Meeker County, Minnesota - Chapter 3, 1877

All history, except of wars, is usually made up of little things, incidents, waifs floating on the stream of time, seemingly of no account as they pass, exciting, it may be, a smile, hardly worthy of a record, and yet in the fitful passage of a century, and the historian looks back for those little inci¬ dents with an interest that would not surprise us, could we realize a tithe of their importance, in the estimation of those who shall come after us.

Had we a record of all the little historical re¬ miniscences, as they transpired, connecting the present with the past of ancient Jerusalem, we would probably not be surprised and mortified at so much of its present disgusting appearance of squallorand misery, bodily, mentally and morally, ( 3 1 ) as almost leads us to doubt the integrity of scrip¬ ture, when we there read of its ancient splendor and magnificence. A few centuries of history lost to that ancient city, made up of little things per¬ haps, has produced more skepticism in the world than all the false doctrine that has ever been prac¬ ticed since the Christian era.

Waterloo and Austerlitz - so boldly emblazoned on the page of history, were never of a tithe of the importance, as the silent efforts of the people dur¬ ing the last century to peacefully qualify themselves and their children to maintain by education and intelligence, the vital principles of self-govern¬ ment.

In a former chapter, we gave the date of settle¬ ment of each town in Meeker County, and the names of a few of the earliest settlers. We now propose a random account of circumstances and incidents such as we think will not only interest ' the readers at this day, but be of more material value in the future. In this we are not confined to civil and judicial history, for while we were con¬ sidered as " afar off" on the frontier, carving or trying to carve out a name and a future for our county, we found a national war of gigantic pro¬ portions in the South, and while congratulating ourselves that men and money were all that would be expected of us, and that we were fortunately far removed from bloody scenes, an Indian war ot' savage ferocity suddenly burst over our heads, and came near to our total extinguishment.

The summer of 1856, Benjamin Dorman com¬ menced the first farming operations, by breaking the prairie sod. Morris Powers \|as the first to follow suit. Powers died the next season. Dor¬ man " still lives.Their farms were situate be¬ tween Forest City and Kingston.

The county was named in honor of Hon. B. B. Meeker, of St. Anthony - why or wherefore is unknown, unless, indeed, the Italian climate of the " Big Prairie, " the richness of her soil, and the beauty of the surroundings, were found typi¬ fied in the geniality of the Judge's temperament, and the quiet, good-natured rotundity of his per¬ son. Judge Meeker died at St. Anthony a couple of years since.

The 4th of July, 1856, was first celebrated west or the big woods, at Forest City. On the 22nd day ofjune, 1856, Rudolph Schultz, Chas. John¬ son and Jas. W. Quick backed a liberty-pole out of the woods and raised it in Forest City, prepar¬ atory to the 4th. A small tin pan was well scoured with muck, and nailed on the top for a ball, and the stars and stripes were duly raised. The flag was made of white cotton furnished by T. C. Jew¬ ett ; red flannel by Matt. Standish, and blue den¬ ims by John W. Huy - at a loss to each, respec¬ tively, of a " biled " shirt, one pair red flannel drawers, and one pair of overalls. What took place on the 4th of July, was never recorded.

The first child born in the county in July, 1856, was Miss Sarah^ane - born in a camp wagon - to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dougherty. The next, and first male child born, was Ole T. Halverson, to Henry Halverson. Both children still live in the county.

The first death in the county was a young man by the name of Frank Parsons, Nov. 12th, 1856, aged 20 years. He was buried on the town-site of Forest City.

The first sermon preached was by Rev. John Robson, (Methodist) Nov. 1856. He was from Boston, and in 1859 he returned to that city, and died at Melrose, March 5th, 1867. He erected, and

On the 22nd of March, 1858, A. C. Smith, Reg¬ ister of the U. S. Land Office, and John D. Evans, Receiver, arrived, with the archives of said office, at Forest City, and with others to the number of a baker's dozen, were feasted with fresh oysters in the log cabin of his honor the President of the Town Company, T. H. Skinner, and which was demolished some years since, by the vandal hands of Mr. Mallory, who now owns the ground on which it stood.

The arrival of the U. S. Land Office at Forest City was considered an important era in the histo¬ ry of the county', and gave quite an impetus to its settlement.

Of the early settlers in the county, many of them remain, while others have gone to parts unknown, or paid the debt of nature. There are from 75 to 25 voters who now reside in the county who were here prior to the commencement of the Indian War.

The financial crisis of 1S57 and '5S did not facili¬ tate a very rapid growth to Meeker County. At the commencement of the civil war, she had about 300 voters. No county in the State furnished more men in proportion to its population, than

Meeker - the first installment in 1861 and the sec¬ ond in 1862-3. Over 125 men from the county found their way into the Union armies, many of whom were not credited to the county or State, as they had previously removed therefrom, in conse¬ quence of the Indian hostilities - none were ever drafted - and Meeker County is yet credited with six three-year men, or 18 years service in the next war ! But three were known of the entire num¬

The following is believed to be a very correct list of volunteers from Meeker County, with the number of their regiment in the State, so far as