Fillmore County, Minnesota - Topooraphical Features - Early Settlement, 1882

Topooraphical Features - Early Settlement

The southwest comer town of the county is named in honor of an industrious fur l)earing animal that was not uncommon here in the earliest periods, when the fur companies had their stations scattered at convenient int-ervals throughout this Northwestern region as it was then called. Iowa is on the pouth of the town, Mower county on the west, Bloomfield on the north and York on the east. It is emphatically a prairie town, with an inclination to flatness, that, in consequence of the want of drainage, is disposed to be rather wet, although there are many plnoes where the tendency is toward rolling, but not sufficiently so to be hUly. Part of the land was at first covered with hazel brush, a few poplars, and in some places there were oak openings.

The west part of the town is particularly well watered. Beaver Creek comes down from section six in a southeastern direction to mingle its waters with the Upper Iowa in section thirty-four. Spring Creek arises not far from the center of the town and joins Beaver Creek in section thirtythree. Another Kttle stream comes from Mower county and makes a confluence with the Beaver in section seventeen. There is quite a little pond on the farm of A. H. Barnes, in section thirty -five, from which flows quite a stream at all times, but at some seasons it sinks into tlie groimd to again reappear on its journey to the Upper Iowa.

The soil in the east half of the township is usually a rich black muck with a clay subsoil which, in some places lays quite deep, and in other places there is a quick sand sub-stratum. The west half of the town, and along the southern line, the soil inclines to clay with a sand mixture. On sections seven and eight there was formerly a heavy grove, but most of the primitive timber has been removed. In the uorthetist part of the town, especially, there is a sub8f)il of limestone, the soil itself being a dark loam.

This was formerly a great wheat growing town, but in this regard it has shared the experience of most of the other towns in the county, and barley, oats, corn, stock, and the dairy are now being cultivated and an era of prosperity is visible on all sides.

This town being otr from the regular emigrants' trail, was not settled quite so early as some of the others in the county. In 1854, H. E. Edmunds, a native of Connecticut arrived from Wisconsin in May, and having the whole town to select from, took a good slice of territory from section thirtyone, which he yet retains.

Lester Bennett, in the fall of that year planted himself in section one, but a few years later transplanted him83lf to Iowa, and afterwards in Michigan.

Andrew Peters of the same nationality, arrived from Wisconsin on the 2l8t of June, and he found an unoccupied place in section twenty-one, where his family still resides.

James Sample, a Scotchman, came from Illinois and established his home in section seven. He was afterwards found dead in the road, with indications that he had been thrown from his horse with this fatal result.

Peter Myer, on his arrival staked out a claim in section sixteen which he improved for six or seven years and then went to Mower county, where he may still be found.

Jacob Brandly, from the Alps, came here from New York and secured a farm in section eighteen, and afterwards went to the Pacific coast, and from thence home to Switzerland.

Jacob Gullman, of the same nationality, took a place in section seven, and the next year, 1857, sold to a countryman of his, John Myer, who improved the land, and enlisted in the army when the war broke out. On his return he sold out and went to Pine Island. Gullman took another claim in section seventeen.

In June, 1856, a man named Calahan, who had a claim on section eight, was murdered in his cabin and dragged to the creek, where his body was covered with willows. A man was arrested for the murder, but was not convicted; he, however, sold out and left the country. This is related as the first deliberate murder in the county.

At an early day B. F. Holman went to feed his pigs, about eighty rods away, one snow stormy evening, got bewildered and lost his way, but succeeded in reaching the house of L. Abbotts, where he spent the night, and returned home the next morning to find his family in a state of despair of ever seeing him again alive.

The first blacksmith shop was started in 1857, by John Balch, on section seventeen, he hammered away for a few years and then went away himself; and it is said that, discarding his leather apron, he is now a preacher. To finish this subject here, the only blacksmith in town is Hiram Winslow, who started a charcoal fire in 1876, on section twenty-two.

Political

The regular institution of the town as an independent municipal subdivision^of the county, was on the noted 11th of May, 1858, and the meeting was at the house of Andrew Peters on section twenty- one. William Beaman had the honor of requesting the gentlemen to come to order, and Dennis Meighen and Andrew Peters were judges of election. The result of the balloting was as follows: Supervisors, Peter N. Glathart, Chairman, George W. Pillsbury, and Andrew Peters; Clerk, D. B.GriflSc; Assessor, John H. Bonesteel; Collector, Jacob Leuthold; Overseer of the Poor, David S. Patten; Constables,

Norman Gates and Jacob Leuthold; Justices of the Peace, John H. Bonesteel and Elijah Gates; David S. Patten having declined to serve as Overseer of the Poor, Toren Pasko was appointed in his stead.

The town officers for 1882 are: Supervisors, Torry Avery, Chairman, L. Gates, and J. Hemsness; Clerk, A. R Hungerford; Treasurer, F. Hall; Assessor, O. J. Hatlestad ; Justice of the Peace, A. R, Hungerford; Constable, J. A. Hanson.

Post-Offices

1858, with E. D. Earle aa Postmaster, and the office was opened at his place on section thirty-six. The next year Ira Baldwin was appointed, and he retained the office un^^^il it was discontinued a few years later. It was on the mail route between Elliota and Austin, and came through once a week each way.

The Post-office in Alba was established in 1859, and it was called "Alba" because the name was "short, eastern, and ancient,'^ as pithily stated by Mr. Andrew Peters.

The first district in the town was organized in 1857, in the south wes them part, and the first school was taught by Mrs. H. E. Edmunds in her house; after several years, as no sohoolhouse had been built, the district was merged into No. 103.

District No. 31. - In 1880, this district was organized, and the first school called to order by Miss Alice Edmunds, in Thomas Bogan's granary. In the fall of 1881, the schoolhouse was built on section thirty, and that winter Myron Rumsey taught the first school.

1859, and was partly in the state of Iowa. The first school was in a log cabin in that State in the summer of 1859, and Christine Thompson was the teacher. In 1860, a shanty was built for a schoolhouse, near the State line on this side, and the first teacher was Miss Lucinda Tibbies. After using that a while they built a schoolhouse on the same spot, the southeast quarter of section thirtyfive, and that answered the purpose up to 1872, when a good schoolhouse was constructed on section twenty -seven which cost S500. Claudia Davis

District No. 141. - This was organized in 1863, and a shanty promptly pat up for school purposes on section thirty-one, and here for two years mental training was going on. Then the building now occupied on section fifteen was built. Miss Bhoda Cray was the first instmctor. This had been a part of No. 105.

District No. 103. - The voters of this district got together in the fall of 1863,^ and arranged the new district in the house of Henry Hook. A school was kept in Patrick Leddy*s milkhouse, Miss Emma Peters presiding that winter, and Miss Kate Graham the next summer, in Jalnes Smithes granary. The next winter an extemporized building was put together at a cost of $115, which has since been remodeled. Miss Emma Peters managed tbe first school here.

District No. 102. - In 1859, the outline of this district was defined, and one of those schoolhouses so fashionable at that time, made of logs, was put up on section five. This served the purpose until near the middle of the seventies, when another was built on the same section. This schoolhouse has been used as a meeting place for the Lutherans and also for the Methodists.

District No. 105. - The first school in this vicinity was in 1858, and the district was regularly organized about that time. A building was borrowed of Norman Gates and moved from the northwest to the northeast quarter of sec' ion sixteen, and here mental discipline for the rising generation went on until 1861, when a schoolhouse was built on the same spot. In 1863, there was a subdivision of the district and the schoolhouse was moved to section nine. The school was kept there until 1876, when the building was replaced by a new one.

District No. 143. - At the house of H. O. Bryant in 1866, a meeting was held, and an organization secured by the election of O. B. Bryant, J. C. Preston, and B. F. Holman as officers* and it included one-half of section six in the town of York. The first school was opened in a house belonging to O. A. Boynton, with Augusta Douglass in charge of the exercises. In 1868, a schoolhouse was got up on section one, but in January, 1872, it was moved to section two. Miss Mary Ann Griffin was an early teacher in the district, perhaps the first. She is now Mrs. Hutchinson.

The Free Baptist Church was organized on the 12th af July, 1862, with twelve members, at the house of Mr. Gilman, by Elder Cyrus Young. He remained on duty for about one year, when he was succeeded by Elder Beeves. The services were at private houses and at the schoolhouse on section twenty-six. Bev. M. Young is the present pastor.