Blue Earth County, Minnesota - Events of 1858 - the Five Million Loan Bill - Division Op County Into Townships, 1901

Events of 1858 - the Five Million Loan Bill - Division Op County Into Townships

At the first meeting of the County Commissioners for 1858 held on the 4th of January there was a change in personnel of the board and, also, in its policy on the liquor question. Norman L. Jackson of Shelby had been elected to succeed E. Patterson, and Elijah K. Bangs of South Bend was chosen to fill the place of Matthew Thompson, resigned. This left Theron Parsons as the only member of the old board still in service. Heretofore the board had refused to grant liquor licenses and Mr. Parsons was a strong teetotaler. At the meeting of January 6th a majority of the board voted to grant liquor licenses, and Mr. Parsons at once handed in his resignation in writing, giving as reason for his action, the determination of the majority of the board tO' issue such licenses, and asked that the same be inserted in the minutes where they stand to this day. On January 8th Samuel M. Walker was elected to fill the vacancy thus caused.

The winter of 1857-8 was remarkably mild and open, which was greatly appreciated after the extreme rigor of the three former winters. On the 23nd of January it was so warm, that the editor of the Mankato Independent sat in his office writing all day without a fire and without a coat or vest. The rivers broke up for a time and on January 25th the ferry across the Minnesota at Mankato was carried away by the freshet. The first steamer did not arrive at Mankato until the 22nd of March, but that was the earliest date a boat was ever known to ascend the Minnesota before or after. It was the Medora, with Capt. Chas. T. Hinde in command. The sound of her whistle was heard miles down the river, and the entire population of Mankato, men, women and children, were ready at the wharf to greet her with cheer upon cheer. In a few hours she was followed by the second boat, the Jennette Eoberts. On March 20th, 1858 South Bend village was incorporated with William E. Price as President, Paul Eckstrom as Clerk and C. Wliitford, Dr. Havens and Joshua Barnard as trustees. The same month the Legislature passed a bill to incorporate Mankato as a village, but because of the absence of the Governor, it failed to receive his signature in time.

Up to this time no railroad had been built in the State, and the people were ready to do most anything to secure this necessity of modern civilization. Early in March a bill was passed by the Legislature authorizing the Governor to issue bonds, in an amount not to exceed $5,000,000.00, to aid in the construction of railroads. The bill, however, provided that the matter be submitted to a vote of the people before it became effective. The Mankato Independent denounced the measure as a fraud from the start, and waged a bitter war against its adoption up to the special election, held April 15th, 1858. As a result Blue Earth County cast a majority of nearly 200 votes against the bill and was the only county in the State to give an adverse majority. The wisdom of this action became fully apparent shortly afterwards.

and M. S. Willcinson. On March 14th, 1858, a irumber of German citizens formed a company of state militia at Ulman'a Hall in Mankato. Joseph Guenther was elected captain and served about six months, when Matthias Ulman' succeeded him in command. A Turners' Association was also organized by the Germans of that town about the same time with the following officers: President, Wm. Bierbauer; Vice-president, Jacob PfafE; First Secretary, Chas. L. Marks; Second Secretary, Henry Hartmann; Treasurer, M. H. Bergholtz; Turnwart, John

C. Haupt; Tengwart, C'has. Heilborn; Librarian, Joseph Leibrack. This society flourished for many years and was the first and only one of the kind formed in the county.

Wliile a number - of school districts had been formed over the county very few of them had begun actual work for want of funds, but taxes now began to come in. Log schools hoiises had been erected in most of the settlements and the people were anxious to begin educational work. On January 28th, 1858, the County Commissioners apportioned the school money as follows :

None of the schools received the money thus apportioned to then} for all of it, that was collected, was appropriated by F. Bunker, the Sheriff, and his bondsnien finally settled with the County Board by paying the same in county orders, which were not worth over fifty cents on the dollar.

On the same day (January 38), the board redistricted the whole county (outside the reservation), beginning at its northeast corner and numbering them in each township conseciitively westward to west line of county, thence southward to its south line, and thence east to the

In accordance with an act of the Legislature just passed requiring counties to be divided into towns instead of election precincts, the Board of County Commissioners on April 6th, 1858, proceeded to do this with all the territory outside the Winnebago reservation. The name of each election precinct was applied to the towns in every case, but as there were more townships of land than election precincts a few new names were required. The names given were as follows:

At this meeting a petition was presented, signed by eighty-two residents of South Bend, requesting the range line between 36 and 27 to be fixed as the east line of their town, instead of the Blue Earth River. This was opposed by Mankato and by most of the residents of the disputed territory. The board finally by a vote of two to one fixed the center of the Blue Earth and Le Sueur Rivers as the east boundary of South Bend.

Some of the names given to the towns were not satisfactory and on April 16th, 1858, the Commissioners concluded to divide the whole county including the Winnebago Agency into towns and rename them all; The only change in the list above given was that the name of Ritchfield was changed to Fox Lake. It was intended that the name Fox Lalce should be applied in town 106 range 39, as it was selected by John and Miles Porter, who lived there, after their old home in Wisconsin, while Ceresco was tc be applied to to-mi 107, where Isaac Slocum resided and was the name he had chosen after the Wisconsin town he had come from. But the Commissioners, through some blunder, got the names transposed and they were never corrected. Another change in the' list was that the name "Vernon" was substituted for "Montevideo." These were two names of rival townsites in the same township, ^ and the proprietors oC each were anxious to have the name of their respective city applied to the town, and Vernon won. The names added to the list were for the townships embraced in the Indian Agency and were as follows :

De Soto - Now Rapidan. Decoria - Same as at present. Rice Lake - Now McPherson. Medo - Same as at present. Winneshiek - Now Beauford. Tecumseh - Now Lyra.

On the same day Lime was set o££ from Mankato as an independent town. Fox Lake was attached to Ceresco, Otsego to Liberty, and later Jackson was attached to Mapleton, and Eice Lake to Mankato for administrative purposes.

The people were still agitating the removal of the Winnebagoes, and in February a joint resolution to that effect was passed by both houses of the Minnesota Legislature and sent to Congress.

In April of this year (1858), Moses 0. Bennett laid out a townsite close to his mill, near the center of the east half of section 25 of Mankato Township, which he called Tivoli. A Congregational church was organized through the efforts of Mr. Bennett with about thirty members, and a good church building erected upon a "fine plat of ground specially dedicated for the purpose, and which is now used for the school house site. The church was organized in winter 1857-8 by Eev. M. N. Adams. Eev. E. A. Bumham, the father of Capt. Fred Burnham the noted English scout of South Africa, used to preach at this church and at a church in Alma City for a number of years, and worked at the same time for Mr. Bennett at the mill. He was a young man then, and it was while living at Tivoli that he went down to Sterling and was married on July 3d, 1860, by Eev. J. E. Conrad to Eebecca, daughter of William Eussell of that town; and it was at a log cabin belonging to Mr. Bennett, that Mr.

On April 15th, 1858, the village, or rather "Town of Mankato" as it was designated, held its first charter election, in spite of the fact that the governor had not yet signed the bill of Incorporation. The following officers were elected: President, Alpheus F. Hawley,; Eecorder, David Lamm, Trustees, S. Hylan, Wm. Bierbauer and Isaac Marks. The bill was afterwards approved by the Governor on June 11th, 1858.

It seems after the court house square had been fenced, sonje of the residents in the vicinity found it convenient to turn therein their horses, cattle, sheep and swine, and we find the County Board on July 8th, 1858, passing a resolution directing the sheriff to turn all such animals out. Prom the start the county had been "in a bad way financially, as there were so many things necessary, and but little taxable property. County orders were not worth over fifty cents on the dollar, and the county buildings had not yet been fully paid for, and more were badly needed. An act was therefore passed by the Legislature and approved June 11, 1858, authorizing a loan for not to exceed $5,000 upon bonds drawing 12 per cent interest. As the County Commissioners were legislated out of office by this same Legislature, and a Board of County Supervisors substituted in their place, composed of the Chairman of each town board, it became necessary to pass a special act, continuing the Board of County Commissioners of Blue Earth County in being until September, 1858, for the purpose of issuing the bonds. On August 6th, 1858, the bonds were issued in amounts of $500, each drawing twelve per cent interest, but it took quite a time to get money on them, as the country had just passed through a severe money panic. These were the first bonds ever issued by the County.

The summer of 1858 was rather wet and the navigation of the Minnesota was good. J. T. Besser kept a record of all steamboat arrivals at Mankato during the season with names of boats and dates of arrival, which we still

.Messrs. Cleveland and Bntterfleld bnilt two flat boats at M^nkato, the firgt of which, was launched on September 18th qf this year, but the. record of these flat boats were not kept by j..j-r. Besser. Mr. Woloben built a pleasure boat for the "Mankato Yacht Club," which was christened "Kate" and launched at Lake Crystal in June. This boat did service at a .big Independence day picnic, held in the grove by Lake Crystal on July 2nd. On September 14th, 1858 was held the first meeting of the Board of County Supervisors cf Blue Earth County. It consisted of the follov'ng per^oiis:

, Mr. Walker was chosen chairman and Wilr Ham S. Sargent, clerk. Heret^^forp the Eegister of Deeds had been the Clorx of the County Commissioners, but by the recent act tliC Board was authorized to select another person, and

There were still some who wished to change their township namra and Messrs. Crandall, Dyer and Browning .were appointed a committee to consider these changes. On October 14th they recommended that Jackson be changed to "Danville," (a name suggested by Mr. Dyer after his old home in Vermont), "Vernon" to "Mt. Vernon," "Otsego" to Willow Creek" and "Liberty" to "Shelby." Most of these changes became necessary because the names had been appropriated by other towna in the state. The report was adopted with one exception, 'Vernon" was changed to "Vernon Center," as both "Vernon" and "Mt. Vernon" had already been applied to other towns in the state.

On October 16th, Joseph Titus was appointed coroner for the county. The rate of tax for county purposes was iixed at seven and onehalf - per cent, and at the same meeting Chas. A. Chapman was hired to make copies of all the town plats in the county, which duty' he performed with excellent success.

The crops of 1858 were fairly good in spite of the wet season. We note this year the first known raising of Amber cane in the county by Eev. Gunn in South Bend and James Miller in Shelby. It was generally considered by the pioneers that Minnesota was too cold for the production of apples. S. Titus Mills was among the first to demonstrate that this fruit would grow in this climate. He had an orchard planted on his farm by Mills Lake soon after his coming there in 1854. Eobert Goodyear, also, was a pioneer in apple culture, and he did much to stimulate a taste for horticulture among our early settlers.

During the summer of 1858 an attempt was made to start an educational institution at Judson Village. A stock company was formed and $800. raised, which was applied to purchase a frame building of T. E. Coulson and a bright young Baptist preacher, Eev. J. E. Ash, and his wife, were put in charge. They had a number of scholars, but after a year Eev. Ash moved to Mankato and the embryo college failed, A number of private high schools were.

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also, started at Maiikato by J. E. Beatty, 0. 0. Pitcher, W. L. Coon, and others. This year Rev. Jas. Thompson, whose special hobby was education, got an act through the Legislature incorporating the "Southern Minnesota University," and in September he was elected president; General J. E. Tourtellotte, Secretary, and on Nov. 10th a preparatory department was opened at Mankato with Rev: Hugh A. McKelvey and wife as teachers. The school ran for just one term and then failed for want of funds.

Reports from twenty-three public schools in the county showed 1,057 children of school age, and the school money amounting to $2,387.98 was apportioned to them.

On Dee. 5th, 1858, a Baptist church was organized at Judson and at the same time and place was organized the "Minnesota Valley Baptist Association," to embrace Blue Earth, Nicollet, Le Sueur and Waseca Counties.

In the fall of this year the Farmers' Bank of Garden City was started by J. H. Dawes. Another bank started at Mankato, but neither were very substantial or did much real banking business.

On September 18, 1858 the Republican Convention met at Mankato and as list of delegates recalls so manv prominent old settlers we give it entire: Mankato, Cramer Burt, A. D. Seward, W. W. Clark, P. Wistar, J. C. Haupt, H. E. L. Gude and H. DuBuison; South Bend, B. Park Dewey, P. Eckstrom and T. M. Pugh ; -Tudson, Robert Patterson, Au?. Tidland and John I. Jones; Butternut Valley, John S. Davies, David J. Davies and Daniel L. Williams-, Ceresco, Isaac Slocum, James Wilson and Dr. J. 0. Tibil; Vernon, Col. B. P. Smith, James Oonnel and John A. Darling; Watonwan, William Hanna, A. J. Jewett and John Dillev; Danville. Lucius Dver; Sbelbyville, Rev. J. W. Powell. R. Crandall and J. P. Stoek, Mapleton; Rev. J. E. Conrad, Robt. Tavlor and John Henderson. At the election, held October, 1858, there were over 1.000 votes cast in tbe county. The Republicans won bv a small marsrin and elected about half of the countv officers. To show the increase of propertv during first five years of, its history we give the

On January 5th, 1859, Mankato and South" Bend secured daily mail service to St. Paul for the first time. In February, 1859, there was much activity among the militia companies of the county. The Mankato Company received new arms and uniforms, and the streets of Mankato were enlivened by frequent drills under Captain Guenther. The Garden City Sharpshooters re-organized under the new law, with T. E. Potter as Captain, and having sixty members, rank and file. On March 2nd, 1859 the Mankato Artillery Company was organized with the following officers:

The rank and file numbered 40 men. During the winter large public meetings were held at Mankato, South Bend and Le Hillier to agitate the matter of removing the Winnebagoes from the county, and strong resolutions were sent to Congress asking speedy action. The cause which incited at this time the feeling against the Winnebagoes, and which perhaps stirred up the military spirit of the county', was the shooting in January, 1859, at the Town of Danville, of one John Bums by a Winnebago. Indian. It seems that Burns had been furnishing the Indians on the quiet a little "fire water," and this was at the bottom of the trouble.

The winter of 1858-59 was another very mild one. The rivers broke up in January and again about the middle of March. On the 24th of l\Tarch the new bridge across the Blue Earth at Vernon was swept away by the freshet, while the two new bridges at Garden City, as well as the one at Watonwan, barely escaped. Some of ilie settlers this year seeded as early as February and had good crops. On February 10th, 1859,

At the town elections held in April, 1859, many new chairmen of Supervisors were elected and these met as a new Board of County Supervisors on May 35th, 1859. The members of tJiis new board were:

The majority of this board being Republicans, at their first meeting they appointed B. Parke Dewey, an active worker in that party, and a young attorney of promise, as County Attorney in place of Mr. Willard and fixed his salary at $200.00 a year; they also made the "Mankato Independent" the ofEicial county paper. On June 1st the Independent moved its office to the rear of the second story of the Tjeech building. Declaring it the ofEicial paper \!&s not a mere matter of form but rather getting things in order to welcome a rival. Politics in those days were very intense and bitter. Mr. Hensley when he first Came to Mankato had intended to run his paper to accord with its name of "Independent," but the suction of the political current, as it approached the great cataract of the Civil War was too strong for a man of his convictions and temperament. He was an able, forcible writer and soon made his paper ring with Republican editorials. The more he pleased his Republican readers, the less his paper suited his Democratic patrons. The latter concluded after their defeat in the election of 1858 that if their party was to maintain its position in the county, it must have an organ of its own. The matter was discussed by a number of invited Democratic leaders at a m^eeting held at Mankato. Finally they succeeded in inducing John C. Wise, recent editor of the "Superior City Chronicle," to come to Mankato and start a Democratic paper. He came early in June to look the ground over and, being favorably impressed, sent at once for his printing outfit, which arrived on the 34th of that month on the Jennette Roberts. This new Journalistic venture was christened "The Mankato Record" and its first issue, dated July 5th, 1859, appeared on the afternoon of July 4th, 1859, when a big celebration was booked, at Mankato. A cold rain neccessitated the postponement of the celebration to the next day. The New Ulm and Mankato bands, the Mankato Rifles under Capt. Guenther, and the Turner Society were features of the parade. An oration by Senator Wilkinson and a picnic dinner in the grove near Warrens Creek, were the tM'O other principal events of the day.

The celebration gave the new editor a good opportunity to meet the people and become acquainted. The Democrats of the county could not have made a better selection to champion their principles than John C. Wise. Personally he possessed all the elements of a popular leader. Genial, kind, and warm hearted he made a host of friends among his opponents. His democratic ways made him accessible to everybody, no matter what their station in life or their political views. This kept him in touch with all the people of the county and the events of their lives. In those days no country editor could afford to keep a reporter, but Mr. Wise did not need any. Everybody reported to him. He was a very ready and able writer, and his wonderful knowledge of men and events made his paper always one of the best and most influential of the country journals of the state. Hundreds of Republicans were constantly on its list of subscrihers.

On April 15th, 1859, a treaty was made at Washington with representatives of the Winnebago Indians, whereby they ceded the west two-thirds of their reservation in Blue Earth County and were to be allotted eighty acre farms in severalty on the balance of their land. Owing to the change of administration and the troublous times, which soon followed, the provisions of the treaty were never consummated.

March 27thj was the first boat. In. the latter part of June^ during a period of high water, this boat ascended the Minnesota with intent to get into Big Stone Lake and, passing thence along the swale which connects that lake with Lake Traverse, got into the Eed Eiver. The scheme might have succeeded, but the crew got drunk at New Ulm, and before they sobered off, the freshet was over and their boat got stuck in the mud about two miles below the Big Stone outlet, where the keel remained for many years to commemorate the event. In all there were 103 boat arrivals from St. Paul and twentynine from the west, total 131, at the Mankato levee. The Franklia Steel made nineteen of these from St. Paul and eleven from the west, the Favorite forty-four from St. Paul and four from the west, and the Jennette Eoberts 31 from St. Paul and 8 from the west. Besides the steamboats, the flat boats, built by Cleveland and Butterfield, called the "Minneopa" and "Victor," were operated for most of the season during low water.

From newspaper reports of this year we learn that Mankato had a population of about 1,000. That it had nineteen stores, five hotels, two saw mills, to one of which (Seward Co.) a large grist mill was attached in December, five rehgious societies, (Presbyterian, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and Universalist), two newspapers, one or two brickyards and lime kilns. West Mankato possessed a good hotel and a saw mill. Le Hillier had a stone hotel, a good school, a lyceum, and several buildings. South Bend had a big hotel, two saw mills, five stores, two or three religious societies, and a population .of about two hundred and fifty to three hundred, Judson had a fine saw mill, two stores, an academy, and some thirty dwellings. Garden City had a good hotel, two mills (the Yankee mill having three riin of stones and capacity for 1,500 bushels daily), two stores, a bank, a public hall, an armory, a post office, a school house, two religious societies, and a population of about one hundred and seventy. Watonwan had a mill and a good hotel, kept by D. D. Hunter. Vernon had two or three stores, a hotel, post office, two mills, one or two religious societies, and a population of about 100. Shelbyville possessed two miUs, three stores, hotel, postoffice, an M. E. church, and a population of 100, Mapleton had a store and mill, and there were mills at varioTjis other points in the county, and a number of wooden bridges had been constructed. This is only a birds eye glance over the county and is not intended by any means to cover aU. the industries of any village in detail.

Prairie fires were very destructive in the fall at Shelby, Danville and other towns. In July, 1860, Wm. J. Dexter of Davis, Smith and Dexter, proprietors of "Bank of Fox Lake, Wis.," and of "Farmers Bank of Garden City, Minn.," opened a bank at Mankato.

During this and the previous summer much interest was taken in Minneopa Falls. Artists from St. Paul, St. Anthony, and elsewhere visited it and made pictures of it. Picnic parties from St. Peter, Traverse, Mankato and other points resorted to it.

A military company was organized at Winnebago Agency on Aug. 2, 1859, with Dr. Coleman as captain and Asa White as first lieutenant. Originally there were thirty members which in a month increased to forty-eight. They were equipped with MLonie rifles and all necessary accoutrements from the state armory. On Aug. 3rd and 4th Major CuUen came to Mankato and paid the voli;inteeTS, who had served in the defense of the frontier during the Inkpadutah massacre. Dr. Lewis' company received about $12.00 to $13.00 apiece. Congress had appropriated on June 14, 1858, $30,000.00, but $1,163.81 had been used in expenses of investigation of causes of the massacre. The balance was used in paying claims of volunteer expeditions, search for, and ransom of female captives, and loss of property. The aggregate claims reached $46,232.62 and of these $25,- 114.91 were approved by Major CuUen, and were paid pro rata. The home guard companies did not receive anything for their services.

On October 7, 1859, was held the flrst fair in our county. The place was the farm of Miner Porter, which adjoined the village of South Bend. Daniel Buck, afterward Judge of Supreme Court, but then a lawyer and postmaster at South Bend was the orator of the occasion.

Messrs. Porter and Buck were rauch. interested in agricultural and horticultural matters and it -vvas mainly through their efforts that the Blue Earth County Agricultural Society was organized, and this year its first fair was gotten up.

The fall election of 1859 was very hotly contested throughout the state. The fact that the two great parties were about evenly balanced in our commonwealth and were sparring for every advantage preparatory to the Presidential campaign, gave to this Minnesota election national interest. Both parties sent into the state their best speakers, a number of whom spoke at Mankato. On the Eepublican side our people listened to Hon. Frank P. Blair of Missouri, Carl Schurz of Wisconsin, and Galusha A. Grow of Pennsylvania, and fully equal to these imported orators, were our own. Gen. J. H. Baker and Morton S. Wilkiason. On the Democratic side Gov. A. P. WiUard of Ind., Hon. Chas. H. Larabee of Wis., Gen. James Shields, James M. Cavauaugh, Geo. L. Becker, of Minn., and Mr. lioth of Wis. The Democrats held their county convention at Besser's hall in Garden City. The list of delegates were: Mankato, Louis Stroaker, M. T. Comstock, S. M. Walker, Isaac Marks, James Besser and Clements Kron; Jamestown, T. Sullivan, Solon Webster and J. Meagher; South Bend, Benj. McGiven, Geo. M. Keenan, Wm. Hewitt and S. Farnham; Watonwan, J. Daggett, Jas. A. Wiswell, J. K. Mead and J. K. Capwell; Shelby ville, A. D. Pinkerton, John Dimond and Wash. Kaggerice; Mapleton, Moses Herman, Benjamin Corp and C. T. Francis; Danville, Nick Kremer, J. L. Sampson and Jas. Shoemaker; Judson, David Dackins, T. E. Coulson and B. Comstock; Butternut Valley, Samuel B. Shaw, Peter McGivney and David P. Davis; Lime, Evans Goodrich, Michael Hund and Hiram J. Fuller; Vernon, Nathan Bass, L. F. True and S. Higbee; Ceresco, John Mitchell, John Porter and A. B. Barney; at large, Daniel Buck and J. Travis Eosser.

At the election which occurred Oct. 11, 1859, the Eepublicans were victorious and for the first time elected their entire county ticket. D. C. Evans was chosen State Senator; Henry Stock, Eepresentative; Dan. Tyner, Sheriff; J. B. Hubbell, Eegister of Deeds; and H. DuBuisson, Treasurer. The total vote of the county was 1,294.

In December, 1859, Morton S. Wilkinson was elected to the United States Senate, the first and only resident of Blue Earth County ever chosen to that office.

The bar of Blue Earth County, in 1859, contaiued a number of able attorneys. At Mankato were: Wilkinson & Burt, Willard & Barney, Eosser & Lobdell and Tourtellotte & Pitcher ; South Bend had Daniel Buck and B. Parke Dewey; and Garden City possessed James A. Wiswell and S. B. James. In those days the court met in some public hall at Mankato. Sometimes in what was known as "City HaU" and sometimes in a hall in the Leech stone building. In spite of such legal talent the administration of justice had its humorous side in those primative days. It is said on good authority that one of the first boards of County Commissioners tried a divorce case and rendered a judgment therein, before they discovered their want of jurisdiction. Once an assault and battery case was tried before Squire Pfaff of Mankato. The evidence was overwhelming against the defendant and his only excuse was that the complaining witness had called him a 'liar." After an hour's deliberation the jury brought in the verdict "guilty, provided the court will assess the fine at no more than five dollars." The attorney for the prosecution objected to that form of verdict and the jury were sent back to correct it, as they had nothing to do with the amount of the fine. After two hours' deliberation they returned into the court with the verdict of "Not Guilty." The complaining witness happened to be a German and the jury were afraid to trust Squire Pfaff as to the fine.

A man's wife ran away to St. Peter. The husband went to see a Mankato justice, who promptly issued a writ of replevin, and armed with this legal document the constable brought her home. An attorney told the justice afterwards that he could not replevy a human being, "But" retorted the Justice "I did it." Many interesting reminiscences are told of our pioneer courts, but we must not further digress.