Meeker County, Minnesota - Chapter 15: Harvey Township, 1888

Chapter 15: Harvey Township

464 acres are covered with water. The soil is unusually fertile and productive, beingsuitable for any of the great cereals of which Minnesota is the great storehouse. The land, which is generally of a slightly rolling character, is, a small portion of it, covered with the primeval growth of forest timber, but the most of it is in the natural prairie, and the clearings made by the hands of the industrious settlers. The Crow River, which flows through some of its eastern sections, -with the lakes and affluent creeks, afford ample drainage, and make the land very desirable. The soil, a sandy loam of high quality, is noted for its fecundity, and the improvements of the residents are of a marked degree of excellence.

Among the others who settled within what is now the boundaries of Harvey the same year were - Mr. McCue, Dennis Shields, Edward Fitzgerald, Carl Shultz, J. W. Walker, Reuben Davis, David Ralston, Patrick Armstrong, John Tower, Dennis, John, Thomas and Daniel Dougherty, and a few others. They mostly took u]i homes here, and remained, and many of them are stiU residents of the town.

In the following year, 1857, among the most prominent settlers were - Patrick Finnegan, E. 0. Britt, Jorgen Lohse, William Marks and John C. Shultz. The date of John Ralston's settlement was March, 1858, and of Robert B. Ralston and Fergus McCusker, 1859. Like every other town in the county, there was but very little more settlement here until after the close of the war, when it began to fill up rapidly. Among the few who did settle prior to the outbreak of 18C2, not mentioned above, were the following named - Samuel Hutchinson, Joachim Shultz, Henry Parker, L. F. McCusker, Martin Bramly, James Harve}', and two

The first ground was broken for farming purposes by Dennis Dougherty, in 1856, and the first crops were put into the ground by him, his father and brothers.

Harvey, which was previous to that a part of Forest City, was organized as a separate civil township in the spring of 1867, and at the first election, held at the Dougherty school-house, Philip Turck and Patrick Flynn were chosen sujwrvisors, and Andrew Smith town clerk.

The officers for 1888 are as follows - Supervisors : E. Carlson (chairman), T. AV. Curry and Patrick Vaughn; clerk, P. J. Mitchell; treasurer, James McCusker; assessor, J. C. Connole; constables, Thos. Flynn and Thos. J. Connole; justices, John Schultz and Michael Finnegan ; poundmasters, D. Rutland, W. Shields and M. Nelson.

Cpiapter Xvi

ONGRESSIONAL toAvnship 118, north of range 32 west, is known by the name of Danielson, after one of its earliest settlers. It embraces an area of 22,950 acres, some 974 acres of which are, however, unavailable for agricultural purposes, being covered by the waters of several lakes and ponds. The land, which is level prairie, is susceptible of high cultivation, and is uncommonly productive. Tiie inhabitants are an industrious class of people, there being a large sliaro of tiirifty, hard-working Scandinavians among them.

Tlie first settle)' in this part of the county was Noah "Wliite, who located here in 1S57, but a year hiter moved over into Kandiyohi county. For several years thereafter there were none to settle here until in 1861, when tiie following named came and took claims and founded homes - Nils DanielsonUpsaal, Peter Peterson, Oscar Pliillips, Berger Anderson, Andrew Dakken, Soren Morton, C. L. Hanson, Ole Solomonson, Nels Mattson, O. K. Nelson, Bethel Gunderson and William Hanson. Most of these still have their homes here, and have Ijrought their farms to a high state of cultivation and beautifully improved them.

Prominent among the older residents of the town who, although not early settlers, still have done much toward its development, are the following - Daniel Danielson, Hans H. Johnson, John Murphy, John Johnson, John Henderson, Henry Solomonson, John Ogren, Isaac Johnson, P. C. Hanson, Cliristian Hanson, Christian and Lars Easmusson, Otho Phihps, Lars Hanson, P. C. Finelius, Charles Finelius, L. P. Frederickson, Nels Frederickson, Jens Hink, Lewis Johnson, Andrew Dahl, Peter Elberg, John Brown, Paul Nelson, Hans Falk, John Eklund, Christian Nelson, Andrew Ogren, Peter Thorenson, Christian Thorenson, Henry Philips, Andrew Swan, Charles Johnson and Peter Mortenson.

Tlie first church in the town was named Arnt Dalil, l)eing a combination of the names of the first person to die in the town, Arnt Hanson, and tlie name of the minister, Ilev. Mr. Dahl.

Danielson was for some years a part of a precinct composed of the towns of Swede Grove, Acton and Danielson, but March 12, 1872, it was set off and organized with its present boundaries. Among those prominent in the organization were the following named : Daniel Danielson, who was elected clerk; Ole K. Nelson, chairman of the town board ; O. Solomonson and C. Fernelius, supervisors; Berger Anderson, treasurer; C. L. Hanson, justice; Daniel Danielson, assessor, and Lars liasmusson, constable.

Tlie present oiRcers are - Supervisors, Emelius Nelson, chairman, 'Wiiliam Nelson and Lewis Peterson; clerk, Peter Mortenson; treasurer, L. P. Sorenson ; justices, Alfred Johnson and J. B. Dahl ; constables, J. P. Hanson and August Nelson ; overseers of highways, S. Morton, J. K. Brown, Frank Holmgren, August Nelson ; assessor, Jens Hink.