of $399.67. Included in 
the disliursements were the salaries of the county officers, whicli aggre- 
gated $309.41 for the year. As some of the officers paid a portion 
of the exjienses of their offices out of their salaries, a county office 
in Calhoun County at that time could hardly be considered a sinecure. 
Yet men of ability and integrity could be found to accept the posi- 
tions, though in that day tlie office sought the man about as fre- 
quently as the man sought the office — perhaps more frequently. 

Upon the property valuation as sho^^'n by the above table for the 
year 1914, the total tax levied amounted to $428,932.66, or more than 
the assessed valuation of the entire property in 1870. fifteen years 
after tlie county was organized. Even a slight comparison of tliese 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 189 

conditions shows the ahiiost marvelous development of Calhoini 
County in recent years. 

On January 1, 1915, there were drainage bonds outstanding- 
amounting to $23o,409.26. Although these bonds constitute a lien 
upon the real estate in tlie various drainage districts for whose ben- 
•efits they were issued, they are in no sense a jjart of the county debt. 

BANKING 

jModern banking systems owe their origin to the Bank of Venice, 
which was founded in 1587, though private individuals in Venice had 
been receiving deposits for about two centuries before the establish- 
ment of the bank by authority of the Venetian government. In 
1619 the Bank of Amsterdam began business. It was modeled to 
a great extent after the Bank of ^"enice, but after a short time insti- 
tuted the policy of receiving bullion for deposit and issuing receipts 
therefor. As these receipts were transferable they served all the 
purjjoses of a circulating medium and this gave rise to the idea that 
a paper currency must be redeemable in specie or bullion. When 
the Bank of England was established in 109-4 the practice of the Bank 
of Amsterdam was copied and extended in the authority given to 
the bank to issue notes. The Bank of England is now beyond (jues- 
tion the best known financial institution in the world. 

After the depreciation of the continental j^aper currenej' issued 
by the American colonies at the time of the Revolutionary war, some 
financial legislation was necessary, and on the last day of the year 
1781 the Continental Congress passed an act granting a charter to 
the Bank of North America, which was given the right to issue notes 
under a plan similar to that of the Bank of England. 

The states of New York and Massachusetts granted charters to 
state banks in 1784, but with the adoption of the new Federal Con- 
stitution both the state banks and the Bank of North America sur- 
rendered their charters, and on February 25, 1794, Congress incor- 
porated the Bank of the United States. In July, 1832, President 
Andrew Jackson vetoed the bill granting a renewal of the bank's 
charter and a little later the public funds in the bank were with- 
drawn by executive order. 

At the expiration of the time for which the Bank of the United 
States was chartered it passed out of business and the several states 
began the policy of issuing charters to state banks, under authority 
conferred by acts of Congi'ess. The rapid development of the 



lyo PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

resources ol' the country created a greater demand for currency and 
channels of exchange, and in the '40s began the era of what is known 
in American history as "wildcat banks," which continued until after 
the beginning of the Civil war in 1861. It is estimated that at one 
time there were over six hmidred irresponsible, or "wildcat," banks 
scattered throughout the nation. Notes issued by such banks proved 
in the end to be practically worthless and created a prejudice in the 
minds of many persons against any system of banking. 

But the necessities of civilization demand a currency of some char- 
acter and a quick and convenient method of effecting exchanges. 
Added to this demand were the conditions growing out of the Civil 
wai-, which made an extension of the national credit imperati^■e. In 
February, 1863, Congress passed the first act for the establishment 
of national banks with authority to issue notes based upon Govern- 
ment bonds as security for their redemption. The act proved to be 
defective in a number of important particulars and on June 3, 1864, 
President Lincoln approved another banking law, which, Avith subse- 
quent amendments, constitutes the authority under wliich nearly eight 
thousand national banks were operating in the United States in the 
year 1914. They are the only banks in this country that have the 
power to issue notes, all other banks being merely institutions of dis- 
count and deposit. 

The prejudice against the "wildcat" banks already referred to 
was so great in Iowa at the time the state was admitted into the 
Union in 1848 that the first state constitution contained a provision 
that no bank should be established by state authority. The present 
constitution, which became effective in 1857, Avhile more liberal in 
this respect than its predecessor, contains stringent provisions for the 
creation and regulation of banking institutions. Section 5, Article 8, 
of that constitution jirovides that: 

"No act of the General Assembly, authorizing or creating cor- 
porations with banking powers, shall take effect, oi- in any maimer 
be in force, until the same shall have been submitted, separately, to 
the people, at a general or special election, as provided by law. to be 
held not less than three months after the passage of the act, and sliall 
have a majority of all the electors voting for or against it at such 
elections." 

Sections 6, 7 and 8 of the same article prescribe the manner in 
whicli state banks may be established and what features may be incor- 
porated in a general banking law. Section 9 reads as follows: 



PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 19T 

"Every stockholder in a banking corporation or institution shall 
be individually responsible and liable to its creditors, over and above 
the amount of stock by him or her held, to an amount equal to his 
or her respective shares so lield, for all its liabilities accruing while 
he or she remains such stockholder." 

Each state has its own laws for the regulation and control of 
banks organized within its boundaries, but the banks of Iowa and 
Calhoun County operate under the constitutional jjrovisions above 
mentioned and the laws enacted in pursuance thereof. In addition 
to the provisions for the establishment of banks under the state law, 
each bank is subject to examination by the auditor of state, under 
^vhom there is a chief bank examiner and five assistants, whose duty 
it is to investigate the business of every bank in the state whenever 
ordered by the auditor to make such examination. The result of this 
system is that there have been but few disastrous bank failures in 
the State of Iowa. 

EOCKWELL CITY BAXKS 

The first bank in Rockwell City was a private banking house 
established by the firm of Palmer & Searight in 1881, and for about 
three years it had no comjietition in the county seat. Joseph G. 
Palmer, who was president of the bank from 1882 to 1899, afterward 
went to Kansas City, ]Mo., and died in that city in ]May, 1907. The 
bank of Palmer & Searight quit receiving dejjosits in the early '90s 
and on ]VIay 1, 1899, its business was merged with the First National 
Bank of Rockwell City. 

The Farmers Bank of Rockwell City was organized on July 1, 
1884, by "Washington Lewis, who had been for some ten years pre- 
vious to that time engaged in the banking business. Associated with 
]Mr. Lewis were W. T. Smith and J. C. R. La\i;on, and F. P. Huff 
became connected with the bank in 188o. On Monday, JNIay 1, 1899, 
the business of the Farmers Bank was absorbed by the First National. 

The First National Bank, the oldest bank in Rockwell City, was 
organized early in the year 1899 and opened its doors for the trans- 
action of business on the 1.5th of April, with a capital stock of $.50,000 
and the following officers: E. A. Richards, president; J. C. Kerr, 
first vice president; F. P. HufF, second vice president; Charles D. 
Case, cashier. On May 1, 1899, it succeeded to the business of the 
Palmer & Searight Bank and the Farmers Bank, and was first located 
about the middle of the lilock on the south side of the public square. 



192 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

The present building, on the corner of Fourth and Court streets, was 
commenced in 1899 and was completed the following spring. 

According to a statement issued by the bank on JNIarch 4, 1915, 
the capital stock is $.50,000; surplus fund, $1.5,000; undivided profits, 
$1,500; deposits, $300,000. The ofiicers of the bank for 1915 were: 
J. H. Bradt, president; E. H. Rich, vice president; F. P. liufF, 
cashier; W. A. Sandburg assistant cashier. 

The Rockwell City Savings Bank filed articles of incorporation 
on IMay 29, 1903, with a capital stock of $25,000. George R. Alli- 
son was the first president; W. S. DuBois, vice president; B. E. 
Sebern, cashier ; and these officers, with the following, constituted the 
first board of directors: Andrew Wood, P. C. Holdoegel, E. H. 
Rich, A. F. Dean, E. A. Richards, E. C. Stevenson and D. W. Noel. 

On INIay 2, 1904, the board of directors purchased the Rockwell 
Hotel property at the southeast corner of Fourth and Court streets — 
opposite the First National — moved the hotel building to the lot 
adjoining on the east and began the erection of the present home of 
the bank, which was occupied in the fall of that year. The Savings 
Bank grew rapidly in popular favor and in tlie spring of 191 5 reported 
a capital stock of $25,000; surplus, $20,000; undivided profits, $5,000, 
and deposits of $350,000. The officers of the bank at that time were 
as follows: A. F. Dean, president; E. H. Rich, vice president; G. W. 
Richter, cashier. 

Articles of incorporation for the Security State Bank were filed 
with the county recorder on June 5, 1909, though it had been started 
as a private bank by George L. Brower in 1891. M. W. Fit/, of 
JNIanson, was the first president; M. W. Frick, of Rockwell Cit^^ 
vice president; Edwin W. Burch, cashier; O. A. Leonard, assistant 
cashier. The first board of directors was composed of tlie president, 
vice president, cashier, and the following named gentlemen: E. N. 
Baily, of Sac City; E. W. Townsend, of Lake City; F. E. Burnliam, 
A. L. Johnson, F. F. Hunter and George L. Brower, of Rockwell 
City. 

As soon as the secretary of state issued his certificate to the l)ank 
it began business in the Brower Building, at the northeast corner of 
Fourth and Court streets, where it is still located. The capital stock 
has been $00,000 from the beginning and in tlie spring of 1915 tlie 
undivided profits amounted to $5,000 and the deposits to $175,000. 
At that time the officers of the bank were : George L. Brower, presi- 
dent; F. E. Bin-nham, vice president; R. O. Hutchison, cashier. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 193 

LAKE CITY BANKS 

The oldest bank in Lake City is the First National, which had its 
beginning in the private banking house started by Peter Smith, under 
the fii-m name of P. Smith & Sons, in the early '80s. For some time 
the business was conducted in a small building just west of the public 
square. In 1884 a new building \\as erected on the corner where 
the First National is now situated. Ten years later the institution 
was reorganized as a national bank and the present name adopted. 

S. T. Hutchinson was elected president at the time the bank was 
reorganized in ISO-i and remained as the executive head of the con- 
cern until his death in 3Iay, 1914, when L. F. Danforth was elected 
to the presidency. The other officers of the bank at the beginning of 
the year 1915 were as follows: Walter Jacobs, vice president; G. G. 
Hutchison, cashier. The capital stock of the First National has 
always been $oO,000. From a statement issued by the officials at the 
close of business on ]March 4, 1915, it is learned that the bank then 
carried a surplus fund of $20,000 and deposits of $440,000. In 1914 
the bank erected a new building, modern in all respects and well 
equipi^ed for banking pvu'poses. 

The Citizens Bank of Lake City was established in 1885 and in 
1915 claimed to have the largest responsibility of any bank in the 
county. It occupies a handsome brick building at the southeast cor- 
ner of the public square, where a general banking bvisiness is carried 
on by E. W. Townsend, president; R. F.Townsend. cashier; L. E. 
Nokes, assistant cashier. In April, 1915, the bank carried deposits 
amounting to $350,000. A safe deposit vault is also conducted in 
connection with the banking business. 

MANSON BANKS 

INIanson is entitled to the distinction of having the oldest banking 
house in Calhoun County. In 1879 E. A. Richards, afterward the 
ffi-st president of the First National Bank of Rockwell City, opened 
a private bank at Manson. It continued as a private bank until 
Febi-uary 23, 1910, when it was incorporated as the Calhoun Count}' 
State Bank, with a capital stock of $60,000 and the following officers; 
Henry Young, president; E. H. Rich, of Fort Dodge, vice president; 
Charles E. Bale, cashier. These officers, with John Somerville, 
George F. Braginton, J. P. Calmer and G. B. Moore, constituted 
the first board of directors. The same officers were in charge of the 
affairs of the bank in the spring of 1915, at which time the sm-plus 



194 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

amounted to $10,000, the imdivided profits to $5,000, and the bank 
carried deposits of $325,000. 

The Farmers Savings Bank was fii'st started as a private bank 
in 1885, with H. J. Griswold as president and M. W. Fitz as cashier. 
On ^Nlarcli 16, 1910, it Mas incorporated under its present name with 
a capital stock of $50,000 and the following officers: jVI. W. Fitz, 
president; M. E. Griswold, vice president; B. E. Sebern, cashier. 
The above named officers, M. J. Foley and A. J. JNIaher constituted 
the first board of directors. Mr. Sebern died in November, 1914, 
and F. B. Davis was made cashier, which is the only change in the 
official management of the bank since its incorporation. According 
to a statement issued by the bank directorate at the close of business 
on April 19, 1915, the capital stock remains at $50,000; the surplus 
was then $9,000; undivided profits, $7,100, and the deposits, $410,000. 

Closely connected with the Farmers Savings Bank is the Griswold 
Land and Credit Comi^any, which has the same officers and does busi- 
ness in the same building. It has a capital stock of $50,000 and a 
surplus fund of $30,000, which includes the undivided profits. This 
company deals in farm lands and makes loans on real estate, espe- 
cially farm property. 

POMEROY BANKS 

The First National Bank of Pomeroy is the successor of the old 
Pomeroy Exchange Bank, which was started by Gould & ]\Ioody 
about 1880. It ^vas reorganized as a national bank in 1901 with a 
capital stock of $40,000 and in 1915 rejiorted surjilus and undivided 
profits amounting to $20,000. The ofl^cers of the bank at that time 
were: jM. R. Moody, president; W. C. McCulloch, vice president; 
A. F. Volberding, cashier; H. J. Colburn, assistant cashier. This 
bank carries deposits of $225,000. 

The Pomeroy State Bank was first incorporated under that name 
on November 7, 1890. Prior to that time it had been doing business 
as the Farmers Loan and Trust Company, of which James F. Toy 
was president and J. H. Lowi-ey was cashier. At the time of the 
incorporation the capital stock was fixed at $50,000 and the follow- 
ing were named in the articles as the first board of directors: A. A. 
Horton, JM. F. JNIullan, F. E. Blackinton, J. A. Holmes, L. W. 
Moody, J. L. Williams, H. J. Hoist, F. L. Kenyon and F. A. 
Kenvon. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 195 

On June -i, 1892, the bank was reorganized. Kevised articles of 
incorporation were tiled with the county recorder on that date, reduc- 
ing the capital stock to $25,000 and providing for a board of five 
directors instead of nine. The lirst board of directors under the 
new arrangement was com^josed of D. ^V. ^Vight, president; A. O. 
Garlock, vice president; J. H. Lowre}% cashier; J. L. Williams and 
G. ^V. Hamilton. In the spring of 1915 the bank reported a capital 
stock of $25,000; surplus fund, $15,000; undivided profits, $7,000, 
and dej)osits of $300,000. The officers at that time were: J. H. 
Lowrey, president; jNI. F. ^Nlullan, vice president; Jolin F. Gutz, 
cashier; R. C. Berry, assistant cashier. 

LOHRVILLE BANKS 

Lohrville has two banks — the Lohrville Savings Bank and the 
Conmiercial Savings Bank. In tlie fall of 1882 a private bank was 
opened in Lohrville by S. G. Crawford in a small frame building 
about a scjuare south of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad sta- 
tion. This building was torn down in March, 1915. After a few 
months Charles H. Wise became associated with Mr. Crawford and 
the firm then took the name of Crawford, Wise & Company. The 
business was continued as a private bank until October 12, 1904, 
when it was incorporated as the Lohnille Savings Bank, with a cap- 
ital stock of $20,000. S. G. Crawford was elected the first presi- 
dent; Abram Cain, vice president; Charles Allen, cashier; Irvin S. 
Jenkins, assistant cashier. These four officers, with F. H. Jenkins, 
constituted the first board of directors. 

Soon after the bank was incorporated work was commenced on 
a new building, which was occujiied in 1905. The officers of the bank 
in April, 1915, w^re: Irvin S. Jenkins, president; Abram Cain, vice 
president; Charles Allen, cashier. At that time the surplus fund 
amounted to $-t,000 and the bank carried deposits of $200,000. 

The Commercial Savings Bank of Lohrville was incorporated 
under the general banking laws of Iowa on Febniary 6, 1907, with a 
capital stock of $20,000. The provisional directors, to serve until 
the first annual meeting of the stockholders, were as follows: A. 
Baird, A. J. McDermott, D. A. Evans, J. J. GafFney, E. K. Mc- 
Elroy, F. S. INIiddleton, John Rasty, J. W. :Moore and O. E. Griffin. 

The board of directors then completed the organization by the 
election of A. J. McDermott, president; D. A. Evans, vice president; 
G. W. Evans, cashier. The president and cashier were still holding 



196 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

their respective positions in the spring of 1915, but J. ^V. jMoore had 
succeeded D. A. Evans as vice i^resident and Fred S. Buffhani had 
been added to the official staff' as assistant cashier. 

In 1909 the banlv building was erected. Besides the bank's quar- 
ters on the corner, there is a large store room on the east, extencHng 
around to the street in the rear of the bank, the Odd Fellows have 
their hall on the second floor, and there is a barber shop in the base- 
ment. In the spring of 1915 the Commercial Savings Bank reported 
a surplus fund of $10,000 and deposits of $200,000. 

MISCELI^VNEOUS BANKS 

In addition to the banks above enumerated, Calhoun County has 
seven banking concerns of that class known as "rural banks." They 
are located in the smaller towns of the county and each one supplied 
a local demand for banking facilities. 

The oldest of these rural banks is the Bank of Farnliamville, 
which was opened in January, 1893, by H. W. and Charles Beacham. 
It is a private bank, with a responsibility of $200,000. and is still 
conducted by the original founders. The present bank building was 
erected in 1909, and in April, 1915, the deposits amounted to $250,000. 

The Peoples Bank of Jolley began business on April 1, 1890. in 
a one-story brick building erected for the purpose, with D. E. Hal- 
lett, of Sac City, as president; E. Criss, of Sac City, vice president; 
and J. E. Nutter, cashier and resident manager. In the chapter on 
Miscellaneous History will be found an account of the attempt to 
rob this bank on the night of December 6, 1904. The People's is a 
private bank and no information as to its financial condition is given 
in the latest edition of the Bankers Directory. At the beginning of 
the year 1915 D. E. Hallett was president; J. E. Nutter, vice presi- 
dent; and D. K. Harris, cashier. 

In May, 1901, a private bank was opened in Somers. A little 
later it was incorporated under the Iowa laws as the Somers Savings 
Bank, with a capital stock of $15,000. On April 1, 1915, the bank 
reported a surplus of $-4,000 and deposits of $125,000. At that time 
the officers of the bank were: A. F. Daughenbaugh, president; J. C. 
Cheney, vice president; F. A. Whitney, cashier; T. F. Moore, assist- 
ant casliier. In addition to the regular line of banking, the Somers 
Savings Bank devotes considerable attention to farm loans and has 
a well equipped collection department. 



PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 197 

The State Savings Bank of Knierim was started earlj- in 1901 
with a capital stock of $10,000 and the following oiRcers: J. C. 
Cheney, of Fort Dodge, president; C. F. Dunconihe, vice president; 
W. E. Clagg, cashier. At a meeting of the stockholders on Septem- 
ber 10, 1907. it was voted to increase the capital stock from $10,000 
to $1.5,000. by using $4,000 of the surplus and the stockholders sub- 
scribing the balance pro rata. At the beginning of the year 1915 J. C. 
Cheney held the office of president; F. E. Seymour, vice president; 
C. A. ChristoiJherson, cashier. The surplus at that time amounted 
to $9,000 and the bank carried $80,000 of deposits. 

Rinard Savings Bank was incorjiorated on November G, 1907, 
and \\as the outgrowth of a private bank established some three years 
before. The capital stock was fixed at $10,000 and the first officers 
were: Charles Beacham, president; H. C. Wetter, vice president; 
Starr G. Wilson, cashier. The president, vice president and the fol- 
lowing named gentlemen constituted the first board of directors: 
H. W. Beacham, G. A. CafFerty, W. C. Cathcart and E. J. Wood- 
cock. The capital stock was subsequently increased to $15,000 and 
at the beginning of the year the deposits amounted to $75,000. The 
officers then were: Charles Beacham. president; G. A. CafFerty, vice 
president; J. C. Carnes, cashier. 

Articles of incorjjoration for the State Savings Bank of Yetter 
were filed with the county recorder on May 13, 1905, showing a capital 
stock of $12,000 and a board of directors composed of Frank Corey, 
Charles Hucka, W. C. Abney, C. E. Richards and H. C. Reaman. 
The officers of the bank at the beginning of the year 1915 were as 
follows: Frank Corey, jiresident; James Kearj% vice president; 
L. W. Lancaster, cashier. At that time the surplus and undivided 
profits amounted to $6,000 and the deposits to $145,000. 

The youngest bank in the county is the Farmers Savings Bank 
of Lavinia, which was incorporated on JNIarch 31, 1906. Revised 
articles of incorporation were filed on Augxist 6, 1906, fixing the 
capital stock at $10,000 and naming the following board of directors: 
Edward Davis, W. A. Cook, F. J. Heebner, J. M. ]\IcCarville, J. ]M. 
xXnderson and Martin Powell. In the spring of 1915 Edward Davis 
was president; W. A. Cook, vice president; F. B. Beckwith, cashier. 
The surplus and undivided profits then amounted to $1,500 and the 
deposits to $60,000. 

The eighteen banks of Calhoun County are all conducted along 
conservative lines and command the confidence of the general public. 
!Most of the men connected with these institutions have been educated 



198 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

in the school of experience and are therefore well qualified for the 
discharge of their respective duties. So well have these duties been 
performed there has never been a bank failure in the county. If 
bank deposits are an index to the prosperity of a community, Cal- 
homi County certainly has good grounds for congratulating herself 
upon her material conditions. The eighteen banks of the county 
carry deposits of over three million dollars, or nearly two hundred 
dollars for every man, woman and child resident within the county. 
And this witliout any large manufacturing or commercial enterprises 
which in the large cities are generally heavy bank depositors. In 
Calhoun County the wealth has been "dug from the soil," which 
makes the transition easy at this point to the subject of 

AGRICULTURE 

With the farmers of Calhoun County the callings of Cain and 
Abel have been happily combined, as they are both "tillers of the 
soil" and "keepers of sheep." In other words, farming and stock 
raising have always been the principal occupations of the people of 
the county. From the small fields of Ebenezer Comstock and ^Vil- 
Jiam Impson in 18,54, the development of agriculture as an industry 
has gone steadily forward until in 1913, according to the Iowa Year 
Book, Calhoun County had 1.792 farms, averaging in size 180 acres. 

There is neither poetry nor romance in figures, and as a general 
thing statistics are uninteresting reading, but the story of a commun- 
ity's progress can often be better told by figiu-es than in any other 
way. Adopting that method, then, as a means of showing the county's 
almost marvelous development during the sixty years of its organ- 
ized existence, let the reader compare the following satistics. The 
first table has been compiled from a volmne published by the autliority 
of the State of Iowa some years ago and shows the condition of the 
agricultural interests of Calhoun County in 1860. 

Population 147 

Bushels of corn raised 5,980 

Wheat 1,786 

Oats 9o.> 

Potatoes 1 ,030 

Tons of hay 484 

Number of cattle 139 

Horses 47 

Sheep 17 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 199 

The second table, compiled from reports on the various crops given 
in the 1913 Year Book, shows the acreage of each croj) as well as the 
total yield. In the meantime the population had increased from 14i7 
to 17,090 in 1910. 

Acres Bushels 

Corn 138,500 5,4-00,000 

Oats 92,5.00 3,052,000 

Wheat 1,000 34,200 

Barley 1,100 27,500 

Rye 40 700 

Flaxseed 115 1,000 

Timothy seed 93 498 

Clover seed 1,261 1,103 

Potatoes 1,100 31,900 

Tame hay (tons) 18,600 29,700 

Wild hay (tons) 11,200 11,200 

In addition to the land used in the production of these crops 57,400 
acres were used for pasture; 271 acres were planted to sweet corn, of 
which 816 tons were sold to the canning factories in the county; there 
were 475 acres of orchard, upon which were produced 10,399 bushels 
of ajjples. In 1860 not an acre of orchard was reported. 

The increase in the nimiber of domestic animals has been propor- 
tionately greater than that of the field crops. The Year Book above 
referred to gives the number of such animals in 1913 as follows: 

Horses 15,333 

Mules 1,063 

Cattle 26,466 

Hogs 59,803 

Sheep 3,499 

Of the cattle reported, 9,797 were milch cows, and of the sheep, 
1,892 were shipped in for feeding. Calhoun ranks high iii the pro- 
duction of poultry, the total number of fowls of all kinds in 1913 
being 316,185, and during the year 867,815 dozen eggs were mar- 
keted. The wool clip for the same year amounted to 11,482 pounds. 

But "corn is king" in Calhoun County. Only five counties in tlie 
state reported a greater com crop in 1913. They were Woodbiny, 
Sioux, Pottawatomie, Webster and Kossuth. As each one of these 
five counties has a larger area than Calhoun, it is quite probable that 



200 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

no tract of land in Iowa of the same size as Calhoun County can pro- 
duce more corn under the same conditions. 

According to the statistics of 18G0, the county then had 765 acres 
of native timber and one acre had been planted in trees. In the year 
191 i5 there was scarcely a farm house in the county but what had its 
artificial grove around it to aft'ord shade and protection from the 
winds. These artificial groves will average close to one acre. No fig- 
ures as to the total acreage are obtainable, but on the 1,702 farms 
there are no doubt at least fifteen hundred acres, or apjjroximately 
twice the area of the native timber when the county was first settled. 

By the enactment of liberal laws, the State of Iowa has done much 
to encourage and promote the agricultural and stock raising interests. 
The Legislature of 1907 passed an act relating to farmers' institutes. 
By this act it is provided that: "When forty or more farmers of a 
county organize a farmers' institute, with a president, secretaiy, treas- 
urer and an executive committee of not less than three outside of such 
officers and hold an institute, remaining in session not less than two 
days in each year, which institute may be adjourned from time to time 
and from place to place in said county, the secretary of the State 
Board of Agriculture, upon the filing with him a report of such insti- 
tute and an itemized statement under oath showing that the same has 
been organized and held and for what purposes the money expended 
has been used, shall certify the same to the auditor of state, which 
state auditor shall remit to the county treasurer of such county his 
warrant for the amount so expended, not to exceed seventy-five dol- 
lars," etc. 

The law further provides that no officer of any county institute 
shall receive pay for his services, and all reports must be made to the 
secretary of the State Board of Agriculture by the first day of June 
in each year. The institute failing so to report shall not be entitled 
to receive any money from the state for that year. 

While the bill was pending in the Legislature. Henr^- Parsons, 
a farmer of Cedar Township, now a hardware merchant in Rockwell 
City, went to Des Moines to use his influence to secure the passage of 
the bill. After it became a law Mr. Parsons was active in bringing 
abo\it the organization of the Calhoun County Farmers' Institute, 
which has held annual meetings since that time. At the meetings of 
the institute the farmers have an opportimity to exchange ideas. 
Instructors from the Agricultural College have brought scientific? 
instruction to the very doors of the farmers of Calhoun County 
through the medium of the farmers' institute, and the influence of 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 201 

that institution is being felt by many who were not given the privilege 
of attending the college for a complete course of study. Each year 
sees the meetings of the institute well attended and the farmers are 
becoming more and more up-to-date in their methods. In 1915 the 
president of the Calhoun County Institute was George A. Ridge, of 
Center Township, and the secretary was A. W. Eshbaugh, of Rock- 
well City. 

Besides the regular work of the county institute the Young Men's 
Christian Association of the county has held meetings called "insti- 
tutes" and endeavored to encourage agricultural pursuits by offering 
prizes for the best corn raised by boys under a certain age. Through 
these corn growing contests many boys have become interested in 
farming. It is hoped by the projectors of this policy that the interest 
thus awakened will have a tendency to prevent j^oung men from 
crowding into the cities and place agriculture upon a higher plane. 
Other industries may be established and flourish, but the indications 
are that corn will continue to be king in Calhoun County for many 
years to come. 

Among the farmers of Calhoun County are some wdio are given 
to trying experiments. A notable instance of this kind is seen in the 
case of W. I. Richards, a fruit grower of Union Township. In 1897 
he procured some coffee, planted it, and in 1898 gathered about five 
gallons of coffee berries, which made a fairly good quality of drinking 
coffee. Mr. Richards also grew some orange trees, keeping them 
sheltered from the winter, and in 1899 picked from his trees several 
oranges. 

MANUFACTURING 

Calhoun has never been a manufacturing county. The largest 
industries of this class have been the tile factories established at various 
places. The JManson Clay Works is one of the oldest factories in the 
county. It was established sometime in the '90s and in 1903 was sold 
to E. R. Wisewell, who expended over three thousand dollars in im- 
proving the ])Iant. Tile from four to sixteen inches in diameter were 
turned out at this factory and acquired a wide reputation. 

In 1902 Steinberger & Marriott, of Chenoa, 111., made a proposi- 
tion to establish a tile factory at Rockwell City for a bonus of $1,000. 
The Business ^Nlen's Association took up the matter and secured the 
factory, the first tile being turned out on October 21, 1902. On Jan- 
uary 29, 1904. the Rockwell City Brick and Tile Works was incor- 
porated with a capital stock of $27,000. George L. Brower, of Rock- 



202 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

well City, was elected president; Peter Kiene, of Dubuque County, 
vice jM-esident; Edward \V. Eurch, of Rockwell City, secretary. The 
first board of directors was composed of the above officers, Joseph A. 
Steinberger and George W. JNIarriott. The works are located just 
east of the Chicago, ]\Iilwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, in the northern 
part of the town. 

Although considerable capital has been invested in the establish- 
ment of tile factories, it has been found impossible to make a drain 
tile of large diameter and of first class quality from the native clay. 
To obviate this difficulty shales have been shii)])ed in to mix with the 
clajs but this makes the process of mamifacture so expensive that 
only the factories well equipped with modern machinery have been 
able to compete Avith those more favorably situated, and some of them 
have been abandoned. In recent years the experiment of making tile 
of cement lias been tried and some cement tile has been made in Cal- 
houn Countv, notablv at Rockwell Citv and Jollev. Cement buildiu"- 
blocks are also made in some of the towns. 

The Rockwell City Canning Company was incorporated on Janu- 
ary G, 1902, with a capital stock of $.50,000 and the following board 
of directors: George L. Brower, George R. Allison, R. J. Loveland, 
E. E. Oldfield, W. S. DuBois, Andrew Wood, 31. W. Frick. J. H. 
Bradt and F. E. Burnham. In the organization of the board INIr. 
Brower was elected president; ]Mr. Allison, vice president; ]Mr. Love- 
land, secretary, and JNIr. Oldfield, treasurer. Representatives of the 
company went among the farmers and made contracts for sweet corn 
and met with such success that work on the factory was commenced 
in April. The company canned its first goods on August 10. 1902. 

The Pomeroy Canning Company was incorjioratcd on April 23, 
1902. Avith M. F. IMullan. G. B. Peterson, John Behrends, W. C. 
McCulloch, W. H. Dronuner. John J. Heide and E. B. Larmon as 
the first board of directors. The capital stock Avas fixed at $1.5.000 
and the incorporation was for twenty years. 

One of the concerns brouglit to RockAvell City liy the Business 
Men's Association was a flour mill, which started ofF under the most 
favorable auspices. Before its reputation Avas fairly established it 
Avas destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt. 

The Lake City Roller IMills met Avith the same kind of a fate. 
The elevator there Avas converted into a modern flour mill. Avith a ca- 
pacity of fifty barrels of flour per day. Under the management of 
Robins & Elbert the "White Lily" flour became a favorite Avith many 
housewiA'es. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALIIOUX COUNTY 203 

Scattered over the county, in the different towns and villages, are 
a number of small concerns that uuunifacture various articles for the 
local trade. Among these are blacksmith and wagon repairs shops, 
harness shojjs, etc., but there are no large manufacturing establish- 
ments in the county. 

TELEPHONE COMPANY 

While the telephone company is not an industry in the sense that 
it is a producer of wealth, it is such an aid to the other industrial enter- 
prises of a community that indirectly it is one of the greatest influ- 
ences in modern production and exchange. The Central Telephone 
Company of Calhoun Coimty was incorporated on November 2, 1897, 
with J. H. Bradt, president; E. C. Stevenson, vice president: P. C. 
Holdoegel, secretary; W. S. DuBois, treasurer. These officers and 
J. F. Lavender constituted the first board of directors. The capital 
stock at the time of incorporation was $10,000. 

This company is the outgrowth of a company organized in 1895, 
■with a capital of $1,000. The name of the company has since been 
changed to the Central ]\Iutual Telephone Company and the ca])ital 
stock has been increased to $150,000. In addition to his duties as 
secretary, jNIr. Holdoegel has been made the general manager. The 
lines have been extended to all parts of the county, buildings for ex- 
change and office purposes have been erected in Rockwell City, Lake 
City and Jolley, and exchanges are maintained at INIanson, Pomeroy, 
Lohrville and Sherwood. In the spring of 1915 the company 
was operating 3,500 telephones and the patronage was constantly 
increasing. 



CHAPTER XIII 
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS 

CONDITIONS NOfl" AND SIXTY YEARS AGO INDIAN TRAILS TRAVEL IN 

EARLY DAYS PUBLIC HIGHWAYS NORTHWESTERN STAGE COM- 
PANY COUNTY ROADS UNDER THE LAAV OF 1913 ROAD T^VXES — 

THE RAILROAD ERA EARLY OPPOSITION ILLINOIS CENTRAL IOWA 

& PACIITC CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE 

.>< ST. PAUL CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC CHICAGO GREAT 

AYESTERN FORT DODGE, DES MOINES & SOUTHERN RAILROAD PRO- 
JECTS THAT FAILED DRAINAGE HEIJ, AND SHIPMAN SLOUGHS 

BONDS — EFFECTS OF THE DRAINAGE SY^STEM ON THE AVEALTH OF THE 
COUNTY'. 

In this year 1913 of the Christian ear, when a citizen of Calhoun 
County finds it necessary to pay a A'isit to the market town or the 
county seat, he can step into his automobile — or, if he has not yet 
acquired a motor car, hitch a horse to a buggy and drive over a public 
highway to his destination. Should he have occasion to make a longer 
joiu'ney, he can take a seat in a railwaj' coach on one of the great rail- 
way systems of the country and be transported across the country at 
the rate of forty or fifty miles an hour. But does he ever pause to 
consider how all these conveniences of modern travel were brought 
about for him to enjoy? Let him for a moment draw upon his imagi- 
nation for the conditions that existed in Avhat is now Calhoun County 
when Ebenezer Comstock built the first civilized habitation in the 
spring of lH5i. 

Then all Northwestern Iowa was "fresh from the hands of 
Nature." A few Indians roamed over the country at times, though 
most of the natives had accepted neAv reservations west of the INIissouri 
River and removed to their new abodes. An occasional trapper wan- 
dered into Calhoun and the adjoining counties in search of fur-bear- 
ing animals, but the only constant residents of Calhoun County Avere 
the muskrats, SAvifts, prairie Avolves and a fcAV other A'arieties of AA'ild 

204 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY -205 

beasts. Here and there an Indian trail wound through the woods or 
over the prairies, "following the line of least resistance, " and these 
trails were the only thoroughfares. When the first white men began 
to come into the Coon River ^^alley and the adjacent territory, even 
many of the old trails had become almost obliterated by the rank 
growth of slough grass. Near the western boundary of Calhoun 
Count}' was an old trail known as the "^Var Path," which marked the 
dividing line between the hunting grounds of the Pottawatomi In- 
dians on the east and those of the Sioux tribes on the west. 

No roads had as yet been opened by the white man for the con- 
venience and accommodation of travel by wagons or other vehicles, 
the creeks and rivers were without bridges, and frequently some immi- 
grant seeking a home in the great West would have to encamp on the 
bank of a swollen stream and Mait for several days until the waters 
subsided so that he could continue his journey. 

As the march of civilization proceeded westward the first settle- 
ments in every comnninity were made along the large rivers, where 
traffic and travel could be carried on bj' steamboats. In the State of 
Iowa the first settlements were made along the Mississippi River, and 
next along such streams as the Iowa and Des JMoines, where goods 
could be transported by canoes and keelboats. Calhoun County, being 
without any river of navigable proportions, had to be reached mainly 
l)y overland travel. One of the first necessities, therefore, that con- 
fronted the pioneers was the establishment of 

PUBLIC HIGHWAYS 

At a comparatively early date the Town of Sioux Citj% the county 
seat of ^Voodbury Countjs located on the Missouri River due west 
from Calhoun Countj', came into prominence as a trading post. 
Goods were brought up the Missouri River in boats and transported 
to the interior settlements by wagon. To establish communication 
between Sioux City and the older settlements farther east, a stage line 
was opened between Sioux City and Dubuque. From the City of 
Dubuque the old stage route passed westward through JNIanchester, 
Independence, Waterloo, Iowa Falls, Webster City and Fort Dodge 
and entered Calhoun County about two miles south of the northeast 
corner. Three miles east of the present Town of Manson, at the 
house of Joseph Yates, was a relay station, where the stages changed 
horses and the passengers found something to eat. From that point 
the road ran in a southwesterly direction and passed between the Twin 



206 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Lakes, where there was another relay station and hotel. It then 
pursued a more westerly course until it entered Sac County. As a 
matter of fact the stage line was operated by different companies, that 
portion from Fort Dodge to Sioux City being kno^\n as the North- 
western Stage Company. Tlie old stage route was not much of a 
road, the comjiany making only such iuiprovements as were absolutely 
necessary to enable the stages to get through without miring down 
in the swam^js, but it was probably the first road to extend across 
the count}^ from east to west. 

Gue, in his History of Iowa, says: "In early days a good wagon 
road was graded from Lake City to Fort Dodge and the streams 
M'ere bridged for a distance of about forty miles over unsettled 
prairies." 

This statement is only partially correct. There was a road from 
Lake City to Fort Dodge, but it Avas only slightly improved. It 
was on this road that the American Emigrant Companv agreed to 
build ten bridges across the sloughs, as mentioned in a former chap- 
ter, in return for the swamp lands belonging to Calhoun County, but 
the company was afterward released from the fulfillment of this part 
of tlie contract and the bridges were not built. 

The first mention of a public highway in the public records of 
Calhoun County is in Road Record No. 1, showing that in INIay, 1857, 
a petition signed by about twenty-five freeholders was presented to 
the coimty judge asking for the establishment of a county road "com- 
mencing at the south line of said county at or near the southwest cor- 
ner of section 32, township 8G, range 33 ; thence northwesterly to the 
quarter post of section 19; thence west to Richard Bmiting's farm; 
thence northwest to Lake Creek 'near the old ford;' then via Salis- 
bury's mill, from which point it shall follow the Coon River to the west 
line of the county." 

Roma jNIaranville and Richard Bunting gave bond to secure the 
repayment to the county of the expenses of said road in case it was 
not finally established, and Peter Smitli, county judge, appointed 
David Reed as commissioner to look over the route and report on the 
necessity of such road and the feasibility of opening it on the route 
asked for by the petitioners. Reed was appointed on June 6, 18.)7, 
and made his favorable report on the 12th of the same month, but for 
some reason the road was not finally ordered by the county judge 
until August 17, 1857. That order was made by Jonathan H. Mun- 
love, who had in the meantime succeeded Peter Smith as county judge. 



PAST A^D PKESEXT OF CALHOLX COUNTY 207 

Sucli was the first county road in Calhoun County. It began on 
the south line of the county one mile east of the soutliwest corner of 
Calhoun Township and followed a general northwesterly course to 
the northwest corner of Jackson Township. No attention was jjaid 
to the section lines of the official survey, the object being to shorten the 
distance as much as possible by taking the most direct route. The 
road was surveyed by Charles Amy and in due time was opened to 
travel, but in after years the course of the road was changed to con- 
form to the section lines. 

On ]March 2, 18.58, a petition was presented to the county court 
asking for the opening of a county road "to begin at the northwest 
corner of Greene County; thence on the nearest and best route to 
Lake City; and thence by the nearest and best route to the west line 
of said Comity of Calhoun, at or near the quarter stake on the 
Avest side of section 19, township 87, range 3J)." 

Peter and Christian Smith gave the required bond to cover the 
expenses and Judge Manlove appointed Richard Bunting to examine 
the route. Mr. Bunting made a report in favor of opening the road 
on ]March 22, 18,58, and the matter was laid over until the June term 
of the County Court, when it was finally ordered as a county road. 
This second county road began on the south line of the county at the 
i)oundary line between Calhoun and Union townships and angled 
northwesterly through Lake City to a point on the west line of the 
county about one mile north of the present Town of Yetter. 

The third county road was established in response to a petition 
that was presented to the County Court on August 2, 1858. It was 
a short road, running from section 19, township 86, range 33 — a point 
about a mile south of Lake City — to section 11, township 86, range 34, 
directly west of Lake City. John Oxenford and Larkin Williams 
furnished the expense bond and Richard Bunting was appointed to 
view the proposed line of road. On September 6, 1858, Mr. Bunting 
made a favorable report and on November 1, 1858, the road was for- 
mally ordered by the coiu't. 

It will l)e noticed that all these early roads were in Calhoun and 
Jackson townships, where at that time the only settlements in Cal- 
houn County existed. Other roads followed and were opened by a 
similar process of law, but the three instances above mentioned show 
how the first roads in tlie county were established. The same meth- 
ods were followed in the other townships of the county as settlement 
was extended. After the board of supervisors took the place of the 
county judge, hardly a session of the board was held for several years 



208 PAST AND rilESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

at which one or more petitions were not jjresented asking for the 
ojjening of jjublie highway's or a change in the course of some of tliose 
already in use. As time went on the petitions became fewer in nmn- 
ber, the public roads of the countj' being equal to the demanii for all 
ordinary travel. 

Numerous laws have been passed from time to time by tlie Iowa 
Legislature for the care and improvement of the roads of the state. 
One of the most recent of such laws is the act of April 22, 1918, pro- 
viding for the establishment of a state highway commission, to consist 
of the dean of engineering of the Iowa State College and two persons 
appointed by the governor from different political parties for a term 
of four years. The first highway commission was composed of Anson 
Marston, of the State College at Ames; James W. Holden, of Scran- 
ton; and H. C. Beard, of JMount xVyr. The duties of the commission 
are as follows: 1. To devise and adopt plans of highway construction 
suited to the needs of the different counties of the state. 2. To dis- 
seminate information and instructions to road officers of tlie state. 3. 
To issue an annual report to the governor relative to the operations 
of the connnission. 4. To appoint such assistants as may be necessary 
to carry on the work of the commission. 5. To make investigations 
as to the conditions of road and bridge work in the various comities. 
6. To have general supervision over the county and township officers 
in the state and to enforce the provisions of the road law. 

The act provides that the county supervisors in each county of 
the state shall appoint a county engineer, "within tliirty days from 
the taking effect of this act," and to designate roads for improvement, 
such roads to be hereafter known as the county road system. It is 
further provided that the roads so selected by the county supervisors 
shall be plainly marked on a map furnished by the state highway 
commission. 

In Calhoun County ^V. E. INIcClure was appointed county engi- 
neer and the road maj) prepared under the provisions of the act 
showed, in IMay, 191.5, about one hundred and sixty-five miles of pub- 
lic highways in the "county road system." The Hawkeye Road 
starts at the Webster County line two miles from the northeast corner 
of Lincoln Township and runs west through ]Manson and Pomeroy 
to the center line of Butler Township, where it turns north to the 
Pocahontas County line. The road known as the Hawkeye Cut-off 
runs east and west through Rockwell City across the county. The 
Correction Line Road follows the line between the two northern tiers 
of townships from JoUey east to a jioint directly north of Knierim. 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 209 

The Lake City Road runs east from tliat city through Calhoun, Un- 
ion and Reathng townships. The Manson Road runs south from that 
tow n until it intersects the Hawkeye Cut-off four miles east of Rock- 
well City. The Lytton-Fonda Road runs due north from Lytton to 
the north line of the count_v. In the exact center of Williams Town- 
ship it is intersected by the Williams Township Road, which runs 
due east to a , point directly south of Pomeroy, where it tiu'ns 
nortli. The Rockwell City Road runs south from that city until it 
intersects the Lake City Road about half way between Lake City and 
Lohrville. The Rands Road follows a zigzag course in a southeast- 
erly direction from Rockwell City via Rands to Lohrville. The 
Somers Road runs south from the Hawkeye Cut-off through Soniers 
to Farnhamville. The Sherwood Road leaves the Hawkeye Cut-off 
near Lavinia and runs southward through Sherwood to Lake City. 
The Twin Lakes Road runs due north from Rockwell City to the 
Twin Lakes. The Yetter Road runs from Lake City to Yetter and 
there are a few short roads connecting some of these main thorough- 
fares. 

Owing to the absence of gravel or other good road building ma- 
terial, Calhoun County has but very little improved highway. For the 
repair of public roads the township trustees of the several townships 
levy a road tax, which is collected by the county treasurer and the 
proceeds turned over to the township clerk. The fund thus created 
is used for labor and materials in repairing the highways and is imder 
the control of the townshijj trustees. The following table shows the 
amount of road tax levied in each of the townships for the year 191i: 

Butler $ 1,478.51 

Calhoun 1,710.26 

Cedar 1,.576.62 

Center 1,035.61 

Elm Grove 1,722.21 

Garfield 1,781.77 

Greenfield 960.94 

Jackson 1,968.73 

Lake Creek 1.925.92 

Lincoln 1,690.99 

Logan 1,595.88 

Reading 1,816.99 

Sherman 1,823.48 

Vol. 3—14 > 



210 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Twin Lakes 1,788.20 

Union l,986.8o 

AVilliams 1,744.79 



Total for the county $27,187.1 



o 



There is also a "road dragging fund," which is kept up by a tax 
levied by the townships and incorporated towns and can only be used 
for dragging purposes, just as the regular road fund can be used only 
for the employment of labor or the purchase of materials for the repair 
of the highways. The dragging fund for the year 1914 aggregated 
$8,285.02. There are also a county road fund, which in 1914 was 
$9,753.10 and a bridge fund of $35,009.95. A county of 17,090 popu- 
lation that raises by taxation over eighty thousand dollars in one year 
— nearly five dollars per capita for the entire number of inhabitants — 
for the improvement of the roads, can hardly be called niggardly in its 
policy of caring for the public highways. In addition to the sums tlius 
raised by taxation, the county received in 1914 the sum of $8,290.50 
from the county motor vehicle road fimd, a fund collected by the sec- 
retary of state on the automobiles in Iowa and paid to the counties. 

The people of Calhoun County realize the advantages of good 
roads, as well as the necessity for them, and the work of tlie new high- 
way commission has already been extended to Calhoun, whicli will no 
doubt result in a better system of public roads than ever before. 

THE RAILROAD ERA 

The first railroad of practical utility in the United States was a 
short line, about nine miles in length, connecting the City of JNIauch 
Chunk, Pa., with some coal mines. In the construction of this road 
wooden rails were used, with a strap of iron nailed on top ; the loco- 
motive was about the size of some of the engines used by threshcrmen 
of the present day, and the coal cars would not carry over five tons 
each. The possibilities of a railroad even of this crude nature were 
seen by capitalists and it was not many years until railroads were pro- 
jected for travel as well as freighting coal. 

It seems almost incredible that any intelligent person sliould ever 
have opposed the building of railroads, yet such was the case. About 
1828 some young men of Lancaster, Ohio, organized a debating society 
and requested the school board to permit them to use the schoolhouse 
as a place to discuss the question of whether railroads were feasible as 
a method of transportation. To this request the school board rei)lied: 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 2ii 

"We are willing to allow you to use the schoolhouse to debate all 
proper questions in, but such subjects as railroads we regard as im- 
proper and rank infidelity. If God had ever intended his creatures to 
travel over the face of the country at the frightful speed of fifteen 
miles an hour he would have clearly foretold it through his holy proph- 
ets. It is a device of Satan to lead immortal souls down to hell." 

The railroad of the present that should run its trains at no greater 
speed than fifteen miles an hour would not receive a great deal of pat- 
ronage. Yet less than a century ago this rate of speed was considered 
"frightful" by a board of leading citizens charged with the education 
of the young people of Lancaster, Ohio. 

THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL 

The first railroad to enter Calhoun County is no\V a part of the 
great Illinois Central System. Under the act of 1864 a large grant 
of land was given to the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company, 
to aid in defraying the expenses of constructing a line of railway 
between the cities named. The line was completed to Pomeroy in 
the spring of 1870 and a turntable was put in near the present station. 
The old ruins of the turntable could be seen for many years after. 
Pomeroy ceased to be the western terminus of the road. Trains ran 
regularly between Pomeroy and Fort Dodge M'hile the road was 
under construction farther westward. On July 4, 1870, it was an- 
nounced by the company that the track was completed to Storm Lake, 
to which point the train service was soon afterward extended. That 
fall the road was graded as far as LeMars and the following years 
it was completed to Sioux City. A few years later the road passed 
into the hands of the Illinois Central Company. At the June meeting 
of the supervisors in 1883 this road is mentioned in the minutes as the 
Illinois Central, when the taxes were levied upon 14.85 miles at 
$5, .500 per mile. 

In 1898 the Illinois Central Company began projecting a line 
from Fort Dodge to Omaha. The surveyors reached Rockwell City 
on October 8, 1898, and later in the year the railroad company bought 
several lots in the southern part of that town. Work on the new line 
was commenced at Tara in April, 1899. and the road was completed 
to Rockwell City on September 2'.i, 1899. That was on Saturday and 
the following IVIonday the officials of the road visited Rockwell City in 
a private car, the first train on the division to an-ive at Calhoun 



212 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

County's capital. In 1900 the road was completed to Omaha, giving 
Calhoun County a great trunk line to both eastern and western points. 



IOWA & PACIFIC 

Shortly after the completion of the Dubuque & Sioux through the 
northern jjart of the county, a company called the Io^\•a & Pacific pro- 
jected a line through the central portion. The minutes of the board 
of supervisors of Calhoun County for September 5, 1871, contain the 
following entry: 

"Whereas, a 5 per cent tax has been voted in Greenfield Town- 
ship, Calhoun County, Iowa, under Chapter 102 of the acts of the 
Thirteenth General Assembly, to aid the Iowa & Pacific Railroad 
Company in the construction of their road, and 

"\Vhereas, the same has been certified and returned to the audi- 
tor of the couziity to be levied at the regular September meeting or 
session of this board, therefore it is 

"Ordered by this board that a tax of .5 per cent be levied upon the 
taxable property of said townshiji, to be collected under the provisions 
of said act for the purpose aforesaid for the year 1871, and the comity 
treasurer is ordered to collect the same and the auditor and clerk of this 
board are ordered to enter the same upon the tax books for said year." 

A similar order relating to Sherman Township was issued l)y 
the board the same day. Some grading was done on this road, but it 
was never finished. The people of Greenfield and Sherman townships 
tried to secure a release from paying the tax, but it could not be 
obtained and they had to pay for something from which they never 
received any value whatever. John F. Duncombe, of Fort Dodge, 
was one of the prime movers of this project. When the Illinois Cen- 
tral liegan prospecting for its line from Fort Dodge to Omaha, some 
of the citizens of the two townships hoped that the "old Duncombe 
grade," as it had come to be called, would be selected as the route. 
But again they were doomed to disa])i)ointment. The road passed 
farther to the southward, through Rock-well City. Traces of the old 
grade can still be seen here and there in Greenfield and Twin Lakes 
townshijis. 

CHICAGO & XOKTHAYESTERN 

As early as January 10, 1836, the Illinois Legislature granted a 
charter to the Galena & Chicago Union Railway Company, which was 
autliorized to build a railroad from Chicago to the lead mines on the 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 213 

]MississipiM River. The first train that ever left Chicago for the West 
was on this road, October 24, 184.8. It was drawn by a diminutive 
locomotive called the "Pioneer," which is still in the possession of the 
Chicago & Northwestern Comjiany and was exhibited at the Colum- 
bian Exposition hi Chicago in 1893. After the panic of 1857 the 
company was reorganized as the Chicago & Northwestern. That reor- 
ganization marked the beginning of one of the great railway systems 
of the countr)'. 

On June 15, 1869, the Toledo & Northwestern Railroad Company 
was organized, under a general law of Iowa, to build a line of railroad 
from Toledo, the county seat of Tama County, to some point on the 
jNIissouri River. Eleven years later only twelve miles of road had 
been completed. In the spring of 1880 it was completed to GifFord, 
Hardin County, where a junction was formed with the Iowa Central. 
During the summer it was continued to Hubbard, in the western part 
of the same county. The management then sent representatives to 
the various townships through which the road was to pass, to induce 
the people to vote a tax in aid of the undertaking. 

P. R. Carmichael, J. G. Tompkins and S. H. Richardson, trustees 
of Calhoun Township, ordered a special election for June 9, 1880, at 
which the question of levying a 5 per cent tax should be voted on, 
"one-half of said tax to be due and payable as soon as said road is 
comjileted to within a half mile of the public square in Lake City and 
a depot located and built thereat, and the remaining one-half of said 
tax sliall be due and collectible one year thereafter; Provided, also, 
that the whole of said road shall be completed between said points 
on or before the 31st day of December, 1881." 

The "said points" referred to in the above election order were 
"near Calhoun, Hamilton County, and a point on the west line of the 
state. At the election 104 votes were cast in favor of the railroad tax 
and only fovu' against it. 

On the same date, June 9, 1880, an election on the same question 
was held in Union Tow7iship. J. A. Lohr, D. M. Brown and J. D. 
Parker, the township trustees, certified the retm-ns to be forty-five for 
and fourteen against the tax. Other townships along the proposed 
line f)f railroad took similar action. Encouraged by such supjiort the 
year 1881 was one of remarkable activity with the Toledo & North- 
western Railroad Company. The road was pushed rapidly westward, 
through Jew'ell, Dayton and Gowrie, and before the close of the year 
it was completed to Lake City. In January, 1882, the station there 



214 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

was established and a resident agent appointed. A few months later 
the road was completed to Onawa, JMonona Comity. 

On June 6, 1890, the road was sold bj- the original builders to the 
Chicago & Northwestern Company, and it now forms a link in the line 
from Des JMoines to Sioux Citj". Division offices were established at 
Lake City and a round house and repair shops were erected just south 
of the road and opposite the station. About 1904 the offices were 
removed, but the round house still remains and in the winter of 1914- 
15 extensive repairs were made on the building. 

CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL 

In the latter '70s a company was organized at Des JMoines to 
build a narrow gauge railroad from that city to some point in the 
northwestern part of Iowa. One of the leading spirits in the move- 
ment was F. M. Hubbell, a wealthy citizen of Des Clonics. In 1881 
the road was completed to Panora, Guthrie Comity, and about that 
time John M. Rockwell offered JNIr. Hubbell a half interest in his 
holdings at Rockwell City, Calhoun County, to continue the line to 
that point. 

An eft'ort to get the road had been made before that time by the 
people of Twin Lakes Township, who had held an election on Novem- 
ber 17, 1880, at the courthouse in Rockwell City, and voted a .5 per 
cent tax to aid in building the road, one-half of the tax payable in 
1881 and the remainder in 1882. At that election Nelson Bacon, J. A. 
Hays and H. W. Dudley were the judges, who certified that twentj^- 
four votes were cast, all in favor of the tax. 

On Wednesday, June 1, 1881 a special election was held in Logan 
Township to vote on the question of levying a 5 per cent tax "for 
the purpose of aiding the Des jSIoines & Northwestern Railway Com- 
pany in extending its railway from the Town of Panora, Guthrie 
County, la., to the north line of Calhoun County, la." On the 6th, 
Rollin Eurch, clerk of the township, and L. J. Owen, one of the clerks 
of the special election, certified that fifty votes were cast, of wliich 
twenty-six were in favor of the tax and twenty- four were opposed. 

The same question was submitted to tlie voters of Butler Town- 
ship on June 22, 1881, and the tax was authorized by a vote of seventy- 
two to fifty-six. The next day the people of Williams Townshij), by 
a vote of thirty-six to eighteen, authorized a 5 per cent tax to aid in 
the construction of the railroad, provided a station should be estab- 
lished and a depot built in township 89, range 34. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 215 

Other townships along the route voted aid and the work of extend- 
ing the road northward from Panora was commenced in the fall of 
1881. On September 5, 1881, the board of supervisors of Calhoun 
County adopted a resolution granting the Des JNloines & Northwest- 
ern Railway a right of way 100 feet wide through certain streets and 
lots in the town of Rockwell City, "including the courthouse square." 

^Monday, August 7, 1882, was a red letter day in the calendar of 
Rockwell Cit\', for on that date the first train arrived at the county 
seat of Calhoun County. It was drawn by an engine called "Old 
Jane." Rockwell City Mas then only a little over five years old and 
had a population of probably two hundred. ^Vhen tlie whistle of the 
approaching train was heard all business was suspended and every- 
body went down to the terminus to see the first train pull into the 
town. Old residents can still recall the enthusiasm that prevailed 
over the fact that Rockwell City was at last connected with the state 
capital by rail. 

The terminus remained for a time at Rockwell City before the 
road was extended to Fonda, where a round house was built. About 
that time the narrow gauge was leased to the "Wabash, St. Louis & 
Pacific Railroad Company and on September 5-6, 1891, it was 
changed to a standard gauge road. This change was made on Sun- 
day and ^Monday and on Tuesday morning the trains resumed their 
regular runs as thougli nothing had happened. 

In the sunmier of 1898 negotiations l)etween the stockholders of 
the Des ]Moines & Northwestern and the officials of the Chicago, ]Mil- 
waukee & St. Paul were commenced, looking to a transfer of the 
road. In October a special train, bearing Roswell jNIilner. president, 
and W. G. Collins, general manager of the Chicago. ^Milwaukee &i 
St. Paul, accompanied by the directors of the Des ]Moines & North- 
western, made a trip over the road for the inspection of the property. 
On January 1, 1899, ^Ir. Hubbell gave ]\Ir. IMilner and his associates 
an option on the road until !May 1, 1899. Before the expiration of 
the time the option was closed and the old narrow gauge became a 
part of the great Chicago, jNIilwaukee & St. Paul Sj^stem. 

Inmiediately after the Chicago, INIilwaukee & St. Paul Company 
took possession of the line, preparations were commenced for the 
extension of the road from Fonda to Spencer and tlie construction of 
a branch from Rockwell City to Storm Lake. Contracts for the latter 
were let on May 13, 1899, the grading was all done betw^een Rockwell 
City and Sac City during the summer, track laying was commenced 
in September and on November 20, 1899, the road was opened for 



216 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

traffic as far as Sac City. It was completed to Storm Lake the fol- 
lowing year. 

CHICAGO, ROCK ISLzVND & PACIFIC 

The first movement for a railroad southward from JManson was 
made in the svumiier of 1881, when the St. Louis, Newton & North- 
western asked the townships along the projiosed route to vote aid for 
the construction of the road. On July 27, 1881, W. C. Moody, H. J. 
Griswold and others petitioned J. P. Calmer, Henry Moses and 
Joseph M. Rothrock, the trustees of Lincoln Townshij), Calhoun 
County, to call a special election and submit the question of a 5 per 
cent tax to the jjcople on the second JSIonday in August. The peti- 
tioners, probably having in mind the unhappy experiences of the peo- 
ple of Sherman and Greenfield townships ten years before, asked 
that "in no case shall such tax or any part thereof become due, col- 
lectible or payable until said road is fully completed between the 
points above mentioned (Newton and Manson), and when so com- 
pleted one-half of the said tax shall be due and collectible and the 
other half shall be due and collectible the next year." 

On August 18, 1881, T. C. Gregg, township clerk, certified that 
the proposition to levy the tax was carried by a vote of 117 to 34, but 
the road was never built. The tax therefore was never collected. 

Late in the year 1898 the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific began 
prospecting for a route to Sioux Falls, S. D. A preliminary survey 
was made via Rockwell City, but before anything definite in the way 
of construction was done the Gowrie & Northwestern Railroad Com- 
pany began work on a line nmning northwest from Gowrie through 
IVIanson. This road was completed in 1900 and in January, 1901, a 
deed was filed in the county recorder's office at Rockwell City convey- 
ing the road to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company. 
The consideration was given as $1,479,215.58, and the deed bore 
revenue stamps to the amount of $740. 

In July following the purchase the new owner filed suit in the 
District Court of Callioun County against certain citizens of ISIan- 
son to recover $19,000 and interest from September 1, 1899. The 
complaint set forth that the defendants entered into an agreement to 
pay to the Gowrie & Northwestern Railroad Company whatever that 
corporation might have to pay for a right of way and depot groimds 
at INIanson. The company paid $19,000 for such privileges and the 
claim against the citizens of Manson was one of the assets transferred 
in the sale of the road. Each defendant received the following notice r 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 217 

"\'ou are hereby notified that the Gowrie & Northwestei-n Rail- 
road Company has fully complied with and fulfilled all the conditions 
imposed upon it by the terms of a certain contract, signed by j'ourself 
and others, dated August 22, 1899, by which you and others agreed to 
pay tile cost of certain right of way and depot grounds in the Town 
of ^lanson and vicinity. 

"You are further notified that the said contract has been assigned 
to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Comj^any and there 
is now due on said contract, from the parties who signed said agree- 
ment the sum of $19,000 and the said C, R. I. & P. Railway Com- 
pany hereby asks and demands that you pay to it the said sum of 
$19,000, with interest at 6 per cent from the 1st day of September, 
1899." 

As a defense the signers of the agreement set up that the railway 
company had agreed to establish no station north of ^Nlanson nearer 
than Palmer, but that a station had been estabished at Blanden, only 
three miles from JNIanson, and that such act on the part of the railroad 
company released them from payment for the right of way and depot 
grounds at ]\Ianson. The railroad company then offered to com- 
promise for $7,500. but this offer was refused. The figiu'e was then 
reduced to $6,000, wliich the defendants accepted. About three- 
fourths of that amoimt had already been subscribed, the balance was 
soon raised and the case was thus settled out of court. At the Decem- 
ber term of the District Court the railroad company dismissed the suit. 

CHICAGO GREAT WESTERN 

Early in the spring of 1901 the rumor became current that the 
Chicago Great Western Railroad Company would shortly build a 
line from Fort Dodge to Omaha, and tliat the line would pass through 
Calhoun County. On April 2.5, 1901, E. C. Stevenson, as the repre- 
sentative of the business interests of Rockwell City, went to Fort 
Dodge to confer with the officials of the Chicago Great Western. 
Pres. A. B. Stickney assured ]Mr. Stevenson that the road would be 
built. The plan under contemplation was to build westward from 
Fort Dodge to some point near Somers, Avhere the road would divide, 
one branch running through Rockwell City to Sioux City and the 
other through Lohrvile and Carroll to Omaha. Surveys were made, 
but the northern branch was abandoned. The company owned some 
seven thousand acres of coal land near Lehigh, Webster County, 



218 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

which it was decided to develop, and this may have had some influence 
against the building of the Sioux City division. 

In July, 1902, the company purchased 17^ acres of land at Som- 
ers from A. F. Daughenbaugh, and it was generally thought that the 
jjurchase was made as a site for shojis and a division roundhouse. 
Work on the road was delayed on account of appeals by property 
holders along the route demanding greater damages for the right of 
way, but late in the year the track was laid through Somers, Kinard 
and Lohrville to Carroll, and in June, 1903, the road was completed 
to Council Bluffs. 



FORT DODGE, DES MOIXES & SOUTHERN 

A company of surveyors came to Rockwell City late in Septem- 
ber, 1902, looking for a route for the Newton & Northwestern Rail- 
road, which was to run from Newton, Jasper County, to some point 
in Northwestern Iowa. The Iowa Railroad Commission granted to 
the company the power to condemn a right of way. There was con- 
siderable speculation as to whether the road would actually be built, 
but work was commenced in 190.*$ and the next year the line was com- 
pleted to Rockwell City. Subsequently it was changed to the Fort 
Dodge, Des JNIoines & Southern, of which George F. Loring, of Bos- 
ton, Mass., was the financial mainstay, and a little later was con- 
verted into an electric line. This road runs southeast from Rockwell 
City, through Gowrie, Boone and Eraser to Des ]Moines. 

RAILROAD PROJECTS THAT FAILED 

Articles of incori^oration for the Calhoun, Sac & Dakota Railroad 
Company were tiled with the recorder of Calhoun County on Febru- 
ary 11, 188o. The object of the company was stated to be "to own, 
construct and operate or lease a line of railroad from Rockwell City 
to the northern or western line of tlie State of Iowa, with branches." 
The capital stock was fixed at $1,.)00.()0() and the first board of direc- 
tors Avas composed of F. M. Ilubbell, .1. S. Polk, J. N. JNIiller, D. C. 
Early, A. Piatt, G. R. Robinson, Washington Lewis, A. N. Jack 
and O. J. Jolley. The road never got beyond the "paper stage," and 
many people who hojied to he on a line of railroad were disap])ointed. 

In the summer of 1898 Frank Campbell, formerly a member of 
the Iowa Railroad Commission, became one of the active promoters 
for tlie ^Minnesota, Iowa & Gulf Railroad, to run from New Ulm, 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 219 

jNIinn., througli Kockwell City to New Conceiitioii, Mo., a distance of 
310 miles. In the fall of 1901 the project was revived as the ^lani- 
toba & Gulf, to run from the great wheat fields of the Northwest to 
some point on the coast of the Gulf of JNIexico. Such a road had for 
^•ears been the dream of railroad promoters. Later in the year the 
name of the comjjany Mas changed to the Continental Railway Com- 
pany and the terminals were to be Manitoba and Galveston, 1,500 
miles apart. Capital could not be found to carry out such a gigantic 
undertaking and the road was finally abandoned. 

About the 1st of September, 1901, the INIarshalltown & Dakota 
Railroad Company, which had been organized sometime before, was 
reincori^orated as the Boone, Rockwell City & Northwestern, Avhich 
had a line already completed between Eraser and Gowrie. The capi- 
tal stock of the new company was authorized as $1,. 500, 000 and jjlans 
were made to begin work in the spring of 1902. Before that time 
arrived the Newton & Northwestern had entered the field and the line 
from Eraser to Gowrie now forms a part of the Eort Dodge, Des 
Moines & Southern. 

DRAINAGE 

Although not an internal improvement in the sense of being a 
public utility, there has been no single agency that has accomplished 
so much for the development and utilization of Calhoun County's 
natural resources as the drainage sj'stem, whereby thousands of acres 
of swamp land have been reclaimed and brought under cultivation. 
For many years after the first settlements were made in the county, a 
large part of the surface was covered by marshes and old lake beds, 
connected with each other by sloughs, the water channels being irregu- 
larly defined. No provision had yet been made for draining these ^^ 
marshes, but the Sixteenth General Assembly passed an act authoriz- 
ing boards of county supervisors to "locate and cause to be constnicted 
levees, ditches or drains" necessary for the reclamation of swamp 
lands. Under the act of 1882 the property holders were given the 
right of petition to the board of supervisors for the construction of 
ditches or drains, and the board was given enlarged powers in the way 
of assessments against the property benefited and damages in favor 
of the projierty injured by the construction of such ditch or drain. 

At the time this law was passed there were over twenty thousand 
acres in the northwestern parf of Calhoun County unfit for cultivation 
on account of the marshy condition of the soil. This marshy section 



220 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

was divided into two tracts known as Hell Slough and Shipman 
Slough, the natural outlet of which was through a low, marshy strip 
some four hundred feet in width to the head of Camp Creek. In the 
spring of 1885 a petition signed by L. W. ]Moody and 112 others — 
a majority of the land owners in the district — was presented to the 
board of supervisors, asking for the construction of a ditch to reclaim 
the land affected by these two sloughs. 

James JSlcClure was appointed by the board to make a lireliminary 
survey, prejjare a plan and furnish an approximate estimate of the 
cost. This was done during the summer and fall of 1885. Upon 
the presentation of JMr. INIcClure's report the board appointed com- 
missioners to fix the amount of benefits and damages. In Januarj', 
1888, the board ordered the construction of the ditches necessary to 
drain Hell Slough, which was designated as District No. 1, and Ship- 
man Slough, District No. 2. The commissioners appointed to deter- 
mine the amount of benefits and damages to be assessed against or in 
favor of each piece of land within the districts made their final report 
on June 14, 1888, and on April 4, 1889, Mr. McClure was directed 
to prepare detailed plans for the work so that a contract could be let. 

Drainage bonds to the amount of $17,000 were authorized, but 
at the April session the auditor and treasurer reported that they had 
been unable to negotiate them on the terms prescribed by the board. 
These bonds were then canceled and on INIay 18, 1889, seventeen bonds 
for $1,000 each were, authorized. These bonds were made payable 
semi-annually, beginning on October 1, 1889, and were to bear 7 per 
cent interest. Bids w^ere advertised for and the contract was awarded 
to W. H. Wheeler & Company, of Sciotoville, Ohio, for 1214 cents 
per cubic yard. Beginnijig at the head of the ditch, the contractors 
l)ut two steam dredges, each 18 feet wide and 70 feet long, at work, 
the ditch filling with water sufficient to float the dredges as the work 
proceeded. 

When the supervisors met in November they found that the esti- 
mate as to the amount of earth to be removed Avas entirely too low, 
and that the money realized from the sale of the bonds was practically 
exhausted. It was therefore ordered that drainage bonds to the 
amount of $30,000, in addition to the $17,000 authorized in JMay, and 
on the same terms. The last of these bonds fell due in 1909. 

By the terms of the contract the Hell Slough ditch was to be com- 
pleted by November 1, 1890, and the Shipman Slough ditch by No- 
vember 1, 1890. The contractors pushed their work with such energy 
that on September 5, 1890, Mr. ISIcChn-e reported that both ditches 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 221 

were completed. JNIr. iNIcClure read a paper on these ditches before 
the Iowa Civil Engineers' and Surveyors' Society at the annual meet- 
ing, held in Des JNloines on January l,j-l(), 1896, from which the fol- 
lowing description and comment are taken: 

"The top width of ditch ranges from twenty to thirty-two feet, 
with side slopes of 1I/2 to 1. The depth of cutting was from 4 to 
13I 2 feet. The total amount on the ISy^ miles of ditch No. 1 was 
190,899 cubic yards, and in the 121/0 miles of No. 2 it was 167.180 
cubic yards. Tlie work was completed in the fall of 1890 and cost 
about <^5 1,000. The two districts were bonded for a term of years 
to meet the expense. The question next asked is, Did the benefit 
derived from the work pay for the outlay? 

"Previous to the construction of the ditches the greater part of 
this land was necessarily uninhabited, the home of countless numbers 
of water-fowl, lizards and snakes, but as soon as the drainage works 
were comjileted the lands became dry, farms were opened, dwellings 
built, the soil, before worthless, proved to be the richest in the county, 
and although very little tile draining has been so far done, yet the 
lands have produced good croi)s and now command good prices. The 
general liealth of the inhabitants of that part of the county has been 
greatly improved by the removal of those large bodies of stagnant 
water and fields of decaying vegetation, and the county and state 
regularly collect a proper share of tax from the lands that formerly 
paid little or nothing." 

Such was the beginning of the drainage system that has added . / 
millions of dollars to the wealth of Calhoun County. As soon as the ^ 
benefits resulting from the draining of the two great sloughs in But- 
ler, \Villianis and Garfield townships were seen, other petitions were 
filed with the board of supervisors. In June, 191.5, the board had 
approved the report of the engineer on Drainage District No. 202, for 
the reclamation of a tract of swamp land in Sherman Township. 

It is worthy of note that the first drainage bonds authorized by 
the supervisors of Calhoun County in 1889 were looked upon, with 
some distrust and had to be canceled. The new issue, bearing a 
higher rate of interest, were sold with some difficulty, but when it 
was seen that the county was redeeming them promptly and in good 
faith, such bonds no longer proved to be a drug in the market. Since 
1890 drainage bonds aggregating many thousands of dollars have 
been sold by Calhoun County and the rate of interest now is much 
lower than when the first bonds were issued. At the beginning of the 
year 191.3 the amount of drainage bonds outstanding was $23.5,409.26. 



222 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

It has cost much money to excavate these ditches, yes, but in every 
instance the returns have been far greater than the outlay. Land 
that could not be sold for any price was sometimes assessed as liigh 
as $20 per acre for the purpose of reclamation. Owners grumbled 
occasionally at what they considered excessive taxes, but when their 
worthless land increased in value from $1 to $200 per acre, and in 
productiveness more than a himdredfold, the grumbling ceased. 

Of all the counties in the state that received swamp lands under 
the grant of 1850, none has given a better account of stewardship 
than Calhoun. The highway of progress is never free from obstacles 
and the burden of civilization is often onerous. But with the courage 
of conviction, with a hope for the future, the people of Calhoun 
Countj^ boldly removed the obstructions from the highway, carried 
tlie burden through the heat of the day, reclaimed the marshes, and 
established for themselves a reputation second to no county in the 
Union for industry, foresight and progress. 



CHAPTER XIV 
EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

CHARACTER OF THE EARLY SCHOOLS — THE FRONTIER SCHOOLHOUSE — 
TEXT BOOKS OF EARLY DAYS — SPELLING SCHOOLS — THE THREE r's — 
EVOLUTION OF IOWa's SCHOOLS — THE PERMANENT SCHOOL FUND 
— SCHOOL FUNDS OF CALHOUN COUNTY — TOWN SCHOOLS — RURAL 
SCHOOLS — VALUE OF SCHOOL PROPERTY — COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL — 
PUBLIC LIBRARIES — THE PRESS — BRIEF SKETCHES OF THE CALHOUN 
COUNTY NEWSPAPERS. 

\Vliile the people of Calhoun County have accomplished almost 
marvelous results in draining the swamp lands, breaking the raw 
IJrairie and bringing it under cultivation, they have not neglected the 
education of their children. Compared with the schools of the pres- 
ent day, those of half a century or more ago, when the first settle- 
ments were made in the county, were "poor excuses," as one old resi- 
dent recently expressed it in the presence of the writer. Then there 
was little or no public funds with which to build schoolhouses or pay 
teachers. When a few families located in a neighborhood they would 
co-operate in building a schoolhouse, sometimes of logs and sometimes 
of rough lumber. If money enough could be raised in the settlement 
to purchase sash and glass, a "sm-e enough" window would be placed 
in each side of the building. If a glass window could not be afforded 
an a])erture left on each side would be covered with oiled paper, which 
would admit some light and keep out the cold. Stoves were a luxury 
and the schoolroom was heated by a huge fireplace at one end. On 
cold days those near the fire would get too warm, while those farther 
away would be suffering with the cold, consequently there was a con- 
stant changing of seats among the pupils. 

The furnitvn-e was of the "home-made" type, usually consisting 
of a few long benches made of boards or split saplings, supported on 
legs driven into holes bored with a large auger in the half-round sides 
and the split sides smoothed with a draw-knife. Under the window 

223 



224 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

a long, wide board, supported on pins or brackets, formed the writing 
desk, where each pupil would take his or her turn at the "copy book." 

And the copy books of that daj' generally consisted of a few sheets 
of foolscap, covered with a sheet of heavy wrapping pajjer. At the 
top of the page the teacher would write a line, which served the double 
purpose of furnisliing a specimen of jJcnmanship to be imitated and 
conveying a moral lesson; such as "Whatever is worth doing is worth 
doing well," "Evil comnmnications corrupt good manners," etc. 
When one i)auses to consider that the term of school was rarely over 
three months, that the same teacher hardly ever taught two terms 
in the same place, and that each teacher had a diiFerent style of pen- 
manshij), it is a wonder that the young people of that period learned 
to write as Avell as many of them did. 

Other books were Webster's spelling book, oNIcGufFey's readers. 
Pike's, Daboll's or Ray's arithmetics, and in some schools Olney's or 
Mitchell's geography and Kirldiam's or Butler's grammar. The 
teacher of that day was seldom a graduate of a higher institution of 
learning and probably never heard of a normal school. If he could 
spell and read, write well enough to "set copies," and "do all the 
sums" in the arithmetic, up to and including the "Rule of Three," he 
was qualified to teach. His physical qualifications were not over- 
looked. He must be a man able to hold the unruly and boisterous 
boys in subjection and preserve order. To this end, in many a 
frontier schoolhouse, a bundle of tough switclies would be displayed 
to the best advantage as a sort of prophylactic. The pioneer jjeda- 
gogue proceeded on tlie theory that "to spare the rod was to spoil the 
child." Not many children Avere spoiled. 

To be a good speller was considered the liasis of an education. 
jNIore attention was therefore given to orthography than to any other 
branch of study. Beginning with the "A B C's." as soon as the cliild 
learned to know all the letters by sight he was taught to spell simple 
and then more difficult words. Spelling schools of evenings were 
of frequent occurrence, and in these matches the parents nearly always 
participated. Two "captains" Avould be selected to "choose up" 
and tlie one who won the first choice a\ou1(1 choose the })erson he degmcd 
the best speller present, and so on until all who cared to take part were 
arranged on the two sides. Then the teacher "gave out" tlie words 
alternately from side to side. When one misspelled a word he took 
his seat, his defeat being rendered the more poignant by the whispers 
and i-isdles that ran around the room. The one wlio stood longest 



t>'p&' 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 225 

A\as decided to be the victor, and to "spell down" a whole district was 
legarded as a great achievement. 

After the child could read fairly well he was taught to write. 
Then came the arithmetic. In the pronunciation of this word the 
sound of the first letter was often dropped. Readin', 'Ritin' and 
'Rithmetic were considered the essentials of a practical education and 
this gave rise to the expression "the three R's." If one understood 
the three R's he was equipped for the great battle of life, so far as 
ordinai'v business transactions were concerned. 

But conditions in educational matters have kept i^ace with civic 
and industrial progress. The old frontier schoolhouse has disap- 
peared, and in its place has come the modern brick or stone edifice 
■with improved systems of heating and ventilation. The bundle of 
"gads" is no longer exhibited as a warning to evil-doers, for corporal 
punishment has been eliminated from the "course of study." Nature 
studies, manual training, drawing and music occupy places equally as 
important as "the three R's." Yet, under the old system, chief jus- 
tices, senators, professional men who have achieved world-wide repu- 
tations, and even jjresidents of the United States acquired their ele- 
mentary education in the old-time schoolhouse, where "lickin' and 
larnin' " went together. 

EVOLUTION OF IOWa's SCHOOLS 

The first school in the State of Iowa was taught in 1830 by Berry- 
man Jennings, on the bank of the Mississippi River, about eiglit miles 
above Keokuk. Jesse Creighton taught a subscription school at Keo- 
kuk about two years later, and in 1833 George Cubbage taught a 
term at Dubuque. The first woman to teach school in what is now 
the State of Iowa was jMrs. Rebecca Palmer, who taught at Fort 
Madison in 1834. The first schoolhouse was built at Burlington in 
the fall of 1833, the schools prior to that time having been taught in 
buildings that had been erected for private use. The Territorial 
Legislature of 1839 passed the first act relating to education. It 
provided that: 

"There shall be established a common school or schools in each of 
the counties of the territory which shall be open and free for every 
class of white citizens between the ages of five and twenty-one years. 
The county board is directed to organize districts in their respective 



226 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

counties whencA-er a i^etitioii may be presented for the purpose by a 
majority of the voters resident within sucli contemphited district." 

The act further provided that trustees sliould keep the schools 
open for at least three months each year. This was the beginning 
of a school system that at the beginning of the present century placed 
Iowa in the proud position of having the lowest percentage of illit- 
eracy of any state in the Union. The constitution of 1857 made 
amjjle provision for the establishment and maintenance of a perma- 
nent school fund by the declaration that: 

"The General Assembly shall encourage, by all suitable means, 
the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral and agricultural im- 
provement. The proceeds of all lands that have been, or hei-eafter 
may be, granted by the United States to this state for the supj^ort 
of schools, wliich may have been or shall hereafter be sold or disposed 
of, and the 500,000 acres of land granted to the new states, under 
an act of Congress, distributing the proceeds of the public lands 
among the several states of the Union, approved in the year of our 
Lord IS-il, and all estates of deceased persons who may have died 
without leaving a will or heir, and also such per cent as has been or 
may hereafter be granted by Congress, on the sale of lands in this 
state, shall be and remain a jierjictual fund, the interest of Avhich,^ 
together with all rents of the unsold lands, and such other means as 
the General Assembly may provide, shall be inviolably appropriated 
to the sujiport of the common schools throughout the state." 

Other constitutional provisions set forth that the money received 
from fines collected for breaches of the penal laws, and the money 
paid by persons for exemption from military duty, "shall be exclu- 
sively applied to the support of the common schools, or the establish- 
ment of libraries, as the board of education shall from time to time 
provide," and another provision of the organic law is that "the money 
subject to the supjjort and maintenance of common schools shall be 
distributed to the districts in proportion to the number of youths 
between the ages of five and twenty-one years, in such manner as 
may be provided by the General Assembly." 

According to the statement of the county auditor, the total amount 
raised for educational purposes in 1914. by taxes levied upon the prop- 
erty of the county was $158,070.38. In the following table the first 
five items constitute what is known as the "district tax;" the sixth 
is raised by a tax upon the property of the entire county; the seventh 




Illi;ll SCHOOL BUILDlXi;, l.AKK CITY 




( i:xTi;.\L s( iiiidi. luii.nixc, i.akk < rrv 



PUBLI 



PAST AAD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 227 

is the county's apportionnieut of the income from the permanent 
school fund, and the last came chiefly from fines: 

Teachers' fund $103,352.82 



o 



Contingent fund 35,44)0.1 

Schoolhouse fund 2,666.84 

School bonds 5,651.72 

School bond interest 1, -167. 66 

County school fund 9,491.09 

School fund interest 1,630.48 

All other soiu'ces 6,172.38 



Total available for the year $165,873.24 

The county superintendent's report for 1914 shows 5,096 persons 
between the ages of five and twentj'-one years entitled to share in the 
public school funds. These figures show that the people of the county 
spend annually the sum of $32.56 for each pupil of school age in the 
county — the best evidence in the world that they believe in education. 

The first school in Calhoun County was taught by David Reed 
in the fall of 1856, near Lake City. The second teacher was Mrs. 
Closes Sherman, who taught in the Village of Lake City when it 
consisted of only three or four houses. JNIrs. Sherman was a step- 
daughter of Charles Amy, who was also one of the early teachers. 
The first schoolhouse in Lake City stood on the corner now occupied 
by the United Brethren Church. The Central Building, which is 
still in use, was the first modern school building to be erected in the 
city. Lake City now has three buildings, valued by the county super- 
intendent at $40,000, employs nineteen teachers, owns apparatus val- 
ued at $2,000, has 500 volumes in the school library, and enrolls 593 
pui:)ils. 

Lincoln Township, in which is situated the Town of Manson, was 
organized in 1866. The first school in the neighborhood of INIanson 
was taught by Amelia Smith at the dwelling of James Van Home, 
a short distance southeast of the present town limits. The first school 
in ]Manson was taught in a room over a hardware store by a man 
named Catlin. On ]March 31, 1915, the Manson school board let 
a contract for a new high school building to Carl Schlacter, of Rock- 
well City, for $29,599.97. This did not include the plumbing, heat- 
ing and furniture, which, when added, brings the cost of the building 
close to forty thousand dollars. Before the erection of the new house 



228 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Manson had two good school buildings, valued at $20,000, employed 
fourteen teachers, enrolled nearly four hundi'ed jjupils, and had 9-io 
vokmies in the school library. ^Vith the completion of the new high 
school building JNlanson will be better provided with educational facili- 
ties than most Iowa cities of its size. 

Rockwell City was made the county seat in 1876. A courthouse 
was built the next year and soon after it was completed JNlrs. O. J. 
JoUey opened a school in one room. A schoolhouse Avas built in 1878 
and Annie Callaghan was the first to teach in the new building. That 
schoolhouse is still standing, but it has had its "ups and downs." 
Originally it stood on the northwest corner of jNIain and Fifth streets, 
on the lot afterward occupied by the county jail. It was sold to 
Josejih G. Palmer, who removed to another location and converted 
it into an opera house. Again it was moved, after which it Avas sold 
to the Baptist Church and taken to its present site on the east side 
of Sixth Street, between JNIain and Court. 

In 1901 a contract for a new school building, two stories in height 
with one large room on each floor, was let to J. W. Detwiler, of Des 
Moines. This building is located at the corner of Eighth and Rich- 
mond streets and is known as the West School. 

The Rockwell City High School Building was built in 1909 by 
George Netcott, of Independence, whose bid was $28,122. The Fort 
Dodge Heating and Plumbing Company was paid $8,681 more for 
the heating jilant and toilets, making the total cost $36,803. This 
building is 78 by 136 feet, two stories high with basement. In the 
basement are two manual training rooms, a room for domestic science, 
a gymnasium and a janitor's room. On the main floor are eight 
school rooms. The second floor has three large school rooms, three 
recitation rooms, a laboratory, the superintendent's office and a room 
for meetings of the school board. Size and quality considered, this 
is the cheapest school building in the county. 

The two school buildings of Rockwell City are valued at $.50,000, 
nineteen teachers are emploj^ed, there are 700 volumes in the school 
library, and over five hundi-ed pupils were enrolled during the last 
school year. The apparatus used in the city schools is valued at 
$4,000. 

In Lohrville the first school was taught by T. W. Andrus. It 
was taught in what was known as Safley Hall. JSIr. Andrus began 
his three months' term in January, 1882, but before it was completed 
he became demented and the school was closed. The following sum- 
mer ]Miss Rosa Hughes taught a term in a small wooden building 




priiLic i.ii!i;ai;v. i;ih kwkll city 




JJU.ll ^C lliiiil,, |;u( ixW 1,1.1. ( II \ 



HE NEW 
PUBLIC 



Ti: 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 229 

owned by S. H. Erown. The contract for the iirst schoolhouse was 
let on September 22, 1883, to E. W. Sorber, of Gowrie, for $2,275. 
This is the old frame building still standing on the southeast corner 
of the old school grounds. In 1914 u new high school building was 
erected and furnished at a cost of $40,000, including the furniture, 
etc. Lohrville emijloys eight teachers, enrolls about two hundred 
pupils, has 275 volumes in the school library and apparatus worth 
$600. 

Tlie first school building erected in Pomeroy was destroyed by 
the tornado of July 0, 1893, and the second by tire on March 4, 1899. 
The fire started in the basement about midnight and the building and 
contents were soon consumed, except a few books that were carried 
out by those who arrived first on the scene. The origin of the fire 
is something of a mystery. It was thought by some to have started 
from tlie furnace, but the fact that the building burned on Saturday 
night would hardly bear out that theory, as there had been no fire 
m the furnace — at least not enough to cause it to become overheated 
— for more than twenty-four liours. Tlie loss was $8,500, with $6,000 
insurance. The present building was erected the following year and 
is valued at $14,000. Ten teachers are employed in the Pomeroy 
schools, about two hundred and fifty puiiils enrolled, the school library 
numbers 1,861 volumes, tlie largest in the county, and the apparatus 
is valued at $2,970. 

There are six other incorporated towns in the county — Farnham- 
ville, Jolley, Knierim, Rinard, Somers and Yetter. The Farnham- 
ville schoolhouse has been built several years and is valued at only 
$2,000, but a movement was started in the spring of 1915 for the 
erection of a new building. Five teachers are employed in the Farn- 
hamville schools, there are 150 volumes in the school library, the appa- 
ratus is appraised at $300, and about one hundred and fifty pupils 
are enrolled. 

The Jollej' school building is valued at $3,500, four teachers are 
employed here, over one hundred pupils enrolled, and the school has 
100 volumes in its library. 

At Knierim the schoolhouse is valued at $3,200, but the apparatus 
used is valued at $900. About one hundred pupils are enrolled and 
four teachers are employed during the school year. 

Rinard was not incorporated until early in the year 1915 and its 
schools are not reported separately in the last report of the county 
superintendent, being included in Cedar Township. 



230 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Soniers has a comfortable school building, in which four teachers 
are emploj'ed, and which is valued at $2,600. The library numbers 
150 volumes and about one hiuidred pupils are enrolled. 

Yetter has the smallest enrollment of any of the towns in the 
county, reporting in 1914 but sixty-four pupils. Two teachers are 
emi^loyed, there are 150 volumes in the library, the apparatus is valued 
at $200 and the building at $3,200. 

RURAL, SCHOOLS 

In the chapters on Township History is given an account of the 
early schools in each township, as well as the conditions in each at 
the beginning of the year 1915. But for convenience of comparison 
the rmal schools are here recapitulated. There are 130 districts in 
the several townships. Butler has six; Calhoun and Lincoln, seven 
each; Cedar, Center, Elm Grove, Greenfield, Jackson. Reading and 
Twin Lakes, eight each; Garfield, Lake Creek, Logan, Sherman, 
Union and Williams, nine each. In these 130 districts 132 teachers 
were employed during the school year of 1913-14, and that number has 
since been increased to 135. This number, added to the eighty-nine 
teachers in the incorporated towns, makes a total of 224 teachers 
employed in the county and town schools. The value placed on the 
rural schoolhouses by the county superintendent is $71,190, which 
is below the real value and does not include the value of the lands 
upon which the houses stand. The apparatus in the rural schools 
was valued in 1914 at $3,150, and the total number of volumes in 
the libraries was 11,150. It is safe to say that Calhoun County has 
over three hundred thousand dollars permanently invested in school 
property, and that this amount is annually increasing by the erection 
of new schoolhouses, etc. 

COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL 

Pursuant to an act of the Iowa Legislature, the citizens of Cal- 
houn County, or a majority of them, petitioned the board of super- 
visors in 1889 to submit to the voters the question of establisliing a 
county high school at Rockwell City. The board granted the peti- 
tion and on September 2, 1889. issued the order that the question 
be submitted to the electors of Calhoun County at the election on the 
5th of the following November. The proposition to establish such a 
school was defeated at the election and Calhoun Coimty never had a 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 231 

high school under the provisions of the act mentioned. After all, it 
was probably a good thmg for the people of the county that such a 
school was not established, as each of the principal towns now has 
its own high scliool, thus bringing the facilities for liigh school edu- 
cation in closer touch with the population and enabling a larger num- 
ber of the youth of the county to attend such institutions at less 
expense. 

PUBLIC LIBRARIES ' 

There are two public libraries in Calhomi County — one at Lake 
City and the other at Rockwell City. The library at Lake City marks 
the beginning of its history from the spring of 190.5, when the club 
women of the town started a canvass for one book or more from each 
family, the collection thus established to become a circulating sub- 
scription library. Quite a number of books were donated and the 
next question tliat came up was to provide some place to house them. 
S. T. Hutcliison donated a lot at the northeast corner of the public 
square for a site for a library building and communication was opened 
with Andrew Carnegie, asking him to donate a sum sufficient to erect 
a suitable building. 

In 1908 the people of the town voted in favor of a tax to sup- 
])()rt the library and iNIr. Carnegie then gave $7,.jOO for the purpose 
requested. Plans were approved and work was commenced on the 
building in 1909. In Maj% 1910, tlie library ^\as thrown open to 
the public. It has been well patronized from the start and a number 
of ne^,- books are added annually. On ^Nlarch 1. 1915, there were 
2, .500 volumes in the library, embracing liistory, poetry and the drama, 
biography, reference works and fiction. There are also a number 
of juvenile works for the benefit of the young folks. 

The library is managed by a board of nine tnistees. John N. 
Freeman Mas president of the board in INIarch. 1915; INIrs. L. J. 
JNIighell, vice president; E. W. Townsend, secretary and treasurer; 
and the other members were: Mrs. Elizabeth Hutchison, Mrs. T. B. 
Hotchkiss, INIrs. Adda B. Griffin, Mrs. H. W. Crawford, Mrs. Jose- 
phine [Moseley and Arthur Bauer. The library is open of afternoons 
and evenings on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and is under 
the charge of Miss Blanche I. Hackett as librarian. 

The first attempt to establish anything in the nature of a Iil)rary 
in Rockwell City was made in the spring of 1897, when the young 
people's societies joined together and opened a reading room in the 



232 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

rear of Lucas' jewelry store on the south side of the square. The 
reading jjroved to he popuLir and some of the pubhc spirited citizens 
petitioned the city coimcil to submit to the people the question of 
levying a tax for the sujjport of a library. The question was so sub- 
mitted on JMarch 27, 1898, but a majority of the votes were cast in 
the negative and the j^roj^osition to start a library by means of a tax 
was defeated. 

After a time the young people grew tired of maintaining the read- 
ing room at their own expense and it was discontinued. The subject 
of a public library or reading room was then allowed to lie dormant 
until December, 1904. Then Rev. C. M. Phoenix, pastor of the 
Methodist Church, raised a fund and leased two rooms on the second 
floor of the Savings Rank Ruilding, which he opened as a reading 
room for young men. The rooms were heated by steam and lighted 
by electricity and were open of evenings and Simday afternoons. Tlie 
jjroject was suj^ported by voluntary contributions, but after 31r. 
Phoenix was called to another charge the reading room was left with- 
out its principal supporter and was soon abandoned. 

In the sjiring of 1907 Mrs. Sarah ]M. Stevenson, then president 
of the Tourist Club, appointed a conunittee to take the preliminary 
stej)s toward the founding of a public library. JNlrs. F. H. Allan, 
Mrs. R. E. Stonebraker, Mrs. Stevenson and Mrs. M. W. Frick were 
all jjarticularly active in the Mork. People donated books and some 
money for running expenses, and tlie first reading room was opened 
in the Rrower Hotel Ruilding. Tlien some of the men became inter- 
ested, and started a movement for the establishment of a public 
library in a home of its own. 

On December 4, 1907, a number of women appeared before the 
city council in regular session and asked that body to submit the ques- 
tion of levying a library tax to the people at a special election. The 
council accordingly called an election for Saturday, January 11, 1908, 
when the projDosition was carried by a vote of 124 to 84. 

In the meantime E. C. Stevenson, on behalf of the people of 
Rockwell City, had written to Andrew Carnegie and learned the terms 
upon which he would donate the necessary funds for the erection of 
a library building. After the election of January 11, 1908, it was 
found that a tax of 3 mills on the dollar would raise a fund of $840, 
and as Mv. Carnegie required the tax to equal 10 per cent of liis 
donation, it was decided to ask him for $8,400. He took tlie view 
that $8,000 would be sufficient and that sum was given to the city. 
The building was dedicated on June 9, 1909, with Judge Z. A. Church 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 233 

as the orator of the occasion, and was immediately afterward opened 
to the public, with JMrs. F. H. Allan as librarian. When the build- 
ing was completed there were 800 books in the library and on June 1, 
liJlj, the number of volumes was about four thousand. 

The trustees for 191j were M. W. Frick, F. P. Huff, E. W. 
Burch, E. C. Stevenson, R. H. Mattison, JMrs. C. E. Leonard, JMrs. 
J. F. Lavender, JMrs. J. C. Frick and JMiss Cora Corwin. 

JMention has been made of the libraries conducted in connection 
with the public schools. While they are not public libraries, the 
pupils frequently are permitted to take books to their homes for the 
purpose of study, and in this way many of the volumes are read 
wholly or partially by the parents. At the close of the school year 
in 1914 tliere were approximately sixteen thousand volumes in the 
various school libraries. 

In the fall of 1900 Count}' Superintendent Sandy announced to 
his teachers that some public spirited man, Avho did not wish his name 
made iniblic, had agreed to give $200 in prizes to the districts that 
woidd raise the most money for library purposes between September, 
1900, and July, 1901. The first prize was to consist of $30 worth of 
books, the second of $20 worth, and the next fifteen prizes of $10 
worth each. District No. 4, Twin Lakes Township, won the first 
prize, having raised $82; District No. 1, Center Township, won the 
second prize with $40.30, though District No. 1, Williams Township, 
was not far behind, having raised even $40. The total amount raised 
by the children of the county was $792.93. 

The same man the following year agreed to give $10 Avorth of 
books to every district that raised $2.5, and repeated his jirize offer, 
providing that the schools which won prizes in the first contest should 
not be permitted to compete in the second. It was largely through 
the generosity of this anonymous benefactor that the school libraries 
of Calhoun County occupy the high position they do at the present 
time. 

THE PRESS 

Tlie newspaper is unquestionably a factor in the educational 
development of any community. Through the dissemination of gen- 
eral news it kee])s its readers in close touch with ciu'rent history, and 
by the publication of special articles on scientific, industrial or domes- 
tic subjects it helps forward modern progress by giving men and 
women a better grasp on their occupations. It is therefore consid- 



234 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

ered appropriate to include in this chapter some account of the news- 
papers of Calhoun County. 

As the farmer, the artisan or the professional man reads his news- 
paper todaj^ he may not know the many steps in its evolution, or if 
he does know he does not attach much importance to the story of 
the newspajier's development. Long before printing was invented 
news letters, written with a pen or brush — something like the modern 
bulletin board — were circulated in Rome, Venice and China. The 
first printed newspaper was the Nuremberg Gazette, published in 
1457. 

The first American newspaper, entitled "Publick Occin-rences," 
was jirinted in Boston, Mass., September 2.5, 1690. It consisted of 
three jjages of two columns each and one blank page. For some rea- 
son this paper was soon suppressed, and in 1704 the Boston News 
Letter made its appearance, printed on one sheet of foolscap paper. 
It continued to flourish for nearly three-quarters of a century. The 
first political paper in the United States was iJublished in 1733, and 
the first daily paper in 1784. 

In 1834 John King came from Ohio to Dubuque and brought a 
printing press, the first ever brought to what is now the State of 
Iowa. On jNIay 11, 1836, the Dubuque Visitor, the first newspaper 
ever jirinted in Iowa, was printed on this press and bore the name 
of William C. Jones as editor. 

Gue's History of Iowa says the first paper in Callioun County 
was started in June, 1871, by B. F. Gue, with Ed W. Wood in 
charge. It was located at Lake City and was called the Callioun 
County Pioneer. Wood afterward purchased the paper and con- 
ducted it for a while, when he sold to T. B. Hotchkiss. After a time 
Hotchkiss and his associates sold to Earl Billings, who changed the 
name to the Calhoun County Index. Billings conducted the paper 
but a short time, Avhen he sold to E. B. Tabor, now of the Earlville 
(111.) Leader, Avho removed it to Glidden, and Calhoun was without 
a news])aper. 

Early in November, 1874, T. B. Hotchkiss began the publication 
of the Lake City Journal. In the summer of 1877 he removed the 
office to Rockwell City, the new county seat, and changed the name 
of the paper to the Calhoim County Journal. Subsequently he 
removed the paper to Pomeroy, where it Avas pulilished for a short 
time, when it was taken to IManson. Soon after locating at INIanson 
Mr. Hotchkiss sold a half interest to B. F. Walton and a little later 
sold the other half to George I. Long, who had served as an appren- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 235 

tice on the Journal. AValton sold his interest to Thomas D. Long 
and under the management of the Long brothers the ]Slanson Jour- 
nal became one of the best known newspapers in Northwestern Iowa. ' 
After the death of George I. Long the paper was conducted by his 
brother until October 1, 1914, when it was sold to Thomas ^Valpole. 

On August 9, 1877, the first number of the JNIanson Press was 
issued by Cyrus D. Auyer, of Webster City. In his salutatory Mr. 
Auyer said: "Today we step upon the rostrum of journalism in 
Calhoim County. ^Ve make no promises of future great achieve- 
ments, but shall jjursue any course that we may be convinced will 
result in the greatest good to the greatest number. Politically, the 
Press will be republican, but we shall always, to the best of our ability, 
.sui^port the best men for the best places. Our first aim will be to 
serve the people of Calhoun County with a live local paper, and all 
other matter must give way to local interests." 

I In time the Press was succeeded by the Manson Democrat, which 
in 1892 was conducted by T. B. LelNIoine. In July of that year John 
F. Dalton acquired a half interest in the paper and on December 1, 
1892, he purcliased the interest of Mr. LeIMoine, improved the plant, 
and is still the proprietor of the Democrat. 

After T. B. Hotchkiss disposed of the Manson Journal he re- 
turned to Lake City, where in 1879 he started the Lake City Blade. 
On ]March 10. 1886. the Blade was purchased liy W. C. Snyder, who 
continued its publication until April 19, 1911, when it was consoli- 
dated with the Lake City News.^ j/ 

The first number of the Lake City Graj)hic was issued on Decem- 
ber 18, 1886, by T. B. Hotchkiss, who is still the proprietor. It was 
first pubished in the old courthouse, which had been removed from 
the i)iiblic square to South Center Street, and was owned by JNIr. 
Hotchkiss. When the Citizens Bank Building was erected in 1899 
the basement was fitted up expressly for the use of the Graphic, where 
JNIr. Hotchkiss has one of the best equipped newspaper and printing 
plants in this section of the state. 

In ]\Iay, 1879, A. Calhoon bought a press and stock of type from 
J. N. Miller and began the publication of the Calhoun Covmty Repub- 
lican. He conducted the paper but a short time, however, when he 
sold out to H. W. Dudley. This paper has had an imintcrru])ted 
existence and is now published by Mattison Brothers as a weekl)^ 
republican paper. 

In November, 1880, E. B. Stillman and his brother bought the 
outfit of the Avoca Mail and removed it to Lohrville, where they 



236 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

started the Lohrville Enterprise. A little later they leased the olRce 
to E. E. Johnston, who afterward purchased the Rockwell City Advo- 
cate and leased the Lohrville paper to Fred ]Moore, of Lake City. 
Charles J. Baker then bought the plant from the Stillmans, and in 
JNIay, 1896, sold it to D. W. Ainey. Several changes in ownership 
and management followed until 11)03, when J. C. Ashton purchased 
the office from H. W. Robinson, and in 1910 W. F. Safley became 
Mr. Ashton's partner. The Enterprise is still published by Ashton 
& Safley. 

Late in September, 1890, S. K. Gregg began the publication of 
a newspaper at Rockwell City, which he called the Farmers Advo- 
cate. Mr. Gregg sold out to Alford & Fisher, who conducted the 
paper but a short time, when the outfit was sold to E. E. Johnston, 
the lessee of the Lohrville Enterprise. The first number of the 
Advocate issued by Mr. Johnston bears date of March 11, 1892. He 
continued at the head of the paper until October 10, 1907, when he 
sold to Walter A. Noel, the present editor and proprietor. In the 
meantime the name had been changed to the Rockwell City Advocate. 
The Lake City News was started by Kane & Jackson. ]Mr. Kane 
was a practical printer and the junior partner had formerly been 
county superintendent of schools in Sac County. In a little while 
Kane sold his interest to a man named Clark, who later bought Mr. 
Jackson's interest and became sole proprietor. It was under Mr. 
Clark's management at the time the Lake City Blade was consolidated 
with the News in April. 1911. In October. 1911, the paper, good will 
and fixtures were purchased by W. H. T. Shade, the present 
proprietor. 

The Pomeroy Herald began its existence soon after the great tor- 
nado of 1893. Later a small paper called the Pomeroy Gleaner was 
started, but it was absorbed by the Herald in October, 1898, while 
Ed Larmon was proprietor. The Herald has changed hands several 
times during its career and is now published weekly by Scott H. 
McClure. 

Charles Wright, a practical i)i-inter who learned his trade in the 
office of the Fairfield (Neb.) Ledger, came to Farnhamville in May, 
1901, and started the Farnhamville Index. On February 10. 1904, 
the Index became the property of J. W. Hartinger, who is still the 
editor and proprietor. 

There have been a few newspaper ventures in the county that 
were short lived. Among these was the Rockwell City Sentinel, 
which was published for a short time in 1897 by L. O. Hull, and an 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 237 

effort Avas made to establish a newspaper at Soniers soon after that 
town was incorporated, but no details concerning it have been learned. 

The minutes of the board of supervisors in 1880 mention the 
Rockwell City Leader as one of the official papers of the county. The 
Leader was started a short time before that by A. W. Jackson as a 
democratic weekly. The publication office was burned and the 
Leader was discontinued. 3Ir. Jackson then went to Ord, Neb. 
Subsequently he returned to Iowa, located at West Liberty, and, 
having changed his politics, was aj^pointed postmaster of that town 
by President Taft. 

Upon the Avhole, the newspapers of Calhoun County at the pres- 
ent time will compare favorably with those of the other counties of 
the state. As a rule they are well printed, presenting a neat and clean 
appearance; they show commendable enterprise in the publication of 
local news, have substantial subscriptions lists and enjoy a good adver- 
tising jiatronage. 



CHAPTER XV 
CHURCH HISTORY 

CHURCH HISTORY DIFFICULT TO AVRITE — METHODIST EPISCOPAL 

CHURCH CHRISTIAN CHURCH — CHURCH OF CHRIST — CATHOLIC 

CHURCH CONGREGATIOXALISTS THE LUTHERANS EA'AXGELICAL 

CHURCH PRESBYTERIANS THE BAPTISTS BRIEF SKETCHES OF 

EACH SOCIETY — MISCELLANEOUS CHURCHES GENERAL C0:MMENT. 

To compile an accurate account of the church organizations in any 
county is one of the liardest tasks that could be assigned to the writer 
of a county history. The men and women who founded the churches, 
years ago, have been called from the scene of their earthly labors by 
the hand of death or removed to other localities; early records have 
been lost or destroyed; pastors come and go, seldom remaining long 
enough in one place to become thoroughly familiar with the history 
of the congregation ; and very few of the old members of the church 
that are left can remember in detail the events that happened during 
the early years of its existence. 

JNIost of the pioneers of Calhoun County were firm believers in 
the princii^les and tenets of the Christian religion and it was not long 
after tlie first settlements were made that steps were taken to organize 
church societies and build houses of worship. At first denomina- 
tional lines were not closely drawn and in the first cluu-ch buildings 
erected ministers of different faiths lield services, which were gen- 
erally attended by all the settlers within reach, without regard to 
theological differences of opinion. But as the population increased 
the people who belonged to some particular sect, or worshiped accord- 
ins to some established creed, associated themselves together as a 
church organization. 



'fS"- 



METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

Gue, in his History of Iowa, says a IMethodist Episcopal Church 
was organized at Lake City in 1856, and that it was the first chm-ch 

238 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 239 

m Calhoun Count}'. Ainong the early ministers of this denomination 
who held services in Calhoun County were Cadwell, Fleming, Hindig, 
Ney, Bell, ^Mitchell, and Rev. Charles Clifton. Some of these men 
came to the settlement and preached in jH'ivate dwellings before any 
attempt was made to organize a church society. The first meetings 
of this congregation were held in the old courthouse and the school- 
house for several years, but on January 8, 1875, the JNIethodist Epis- 
copal Church of Lake City was incorporated by John Offenback, 
E. S. Clow, D. E. Rogan. j". D. :McVay and J. ^L Toliver. Six days 
later F. E. Stevenson sold to the church lot No. 1, block 18, in Lake 
City, for a consideration of one dollar, and upon this lot a frame 
house of worship was soon afterward ei'ected. 

New articles of incorporation Avere filed with the county recorder 
on September 10, 1901), when the name was changed to "Trinity 
Methodist Episcoj^al Church of Lake City." with H. M. Humphrev, 
C. H. Packard, D. W. McCrary, H. H.^Feige and J. :M. Miller as 
trustees. The present handsome and commodious house of woi-ship, 
a brick structure of modern design, was built in 1910 on the site of 
the old church building. Besides being the oldest Methodist society 
in the county. Trinity is one of the strongest and most jjrosperous 
churches of this faith in the comity at the present time. 

Grace 3Iethodist E])iscopal Church of ^Nlanson had its beginning 
in July, 1866, when the few jNIethodists living in the northeastern ^ ^ 
part of the county met at the house of Joseph Vates and organized 
a Sunday school, with Robert Glover as superintendent. In the fall 
of that year the circuit rider, a minister named King, came from the 
church on the North Lizard and organized a IMethodist class, with 
W. T. Smith as class leader. The next year JNIr. Hamilton, who 
succeeded 3Ir. King on the circuit, began holding regular services at 
Air. Yates' residence. 

Later the meetings were held in the Yatesville schoolhouse until 
the railroad was built and the Town of JNIanson sprang up, when the 
church \vas transferred to the new village. About 1873 the Congre- 
gationalist Church was built in JNIanson and the Methodists held their 
meetings in this house for a while, when they erected a small frame 
church of their own. Grace Church was incorporated on June 30, 
1899, with J. A. Janssen, J. J. Sebern, J. E. Reynoldson, W. D, 
Long, M. W. Fitz, Dr. W. T. Speaker, J. E. Kersteter, E. L. Hobbs 
and J. M. Seaver, as the first board of trustees. Not long after the 
incorporation of the society a substantial brick house of worship, with 
a seating capacity of about one thousand, was erected and dedicated. 



240 PAST AXU PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Rockwell City was organ- 
ized ill the spring of 1878, with Rev. W. F. Gleason of the INIanson 
charge as the first minister. The charter members of this church 
were: Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Smith, ^Slr. and Mrs. A. N. Jack, Mr. 
and Mrs. Washington Lewis, Mr. and JNIrs. T. W. :McCrary, ^Mr. 
and ]Mrs. IVIarcus Freeman, and a few others. The second pastor 
was Rev. William Preston. 

For more than four years the services were held in the school- 
house. On February 1, 1882, the society was incorporated, with 
AVashington Lewis, T. W. McCrary, W. T. Smith, A. N. Jack and 
JMarcus Freeman as the first board of trustees. During that year 
funds for the erection of a church were collected and in 1888 a frame 
house of worshij) was completed at a cost of about thirty-five hundred 
dollars. This structure served the congregation until the fall of 

1906, when the congregation decided on a new building to have a 
seating capacity of at least 850 people, which could be increased to 
1,000. The cornerstone of the new edifice was laid on April 24, 

1907, Hon. J. P. Dolliver, one of Iowa's United States senators, 
delivering the address. Before the close of the year the new church 
was dedicated. Its cost Avas $20,000 and it is one of the best church 
buildings in the county. 

What is now the First INIethodist Episcopal Church of Somers 
Avas first organized in September, 1880, at the Cedar Center school- 
house, in Cedar Township, with only four members, viz.: ]Mr. and 
INIrs. Calvin JNIcVay and ]Mr. and JNIrs. J. H. Hesser. Services were 
held during the following winter by Rev. G. W. Southwell and in the 
spring of 1881 several new members were added to the church. In 
1883 the meetings were changed to the ]Muddy schoolhouse, where 
they were continued until 1887. On April 13, 1887, the society was 
incorporated under the name of Cedar JNIethodist Episcopal Church, 
with Albert Craven, Werner Moeller, Thomas F. Moore, Samuel J. 
Dean, William H. Lotspeich, John Reed and Robert Felton as the 
trustees. 

A Ladies' Aid Society was organized about the time the church 
was incorporated and took an active part in raising funds for the 
erection of a house of worship. Before the close of 1887 a neat 
frame building was erected and in 1888 a parsonage was built. Both 
church and parsonage were afterward removed to Somers. and on 
April 2, 1901, the society was incorporated as the First ^Methodist 
Episcopal Church of Somers. The trustees who signed the articles 
of incorporation at that time were C. I. Johnson, A. C. Brand, E. F. 











METHum«T EPISCOPAL ( 111 i;( H. .MAXSON 



; nBLlC 



ASTOB. U 
TTLOEN F, 



PAST AXD PRESEXT OF CALHOUX COUXTY 241 

Kichey, Baily Ham and W. H. Lotspeich. The congregation now 
numbers over one hundred active members. 

Among the early settlers of Union Township were a number of 
!Metiiodist families, who held meetings at irregular intervals, when- 
ever tliey could secure the services of a minister. On these occasions 
the meetings would be held at the home of some settler or at the scliool- 
house. After a time the society now known as the First JNIethodist 
Episcopal Church of Lohrville was organized as a charge of the Lake 
City Circuit, in the Fort Dodge District of the Xorthwest Iowa Con- 
ference. This church was incorporated on March 1, 1888, with W. 
J. Xolin, Charles E. McClure, S. E. Forrest, W. A. Mcintosh and 
D. J. Townsend as the first board of trustees. The society now 
has a handsome house of worship and is in a prosperous condition. 

Tlie First 3Iethodist Church of Pomeroy was incorporated on Xew 
Year's day in 1890, though the society had been organized some time 
])ef()re that date and meetings had been held in rented quarters. The 
first board of trustees after the incorporation was composed of I. C. 
Eutson, C. J. Ingram, Thomas ]Miller, George W. Smth and G. W. 
\\'ilkinson. A church and parsonage were erected, but both build- 
ings were wrecked by the great tornado of July 6, 1893. They were 
rebuilt, however, and the name of the congregation was changed to 
the Chiistine Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, by which it is 
still known. 

The First jNIethodist Episcopal Church of Farnhamville was or- 
ganized some time in the '80s and at first held meetings in a school- 
house north of the town. Prominent among the early members were 
the Wheeler, ]McVay and Johnson families. Late in the year 1889 
the (question of building a house of worship came before the congre- 
gation and it was decided to remove the meeting place to the Town 
of Farnhamville and build a church. Articles of incorporation were 
therefore filed with the county recorder on March 22, 1890, with 
^y. W. Wiles, Charles Rose, J.W. Jolinson, J. C. ^IcVay and W. H. 
AVheeler as trustees. A lot in Farnhamville was purchased and a 
comfortable frame house of worship was erected thereon at a cost of 
about two thousand dollars. This was the second church building 
to l)e erected in Farnhamville. A parsonage was built a year or two 
later. 

The To^^Tl of Jolley was platted in the summer of 1883. F. C. 
Mallory, one of the residents of that part of the county, belonged to 
the ^lethodist Chureh. After the toAvn began to build up INIr. IVIal- 
lory and a few others organized a ^lethodist class, which a little later 



242 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

developed into the Jolley Methodist Episcopal Church. This society 
was incorporated on Api-il 13, 1891, with F. Long, Isaac Wall, \V. J. 
Johnson, F. C. JNIallory and W. B. Harris as the first board of trus- 
tees, under whose management the present house of worship, a neat 
frame structure, Avas erected. 

iNIethodist ministers visited the Gregg Settlement, in Lake Creek 
Township, at a comparatively early date and meetings were held in 
Center schoolhouse. In the winter of 1890-91 a movement for the 
erection of a church building was started and on Saturday, IMay 9, 
1891, an election for trustees was held at the schoolhouse above men- 
tioned. Articles of incorporation were then prepared and after being 
approved by Rev. G. W. L. Brown, then presiding elder of the dis- 
trict, they were filed in the office of the county recorder, signed by 
T. W. ]McCrary, W. P. ^lapel, S. A. Stewart, G. M. Hartley, Wil- 
liam Acklin, John Dougherty and W. N. Spaulding. A small frame 
house of worship was then erected and services were held regularly 
for several years. Then the congregation became weakened by the 
death of some of the active members and the removal of others, the 
organization Avent down and meetings Avere discontinued. The 
church building was finally sold to the Seventh Day Adventists and 
removed to Lake City. 

The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Greenfield Township 
is the outgrowth of a series of meetings held in a schoolhouse during 
the winter of 189.5-96. In the spring of 1896 a church society was 
organized and on August 8, 1896, the following board of trustees 
was elected at a meeting held in Cedar (now Somers) INIethodist 
Episcopal Church: W. J. Cooper, T. W. Wright, G. C. Wright, 
Charles Wickmann. J. N. Hyde and C. Nicholson. Articles of incor- 
poration signed by these trustees Avere filed in the recorder's office on 
September 28. 1897, and the church edifice erected by the society Avas 
dedicated on Sunday, January 2, 1898, Rev. G. W. Pratt officiating. 
This church is generally knoAvn as the Knierim INIethodist. A par- 
sonage Avas built a year or tAvo after the church Avas dedicated and the 
society is in a prosperous condition. 

Soon after the ToAvn of Lavinia Avas founded in the fall of 1899 
the fcAv Methodists in that vicinity secured the services of a minister 
and held meetings in the schoolhouse. Aided by the INIethodists of 
Jolley and RockAvell City, a church organization Avas effected in the 
summer of 1900. The first board of trustees was elected at a meet- 
ing held in the Jolley Methodist Church on December 10. 1900, and 
was made up as folloAvs: Frank M. Delano, John Whitted, Leonard 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 243 

^V. ]McCrai y, T. C. JNIaulsby and George E. Peters. The society was 
formally incorporated on October '20, 1902, and the clmrch building 
was dedicated a short time afterward. 

The youngest ^Methodist Episcopal Church in the county is the 
one at Rinard, which was incorporated on April 12, 1905, with the 
following trustees: E. L. Crawford, J. F. Townsend, W. JNl. Lakin, 
]\I. V. Keith and Charles H. Decker. A frame house of worship 
was erected and dedicated before the close of that year and the society 
is growing steadily both in influence and membership. 

CHRISTIAN CHURCH 

A few years after the first settlement was established in the south- 
western part of the county. Rev. IVIoses INIcDaniel, a minister of that 
I)ranch of the Christian Church commonly referred to as New Lights, 
came to Lake City and preached, first at the house of Peter Smith 
and afterward in the courthouse at Lake City. Peter Smith, Chris- 
tian Smith, James O. Smith, their wives and a few others organized 
themselves into a regular church society, which increased in numbers / 
as time jiassed, and in 1872 steps were taken to build a place of wor- 
ship. ^V^ork on a church building was commenced in the summer of 
1873 and it was dedicated early in the year 1874. This structure is 
still standing, one block north of the northwest corner of the public 
scjuare, and it is said to have been the first building erected in Calhoun 
County exclusively as a place of religious worshiji. Althougli not so 
strong as in former years, the congregation still maintains its organi- 
zation and holds regular services. It is the only society of this faith 
in the count}'. 

CHURCH OF CHRIST 

About the close of the Civil war a number of disciples, or members 
of the Church of Christ, organized the first church of this faith in 
Calhoun County at Lake City. Rev. A. C. Corbin was the first pas- 
tor and under his charge the membership increased. On September, 
19, 1882, the church was incorporated with David Parker, James B. 
Scott and H. W. Sprague as the first board of trustees. In 1883 a 
frame house of worship was built on South Center Street. During 
the next ten years the congregation outgrew its quarters and in 1893 
work was commenced on the present handsome "Woodlawn Church." 
The building was completed at a cost of $12,000 and was dedicated in 



<iJ 



2U PAST AND PllESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

189G. In the spring of 1915 the congregation numbered 375 mem- 
bers. This is not only tlie ohlest, but it is also the strongest church of 
this denomination in the county. ^V^hen the present church building 
was ready for occupancy the old one on Center Street was sold to the 
Cathohcs. 

Along in the '80s a few members of the Church of Christ and some 
Presbyterians organized a imion Sunday school at the Hawkeye 
schoolhouse in Reading Township. Regular church services were 
held, the minister sometimes being a Presbyterian and sometimes a 
Disciple. After a time those belonging to the Chiu'ch of Christ united 
with other of that faith, living in Union Township, and organized the 
Lohrville Christian Church. For some time meetings were held in 
the schoolhouse or in a hall, but about the beginning of the present 
century a substantial frame church was erected and the society is now 
in a prosperous condition. 

In the early '90s Rev. E. ]M. ]\Iiller, minister of the Church of 
Christ, came to Calhoun County and assisted in the organization of 
several new churches. The first of these is the First Church of Christ 
of JoUey. which dates its beginning from the autumn of 1895. On 
June '22. 189(>. a meeting was called for the purpose of perfecting the 
organization. Rev. E. ]M. ^Miller acted as chairman; Grace ^loore, as 
secretary; and S. H. Moore, John Schulz, D. Harvey, jNIrs. S. H. 
Moore and Mrs. H. M. Donaker were elected as trustees. A little 
later these trustees signed articles of incorporation, which were filed 
with the county recorder on December 3, 1896, and the following year 
the church building was finished and dedicated. 

The Church of Christ of Rockwell City — usually designated the 
Christian Cbin-ch — had its beginning in a series of meetings in a tent 
in 1895. After the conclusion of the meetings the church was formally 
organized with twenty- four charter members, among whom were E. E. 
Reynolds. Robert Whitted, W. H. Trow, W. E. Whealen. William 
Homan, D. E. Laird, Bertha Reed and Cora Gasaway. On January 
4, 1898, a meeting was held for the purpose of adopting articles of 
incorporation, with a view to building a house of worship. Four days 
later the articles, signed by A. P. INIcCallister, E. E. Reynolds. W. E. 
Whealen and R. W. Whitted, were filed in the office of the county 
recorder. The church building was erected at a cost of $2,700 and 
was dedicated on June 4. 1899, -while Rev. A. E. INIajor was i)astor. 

The First Church of Christ at Rands was organized by se\eral 
persons who became converts at the tent meetings in Rockwell City 
in 1895. The first board of trustees consisted of O. P. Haves. E. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 245 

Sapp and George H. Tullis, who were elected at a meeting on March 
2, 1898, over ^vliich Kev. E. M. sillier presided, with Lorah Poe 
acting as secretarj-. The society was legally incorporated on JNlarch 
12, 1898, and iuunediately afterward work was couunenced on a house 
of worship. A neat frame chiux'h building was erected at a cost of 
about seven hundred dollars and was dedicated on June 12, 1898. 

CATHOLIC CHURCH 

The oldest Roman Catholic parish in Calhoun County is that of 
St. Thomas at 31anson, which was established in 1880. Before that 
time the Catholic families in the northern part of the county attended 
the Lizard Church, which is the mother of half a dozen or more par- 
ishes. Father Lenehan, of Fort Dodge, was the first priest. He was 
succeeded by Father ]M. B. Kelley, under whose ministrations the 
frame house of worship was erected. In 1890 Archbishop Hennessy 
appointed Father ]\I. C. Daly resident priest, with missions at Barnum 
and Pomeroy. Father Daly built the priest's residence and purchased 
the ground for the Catholic cemetery. In 191.5 the parish was under 
the charge of Father Bernard O'Reilly. 

The Catholic Church at Lohrville was organized soon after the 
town was started in 1881. A frame house of worship was built, but it 
was destroyed by fire in 1896. The present commodious brick struc- 
ture was built by Father Costello and was dedicated on November 7, 
1897, Rev. Father Kinnie, of Grand Junction, delivering the prin- 
cipal address. Father Costello is still in charge of the parish, which 
is known as St. Joseph's, 

As early as 1809 a few Catholic families settled in the vicinity of 
Pomeroy. When the railroad was completed through the northern 
part of the county other Catholics came in and steps were taken to 
organize a parish. The first mass was celebrated in the schoolhouse 
by Father Lenehan and his assistants from Fort Dodge. Father 
Daly, of ]Manson, next attended the mission at Pomeroy and later 
organized it into a regidar parish, vmder the name of St. JNIary's, but 
without a resident priest. The first house of worship was blown down 
by the great tornado of July 6, 1893, after which the present church 
was erected. Rev. Edward J. Neppl was appointed resident priest in 
June, 1909, and he built the parish residence. In 191.5 a new school- 
house was erected at a cost of about ten thousand dollars. 

The first mass in Rockwell City was celebrated by Father Car- 
roll, of Fonda, about 1884 or 1885. There were then but eight or ten 



V 



246 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Catholics in the town. Father JMcCafFerty succeeded Father Carroll 
and early in the 'DOs Kockwell City was made a mission of Lohrville. 
The frame church buikhng was erected by Father Costello while Itock- 
well City was a mission under his charge. In 1906 there were eighteen 
Catholic families in the town. That year Bishop Garrigan established 
a parish at Sac City, of wliich Rockwell City was made a misson 
under charge of Father JNluyssen, but the relations were soon changed, 
Sac City becoming the mission. The parish at Rockwell City was then 
regularly organized, under the name of St. Francis of Assisi, and 
Father Muyssen was made the first resident priest. He was succeeded 
in June, 1907, by Father Hunt, who enlarged the church. Father 
Mathias JMarx took charge of the parish in 1911. He built the priests's 
residence, jjurchased tlie old courthouse for '$450 and removed to the 
lot just across the street from the church on the west, to be used as a 
parochial schoolhouse. The parish in 1915 numbered forty-nine 
families. 

St. INIary's Catholic Church of Lake City has never been organized 
as a regular parish and has never had a resident priest. It was organ- 
ized as a mission about 1892 or 1893 and purchased the old frame 
house of worship of the Woodlawn Christian Church. As a mission 
of Lohrville it is regularly attended by the priest from tliat parish. 

CONGREGATIONALISTS 

Among the first settlers of Lincoln Township, who came in 186G, 
were a few who belived in the principles of the Congregational Church 
and soon after becoming established they began to talk of forming a 
church society. At a meeting held in the Yatesville Schoolhouse in 
the fall of 1867, what is now the First Congregational Church of jNIan- 
son was organized with JNIr. and jMrs. E. S. Brooks, ]Mr. and ]\Irs. 
Robert Glover and Arthur W. Boyce as the charter members. A 
little later the membership was increased by the addition of James 
Glover, John Wise, Henry Moses, INIrs. W. H. Davidson and a few 
others. The first house of worship was built in 187-i. on the corner 
now occupied by the Long Hotel. It was a frame structure and was 
used for lectures and entertainments because it was the largest room 
in the town. The INIethodists also held their services in this house until 
they were able to build one of their own. 

In 1890 the lot upon which the church stood was sold for a hotel 
site and the building was removed to the lot where the present Con- 
OTesational Church now stands. There it served the society as a meet- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 247 

ing place until it was replaced by the present handsome edifice, which 
was dedicated in I'JOO and at that time was considered one of the best" 
appointed chiux-h buildings in Northwestern Iowa. In the meantime 
the society was incorporated on JNIarch 10, 1880, as the "First Con- 
gregational Church of ^Manson," with A. Wheatley, E. S. Brooks 
and Henry Closes as the first board of trustees. The new building 
has an auditorium of GOO seating capacity, a lecture room, a fine pipe 
organ, a kitchen in basement, and is well furnished throughout. Its 
cost Avas about ten thousand dollars. 

Alna Congregational Church of Farnliamville was incorporated 
on April i, 1883, with D. G. Youker, W. H. Clutter and G. A. Sum- 
mers as the fii'st trustees. Prior to the incorporation meetings had 
been held in the schoolhouse. A house of worship was completed and 
dedicated in 1884 and the society is now in a reasonably prosperous 
condition. This was the first church to be established in the Town of 
Farnhamville. 

On August 7, 1897, articles of incorporation for the Center Con- 
gregational Church were filed in the office of the coimty recorder. 
This society was formed some time before that by members of this 
faith who lived in the northern part of Center Township and some 
who withdrew from the church at ^Manson to assist in forming the 
new one. Before the incorporation services were held in the school- 
house, in the northeast corner of Center Township. The first board 
of trustees was composed of J. C. Howrey, C. W. Fisher and J. W. 
Jones. Besides these three men, some of the early members were 
II. Shields, Lydia W. Fisher, Addie Howrey, Minnie Shields and 
Abby Fisher. A frame house of worship -svas built in the west side 
of section 1, in Center Township, about half a mile north of the school- 
house in which services were first held. 

]\Iizpah Congregational Chm-ch of Somers was first organized in 
Webster County. Quite a number of the members lived in Cedar and 
(Treenfield townships of Calhoun County and about 1906 the church 
buildiny, a modest frame structure, was moved from its original site 
to Somers. This congregation has no regular pastor, but is attended 
by the minister at Farnhamville. 

THE LUTHERANS 

In several localities in Calhoun County there are a number of 
Germans or Swedes who were brought up in the Lutheran faith. 



248 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

These people have organized a number of churches of that denomina- 
tion and most of the societies are in a state of prosperitj'. 

Probably the oldest Lutheran Church in tlie county is the Swed- 
ish Lutheran Church at ]Manson, which was organized on ^lay 5, 1871, 
with llev. P. H. Pilgren as the fu-st pastor. The lirst meetings were 
held in a schoolhouse just across the line in Sherman Township. 
On February 20, 1883, the church was incorporated with John John- 
son, John P. Skipper and William Johnson as trustees. The next 
year a frame house of worship was built in JSIanson at a cost of $1,.500. 
It was dedicated on December 4, 1884. In 1901 a furnace was added 
and other improvements made costing about one thousand dollars. 

A few years after the first settlements were made in Lincoln 
and Sherman townships the German Lutherans in that part of the 
county began holding meetings at their homes or in the schoolhouse. 
Rev. T. Doescher, of Fort Dodge, and his assistant, a yomig minister 
named JNIattfield, conducted these meetings for some time before a 
society was formally organized. Then jNIr. ]Mattfield served as a reg- 
ular pastor for awhile, after which the ministers from Pomeroj^ con- 
ducted services occasionally. On AugTist 15, 1887, St. Paul's Ger- 
man Evangelical Church of INIanson was incorporated with August 
jNIuller, John I.eist and ^Minnie Vetter as the first board of trustees. 
A small frame church had been erected in 1884 and in 1887 a parson- 
age was built. 

There are two German Lutheran churches in the Tow^n of Pome- 
roy that are among the early organizations of this denomination in 
Calhoun County. The Immanuel Church is located in the western 
part of the town and in the spring of 1915 was under the jiastoral 
care of Rev. Theo Tiemeyer. St. John's is situated in the eastern 
part with Rev. Henry Mej'er as pastor. The building of the latter 
church was destroyed by the great tornado of July 6, 189.'3, but was 
soon afterward rebuilt and both congregations are now in a flourishing 
condition. There is also a Swedish mission in Pomeroy, which is 
attended by the pastor of a church about five miles north of town, 
in Pocahontas County. 

St. Paul's German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rockwell 
City, situated in the eastern part of town, was organized about the 
beginning of the present centmy. When the INIethodists built their 
new church in 1907,the old frame building was sold to the Lutheran 
congrefi-ation and removed one block east, where it is still used as a 
house of worship. Although not specially strong in numbers the 
chiu'ch is in a healthy condition and services are held regularly. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 249 

On ]\Iai-cli 21, 188-4, the German Evangelical Lutheran Church 
of Lmcoln Township was incorporated. The first trustees were: John 
Stack, Friedrich ^lehring and Th. jNlattfield, the last named being the 
pastor. A frame house was soon afterward built in the south side of 
section 3(3, near the southeast corner of the township, where the society 
still holds its services. 

A German Lutheran Church was organized in Williams Town- 
ship at a meeting held on Februarj^ 20, 1892, when the following 
official name was adopted "German Evangelical Lutheran St. 
Johannes Congregation in and around Williams Township, Calhoun 
County, Iowa." Under this name the society was incorporated on 
jNlarch 4, 1892, with Christoph jNIeyer, Henry Kruckenberg and Ru- 
dolph Scharn as trustees. No church was ever built, meeting being 
held in the schoolhouses. 

Skarabarg Church, a Swedish Lutheran society of Logan Town- 
ship, was incorpt)rated on July 27, 1891. The first board of trustees 
was composed of Jolin Engstrom, Swan Bangston and Charles Hoff . 
Before the close of 1891 a neat frame house of worship was erected in 
the southern part of section 2, but after the Fort Dodge, Des Moines 
& Southern Railroad was completed through the township and the 
little Town of Piper grew up, the church building was removed there 
and remodeled. 

St. Peter's German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Farnham- 
ville was incorporated on September 27, 1893, with Henry Naefke, 
Henry Dohrmann and Plenry Saucke as trustees. This congregation 
has a neat frame church and j^arsonage and is enjoj^ing a steady 
growth. 

In the southeast corner of Center Township, about five miles 
east of Rockwell City, is a German Evangelical Lutheran organiza- 
tion known as Immanuel's Church. It was legally incori^orated on 
June 18, 1894, with A. F. Tapps, August Blaas and William Pohl as 
trustees. A church and parsonage were erected, but the great storm 
of June 17, 1899. practically destroyed the latter and injured the 
church building. An eight room parsonage was built that year, to 
take the place of the one destroyed by the storm, an addition was made 
to the church and a steel ceiling put in, making the building really 
better than it was before the storm. 



EVAI^GELICAL CHURCH 



The fi 
is the one 



rst organization of this denomination in Calhoun County n ^ 
: at Pomerov, which was organized on February 1, 1879. 



250 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

Among the charter members were H. W. Behrens, Henry Albreclit, 
John Heide, Claus Holtorf, William Knoke, Hans Hoist. Auonst 
Prange, Chris Hoppe, John Spiest, Henry Becker, Carsten Holtorf 
and John Reimers. A church building Avas erected in 1881 and it was 
the only church in Pomeroy to escape destruction in the great tornado 
of July 6, 1893. Since then a jiarsonage has been built and the church 
has been remodeled and enlarged. 

Lake Creek Zion's Church, of the "Evangelical Association of 
North America," was incorporated on August 14, 1886. F. J. Goetz, 
David Kammerer and Fred B. Ramige constituted the first board of 
trustees. On JNIay 28, 1892, new articles of incorjioration were filed 
Avith the recorder of Calhoun County, in which F. B. Ramige. Henry 
Ramige and B. Richard are named as trustees. Shortly after the 
society was first incorporated a frame house of worship Avas built in 
the southeast corner of section 23, on the road from Lake City to 
RoclvAvell City. 

Zion's Church of Butler Township, a society of the United Evan- 
gelical Church, Avas incorporated on INIay 29, 189.5. The ai'ticles Avere 
signed by Henry Hout, August Weidauer and ^Villiam Seiler as trus- 
tees, and also by Emil Weidauer, Herman Meinke and Bernhard G. 
Janssen. A frame church Avas soon afterAvard built in the southAvest 
corner of section G, in the nortlnvest corner of the toAvnship and not 
far from the Chicago, ^Mihvaukee & St. Paul Railroad. Several of 
the members of this congregation reside in ^Villiams ToAvnship and 
some in Pocahontas Comit3\ 

PRESBYTER I.VXS 

On October 13, 187o, a committee from the Fort Dodge Presby- 
tery A^isited Pomeroy for the purjjose of organizing a church. This 
committee consisted of Rev. E. H. Avery, Rev. B. Benn and Elder 
Woolsey Wells. A meeting Avas held in the sclioolhouse and the 
First Presbyterian Church of Pomeroy AA-as instituted, Avith George 
Wallace as the ruling elder. The charter members A\ere: George and 
Cassandra Wallace, JMrs. Elizabeth Walker, Isaac and Harriet AVar- 
ner, R. C. and Lucy A. Stewart. Hiram and Mary A. Wallace. The 
building erected by this congregation was bloA\n doAvn by the tornado 
of July 6, 1893. The insurance company paid the church $.)20 and 
other funds AA-ere collected for a ncAV house of AA'orship, Avliich cost 
r$3,200. It Avas dedicated on February 25, 1894, and a ncAv })arsonage 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 251 

was built a little later. In the spring of 191o Rev. Edward Lowe 
was pastor. 

The First Presbyterian Church of Lake City was organized on 
January 16, 1881, by Rev. A. K. Baird, a synodical missionary, with 
the following members: J. S. ]McCrary, ]Mary R. JNIcCrary, E. J. 
Kennedy, 31ary A. Rlanchfield, Jennie E. Johnston, JNIrs. E. A. JNIc- 
Crary, Robert IM. and jNIary A. Dixon, A. H. and Jane Grant. J. S. 
JSIcCrary and A. H. Grant A\ere chosen ruling elders. Rev. S. W. 
Stojihlet, then a student in college, preached for the new^ church during 
liis summer vacation and in June, 1882, was installed as the first regu- 
lar pastor. A Sunday school was organized in June, 1887, with 
W. C. Hungerford as suijerintendent and J. M. Toliver as teacher of 
the Bible class and both these men still held their positions in the spring 
of 1915. The church was incorporated on December .5, 189,5, with 
J. B. George, A. B. Roberts, C. 31. Parsons, D. W. Reed, Philip 
AndrcAvs and Henry Clements as the first board of trustees. This 
congregation has a substantial frame house of worship and is in a 
prosperous condition. 

Revs. H. N. Payne and S. W. Stophlet organized the First Pres- 
byterian Church of Lohrville on October 22, 1882. When the old 
building once occupied by S. G. Crawford's bank was torn down in 
the spring of 1915 an old subscription list was found, bearing date 
of April 9, 1883, in which $880 was subscribed for the purpose of 
building a Presbyterian Church. On JMay 16, 1883, the society was 
legally incorporated with Charles H. Wise, Samuel G. Crawford, 
J. M. Stephens and Gussie Robertson as trustees. That summer a 
frame house of worship was erected, which is still used by the church. 

In ]May, 1883, Rev. T. L. Bailey and Rev. S. W. Stophlet organ- 
ized the First Presbyterian Church of Rockwell City with sixteen 
charter members and Adam Docksteader as ruling elder. In 1886 a 
frame church edifice was erected at a cost of $4,500 and in 1890 a 
manse was built on the lot adjoining the church. The society had pre- 
viously filed articles of incorporation on jNIay 19, 1894, with W. H. 
Shaw, Rollin Burch, James H. Ballagh, Frank Rice and R. C. Pat- 
terson as the first trustees. The present magnificent church building 
was erected in 1913 at a cost of $25,000 and is considered the finest 
church edifice in the county. The old frame house was sold to B. E. 
Stonebraker, who converted it into two modern residences. 

Bethany Presbyterian Church was incor]iorated on April 9, 1900, 
by D. J. Wright, James Keary and John Harrison as tmstees. No 
definite location was named in the articles of incorporation, but the 



252 PxiST AXD PKESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

church was in Ehn Grove Township. On February 28, 1902, it was 
reorganized as the Fhn Grove Presbyterian Church and the trustees 
then elected were: Jolm J. Hawthorne, JNlrs. Cora Puft'er, Mrs. Lilhe 
JLogsdon and Alexander Hatton. No church building was ever 
erected by this society, the meetings being held in the schoolhouses. 

THE BAPTISTS 

The first church of this denomination in Calhoun Comity was 
organized at Lake City. It was incorporated on JNlay 29, 1882, as the 
"First Regular Baptist Church of Lake City," with David Fox, E. D. 
Williams, Larkin \Villiams, G. G. F. Harris and N. R. Hutchinson 
as the tirst board of trustees, under whose direction a frame chm'ch 
building was erected. The church had been organized some time 
before that, however, and meetings had been held in rented quarters. 

In 1880 Rev. D. Robinson and Rev. J. W. Thompson, two Baptist 
ministers, held a series of evangelistic meetings in Logan and Lake 
Creek townships and a number united with the church. The converts 
were first received into the church at Lake City, but on June 2.5, 1880, 
a number withdrew from that congregation and organized the First 
Baptist Church of Rockwell City. From 1887 to 1893 this church 
held services only at irregular intervals. Then a revival came and 
Rev. William Pearce was installed as permanent pastor. The society 
was incorporated on August 9, 189.5, with J. H. Gregg, E. AV. Burch, 
F. E. Blackman, R. W. JNIurphey and A. T. Bowers as trustees. The 
old schoolhouse was purchased soon after the incorporation, but the 
building was not dedicated as a church until September 17, 1899, 
when the church Avas free from debt. This house is still used by the 
society. 

On ]May 11, 1882, a meeting was held at Lohrville for the purpose 
of organizing a Baptist Church. A majority of those present voted 
to incorporate as "The First Baptist Church of Union," and H. J. 
Bolander, J. D. Parker and W. Holmes were elected trustees. Arti- 
cles of incorporation were filed with the county recorder on jNIay 16, 
1882. These articles were signed by the trustees, A. S. Catlin, Na- 
thaniel Owens and O. S. Martin. A frame church was built soon 
aftenvard and for several years the congregation flourished. Then 
reverses came. Some of the leading members died, others moved 
away, the meetings were discontinued and the building once occupied 
by the Baptists of Lohrville as a house of worship is now used as a 
motion picture theater. 




FIRST PKESBYTERIAX ailKC H, KdCKWELL CITY 




.MKTHnlHSI- l-.I'lsCOPAL ( Til IK II. l;(i(K\\i:LL ( ITV 





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PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 253 

The youngest Baptist Church in the county is the First Baptist 
Church of Ponieroy, which was incorporated on JNlarch 23, 1901. The 
first board of trustees was composed of G. W. Randlett, A. D. Parker, 
C. W. Alexander and William ]McNames. Those who signed the arti- 
cles of incorporation in addition to the trustees were: I^ulu ^I. Baker, 
]Mrs. J. A. Davy, 3Irs. A. D. Parker, William Knudson, E. E. 
Hatch, ]Millie Alexander, M. J. Bruin, L. T. Alexander, JNIiss Essie 
Parker, Benjamin Olson, Sarah ]McNames, Edna Davy, Jeannette 
Feeck and ]Mrs. Atkinson. 

MISCELLANEOUS CHUKCHES 

Among the pioneers of ^^'illiams Township was James Rigby, a 
believer in the doctrines of the Seventh Day Adventists. He organ- 
ized a society of thirty-six members and meetings were held in the 
schoolhouses known as Kennedy's and ]Mayo's for some time. No 
church was ever built and the society finally went down. So far as can 
be learned, the only organization of this church is the one located at 
Lake City. It was organized some years ago and purchased the build- 
ing formerly occupied by the ]Methodists in Lake Creek Township and 
removed it to Lake City. 

The United Brethren Church of Lake City was incorporated on 
August 2, 1890, with H. D. Lockard, C. C. Fahan, W. A. Yetter, 
AVilliam Wicks and Levi Cook. This society has a neat frame liouse 
of worship one square north of the northeast corner of the public 
square, on the lot where the first schoolhouse in Lake City formerly 
stood. There is also a United Brethren Chvn-ch at Yetter — the only 
church in Elm Grove Township. 

C. E. Osborn, O. S. Connor and T. Ball, as trustees, filed articles 
of incorporation of the Free Methodist Church of Garfield Town- 
ship with the county recorder on March 16. 1892. A frame house of 
worship was afterward built near Lytton. This society is sometimes 
called the "Pleasant Hill Church." 

On ]May 27. 1892, the Swedish Mission Union of Calhoun County 
was incor]iorated "to teach the religion of Jesus Christ and the gospel 
of the Holy Bible." The incorporators were: Oliver Tall, chairman; 
S. Johnson, recorder; A. G. Blomberg, treasurer; V. Johnson, J. A. 
Peterson and Gust Linder. trustees. 

GEXERAL COMMENT 

In the foregoing the purpose has been to show in a general way 
the church development of Calhoun County, and no effort has been 



254 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

made to go into details regarding the various religious organizations. 
Of the fifty or more church societies in the county at the present time, 
a large majority are out of debt, or at least are not burdened with 
debt, and are well supported by their members. INIost of the early set- 
tlers of the countj" were men and women who had been brought up "in 
the nurture and admonition of the Lord" in their old homes "back 
East." Thej' brought with them their reverence for their religion 
and have sought to perpetuate the principles in which they believe. 
Few counties in the Union have a more law-abiding, order-loving. 
God-fearing peojile than Calhoun, and much of this sentiment is 
due to the teachings of the church. 



CHAPTER XVI 
THE BENCH AND BAR 

PROVIXCE OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT PURPOSE OF THE COURTS — THE 

LAAVYER AS A CITIZEN — EARLY JUDGES IN CALHOUN COUNTY — THE 
FIRST JURY — HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT COURT — CIRCUIT COURT — 

THE BAR — PIONEER LAWYERS — RESIDENT ATTORNEYS IN 1915 

NOTED TRIALS — THE WILCOX HOMICIDE — THE PRATT CASE — STATE 
VS. BROWN, 

Someone once said that tlie history of a country could be written 
from its laws. This is true in a measure, for in the legislation of a 
nation are reflected the character of the people, their hopes and ambi- 
tions, their ideals and purposes. ^Sluch of the historoy of every civi- 
lized country or community centers about its laws and the manner in 
which they are enforced. "To establish justice" was written into the 
P'ederal Constitution by the founders of the American Republic as 
one of the primary and paramount pin-poses of civil government. 
The founders of the republic also showed their Avisdom in dividing 
the functions of government into three departments — legislative, 
executive aiid judicial — the first to enact, the second to enforce, and 
the third to inter])ret the nation's laws. States have copied this sys- 
tem, so that in every state there is a legislature to pass laws, a supreme 
and subordinate comts to declare their meaning, and a governor as 
the chief executive officer, whose duty it is to see that the laws are 
fairly and impartially enforced. 

"To establish justice!" To establish a system of courts, in which 
the safety of person and the rights of property shall be securely safe- 
guarded! The law is therefore a jealous profession. It demands of 
the attorney at the bar and the judge on the bench alike a careful, 
conscientious effort to interpret rightly the laws of the land; to bring 
about the punishment of wrong; to secure the administration of jus- 
tice — "speedy, substantial, efficient, equitable and economical," 

255 



256 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Witliin lecent years some caustic criticisms have been passed 
upon tlie courts for their delaj's, and a great deal has been said in the 
columns of the public press about "judicial reform." Doubtless some 
of these criticisms are founded upon reason, but should the entire 
judiciary system be condemned because hei'e or there some man elected 
to a judgesliip has failed to measure up to the proper standard, or 
some lawyer has adopted the tactics of the shyster or pettifognrer? 
There was one Judas among the twelve chosen apostles. Concerning 
this tendency to criticize the courts, one of the justices of the Ohio 
Supreme Court said recently: 

"A reasonable amount of criticism is good for a public officer — 
even a judge. It keeps reminding him that, after all, he is only a 
])u])lic servant; that he must give an account of his stewardship, as to 
his efficiency, the same as any other servant; that the same tests 
applied to ])rivate servants in jirivate business should be equally 
applied to public servants in public business whether executives, legis- 
lators or judges — at least, this is the public view. Would it not be 
more wholesome if more public officers, especially judges, took the 
same view?" 

It should be borne in mind, however, that a large majority of the 
judges in the various courts of the country have been men whose 
character was above reproach, and some of the greatest men in our 
national history were lawyers. John IMarshall, one of the early chief 
justices of the United States Supreme Court, was a man whose legal 
opinions are still quoted with respect and reverence by the profession, 
aixl whose reputation as a citizen is revered by the American people 
at large. Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston and James IMon- 
roe, who negotiated tlie I^ouisiana Purchase, that gave to the Ignited 
States all the vast domain between the ]Mississipi)i River and the 
Rocky Mountains, were all lawyers. Thomas INI. Cooley, the gi-eat 
interpreter of the American Constitution; Daniel Webster, Plenry 
Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, Salmon P. Chase, and a host of others 
who might be mentioned, were men whose patriotism and love of jus- 
tice cannot be questioned. And last, but not least, stands Abraham 
Lincoln, self-educated and self-reliant, whose consummate tact and 
statesmanship saved the Union from disruption. 

Fortunately for the people of Calhoun County, the judges that 
have presided over her District and Circuit Courts have been men of 
character, free from charges of venality or corru])tion, and justice 
has generally been administered in such a manner that criticism of the 
court has been unnecessary. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 257 

When Calhoun County was created by the Legislature in 1851 it 
was placed in the Fifth Judicial District, but no provisions were made 
for liolding court, for the reason that at that time there was not a 
single white inliabitant in the county. The first judge to exercise his 
authority over CallK)un County was Cave J. INIcFarland, wlio was 
elected to the bench in the Fifth Judicial District in 1854, the same 
year the first settlements were made in the county. And his only 
action relating to the coimty, of which there is any record, was the 
appointment of the tlu'ee commissioners in the fall of 1855 to locate 
the county seat. 

Judge JNIcFarland was a man of considerable legal ability and 
one of many ijeculiarities. He wore a long, flowing beard of which 
he was inordinately fond. He was also an enthusiastic democrat. On 
one occasion, wliile attending a democratic convention at Burlington, 
a newspaper correspondent referred to the judge's whiskers in a 
rather laconic manner, and suggested that his brain might have been 
stronger had not so much of the nourishment taken into his system 
gone to whiskers. The judge immediately started on the hunt for 
that reporter, but the latter, concluding no doubt that "Discretion is 
the better part of valor," could not be found. IMcFarland's greatest 
Aveakness was his fondness for liquor. A story is told to the effect 
that, in one of the southern counties of the state, the judge appointed 
INIcFarland to examine a candidate for admission to the bar. The 
candidate, probably knowing something of the examiner's appetite, 
was equipped with a flask of "good, old Bom-bon," and INIcFarland 
promptly reported to the court that the young man was fully quali- 
fied to practice law "in this or any other court in the state." He 
retired from the bench in 1856, became more dissipated in his habits, 
and died in poverty. 

The time set for holding the first court in Calhoun County was in 
September, 1857. When that time arrived there were no cases on the 
docket and the term was postponed. After three such adjournments 
a session of the District Court was convened at Lake Citj' in Jinie, 
1859, with Judge Asahel W. Hubbard presiding. 

Judge Hubbard was born at Haddam, Conn., January 18, 1819, 
and was reared on a farm, receiving such elementary education as tlie 
common schools of his native state afforded. After reaching his 
majority he went to Indiana and studied law at Rushville in that 
state. In 1847 he was elected to represent his district in the Indiana 
State Senate and serv^ed in that capacity for four years. Hearing- 
good reports of Iowa, he located at Sioux City in 1857 and the next 



258 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

year was elected judge of the Fourth Judicial District, which had 
just been established by the Legislature, and which included all 
Northwestern Iowa. He served on the bench for four years and in 
1862 was nominated by the republican party for representative in 
Congress from the Sixth Iowa District, which included nearly one- 
third of the counties in the state. He was elected and served in Con- 
gress for six years, during which he was active in securing the enact- 
ment of laws to encourage railroad building in Iowa. Upon retiring 
from Congress he was one of the founders of the First National Bank 
of Sioux City and his death occvn-red in that city on September 22, 
1879. 

The first jury ever impaneled in Calhoun County was composed 
of George Bunting, N. R. Hutchinson, R. M. Lumpkin, Charles 
Hammond, Roma Maranville, Moses Sherman, Thomas Fletcher, 
John INIcCoy, Alford White, John Brady, Richard Bunting and 
Benjamin Borders. These "twelve good men and true" were called 
upon at the June term in 1859 to try five cases that were on the docket. 
In the case of David Frazier vs. H. W. Smith a verdict was returned 
for the defendant; ]Moses Sherman and Jonathan H. Manlove were 
plaintiffs in cases against James Easley and won their suits; the jury 
found a verdict for the plaintiff in the suit of Peter Smith vs. JNI. 
West, and the case of N. McCoy vs. John and N. Higgins was con- 
tinued. At this first term of the District Court James Reynolds was 
sheriff and H. H. Hutchinson, clerk. 

Calhoun County was then one of the twenty-two counties that 
formed the Foiu'th Judicial District, which was created by the act 
of JNIarch 20, 1858. When Judge Hubbard was elected to Congress 
in 18(52, he was succeeded on the bench by Isaac Pendleton, of Wood- 
bury Comity, who served as judge until 1867, when he was succeeded 
l)y Henry Ford, of Harrison County. Not much can be learned con- 
cerning either Judge Pendleton or Judge Ford. 

In 1876 the General Assembly created the Foui'teenth Judicial 
District, in which Calhoun County was placed. E. R. Duffie was 
elected judge in the new district and remained on the bench until 
1884. Judge Duffie was a man of fine legal attainments and his deci- 
sions were always based upon the fundamental principles of justice. 
After serving on the bench for seven years he removed to Omaha, 
Nebraska, where he was elected judge of the District Court and 
later was one of the commissioners appointed to relieve the con- 
gested docket of the Nebraska Supreme Court. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 259 

Uut Thonuis, of Stonn Lake, was elected as the successor of 
Judge DufRe in 1885, but at the succeeding session of the Legislature 
tlie state was redistricted for judicial purposes and Judge Thomas' 
jurisdiction over Calhoun County came to an end. Under the act of 
A])ril 10. 188(5. the counties of Calhoun. Carroll, Crawford. Greene, 
Ida and Sac were formed into the Sixteenth Judicial District, which 
was given two judges. James P. Conner, of Crawford County, and 
J. II. ]Macomber, of Ida, were elected the first judges of the new dis- ^ 

trict and assumed their duties at the beginning of the year 18f7. 
Judge ]Macomber had previously served two years — 1885-86 — as 
judge of the Circuit Court, and Judge Conner's ability in legal mat- 
ters is well known. When J. P. Dolliver resigned his seat in the 
lower house of Congress in the fall of 1900, to become United States 
senator. Judge Conner was elected to the vacancy and continued in 
Congress until 3Iarch 3, 1909. 

Judges Conner and JNIacomber were succeeded in 1891 by George 
W. Paine, of Carroll, and Charles D. Goldsmith, of Sac City. The 
former was a "hard-headed" lawyer of the olden type, largely self- 
educated, possessed of a fine perception of legal points and a judge 
that was hard to confuse. Judge Goldsmith was a man of fair ability, 
but during his one term he was not called upon to decide any case in 
which intricate points of law were involved. He was defeated by S. 
]M. El wood in 1894- and at the same election Zala A. Church, of 
Greene County, was chosen to succeed Judge Paine. 

Prior to his election as district judge, S. M. Elwood had been 
engaged for several years in the practice of law at Sac City and occu- 
pied a high place at the bar. As a judge he was popular both with 
the lawyers and the general public and at the close of his first term 
he was re-elected. Judge Church was also a good judge and was con- 
tinued on the bench imtil 1911. During the time he was upon the 
bench he was called upon to try several important cases and but very 
few of his decisions were ever reversed by higher courts ujion appeal. 
He was an orator of more than ordinary ability and delivei-ed the 
principal address at the dedication of the Rockwell City Public Li- 
brary in June, 1909. 

Frank ]M. Powers, of Carroll, succeeded Judge Elwood in 1903. 
He evidently gave good satisfaction in his judicial capacity, as he 
was retained on the bench until 1914, Avhen E. C. Albert, of Greene 
County, was elected as his successor. Judge Albert held his first 
term of court in Calhoun County beginning on Monday, April 19, 
1915. 



260 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

At the election in 1910 ]Marion E. Hutchison, of Lake City, was 
elected to succeed Judge Church and is still on the hench. He is the 
only judge of the District Court ever elected from Calhoun County 
and is now the senior judge of the district, Judge Alhert being his 
associate on the bench. 

THE CIRCUIT COURT 

The General Assembly in 1868 divided the State of Iowa into 
two circuits, in each of which was established a Circuit Court. Cal- 
houn County was at that time in the Fourth Judicial District, which 
was made a part of the Second Circuit. Jared M. Snyder, of Hum- 
l)oldt County, was elected the first circuit judge, taking his place 
upon the bench in January, 1869. When Calhoun County was 
placed in the Fourteenth Judicial District in 1876 it was at the same 
time and by the same act made a part of the First Circuit and John 
N. Weaver, of Kossuth County, was elected circuit judge. He con- 
tinued on the bench until 188.J, when he was succeeded by J. H. INIa- 
comber, of Ida County, who continued in office until the Circuit 
Court was abolished by the act of April 10, 1886. That act also 
divided the state into eighteen judicial districts and Calhoun County 
since that time has formed part of the Sixteenth District, as already 
noted. 

THE BAR 

Ebenezer Comstock, the first white man to settle in Calhoun 
County, is probably entitled to the distinction of being the first laAv- 
yer. He was elected prosecuting attorney at the first election ever 
held in the county, on the first jNIonday in August, 18.35. His term 
of office expired before the first session of the District Court was held 
in the county and there is no record that he ever tried a case or ever 
appeared in court. His election to the office of prosecuting attorney 
doubtless constituted the greater part of his legal career. 

In the early days attorneys were in the habit of "riding the cir- 
cuit." Taking a clean shirt and a few law books in a pair of old- 
fashioned saddle-bags, they would follow the judge from one county 
seat to another, hoping to pick up a client or two after their arrival. 
Of evenings, after the day's woi-k was done, the judge and the law- 
yers would gather around the stove in the office of the hotel, or sit on 
the porch if the weather was warm, and "swap yarns" concerning 
their court experiences. The layman who was admitted to these 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 261 

gatherings enjoyed a "feast of reason and a tlow of soul," and not 
infre(|uently tliere was also a flow of spirits of the sort that hoth 
cheers and inebriates. But next morning the judge assumed his dig- 
nity and the lawyers appeared in court apparently oblivious of all 
that had occurred the evening before. 

One of the ijioneer lawjers of Northwestern Iowa, and one who 
sometimes appeared in court in Calhoun County, was John F. Dun- 
combe, of Fort Dodge. He represented the district of which Cal- 
houn County was a part in both the house and senate of the Iowa 
General Assembly and was one of the first men to develop the coal 
deposits in the vicinity of Fort Dodge. He was also interested in 
building railroads and was a lawyer of excellent ability. His death 
occurred at Fort Dodge in 1902. 

D. D. Miracle, of Webster City, was another lawyer who was well 
known throughout the northwestern part of the state in the ante- 
bellum days and for some years after the Civil war. He was em- 
ployed by the Board of Supervisors of Calhoun County in 1868 to 
jjrosecute the suit against the American Emigrant Company for 
possession of the swamp lands, but the suit was ordered dismissed by 
a succeeding board. 

The lawyers who practiced in the courts in Calhoun County at a 
later date were Capt. Joseph A. O. Yeoman and Jonathan P. Dolli- 
ver. Ca])tain Yeoman was born in Ohio in 1842. He enlisted as a 
private in the First Ohio Cavalry and by successive promotions rose 
to the rank of captain. He commanded the picked body of cavalry 
that was sent in pursuit of Jefferson Davis at the conclusion of the 
Avar and received a reward of $3,000 from the government for his 
gallant leadersliip on that occasion. After the war he entered the 
law school at Albany, N. Y., and in 1867 he was admitted to the bar. 
In that year he located at Fort Dodge and frequentlj' appeared in 
court in Calhoun County. Prior to 1874 he was a republican, but in 
that year he became a democrat and in 1888 ran against J. P. DoUiver 
for Congress. The joint discussion between tliese two men is said to 
have been one of the most brilliant jjolitical debates ever conducted in 
Iowa. Captain Yeoman died on November 17, 1900, while on a 
visit to his old home in Ohio. 

Jonathan P. Dolliver was born in West Virginia, February 6, 
18.38. In his eighteenth year he was graduated at the West Virginia 
University and u])on leaving college took up the study of law. In 
1878 he decided tf) try his fortunes in the West and opened a law 
office at INIanson. A little later he removed to Fort Dodge and it was 



262 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

not long until he was a factor in political affairs. In 1884 he pre- 
sided over the rei)ublican state convention at Des ^Moines and foiu- 
years later was nominated by the republicans of his district for Con- 
gress, having been an unsuccessful candidate for the nomination in 
188G. He defeated CajJtain Yeoman and remained in the lower 
house of Congress until the death of United States Senator Jolin H. 
Gear, when he was ajjpointed to the vacancy by Governor Shaw. At 
the next session of the General Assembly he was elected for the unex- 
pired term and by successive elections remained in the senate until 
his death on October 15, 1910. The later years of his life were occu- 
pied with his official duties and he rarely appeared in coiu't. 

Jacol) JNl. Toliver, of Lake City, came to the county at an early 
date and was for years the district attorney. He is no doubt the old- 
est resident lawyer in the county. Another early attorney of Cal- 
hoim County was J. A. Gould, who located at Pomeroy soon after 
the town was founded. O. J. Jolley was the first lawyer to establish 
an office in Rockwell City after tliat town was made the county seat. 

From the Calhoun County Bar Docket for April, 191.5, the fol- 
lowing list of resident attorneys is taken: Rockwell City — I. E. 
Dougherty, R. C. Gray. W. E.Gray, J. F. Lavender, :^L W. Frick, 
E. C. Stevenson; Lake City — John W. Jacobs, ISL E. Hutcliison, J. 
M. Tolivei-; Lohrville — ^Villiam Towers; Manson — V. P. IMcjNIanus; 
Pomeroy — A. T. Horton. 

NOTED TRIALS 

As a rule, the people of Calhoun County believe in schools, attend 
chm-ch, mind their own business and are not given to dissensions that 
beget lawsuits. Now and then there has been some crime committed 
by one who has overstepped the bounds of the peaceful and law- 
abiding customs of the community, but in such cases justice has been 
meted out to tlie offender with ])romptness and im])artiality. 

The first murder case ever tried in the county was that of the 
State of Iowa vs. Jacob Kephart, for tlie killing of Henry Randall 
in Williams Township in the fall of 1877. Kei)hart was arrested, 
tried before Judge Duffie, convicted of manslaughter and sentenced 
to serve two years in the penitentiary. 

THE WILCOX HOMICIDE 

On tlie last day of April, 1900, Henry Wilcox, a youth of nineteen 
years, shot and killed his father in Jackson Township. After the 



I 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 263 

shooting, Henry went to the Coon River bottoms, where he left the 
gun and then returned to the house. His brother Andrew had in the 
meantime notified the neighbors of what had happened. Coroner EsHck 
was summoned from Rockwell City and an incjuest was held at ^\•hich 
the e\idence clearly showed how the deed was committed. Nothing- 
was done with the son, however, until the following October, when 
he was indicted by the grand jury, arrested and lodged in jail to await 
trial. 

At the February term of the District Court in 1901, young Wilcox 
was arraigned for trial. The state was represented by ]\larion E. 
Hutchinson, who had just been elected county attorney and this was 
his first official case. George W. Bowen, of Carroll, and the firm of 
jMcCrary & [McCrary appeared for the defense. The evidence sliowed 
that there had been some quarreling between Henry and his father; 
that between the hours of 6 and 7 o'clock in the morning the young 
man took a double barreled shotgun and started for the woods to shoot 
squirrels, but uj^on coming to the field where his father and brother 
Sidney were at work he stopped to talk a little while with Sidney. 
Tlie two boys then left the team standing and started to where their 
father was at work a short distance away. As they approached the 
elder Wilcox drew a knife and ordered Henrj'- to leave the farm, 
threatening to disembowel him if he did not go. The boy warned his 
father to stop, but no attention was given to the warning. Fearing 
that his life was in danger, Henry then fired both barrels of the gun 
in quick succession. The first charge took effect beneath the right 
arm and the second in the face, producing almost instantaneous death. 

Evidence was also introduced to show that A. J. Wilcox, tlie 
father, was a high tempered man, of quarrelsome disposition, and that 
he was cruel at times to his wife and children, while on the other hand 
Henry was a peaceable, quiet fellow, not likely to provoke trouble. 
On Saturday, February 23, 1901, the jury returned a verdict of man- 
slaugliter. The defendant was then released on bail until INIareh 7, 
1901. when he was brought before the court and sentenced to eighteen 
months at hard labor in the penitentiary. His youth and the fact 
that he felt that he was about to be assaulted by his father were the 
mitigating circumstances that led to the short sentence. 

THE PRATT CASE 

Josiah M. Pratt, a farmer living about a mile and a half south of 
Yetter, died on June 24, 1905, imder conditions which some of his 



264 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

neighbors and relatives thouglit indicated that he had been poisoned. 
Uj^on tlieir request the sheriff, comity attorney and coroner stopped 
tlie funeral jjrocession on the way to tlie cemetery on the 26th and 
proceeded to liold an inquest. The stomach of the dead man was re- 
moved and sent to tlie state chemist, C. N. Kinnej% at Des ]Moines, 
that the contents thereof might be analyzed. After the autopsy and 
preliminary inquest the funeral cortege was permitted to proceed and 
nothing fm-ther was done in the matter until a partial report was 
returned by Professor Kinney. 

On July 5, 190.5, the coroner's jury was reconvened at Rockwell 
City. The rejjort of the state chemist was jiresented to the jury and 
upon it and other corroborative evidence the jury returned a verdict 
that "Josiah M. Pratt came to his death by reason of poison adminis- 
tered to him by William Persinf]^ and Jennie Pratt." 

William Persing, who had been employed by INIr. Pratt since the 
preceding winter, was arrested on June 26th, at the time of the tirst 
inquest and on the afternoon of July 5th, immediately after the ren- 
dering of the verdict, Mrs. Pratt was placed under arrest. They were 
given a preliminary hearing before Thomas Tennant. a justice of the 
peace in Rockwell City, on July 8, 1905, and in September the grand 
jury returned an indictment for murder. 

The case came up at the January term of the District Court. 
Marion E. Hutchison, county attorney, was assisted in the prosecu- 
tion by T. D. Healy, of Fort Dodge; Gray & Gray appeared as coun- 
sel for William Persing, and JNIrs. Pratt was defended by J. ]M. Par- 
sons and J. F. Lavender. The defendants asked for separate hear- 
ings and Mrs. Pratt was the first to be placed on trial. There were a 
host of witnesses, both for the state and for the defense, and so many 
people had formed or expressed an opinion that several days were 
spent in the selection of a jury. The evidence indicated that there 
was undue intimacy between Mrs. Pratt and the hired man; that their 
actions were indiscreet at times, to say the least; that Persing had been 
known to purchase arsenic at a drug store in Yetter, and tliat he and 
Mrs. Pratt had been in the habit of preparing drinks for INIr. Pratt 
during his illness. Professor Kinney, who analyzed the contents of 
Pratt's stomach was called as an expert witness and testified that out 
of the sixty or seventy-five stomachs he had examined that of Pratt 
Avas the worst one he ever saw. 

The trial attracted wide-spread attention. Several newspapers 
in the larger cities of the Middle West sent special correspondents 
to Rockwell City, where they remained in constant attendance upon 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 265 

the trial, wliicli lasted for three weeks. The last three days of that 
time were taken up by the attorneys in arguing the case and on Jan- 
uary- 18, 1906, it was given to the jury. The jury failed to agree and 
at the next term of court ]Mrs. Pratt was released from custody and 
the case against Persing was dismissed. Public opinion in Calhovui 
County is still divided as to the guilt or innocence of the defendants 
in this famous case, but the authorities saw that the evidence at a sec- 
ond trial would be no more convincing to a jury than it had been at 
the first, and, rather than put the county to the expense of another 
long and tedious hearing, with the possibility of another disagree- 
ment on the part of the jury, entered a nolle and set the defendants 
at liberty. 

STATE vs. BROWN 

Among the residents of Lincoln Township at the beginning of the 
present century was J. 31. Brown, who owned a good farm not far 
from jNIanson. He had a son, George G. Brown, who had acquired the 
reputation of being a noted and successful gambler. This son accum- 
ulated a considerable fortune, married and purchased a fine residence 
in ^lanson. He then persuaded his parents to surrender the farm, 
offering to assume a small mortgage and to take care of his father 
and mother for the remainder of their natural lives. The parents 
finally consented and went to live with their son in JNIanson, much 
against the A\ishes of the son's Avife. George was afflicted with tuber- 
culosis and went to Colorado for his health, leaving his wife and par- 
ents together. 

It was not long imtil the displeasure of the j'ounger JNIrs. Brown 
found expression, which her father-in-law resented and family quar- 
rels became frequent. On Saturday morning, August 29, 1908, one 
of these quarrels eonmienced at the breakfast table and Mr. Brown 
struck his daughter-in-law with his fist. Slie left the table and started 
up stairs, with the old man in close piu'suit. On the landing of the 
stairway he ])icked up an Indian athletic club, weighing about five' 
pounds, with which he crushed his daughter-in-law's skull, her death 
following in a few minutes. 

Brown was arrested and arraigned for trial at the succeeding 
November term of the District Court. The state was represented by 
J. F. Lavender, comity attorney, F. F. Hunter and J. INI. Parsons, 
and the attorneys for the defense were IVIichael and Robert Healy, of 
Fort Dodge, and Ilutcliison & Jacobs, of Lake City. Judge F. M. 
Powers presided during the trial. On the witness stand the story of 



266 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

the ill feeling that existed between the defendant and his victim was 
brought out. He stated that butcher knives and revolvers had been 
taken from his daughter-in-law; that when she left the breakfast 
table in such haste and started up stairs he feared that she "was going 
to get her g^m," and that his aim was merely to prevent her from 
doing so, but in a moment of passion seized the club and struck the 
blow that resulted in her death. 

The jury was out about two hours and returned a verdict of 
manslaughter. Brown was sentenced to serve eight years in the peni- 
tentiarj' and pay a fine of $1,000. This sentence was pronounced by 
the court on December 1, 1908, but, owing to the state of the son's 
health in Colorado, he was not taken immediately to prison. George 
G. Brown died at Denver on January -1, 1909, and his remains were 
brought to JVIanson for burial. In September following J. ]M. Brown 
was taken to the state prison at Anamosa. 

There has never been any question but that Mr. Brown killed his 
daughter-in-law at the time and in the manner above narrated. But 
there are jjeople living in the vicinity of JManson that still believe that 
he was jjrovoked beyond the jjower of human endurance and that the 
sentence was severe. The whole sad affair illustrates the truth of the 
old adage that there is no house large enough for two families. Had 
the father remained upon his farm the crime might not have been 
committed, but by listening to his son be became a felon and forfeited 
his liberty. 

There have been other trials that attracted considerable attention, 
but the ones above enumerated were the most sensational that ever 
occurred in Calhoun County. They serve to show that the people 
believe in the prompt administration of justice and that the court has 
never failed to perform its duty. In the conduct of these and similar 
cases the lawyers of Calhoun have demonstrated their ability to "hold 
their own." 



CHAPTER XVII 
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 

MEDICINE IN ANCIENT TIMES — THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH — EVOLUTION OF 
THE PROFESSION — HOME REMEDIES IN NEW SETTLEMENTS — THE PIO- 
NEER DOCTOR HIS CHARACTER AND STANDING AS A CITIZEN HIS 

METHODS OF TREATMENT FIRST PHYSICIANS IN CALHOUN COUNTY 

MENTION OF EARLY DOCTORS LIST OF PHYSICIANS OF 1886 — CEN- 
TRAL DISTRICT MEDICAL ASSOCIATION — COUNTY AIEDICAL SOCIETIES. 

The practice of medicine is almost as old as the human race. When 
the first man suffered physical pain, or the enervating influences of a 
fever, no doubt he experimented with crude remedies in search of 
something that would give him relief. If he discovered sometliing that 
did him good — or at least did him no harm — he remembered the herb 
and recommended it to his neighbor afflicted with a similar ailment. 
In this way the profession of medicine was born, and from this simple 
beginning centuries of evolution have developed the practice of medi- 
cine into one of the most honored and honoi-able occupations. 

All the ancient civilizations manifested almost a superstitious 
reverence for the healing art. In Egypt the god Osiris and his wife 
Isis were the guardians of health — the tutelary deities of the medical 
arts; ^scidapius was the god of health in ancient Greece; and "Galen 
the Greek" taught medical classes in Rome long before the dawn of 
the Christian Era. Hippocrates, another Greek, M'ho lived from 460 
to 337, B. C, has been termed the "father of medicine." He required 
his pupils to take an oath in the name of "Apollo, the ]ihysician, 
iEsculapius, Hygeia, Panacea, and all the gods and goddesses; to 
reckon him who teaches me this art equally with my parents; to look 
upon his offspring as my brothers; to share with him my substance 
and to relieve his necessities if required; to pass my life and practice 
my art with purity and holiness, and whatsoever in connection with 
my professional practice, or not in connection with it. I may see or 
hear, that will I not divulge, holding that all such things should be 
kept secret." 

267 



268 PAST xiXU PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

There was a revival of the Hippocratic oath among the doctors- 
of the ^Middle Ages, and a few medical schools in more modern times 
impose a similar obligation u^jon their alumni. Some of the princijjles 
laid down in the oath of Hippocrates are to be found in the profes- 
sional code of ethics as laid down in this twentieth century. 

It was not until 131.) tliat a systematic study of the human anat- 
omy by dissection was commenced by a Doctor JNlondino, of Bologna.. 
When the populace learned that Mondino was actually cutting up the 
dead body of a human being he was almost mobbed. But what would 
modern surgery amount to had it not been for a careful study of the 
intricate mechanism of the human body by actual contact witli it 
through the medium of dissection i This incident is only one of many 
the profession has had to encounter when science comes in conflict with 
the preconceived notions of the multitude. 

Soon after the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, was established 
in 1582 a medical department was added and from this institution 
modern medical jirogress marks it beginning. In 176.5 Dr. John 
jNIorgan and Dr. William Shippen opened a medical school in Phila- 
delphia, that afterward l)ecame tlie medical department of the College 
of Philadelphia. That was the first medical scliool in Avhat is now 
the United States of America. At the present time nearly every state 
university has its medical department and there is scarcely a large city 
in the land in Avhicli tliere are not one or more medical colleges. With 
the wonderful increase in the facilities for obtaining a professional 
education, it is not surprising that the practice of medicine has made 
great strides within the memory of persons yet living. 

Voltaire once defined a physician as "A man who crams drugs of 
whieli he knows little into a body of which he knows less." That defi- 
nition may have been applicable to a certain class of French empirics 
at the time it was written, but since Voltaire's day the medical profes- 
sion has assumed greater responsibilities and through the intelligent 
and concerted action of the jDhysicians themselves the practice has been 
elevated to a liigher plane. The physician of the twentieth century is,^ 
with rare exceptions, a man entitled to the lionor and respect of the 
community, both for his professional ability and his standing as a citi- 
zen in the ordinary walks of life. 

HOME REMEDIES 

In the early settlement of every section of the INIississippi ^"alley 
the pioneer followed the example of his primitive ancestor and "cured 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 269 

by exiJeriiiientation." If one remedy failed tu pruduee results unutlier 
was tried, and so on, until death relieved the patient of his sutfering 
or a strong constitution — aided perhaps to some extent by the treat- 
juent — restored him to health. Each family kept on hand a stock of 
roots, bark and herbs, and all common ailments were treated by the 
administration of "home-made medicine." How many of the old resi- 
dents of CaUioun County now living can remember the boneset tea, 
the burdock bitters, the decoctions of wild cherry bark or sarsaparilla 
root and the poultices and plasters that "Grandma" or "Aunt Jane" 
\vould prepare and apply — internally or externally, as the case seemed 
to demand — with more solemnity than the surgeon of the present day 
cuts open a man and robs him of his appendix. 

\\'hen one of the frontier inhabitants was stricken with illness, 
several of the neighbors would gather at the house, each to advocate 
some favorite remedy, and the result was often a ease of "when doc- 
tors disagree there are none to decide." If the disease baffled the skill 
of these neighbors, some one would volunteer to go for the nearest 
doctor, who often lived miles away. 

THE PIONEER DOCTOR 

Such was the condition in practically every frontier settlement 
when the first physician arrived, and no addition to the population was, 
as a rule, given a more cordial reception. Yet the life of a pioneer 
physician was no sinecure. About the only inducement for a doctor to 
cast his lot in a new settlement was that he might gi-ow up \\ith the 
country and succeed in establishing himself in a lucrative practice 
l)efore his competitor arrived in the field. In this ambition some suc- 
ceeded, others failed. INIoney was a rare article and his fees, if he col- 
lected any at all, were paid in such produce as the pioneer farmers 
could sjiare and the doctor could use. 

The old-time doctor was not always a graduate of a medical school. 
Perhaps in a majority of cases his medical education had been ac- 
(juired Ijy "reading" for a year or two with some older physician and 
assisting his preceptor in his practice. When he thought he knew 
enough to begin practicing on his own responsibilty, he would look 
about for a suitable location, and in many instances some new settle- 
ment ajijieared to him to offer the best opportunity for the exercise of 
his talents. Of course, there were numerous exceptions to this rule and 
some of the best physicians, already established in practice, would be 
caught by the wanderlust and seek a new location in some young but 
growing community. 



270 PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

If the professional and technical knowledge of the pioneer physi- 
cian were limited, his stock of drugs, medicines, surgical instruments 
and appliances were equally as limited. A generous supply of calo- 
mel, some jalap, aloes, Dover's powder, castor oil and a few other 
substances constituted the principal remedies in his Pharmacopoeia. 
Sulphate of quinine was rare and too expensive for general use in 
practice, so the doctor relied upon heroic doses of peruvian bark in 
cases of malaria. In cases of fever the standard treatment was to 
relieve the jjatient of a quantity of blood, consequently every doctor 
carried with him one or more lancets. If a drastic cathartic, followed 
by letting of blood, with perhaps a "fly blister" over the seat of any 
local pain, failed to improve the condition of the patient, the doctor 
would "look wise and trust to a rugged constitution to pull the sick 
jjerson through." 

But, greatly to the credit of these old-time doctors, it can be 
truthfully said that most of them were just as conscientious in their 
work and had as much faith in the remedies they administered as the 
most celebrated specialist has in his treatment today. It can also be 
truthfully said that a majority of the early physicians were suffi- 
ciently sincere in their desire to relieve sufFering humanity that they, 
as the population of the new settlement increased, refused to remain 
in the mediocre class and attended some medical school, even after 
they had been engaged in practice for years. This was especially 
true after the physicians began to organize themselves into medical 
societies, Avhere none was admitted without a diploma from some 
accredited medical college. 

When the first doctors began practice in Calhoun County they 
(lid not visit their patients in automobiles. Even if the automobile 
had been invented at that time, the condition of the roads — where 
there were any roads at all — was such that the vehicle would have been 
practically useless. The doctor relied upon his trusty horse to carry 
him on his round of visits. His practice extended over a large dis- 
trict of country and frequently had no road to follow but the "blazed 
trail" through the timber or a faint path over the prairie, where he 
guided his way by tlie stars. Sometimes on starless nights he carried 
a lantern, so that he could find the trail in case he wandered away 
from it in the darkness. After visiting his patient, if he did not 
remain until morning with the family, he would dro]) the reins upon 
his horse's neck and trust to the animal's instinct to find the way home. 

Written prescriptions would have been as useless as the automo- 
bile in frontier practice, as there were no drug stores at which they 



TAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 271 

could have been filled. To overcome this difficulty the doctor car- 
ried his medicines with him in a pair of "pill-bags" — a contrivance 
composed of two leathern boxes divided into compartments for vials 
of various sizes and connected by a broad straj) that could be thrown 
across the saddle. 

Next to the lancet, the principal surgical instrument was probably 
the "turnkey" for extracting teeth, for the doctor was often called 
upon to perform this duty of dentist as well as his regular calling of 
physician. A story is told of a customer once complaining to a 
negro barber that the razor pulled, to which the darkey replied : 
"Yas sah: 1 knows it pulls, birt if the razor handle doesn't break de 
beard am IkiuiuI to come off." So it was when the old-time doctor 
got that tuinkey fastened on a tooth, for if the instrument did not 
break the tooth was boimd to come out. Comparing the manner of 
extracting teeth then with the painless method of the jjresent day, the 
old turnkey' almost reminds one of the tortures of the Spanish inqui- 
sition. 

And yet these early doctors, crude as Avere many of their methods, 
were the forerunners of and paved the way for the specialists in these 
early years of the Twentieth Century. They were neither arrogant 
nor selfish as a rule and if one of them discovered a new remedy, or a 
new way of administering an old one, he was always ready to impart 
the information of his discovery to his ])rofessional brethren. Thus, 
stejj l)y step, the fund of medical knowledge was increased, co-opera- 
tion among doctors became established, and the profession was lifted 
liigher and higher. If one of the old-time doctors could come back to 
earth and step into the office of some prominent specialist, he would 
doubtless stand aghast at the array of X-ray machines, microscopes, 
stethoscopes and various other instruments and appliances, and lie 
might not realize that he had }?layed his humble part in bringing about 
this advance in the practice of medicine. 

Over and above the professional calling and position of the early 
physician, he was a man of prominence and influence in other mat- 
ters. Often his advice was asked regarding affairs entirely foreign 
to his business: his travels about the settlement brought him in touch 
with all the latest gossip, which made him a welcome caller in other 
households; he was quite frequently the only man in the community 
who subscribed for and read a weekly newspaper, and this led his 
neighbors to follow his leadership in matters political. Look back 
over the history of almost any county in the broad Mississippi Valley 
and the names of physicians will appear as members of the legisla- 



272 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

tiire, incuiiilients of important county offices, and in a number of in- 
stances a doctor has been chosen to represent a district in Conoress. 
Socially he was nearly always well received l)y the pioneers, whether 
he called in sickness or health. On the occasions of his visits a jilace 
iit the table was his, and the juiciest piece of chicken or the largest 
jjiece of pie would find its way to the doctor's plate. JNIany a boy has 
been named for the family physician. 

For some time after the first settlement of Calhoun County the 
nearest physicians were in Greene County. Foremost among them 
were Dr. W. S. JNIcBride and a Doctor JNIiller. Doctor JMcBride 
was located at Jefferson and made frequent calls in the vicinity of 
liake City. He and Doctor jNIiller were both typical country doctors 
iind were reasonably successful in restoring the sick to health. 

The first resident physician in the county was a Doctor St. John, 
whose first name seems to have been forgotten by the old settlers of 
Calhoun. He located at Lake City in 1857, but the community then 
numbered but a few families and there was not sufficient practice to 
satisfy his demands, so that he remained only a short time. He is 
remembered as a courteous gentleman and a practitioner of 
some ability. 

Dr. J. W. Hollenbeck was the next physician to establish himself 
in the county. He located at Lake City after Doctor St. John 
left that ])lace and remained for about three years. He was succeeded 
by Dr. E. V. Elachley, an eclectic physician, who jn-acticed in Lake 
City and vicinity for some seven or eight years. 

In 1871 Dr. F. C. Stewart located at Lake City. He was a sol- 
dier in the Union armv during the Civil war, after which he srad- 
uated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Keokuk, la. 
He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, a highly successful 
physician and excelled in the practice of surgery. He continued to 
practice in Calhomi County until the time of his death. 

Contem})orary with Doctor Stewart was Dr. J. D. INIcVay, who 
graduated at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk in 
the class of 1873 and soon afterward estal)lished himself in i)ractiee 
at Lake City. In 1884 he \\as elected to represent the district of 
which Calhoun County then formed a ])art in the lower branch of 
the Iowa Legislature, and in 1888 was elected to tlie State Senate. 
He was the president of the first medical society organized in Cal- 
houn County and was a progressive man in all respects. 

An old Iowa ISIedical Directory for 1886 gives the physicians of 
Calhoim Countv, their location, the medical school each attended and 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 273 

the date of graduation as follows: II. H. Baldwin, Lake City. Chi- 
cago 3Iedical College, 1880; J. ^I. Cooper, Rockwell City, not a 
graduate; J. W. Craig, Lohrville, College of Physicians and Sur- 
geons of Keokuk, 1880; Herman Fischer, location not given, Chicago 
Homeopathic College, 1880; D. M. Johnston, Rockwell City, not a 
graduate; M. J. Land, school not known, Farnhamville; W. W. IMc- 
]Mackin. Lake City, Missouri Medical College, 1880; Josiah D. Mc- 
Vay, Lake City, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Keokuk, 
1873; D. T. ]Martin, ]Manson, Rush Medical College of Chicago, 
1882; Duncan Reid, :Manson, Rush ^Medical College, 18T8; C. H. L. 
Souder, Rockwell City, Louisville School of IMedicine, 1881; Mrs. 
Ellen A. Souder (wife of the above), Chicago Homeopathic College, 
1882; F. C. Stewart, Lake City, College of Physicians and Surgeons 
of Keokuk, date not given; D. W. Wight, Pomeroy, JNIedical Col- 
lege of Brunswick, JNIe., 1867; Henry Young, ]\lanson, Chicago ]Med- 
ical College, 1872. 

Of these physicians Dr. H. H. Baldwin was elected the first 
mayor of Lake City; Dr. 31. J. Land removed to IMissouri: Dr. Dun- 
can Reid went as a missionary to Africa; Dr. C. H. L. Souder and 
his wife, in the spring of 1915, were living on a farm in Garfield 
Townshij), Calhoun County; Dr. D. W. Wight, who was one of the 
charter members of the iSIasonic lodge at Pomeroy, went back east 
about 1894; Dr. Henry Young, who has represented Calhoun County 
in both branches of the Legislature and sensed as maj'or of ]\Ianson, 
is still practicing his profession in that little city. 

Dr. J. ]M. Carroll located at Pomeroy in 1875 and Dr. W. J. 
Townsend. of Lohrville, began practice in 1881, having previously 
attended the Iowa College of Physicians and Sm-geons. He received 
the degree of ]M. D. from Drake University in 1887 and is still jjrac- 
ticing in Lohrville. Dr. J. R. Thompson, one of the pioneer physi- 
cians of Jolley, served as coroner of the county from 189.5 to 1899. 

As a matter of fact, the medical history of Calhoun County dif- 
fers in no material respect from that of many other counties. There 
liave been no celebrated surgical operations performed within her 
borders and no physician of the county has achieved "woi-ld-wide 
fame." The physicians of tlie present day are all men of standing in 
their respective communities and compare favorably with the doctors 
through the State of Iowa. 

CENTRAL DLSTKICT 5IEDICAI, ASSOCIATION 

In June, 1874'. a number of physicians living in Boone, Calhoun, 
Carroll, Dallas, Greene, Storj' and some of the adjoining counties 



274 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

ovoanized the Central District ^Medical Association of Iowa. The 
only records of this old society known to be in existence is a fee bill 
adopted at a meeting held on June 19, 1876, the principal features 
of which were as follows: Office consultation, $1; first visit, $2; each 
subseiiuent visit. $1..)(); over one mile from office, $2.50: first visit in 
consultation, $10. This fee bill was signed by Drs. L. J. Alleman, 
A. A. Deering, H. D. Ensign, E. H. Melott, P. S. ]\Ioser, J. H. 
Noyes, M. A. Parr and G. D. Howe, of Boone County; F. C. Stewart 
and Josiah D. 3IcVay, of Calhoun; J. W. Gustine, F. Naulteus and 
A. L. ^Vi-ight, of Carroll; l\. S. Gwynn and M. P. INIowrer, of Dal- 
las: Charles Enfield, G. H. Grimmell, O. W. Lowrey, C. B. Park 
and W. S. Schernierhorn, of Greene; S. T. Goodman and J. J. 
Lewis, of Mahaska; B. F. Allen, D. S. Fairchild, A. G. Gorrell, 
George A. I^Ieredith and S. J. Starr, of Story. Dr. J. D. jNIcVay, 
of T^ake City, was president of this association in 1886. 

COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETIES 

The first Calhoun County INIedical Society was organized about 
1888 or 1889, a call having been previously issued and notices sent to 
the graduate physicians of the county requesting them to attend a 
.meeting at Rockwell City for the purpose of organizing such a so- 
ciety. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, Dr. Josiah D. ]Mc- 
Ytiy wvas elected president and Dr. W. ^V. ]Mc:Mackin, secretary. 
Owing to the fact that the constitution and by-laws restricted the 
membership to physicians who were graduates of accredited medical 
colleges, a number of doctors practicing then in the county were 
ineligible. Following is a list of the members of this first county 
medical society, so far as they can be definitely ascertained: FT. H. 
Baldwin, J. W. Craig, W. W. MclNIackin, Josiah D. INIcVay, D. T. 
3Iartin. Duncan Reid, F. C. Stewart, D. J. Townsend, D. W. Wight, 
ITcm-y Young. jNTeetings were held at irregidar inten-als for a 
year or two, when the society went down. 

After the formation of the American INIedical Association the 
various states began to organize state medical associations or societies 
and county societies were then formed in nearly every county of the 
nation as subordinates of the state organization and in close touch 
with it and the national association. 

Following this plan, the present Calhoun County INIedical Society 
was organized at Rockwell City on August 26, 1903. Doctor 
Churchill, of Fort Dodge, was present at the meeting and acted as 



PAST AM) PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 275 

temporary chairman until the organization was effected. A consti- 
tution and hy-laws were adopted and the following otHcers elected: 
D. J. Townsend, president: Doctor Hoxie, of Knierim, vice presi- 
dent: Dr. R. H. Hews, of Rockwell City, secretary; Dr. A. C. Nor- 
ton, of Rockwell City, Treasurer. 

The second meeting of the society was held at Rockwell City 
on Decemher 1, 1903, when Doctors Speaker, Nelson, ]Mu]larkey 
and Young, of ]Manson, were admitted to membership. At that meet- 
ing the first board of censors was elected. It consisted of Dr. F. V. 
Hibbs, Dr. D. W. IMcCrary and Dr. J. W. Craig. In lOlo the 
officers of the society were: Dr. J. INI. Cooper, of Rockwell City, 
president: Dr. W. C. Kennedy, of Knierim, vice president; Dr. F. 
y. Hibbs, of Lohrville, secretary and treasurer. 

From a directory of Iowa physicians recently published by the 
Iowa Medical Journal the following list of present day physicians 
in Calhoun County lias been taken: Rockwell City — J. M. Cooper, 
L. E. EsHck, L. D. Hews, R. H. Hews, J. N. Hoit, A. C. Norton; 
I>ake City— J. F. Hull, H. M. Humphrey, F. E. KaufFman, D. W. 
:McCrary, ]M. J. ^NlcVay, E. C. INIoore, G. L. Pray; INIanson— M. S. 
Freeburger, H. J. ]Mullarkey, W. T. Speaker, Henry Young; Lohr- 
ville— J. W. Craig, F. V. Hibbs, D. J. Townsend; Pomeroy— D. T. 
Martin. Charles L. Taylor; Knierim — W. C. Kennedy, J. H. Mc- 
Call; Lavinia — C. H. L. Souder, Ellen Souder; Famhamville— W. 
H. Green; Jolley — N. C. Kepler; Somers — J. S. Farlow; Yetter — 
D. H. Hopkins. 

While the medical profession of Calhoun County has never been 
pai-ticularly strong in numbers, a majority of the doctors realize the 
advantages to be derived from organization and are members of the 
medical society. Regular meetings for the transaction of business 
are held quarterly and during the sinnmer months special meetings 
are held at different jjoints in the comity. At these special meetings 
the program is usually more of a social than a professional character. 
Fraternal relations are maintained among the Calhoun County 
])hysicians, there are few bickerings and jealousies, and each one 
stands ready to lend his aid to a professional brother in difficulties. 
No noted surgical operations have ever been performed in the count j', 
and with the exception of one or two smallpox "scares" there has not 
been any serious e])ideniic. And these epidemics were not really 
serious. Through the skill of the physicians, the prom])t action of the 
local l)oard of health and the co-operation of the citizens the disease 
was confined to a small district in each case. 



CHAPTER XVIII 
SOCIETIES AND FRATERNITIES 

Ol.n settlers' association — the COMSTOCK cane — DECREE OE 
COURT — AGRICULTURAI. SOCIETIES — ROCKWELL CITY FAIR ASSOCIA- 
TION — MANSON FAIR AND RACING ASSOCIATION — CALHOUN COUNTY 
FAIR ASSOCIATION — MASONIC FRATERNITY — SKETCHES OF MASONIC 
I,ODGES — ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR — INDEPENDENT ORDER OF 

ODD FELLOAVS LODGES IN CALHOUN COUNTY DAUGHTERS OF KE- 

BEKAH KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBIJC — 

AVOMEN's relief corps — MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES — WOMEN's 
CLUBS — THE P. E. O. 

One of the oldest — if not the oldest — societies in Calliouu County 
is the Old Settlers' Association, which was organized at Lake City 
in 1882. When first formed it numbered among its members many 
of the old i-e.sidents and for several years annual picnics were held, 
at Avhich many interesting incidents of early days were recounted by 
those present, liut the hand of death removed the old pioneers one 
by one and in time the interest waned so that the picnic feature was 
abandoned. The association still keeps u]) its organization, however, 
and it has been the means of preserving records of early events that 
otherwise would have been forgotten. The first president of tlie 
association was Peter Smith, who came to the county in the fall of 
18.)4. J. M. Toliver was the second president. He Avas succeeded by 
Mrs. Washington Ripley, who came to the county a few years before 
the beginning of the Civil war. At the conclusion of Mrs. Ripley's 
term INIr. Toliver was again elected to the presidency and has held 
the office continuously since. In the spring of 1915 L. F. Danforth 
was the treasurer and T. B. Hotchkiss the historian of the organiza- 
tion. 

In 1004 the Old Settlers' Association fitly celebrated the semi- 
centennial anniversary of the settlement of Calhoun Coimty by hold- 
ing a sort of fair or exhibition of Calhoun County products at Lake 

27G 



c 



a; 

c 
r: 




J 



THE i\E« 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 277 

City. Farmers brought in the best specimens of their tiekl products 
and live stock: addresses were made showing the wonderful prog- 
ress of the county diu'ing its first fifty years, and at the conclusion of 
the fair some of the articles on exhibition were sent to St. Louis, to 
be exhibited at the "'kVorld's Fair, or Louisiana Purchase Interna- 
tional Exposition. 

Some years ago the Old Settlers' Association came into the pos- 
session of a cane made from a log taken from the cabin of Ebenezer 
Comstock, the first house built by a white man within the limits of 
Calhoun County, and adopted the custom of allowing the oldest con- 
tinuous resident of the county to carry the cane as a mark of distinc- 
tion. In connection Avith this custom the following "Decree of Court" 
is of historic interest: 

"In tl^e Old Settlers' Supreme Court in and for Calhoun County, 
Iowa. September Term, A. D. 1902, No. 1 Equity. In the Matter 
of the Award of the Comstock Cane: 

"Now on this 24th day of September, A. D. 1902, the same being 
the second day of the regular September term of said court, this 
cause came on for hearing, Hon. J. M. Toliver, presiding judge, on 
the issues joined herein, no one appearing for James O. Smith, con- 
testant, no one appearing for Jesse Marmon, contestant, and the 
other contestants appearing to wit : George W. Smith and the con- 
testant each appearing for himself, and the court finds after an in- 
spection of the record that due and legal service of notice of the 
pendency of this cause has been made upon all other parties by the 
publication in the weekly papers of Calhoun County, Iowa, and that 
said parties, though solemnly called, came not, but made default, it 
is therefore ordered by the court that all parties interested and not 
appearing be adjudged in default. 

"And the cause coming on for hearing upon the default entered, 
and the issues joined herein, upon consideration of the pleadings and 
evidence introduced, and after the argimient of counsel, the coiu-t 
being fully advised in the premises, finds that the allegations of con- 
testant James O. Smith are true and that said contestant James O. 
Smith is justly and truly the oldest continuous resident of Calhoun 
Comity. Iowa. 

"It is therefore ordered, adjudged and decreed that said James O. 
Smith is rightfully entitled to carry a certain cane, carved from a 
log taken from the cabin of Ebenezer Comstock, the first white set- 
tler in Calhoun County, Iowa, during his natural life. 



278 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUXTV 

"And said James O. Siiiith is hereby authorized and conunissioned 
to carry said cane, being enjoined to exercise due care of said cane, 
keeping it as a sacred rehc of the early days of Calhoim County, and 
it is further ordered and decreed that said cane is to remain the prop- 
erty of the Old Settlers' Association of Callioun County, Iowa, and 
on the death, voluntary surrender or removal from the county of said 
James O. Smith, said cane is to be returned to the said Old Settlers' 
Association, to be then bestowed on the next oldest contmuous resi- 
dent of the county. 

"J. M. ToLLivER, Judge." 

In the spring of 1915 the JNIanson Journal offered to give a life 
subscription to the paper to the oldest resident of the county. Several 
old residents presented their claims and to settle the dispute "Judge" 
Toliver submitted the following: 



"State of Iowa ( 
"Calhoun County^ 



ss. 



"I hereby certify that the evidence on the trial of this matter 
showed that James O. Smith located in this Calliomi County, Iowa, in 
October, 185i, and that he resided in said county continuously from 
that date up to the time of the trial, to wit, September 24, 1902. I 
fm-ther certify that he has resided in this Calhoun County from Sep- 
tember 24, 1902, up to this date, and is now a resident of said county. 
That the evidence proved that the cane referred to was made from an 
oak log from the first house built in Calhoun County, Iowa. 

"Dated this 21st day of April, 1915. 

"J. M. TOLIA-EE " 
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES 

On September 28, 1886, articles of incorporation were filed in the 
office of the county recorder for the Calhoun County Agricultural 
Association, the corporation to run for twenty years from June 19, 
1886. The capital stock of the association was fixed at $2,000. in 
shares of ten dollars each, and Rockwell City was designated as tlie 
place of business. The object of the organization was declared in 
the articles to be "the promotion of agriculture, and the mecliaivical 
and household arts," and the control and management was vested in a 
board of nine directors. The first board was composed of A. Riseley, 



PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 279 

H. W. Heston, W. T. Smith, A. W. Jackson, William Cummings, 
J. W. Nicholson, W. \V. Walters, J. H. Carrier and T. AV. McCrary. 

A tract of thirtj'-one acres of land in the northern part of Kock- 
\\ell City was pmchased for a fair ground and about five thousand 
dollars were expended in the erection of fences, buildings and in mak- 
ing other needed improvements. Fairs were held annually until about 
189-1, when the association became somewhat embarrassed financially, 
having a mortgage of $1,500 ujjon the-grounds and a floating indebt- 
edness of about seven hundred dollars. The assets of the association 
amounted to more than three times the indebtedness, but ready money 
was not available for meeting pressing obligations, the mortgage was 
foreclosed and the association soon afterward disbanded. 

On February 21, 1898, a meeting was held at the law office of 
Stevenson & Lavender, in Rockwell City, for the purpose of reor- 
ganizing the old county agricultural society or forming a new one. 
George Ritz and George W. Korns were appointed to solicit sub- 
scrijitions to a new capital stock. A little later, as a means of awak- 
ening interest in the undertaking, it was decided to have a race meet 
on the 12th and 13th of August. The races came off according to the 
program, but the stock subscriptions were not satisfactory and the 
project was abandoned. 

ROCKWELL CITY FAIR ASSOCIATION 

After the failure to i-eorganize in 1898, the county seat was with- 
out a fair or agricultural exhibit of any kind for nearly ten years 
before another effort was made to establish an agricultural society or 
fair association. On June 29, 1907, a meeting was held at the court- 
house, at which Dr. L. E. Eslick presided and O. L. Hedlund acted as 
secretary. The general trend of the opinions expressed at that meet- 
ing was in favor of organizing a fair association. George Ritz, W. Q. 
Stewart, Andrew Stewart, L. W. Johnson and L. J. Owen were 
appointed a committee to negotiate for a tract of ground in the north- 
ern part of town, just east of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
Railroad, for a fair ground. Another committee was ajjpointed to 
solicit stock subscriptions. At a second meeting, held at the court- 
house on July 12, 1907, the first committee reported that the tract of 
ground could be obtained on easy terms under a long lease, and the 
second reported subscriptions of $2, .500 to the capital stock. C. E. 
Cameron, president of the State Board of Agriculture, was present 



280 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

at the meeting and through his influence the subscriptions to stock 
increased tlie amount to -^ijOOO. 

On August 2, 1907, the Rockwell City Fair Association was incor- 
porated with a capital stock of $10,000 and the following officei-s: 
Andrew Stewart, president; O. L. Hedlund, vice president; W. Q. 
Stewart, secretary; and George Ritz, treasurer. The objects of the 
association, as stated in the articles of incorporation, are "to secure, 
buy, lease or purchase and improve the necessary ground, construct 
and maintain the necessary buildings and conduct at Rockwell City, 
Iowa, agricultural fairs and other meetings to develop and improve 
the stock breeding interests of Calhoun County, and to advance the 
o-eneral aiJfricultural, horticultural, mechanical and educational inter- 
ests W'ithin said district." 

Owing to the lateness of the season when the association was incor- 
porated, no fair was given in 1907. The grounds were purchased 
instead of being leased and during the fall of that year and the spring 
of 1908 were improved. In 1908 a fair was held, which was largely 
attended. Since then successful fairs have been held every year. The 
officers for 191.5 Avere: Andrew Stewart, president; A. L. Johnson, 
vice president; Claude O. Dixon, secretary; F. E. Burnham, treasurer. 

MAKSON FAIR AND RACING ASSOCIATION 

Soon after the old Calhoun County Agi-icultural Association went 
down some of the more progressive farmers and business men in the 
northwestern part of the county began to discuss the advisability of 
organizing a society at ]\Ianson. After some delay the JNIanson Fair 
and Racing Association was incorporated on January 13, 1899, with 
the following officers: George I. Long, president; C. A. Whittlesey, 
vice president; W. S. Brooks, secretary; Andrew J. ]Maher, treasurer. 
These officers and J. H. Harrison, JohiT Holbrook, H. ]Mullarkey, 
J. F. Dalton, M. J. Foley, James Harper and C. R. Nicholson con- 
stituted the first board of directors. 

The articles of association provided that the capital stock should 
not exceed $.5,000 and that the indebtedness of the association should 
never exceed 25 per cent of the capital stock. The association was 
incorporated for ten years, from January 1, 1899, unless sooner dis- 
solved, and the purpose of the organization was stated to be "the pro- 
motion of the agricultural, horticultural, mechanical and household 
arts." A suitable tract of gi'ound was obtained for a fair ground. 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 281 

buildingij were erected for the various exhibits, a race track was con- 
• structed and fairs were lield annually until I'JOii. 

< 

CALHOUN COUNTY FAIR ASSOCIATION 

On February 23, 190-1., the JNIanson I'air and Kacing Association 
was incorporated a second thne, the name being then changed to the 
Calhoun County Fair Association. In the new articles of incorpora- 
tion the capital stock was fixed at $5,000, with the provision that it 
might be increased at any time by a vote of two-thirds of the stock- 
holders. The first board of directors had been elected on February 
10, 1904, from which date the incorporation was to extend for ten 
years, unless sooner dissolved. Thomas Griffin was chosen president; 
G. E. Moon, vice president; C. G. Kaskc}', secretary; B. E. Sebern, 
treasurer. The other members of the board of directors were: J. P. 
Calmer, H. A. Arnold, J. C. Kelley, John Hoag, George Ridge and 
Charles Krebs. 

Under the new management the fair grounds were improved and 
successful fairs were held every year during the corporate life of the 
association, wliich expired on February 10, 1914. So successful liad 
been the work of the organization that it was determined to reincorpo- 
rate for another period of ten years. Accordingly new articles of 
association were filed with tlie county recorder on February 27, 1914, 
with J. C. Hoag as president; G. B. ]Moon, vice president; C. G. 
Kaskey, secretary; F. B. Davis, treasurer. In addition to the above 
named officers Edward Wright, Frone Ring, Heniy Steinberg, Ru- 
dolph Steinbrink, H. A. Arnold, James Johnson and Clyde Griffin 
were elected directors. The capital stock was increased to $6,750, 
in shares of $5 each and prej^arations were made for holding better 
fairs than ever before. This is one of the successful fair associations 
of Northwestern Iowa. 

LAKE CITY POULTRY SHOW ASSOCIATION 

Tliis is the youngest society of an agricultural character in Calhoun 
County. It was organized on JNIarch 22, 1915, at a meeting held for 
the purpose at Culver's feed store in Lake City. The full name of 
the organization, as adopted at that meeting, is the "Lake City Poul- 
try and AgricultiH'alShow Association." In the announcement issued 
by the association shortly afterward, the objects of the movement are 
"to create renewed interest in poultry raising, farm products, fancy 



282 PAST AND PKESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

work, household cookery and kindred subjects, and to have every au- 
tumn a poultry show and exhibition at Lake City." 

Henry Wheeler was elected president; J. O. ^liller, vice presi- 
dent; W. T. Culiver, secretary; E. E. Schwartz, treasurer; ^Martin 
Baden, O. ^V^ Lundberg, Lloyd Smith and Charles White, executive 
board; JNIrs. E. JM. JNIiles, superintendent of the domestic science 
dejjartment. 

FRATERNAL ORGAXIZATIOXS 

Calhoun County is the home of a number of lodges of the leading 
secret orders, as Avell as organizations of fraternal and benevolent 
societies, such as the Woodmen of the \Vorld. the JNlodern Woothnen 
of America, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, etc. Letters 
were sent to the secretaries of the various societies, but unfortunately 
a number of tliem failed to reply giving the information asked for and 
the liistory of such cannot be given in detail. 

MASONIC FRATERNITY 

Of all the secret societies Masonry stands first in point of seniority. 
One of the jNIasonic traditions says the order was first introduced in 
England by Prince Edwin about 926 A. D., and there are in existence 
Masonic documents dated in the year 1390. JMother Kilwinning 
Lodge of Scotland Mas instituted in 1599 and has been in continuous 
existence since, claiming the distinction of being the oldest ^Masonic 
lodge in the world. In June, 1717, the Grand Lodge of England was 
organized and it is the mother of all ^Masonic organizations in the 
countries sj)eaking the English language. 

In 1730 the Grand Lodge of England authorized the Grand ]Mas- 
ter to provide for the establisliment of INIasonic lodges in the Amer- 
ican colonies. Accordingly, Daniel Coxe was appointed "Provincial 
Grand INIaster of the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and Penn- 
sylvania in America." About the same time a provincial giand mas- 
ter was appointed for tlie New England colonies. Before the close 
of that year a lodge was instituted in New Hampshire and another in 
the City of Philadelpliia, each of which claims to be the first Masonic 
lodge in America. 

IMasonry was introduced into the Territory of Iowa under the 
authority of the Grand I^odge of IMissouri. The first lodge in Iowa 
was estal)lished imder dispensation at Burlington on November 20, 
1840. Rising Sun Lodge, at Montrose, and Eagle Lodge, at Keo- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 283 

kuk, held charters from the Grand Lodge of llhiiois, but they were 
knuwii as JMornion lodges and were not recognized by the Grand 
Lodge of JMissouri. They continued in existence, however, until some 
time after the death of Joseph and Hyrimi Smith in June, 1844, 
thougli their charters had been previously revoked by the Grand 
Lodge of Illinois, and they were not permitted to participate in the 
formation of the Iowa Grand Lodge in January, 1844. 

The oldest JNIasonic lodge in Calhoun County is Zerubbabel Lodge 
No. 240, located at Lake Citj'. A dispensation for the organization 
of this lodge was granted on June 8, 1868, by Reuben jMickel, grand 
master, and T. S. Parvin, grand secretary. The tirst meetuig of the 
lodge was held on July 4, 1868, in an uijjjer room of the old comt- 
house, with S. H. Richardson, worshipful master; Robert Shideler, 
senior warden; William Oxenford, junior warden; James Fleece, sec- 
retary; Josiah Lumpkin, treasurer; J. J. Hutchison, senior deacon; 
John Oxenford, junior deacon; and Christian Smith, tiler. In Jan- 
uary, 1869, the lodge was granted a charter and was formally insti- 
tuted with the above officers and the following charter members: 
Henry SifFord, Daniel Cooper and Champlin Lester. 

The first ^Masonic funeral in the count}' was conducted by this 
lodge on June 2.5, 1869, over the remains of George F. Browning. 
The first election after the charter was received was held on July 28, 
1869. No change was made in the worshipfid master and wardens. 
L. F. Danforth was chosen secretary; J. J. Lumpkin, treasurer; 
Christian Smith, senior deacon; John Oxenford, junior deacon; and 
Philip Andrew, tiler. Of these officers L. F. Danforth was the only 
one living in 1915. 

The early meetings of Zerubbabel Lodge were held in the old court- 
house, after which a lodge room was fitted up in the building at the 
northwest corner of the jiublic square known as the "blue front." In 
1893 the lodge added the third story to the brick building fronting the 
public square at the southeast corner, diagonally across the two streets 
from the Citizens Bank, where meetings have since been held regii- 
larly. In 1915 the lodge numbered 130 members, with Oscar W. 
Ijundberg, worshipful master, and L. E. Nokes, secretary. 

IMorning Light Lodge, No. 384, was organized at Manson in 1876 
under a dispensation from the grand master, and was instituted as a 
"regular and well governed lodge" under a cliarter dated June 4, 
1879, with tlie following charter members: G. H. Scott, worshipful 
master; Robert Shideler, senior warden; John P. Calmer, junior war- 
den; C. R. Nicholson, secretary; George R. Allison, J. L. Brown, 



284 PAST A^D PKESEXT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

J. C. Scott, J. D. Skinner, X. P. Graves, C. P. Yates and R. L. 
Glover. Kegular meetings of this lodge are held on ^Monday evening 
on or before the full nioozi in each month. On January 1, 1915, the 
membership numbered 107, with F. M. Grittin, worshipful master, 
and C. I. Jackson, secretary. ^Morning Light Lodge has always occu- 
pied rented quarters, but in the sj^ring of 1915 a movement was started 
for the erection of a jNIasonic hall. 

Solar Lodge, Xo 475, was instituted under a charter dated Jan- 
uary 19, 1885. It is located at Pomeroy. The charter members were: 
H. W. Dyer, A. A. Horton, D. \V. Wight, G. W. Hamilton, C. L. 
Lockie, Alexander Lockie, Jacob Foster, C. H. Clark, Thomas 
JNIiller, Jacob Schofield, ^Villiam Frantz, W. T. Ivey, I. C. 31orrill, 
D. Harvej', J. H. Lowrey, INl. Freeman and I. L. Delano. H. W. 
Dyer was the first worshipful master, A. A. Xorton the first senior 
warden and I. L. Delano the first junior warden. At the beginning 
of the year 1915 Solar Lodge numbered forty-nine members. W. J. 
Julius was then worshijiful master; JNI. Peterson, senior warden; A. T. 
Horton, junior warden; J. A. Benson, secretary; D. T. JMartin, treas- 
urer; J. A. Johnson, senior deacon; S. G. Hartley, junior deacon; 
C. A. Marple and A. Tinian, stewards; and Jacob Foster, tiler. Reg- 
ular meetings are held on Wednesday evening on or before the full 
moon in each month. 

Twin Lakes Lodge X^o. 478, located at Rockwell City, was organ- 
ized under a dispensation dated September 3, 1885, and was regu- 
larly instituted the following summer under a charter dated June 2, 
1886. In the charter D. W. Noel, D. D. Torrence and C. G. Walker 
are named as the three principal ofiicers. JNIeetings were held in 
rented halls until the building at the southwest corner of Fifth and 
Court streets was erected, when the lodge added the upper story for 
a JNIasonic hall. Few lodges in the state, in towns the size of Rock- 
well City, have better appointed arrangements for business meet- 
ings, degree work or social gatherings than Twin Lakes. Accord- 
ing to the last report to the Iowa Grand Lodge, the lodge at Rockwell 
City numbered 140 members, with W. A. Sandberg, worshipful mas- 
ter, and C. M. Randall, secretary. 

Some time elapsed after the establishment of Twin Lakes Lodge 
before another JNIasonic lodge was organiz.ed in Calhoun County. 
Then INIaple Lodge No. 56G was instituted at Jolley on June '27, 
1900, by Edwin Drewry, of Sac City, assisted by members of the 
fraternity from that place and some of the lodges in Calhoun County. 
A supper was served to the visiting Masons at 6 o'clock in the even- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 285 

iiig, after which the master's degree was conferred on a candidate. 
Dr. D. J. Townsend, of Lohrville, delivered an address. In 1915 
this lodge numbered forty-one members, with Thomas Patterson as 
worshii)fiil master and H. C. Eby, secretary. Regular meetings are 
lield on Friday evening on or before the full of the moon in each 
month. 

Nekoda Lodge No. .597. located at Lohrville, is the youngest 
Masonic lodge in the county. Its charter is dated June 5, 1907, and 
it was formally instituted soon after the charter was granted by the 
grand lodge. Tlie first officers Avere: F. V. Hibbs, worshipful mas- 
ter; C. W. Beckwith, senior warden; D. J. Townsend, junior Avarden; 
W. L. INIcDiarniid, secretary; Charles Allen, senior deacon; J. C. 
Smith, junior deacon; INI. Hicks and A. Baird, stewards. On Jan- 
uary 1, 1915, the lodge numbered fifty-six members. The officers 
for 1915 were as follows: A. Baird, worshipful master: ]M. II. Hor- 
ner, senior warden; R. S. Bolander, junior warden; Fred S. Buffliam, 
secretary; I. S. Jenkins, treasurer; A. A. Bolander and Charles Allen, 
senior and junior deacons, respectively; D. J. Townsend and R. H. 
Cummings, stewards; and M. A. Callahan, tiler. 

Cyprus Chapter No. 99, located at Lake City, is the only organ- 
ization of Royal Arch JNIasons in Calhoun County, and the only 
JNIasonic body conferring degrees higher than those of the blue lodge. 
In the spring of 1882 ten members of Zerubbabel Lodge at Lake 
City, who were Roj-al Arch ]Masons in Copestone Chapter No. 78j, 
located at Glidden. witlidrew by dimit from tliat chapter and organ- 
ized Cyprus under a dispensation. The first officers were: L. R. 
Danforth, high priest; J. M. Stewart, king; I. N. Barker, scribe; 
David Reed, treasurer; J. M. Toliver, secretaiy; Jay Walbridge, 
captain of the host; J. D. JMcVay, principal sojourner; W. W. Zane, 
royal arch captain; Edward L. Gregory, sentinel. A charter was 
granted to the new chapter in 1883. In 1915 Cyprus numbered 
sixty-eight members. At that time J. INI. Toliver, L. F. Danforth 
and Edward L. Gregory were the only charter members living. J. H. 
Bradt and ^V. Q. StcAvart, now living in Rockwell City, were among 
the first to receive the degrees in Cyprus Chapter. Regular meetings 
are held on the second Wednesday of each month. The officers 
elected for 1915 were as follows: L. E. Nokes, higli priest; R. A. 
Griffin, king; L. F. Danforth, scribe; E. W. Townsend, secretary; 
G. E. Pearen, treasurer; M. A. Chapman, captain of the host: J. INI. 
Toliver, royal arcli captain; H. A. Low, principal sojourner. 



286 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

OKDER OF THE ExVSTERN STAR 

In connection with the jNIasonic fraternity there is a "side degree" 
called the Order of the Eastern Star, to which the wives and dant>h- 
ters of Master jNIasons are eligible. The local organizations are 
called chapters. The oldest chapter in Calhoun County is Lake 
Queen, No. 119, located at Lake City. It was organized on June 6, 
1892, with the following charter members: JMaiy A. Toliver, J. M. 
St. John, INIrs. T. M. Stewart, S. A. Townsend, G. W. 3Iighell, Lulu 
A. Burt, Ora Harshbarger, Mrs. T. A. Glines, Mrs. A. Russell, Mis.s 
Lucy Burt, ISIrs. J. M. St. John, Mrs. G. E. Pearen, H. Harshbar- 
ger, A. E. Glines, J. M. Toliver, H. F. Jacobs, George C. Hill, Mrs. 
L. A. Hotchkiss, INIrs. ]M. H. Jacobs, Mrs. R. Zane, T. B. Hotchkiss, 
C. I. Burt, O. H. Burt, L. L. Burt, L. J. ]\Iighell, ]Mrs. E. G. Flinn, 
Mrs. C. G. Hill, W. A. Townsend. The charter bears date of Sep- 
tember 15, 1892. 

The first officers were: Mary A. Toliver, worthy matron; J. M, 
St. John, worthy patron; ]Mrs. T. M. Stewart, associate mati'on; 
Mrs. G. W. INIighell, conductress; Lulu A. Burt, associate conduc- 
tress; Mrs. E. G. Flinn, secretary; S. A. Townsend, treasurer; Ora 
Harshbarger, Ada; Mrs. T. A. Glines, Ruth; Mrs. A. Russell,^ 
Esther; Mrs. L. A. Hotchkiss, Martha; Mrs. J. M. St. John, Electa; 
]Mrs. G. E. Pearen, warder; G. E. Pearen, sentinel. The growth of 
Lake Queen Chapter has been steady from the organization to the 
beginning of the year 191.5, when the membership numbered 105, 
with no delinquent dues. The principal officers at that time were: 
INIinnie E. Danforth, worthy matron; H. W. Crawford, worthy 
patron ; Lucretia A. Hotchkiss, associate matron ; Dillie Hum})hre}'s, 
secretary; Zora Townsend, treasiu-er. 

Evening Light Chapter, No. 19G, located at ]Manson, was insti- 
tuted on October 28, 1896, and was the second to be organized in the 
county. The JNIasonic Lodge organized at INIanson in 1876 took the 
name of INIorning Light and the ladies, when they organized, took the 
name of Evening Light. The charter members of the INIanson chap- 
ter were: JMesdames Ilattie Kelley, E. INL Andrews, E. V. Nichol- 
son, Maria Bloch, Bertha Harper, H. M. Long, Margaret Rockwell, 
A. M. Le INIoine, M. J. Howard, Hattie Barks, R. J. Davidson, L. 
Earll; Misses Nora Ebersole, S. E. Le Moine and Cora Ebersole; 
T. D. Le INIoine, J. T. Kelley, J. W. Howard, R. H. Bloch, G. W. 
Barks, S. Andrews, W. II. Davidson and J. W. Earll. 



t5 
/ 




PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 2ST 

The first worthy matron was ^Nlrs. E. V. Nicholson, and C. R. 
Nicholson was the first worthy patron. Of the charter members 
but two were living in JNIanson in the spring of 1915 — Mrs. H. M. 
Long and W. II. Davidson. On the evening of June 1-1, 1901, 
twenty members of Evening IJght Chapter went to Rockwell City 
and assisted one of the officers of the Iowa Grand Chapter to insti- 
tute the Eastern Star chapter in that town. At the beginning of 
the year 191.) the ]Manson chapter numbered 113 members. The 
princi])al officers then were: INIrs. Elizabeth S])ringer, worthy 
matron : Henry A. Arnold, worthy patron; JMartlia Statler, secre- 
tary; F. ^I. Griffin, treasurer. Regidar meetings are held on 
^Vednesday evening on or before the full moon in each month. It 
is worthy of note that Evening Light Chapter is keeping one of its 
members — Mrs. T. D. Swan — at the Eastern Star Home at Boone, 
Iowa. 

Ruby Chapter, No. 217, of Pomeroy, was instituted under a 
charter dated October 28, 1897, with Mrs. Lyle C. Chapler as 
worthy matron, and Rev. C. E. Chapler as worthy patron. The 
charter members were as follows: jNIesdames INIinnie Stewart; 
Hattie Lowrey, INIaggie Schneck, INIamie Jenkins, liVle C. Chap- 
ler, Lucy Alexander, Janette Frost, Lizzie Foster, JNIary R. Moody, 
Sarah Perkins, Susie ]Martin, R. B. Robbins; JNIiss Grace Perkins; 
Jacob Foster, C. G. Perkins, J. H. Lowrey, R. A. Stewart, R. 
Jackson, C. E. Chapler, D. T. INIartin, C. "w. Alexander, G. P. 
Frost, F. ]\r. Jenkins and L. W. Moody. 

At the beginning of the year 1915 Ruby Chapter reported sev- 
enty-five meml)ers, with iNIary Odiet, worthy matron; INIalcolm Pet- 
erson, worthy patron; Elizabeth Johnson, associate matron; Nellie 
Berry, secretary; J. A. Johnson, treasurer; Ada Johnson, conduc- 
tress; Jessie Peterson, associate conductress. Regular meetings are 
held each month on Friday evening on or before the full moon. 

On June 7. 1901, a miiuber of the wives and daughters of Mas- 
ter ^lasons at Rockwell City met and took the preliminary steps 
toward the organization of an Eastern Star chapter by electing the 
following officers: Mrs. E. E. Oldfield, worthy matron; Charles 
Allen, worthy patron; ^Irs. C. M. Randall, associate matron; Mrs. 
Kate Bradt, treasurer; JNIrs. George Ritz, conductress; Mrs. C. B. 
Adams, associate conductress. A charter was olitained from the 
Iowa Grand Chapter, giving the Rockwell City organization the 
name of Silver Lake Chapter, No. 312, and it was formally insti- 
tuted on Friday evening, June I'l, 1901, by one of the grand officers 



288 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

and a number of the Eastern Star chapter at ]Manson. In 1915 
Silver Lake Chapter numbered 134 members, with S. E. Stanfield 
worthy patron; INIiss Lois Bradt, worthy matron; and JNIrs. Kate 
Bandall, secretary. 

Deborah Chapter, No. 418, located at Lohrville, was instituted 
on October 29, 1908, with the following charter members: liillian 
Allen, Hazel Allen, Pearl Baker, Elizabeth Baird, Bertha Beck- 
with, Grace Brown, Susan Earwood, Sarah Evers, INIinnie Hibbs, 
Louise Hicks, Alice Hicks, Blanche ^IcDiarmid, Gertrude Smith, 
Myra Townsend, Blanche Townsend, Charles Allen, Andrew Baird, 
Cliarles Beckwith, Ephraim Earwood, David Evans, Warren Mc- 
Diarmid. James Smith and Daniel Townsend. 

Lillian Allen was the first worthy matron: ]Myra Townsend, 
associate matron; Warren JMcDiarmid, worthy patron; Gertmde 
Smith, secretary. In 191.5 the chapter reported forty-eight mem- 
bers, with the following officers: INIinnie Hibbs, worthy matron; 
Alice Hicks, associate matron; J. J. Sherman, worthy patron; Hat- 
tie Rogers, secretary. 

INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS 



I 



Nearly one and a half centuries ago a society called "The Ancient 
and Most Noble Order of Bucks" was organized in England and 
for several years prospered. About 1773 it began to decline, but 
some foin- or five years later it was revived and in tlie ritual of the 
reorganized order the words Odd Fellow first occur. Consequently, 
the modern order of Odd Fellowship owes its origin to "The Ancient 
and Most Noble Order of Bucks." In 1813 several of the reor- 
ganized lodges sent delegates to a convention at JNIanchester and 
organized a sort of grand lodge under tlie name of tlie ^Manchester 
Unity. Shakesi^ere Lodge, No. 1, in America, was organized in 
New York soon after the formation of the ^Manchester Lenity, but 
it lasted only a short time, so that Odd Fellowshi]) in the United 
States dates back from the organization of a lodge in Baltimore, 
]Md., by Thomas II. W'ildey in 1819. 

Ark Lodge, No. 312, located at JManson, was instituted under 
a charter from the Iowa Grand Lodge, dated April 7, 187-'5. It 
was incorporated on April 12. 1880. with J. S. Parr, E. L. Ebersole 
and Fred G. Clarke as trustees. A lodge of the Daughtei's of 
Rebekali was organized later and on April 20, 191.'5, the two bodies 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 289 

joined in celebrating the ninety-sixth anniversary of the founding 
of Odd Fellowsliip in America. 

Lake City Lodge, No. 330, was organized under a charter bear- 
ing (hite of October 15, 1875. The charter members were: A. W. 
Kussell, G. G. F. Harris, Cornelius Pocock, N. Bilney, Peter 
Schneider. J. D. :McVay, T. B. HufF and W. H. Hardman. The 
first meetings were held in the old Lester Hotel. At the organiza- 
tion of the lodge the following officers were elected: T. B. HufF, 
noble grand; J. D. 31cVay, vice grand; G. G. F. Harris, secretary; 
Cornelius Pocock, treasurer. On January 3, 1896, the lodge was 
incorporated with A. C. Curtis, W, W. Cretzler and O. G. Arnold 
as trustees. This action was taken so the lodge could comply with 
the laws of Iowa in building an additional story on the Citizens 
Bank Building. The hall in that building, one of the finest in 
Northwestern Iowa, was dedicated on December 13, 1899. At the 
beginning of 1915 this lodge numbered 165 members, with W. E. 
^Moulds, noble grand; A. J. Ulvestad, vice grand; Guy Haley, sec- 
retary; John N. Freeman, treasurer. 

]Mount Etna Encampment, No. 145, of Lake City, was organ- 
ized under a charter dated October 18, 1892, with C. E. Bradley, 
chief patriarch; W. J. ]\Ioad, senior warden; Elmer Campbell, junior 
warden; A. C. Curtis, high priest; C. E. Leatherberry, scribe; J. H. 
Bradt, treasurer. The charter membership was composed of the 
above officers, John Fickle, Charles Hutchinson, George Earl, J. B. 
Jones and Frank Rosa. In 1915 the encampment reported forty 
mem])ers. with the following officers: W. E. Radley, chief patriarch; 
Charles Burley, high priest; ]M. R. Peebles, senior warden; W. E. 
Moulds, junior warden; J. B. Jones, scribe; Ed L. Gregory, treas- 
urer. 

^'quality Lodge, No. 390, was instituted at Farnhamville on 
Octolicr 18, 1889. The charter members were: John Errett. Andrew 
Lindstrom, George A. Nichols, F. JNI. Wheeler and John C. Cris- 
singer. This lodge owns the building in which its hall is located, 
the lower floor being the publication office of the Farnhamville Index. 
In 1915 the membershi]i nximbered forty-four. J. C. Smith was then 
noble grand and Dr. W. H. Green held the office of secretary. A 
Rebekah lodge was organized at Farnhamville about 1890, but after 
a few years several of the members moved away, others died, and in 
1906 the lodge surrendered its charter. 

Lohrville Lodge, No. 469, was organized on August 3, 1882, 
with the following charter members: D. J. Townsend, B. F. Howell, 



290 PAST AND PRESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

James Herring, Henry R. Howell and Daniel Lowe. D. J. Town- 
send was tlie first noble grand and James Plerring was the first sec- 
retary. The lodge was incorporated on September 30, 1902, with 
J. ^^^ ]Moore, J. F. Rossow and A. J. McDermott as the first board 
of trustees. After the incorporation the lodge made arrangements 
to add the upper story to the Commercial Savings Bank Building for 
a lodge room. Lohrville Lodge is in a flourishing condition, reporting 
135 members in 1915. The officers at that time were: L. L. Parker, 
noble grand; R. U. Jefferson, vice grand; L. G. McDermott, secre- 
tary; Fred S. BufFham, treasurer. 

Rockwell City Lodge, No. 529, received a charter from the Iowa 
Grand I^odge on October 22, 1891, and was formally instituted with 
the following charter members: W. S. DuBois, S. K. Gregg, H. W. 
Dyer, Hiram Castings, O. J. Jolley and Eli Rosenberger. S. K. 
Gregg was the first noble grand; H. W. Dyer, vice grand: W. S. 
DuBois, secretary. The membership in 1915 was 122, with W. G. 
Crouch, noble grand; John Buttner, vice grand; H. E. Jones, secre- 
tary; S. E. Johnson, treasurer. 

Rising Sun Encampment, located at Rockwell City, w^as first 
organized at Farnhamville on October 18, 1892. The charter mem- 
bers were as follows: J. C. Crissinger, George A. Nichols, A. G. 
Burdick, O. Cropf, T. F. Rushton, Ira Rickard, C. A. Wheeler, 
H. E. Jones and Ira Babcock. The encampment was removed to 
Rockwell City in 1900 and now numbers twenty-four members. In 
1915 U. L. Anderson was chief patriarch; Walter Johnson, high 
priest; Jet Dawson, scribe; A. L. Riseley, treasurer. 

Cedar Lodge, No. 640, w^as instituted on April 15, 1896, at the 
old Town of ]Muddy in Cedar Township, with twenty-four charter 
members. Delegations from Rockwell City, Lohrville, Farnham- 
ville, Lake City and other lodges were present. J. R. Stevenson was 
the first noble grand; H. A. ]\Iarthar, vice grand; E. J. Woodcock, 
secretary; C. W. Clark, treasurer. A tw^o story building 24 by 48 
feet was erected by this lodge and the Woodmen. The lodge was 
incorporated on April 12, 1899, with J. S. INIarthar, V. H. Spracklin 
and F. J. Wilkinson, trustees. After the Town of Somers was 
started the lodge was moved to that place. At the beginning of 1915 
there were ninety-nine members, with Alvin Nichols, noble grand, 
and George Armstrong, secretary. 

The Odd FelloAvs Lodge at Knierim was instituted on Friday, 
jVIarch 7, 1902, with twenty-two charter members, and the lodge at 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 291 

Yetter wa.s instituted in tlie spring of 1906, but the further history 
of these lodges could not be obtained. 

On Tuesday evening, April 20, 1915, degree teams from ]Manson, 
Soniers and Fonda organized a lodge of Odd Fellows at Pomeroy, 
with seventeen charter members; H. L. Rassler, noble grand; O. C. 
Wickey, vice grand; Joseph Tall, secretary, and John Jackson, treas- 
urer. 

There are two organizations of the Patriarchs INIilitant in Cal- 
houn County, to-wit: Canton McKinley,. No. 51, at Lake City, and 
Canton Allison, at Somers. The former was organized on May 30, 
1902, with nineteen charter members. C. E. Bradley was the first 
captain; D. E. Phillips, lieutenant; S. E. Campbell, ensign; C. E. 
I^eatherberry, clerk; H. B. Farmer, accoimtant. In 1915 the mem- 
bership numbered twenty-five, with Frank J. Amsden, captain; C. L. 
Burley, lieutenant; Arthur Brown, ensign; J. B. Jones, clerk; Ed L. 
Gregory, accountant. Canton Allison, No. 63, of Somers, was organ- 
ized on February 25, 1908, with twenty-six charter members. Its 
further history could not be learned. 

DAUGHTERS OF BEBEKAH 

This is a degree or order to which the wives, daughters, mothers 
and sisters of Odd Fellows are eligible and the members are generally 
referred to as "Rebekahs." The oldest organization of this order in 
Calhoun County is Star Lodge, No. 30, of Lake City, whose charter 
was issued on October 17, 1891. The charter members were: E. A. 
]Martin. I^ucinda ]Martin, A. C. Curtis, Abbie Curtis, David Carskad- 
den. Sarah Carskadden, A. Hopkins, Louisa Hopkins, J. M. Fickle, 
N. Bilney, Lora Bilney, F. B. Humphrey and Anna Humphrey. 
]Mrs. Abbie Curtis was the first noble grand; Mrs. Lora Bilney, vice 
grand; John Fickle, secretary and treasurer. At the beginning of 
1915 this lodge numbered 120 members, with Ida Bradt, noble grand; 
Ida Cochran, vice grand; INIary Hunefeld, recording secretary; Fran- 
ces Leatherberry, financial secretary; JNIary Campbell, treasurer. 

Progress Lodge, No. 230, also located at Lake City, received its 
charter on October 20, 1911. The charter members were as follows: 
John Oxenford. Fronnia Oxen ford, W. J. ]Moad, INIargaret Moad, 
Neil Higgins, Emma Higgins, C. II. JMiller, Katie Miller, Charles 
Kinsman, Ida Kinsman, D. C. Ellis, Ida Ellis, L. T. Andrews, Bessie 
Andrews, O. D. Stoner, Mrs. S. T. Stoner, N. J. Wilkins, Lina 
Wilkins, INIay IMcCullough, Ada Louder, Maggie INIcCrary, Lula 



292 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 

Taylor, INIabel Andrews, Jacob Taylor, Adelia Taylor. The first 
officers were: Adelia Taylor, noble grand; Fronnia Oxenford, vice 
grand; Bessie Andrews, recording secretary; Katie iSIiller, financial 
secretary; Ida Kinsman, treasurer. The membership in June, 191.5, 
numbered eighty-four. Edith Daniels was tlien noble grand; Rose 
Knudsen, vice grand; INIarie Thompson, recording secretary; Katie 
Miller, financial secretary; Rose Kniseley, treasurer. 

Zerah Rebekah Lodge, No. 210, of Rockwell City, was instituted 
on June 12, 1893, with sixty-five charter members. Katie R. Randall 
was the first noble grand; Annie Carrier, vice grand; INIadge Black- 
man, recording secretary; Ruth B. Condron, financial secretary; 
Jennie Parry, treasurer. Of the sixty-five charter members only 
seven remain members of the lodge in 1915, viz.: Katie R. Randall, 
Ruth B. Condron, Charlotte Walter, Edith J. Williams, W. T. Con- 
dron and C. ^I. Randall. The officers for 1915 were: ]Millie Gilroy, 
noble grand; INIabel Crouch, vice grand; Katie R. Randall, secretary; 
]Mildred Rose, treasurer. This lodge holds regular meetings on the 
evening of the second and fourth INIondays in each month. 

Garfield Rebekah Lodge, No. 438, located at Somers, was organ- 
ized on October 20, 1899, at the old Town of Muddy with the follow- 
ing charter members: C. B. and Blanche Grav, John and Celia Hitz- 
man, J. R. and Mollie Stevenson, Davis and Lois Dillon, S. J. and 
M. H. Dean, John W. and Adelia J. INIills, F. J. Wilkinson, M. C. 
Wilkinson, J. C. Stevenson, J. E. Stevenson, W. E. Davis, jSIinnie 
J. ]\loore and Lily Dillon. There are some other Rebekah lodges in 
the county, but letters of inquiry failed to bring the necessary informa- 
tion from which to compile their history. 

KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS 

On February 15, 1864, Justus H. Rathbone, Robert A. Cham- 
pion, David L. Burnett, Dr. Sullivan Kimball and William II. Bm-- 
nett, five members of the Arion Glee Club of Washington, D. C, 
met and listened to the reading of a ritual prepared by Mr. Rathbone 
and intended as the basis of a new secret order. The ritual was 
founded upon the story of Damon and Pythias and someone i)ro- 
posed to call the new organization the Knights of Pythias, Avhich was 
acceptable. Washington Lodge, No. 1. was established on February 
19, 1864, but the Ci\nl war was then in progress and the growth of 
the order was slow until about 1869-70, M'hen it spread rapidly to all 
parts of the country. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 293 

Several Kniu'lits of Pythias lodges organized in Calhoun County 
have heconie extinct. The only two from which any definite informa- 
tion could be obtained are the lodges located at Farnhamville and 
Ijohrville. 

Freedom Lodge, No. 296, of Farnhamville, was organized on 
August 13, 1891, with the following charter members: R. ]M. Hum- 
l)ert, E. B. Lilly, J. C. Crissinger, F. W. Gilbert, F. J. Smith, George 
P. Rushton. Elijah Rushton, E. H. Rushton, C. E. McVay, G. W. 
Evans, A. B. Coulter, V. C. Head, C. O. Humbert, F. W." McCan- 
non and Hans Bruner. The lodge first met in the schoolhouse. It 
now owns the upper story of the opera house building and numbers 
over fifty members. In the spring of 1915 Frank Skinner was chan- 
cellor commander and E. JNI. Skinner was keeper of the records and 
seal. The lodge was incorporated on May 10, 1910, with J. C. Hulka, 
A. Smith and Edward Saunders as the fii'st board of trustees. 

Columbus Lodge, No. 342, is located at Lohrville. It was organ- 
ized under a charter dated August 10, 1893, with nineteen charter 
members, viz.: H. C. Babcock, M. Callahan, H. W. Cuddeford, 
F. A. Dixon, J. T. Dryden, L. E. Fitch, L. L. Fitz, A. A. Glenn, 
M. H. Gormaly, Albert Hagerman, R. S. INIiddleton, F. F. JNIoore, 
E. C. IMorrell, Halsey Odell, Joseph Pratt, E. W. Shotwell, H. A. 
Squires, J. iNI. Stephens and C. J. Wartchow. The first chancellor 
commander was F. F. Moore, and A. A. Glenn was the first keeper 
of tlie records and seal. Columbus Lodge was incorporated on April 
4, 1910, with F. V. Hibbs, ]M. O'Brien and Henry Blankenburg as 
trustees. In June, 1915, the lodge had thirty-nine members. Charles 
Altivator was then chancellor commander and Henry Blankenburg 
was keeper of the records and seal. 

Farnhamville Temple, No. 229, Pythian Sisters — the "ladies' 
degree" of tiie oi-der — was instituted on April 21, 1909, with twenty- 
three charter members, wives, daughters and other near female rela- 
tives of the members of Freedom Lodge. 

GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC 

^lemhership in this organization is confined to those who served 
in the volunteer army or navy of the United States in the war of 
1681-65. The order grew out of the custom of holding regimental 
reunions at the clf)se of the war, the plan of organization having been 
proposed by Dr. B. F. Stevenson, of Illinois, in 1866. In the original 
articles of association the objects of the Grand Army are stated to be: 



294 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

"1. To i^reserve and strengthen those kind and fraternal feelings 
which bind together the soldiers, sailors and marines who united to 
suppress the rebellion, and to perpetuate the memory of the dead. 

"2. To assist such former comrades in arms as need help and pro- 
tection, and to extend needful aid to the widows and orphans of those 
who have fallen. 

"3. To maintain true allegiance to the United States, based upon 
a paramount respect for and fidelity to the National Constitution 
and laws; to discountenance whatever tends to weaken loyalty, incites 
to insurrection, treason or rebellion, or in any manner impairs the 
efficiency and permanency of our free institutions; and to encourage 
the spread of universal liberty, equal rights and justice to all men." 

Local lodges or societies are called posts. Each state is organized 
into a department. The department of Iowa was first organized in 
September, 1866, and was reorganized in 1879. Following the reor- 
ganization a multitude of posts were organized in the towns of the 
state, a few of which were in Calhoun County. JSIany of the old 
veterans that assisted in organizing these posts have passed from the 
scene of eartlily action and in 1915 there were but few posts in Cal- 
houn County that still maintained their organization. 

Lander Post No. 156, of Lake City, was granted a charter on 
June 18, 1883, by John E. Cooke, department commander, and the 
first regular meeting was held just one week later. The first ofhcers 
were: David Carskadden, commander; L. C. Bangs, senior vice com- 
mander; Cornelius Pocock, junior vice commander; Thomas Beau- 
mont, adjutant; A. J. Scott, quartermaster; J. J. Wilder, surgeon; 
J. D. ]Mc\^ay, officer of the daJ^ Of the twenty-one charter mem- 
bers the only ones living in the spring of 1915 were A. J. Scott, L. F. 
Danforth and Ed L. Gregory. At that time the membership num- 
bered about thirty, though the post had at one time over seventy. 
The present officers (1915) are: James Bruce, commander; R. A. 
Smith, senior vice conmiander; W. B. Long, junior vice commander; 
A. T. Light, adjutant; John Brown, quartermaster; J. H. Russell, 
surgeon; Robert Clark, officer of the day. 

Oi)edyke Post No. 322, located at Rock\\ell City, was organized 
on INlay 20, 1884, with the following charter members: S. N. Brower, 
Rollin Burch, Plympton Babcock, A. E. Carrier, W. T. Condron, 
J. H. Gregg, T.C. Gregg, W. J. Gardner, W. B. Hutton, A. N. 
Jack. O. J. Jolley, B. F. INIaxwell, Henry Moyer, W. I. Squires. 
A. F. Stonebraker, W. T. Smith. J. P. Shew. W. W. Walters. G. W. 
Williams and J. H. Wvman. The first commander was O. J. Jolley 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 295 

and W. T. Condron was the first adjutant. Only a few of the charter 
members are left and the membership now is only a fraction of what 
it ^\ as during the prosperous years of the post. 

Allee Post No. 113 is one of the oldest in the county. In 1890 
this post incorporated the "Grand Army and Sons of Veterans Hall 
Association," with a capital stock of $650. The first board of direct- 
ors was composed of John Somerville, C. C. IMitchell, D. C. Wilson, 
C. C. Kibler, C. H. Knox and C. D. Hobbs. Article 2 of the articles 
of incorporation sets forth the object of the association as follows; 
"The general nature of the business and object of the corporation 
shall be tlie building, owning and managing of a building to be used 
as a hall or place of meeting for Allee Post No. 113, G. A. R.; Camp 
jNIoore No. 6, Sons of Veterans, and Allee Relief Corps No. 13, all 
located at Manson, la." 

The association was incorporated for fifty years and the articles 
stipulated that the Sons of Veterans and Women's Relief Corps 
were each to pay an annual rental of $25. 

Howland Post, located at Lohrville, was organized a few years 
after the town was founded in 1881 and at one time numbered some 
thirty members. In recent years the membership has fallen off until 
only a few of the old veterans are left and meetings are not held with 
the regularity as formerly. 

women's belief corps 

Connected with the Grand Army of the Republic is the Women's 
Relief Corps, which is composed of the wives and daughters of the 
veterans of the Civil war. Nearly eveiy Grand Army post has its 
corps of patriotic women to assist in caring for the sick and unfortu- 
nate, to conduct such social events as may be determined on from 
time to time, and to participate in the ceremonies of Memorial Day. 

Eander Corps No. 200, of Lake City, was organized in June, 
1890, but the secretaiy was unable to furnish a complete list of the 
charter members. At the beginning of the year 1915 the corps num- 
bered sixty-four members, with the following officers : Frances Leath- 
erberry, president; Agnes Clark, senior vice president; Tessie jNIiles, 
junior vice president; Cora Amsden. secretary; Sarah Booth, treas- 
urer: Josephine Townsend, chaplain; Mabel Brown, conductress; 
IVIarietta Greenwood, guard. 

Opedyke Corps No. 261, at Rockwell City, was organized on 
November 18, 1892, with the following charter members: Jennie F. 



296 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Eabcock, 3Iinerva Gregg, Abbie Dyer, Ruth B. Condron, Emma 
Johnston, ^^erna Gregg, Eva AValters, Aiinie Carrier, Nettie Case, 
Eleanor Thorne, Callie Dixon, Estella Shew, Maggie Stonebraker, 
Clare E. HufF, Emma O. Baker, Esther C. Bm-ch, C. Stramblad, 
JMary ^Morrison, Grace ^Morrison, Sarah WiUiams, Nancy Rosen- 
berger, Sarah Rosenberger, JNIamie Dugan, :Mary ^Nloyer, ]Mary 
Thorne, Ehiia Stonebraker, JMary E. Scott, Kate Brown, Sarah 
Squires, L. Zettie Gregg. The fii-st president was Jennie F. Bab- 
cock, and Rutli B. Condron was the first secretary. 

On January 1, 1915, the corps numbered ninety-one members. 
The officers at that time were as follows: Sadie K. JMeade, president; 
Harriet Johnson, senior vice president; Delana JMeans, junior vice 
president; Katie R. Randall, secretary; May Babcock, treasurer; 
Ruth B. Condron, chaplain; Janie INIorrison, conductress; JNIamie 
Heah', guard. 

MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES 

Camps of the Modern Woodmen of America have been established 
at Rockwell City, Lake City, Lohnille, Farnhamville, Somers and 
JManson, and in connection with most of these camps there is an 
organization of the Royal Neighbors, composed of the female rela- 
tives of the male members of the camp. The Woodmen of the World 
are also represented in several of the princij^al towns of the county, 
as are also the JNIystic Workers. These are all benevolent societies, 
with fraternal insurance as the j^rincijial feature of their work. 

The Young JMen's Christian Association of Calhoun County was 
incorporated on September 2, 1910, "for the purpose of organizing, 
developing and conserving the Young INIen's Christian Associations 
in villages and rural communities and to promote the spiritual, intel- 
lectual, social and physical welfare of the young men and boys of 
Calhoun County, in accordance with the policy of the state executive 
committee of the Young Men's Christian Association of the State of 
loAva." 

iNI. W. Frick was elected chairman: M. W. Fritz, vice chairman; 
Edward W. Burch, clerk; David P. Baird, treasurer. The articles 
of incorj)oration were signed by these officers: G. B. Peterson, Hugh 
Baird, G. T. Hood and F. P. Huff. Branches of the association have 
been established in most of the towns of the county, corn raising con- 
tests have been conducted for the purpose of interesting the boys in 
the sul)ject of agriculture, and other work as outlined by the state 
association has been carried on. 



296 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Eabcock, JMinerva Gregg, Abbie Dyer, Ruth B. Condron, Emma 
Johnston, Verna Gregg, Eva Walters, Aiinie Carrier, Nettie Case, 
Eleanor Thorne, Callie Dixon, Estella Shew, Maggie Stonebraker, 
Clare E. HufF, Emma O. Baker, Esther C. Burch, C. Stramblad, 
JMary JMorrison, Grace ^Morrison, Sarah Williams, Nancy Rosen- 
berger, Sarah Rosenberger, JSIamie Dugan, jNlary JNloyer, ]Mary 
Thorne, Elma Stonebraker, JMary E. Scott, Kate Brown, Sarah 
Squires, L. Zettie Gregg. The first president was Jennie F. Bab- 
cock, and Ruth B. Condron was the first secretary. 

On January 1, 1915, the corps numbered ninety-one members. 
The officers at that time were as follows : Sadie Iv. IMeade, president ; 
Harriet Johnson, senior vice president; Delana JNIeans, junior vice 
president; Katie R. Randall, secretary; May Babcock, treasurer; 
Ruth B. Condron, chaplain; Janie INlorrison, conductress; ]Mamie 
Healy, guard. 

MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES 

Camps of the JNIodern Woodmen of America have been established 
at Rockwell City, Lake City, Lohrville, Farnhamville, Somers and 
JNlanson, and in connection with most of these camj)s there is an 
organization of the Royal Neighbors, composed of the female rela- 
tives of the male members of the camp. The Woodmen of the World 
are also rej^resented in several of the principal towiis of the county, 
as are also the Mystic Workers. These are all benevolent societies, 
with fraternal insurance as the principal feature of their work. 

The Young JNIen's Christian Association of Calhoun County was 
incorjjorated on September 2, 1910, "for the purjjose of organizing, 
developing and conserving the Young INIen's Christian Associations 
in villages and rural communities and to promote the spiritual, intel- 
lectual, social and physical welfare of the young men and boys of 
Calhoun County, in accordance with the policy of the state executive 
committee of the Young Men's Christian Association of the State of 
Iowa." 

M. W. Frick was elected chairman: JNI. W. Fritz, vice chairman; 
Edward W. Burch, clerk; David P. Baird, treasurer. The articles 
of incorporation were signed by these officers: G. B. Peterson, Hugh 
Baird, G. T. Hood and F. P. Huff". Branches of the association have 
been established in most of the towns of the county, corn raising con- 
tests have been conducted for the purj^ose of interesting the boys in 
the subject of agriculture, and other work as outlined by the state 
association has been carried on. 



■y. 



n 




PUBLIC 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUX COUNTY 297 

women's clubs 

In giving' an account of the women's clubs of the county it is 
deemed inexpedient to include every organization, but only those 
having some historic significance, or such as have wielded a marked, 
influence upon the literary and educational development of the county. 
One of the oldest and most active clubs of this character is the Tourist 
Club of Rockwell City. 

The Tourist Club is the outgrowth of a local membership in the 
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle in 1882. In that year 
]Mr. and :Mrs. M. W. Frick, JNIrs. Washington Lewis, W. T. Smith 
and his wife, ]Mrs. Lou Walker and ]Mrs. J. F. Lavender joined the 
circle and met at the homes of the members for about two years, after 
which each finished the course individually. But the association thus 
kept up by these few left a desire for some sort of a club organiza- 
tion, and in 1892 the same people, with a few others, organized the 
Shakespeare Club, which studied the works of the great English 
dramatist for one year, wlien the name was changed to the Tourist 
Club. This name was adopted for the reason that the first work of 
the club under the new regime was the study of books of travel. 
Since then the general work of the club has included history, litera- 
ture, music and art, but the name adopted in 1893 still remains. 

It was the first club in Rockwell Citj^ to be admitted to the Iowa 
Federation of Women's Clubs, which was in 190-1. Although classed 
as a women's club, men are admitted to membership, and among the 
members are fifty or more of Rockwell City's leading citizens. When 
the club was organized in 1892 ]Mrs. Anna Palmer was elected the 
first president. Among those who afterward sensed in that capacity 
may be mentioned JNIrs. C. D. Case, Mrs. Lou Walker, ]Mrs. S. K. 
]\Ieade, Mrs. E. C. Stevenson, Miss Jeannette Lewis and ISIrs. J. F. 
Lavender. The officers for 191.5 were: INIrs. J. F. Lavender, presi- 
dent; ]Mrs. Homer Scott, vice president; and INIrs. Herbert, secretary. 

The Monday Club, a social and literary organization of Lake 
City, was organized in 1892, with JNIrs. Strong as the first president 
and ]Mrs. Hungerford as the first secretary. JNIeetings are held at 
the homes of the members and the name indicates the time in the 
week when the club assembles to engage in the study of some favorite 
author or listen to a paper on some literary topic by one of the mem- 
bers. The officers elected in INIay, 1915, are as follows: Mrs. R. A. 
Griffin, president; Mrs. F. Boldes, vice president; Mrs. Frank Arney, 
secretary; Mrs. JNIarion E. Hutchison, treasurer. 



298 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Mrs. Patrick, ^Nlrs. Peck and a few other women of Lake City 
organized the Shakesi^eare Club there in 1897. At first the study 
of Shakesjieare's works was the principal object of the organization, 
but in recent years tlie scope of the work has broadened to include 
other authors, with social features interspersed with the literary exer- 
cises. The officers for 1915 were: Mrs. Walter Jacobs, president; 
Mrs. Roy Crawford, vice president; INIrs. C. H. Zj'bell, secretary; 
Mrs. Earl Smith, treasurer. 

The Garrick Club of Lake City was organized in 1913, Avith I\Irs. 
G. L. Pray, jjresident; JNIrs. C. H. Zybell, vice president; JNIiss 
Blanche I. Hackett, secretary; JNIrs. H. C. Pittman, treasurer. It 
is a social organization, and among its members are to be found a 
number of tlie leading society women of Lake City. 

The Rockwell City AVomen's Pioneer Club is deserving of more 
than passing mention because it is a club out of the ordinary. It 
was organized on June 17, 1903, the twent^^-seventh anniversaiy of 
the selection of the site of Rockwell City as the county seat. The 
by-laws adopted at that time provided that no woman coidd become 
a member of the club unless she had resided twenty years or more in 
Rockwell City. The women who signed these by-laws were ]\Ies- 
dames JNIary Anderson, Kate Bradt, Esther Burch, INIary E. Childs, 
M. E. Clark, Ruth B. Condron, Anna DuBois, Kate Eshbaugh, Eliza- 
beth Gray, Melinda Gregg, Ella Jolley, JNIary Lavender, Washing- 
ton Lewis, Martha JNIcComb, Elizabeth JNIcNeil, S. K. Meade, JNIyrtle 
Noel, Martha Owen, Kate Purnell, Sarah JNI. Stevenson, JNIaggie E. 
Stonebraker, Lydia Tennant, Helen Walters, JNIary Walters and 
Vina Walters. 

The first officers were as follows: JNIrs. Ruth B. Condron, presi- 
dent; JNIrs. S. K. Meade, vice president; JNIrs. Maggie E. Stone- 
braker, secretary and treasvn-er. Since it was organized the club has 
never failed to hold its annual meeting, as near to the 17th of June 
as may be convenient for the members. At these meetings old times 
are discussed, stories and reminiscences of early days are told and 
memories of youth revived. Although the Avomen who founded this 
club in 1903 were then well along in years, only four of the original 
twenty-five charter members have joined the silent majority. The 
officers in June, 191.5, Avere: JNIrs. JNIary Lavender, president: JNIrs. 
M. E. Clark, vice president; ^Irs. Kate Eshbaugh, secretary and 
treasurer. 

Another women's organization that is entitled to recognition on 
account of its work is the Civic Improvement Society of Lake City. 




WiiMKX'S PIOXKKK (_*l,lll n\- ItoCKWKLL (ITV 



-'•: NEW Yi 

PUBLIC LIE. 



TX.. 
It 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 299 

It was organized in 1914, with JNIrs. Alva Carskaddon, president; 
Mrs. W. H. T. Shade, vice president; JNIrs. W. C. Snyder, secretary; 
JNIrs. Ed O'Connell, treasurer. The society has been quite active in 
€very movement for the betterment of Lake City. It organized the 
humane society, caused cement walks to be built through the park, 
and has helped improve the town in other ways. The officers in 
June, 1915, were: JMrs. W. H. T. Shade, president: ]Mrs. C. E. Bain, 
vice president: INIrs. A. Bauer, secretary; Mrs. I. D. Weirick, treas- 
in-er. In addition to these general officers there is a vice president 
in each of the four wards of the city, to-wit: First Ward, Mrs. 
Thomas Hackett; Second, Mrs. Emma Fitch: Third: INIrs. W. C. 
Hungerford; Fourth, JNIrs. C. H. :Miller. 

Almost every town has its women's clubs of a few members, the 
principal purpose of which is to meet and engage in some line of 
work or spend an afternoon in social intercourse. Such are the 
Thimble Club of Rockwell City, which was organized in 1904 for 
the purpose of giving helpful hints on fine needle work, and the 
L. A. R. Club, which is similar in its nature. These clubs, while inter- 
esting to members, have no special influence upon the history or devel- 
opment of the county. 

THE p. E. o. 

In 1869 seven young girls, students in the Iowa Wesleyan Uni- 
versity at Mount Pleasant, concluded that it would be the proper 
thinff to organize themselves into a societv of some sort. One of 
these founders of the P. E. O., speaking afterward of their venture, 
said: "We had no very definite idea as to what we wanted to do, 
and Avhen one asked 'What shall we call the society?' another sug- 
gested the name which that day bound together seven girls, and in 
1914 held together in one great sisterhood 20,000 women." 

Miss Alice Bird wrote the constitution at the time the first society 
was organized, and its fundamental principles still remain in the 
organic law of the society. JMany people have specidated as to the 
meaning of the three mystic letters "P. E. O.," but their significance 
is known only to the initiated. . For many years P. E. O. was noth- 
ing more than a college sorority, \\ith chapters in various college towns 
somewhat after the style of the Greek letter fraternities. Then the 
scope of its work was broadened and women outside of universities 
were adniitted to membership. Its principal ])hilanthroi)y is the 
maintenaiif'e of a fund which is loaned to young women to aid them 



300 PAST AXU PRE.SEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

in acquiring a college education. A large number of girls have been 
educated through the medium of this society, and it is said that not 
one dollar has ever been lost by failure to repay a loan. 

There are two chajiters of the P. E. O. in Calhoun County. The 
Lake City chapter was organized in 1899, with ^Nlrs. Field as the first 
l^resident, and ^Nliss Camp!)ell as the first secretary. Its work has 
been continued without interruption and the membership has increased 
every year since the organization. The officers in June, 1915, were 
as follows: JNIrs. G. L. Pray, jsresident; JNIrs. F. E. KaufFman, vice 
j^resident; Mrs. H. H. Feige, recording secretary; JNIrs. L. E. Nokes, 
corresponding secretary; INIiss N^ina Wood, treasurer. 

The Rockwell City chaj)ter was organized on December 10, 1912, 
with Margaret ]\I. Baker as president, and in June, 1915, numbered 
twenty-seven members. At that time INIiss Nelle INI. Roberts was 
president; JNIrs. Jane Stanfield, recording secretary; and Miss Char- 
lotte Stevenson, corresponding secretary. 



CHAPTER XIX 
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY 

PRAIRIE FIRES — HISTORIC STORJIS — BLIZZARD OF 1869 — TORNxVDO OF 

1878 SEA^RE AVIXTERS THE P05IER0Y TORNADO — STORM OF JUNE, 

1899 A PECULIAR HAIL STORM TWIN LAKES CYCLONE THE LAST 

LYNX HUNT — A BANK ROBBERY' — MY'STERIOUS MURDER — A QUAINT 
CHARACTER, 

Connected with the history of Calhoun County are a number of 
events that are not directly associated with any of the topics treated 
in the other chapters of this work, yet these events have a historic 
interest, and for the benefit of the reader they have been arranged 
under the above heading. 

PRAIRIE FIRES 

First among these miscellaneous happenings were the prairie fires 
that in early days wrought considerable damage to crojjs, buildings 
and fences and caused consternation among the scattered population 
of the frontier. How these fires started was many times a mysteiy, 
but once started they baffled all human skill to extinguish them, 
and swept across the prairie until all vegetation growing ujion hun- 
dreds and even thousands of acres was reduced to a dead and black- 
ened mass. 

The first disastrous fire after the settlement of Calhoun County 
began was in the fall of 1856. It came from the northwest and 
those who witnessed the spectacle say that it had the appearance of 
a wall of flame. A stiff breeze was blowing, which caught up burning- 
wisps of grass and carried them in advance, constantly starting-new 
fires. In this way the Coon River and other streams were crossed. 
The tall slough grass was dry enough to burn like tinder and the 
people soon came to realize that all efforts to fight the fire would 
prove futile. They therefore fled from their homes to save their 

301 



302 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

lives, leaving practically everything to the flames. ^Vild animals 
in great nmnbers also fled before the fire, but the domestic animals 
were not endowed with sufficient instinct to save themselves, and 
many perished. A few families were rendered homeless and all the 
settlers suffered more or less loss by the destruction of their crops. 

Another great fire occurred in 18G3, doing great damage to grow- 
ings crops and other iJroperty, but by heroic efforts the people saved 
their homes from destiiiction. As on former occasions, the wild 
uame fled before the flames, and in some instances these wild beasts 
souglit safety about the houses of the settlers, evidently forgetting 
in their terror that man was their natural enemy. 

In October, 1868, a Are started late one evening on the prairie 
near Lake City and moved rapidly northward through what are now 
Elm Grove and Garfleld townships. Fortunately, that part of the 
county was then thinly settled and but little damage resulted. The 
light of this fire could be seen for miles. 

The theory of some writers that prairie fires were started by 
Indians for the purpose of driving out the game might apply to tlie 
fires farther back in the past, but such a theory is hardly tenable 
in connection with those in Calhoun County, for the reason that they 
occurred after the red men had left the country. It is far more 
probable that the fires of later days were caused by carelessness. 
Some pioneer might have tried the experiment of burning off the 
grass, in order that the ground might be the more easily plowed, and 
the fire got beyond his control. The dropping of a burning match, 
the emptying of a tobacco pipe, or the casting away of the stump 
of a cigar by some traveler, might start a fire that would destroy 
thousands of dollars' worth of property. 

As the raw prairies were brought under cultivation prairie fires 
became less frequent, but as late as 1884 the entire population of 
Rockwell City was called out to combat a fire that started on the 
])rairie north of the town, and it was only by the concerted action 
of the citizens that the village was saved from destruction. 

HISTORIC STORMS 

Northwestern Iowa is situated in what might be appropriately 
termed the "storm belt." Since the first settlements were made in 
this part of the state a number of violent storms have swept over 
the country, but, as claimed by some writers on tlie subject, tlie plant- 
ing of artificial groves, the cultivation of the soil and the exercise of 



PAST AXU PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY ^03 

otlitT iiitlucnces ha\'e a tendency to modify the climate and destructive 
storms occur less frequently than in former years. It is not the 
purpose to attempt to give an accomit of every storm that has passed 
over Calhoun County, or some portion of it, but only such as wrought 
great damage and attracted wide attention. Probably the first storm 
to arouse general comment after the settlement of Calhoun County 
was the 

BLIZZARD OF 1869 

This storm is remembered by old settlers for the reason that it 
ijrought to an imha])py end the life of one of Calhoun County's 
pioneers. JNIichael O'Donoghue was a native of the State of New 
York, a college bred man and a civil engineer by profession. In 
1863 he went to Rockford, 111., where he taught in the high school 
for some time, and in 1866 came to Calhoun County. He filed upon 
a homestead about a mile north of South Twin Lake, but at the time 
of the storm was teaching school at Lake City. 

On Friday afternoon, February 26, 1869, he dismissed his pupils 
a little earlier than usual and started to walk across the prairies to 
his home to make some preparations for a meeting of the settlers 
in that j^art of the county the following JNIonday. Although the 
distance was twenty miles, Mr. O'Donoghue was in the pi'ime of 
vigorous manhood and thought nothing of the undertaking. About 
dusk he passed through the Gregg Settlement, in what is now Lake 
Creek Township, having made good time on the first eight miles 
of his joiu'ney. It was beginning to snow and as the remaining 
twelve miles lay across unbroken j^rairie, where there was not a single 
human habitation, Tillman Gregg pressed him to remain over night. 
But 3Ir. O'Donoghue was anxious to reach home, for the reasons 
above stated, and declined the urgent hospitality of Mr. Gregg. In 
the growing dusk lie set out across the trackless prairie for his dis- 
tant homestead, and that was the last seen of him alive. 

The bli/zard continued with unremitting violence for three days. 
After it abated and communication among the settlements was re- 
established, the startling tidings were passed from lip to lip that 
O'Donoghue was lost in the storm. Searching parties were organ- 
ized, including every able-bodied settler within reach, and soon these 
parties were tramping over the prairie in the hope that the unfortu- 
nate man had contrived to reach some sort of a shelter and that he 
would be found alive. But so thoroughly had the blizzard obliterated 
every trace of his trail that all efforts were without avail and the 



304 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

search was finally given up. On ]March 20, 1869, the body was 
found by Ilinaldo Gray, a hunter, within a mile of ]Mr. O'Dono- 
ghue's homestead. He had covered nineteen miles of his journey, 
buffeted by the storm, only to perish when he was almost within 
sight of his home. His remains were buried in the old Cottonwood 
Cemetery on the banks of the Coon River, not far from Lake City, 
and a large concourse of people attended the funeral. For years 
afterward snow storms were compared with the great blizzard of 
1869. 

TORNADO OF 1878 

On Sunday, April 21, 1878, a whirlwind of terrific force passed 
over Williams Township, destroying the residence of a man named 
Duhin, whose ribs were broken and his wife and children sustained 
injuries. The storm then passed west of Pomeroy, crossed the rail- 
road, demolished the Tenara dwelling, wliere it killed Charles Pearce 
and every member of tlie family was more or less hurt. Some of 
J. H. Lowrey's outbuildings were wrecked; the house of a Swede 
named Mareen Avas demolished; the dwelling of George Wallace 
was carried about fifty feet and set on end. ]Mr. ^Vallace was in 
Ohio at the time, but his wife and two children, who were in the 
house at the time, were badly hurt. Just arross the road from the 
\\'allace house was the home of Samuel Gill, which was literally 
blown to pieces, and several persons were injured more or less 
severely, INIrs. Gill afterward dying from the effects of her wounds. 

A hand car was sent to JNIanson for assistance and Doctors Hogg 
and Young returned to the scene of the disaster. Doctor Carroll, 
<if Pomeroy, also hiu-ried to the relief of the injured and the next 
morning Doctors Gray and Nicholson came from Fort Dodge. The 
same storm did a great deal of damage farther west, in the vicinity 
of Sioux City, Storm Lake and Wall Lake. 

On October 10, 1878. a wind traveling at the rate of sixty miles 
an hour struck Rockwell City. The Pearson house and the barn, in 
which was a horse, were carried a distance of about two hundred feet 
and damaged to the extent of some four hundred dollars. This was 
the only damage reported. 

SEVERE WINTERS 

The early autumn of 1880 was about as usual, but on Thin-sday, 
October 14th, a fine drizzling rain commenced and continued through- 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 305 

out the night. The next morning it turned to snow and a raging 
blizzard set in and continued until Sunday. Intense cold prevailed 
through the entire months of October and November and by Decem- 
ber 1st there was about a foot of snow on the ground. It was with 
difficulty that the farmers got their corn out of the fields and the ])rin- 
cipal occupation of the people was "sitting by the fire." Heavy 
snows fell at intervals during the winter, railroad traffic was often 
impeded, and as late as May 2, 1881, an Illinois Central train got 
stuck in a drift. 

The winter of 188.5-86 was one of great severity. At that time 
the narrow gauge railroad (now the Chicago, INIilwaukee & St. Paul) 
was the only railroad leading into Rockwell City and for six weeks 
no trains were run, owing to the heavy snows. The people of Rock- 
well City were threatened with a coal famine and some of them 
resorted to the custom of bygone days, driving with a team to the coal 
banks near Fort Dodge for fuel. This primitive and old-fashioned 
method was not to the liking of the citizens of the town and an appeal 
was made to the governor to use his influence to reopen traffic. The 
railroad company claimed that everything possible had been done to 
keep the road open, but the Avarning of the governor had the desired 
effect and Rockwell City was again placed in communication with the 
outside world. 

THE POMEROY TORNADO 

But all the storms that ever struck Calhoun County sink into 
insignificance when compared with the great tornado of July 6, 1893, 
which is generally referred to as the "Pomeroy tornado," because it 
wrought the greatest damage in that town and the immediate vicinity. 

This awful storm was formed by the junction _^of two clouds and 
two cui'rents of air, which met in Rock Townshiji, Cherokee County, 
about .5 P. ]\I. on Thursday, July 6, 1893. Twenty minutes later it 
was ravaging the countiy south of Alta and at 5.30 it struck Storm 
Uake. From there it followed closely the line of the Illinois Central 
Railroad to a point almost south of Fonda, where it first entered 
Calhoun County, and again followed the railroad to Pomeroy. The 
buildings on the Shirley, Becker, Ferguson, bloody & Davy and 
Charles Perkins farms were wrecked and about half past six o'clock 
the storm struck Pomeroy. 

Jacob Foster, then postmaster at Pomeroy, had just entered the 
office after supper, when the building collapsed under the force of 
the wind. Luckily for INIr. Foster the debris piled up around him in 



306 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

sucli a way that his hfe was spared and he escaped serious injury in 
a manner that was ahnost miraculous. The district bounded by 
Second, Geneva, Harrison and Seneca streets was swept clean; the 
Presbyterian and ]Methodist Episcopal parsonages and the German 
TiUtheran Church were all wrecked: few buildings in the town ^vere 
left unt(juched, and to add to the discomfort of the homeless people 
the wind was followed by an extremely heav)^ fall of rain. A report 
made by the United States Weather Bureau says: 

"Near tlie center of the track in Pomeroy a number of buildings 
evidently exploded outward from the force of the expanding air 
within, the roofs being carried away and the sides and ends of the 
structures were left lying as they fell, toward the four points of the 
compass." 

Inunediately after the storm had passed, EdAvard INIasterson, of 
the Pomeroy State Bank, started on horseback for jNIanson to secure 
aid for the homeless and injured. When he reached Purgatory Creek 
he found it SA\ollen by the heavy rainfall and the bridge A\ashed 
away, except one string i^iece. His horse refused to enter the water 
and iNIasterson dismounted and tried to cross on the remaining timber 
of the bridge. He lost his balance and fell into the Avater, but swam 
ashore and had hardly reached the bank when he heard the whistle 
of a train approaching from the east, riagging the train with his 
coat, he found that it was a special bearing Vice President J. T. 
Harahan and Division Superintendent C. K. Dixon, of the Illinois 
Central Company, who would hardly believe JNIasterson's story at 
first, but. upon becoming convinced of the truth of the man's account, 
ran back to oNIanson and secured all the physicians in tlie toA\-n. a 
luunber of volunteer nurses and such sui^ijlies as could be hastily col- 
lected, with which they hastened to Pomeroy. From Pomeroy a tele- 
gram was sent to Fort Dodge for a special train to bring all the phy- 
sicians possible and such hospital supplies as the town could furnish. 
The special train arrived a few hours later. 

In the meantime J. W. jNlcKeen rode on horseback to Jolley and 
the first man he met there was Dr. J. R. Thompson. Jolley's only 
doctor, who hastened to the stricken town. Temporary hospitals 
were established in the few buildings left standing and all night long 
relief parties went among the ruins rescuing the injured and carrying 
them to the improvised hospitals for treatment. 

The news spread rapidly and early the next morning relief dele- 
gations came from Rockwell City, Lake City, Lohrville, Fonda, and 
other near-bv towns. ]M. D. O'Connell. of Fort Dodge, was placed 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 307 

in charge of the rehef work and during the (hxy fifty tents were 
received from the state. Ahout -i o'clock Friday afternoon Gov. 
Horace Boies arrived at Pomeroy. After looking over the work of 
devastation he expressed his regret that in his official capacity he was 
unable to do anything for the sufferers, but through the press he 
issued the following call for aid: 

"To the people of Iowa : 

"From a personal examination of the ruin wrought by the storm 
of last evening I find that forty-two are already dead and u])wards of 
one hundred seriously injured in this town, which had a po^julation 
of 1,000 souls. The great bulk of the residence portion of the town 
is completely destroyed and hundreds of families are homeless and 
destitute. In at least one town west of here eight or ten are said to 
have been killed and many injiu'ed. The necessity for aid is impera- 
tive. 

"The good people in the towns adjacent to Pomeroy have sup- 
plied immediate wants for board and clothing, but it is impossible 
for them to supply all that will be needed in the future. INIoney, 
however, is the great necessity of the hour. We must not only help 
these people to live, but we must also aid them to rebuild their 
destroyed homes. Permit me to recommend that in every city and 
town of the state immediate steps should be instituted by the mayors 
and municipal officers to organize relief committees and promptly 
proceed to collect and forward aid. This may be directed to the 
'Relief Committee of Pomeroy, Iowa,' which will consist of thor- 
oughly responsible persons of this and other towns, so that aid will 
be fairly and equally divided to all who are in want. 

"Citizens of Iowa! It is no exaggeration for me to say that no 
more deserving ajjpeal was ever made to you for aid. Be sure that 
you are both prompt and liberal. 

"Horace Boies, 

"Governor of Iowa." 

Friday evening, twenty-four hours after the tornado, a meeting 
was held, at which the following relief committee was appointed; 
!M. F. Stadtmueller, mayor of Pomeroy; J. H. Lowrey, cashier Pom- 
eroy State Bank; R. C. Brownell, president of the same bank; 
Thomas ]Miller, comity supervisor; R. A. Stewart, manager of the 
Wisconsin Lumber Company; C. W. Alexander, manager of the 
Woodford & Wheeler Lumber Company; C. A. Whittlesey, mayor 



308 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

of Manson; E. C. Stevenson, county attorney; J. B. Ballard, mer- 
chant of Fonda; E. E. Mack, state senator, of Storm Lake; C. L. 
Granger, mayor of Fort Dodge. 

Companies C and G of the Iowa National Guard were ordered 
to Pomeroy and remained on duty for the next two weeks, i^reserving 
order and protecting property against the depredations of petty 
looters. T. B. Hotchkiss, editor of the Lake City Graphic, was made 
general superintendent of relief work, his ready grasp of the situa- 
tion and executive ability recommending him for the position. 

In response to Governor Boies' apjjeal for assistance, liberal dona- 
tions flowed in from all parts of the state and help also came from 
other states. Besides the sum of $69,761.23 received in money, as 
reported by the committee, there were seven carloads of lumber, two 
of flour, a large quantity of clothing, both new and second-hand; 
queensware, bedding, groceries, provisions and many other articles. 
Mrs. John Wyman, of Des Moines, published an appeal in the ])apers 
of that city for volunteer nurses and twenty-three women responded. 
The superintendent of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad 
furnished free transportation for them and their su])plies to Pom- 
eroy and tlie women began work on the morning of ^Vetlnesday, July 
12, 1893, looking after the injured. The Pullman Palace Car Com- 
pany sent two sleeping coaches for the transfer of the wounded to 
the hospital at Sioux City, and from all over the state came expres- 
sions of sympathy accompanied by substantial donations. 

After wrecking the Town of Pomeroy it seems as if the wrath 
of the storm was appeased, for a little more than a mile from the town 
the wind spent its force. The path of the tornado, from the point 
where it started in Cherokee County to where it ended, from eight 
hundred to one thousand eight hundred feet wide, was covered Avitli 
debris of wrecked l)uildings, etc. The relief committee reported the 
following number of persons killed: 

Pomeroy 49 

Pocahontas County 4 

Buena Yista County 6 

Cherokee County 12 

Total 71 

In addition to this death roll, many ])ersons were injured, some 
of whom recovered and otiiers remained cri])ples for the remainder 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 309 

of their lives, while the property loss could hardly he intelligently 
estimated. ^Vith eonnnendahle energy the people of Ponieroy rebuilt 
their town, hut it will be a long time before those living there on July 
0, 1893. will forget their terrible experiences. An accovmt of the 
tornado was published in book form by F. W. Sprague, under the 
title of "The Story of a Storm," from which many of the above facts 
are taken. 

STORil OF JUXE^ 1899 

On Saturday, June 17, 1899, the eastern part of Calhoun County 
was visited by a storm of unusual proportions. After doing con- 
siderable damage around Barnum, ^Vebster County, the tornado 
moved Avestward and first struck Calhoun County almost due east of 
]Manson. There it veered southward. The homes of Isaac Clinks 
and Gus Johnson, in Greenfield Township, were demolished; Fred 
Mehring's barn was lifted from its foundation and so badly wrenched 
that it had to be torn down and rebuilt; west of Farnhamville the 
barn and outbuildings on the farm of F. C. Hartung were wrecked; 
Joseph jNlurphy's barn and C. H. Throckmorton's house near Muddy 
were both lifted from their foundations and the house was carried 
about thirty feet; the Douglass schoolhouse wasi badly damaged; 
five miles east of Rockwell City the parsonage of the German 
Lutheran Church was destroyed and the church edifice suffered some 
damage. Between Farnhamville and Lohrville some freight cars 
were standing on a siding. The storm broke the couplings and blew 
ten cars into the ditch. This storm did not last long, but it was 
extremel}^ busy while it did last and not much that came in its way 
escaped. 

A PECULIAR HAIL STORM 

The western part of the county Avas visited bj' a hail storm on 
March 2.5, 1901. Near Lytton hailstones of great size fell, and it 
was estimated that some of tliem would weigh over a pound. They 
were of a different texture from tlie ordinary liailstone and burst 
when they fell. After they melted the ground was covered witli a 
white powder, which resembled soda in ap2:»earance and had a strong 
alkaline taste. It was supposed that this powder had been gathered 
from some of the alkali plains of the West by the storm cloud as it 
passed over that region. The storm did comparatively little damage. 



310 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

TWIN LAKES CYCLONE 

About 4.30 p. M. on Saturday, April 11, 1903, a cyclone formed 
over Avhat is known as the Gunharrel Slouch, a short distance west 
of South Twin Lake, and moved rapidly eastward. The house, barn 
and most of the outbuildings on C. H. Clark's farm on the west side 
of the lake, occupied by Preston G. Armour as a tenant, were 
destroyed and one horse was killed. Mrs. Armour and her five chil- 
dren sought shelter in a cave when they saw the storm coming and 
escaped injury. H. C. JSIaulsby, who was near the lake shore, was 
caught by the wind and only saved himself from being blown into 
the water by clinging to a small tree. Several larger trees near him 
were uprooted. Fortunately the storiii was of short duration and it 
covered only a small territory. The column of cloud could be ])lainly 
seen at Rockwell City, about four or five miles distant, and W. H. 
Yant, a photographer of that place, succeeded in getting a good 
picture of a cyclone. 

THE LAST LYNX HUNT 

Although the lynx family was never a numerous one in Calhoun 
Comity, it was not an unusual thing in the early days for someone 
to kill one of these predatory animals. In the fall of 1869 farmers 
in the southwestern part of the county began to miss pigs, lambs, 
poultry, etc., and at first attributed their losses to some thief. Then 
rumors of a strange animal of some sort spread over the neighbor- 
hood. Its cries had been heard at night and it was said to have its 
lair somewhere in Lake Creek Grove. A hunting party was organ- 
ized, the grove was surrounded and the beast brought to bay, when a 
well directed bullet from the rifle of James B. Scott ended its career. 
The carcass was prepared by a taxidermist and for some time stood 
on exhibition in the window of John Ijinupkin's store at Ijake City. 
This was the last lynx ever killed in the county. 

A BANK ROBBERY 

An attempt was made to rob the People's Bank at Jolley on the 
night of December 0, 1904. There were six of the robbers. They 
took tools from the railroad section house and ])vit the hand-car out 
on the track ready for a speedy escape if it became necessary, after 
which they went to Johnson's livery stable and hitched a team to a 
donble-seated vehicle as a further measure of precaution. One of 



PAST AXD PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 311 

the lubbers then took up a position behind a barricade of barrels and 
boxes at the corner of Steele's store, one was stationed near Wood's 
store, two stood guard directly in front of tlie bank and the other 
two went inside to blow open the safe. 

Shortly after 2 o'clock on the morning of the 7th, H. C. Eby, a 
guest at the Hotel Carstedt, heard an explosion and upon looking 
out of the window of his room noticed a light in the bank. He aroused 
the landlord, a posse was quickly organized and a fight with the yegg- 
men followed in which several shots Avere fired. One of the bullets 
passed through a window of the hotel and lodged in a piece of furni- 
ture, but no one was hurt. About 3 o'clock the robbers got into the 
carriage thev had taken from Johnson's stable and started southwest. 
The team was found near Lavinia the next morning by Frank 
DeSart. 

After abandoning the carriage the robbers went to the farm of 
William Clark, about a mile east of Yetter, where they buried tliem- 
selves in a straw stack. Here they were scented by a dog, who began 
sniffing and barking around the straw stack. The actions of the dog 
finally drove three of the robbers to the conclusion that the stack was 
an unsafe place and they slipped out and started away. They were 
soon overhauled, after which those in the straw were advised to come 
out. or fire would be applied to the stack, so they came out and sur- 
rendered to the posse that had been hurriedly organized. Twelve 
special constables from Yetter brought the culprits to Rockwell City, 
where they waived a preliminary examination before Justice Hunter 
and were committed to jail in default of bond. In January they 
were indicted by the grand jury and were afterward tried and sen- 
tenced to terms of dilFerent lengths in prison. 

A MYSTERIOUS MUEDER 

Between the hours of 10 and 11 o'clock on the evening of Sep- 
tember 27, 1897, Fred Quade, a farmer of Greenfield Township, was 
shot and killed while sitting asleep in his chair in the dining room of 
his home. He had been pressing grapes tjiat day for wine and did 
not come in to supper until nearly 8 o'clock. Soon after supper the 
other members of the family retired and left him sitting at the table 
alone, where he dropped off to sleep and never woke again. The 
weapon was a shotgun and the shot was fired through an open window. 

A few days later jNIrs. Quade, her daughter Mary and the eldest 
son, Anton, were arrested and given a preliminary hearing before 



312 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Justice Nicholson. They employed J. F. Lavender, an attorney of 
Rockwell City, to look after their interests. The evidence brought 
out the facts that Fred Quade was somewhat given to drink and when 
in liis cups was inclined to be rough with the members of his famih^; 
that he had some trouble with his brother Henry over some money 
belonging to their niotlier-in-law, who lived with Henry; and that 
the paper used as gun wadding exactly fitted a piece found in a trunk 
in Quade's old house, which stood near the one in which he was killed, 
indicating that some member of the family was connected witli the 
homicide. 

On Saturday, October 9, 1897, Justice Nicholson bound ]\Iary 
over to tlie grand jury, the mother and son being released. At the 
next session of the grand jury tlie daughter was dismissed, the jury 
finding no evidence that would warrant the return of an indictment, 
and the murderer of Fred Quade has never been apprehended. 

A QUAINT CHARACTER 

Two or three years after the close of the Civil war Arthur W. 
Boyce came to Calhoun County and purchased a tract of land in 
Greenfield Township. Upon this land he built a small dwelling and 
made other imiirovements. Mr. Boyce was a native of Vermont and 
had attended college there before coming west. For some time after 
locating in Calhoun County he took an interest in local afi^aii's and 
was one of the charter members of the Congregational Church of 
JManson. He then made a visit back to his old home, after which his 
wliole nature seemed changed. Instead of associating with others 
as he had been wont to do during his early residence in Greenfield 
Township, he lived the life of a recluse, became careless in his dress 
and appearance, though he always was honorable and uiiright in his 
business transactions. 

It was known that while attending college in his native state he 
became engaged to a daughter of one of the professors, and that his 
principal abject in coming west was to build a home for his liride. 
In time various stories were circulated concerning his love affair. 
One of these stories was that when he went back to Vermont he found 
her the wife of another man and that his letters had been answered l)y 
his sweetheart's yoimger brother, "just as a joke." Anotlier story, 
and quite likely one more nearly the truth, was that when he went 
back and saw the surroundings in the refined home of tlie ])rofessor 
he com])ared tliem Avitli the environment in his frontier home. He 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 313 

explained this difference to the yonng lady, who hesitated about 
breaking home ties, and he released her from her promise to become 
his wife. But, whatever the cause, he was never the same after he 
returned to his little home on the Iowa prairie. 

Aithur W. Boyce died on February 19, 1909, from pneumonia 
brought on by exposure while caring for his live stock. His physician 
had him taken to the hospital at Fort Dodge, where the day after his 
arrival death ensued. After his death it was discovered that he had 
money on deposit in the banks of ^Nlanson and Rockwell City, and 
that he owned several farms in Iowa and ^Minnesota. His estate 
was \alued at about seventy-five thousand dollars. 

GRASSHOPPER PLAGUE OF 1868 

There was one event in the early history of Calhoim County that 
left a lasting impression upon the memory of those who were resi- 
dents of the county at the time. About the 1st of July, 1868, the 
wheat was nearly as high as a man's shoulders and the settlers were 
congratulating themselves on the i)rospects for an abundant yield. 
AMien the people started to church one Sunday morning a few days 
later, there was no indication of the disaster that was to come to them 
in the next few hours. A few grasshoppers had been noticed before 
that day, but not in sufficient numbers to cause any alarm for the 
safety of the crops. 

Toward noon on that fateful Sunday the "hoppers" came in a 
swarm dense enough to cast a shadow over the fields on whose destruc- 
tion they were bent. When the people returned from church they 
found their wheat, upon which they were building high hopes, flat 
upon the ground with every green blade destroyed by the voracious 
insects. In the gardens not a vestige of vegetation of any kind 
remained. In the low places the grasshoppers were piled up several 
inches deep and it was almost impossible to walk without treading 
upon the pests. 

Thus, in an incredibly short time, the hope of the pioneers was 
changed to despair. Out upon the frontier, far away from market 
centers, without means of quick transportation, and without money 
to buy even if they had been within easy reach of markets, many of 
them abandoned their homesteads and went to the homes of their 
friends in the older settlements of Iowa and some went to other 
states. A few were so disheartened that they never returned, but a 
majority of them came back to their farms the next vear, took fresh 



314 PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

courage and went to work \\ith renewed ener<^' to recover their 
losses. That they succeeded is seen in tlie conditions of the county 
at the present time. There were a number of grasshoppers came 
along in the '70s and did some damage, but nothing to compare with 
the visitation of 1868. 



CHAPTER XX 
STATISTICAL REVIEW 

POPULATION AS SHOWN BY THE UNITED STATES CENSUS WEALTH AND 

PROGBESS — LIST OE COUNTY OFFICERS SINCE 1855 — CHRONOLOGY 

SUMMARY OF PRINCIP/VL EVENTS CONNECTED WITH THE HISTORY 
OF CALHOUN COUNTY POSTSCRIPT, 

In April, 1914, threescore years had passed since Ebenezer Coin- 
stock came to Callioun County and built his cabin in what is now 
the eastern part of Jackson Township. He and the members of his 
family were then the only inhabitants of the county. Others soon 
came, however, and the work of building up a civilization has gone 
steadily forward until Calhoun in 1915 stood fifty-eighth of the 
ninety-nine counties in the state in population. This is certainly a 
favorable showing when it is remembered that tiftj'-one counties had 
a population of three thousand or more at the time the first white man 
located in Calhoun, and of these fifty-one counties ten had a popu- 
lation of ten thousand or upward and nine others were close to the 
ten thousand mark. The growth in jiopulation, as shown by the 
United States census since 1860, the first official census taken after 
the county was organized, is seen in the following table: 

1860 147 

1870 1,602 

1880 5,595 

1890 13,107 

1900 18,569 

1910 17,090 

By a brief study of these figures it will be noticed that the greatest 
proportionate growth during any decade was from 1860 to 1870, when 
the rate of increase was more than 1,000 per cent. And the greater 
part of this increase came during the last half of the decade. The 

315 



316 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

state census of 18G5 gave Calhoun a population of only 400, but in 
the years immediately following the close of the Civil war there was 
a large immigration to Iowa and Calhomi received her share of the 
newcomers. The next decade shows an increase of over 300 per cent, 
but since then the growth has been gradually less proportionately, and 
the census of 1910 shows an actual decrease of 1,4.70 from the popu- 
lation in 1900. Part of this decrease may be accounted for by errors 
made in taking the enumeration, but it is quite probable that more 
of it can be accounted for through the opening of new lands in other 
parts of the country, which presented opportunities to men of mod- 
erate means to acquire homes and farms with a smaller outlay of 
capital. The decrease applies to all parts of the county about alike, 
only three townships and two of the incorporated towns showing an 
increase during the ten years preceding 1910. This is seen in a com- 
parison of the last three official census reports relating to the popula- 
tion by townships, to-wit: 

Township 1890 

Butler 1,044 

Calhoun 1,862 

Cedar 744- 

Center 752 

Elm Grove 555 

Garfield 482 

Greenfield 593 

Jackson 692 

Lake Creek 488 

Lincoln 1,478 

Logan 544 

Reading 807 

Sherman 692 

Twin Lakes 836 

Union 982 

Williams 556 

The great decrease in Calhoun Township — as shown in the above 
table — between the year 1890 and 1900 is due to the fact that in the 
former year the population of Lake City was included in the figures 
given for the entire township, while in subsequent census reports the 
town was listed separately. In the above table the Town of JNIanson 



1900 


1910 


1,674 


1,514 


498 


467 


860 


936 


755 


835 


713 


670 


722 


705 


1,020 


923 


677 


555 


726 


555 


2,119 


1,835 


687 


618 


1,014 


954 


737 


733 


1,769 


1,954 


1,184 


1,184 


711 


589 



1900 


1910 


34.8 


332 


266 


250 


• • • 


220 


2,T03 


2,043 


597 


6T4 


1,424 


1,236 


910 


744 


1,222 


1,528 


• ■ ■ 


169 


• • • 


107 



PAST AXU PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 317 

is included in the figiires for Lincoln Township. The population of 
the incorporated towns since 1890 is shown in the following table: 

Town 1890 

Farnhamville 137 

Jolley 

Knierini 

Lake City 1,160 

Lohrville" 436 

]Manson 822 

Pomeroy 481 

Rockwell City 516 

Somers 

Yetter 

The Town of Jolley does not appear in the report for 1890 for 
the reason that it was not incorporated at that time, and for the same 
reason the towns of Knierini, Somers and Yetter appear only in the 
report of the last census. Prior to their incorporation the population 
of these towns is included in that of the township in which they are 
located. 

Notwithstanding the slight decrease in the number of inhabitants 
between the years 1900 and 1910, the wealth and material resources 
of the county have not fallen off in the least. Statistics touching 
upon the condition of the various industries indicate a steady advance 
in the amount of capital invested; the value of farm lands and the 
jiroducts of the farms have not depreciated, and the banks show larger 
deposits than at any previous time in the county's history. The year 
1914 was one of general j^rosperity in Calhovm County, more money 
being expended for the support of the schools and for public improve- 
ments than in any one year since the county was organized. This 
statement includes, however, the new courthouse, bonds for which were 
ordered in the year 1913, but the building was not completed until the 
next year. 

OFFICIAL ROSTER 

The following list of county officers has been compiled from the 
public records as far as practicable and, where the public records were 
not available, from newspaper files and other sources of information 
regarded as authentic. It is believed to be as correct as such a list 
can be made and shows who have been entnisted with the public busi- 



318 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

ness since the fii-st election of countj^ officers in August, 1855. Most 
of the time the officers were elected for terms of two years. The list 
shows the year of election, or when the official entered upon the dis- 
charge of his duties, and where a period of several years elapsed 
between the election of one officer and that of his successor one or 
more re-elections are indicated. 

Clerks — Joel Golden, 1855; John Lunijikin, 1857; H. H. Hutch- 
inson, 1859; H. C. Crawford, 1861; S. H. Richardson, 1864; W. H. 
Fitch. 1868; H. H. Hutchinson, 1872; Closes Freeman, 1880; J. M. 
Rothrock, 1882; T. C. Gregg, 1884; George B. Brown, 1892; Fred 
Russell, 1896; Ross Vontrees, 1902; R. C. Gray, 1908; S. E. Stan- 
field, 1914. 

Recorders — Christian Smith, 1855 (resigned January 7, 1856, 
and Eli Van Home appointed) ; Charles Amy, 1857; J. W. HoUen- 
beck, 1868; H. H. Hutchinson, 1870; S. T. Hutchison, 1872; W. T. 
Smith. 1876; J. H. Bradt, 1880; C. E. Offenback, 1884; A. J. Scott, 
1888: Charles A. Clark, 1894; Samuel A. Smith, 1898; Edgar 
Vaughan, 1904; J. S. Buttner, 1910; Nelle M. Roberts, 1912; Frances 
A. Snow, 1914. 

Treasurers — From 1855 to 1867 the duties of county treasurer 
Avere performed by the recorder — or in other Avords, the same official 
acted as both recorder and treasurer. During that period the treas- 
urers were Christian Smith, Eli Van Home and Charles Amy, as 
above noted in the list of recorders. Since then the treasurers have 
been as follows: S. T. Hutchison, 1867; W. T. Smith. 1871; T. P. 
Gregg. 1875: E. J. Price, 1879; Rollin Burch, 1881; George R. Alli- 
son, 1885; :M. B. Kelley, 1889 {Mr. Kelley served only a few months, 
when he was killed in a railroad wreck, and George R. Allison was 
appointed to the vacancy) ; William N. Brown, 1891 (elected three 
times, but died before the expiration of his third term, and George 
R. Allison appointed to the vacancy) ; B. E. Sebern, 1897 (resigiied 
before the expiration of his third term and T. W. McCrary ap.- 
pointed) ; T. W. McCrary, 1903; C. W. Beckwith, 1908; George B. 
Lemen, 1914. 

Auditors — The office of auditor as a separate position was not 
established in Calhoun County until 1869. The list since that time 
is as follows: H. W. Sprague, 1869: A. N. Jack, 1875; S. H. Rich- 
ardson, 1881; W. E. Fuller. 1885; N. R. Hutchinson, 1889; E. M. 
Gregg, 1890 (resigned and B. E. Stonebraker ap])ointed for the imex- 
pired term) : Clayton C. Riley. 1898: B. E. Stonebraker, 1902: C. O. 
Dixon, 1908; R. B. Dixon, 1914. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 319 

Sheriffs — William Oxenford, 185.3; Pleasant Hull, 1857; James 
Reynolds, 1859; William Oxenford, 1801; William JNliles, 1807; A. 
T. Bowers, 1809; J. M. Scott, 1873; L. II. Chase, 1875; B. F. Free- 
burger, 1881; James Dixon, 1883; J. M. Stewart, 1887; Thomas 
.Miller, 1893; R. A. \Vhite, 1895; A. L. Riseley, 1899; Jet Dawson, 
1900; D. L. Wheeler, 1910 (elected for the third time in 1914). 

Surveyors — Allen ]McCoy, 1850; David Reed, 1857; Charles 
Amy, 1858; H. C. Crawford, 1801; S. II. Richardson, 1807; A. N. 
Jack, 1809: S. H. Richardson. 1873; II. J. Griswold. 1875; James 
McClure, 1879; Richard Timmons, 1881; James McClure, 1883; 
W. L. Thompson, 1889; S. F. Moeller, 1897; W. E. McClure, 1906. 
By the act of April 22, 1913, the office of county engineer was created 
to take the place of county surveyor and W. E. IMcClure was ap- 
pointed to the office by the board of supenisors. 

Coroners — Joshua ]McCoy, 1850; VV^illiam Townsend, 1857; W. 
W. Ripley, 1801 ; E. V. Blachley, 1809; T. E. Hosman, 1875; Nelson 
Bacon, 1877; H. Baldwin, 1881; D. M. Johnson, 1885; W. W. Mc- 
Mackin, 1889; D. J. Townsend, 1893; J. R. Thompson, 1895; L. E. 
Eslick, 1899; A. C. Norton, 1903; B. F. Troup, 1912 (re-elected in 
1914). 

County Judges — When the County of Calhoun was first organ- 
ized the greater part of the public business was transacted by an offi- 
cial called a county judge. Peter Smith was elected to this office on 
August 6, 1855, and served until August, 1857, when he was suc- 
ceeded by Jonathan H. jNIanlove. In January, 1800, Judge Man- 
love was succeeded by Cyreno W. Tliompson, who served until the 
office was abolished ])y the act of jNIarch 2, 1800. 

Supervisors — The act of ]March 2, 1800, which abolished the office 
of county judge, created a board of supervisors in each county of 
tlie state, to consist of one member from each civil township. The 
first supenisors were elected at the general election in 1800 and 
assumed office on .lanuary 1, 1801. At that time the entire County 
of Calhoun constituted l)ut one civil townshij^ and the board had but 
one member. Several changes in the law have been made, the board 
sometimes being composed of three members and sometimes of five. 
The list of supervisors in Calhoun County follows: 

1801 — L. C. JMorey. 

1802— Peter Smith. 

1863 — Peter Smith, David Reynolds and Cyreno W. Thompson. 

1804 — David Reynolds, Cyreno W. Thompson and Henry 
Sifford. 



320 PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

1865— L. C. Morey, Henry SifFord and Cyreno \V. Thompson. 

18G6 — Same as 1865. 

1867— L. C. Morey, Henry SifFord and Robert Shideler. 

1868— Robert Shideler, Joseph Yates and A. W. Zane. 

1869— Jonathan Bishop, Joseph Yates and William Oxenford. 

1870 — Jonathan Bishop, Daniel Lowe and H. F. Jacobs. 

1871— T. P. Gregg, Joseph Yates and Cornelius Pocock. 

1872— Same as 1871. 

1873— Joseph Yates, T. P. Gregg and Byron Ellis. 

1874— T. P. Gregg, Byron Ellis and Horace Love. 

1875— Bj-ron Ellis, Horace Love and E. S. Clow. 

1876— Horace Love, E. S. Clow and Thomas JNIiller. 

1877— E. S. Clow, Thomas jNIiller and John Somei-ville. 

1878— Thomas JNIiller, John Somerville and W. H. Fitch. 

1879— This year, for the tirst time, the board of supervisors in 
Calhoun County was constituted of five members, viz.: John Somer- 
ville, Thomas JMiller, W. H. Fitch, Rollin Burch and S. T. Hutch- 
ison. 

1880— W. H. Fitch, Thomas Miller, Rollin Burch, John Somer- 
ville and D. M. Brown. 
1881— Same as 1880. 

1882— John Somerville, W. H. Fitch, A. M. Boyles, Jacob Fos- 
ter and J. D. IMcVay. 

1883— Jacob Foster, A. M. Boyles, A. W. Eshbaugh, George R.- 
Allison and J. D. McVay. 

188 J— George R. Allison, Jacob Foster, A. W. Eshbaugh. Jasper 
Clark and O. C. Riddle. 

1885— A. W. Eshbaugh, George R. Allison, Jasper Clark, D. J. 
Townsend and H. W. Heston. 

1886— D. J. Townsend, A. W. Eshbaugh, H. W. Heston, Jasper 
Clark and W. J. Cooper. 

1887— Jasper Clark, W. J. Cooper, D. J. Townsend, H. W. 
Heston and A. F. Stonebraker. 

1888— A. F. Stonebraker. W. J. Cooper, D. J. Townsend, Jasper 
Clark and H. W. Heston. 

1889— Jasper Clark, A. F. Stonebraker, H. W. Heston, R. A. 
Horton and D. J. Townsend. In the organization of this board, 
J. G. Robinson claimed to have been elected in the district repre- 
sented by Dr. D. J. Townsend. The ])oard recognized Townsend, 
but upon appeal the seat Avas given to INIr. Robinson. 



PAST AND PKESEXT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 321 

1890— Jasper Clark, R. A. Hoi-ton, H. W. Hestoii, A. F. Stone- 
braker and J. G. Robmson. 

1891— A. F. Stonebraker, Jasper Clark, R. A. Horton, J. G. 
Robinson and Jacob Foster. 

1892— Same as 1891. 

1893 — R. A. Horton, Jacob Foster, J. G. Robinson, G. W. Reeves 
and F. B. Ramige. 

1894— G. W. Reeves, R. A. Horton, F. B. Ramige, J. G. Rob- 
inson and D. L. Jones. 

1893 — J. G. Robinson, D. L. Jones, F. B. Ramige, G. W. Reeves 
and R. A. Smith. 

1896 — F. B. Ramige, R. A. Smith, D. L. Jones, J. G. Robinson 
and James A. Kelley. 

1897— R. A. Smith, F. B. Ramige, James A. Kelley, H. C. 
Wetter and S. L. Kent. 

1898— Same as 1897. 

1899 — R. A. Smith, George W. Reeves, S. L. Kent, Arthur L. 
Johnson and H. C. Wetter. 

1900— H. C. Wetter, Arthur L. Johnson, S. L. Kent, R. A. 
Smith and George W. Reeves. 

1901— S. L. Kent, H. C. Wetter, George W. Reeves, Arthur L. 
Johnson and J. J. Coady. 

1902— J. J. Coady, S. L. Kent, J. F. Fonts, Chades L. Drom- 
mer and H. C. Wetter. 

1903 — Charles L. Drommer, J. J. Coadj^ J. F. Fonts, S. L. Kent 
and Charles H. Wise. 

1904 — Same as 1903. 

190.5 — Same as 1903 and 1904, except that Charles H. Wise died 
before the expiration of his term and Thomas Parsons was appointed 
to the vacancy. 

1906 — J. J. Coady, Charles L. Drommer, John F. Fonts, S. L. 
Kent and Thomas Parsons. 

1907 — Charles L. Drommer, John F. Fouts, J. J. Coady, Thomas 
Parsons and Henry Luebke. 

1908 — Thomas Parsons, J. J. Coady, Charles L. Drommer, 
Heniy Luebke and S. A. Stewart. 

1909 — J. J. Coady, Thomas Parsons, S. A. Stewart, Charles L. 
Drommer and John Kenning. 

1910— Same as 1909. 

1911 — J. J. Coady, John Kenning, Thomas Parsons, S. A. Stew- 
art and John Baker. 



322 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

1912 — Jolin Baker, J. J. Coady, John Kenniiig, S. A. Stewart 
and W. H. Lotspeich. 

1913 — Same as 1912. 

1914 — In this year the board was again reduced to three mem- 
bers, viz.: J. J. Coady, John Kenning and W. H. Lotspeich. 

1915 — J. H. Baker, J. J. Coady and W. H. Lotspeich. 

The Legislature — From 1846 to 1906 the General Assembly met 
in December of the even numbered years. At the general election in 
1904 the people ratified an amendment to the state constitution abol- 
ishing the elections in the odd numbered years and making all elec- 
tions biennial, beginning in the year 1906. The Thirty-first Gen- 
eral Assembly met in December, 1906, and the Thirty-second in 1907, 
owing to the constitutional amendment. AVith this exception ses- 
sions of the Legislature have been held biennially. The constitu- 
tional amendment of 1904 further provided that "the terms of office 
of all elective state, county and township officers whose terms of office 
would expire in January in the year 1906, and members of the Gen- 
eral Assembly whose successors would otherwise be chosen at the 
general election in the year 1905, are hereby extended one year." 
Under this provision the county officers elected in 1903 had their 
terms of office extended one year. The first Legislature in which 
Calhoun County was represented was the Sixth General Assembly, 
which met in December, 1856. Calhoun was part of a senatorial 
district composed of twelve counties, and of a representative district 
composed of sixteen counties. Since then the county has been repre- 
sented in the I^egislature as follows: 

Senators — James D. Test, of Pottawattomie County, 1856; W. 
H. M. Pusey, of Pottawattomie, 1858; George W. Bassett, of Web- 
ster, 1864; Theodore Hawley, of Webster, 1868; William H. Fitch, 
of Calhoun, 1872; E. J. Hartshorn, of Palo Alto, 1876; John J. 
Russell, of Greene. 1880; J. K. Deal, of Carroll, 1886 (during Sen- 
ator Deal's term the state was redistricted, Calhoun and Webster 
counties being made the Twenty-seventh District) ; Josiah D. :McVay, 
of Calhoun, 1888; O. M. Oleson. of Webster, 1892; Thomas D. 
Healy, of Webster, 1896; Henry Young, of Calhoun, 1904; Frederic 
Larrabee, of Webster, 1908 (re-elected in 1912). 

Representatives — N. G. Wyatt, residence not known, 1856; Cyrus 
C. Carpenter, of Webster County, 1858; Samuel Rees, of Webster, 
1860; George S. Walton, of Greene, 1862; Addison Oliver, of 
^lonona, 1864; Azor R. ]Mills, of Greene, 1866; Samuel Rees, of 
Webster, 1868; G. S. Toliver, of Greene, 1870; Robert Struthers, 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 323 

of Pocahontas. 1872; James N. Miller, of Sac, 187-i; O. H. ^Maii- 
ning, of Carroll, 1876 (re-elected); S. T. Hutchison, of Calhoun, 
1880; Loriston F. Uanforth, of Calhoun, 1882; Josiah D. IMcVay, 
of Calhoun, 1884; J. J. Bruce, of Pocahontas, 1880. The Twenty- 
first General Assembly made Calhoun County the Sixty-first Repre- 
sentative District, which has been represented by Edgar L. Hobbs, 
1888; Hemy Young, 1892; J. F. Lavender, 1890; D. J. Townsend, 
1900; J. H. Lowrey, 1904; John W. Jacobs, 1908; Ross C. Gray, 
1914. 

CHRONOLOGY 

In the foregoing chapters the aim has been to show the general 
progress of Calhoun County along industrial, educational, professional 
and religious lines of development, as well as the part taken by the 
county in military and political affairs. As a fitting conclusion to this 
work the following list of events has been compiled for ready refer- 
ence. At a glance, some of these events may seem remotely connected 
with the county's history, but from the first one mentioned each 
wielded some influence in shaping the destinies of Calhoun. Those 
occurrinff since the organization of the county in 1855 have a direct 
bearing upon its development and welfare. 

June 21, 1073. 3Iarquette and Joliet landed in what is now Lee 
County on their voyage down the JNIississippi River. They were the 
first white men to set foot on Iowa soil. 

April 9, 1682. La Salle claimed all the territoiy drained by the 
JSIississipi^i and its tributaries in the name of France, calling it Louisi- 
ana. Iowa thus became a French possession. 

February 10, 1763. Treaty of Paris, which terminated the 
French and Indian war and ceded all that part of Louisiana lying 
west of the Mississippi River to Spain. Iowa was a part of the 
ceded territory. 

April 30, 1803. A treaty concluded at Paris by which Louisiana 
was sold to the United States and Iowa became a part of the terri- 
tory of the American Republic. 

December 20, 1803. The United States takes formal possession 
of Ijouisiana. 

Octol)er 1, 1804. Louisiana divided into the Territory of Orleans 
and the District of Louisiana. Iowa was included in the latter, which 
•was placed under the jurisdiction of Indiana Territory. 

, 1807. Iowa attached to the Territory of Illinois. 



324 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

181-2. Territory of ^Missouri created and included the pres- 



ent State of Iowa. 

July 1.5, 1830. The Sac and Fox Indians ceded to the United 
States a large tract of land in Iowa, a little of which was in what is 
now Calhoun County. 

August 2, 1832. Battle of Bad Axe, which ended the Black 
Hawk war. 

Septemher 21, 1832. Treaty of Davenport, hy which the Sacs 
and Foxes ceded to the United States a strip forty miles wide in 
Eastern Iowa known as the Black Hawk Purchase. 

June 28, 183-1. President Jackson approved the act attaching 
Iowa to the Territorv of JNIichioan. 

Septemher, 1834. The JMichigan Legislature created two coun- 
ties— Duhuque and Des JMoines— in what is now the State of Iowa, 
Calhoun was a part of Duhuque. 

April 20, 1836. President Jackson approved the act establishing- 
the Territory of Wisconsin, including Iowa. 

IVIay. 1836. First census in Iowa taken by order of Governor 
Dodge. Population, 10,3.51. 

October 3, 1836. First election in Iowa for members of the Ter- 
ritorial Legislature of Wisconsin. 

November 6, 1837. Convention at Burlington adopted a 
memorial to Congress asking for the establishment of a new territory 
west of the ^Mississippi. 

June 12, 1838. President Van Buren approved the act establish- 
ing the Territory of Iowa. 

October 11, 1842. Treaty with the Sacs and Foxes by which 
those Indians ceded to the United States all their lands in Iowa. 

]May, 1843. Fort Des Moines established by the Government 
where the City of Des Moines now stands. 

October 7, 1844. First constitutional convention in Iowa assem- 
bled at Iowa City. 

August 3, 184.5. Constitution rejected by the people. 

May 4, 1846. Second constitutional convention met at Iowa City. 
This constitution a])])roved by the people at an election on August 
3, 1846. 

December 28, 1846. President Polk approved the act of Con- 
gress admitting Iowa into the l^nion as a state. 

September 28, 18.50. Congress passed an act giving to the sev- 
eral states certain swamp lands lying within their borders. 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 325 

January l.>, 18.31. Gov. Stephen Hempstead approved the act 
creating Fox (now Calhoun) County. 

January 12, 18.53. Tlie name of Fox County changed to Cal- 
houn by act of the Legislature. 

:March, 18.53. Land offices opened at Des Moines and Council 
Bluffs. 

April, 1854. Ebenezer Comstock, the first white .settler in Cal- 
hovm County, located near the present Town of Lake City. 

xVuoust 6. 18.55. First election of county officers in Calhoun 
County. 

October 10, 1855. Judge Cave J. IMcFarland appointed com- 
missioners to locate the county seat of Calhoun County. 

November 5, 1855. Land office opened at Fort Dodge. Calhoun 
County was included in the new land district. 

November 9, 1855. Commissioners to locate the county seat 
made their report in favor of a site in Lake Creek Township and 
named the town Brooklyn. 

]March 3, 1856. All of Calhoun County erected into one civil 
township called Calhoun. 

April 7, 1856. The people vote unanimously to remove the county 
seat to Lake City. 

INIay 10, 1856. Charles Amy employed to lay out the Town of 
Lake City — the first town to be platted in Calhoun County. 

]May 13, 1856. Alford White and Peter Smith and their wives 
deed to the county the land on which a portion of Lake City now 
stands. 

July 1, 1856. First public sale of lots in Lake City. 

, 1856. In the fall of this year the first school ever taught in 

Calhoun County was taught near Lake City by David Reed. 

January 13, 1857. Third constitutional convention met at Iowa 
City. A district composed of the twenty-three northwestern coun- 
ties, including Calhoun, was represented by Daniel W. Price. 

]March 27, 1857. Contract for the first courthouse in the county 
let to Charles Amy and JNIoses Sherman for $1,100. 

August 3, 1857. Constitution ratified by the people by a vote 
of 40.311 to 38,681. 

June, 1859. First term of the District Court held in Calhoun 
County, Judge A. W. Hul)bard presiding. 

jNIarch 2, 1860. Office of county judge abolished by act of the 
Legislature. Population of Calhoun County according to the United 
States census this vear was 147. 



326 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

Januaiy 19, 1861. First meeting of the board of supervisors in 
Calhoun Countj\ 

April 12, 1861. Fort Sumter tired upon by the Confederates. 

April 17, 1861. Gov. Samuel J. Kirkvvood issues his proclama- 
tion calling for one regiment of volunteer infantry. 

September 6, 1861. First soldiers from Calhoun County mus- 
tered into the United States service in Company H, Tenth Iowa 
Infantry. 

December 12, 1861. The swamp lands of Calhoun County sold 
to the American Emigrant Company by the board of supervisors. 

August 18, 1862. The board of supervisors offered a bounty of 
$2.5 to every man enlisting in Calhoun Count3^ 

September 1, 1862. Bounty increased to $50. 

October 19, 1863. Supervisors offered a bounty of $250 to eacli 
married man and $200 to each single man who would volunteer from 
Calhoun County. 

, 1870. Dul)uque & Sioux City (sometimes called the Iowa 

Falls & Sioux City) Railroad completed to Pomeroy in the spring 
of this year — the first railroad in the county. 

January, 1871. First railroad across the State of Iowa completed 
to Council Bluffs. 

June, 1871. The Calhoun County Pioneer, the first newspaper 
in the county, started at Lake City by B. F. Gue, with E. ^V. ^Vood 
in charge. 

January 6, 1872. Board of supen'isors adopted a resolution to 
establish a poor farm. 

June 17, 1876. A committee of citizens appointed to select a new 
location for the county seat. Site of Rockwell City selected. 

November 7, 1876. At the general election a majority of the 
votes cast were in favor of removing the county seat to Rockwell City. 

September 3, 1877. First courthouse at RockAvell City accepted 
by the l)oai-d of supervisors. 

April 21, 1878. A destructive tornado crossed Williams Town- 
ship, doing considerable damage. 

, 1879. The first bank in Calhoun County opened at Manson 

by E. A. Richards. 

, 1881. Late in the year the Toledo & Northwestern (now 

the Chicago & Northwestern) Railroad was completed to Lake City. 

January, 1882. Fieight and ticket office opened by the railroad 
com])any at I^ake City. 

Aug-ust 7, 1882. First train on the Des INIoines, Northern & 



PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 327 

Western (now the Chicago, ^Milwaukee & St. Paul) Railroad arrived 
at Rockwell City. 

September 18, 1884. Courthouse at Rockwell City destroyed by 

fire. 

September 28. 1886. The Calhoun County Agricultural Associ- 
ation incorporated — the first agricultural society in the county. 

January 7, 1888. The board of supervisors passed the order 
for draining Shipman Slough and Hell Slough. This was the begin- 
ning of the drainage system. 

July 6, 1893. The Town of Pomeroy destroyed by a tornado. 

September 27, 1897. Fred Quade shot and killed at his home in 
Greenfield Township. The murderer was never apprehended. 

April 23, 1898. President ]McKinley issued a proclamation call- 
ing for 12.3.000 volunteers for the war with Spain. 

]May 30, 1898. Fifty-first Iowa Infantry mustered into the 
United States service. Several Calhoun County men were in this 
regiment. 

September 25, 1899. First train on the Illinois Central Railroad 
arrived at Rockwell City. 

April 11, 1900. The present poor farm bought by the board of 
supervisors. 

April 30, 1900. A. J. Wilcox shot and killed by his son Henry. 

July 1, 1902. Six rural mail routes begin operations from the 
Rockwell City postoffice — the first rural free delivery of mail in 
Calhoun County. 

, 1902. During the summer and fall of this year the Chicago 

Great Western Railroad was built through the southeastern part of 
Calhoun County. 

August 29, 1908. J. M. Brown killed his daughter-in-law, Mrs. 
George G. Brown, at Manson. 

June 6, 1909. The public library at Rockwell City opened. 

]\Iay, 1910. Carnegie Library at Lake City opened to the public. 

November 5, 1912. Presidential election; Roosevelt, 1,324; Wil- 
son. 1,182: Taft, 963. 

July 17, 1913. Corner-stone of the present courthouse laid. The 
building was completed and accepted by the supervisors on May 16, 
1914. 

POSTSCRIPT IX LIEU OF A PREFACE 

To feel an interest in those who came before us and paved the 
way for modern progress; to profit by their mistakes; to keep alive 



328 PAST AND PRESENT OF CALHOUN COUNTY 

the memory of the good and true in their achievements, is a duty that 
every citizen owes to a common hvmianity. In the performance of 
that duty is found the motive for the publication of this history. 

In presenting tliis work to the people of Calhoun County, the 
editor and publishers desire to state that no effort has been spared 
to give to them an authentic and comprehensive history of the county. 
Authentic, because so far as possible the public records have been 
relied upon as a source of information; and comprehensive, because 
it is believed no important event in the county's history has been 
neglected. 

The work has been one involving great care and labor, and at 
times no little difficulty has been encountered. The first settlement 
in the county was made in 1854 and the first newspaper was started 
in 1871. No record was kept of many of the events occurring during 
those seventeen intervening years, and much credit is due to old resi- 
dents for their ready and willing co-operation in the collection of 
data concerning the things that happened during that period. 

In bidding the reader good-by, the editor and his assistants take 
the opportunity to express their obligations to the county officials 
and their deputies ; the editors of the various county newspapers, who 
generously permitted the use of their files ; and the librarians of the 
public libraries at Rockwell City and Lake City for their uniform 
courtesies while this work was in course of preparation. .