Rice County, Minnesota - Chapter 46: Eakly Settlement Incidents - the Ubd Men, 1882 (part 2 of 2)

The following year, 1873, the board met on the 7th of January, comjjosed of the same gentlemen as was in the last board, with the exception that Hudson Wilson was dropjied out and T. B. Clement appeared in his place, and the lioard was (organized by electing the latter gentleman Chairman. They then spent some time in burning redeemed county orders. The next matter taken into consideration by the board was the erection of a Court House and Jail, and a bill was drawn up for presentation to the next Legislature, to authorize the County Commissioners to issue bonds for the erection of those buildings, not exceeding $50,000 in amount, and the same to be submitted to a vote of the people. This was the same, in substance, as the resolution passed in 1867. The salarv of the County Superintendent of Schools was fixed at .«1,000 per year.

At a session of the board in May, the building committee was authorized to purchase lots six and seven in block forty-four, of Patrick McGreevy, at a cost not to exceed ifo.OOO; they were also directed to advertise ior bids on the same. In July, the contract of completing the stone work on the basement of the Court House was let to Pfieffer & Co., for the sum of S9,615. The bid of Babeock A- Woodruff was accepted. They agreed to do carpenter work in the basement, also to fnr-

At a session of the board in August of this year, it was resolved as follows: "That the board of County Commissioners of Rice county acknowledge themselves and the citizens of Rice county under gi'cat and lasting obligations to the Hon. H. M. Rice, of St. Paul, from whom our county takes its name, for a large and valuable collection of books and documents, consisting of upwards of 200 volumes, recently jjresented by that gentleman, the same being the first contribution to our county library."

At the August session of the board, the building committee reported that they had advertised for bids, and let the contract for building the addition to the Jail, according to plans and specifications made by C. N. Daniels, architect, to Me.ssrs. Sibbald, Hatch, Johnson and McOall, to be completed on the 1st of October, 1873. A contract was also made with Henry Peltier for brick at $8.25 per thousand. Bradey & Greenslade contracted to furnish iron work on the jail for $2,300.

On the 1st of July, 1873, the County Commissioners issued fifty bonds of the denomination of .$1,000 each, and payable from ten to twenty years from date, with interest at 9 per cent, in payment for county buildings.

In 1874, the Commissioners met on the 6th of January, with the following in attendance; T. B. Clement, H. H. White, J. (1. Scott, J. P. Healey, and J. C. Closson. The board organized by electing T. B. Clement, Chairman. At a sessit)n in March, $400 was voted to improve the buildings on the County Poor Farm. Considerable time was sjjent discussing county buildings.

The board elected for 1875, were: T. C. Adanw, H. H. White, T. B. Clement, J. F. Healey, and J. (r. Scott, and they met on the 5th of January, and organized by re-electing T. B. Clement to the chair. Messrs. Scott and Adams were appointed by the Commissioners as a committee to borrow for the county the sum of $5,000, payable in one year.

The following year, 187G, was spent by the board without any important disclosures, nothing of especial interest being transacted, and tax matters consuming considerable time. The Commissioners for the year were : L. W. Denison, J. G. Scott, T. C. Adams, II. H. Wliite, and M. Hanley. The board held their first meeting on the 4th of January, and organized by electing L. W, Denison, Chairman.

The board in 1877 were: A. P. Morris, Charles Sweetzer, T. C. Adams, M. Hanley, and L. W. Denison, and they met for organization on the 2d of January. L. W. Denison was elected Chairman. They spent some time in discussing and attending to the bills from pursuers of the Northfield bank robbers.

In 1878, the board first met on the 2d of January, and was attended by Christian Deike, A. PMorris, L. W. Denison, Cliarles Sweetzer, and M. Hanley. The Chairman elected was L. W. Denison. At a subsequent meeting the board authorized the Chairman to provide a suitable bookcase for the library presented by the Hon. H. M. Rice.

In 1879, the County Commissioners were D. Cavauaugh, Mr. Morris, M. Hanley, Charles Sweetzer, and Mr. Deike, and D. Cavanaugh was elected Chairman.

In July a petition was received for aid in building a bridge across Straight River on the line between Steele and Rice counties. A committee was appointed to meet the Commissioners of Steele county, and get them to bear a share of the esj)en3e. Nothing of any importance to the general reiider has transpired since. Below are given the Commissioners who have served since the above:

Commissioners for 1882: Charles Sweetzer, Chairman, T. O'Grady, E. J. Healey, Mr. Deike, and JaUn S. Way. The last meeting was held by the above board in May, 1882.

Reoistrv of Deeds. - This office was opened in 1854, in Mendota, the county seat of what was then known as Dakota county, the territory then embracing the county of Rice. It was kept in Mimdota until late in 1855, when Dakota was divided and Rice county formed; the records j^ertaining to Rice county were then transcribed and moved to Faribault. Isaac HammouB was first elected Register of Deeds of Rice county; C. C. Perkins was appointed deputy, and did most of the registering.

County Co Vkunmmnt

TuANSFER OF Land. - The earliest transfer of land recorded is stated as being on the 5th of October, 1851. As it will be of interest, it is below given in full:

"ir/zemis, J. G. and H. Y. Scott have this day purchased of Alexander Faribault tlie following property, cornering at a point 28 rods east and 14 rods north from the southeast corner of the town of Faribault, and embracing two acres, with the northwest corner at the above named point, being 18x36 rods, tor the following consideration, viz : The said J. G. and H. Y. Scott to build in a proper manner a good steam saw-mill on said land, and put the same in successful operation within one year from this date. Now, know ye! that if the said J. G. and H. Y. Scott shall build or cause to be built the said steam saw-mill, in time and place aforesaid, then we, Alexander Faribault, Luke Hulett, and Walter Morris bind ourselves in the penal sum of $6,000, which sum is considered double the value of said mill, to make the said J. G. and H. Y. Scott a good and sufficient general warranty deed for and to the aforesaid piece of land.

Following the above is recorded a <[uit claim deed conveying a piece of land from William Morris to JohTi W. North for the consideration of S1,000. The document is dated the 29th of December, 1854, and is witnessed by J. J. Noah and H. H. Sibley.

The first mortgage placed on record was made on the 20th of October, 1855, in which Isaac H. Presho, for the sum of .'ii!400, mortgages the southeast quarter of section five, township 111, range 20, containing 160 acres, to F. Fuller. This document was signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of O. F. Smith and Tbomas F. Towne.

Immediately following the above document on record is a mortgage dated the 11th of October, 1855, from Norbert Paquin to Alexander Faribault in the sum of ^350.

The register's office, in 1882, contains thirtyfour large volumes of mortgage records, fifty eight volumes of deed records, and three volumes of miscellaneous records. Under these heads the records of Wills, Estrays, Bonds for Deeds, Official Bonds, Power of Attorney, etc., are not classed but are kept in separate books.

The present officers in this department are 1. N. Doualson and M. H. Cole, Kegister and Dejmty, and the aiTairs of the office receive attention which gives satisfaction to all conciernod.

Clerk of Court. - This office was established in Rice county in the early part of 1856, and the records extend l)ack to that date. J. J. Noah was the first Clerk of Court, with the office first in Mendota. Tlie earliest record is a marriage, dated the 15th of January, 1856, in which E. .J. Crump, a Justice of the Peace, testified that with their mutual consent he had joined in holy wedlock Nathan A. Lease and Rachel Lightner, both of Rice county. The witnesses to this interesting event were John and Martha Morgan.

Henry C. Masters and Miss Anna Randle are recorded as having been joined in the bonds of matrimony on the 24th of February, 1856, by Walter Morris, Esq., in the presence of Mr. Beach and Mrs. M. M. Willis, at the residence of Russell Randle.

The first minister who.se ordination was recorded iuRice county, was Morgan A. Noble, who was ordained in 1845, at Peoria, Illinois, and it appears as at first, transferred to Rice county books. The first record of this kind that has a date attached was made on the 11th of March, 1858, and licensed Rev. Henry C. Hazen. It is signed by H. Ball. The present efficient ollicer in this department is C. L. Palmer.

Financial. - Bel(jw is given the substance of the financial reports of the Trc^asurers of Rice county for the last few years, and a statement showing the present condition yf the finances of the county. From the report of Treasurer Straub for the year ending the 1st of March, 1878, tlie following is gleaned:

Assets Receipts

From the time of the organization of Dakota county, in 1851, until 185-5, this district, the sixth, was represented in the Council by Slartin McLeod and Joseph R. Brown. In 1855, the district became Dakota, Scott, and Rice counties, and in the Council were H. G. Bailey and Samuel Dooley, who served until the State was organized. In the House from this district during the corresponding time were, James McBoal, Benjamin H. Randall, A. E. Ames, Hezekiah Fletcher, William H. Nobles, H. H. Sibley, D. M. Hanson, M. T. Murphy, O. C. Gibbs, John C. Ide, J. T. Galbraith, John M. Holland, O. P. Adams, J. J. McVey, L. M. Brown, F. J. Whitlock, Morgan L. Noble, and Cliarles Jewett.

In the constitutional convention the representatives, or delegates, from this district on the republican side were: John W. North, Thomas Bolles, Oscar P. Perkins, Thomas Foster, Thomas J. Galbraith, and D. D. Dickinson; and on the democratic side: H. H. Sibley, Robert Kennedy, Daniel -J. Burns, Frank Warner, William A. Davis» Joseph BurweU, Henry G. Bailey, au^ Andrew Keegan.

Cook, George E. Skinner, D. H, Frost, .Toll u M. Berry, Levi Nutting, Gordon E. Cole, O. P. Perkins, George P. Bachelder, John IT. Case, Thomas S. Buckliam, J. M. Archibald, and T. B. Clement. The representatives in the House have been: John L. Schofield, John H. Parker, Warren Ventress, E. N. Leavens, Luke Hulett, Perris Webster, J. D. Hoskins, Charles Wood, George H. Woodruff, Caleb Clossen, Charles Taylor, A. N. Nourso, A.H. Bullis, J. S. Archibald, Isaac Pope, Charles

Rice county has not been remarkably well represented in the State offices, but those who have occupied the most prominent position will be mentioned : General James Shields was a resident of Faribault, and was a United States Senator; John M. Berry has been for seventeen years Associate .lustice of the Supreme Court of the State; Edward W. Deike was State Treasurer; Charles Mc- Hrath was State Auditor; Gordon E. Cole was Attorney General for six years; Charles R. Lucas, (). T). Brown, and W. P. Jewett were chief clerks in the Auditors ofUce, and there may have been others that have been overlooked.

Census Akd Other Statistics

Of these latter there were sixty-two Scandinavians, and twenty-seven (lermans, Prussian.s, Bohemians, and Poles, no Irish, twenty-six English and Scotch, and seven other nationalities.

In point of population the county of Rice is the seventh in the state of Minnesota. The number of inhabitants in the county for the several census years since its organization were as follows:

The western emigration within a tew years has actually decreased the number of people within some of the connties of the State, but Rice has more than held its own.

Most of the last were children. The large percentage of pulmonary diseases, which is not materially unlike other parts of the country, is due, it is claimed, to the fact of the large number seeking this, in common with other parts of the State, as a relief from these diseases when in an advanced stage and beyond the reach of local sanitary conditions.

Items like these are interpolated that a general idea of the progress of the county may be gathered without having to wade through so many statistics as a yearly statement would involve.

Agricultubal Statistics. - While it seems desirable in this work to avoid dry statistics, there are certain facts involving figures which are most valuable, particularly by way of comparison. For instance: it is known in a general way, that the wheat belt has been traveling westward ever since it was first started at Plymouth, Massachusetts, when the pilgrim fathers landed there two hundred and sixty years ago. At first it moved on its westward march, not in a very rapid way, until fifty years ago the valley of the Genesee in New York was the great wheat raising region. But when Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were opened up for cultivation, the wheat growing center beg!in its kangaroo jumps toward the setting sun, and Minnesota is now its resting place, but how soon a flying leap will land it in Dakota, time alone can determine. Some of the figures here presented may help to a prognosis in this regard. The account begins with the cereals.

The acreage of wheat in the State in 1881, has simi^ly held its own, although twenty-three counties have had a decrease, but Rice county is not in the list. The acreage in sugar cane in 1880 was 312, the namber of gallons of syrup produced was 39,698, or 131.45 per acre.

As to the time when frost may be expected in Rice county, the following table gives the history of this uncertain event, as to its earliest appearance for seventeen years: