Becker County, Minnesota - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 1 of those read), 1907 (part 14 of 16)

A quarter of a century ago the tide of emigration reached a part of Minnesota which the pioneers had named Shell Prairie. The territory so named stretches from the junction of the Shell River with the Crow Wing, in a northwesterly direction, to Shell Lake, the source of the Shell River. There were three divisions of territory. The one reaching from the mouth of Shell River to Mantor, now Plubbard, was called First Prairie, being the first reached by the settlers coming from the South. From Mantor to Osage was called Second Prairie. From Osage to Shell Lake was Third Prairie. Third Prairie also took in the southeast corner of the Indian reservation. These names are seldom used now, save when speaking of pioneer days.

The writer of this brief history had long contemplated writing an account of the early settlement of Third Prairie, and now at the beginning realizes her inability to do justice to the subject ; for surely this beautiful land is worthy of the finest of pen pictures ; and what a glorious subject for the painter's brush is presented by the dark green forest which skirts the prairies and crowns the hills that encircle them ! Here the poet may find many a theme for soul-inspiring verse, the writer of romance hear stories of love and friendship, joy and mirth, pain and sorrow, and hope and patient waiting - sometimes for things that never came. What abundant material for the "pen of a ready writer," to compile a book of pleasant stories. The pioneer spirit which impels people, especially of the West, to ever seek new countries and fortunes pervaded our community, and the members of our httle band of '80-2 are scattered, some in California and AFontana, others in Colorado, and a few in Alberta. Canada.

Mr. And Mrs. James Dezell

The "Reaper whose name is Death,"' has also gathered many sheaves from among us, and although the vacant places have been filled, and many new settlers have come for whom we have kind regard and high respect, yet we still miss the neighbors of "Auld Lang Svne."

To the eye of the first settler, the natural resources of the country were all that could be desired. Building material was abundant. There was no lack of w^ood for fuel. Cold, sparkling water was to be had twenty or thirty feet from the surface, which depth was not difficult to reach, and the soil was fertile and well adapted to diversified farming.

In the forest roamed innumerable wild beasts, manv of which were valuable for food, namely, moose, deer, caribou and others. The fox, mink, lynx, wolf, muskrat and black bear were valuable for their fur.

There were many birds with flesh dehcions enoug-h to tempt the palate of an epicure, the numerous lakes teemed with "finny trilies," berries grew in abundance, the most j)rolific of which was the blueberry. There were hundreds and hundreds of acres of this delicious berry ; the sale of them brought manv dollars to the settlers. They are still an article of commerce, though they do not grow as abundantly as they did twenty years ago. Cranberries grow in the marshes and a considerable quantity is shipped south nearl}' every year. W'intergreen berries are also found here but not in sufificient quantities to make them an article of consequence.

Another source of revenue to the settler was the sale of Seneca snakeroot. In the earl}' daxs this article commanded a high price ; sixty to seventy cents per pound. The roots were much larger than now. They have deteriorated on account of constant digging, l)ut the Indians still dig and sell a considerable (|uantity.

The bounteous hand of the Creator had also decorated the land with the most beautiful flowers ; every glade and every glen were resplendent with native flowers which, grew in the wildest and richest profusion. Tn the spring came the crocus and buttercup, then the sweet-william and the violets, followed bv the fragrant wild rose, vying with the prairie lily in grace and beaut}', the yellow lady's-slipper and dainty bluebells, and others too numerous to mention but just as lovel}'. In later summer and during the autumn months came the larkspur, the goldenrod. ])ur]ile asters, and latest of all the beautiful blue-fringed gentian of which many poets have sung.

In the deep shade of the forest were found plants and flowers more lovely still, if possible, among which were the evergreen mosses and vines, stately ferns and the magnificent pink lady slipi')er (moccasin flower), emblem of our state.

Carsonville Township, including Town 140, Ranges 36 and ^^y, was organized September 20th, 1881. The first town election was held at Osage. The first officers were: C. E. Bullock, town clerk; supervisors, Dewitt Clason (chairman), J. 3.1. Hawkins and \\'\\\-

G. M. Carson took the petition asking for the organization of the town to Detroit and presented it to the county auditor, Mr. Cronil), who looked it over and remarked that there was no name for the new township. ]\Ir. A. H. ^^'ilcox, couiUv treasurer, who was present, suggested that Mr. Carson put in his own name, which he did. The name was rejected by the secretary of state as there was already a town in the state by that name. Mr. Wilcox then suggested that the town be named " Carson ville," which name was accepted.

In the year of 1891, the towns were separated, the west half retaining the name Carsonville. The other town was called Osage. At the annual town meeting, March loth, 1891, officers were elected, some of whom resided in the eastern half of the town, which became Osage after the separation, so Carsonville's list of officers was incomplete. A special town meeting was held May i6th to elect new officers. They were : Henry F. Witter, chairman, who had been elected at the annual meeting ; supervisors, Jerome G. Farr, Zach. T. Lemon ; clerk, J. A. Barnard ; treasurer, J. G. Moore ; assessor, D. E. IMoore ; justices, Alex. Cook and C. Greenlaw; constables, James Lemon and John Kells.

The first school district was organized November 28th, 1883. The meeting was held at the residence of Benj. F. Horr. The officers elected were: H. F. Witter, clerk; E. J. Moore, treasurer; Jas. Dezell, director.

In 1888, two new schoolhouses were built, and in 1898, a third one was added. We have advanced from a log schoolhouse, built by donated work, to three good frame buildings well furnished with books and necessary apparatus. The districts are also supplied with libraries.

A remarkable number of accidental deaths have occurred in the town. August nth, I890, C. E. Bullock, town clerk, was stacking hay on his premises, using a spirited team, which became frightened and ran away. Mr. Bullock was thrown violently to the ground and death was instantaneous.

Consulting the record of deaths kept by the town clerk, we see that the next death was of Jerome G. Farr, chairman of the board of supervisors. He was riding on the running gears of a wagon with two or three other men. The wagon had on a large quantity of groceries. As they were goiug down a steep hill the wagonreach broke, and Mr. Farr fell in such a way that the whole weight of the load was thrown upon him, causing injuries from which he died the following day, June 3rd, 1892.

( )n the farm of Mr. Siegford, just across the town line, occurred one of the most shocking and heart-rending accidents that people are called upon to witness. On Saturday afternoon, August 27th, 1898, A. A. Farr, familiarly known as "Al Farr" of this town, was assisting Mr. C. Greenlaw in running the threshing" machine. Something went wrong with the separator. With his usual quickness of action, "Al" sprang upon the separator and in some strange manner tripped and fell, his head going into the cylinder. Death was instantaneous, his head being crushed to a shapeless mass.

On the afternoon of August 29th, 1902, the grim reaper without warning entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Stephens, and took therefrom their little son, James William, aged three years. A gun was accidentally discharged, inflicting a wound from which he died a few hours later.

Early in the spring of 1880, B. F. Horr and Emmett Kelly left Verndale bound for Shell Prairies in Becker County. They brought two wagons, one loaded with household furniture, the other loaded with horse-feed, pork, flour and groceries.

There were no settlers on Third Prairie at that time, except the Indians ; the}' were cjuite nmiierous. but they had their homes on White Earth Reservation which lay in the immediate vicinity.

Before Mr. Horr left \ erndale. Mr. Georg'e Carson, who had been up to Third Prairie the previous summer, selected land and built a log- cabin thereon, kindly gave him permission to store his goods in the cabin. After selecting land, Mr. Horr taking the southeast quarter Section ii, township 140, Range 37, Mr. Kelly taking the southwest quarter of Section 11, this being railroad land, they erected the body of a log house, 12x14 feet.

They then returned to Verndale to get Mrs. Horr and her daughter Mamie, a child of eight years. Arriving at that place, they loaded the remainder of their household goods and all started on their journey to the new home in the wilderness, happy with the thought that they would be prosperous in the goodly land where they had chosen their future home. Tidings of the beautiful Shell Prairies had been borne to southern ^Minnesota, and northern Iowa, and many families were preparing to move to that favored

After traveling three days through marshes, snow and cold weather, they arrived at the end of their journey on the 23rd day of April, 1880, about 5 o'clock p. m.

During" the day they had met a man at Alantor, an Indian trading post, kept by Jarvis Howard, wdiich place is now Hubbard, Hubbard Count}', who had told them that the goods that they had stored in Mr. Carson's house had accidentally caught fire and burned. This was sad news indeed. Nevertheless, they kept bravely on determined to make the best of the situation.

Such pluck and perseverance as was displayed by this family was characteristic of the early settlers of Carsonville. Many were the hardships and deprivations they endured during the first few years of their residence here. As all their provisions had been destroyed by fire, it was necessary to go to Verndale to obtain another suppl}'.

The house they had built had no cover, so to provide a shelter for Mrs. Horr and Mamie the sideboards of the wagon box were propped against the inside wall in such a way as to form a covering. Three or four inches of snow fell, but she managed to live through the trying ordeal and in due time relief came. They lived for a few days without a cover to the house, but finally a roof of "shakes" was put on. They lived all summer without a floor. The bedsteads were poles fastened in the walls.

"We improved our home and made fast friends during our stay in that vicinity, and enjoyed many good dinners and social gatherings in that log house, as much as in any place we have ever been."

In 1888, Mr. Horr obtained a position as railway mail clerk. The family moved to Minneapolis. A few yt ars later they removed to Pembina, N. D., where they still reside. Mr. Horr being still in the service of Uncle Sam as railway mail clerk.

J. G. Lewis, of Plymouth, Iowa, came to Third Prairie on a home-seeking expedition in May, 1880, and was the second actual settler. He took as a homestead the southwest quarter. Section 10. Owing to the delicate health of his wife, they were unable to reside on their claim. Her death occurred at Shell City, Wadena County, in August, 1883. Mr. Lewis now lives in Montana.

D. E. Aloore, who arrived from Flora, Carroll County, Indiana, 1882, made homestead entry on the place in the summer of 1883. Mr. Moore still lives on the same place, and is post' master of Linnell postoffice, which is located in his house.

About the first of June, 1879, C. E. Bullock and Arthur M. Sanderson started from Oakland, Freeborn County, Minnesota, on a home-seeking tour. On the nth of June they arrived at Third Prairie. After "viewing the landscape o'er," Mr. Sanderson selected as homestead the south ^vest cjuarter of Section 20, now in Osage. He still resides there. Mr. Bullock decided to homestead the northeast quarter Section 24, Township 140, Range 37. Exactly a year after their first arrival the^- again appeared on Third Prairie. Mr. Bullock bringing his family \-\ 'th him, a member of which w'as the future Mrs. Arthur Sanderson.

Mr. Bullock was a prominent p-tblic man in the town, being town clerk from the date of organization until his death, a period of nearly ten years.

Early in the summer of the year 1880, Evan J. Moore and his brother-in-law, Levi Overholser arrived and selected land. They were both from Green, Butler County, Iowa.

After clearing and plowing a few acres they returned to Iowa. Mr. Overholser moved his family to his claim in October, 1880. He soon made a comfortable home, where he still resides.

J. A. Barnard, Mr. Overholser's soii-iii -law, cijiitributes an interesting article, which tells their experience during the first winter among the pines.

Mr. Moore came with his family in June, 1881, improved his land and made a comfortable home, where he resided until his death which occurred September 20th, 1899. Mr. Moore was a prominent public man, a good neighbor, wise counselor and highly respected by the community.

October 14th, 1880, three men with their families arrived on Third Prairie from near Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa, a little band of homeseekers. They were John Snyder, Z. T. Lemon and Martin E. Stephens.

Two men who accompanied them, A. Goodrich and George Dibbs, slept in their blankets under the wagon. When they awoke in the morning they were literally "snowed under." During the night snow to the depth of sixteen inches had fallen. This w^as the remarkable storm of October 15th, 1880.

How their hearts must have sunk at the dreary outlook. They went to Mr. Bullock's hospitable house, where they had breakfast, and where the women and children stayed until the men looked around for a place of shelter for a few days, or until they could build houses for winter.

They found a log cabin near Straight Lake, in Osage Township, which had been built some time previous by John Gillian, a pioneer of Osage Township, but which was now vacant. The families were moved in, and the men went further west in search of land. They came to the beautiful Section 4, one quarter of which Mrs. Linnell had taken a few months before. There were three-quarters left, just enough to go around. Mr. Stephens took the northeast quarter, J\Ir. Lemon the northwest quarter and Mr. Snyder the southwest quarter.

Thev at once set to work and built houses into which they moved before winter set in in earnest. For the first winter's experiences of these pioneers, read "Reminiscences" on another page.

]vlessrs. Stephens and Lemon still live on their homesteads. Mr. Snvder sold his place, and now lives in Hubbard County. Mr. Snvder was a soldier in the civil war, serving in an Iowa regiment.

Some time duriiii;' the summer of 1880, Mrs. A. AL J^innell, widow, of West L'nion, Iowa, came to Third Prairie to estabhsh a home. She selected the southeast quarter. Section 4, and returned to [owa for the winter. The following spring she returned to her claim, accompanied l)v her sons, Charles and Earl ; Frank came a few months later.

Charles homesteaded the southeast cjuarter. Section 10. Mrs. Linnell, with tlie aid of her sons, made a valuable farm and comfortable home. They kept a store for a number of years.

The first post-office in Carsonville was estal)lished there in September. 1883. Mrs. Linnell was commissioned postmistress, hence the name, "Ivinnell Post Office."

Mr. Purdy came from Mower County, Minnesota, Mr. Cole from Illinois. The former took as a homestead the southwest quarter, Section 12, the latter the southeast quarter of same section. They moved their families to their claims early in the following spring.

Mr. Purdy lived on his claim, which, with the aid of his sons, he converted into a valuable farm, for a number of years, then went to St. John's, X. D., to reside with his daugther, Airs. Frank Ordway, where he died in the year 1897, ^^ the advanced age of eighty-two years.

Mr. Cole also impro\-ed his place and li\ed on it until his death, which occurred May 19th. 1895. Mrs. Cole having preceded him to the grave but two weeks before.

In the spring of i88r, De Witt Clason of Osage. Iowa, moved his family to the claim that he had selected, the northeast quarter Section 12. He lived on the place, improving and cultivating it until he made final proof, after which he removed to Osage, kept a hotel there for some time, and removed to Park Rapids, where he lived until his death, which occurred in February, iy02. During his residence in Park Rapids, and for some time previous, he was employed by the Pine Tree Lumber Company to take care of their standing pine. He was a soldier in the civil war.

In 1881, John Taylor of Aleeker County, Minn., took the northwest quarter, Section 12 made final proof on same and sold it to Jerome G. Farr in 1887 and immigrated to Washington.

Edward Evans settled on Section 2, southeast quarter, in 1881. He lived there about ten years, when he removed to Montana, where he died the following summer.

Frank Lehmann from Xorth AA'ashington, Chickasaw County, Iowa, settled on the northwest quarter. Section 2. in 1882. lived there until the spring of 1896, when he sold the place to I. vS. McKinlev and moved to Iowa, where he died a few vears later.

In the spring of 1880, D. M. A\'itter purchased the northwest (juarter. Section 13, railway land. His brother, A. L. Witter, pur- 'I'ased the northeast quarter, Section 13. D. M. Witter at once built on his land, and, in the spring of 1881, moved his familv upon it. Still he lives there, and has made it a valuable farm.

Henry F. Witter had taken a homestead on Section 10, but after he had made final proof moved to Park Rapids and engaged in business at that place.

In 1881, A. J. Jones, of Greene, Butler County, Iowa, purchased the northeast quarter Section 13, railroad land. He improved it and lived upon it for nine years, then removed to near Bemidji, where he took a homestead and lived until his death, which occurred in 1896. Mr. Jones was in the confederate ser\ice in the civil war. He met with a painful accident in September, 1882. When out hunting one afternoon, he was passing through a fence on the premises of his son-in-law, D. M. Witter, when his gun was accidentally discharged, the contents shattering his foot and ankle. The accident nearly proved fatal, and he was critically ill all winter. The limb was amputated and blood poison caused the other limb to be worse than useless. He finally recovered his health, but was badly crippled.

William Gilbert and family came to Carsonville from Charles City, Iowa, in the summer of i88t. They settled on the northeast (piartcr. Section 2. George I. Pratt, Mrs. Gilbert's son, taking the place as a homestead.

Mr. Gilbert took the northeast quarter Section 6 in the year 1884 and proved up in 1889. He then went to Michigan, and died the following August, at the advanced age of eighty years. Mrs. Gilbert still lives at Carsonville.

In 1881, J. G. Moore, of Greene, Butler County, Iowa, purchased the northeast quarter of Section 11. He soon put a large portion of it under cultivation. In the spring of 1886 he moved his family to it and commenced to build. He continued to improve his farm, making it one of the most productive in the town. ^Ir. Moore lived in the place until last July, when he was stricken with apoplexy, July 5th, 1905, and died three days later. He was a soldier in the civil war, and served in an Indiana regimem

James Dezell selected the southwest quarter of Section 2 for his future home, in the month of May, 1881. During- the spring of 1 89 1 he erected the first frame house built on Third Prairie and still resides on the place.

]\Ir. Dezell was postmaster at Linnell from June, 1888, until October, 1898. He has held the office of town clerk since March, 1893, until the present time, November, 1905.

I was married in 1880, and moved with my father-in-law, Levi Overholser, to Minnesota, leaving Iowa by wagon, September 7, 1880. arriving upon Third Prairie, October 4th. We went direct to INTr. Overholser's claim, which was the northeast quarter of Section 14, Township 140, Range 37 and commenced building a log house. We used the wagon beds with the moving covers on for our sleeping apartments. For cooking we put the cooking stove upon the ground, and with poles and boughs constructed a bowery which served us very well until the night of October 14. On the morning of the 15th, when we awoke the ground was covered with snow to the depth of fifteen inches and it was still snowing and continued all of the 15th. Our house was incomplete; we had the body built, which was of logs, but no roof, chinking or daubing, so we began to look elsewhere for shelter. At that time there were but few shanties upon the prairie. A few were built in the summer of 1880, with the expectation of moving into them the following spring, and one of these houses belonging to D. M. Witter was unoccupied at that time. We moved into it on the 15th while the storm was still raging. After getting more comfortably settled we continued the work begun upon our own house. Snow covered the ground everywhere. To continue building necessitated a trip by wagon of twenty-five miles to procure lumber for roofing and doors. The trip was made and in due time the lumber was upon the ground and work was recommenced. A few more days of wading through the snow, roofing, daubing up the cracks between the logs, and we were ready to move in, which we did feeling thankful we were to occupy our own house, made l)y our own hands. The hands played an ini])ortant ])art in the construction of our house. The ground was frozen so we dug up clinkers of frozen earth, put them in a kettle of hot water to thaw and mix. and with the hands threw the mud into the cracks between the logs.

During the fall several families moved upon the i)rairie, so we were not alone that first winter, long to be remembered. The following families were our neighbors; M. E. Stevens. Z. T. Lemon, John Snyder, C. E. Ikdlock and AFr. Ilorr, who went South for the winter.

The first winter was very trying. We had niauA- hardshi])S and inconveniences to contend with. ( )ur nearest post-ofiice was twenty-five miles away, and it was months sometimes, during the long snow bound winter that we never heard from the outside world. The first snow came October 15th and partially melted away, but by Xovember ist it began to snow, and it snt^wed off and on the entire winter, l)ccoming, before spring, upon an a\'erage between three and four feet in depth. ( )ur closest railroad point was Wadena, about fifty miles away. In the forepart of winter w^e laid in a supply of provisions, what we thought necessarv to carry us through the winter. In Februar\- it became necessary to lay in a new supply of certain articles. I was compelled to take pack sacks and snowshoes and go to ]\Ianter, twenty-five miles. I started early in the mtTrning. and by eleven o'clock I was at my destination. After making a purchase of sugar and coffee, and a few other things, I started back thinking I could make home by night very easily. lUit by the time I had gone fi\e or six miles I began to get very leg-weary from the shoving of the wooden snowshoes. not being used to it, so I changed my course and headed for straight River, a few miles distant, where a friend by the name of Frank Ordvvay li\ed. .Vfter staying all night under his hospitable roof I resumed m\ iourne\- reaching home that evening. The first winter was s])ent niostl_\- indoors, getting around being almost impossible during the later ])art of the winter. We went hunting for deer in the fall, and bagged some good ones, as they w'ere plentiful almost e\-er}vvhere. There were some moose. but they were more plentifid farther north.

dian grouse or fool-hens, woodcock and plover. Ducks came into the rivers and lakes in countless numbers. Mallards were the most plentiful with a good supply of blue and green winged teal, bald pate, 1)utlle head, wood duck and other varieties. In the springother families came to make new homes and a more sociable lot of pioneers never went west. In the spring, 1881, I and my wife moved upon a claim, northwest quarter Section 4, Township 140, Range 37, at present owned by Robert Lemon. In April, with H. F. Witter I started for Detroit City to file upon our land, Mr. Witter having taken land also. There was no wagon road running to Detroit at that time. All we knew was that Detroit laid to the southwest. We did not even know the distance, which is nearly forty miles. It was timbered all the way. We started in the morning, crossing Shell River one mile below Shell Lake, and keeping to the south of Shell Lake. We took enough provisions along to last during the day, thinking we would reach Detroit bv night, but we were doomed to disappointment. The first dav we made our way as best we could over a new country without roads, trails or even anything to guide us. The country was rolling, the hills were covered with pine, the low lands were co\'ered with brush, interspersed with lakes and rivers, swamps and tamarack marshes, which made progress very slow. The first da}' we got w^ithin about one mile of the ( )tter Tail River. A\'e went into camp ])y an old log, after throwing some pine boughs up against the log for a protection. We sat our hats upon the ground and emptied the contents of our pockets into them including pocket-books, knives, ammunition and matches. After all was made ready we crawled into bed. Along about midnight it began to rain and we awoke wet and cold. The fire had been put out by the rain, and our matches were all wet. The night was pitch dark, and it continued to rain. There was a spruce tree near so we stood one on either side of the trunk until daylight. We started in a southwesterly direction, about one mile, and came to the Otter Tail River, which was very high at that time. We could only cross it by wading, which we did. The water was extremely cold and reached to the top of our shoulders. We were almost frozen when we reached the other shore. Hastily adjusting our clothing we set out again reaching Detroit that evening. Not caring to return the same route we came home by Wliite Earth Agency, sore and tired, but in the happy possession of papers entitling us to homes. During the summer there was much improvement done on the prairie, building houses, clearing and breaking up the land which was to go into crops the next year. During the summer more families came upon the prairie.

Our first Fourth of July celebration was held upon the claim of Mr. Siegford. It was attended by all the settlers and a good time resulted. On August 4th, 188I, our first child was born, Leroy Dennis Barnard, he being the first child born upon the Third Prairie, in what is now known as Carsonville Township. Two other children were born to us, Maggie M. Barnard, in 1883, and Maud ^r. Barnard, 1886. A\'e lived upon our claim until December, 1894, when we moved to Flora. Indiana, our present home.

After killing him. the murderer made an inefifectual effort to conceal the body by dragging it a short distance and throwing a few branches over it. His belt, with cartridges, was found a few rods from the body. The gun was never found, and the possession of the gun was perhaps the motive for killing the poor man.

The body was not found until the following Sunday, the 6th, when it was discovered b}' his two brothers and a neighbor. An inquest was held and the verdict rendered was, briefly, murder.

He went hunting on Friday, Feb. 3, 1881, lost his way and when found on Sunday afternoon, both feet were badly frozen. He died a few days later at the house of Mr. Bullock, to which he had been taken to be cared for. He was eighty years old and was buried on Mr. Bullock's land, but few know the last restingplace of him who was the first to die on the Third Prairie.

THE FIRST SCHOOL. The first summer we were here, and before the school district was organized, I held school in my own house. The parents of the children paid a tuition fee of one dollar a month. There were ten pupils and I had quite a nice little school.

The first white man to set foot on the soil of Shell Lake Township so far as we know was William Morrison. Among several letters written by Mr. Morrison on this subject, is one given in full, and just as written and signed by himself, and addressed to his brother, Allan Morrison.

Your letter of the 26th ultimo is at hand. I note what you say about the source of the Mississippi River. You wish to know who was the first person that went to its source. For the information of the Historical Society, I will state to you all about what came to my knowledge.

I left Grand Portage, on the north shore of Lake Superior, now the boundary line between the United States and the British possessions in July, 1802, and arrived at Leech Lake in September the same year. In October I went and wintered on the headwaters of one of the branches of the Crow Wing River (Shell Lake). Our Indians were Pillagers. In the winter of of 1803 and 1804, I went and wintered at Wild Rice Lake. I passed by Red Cedar Lake (Lake Bemidii) now called Cass Lake, followed up the Mississippi to Cross Lake, and then up the Mississippi again to Elk Lake, now called Itasca Lake, the source of the great Mississippi River. A short distance this side I made a portage to get to Rice River. I discovered no trace of any white man before me when I visited Lake Itasca in 1804. No white man can claim ihe discovery of the source of the Mississippi river before me, for I was the first that saw and examined its shores.

Shell Lake was an ideal place for a trading post, there being a beautiful location on Section 11, which was undoubtedly the place where JNIorison's trading post was located, in October, 1862.

The first settlers in the town of Shell Lake in recent years were the families of Tyree Doran and Henry Smith, who came into the township on the 12th of May, 1881. Doran took a homestead and built a house on the southeast quarter of Section 2, and Smith located on the southwest quarter of the same section.

A young woman whose name was Angeline Kinney, settled on the northeast quarter of Section 2 a few months afterwards, but after her marriage to Joseph Brewer in 1872, she went to live with her husband in Green Valley Township. This place was then taken by Frank Wilson who came into the township in the fall of 1881.

These were all the people living in Shell Lake for three years. Their nearest neighbors were living on Section 4, in Carsonville, four miles to the east, while to the north, the west and the south, there were no white people living within fifteen miles.

At that time the Indians claimed all the land in that vicinity as far south as Shell Lake, and looked upon the Doran and Smith families as trespassers, and made several demands for their removal.

IDuring their first summer there were about thirty lodges camped on Section 11, by Shell Lake, only about half a mile from where they were living and some of the young braves threatened to kill both families if they did not move away. When the Dorans were building their log house a crowd of Indians gathered around and threw knives at the men and made several other threatening demonstrations. In the process of building they rolled u]) some of the upper house logs with a horse and a long rope, and whenever the log would get nearly up to the top of the structure some Indian would call out, "whoa ;" when of course the horse would stop and the log probably roll back to its starting place. This interference finally led to a quarrel with the Indians which came near proving serious, and was the cause of much bad

The next settlers who came into the township were Thomas Richmond. Robert Richmond, John Abeline and Andrew Abeline who located on Section 3 in May, 1884, and John Conklin settled on Section 11 some time afterwards.

There were no other settlers east or south of Shell Lake for seven or eight years, but during the last twelve years nearly all the government land has been taken up, principally by Swedes.

The first people to get married in Shell Lake Township were Frank Wilson and Mattie Doran who were united on the first day of January, 1885.

The first school teacher in vShell Lake Township was Jennie Smith who began her school in April, 1890. She taught in an old farmhouse. The first schoolhouse was built on Section 2 in 1891.

The first election, at which Shell Lake Township was organized, was held on the 7th day of December, 1897, at the schoolhouse in district No. 45.

The first annual township election was held on the 8th day of March, 1898, and the following ofificers were elected: Chairman of the board of supervisors, Clarence Kimball ; supervisors, George Davis and John M. Olson ; clerk, Ole N. Eckman ; treasurer, John Westerlund.

Tyree Doran was a Virginian, born among the Blue Ridge Mountains on the 23d day of December, 18 15, and was married to Miss Sarah E. Sims on the 23d of February, 1850. They lived for several years in Iowa and came to Becker County in May, 1881.

By Edward Evans. T came to Detroit from the Black Hills, S. D., June 22, 1882, and came to this town from Frazee, the only way at that time, for the Shell Prairie road was only opened as far as Erie Town where the town hall now stands. We came from Frazee with about the only white inhabitant on the east side of the Otter Tail River at that time, a man by the name of Molen. He lived in Erie on Section 14. From his house John H. Jones and I came up here on a trail, for that was all the "go" this way then. We found here a very nice country, only wild, as were the inhabitants, for the Indians were the only inhabitants when we first came. There were over a hundred Indians around Height of Land Lake. I became acquainted with most of them and found them peaceable and straight to trade with. After we were here a few days and had seen the country and got lost a number of times (I was lost on my own place twice) we went to find the best way to cut a road to get in and out. After working for three weeks, we came out with our road in Erie at Cotton Lake, and I well remember how tj;'ia(l we were. too. The road, such as it was, finished, we began to look for places to build, and after iinding them to suit, we commenced to cut the big trees and make them into house logs. Jones left me about this time here all alone. I was then about six miles from Alolen. the nearest white settler. 1 went on with the house logs until I had enough, which took me about six weeks, during which time I did not see a white man, except A. H. \\'ilcox, who was W'ell known out here then among the aborigines, as the man that kept a "post-ofifice." He used to pay them bounty as county auditor for wolf skins. "A. II." used to stop at my abode, which was only a small tent but it served for the time, and many a pleasant story I heard from the old pioneer. At the same time we could hear four or five Indian pow-wows around the lake. These Indian dances used to go on for three or four years afterwards, until the white men took their dancing grounds and this lake front, and "Poor Lo" left us and now it is hard to find his trails.

In the fall, a party of whites, about seventeen in number came in, most of them by the name of Soper. At this time 1 was ready to build and they turned to and helped me. and in less than a month

I had my house so that 1 could go into it. The Sopers went at it and put u]) four or five houses, such as they were. These were made entirely by hand with what they call skoot roofs. Lots of work, l)ut there were lots of them, and time was more plenty then than money. That winter was very cold with deep snow. Some of the settlers were very poor, as in any new country, but they all ]ndled through with big hopes for the future.

About December I had my house pretty well finished. By this time Jack Jones came back and put up a small house and said he would use it for a chicken house after a year or two, but Jones is the only "chicken" that has been in it yet. When he got back I left him in charge of my household, and I went to \\'isconsin to get married, and on the 20th of Januar}', 1883, we were back home with our friends.

Grand Park Township was organized in 1892, the first town election being held at the schoolhouse on Section 27 on the 31st day of July, 1892.

The first set of township officers were: Chairman of board of supervisors, Adam Prahler ; supervisors, John Hopsted and Edward Evans ; town clerk, Willard Eastman ; assessor, Charles Mitchell.

Charles and Marcus Soper both took land on Section 28 and Frank Soper located on the northwest cjuarter of Section 32. There were several others who came with the Soper party, but they settled in the township south. These settlers all came into the township about the loth of August, 1882, coming from Rooks County, Kansas.

Emma Renwaxz Katie Jones

I came to Height of Land in March, 1883, and took a soldier's homestead on Section 18 in the said township on the south half of the north half of said section. I filed my declaratory statement, built a cabin, cleared several acres that sunmier, and cut about forty tons of hay. In the winter I cut logs and built a house, brought my family here from Frazee the 2d day of April, 1884, and have resided here and on the cpiarter section north of it ever since. Mr. Shink settled on the cjuarter section where I now live with his wife and two children in October, 1883, lived there a year then sold out to D. W. Whaples and moved away. Mr. Whaples lived here about six years and sold out to Mr. Albrickson of Detroit. I bought the place twelve years ago this spring. When we came here the woods were full of deer, bear and moose, and all kinds of small game. One morning, about 1892, two large moose came within four rods of our door and stood and looked at us and the cattle for several minutes, then turned and ran away. We had a good Winchester rifle, but not a cartridge in the house.

A petition to organize the township was granted by the board of county commissioners on the 6th day of January, 1886, and the first township election was ordered to be held at the house of Joseph Abbey in Section 18, on the 26th of January, 1886. I circulated the petition, traveled all over the township, got the proper signers and saw to it that the petition went before the commissioners. At this election the following township ofificers were elected to serve until the second Tuesday in March following:

All the settlers but two or three in the township were homesteaders. We had no roads and very little money to build roads with. A. H. Wilcox, with other help, had laid out a county road from Detroit to Shell Lake and the county had opened it. It ran from southwest to northeast through the township. This was all the road we had, with the exception of an old lumber trail that followed lip the river from Frazee to the outlet of lieight of Land Lake. These were all the roads we had, and we had no money to make more, bein,^" unable to lev}- taxes, only on what little improvements we had in the township, and our personal property taxes were small. I was elected clerk of the township in 1887, and every year for seven years afterwards, and justice of peace for ten years. John Guethling was chairman of supervisors in 1888, John Sperling second, and ^^'illiam Rosenow third supervisor, ^^'e worked things as carefully as possible. Every man worked a poll tax of from two to three days, and we opened out some roads to the county road, which gave us an outlet to Detroit and Frazee. After a few years we began to prove up on our homesteads and then began to realize more taxes. Then we began to lay out roads convenient to every settler. We ha^'e now good roads for a timbered township, as good as roads on the prairie. \\'e never issued any bonds and we are out of debt, and have several hundred dollars in the treasury, and are in as good circumstances as any township in this county. This shows wdiat economy with industry will do. A majority of the railroad land has been bought and settled, and we have a township as well off as an}' other township. A\'e have a number of well-to-do farmers, and some are getting wealthy. They are out of debt and they possess everything necessary. Mr. A. H. A\'ilcox was a great benefit to tliis township in its early struggles. In his luni])er business, it was just like him to employ every man that needed work who had a family, which was a great help to the peo])le. Many of them kindl}- remember it, and often speak of it. Taking everything into consideration this is a grand, good township. The soil is mostly a gray loam with clay enough to make it very fertile and has a clay subsoil. Nearly all over the townshi]) there has been some heavy grain grown. In 1895, ]\Ir. A\'entz raised forty-seven bushels of wheat to the acre. I raised that same year, on twelve acres, thirty-five bushels per acre, and many more in this township did c(iually as well. \\'e have an abundance of hay land to supply the entire township and some to spare. It is of excellent (piality. I do not know of a more contented people than we have here, and not one has got the Canada fever as they have in other places. I consider that every man who has made money farming in Becker Countv ought to be called a hero.

The first settler was Robert Soper from Kansas. He settled on the northwest quarter of Section 2, overlooking the shores of Height of Land Lake about the 26th of September, 1882. He afterwards cleared thirty acres, built a house, lived there several years, sold out, moved to AVadena, afterwards went to Dakota anil now resides in Canada. He also raised cattle and made farming a general business. Mrs. Robert Soper was the first white woman in the township.

The next settler in this township was John Davis from near Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He settled on the southwest quarter of Section 6 about the 25th of October, 1882, and made it a continual residence until after he proved up on his claim. He afterwards bought one hundred and fifty acres on Section 5, which Mr. M. E. AA^ilcox from Iowa has since purchased. John Davis cleared about ten acres and built a comfortable house. His industry, while a resident here, was raising sheep and cattle.

The same year, 1882, the third settler, D. O. Jarvis settled on the southwest quarter of Section 2, fronting on Height of Land Ivake, about the 5th of October, built a house, cleared about ten acres, made farming and trapping game his business. Rear, deer, and other game were then in abundance. He lived there five years or more and sold out and went to Superior, Wisconsin.

Two of his children remained here some years. They afterwards moved to Park Rapids where they now reside. That same fall, two men from Kansas, John Soper and Benjamin Oron took claims on Section 8. Oron afterwards went to Colorado and died there.

Al)out this time A. H. A\'ilcox with another man, was cruising up through this country, and when traveling over Section 8 he came across a big black bear just putting his head out of his den. Mr. Wilcox having a small shotgun loaded with fine shot, walked up as close as convenient and put the charge into bruin's head, putting an end to his career. So much for the plucky pioneer. John Soper Ijuilt a house and settled on his claiiu, some of which was brush prairie. He soon broke up about twenty acres. Soper resided here on the northwest cjuarter of Section 8 until about 1898, then sold out and went to Wisconsin. He afterwards moved to Bemidji, where he now resides. While here he made his business farming in summer and lumbering in winter for A. H. Wilcox. He built a good frame house and outbuildings necessary for the place. 'Mv. Pinney Austin now resides on and owns the place. He keeps a store. There is an Advent church, also a cemetery on the place.

In June, 1883, the following" men came, making the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth settlers. Carl Sperling, Sr. ; Carl Sperling Jr., and John Sperling, sons of Carl Sperling, Sr. ; also Frederick Fechner, son-in-law of Carl Sperling, Sr. ; all four settled on Section 20, each getting one hundred and sixty acres. They arrived at the same time. They have made for themselves comfortable homes. John Sperling has two hundred and forty acres of land, with good improvements, a fine house and barn with outbuildings, a good stock of cattle and horses with all kinds of machinery to work with that is necessary on a farm.

Carl Sperling, Jr., owns two hundred and forty acres with a good comfortable house and barn with outlniildings, also a stock of cattle and horses and machinery to carry on a farm. INEr. Carl Sperling, Sr., lives with Carl Sperling, Jr. He is now about seventy-seven years of age, having divided his farm between his sons.

Mr. Fred Fechner lives on the southeast c[uarter. Section 20, which was his homestead. Has a comfortable house, barn and outbuildings. He has also bought 280 acres of land, and now owns four hundred and forty acres, some of the finest timber in the country, has a large stock of cattle and horses, and all kinds of machinery for a farm. When he came to Height of Land in 1883 he had no team, and a very few dollars in money. Continued industry has made him comfortable. He has also raised a large family of children. We state this to show what economy and industry will do even in a timbered country.

Mr. John Fichtner settled on the southeast quarter of Section 30 in the spring of 1884, and has made it his continuous residence. His boys have opened a good farm, built comfortable frame buildings, and are in good condition.

Ludwig Ijartz settled on Section 30, southwest ([uarter, in 1885, and has opened a good farm, has comfortable buildings, and has been town clerk, also justice of the peace.

August ^lews settled on Section 1,2 about 1S85, on the northwest cpiarter. He owns land on Section 29 and several other places in the county : he is well-to-do, we might say rich for a farmer.

AMlliam Rosenow settled on Section t,2, northeast quarter. He owns land in Section 29, and has opened a good farm, and is in comfortable circumstances.

In the year 1884, April nth, John Chapman settled on the north half of Section 18, having been here before and built a house. He lived here continuously until three years ago when his wife died. Since that time his son, Grant Chapman, has made the home his residence.

H. G. ]\IcCart, of Detroit in 1883 filed on the south half of Section 18, built a cabin, brought his family there from time to time, in the year 1887 sold out his interests to Charles Sheldon, who has made it his continual residence ever since. He has a well located farm, a good meadow, and other things convenient.

In 1885 cjuite a number of settlers came to this township. Mr. John Guethling from Carver County, Minnesota, settled on Section 21, northeast quarter. He has opened a fine farm, erected good buddings. The soil on his farm is very fertile.

Mr. Ludwig- Golke settled on the northwest quarter of Section 22 in 1884, and opened a rich farm which sold last year for about $3,000. He went back to Carver County, Minnesota, in 1905.

IMichael Graboritz settled on the northeast ciuarter of Section 22 in 1885. He sold out and moved to Arkansas, afterwards he moved back and is now a resident of this township.

Joseph Frick settled on Section 7,2, southeast quarter in 1887, and died there several years ago. Mr. Ernst married his widow, a daughter of Mr. Triegiafl^ of Burlington Township.

W'ilhelm Sunram settled on Section 28 the southwest quarter in 1885, and opened a choice farm. He died there in the spring of 1904 and left a widow in good circumstances with a familv.

Gerhard AVettels settled on Section 16 in 1889 and lived there about one year. Afterwards settled on Section 30, northwest cjuarter, and bought eighty acres across the line in the township of Erie, and cleared up a good farm. He has everything to make a farmer comfortable.

Jacol) Wefers settled on the northeast quarter of Section 2'8> about 1885. He has a choice farm, and looks as if he had plenty of this world's goods.

\\'illiam Daubenspeck settled on Section 28 in 1885, the northeast cpiarter, and has fine buildings and improvements, and everything indicates prosperity.

Mr. Blanert lives on Section 21 and has a splendid farm. He has grubbed the timber all out by the roots, and has a large clearing and raises over one thousand bushels of wheat per year, and other grains in equal proportions.

Henry Oelfke settled on the southeast quarter of Section 26 in 1886. He was the father of Fred and Carl Oelfke. Air. Oelfke died on the 13th of Nov. 1892. Carl Oelfke came with his father and located with him on the southeast quarter of Section 26 in 1886 and still resides on the same land. He is a hunter and a farmer, and has a farm with some very fine butternut trees at the back of his house. He told me last summer that they were eighteen years old. They were full of nuts and were quite as thrifty as those I have seen in Olmstead County. He is chairman of the supervisors of this township.

Mr. Carl Oelfke is a veteran hunter, and has undoubtedly killed more "big game" than any other man in Becker Countv. He says he has killed in the vicinity of his home, in the last twenty years, 247 deer, 52 wolves. 35 lynx, 5 bears besides a great many wildcats, foxes, minks, rabbits and other small game.

Fred. Oelfke settled on the northeast (|uarter of Section 34 in 1886 and is now the possessor of 320 acres of fine land and is a well-to-do farmer, with fine buildings and large, well cultivated fields. He has been township clerk for years. Fred has also been something of a hunter himself, having killed about twenty deer and two l:)ears during his residence in the township.

Harris Eastman settled in the southwest quarter of Section 8, proved up and went to live with his son Willard Eastman in township of Grand Park.

These and other settlers in the township too numerous to mention are all in fair circumstances. We are all working men in this township. \\'e have no use for any other kind of settlers, and we do not solicit any other kind.

William AX'inter located on the north part of Section 26 in August, 1885, and after living there about fifteen years moved to Section 35, Grand Park Township.

The first school in Height of Land Township was taught by Jessie Herrick (now Mrs. Jessie Greenlaw) who commenced on the nth day of February, 1889, in District No. 49. The district then included all of the east half of Height of Land Township, and the schoolhouse stood on Section 10.

The first birth in the township was that of Adelena Graboritz, who was born on the 20th of September, 1885, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Graboritz.

The first white boy born in the township was Frederick Herman Fichner, born December 26th, 1885, son of Frederick and Wilhelmine Fichner. Elizabeth Daubenspeck, four years of age, was the first person to die in the township, her death occurring on the nth of May, 1888. The first people married in the township were Benjamin W. Oren and Maggie A. Wilson, who were married on the 22d of October. 1883, by George W. Taylor, J. P.

Shell Prairie Road

In June, 1880, I was sent in charge of a party of surveyors to examine and appraise several townships of land for the Northern Pacific Railroad Compau}- in the Shell Prairie region. C. G. Sturtevant was with me on that trip, it being his first experience in that line of business. Jake SheiTer, of early date notoriety, went along as cook and teamster. At that time there were only two roads leading to that section of country, one from Wadena and the other from Detroit, north by way of the White Earth .\gency, and the old Leech Lake government road. As it w'as impossible to cross Leaf River north of A\^adena, at that time on account of high w^ater, we were obliged to go by way of White Earth. The roads were muddy and rough, and it took three days of hard travel to make the trip. The first settlers we found there were George M. Carson and family, and J. E. Siegford and Frank Siegford, father and son, who had just taken homesteads o'l Section 18, town of Osage. The Siegfords still reside on the same land. These men were among the first settlers on the Shell Prairies in Becker County.

I was authorized to take the census of what few settlers were in that part of the county, and I found just forty-three people, young and old, in what are now Osage and Carsonville Townships, and they were all the white inhabitants there were at that time in the whole east half of Becker County. This, however, has nothing to do with the road.

When we returned to Detroit later in the season we went by way of Wadena, which was more than eighty miles by the road from the nearest point on the Shell Prairies, in Becker County. The next winter we were sent back by the railroad company on the same business, and worked in the country in and around the Shell Prairies all winter and were still obliged to go and come by Wadena, two long days' ride with a team from where Osage is now. I saw at a glance that the settlement on these prairies was going to be a very important one, and that connection with Detroit and Frazee was a matter of the utmost importance to all concerned, and that a direct road was a matter of prime necessity.

In November, 1881, Dewit Clason brought the election returns of the first election ever held in Carsonville to Detroit, and on his arrival his clothes were wet through and torn where he had waded swamps and gone through the bush on the way over.

In the fall of 1881, I was elected county auditor, and at the first meeting of the board of county commissioners, I urged upon them the importance of making an appropriation for a road to Shell Prairie. Three of them, however, lived in the western part of the county, and could not see the propriety of expending money through a country totally uninhabited, and which, as one of them declared, would never be settled, and nothing was done at that time. As soon as the board adjourned, I hired C. G. Sturtevant and C. J. Shaw upon my own responsibility, and paid them out of m}- own pocket to look up a route for a road. I was quite familiar with the country from Detroit, to the east line of Height of Land Township, and knew a good road could be made that far ; so I instructed them to begin at the quarter section corner on the west side of Section 6 in the town of Toad Lake and run an air line through to where the village of Osage now stands, and to examine the country on both sides of their line for a considerable distance. They took their blankets and provisions on their backs, slejit out in the snow at night, running the lines with a small compass, and counting their footsteps by way of measurements.

They found the country south of Shell Lake too hilly and rough for a good road. It is so hilly and cut up with swamps that nearly all the travel from the Shell Prairies goes around on the north side of Shell Lake to this day, although it is a good many miles further. The present Shell Prairie road follows a natural ridge much of the way. Between Shell Lake and Height of Land Lake it follows along near the natural divide, between the waters of the Mississippi and Red River for a considerable distance.

W hen Sturtevant and Shaw came back to Detroit, they brought a small army of eighteen or twenty men with them. They had come by both land and water, or rather by land and by ice. They followed the old Leech Lake road back to the prairie north of Shell Lake, then across the lake to its west end, thence in a southwesterly direction to the southeast corner of Height of Land Lake, taking in as many ponds and marshes as possible, cutting just enough brush and timber to get through from one marsh or pond to another. Thev crossed an arm of Height of Land Lake on the ice, and then followed Frazee's logging and tote roads to Pat. O'Neil's place in the town of Burlington, then by the present wagon road to Detroit.

The merchants and business men of Detroit received this crowd of men with open arms, and were so well pleased to learn that they had cut a road through from Shell Prairie, and were so prepossessed with their good looks and winning ways that they loaded them down with dry goods and groceries and provisions and they all went home rejoicing. As nearly every man in the party had a team with him. the amount of plunder they took home was considerable.

The general route selected by Sturtevant and Shaw on this trip was a good one. the best in existence and much of the work done at that time was so exactly in the right place that a considerable extent of the road has never been changed, but as soon as the ice melted in the swamps and ponds in the spring, the road was impassable for a considerable distance, and travel to and from v^hell Prairie was impossible, except on foot.

At the meeting of the county commissioners, the next July, a m(M"e liberal view of the matter was taken and the sum of $300 was appropriated to be expended under my directions. I started out from Detroit one day late in September to look over the road, straighten it out. and locate it on dry land. - where it crossed the ponds and swamps - and let contracts for improvements as far as the $300 would permit. There was no road east of Detroit at that time, beyond Section 20 in the town of Erie, wdiere James Norris then lived. John Shoenberger and Charles E. -Nlolen were living on the Otter Tail River in the town of Erie, and there were a few settlers, including the Soper family, west of Height of Land Lake, but they had all gone in from the direction of Frazee, following my old survey road of 1870 up the Otter Tail River. Robert Soper had, however, taken a homestead on Section 2 in the town of Height of Land east of the lake by that name, but had made no improvements. He had sent me word, a few days before, that on a certain day he was going to move his family across the lake, and I could stay with them when I came over to look out the road. I reached the east side of Height of Land Lake just as it was getting dark, but found no sign of the Soper family. I had traveled fifteen miles that afternoon through the woods and was tired and hungry and wet. I walked north along the shore for a mile or more in the dark lookinu' for the boat that had brought the family over. I then went up the creek that runs into the lake on the township line, traveling through the water and tall grass thinking perhaps they had taken their boat up to their homestead by that route. I then tramped nearly all over Section 2, shouting occasionally until eleven o'clock at night, when I gave up and went to bed without supper, blankets or fire. A couple of hoot owls in trees near by kept me company and a pack of wolves kept up a serenade for several hours, but they kept at a respectable distance. The next morning I was up bright and early ; I was cold and hungry and the morning was frosty, and I was obliged to walk five miles to breakfast going around the north end of Height of Land Lake through the brush and tamarack swamps, wading the Otter Tail River, where Charley Mitchell now lives and around to Section 28 in the present town of Grand Park, where Charles Soper was then living in a tent. After breakfast from there I started back east through the woods following an Indian trail north of Island Lake and reached the residence of Tyree Doran on Section 2, town of Shell Lake at noon. That afternoon and the next day, I marked the road back to Height of Land Lake, and let contracts for the opening of the whole line back to the Otter Tail River. The next winter, 1882 and 1883, I took a few men from Detroit, who had volunteered a day's work each, and cut a road from James Norris' place to the Otter Tail River, and from there on east to the east line of the township. The next day I took a team and cutter and drove over the new road to its intersection with the Frazee road and put up a signboard, which read : "This is the way to Detroit." ]\Irs. \A ilcox went with me on this trip, and she was the first woman who ever went over the Shell Prairie road, beyond the Otter Tail River. We tipped over going home.

About the first of February I made a trip over the entire road for the purpose of inspecting the work which had been done, and Mrs. Wilcox went with me on this trip. On our return we stayed over night at Tyree Doran's on the Shell Lake Prairie, and the next morning started on our way home. The morning was bitterly cold, 30 or 40 below zero, the roads were rough and the snow deep, but not deep enough to keep the sleigh from striking the stumps and rocks that were thick along the road. There had been but few teams over the road, so the traveling was slow and hard. All went well, however, until we had passed Shell Lake, when going down a steep hill on a fast trot, we struck a big rock which upset the sleigh and pitched us both out into the snow. I chmg to the hnes, but the horses began to run and I was dragged some (Ustance, when I was caught in a stump, which broke my hold and the horses ran ofif with the cutter, which was dragging on its side. I made a fire for Mrs. Wilcox as best I could, but there was no dry wood near b\-, and it did not last long. The snow was two feet deep and the cold was intense, but there was no other way to do but to get the team back or else Mrs. Wilcox would soon freeze to death. There were no settlers in that direction nearer than Otter Tail River, twelve miles distant, but Frazee had a lumber camp about six miles ahead, and I did not expect to find the team until T reached the camp and perhaps not then; but as good luck would have it, the cutter had dragged all the way on its side, so that the horses became tired and in about three miles they had stopped. When I returned, Mrs. Wilcox had frozen her feet, hands and face. We proceeded as far as the long corduroy, a little north of where the schoolhouse now stands on Section 29, when we came to an Indian camp. The Indians, who built the camp had just abandoned it, and there was a little fire still burning, and a small (|uantity of dry wood, all ready to kindle the fire. We got well warmed up, but sufi:'ered severely befoTe we reached home on account of the intense cold. Mrs. Wilcox's hands and feet never fully recovered from the efifects of that terrible ride.

In the fall of 1882, T. K. Torgerson. of the township of Cuba, was elected to the legislature, receiving e^'ery vote in Erie and Carsonville, the only towns then organized on the line of this mad, and he secured an appropriation of $800 for the road from the state of Minnesota. With this money the bridge across the Otter Tail River on Section 23, in Erie, was built, also the bridge across the inlet to Shell Lake and a number of other bridges of smaller size. The county commissioners were also generous, and made liberal apportionments for several years afterwards.

Some time during the summer of 1883, the honorable board of county commissioners conceived it to be their duty to make a personal examination of this road, so they appointed themselves a committee of the whole for that purpose, and, being in an economical frame of mind about that time, they decided to go on foot. The board at that time consisted of T. W. Chilton, Hans Ebeltoft, F. B. Chapin, T. \\\ Dunlap and Olaf Bjornstad. The old say- ing that "large bodies move slowly" was true in their case, and as some of them were tenderfeet, they only reached the west end of Shell Lake when night set in. It w^as still three miles to the nearest settler, but a member or two of the party were so completely exhausted that they could go no farther, so they camped there for the night without supper, bedding, or any protection from the mosquitoes, of which there were millions in those days. Chapin, however, had his pipe and tobacco with him, so he passed the night quite comfortably.

During the years from 1883 to the time the Great Northern Railroad was built to Park Rapids, there was a large amount of travel over the road to Detroit and Frazee, but since that it has fallen off to a sreat extent.

The first settler in Silver Leaf Township was Frank Gebo. He built a house on Section 30 about twenty rods east of where the Adam Schueller house now stands late in the fall or early in the winter of 1882 and 1883. He and his son Samuel Gebo claimed a joint ownership in the house and some time in the winter they gave the use of it to a soldier of the civil war, whose name I have forgotten. He moved his w'ife into the house and sometime that winter a child was born there, which was the first white child born in Silver Leaf Township.

About the first of February Samuel Gebo went to Detroit and filed a homestead on the land where this house was built, but before the papers w^ere sent to the Crookston Land Ofilice William Redpath took a train and went to Crookston, and filed a homestead on a part of the same land, which took precedence over Gebo's filing. Redpath built a shanty a few rods north of where the Schueller house now stands, and had a large amount of wood cut that w^inter, over which there was no end of trouble. Andy Kenan took this place in 1887, and lived there for several years, and made final proof.

In the month of September, 1883, WilHam and Charles Rabanus, both single men, took claims on Section 26 and resided there for several years ; they were the first permanent settlers in the township.

George Bucl came to Silver Leaf Township on the 5th of November, 1883, and settled on the east half of the east half of Section 30, and built a house that same fall.

In the spring of 1884, Wm. Evans and Ludwig Bunse settled on Section 24 and John Zeler came in the spring of 1885 and settled on the same section.

In the spring of 1884, George Schwoboda settled on the east tier of forties on Section 18, and Anthony Schwoboda located on Section 8 not long afterwards.

Rudolph Boll says : "I settled on the northeast quarter of Section 6 in the town of Silver Leaf in the fall of 1885. I l)uilt my house and moved into it on the 27th of October of that }-ear, and E. E. Phelps settled at the same time on the same section."

In June, 1885, Harry and Lambert Stokes settled on Section 4, and Adolph Ernst located on the northwest c[uarter of Section 6 in 1887, and after that time settlers came in fast.

The other settlers, who came during the 8o"s, were Wm. Seek, on Section 24, Mike Warter on Section 18, the Illgs on Section 2, George Cork on Section 8, George Manning on Section 20, Charles Lord on Section 30, S. H. Tripp on Section 22, Ernest Schmidt on Section 28, and Louis Koenig on Section 21.

Tlie other early settlers were August Trieglafl^ on Section 17, John Schueller on Section 20, Gus. Reibe on Section 24, Herman Galbrecht on Section 21, F. Galbrecht on Section 8, F. Plackner on Section 9, and Dedrick Williamson on Section 2.

Silver Leaf Township was organized on the 3rd day of March, 1888, and the first township election was held on that day at the house of Harry Stokes on Section 4.

The first set of township officers were : Chairman of board of supervisors, Charles Lord ; supervisors, S. H. Tripp, Ford Green ; township clerk, George Buel ; assessor, Reuben Prouty ; justices of the peace, John L. Stokes, Louis Koenig ; constables, Charles Rabanus, George Manning; treasurer, Rudolph Boll.

The little log house on the Tripp farm, about six miles east of Frazee, in the town of Silver Leaf, this county, the home of L M. Van Sickler and wife, was the scene of one of the most horrible tragedies ever enacted in Northern Minnesota, last Saturday night. November 19th, 1892. Van Sickler, a man of about forty years, has lived in and about Frazee for several years, and has always been a peaceable citizen, we understand, and generally considered a good-natured, jovial fellow. During the past harvest season he was at work in Dakota, and only a few weeks ago he returned to this county accompanied b}' his wife, a young w^oman of about twenty-five, and they have since made their home on the Tripp farm. Mrs. A'an Sickler is said to have been a woman of attractive appearance, and somewhat gay in her manner. Edward Buel, a young man about twenty-one, was engaged as a farm hand, and lived with the Van Sicklers. About a month ago Frank C. Brown, of Fargo, in company with two friends, went into camp in the neighborhood for the purpose of hunting deer. This camp was kept up for two weeks or more, when two of the partv returned home, leaving Brown to continue the hunt and he arranged to stay at the home of Van Sickler and wife, with whom he had become acquainted. It is stated that he was cautioned against this, and warned that trouble would come from his intimacy with the woman, but he persisted in his purpose to remain. It was his intention to return to Fargo last Sundav, and Saturdav he

That evening all joined in a carousal which terminated in the murder of Brown and the woman, and the suicide of \'an Sickler. Just what transpired in that log cabin before the perpetration of this horrible crime will probably never be known. It seems that the husband and wife got into a quarrel, and in a drunken frenzy Van Sickler got his revolver and shot his wife through the wrist, shattering it terribly. He then immediately seized Brown's Winchester, a very heavy one, and in quick succession sent two l)ullets crashing through her body, and she fell dead. He then turned upon Brown, who was not more than ten feet from him. and again tired. The ball took efifect in the hip, and passed nearly through the body, lodging just under the skin on the opposite side. Brown dropped, and the crazed demon then turned the rifle against his own breast, and pulled the trigger the fourth time. He received a terrible wound and fell beside the body of his dead wife, but the shot did not prove fatal. He raised himself up, bemoaned his terrible deed, and begged young Buel, who had stood riveted to the spot with terror, to take the rifle and complete the work of death by putting a second bullet through his brain. He grasped the young man by the hand and implored him to do his bidding, but this caused Buel to realize his own great danger, and he fled to the house of a neighbor, and recounted the terrible scene of which he had been a witness. As he left the house he heard another shot from the rifle, and later it was found that \'an Sickler, to make certain his own destruction, had placed the muzzle of the rifle into his mouth and blew the top of his head oiT.

Hopes were at first entertained of Brown's recovery. His father was telegraphed for, and he arrived from Fargo Sunday night. The injury, however, proved fatal, and on Tuesday morning the unfortunate young man died.

Frank Brown was a printer by trade, and worked on the Fargo Forum. He formerly lived in Detroit with his parents, and most of our people knew him well, and liked him.

Chas. S. Palmer

36, employing about forty men, and on Section 34 Aaron Scribner located a camp of about twenty men. These camp crews logged on Sections 34, 35 and 36, and during that winter cut and hauled about two million feet, and a similar cjuantity the following winter. These logs were hauled on heavy sleds to Section 19, and there unloaded on the bank of Toad River, being afterward floated down the Toad, Otter Tail and Red Rivers to Winnipeg, the drive requiring about 115 days. Prior to the year 1882 there was heavy logging on Sections 19, 20 and 29 by Clark and McClure of

Saint Cloiul, the logs being sawed at their mill one mile east of Perham. Later there were small portable sawmills brought to the township which manufactured a large portion of the remaining timber.

Twenty-five years ago there was considerable large game consisting of bears, big timber wolves and lynx. There were also a few moose, and deer were very plentiful.

The first actual settler was Charles Scribner who settled on Section i8 in the year 1882. On Thanksgiving Day, 1884, he was married to Rosy Allen of Corliss Township, Otter Tail County, who died the following autumn. In 1877, Mr. Scribner removed to the ]\Iouse River country in Xorth Dakota, where he now resides.

Ewald Bohne and his wife, Jennie, came from Hastings, Alinnesota, in February, 1883, and located a homestead on Section 20. There they lived until the year 1898, when they moved to Section 19, where they now reside. Their son Fred was born in January, 1885, being the second white child born in the township.

Frank Omans and his wife arrived from Michigan in October, 1883, and settled on Section 32, where they still live. Their son Earl, born in August, 1884, is the first white child born in the township.

Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Clifford moved from Perham during the winter of 1884-5, ^"^ settled on Section 34. Their daughter Bonibelle Altha, born March 23, 1886, is the first girl born in Evergreen. In 1887 j\Ir. Clifford moved to Spruce Grove where they now live, Airs. Clifford being postmistress of Cliff'ord post-office.

During the years 1886 and 1887 about twenty families settled in the township. On Januar}- 4, 1888, the board of county commissioners organized the township, naming it Evergreen because of the number of evergreen trees in it. The first town meeting was held at the home of Emil Materne on Section 20, March 13, 1888. ^^^ R. Morton was chosen moderator ; Emil ]\Iaterne, clerk ; W. R. Morton, John Pick and Chas. Howard were elected supervisors ; W. A. Kennedy, clerk ; J. W. Southard, assessor ; John Miller, constable; and Sargent Palmer, justice of the peace.

Those present and voting at the first annual town meeting, in line as they voted, were : John Rick, W. R. Morton, Nick Leyendecker, Antony Sagenschneider, Joe Pope, E. Alaterne, C. Pope, C. Limpensel, Ewald Bohne, John Hauser, Hans Hauser. J. \\'.

Southard, Jr., A. W. Furber, Garry Omans, H. A. Barron, J. W. Southard, Sr., Sargent Pahner, Charles S. Pahiier, Charles Rick, Sam. McKibben, C. H. King, Wm. A. Kennedy, Frank Omans, John Miller, Ed. Southard.

C)ne day in the summer of 1888, an ox team which Mrs. Materne was driving along the road became frightened by a bear and ran away, throwing her from the wagon and breaking her leg. The fracture was quickly and properly set by Dr, W, R. Morton.

In the fall of 1887 Arnold Kohler and John Adams, settlers living on Section 18, became involved in a quarrel in Mr. Kohler's house. Kohler became enraged and seizing a gun struck at Adams, who dodged behind the stove. The gun struck the stove chimney and was discharged, killing Kohler. Adams was arrested, and taken to the county jail at Detroit, but was later discharged from custody afer a trial.

In February, 1895, M. Burfield, of Star Lake, Otter Tail County, set a portable sawmill on Section 34. While hauling a large load of logs from Section 2 the clevis holding the short tongue of the hind sled became loose, allowing the tongue to drop down and stick in the frozen snow of the road. The team hauled the load over the short tongue and when it reached a vertical position the load tipped over. Mr. Burfield being an old man and heavily wrapped in blankets, could not jump clear of the load, but fell beside the sled and was instantly crushed to death under the falling logs.

In April, 1898, Charles H. Lamphier and L. Jeswin, living on Section 34, became engaged in a quarrel over Mrs. Jeswin crossing a field, which Lamphier was seeding, and the wives of both men took an active part in the scrimmage. Lamphier's boy brought out a gun to his father, Jeswin's son then took a hand in the melee, and things became generally mixed. How it happened will probably never be clearly known, but the gun was discharged, killing Jeswin instantly. Lamphier was arrested, and court being then in session he was sentenced to the state penitentiary for life. Just two weeks from the day of the killing he was on his way to Stillwater to serve his sentence. Through numerous petitions secured by his wife, his sentence was afterwards commuted to six years, and at the end of four years he was released on parole. Having lived out his parole as a good citizen he is now a free man. Jeswin was a good citizen.

Ill 1 901, Woodland post-office was moved from Corliss Township in Otter Tail County to Section 28 in Evergreen, and two years later a German Lutheran church was Iniilt on Section 17. In the township there are now a post-office, a church and four schoolhouses. Hattie Howard was the first school teacher in Evergreen, teaching in a log schoolhouse on Section 14. which was hurned at the time of the big Hinckley fire. During this fire the whole township burned over, clearing whole areas. Settlers took advantage of the easy clearing and moved in freely, and now there are about eighty voters in the township. While much damage resulted from the fire in the burning of timber, the benefit in clearing the land largely compensated for the loss.

In 1885, Sylvanus Hall came from Irving, Iowa to Butler, Otter Tail County, Minnesota to visit his son Jonah and family. He in company with his son and neighbors were hunting on December 26, his son being in advance he heard a cry and on looking around saw his father standing on a log who said. "Jonah, I am shot." His son reached him in time to catch him as he fell. He only lived a short time. He was 71 years old. The body was taken to his old home in Irving, Iowa, to be buried. The hunting and accident were in Spruce Grove, Becker County.

In 1884, Paul Troppman moved his family from Sanborn, Iowa, ti> Spruce Grove, and put up a sawmill on the Red Eye River. The next summer while running the saw he slipped, his foot striking the saw nearly severing the foot from the leg. The nearest surgeon was at Perham, twenty miles distant, amputation was necessary, which with loss of blood and the shock of the injury proved too much for him. He died about sundown of the same day. He was fifty years of age and was buried at Devil's Lake near Perham, Minn.

The following winter the mill passed into the hands of creditors, one of whom sent a family named Tubbs to occupy the house and run the mill. They had in their employ a Mr. Thomas Cassady, a nephew of Mrs. Peter Schram, all of Spruce Grove, he having a homestead in said town an.':! being a young married man of twenty-four years. His bride came from Canada to Perham, where they were married in February. He was savirg shingles, the blocks were icy, one slipped from his hands, struck the saw, flew back striking him squarely in the face, knocking him down; with help he walked to the house a few rods away. A physician was sent for from Perham, who dressed his wounds, and giving directions as to the treatment. He left telling the young wife her husband would surely live. At midnight he insisted on changing his clothes and did so alone. In an hour he was a corpse, and his bride of two weeks a widow. His remains were buried in the cemetery at Perham.

From 1884, the year we moved into Becker County, until 1888 there were no mail facilities in this country at all. The nearest post-olSce was

Mrs. Delia A. Clifford

Perham or Frazee, each eighteen miles. Our mail was brought by whoever went to Perham, bringing: for everv familv for miles around: therefore it was handled by any number of hands before it reached us in all conditions, if at all. Often it was mislaid or lost entirely. On going to town one time, mail was found scattered along the road for a distance of three miles, lost out of a man's overcoat pocket. C. H. Clifford sent a petition to Washington asking for a post-office and mail route. The post-office was granted immediately and named Clififord with C. H. Clififord as postmaster. The mail was carried the first year by his eldest son, Alfred H., without any specified conveyance or salary. He generally went out and back once a week, mostly with an ox team, taking him two days for a trip. Sometimes he would strap the mail on his back and go out and back on foot in one day. At the end of the year he was appointed mail carrier by the department for two years with a small salary, making two trips a week. At the end of his term, Charles A. Rick was appointed for a term of four years and performed his duties faithfully, losing but two trips in four years. J. B. Miller succeeded him making three trips a week. March 2nd, 1896, C. H. Clifford resigned, his wife Delia I. Clifford being appointed postmistress in his place. During that time Spruce Grove, where Clifford post-of^ce was located, was organized, also three school districts, schoolhouses built, roads laid out, bridges built, and in the spring of 1896 there were scarcely forty acres either homestead or railroad land to be had in the town.

This township was org-anized in 1889. The first town election being- held Januaury 19th, 1889, at the home of Alfred Blanchard. The first town board consisted of: Chairman, Henry Shafer ; treasurer, Charles Maehler and clerk, Perry Vincent.

As the predominant timber in the town was everg-reens, it was called Spruce Grove. The township was heavily timbered with pine - five million feet. Spruce, balsam, oak, poplar, birch, elm, basswood, ironwood, and tamarack with less quantities of other varieties. It is noted for its wild fruits consisting of plums, cherries, currants, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, gooseberries and June-berries.

Game is plentiful, among which are moose, deer, bear, wolves, lynx, wild cats, skunks, mink, muskrat, etc., partridges, chickens and ducks. There is abundance of wild hay.

School District No. 52 was organized September loth, 1887. The school board was: C. H. Clifford, director; treasurer, Charles Maehler; and clerk, Henry Shafer. The first school was held in the fall of 1887 in the private house of Fred Bonan with Aliss Addie Coombs, of Detroit, ]\Iinn., as teacher. The schoolhouse was built in 1888 of logs.

The first settlers were Jorgen Dornbush and wife, whose maiden name was Casina Freie ; both were born in Germany, and they were married in Houston County, Minn. They moved from there in January, 1880. Five children were born to them. Mrs. Dornbush died in April, 1884, and was buried at Perham. Minn. In August of the same year Mr. Dornbush married Miss Mary Altman, of Gormantown ; ten children blessed their union. After a residence of twenty-two years and two months in Spruce Grove they

Settlers following Mr. Dornbnsh the first two years were Fred and Charles ]\Iaehler and families, John Hnsen, Aug. Beckman and wife, Fred Voight, Henry Shafer and family and then several families of Finns. The first conple married was Fred Voight of Spruce Grove and Mrs. Elizabeth Meyers (widow) of Gormantown. The Rev. Krattchmer officiating.

The first death, Turgen Christoft' Dornbusch, father of Jorgen Dornbusch, aged j:^, of old age. He was born., in Germany, and buried in Perham, December, 1881.

A young Finn, aged thirteen, whose gun discharged while getting through a fence, was killed, the ball lodging in his neck. He lived six days.

In the early da}S hunting parties came from Moorhead and Fargo and east from Chicago and other cities, after deer and other game. The Chippewa Indians were allowed to hunt here, securing immense quantities of venison.

Edward L. Schram, son of Peter and Jane Schram, early settlers, shot and killed the first moose. George Shafer, eldest son of Henry and Sophia Shafer, had a novel experience. He shot a deer as it was lying down, and ran to cut its throat, when it jumped up, and catching its horns in his coat, carried him a long distance, before he was extricated by his coat giving away.

Perham was terribly agitated last Saturday June 2nd, 1882, by the discover}- that two men, a surveyor named Washington, and a German bov, his assistant, named Fehrembach, had been most foully murdered, about tw^enty miles north of that place, in Red Eye Prairie, near the Becker County line, presumably on the Monday previous. It appears that the two men started out of Perham to survey some pine land, and were afterwards joined by a lad named John Trivett, aged fifteen. On ]\Ionday Trivett borrowed a gun of a farmer, who shortly after heard some shots, but thought nothing of it. Trivett is well known at Perham, and generally considered a worthless vagabond, and seldom had anv monev. He was seen in Perham, however.

on Monday, and exhibited a watch and revolver, and afterwards sold the watch for five dollars. On Friday the dead body of the German boy was discovered b\' a farmer, the head crushed in, several bullet holes in the body and a knife wound in the neck. The body of the surve\or was found Saturday, the back of the head being badly mutilated by a discharge from the shot gun. Trivett bought a new suit of clothes at Perham, and left for the West on Tuesday morning, intending to join the cowboys in Montana, as he has often avowed his intention of doing. He was traced to Bismarck after the discovery of the bodies, by Deputy Sheriff Butler, of Otter Tail County, and arrested and returned to Perham Thursday morning. He is said to have confessed the crime. He was heavily armed when taken, and had assumed the name of the noted Frank Ford.

These are all the particulars so far as we have been able to learn, of the nunxler of the men and the capture of the villain, and this morning's train brings the news that Trivett did not wake up at daylight this morning, but those residents of Perham that did. found the dead body of the young fiend suspended by the neck from a telegraph pole.

On the evening- of Trivctt's hearing-, ATr. Washington, brotlier of the murdered man, was allowed to interview the murderer, and his confession is as follows: "I'll tell you all about it." He then stated that he came upon the surveyor and Fehrembach; Washington was sitting by a marsh looking at his plat, "and I just thought." said the boy, "of pictures I had seen in novels of men being killed in that i)osition, and I drew my shotgun to my shoulder, just like that," suiting the action to his words, "and shot him through the back of the head. He never got up. Fritz, who was a little way ofif, then came at me with his hatchet, and I saw I had got to kill him or he would me, and I quickly rolled the surveyor over, and pulled out his revolver, and quickly began firing at Fritz, who turned and ran and I after hin-i. When he had run about forty rods Fritz fell and I drew my knife on him, but I couldn't kill him with the knife, which broke in my hand, and I thought it a mercy to finish him cjuick, which I did with the hatchet." "Did Fritz say anything?" "Yes," said the boy, "He asked for water, and I went to the creek for water and had nothing but my hat to bring it in. When I got back he was dead. I then rifled Washington's body and started off, threw his revolver into the creek, and dropped the gun in the woods, one barrel of which will be found still loaded, and went to where my father was building a bridge and camped all night with him. He did not know what I had done, and I left him in the morning and went to Perham. You know the rest."

This statement was listened to by the brother of the murdered surveyor, and Steve Butler informed us that it corresponds exactly with the first story the boy told him at Bismarck before he was primed by the prisoners in jail at that place and Fargo. - Fergus Falls Journal.

The name of the surveyor was Edward Washington, and that of his assistant was Fred. Fehrembach. It was about the last of May. 1882, and the bodies were found three days after the murder. Trivett was caught at Bismarck, N. D.. by Constable Steve Butler, of Perham. He was about fifteen years old at the time. They gave him a hearing, but the third night afterwards a mob lynched him by hanging him to a telegraph pole in the vilage of Perham.