Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 78, 1905

Early Settlement, Otisco, Wilton And Its Village

TOWNS AND TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATIONS - NEW RICHLAND TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE, TOWNSHIP OP BYRON, VIVIAN AND ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT, OTISCO, WILTON AND ITS VILLAGE, FREEDOM, ALMA CITY, WOODVILLE, ST. MARY, ALTON, BLOOMING GROVE, IOSCO AND "EMPIRE," JANESVILLE, OKAMAN, AND VILLAGE OF "BAST JANESVILLE" AND EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

New Richland

This is the southeast corner township of the county, at the headwaters of the Le Sueur river. The township was originally all prairie except a narrow skirt of trees along the river. The soil is very rich and productive. The first settlement in the township was made in 1856 by a colony, as detailed by Hon. A. Sampson. Among the early settlers the following are noted . Knute Christensen, Nels Christensen, K. 0. Rotegard, H. 0. Sunde, Anthony Sampson, H. H. Sunde, Ole K. Hagan, W. Anderson, Christian Knudson, and E. 0. Strenge were the first to settle in the township, and they located about June 10, 1856. Of the settlers of 1858, the following are remembered: Ole Hogaas, who died in 1885; John Benson, born in Norway in 1833, a prominent and well-to-do farmer; Nels Tyrholm, now of the village; Torkel Lund and Ole H. Sunde; H. J. Hanson, now county commissioner; David Skinner, Hon. John Thompson, who recently died at Albert Lea; Brie Christianson, A. N. Berg, A. J. Stensvad, and Ole Johnson. Andrew Berg is one of the wealthy farmers of the town. He is father of fourteen children. J. H. Wightman, now a resident of New Richland, was born in the state of New York Feb. 3, 1822 ; he settled in Byron in July

C04 Child'S History Of Waseca County

1857; went to Wilton and engaged in the hardware business with Hon. P. C. Bailey in 1864. After two years he sold to G. "W. Watkins, and opened a general store at Wilton. At the building of New Richland, he moved his stock to that place and continued in trade till 1885-6, when he sold to A. J. Newgard and retired to his farm on section 16, where he still resides. 'Mr. E. E. Verplank, elsewhere noticed in this work, settled in this town in the "sixties." He married Jliss Sophia Hanson Oct. 22, 1864. Knute 0. Hagan, Torkel Lund, E. C. Sybilrud, and Rev. 0. A. Mellby settled early in this township.

]Mrs. Even Tostensen, daughter of 0. K. Hagan, was the first child born in the township. Samuel S. Sampson was the first person to die. He departed this life Aug. 22, 1861. The first school meeting was held at the house of Xels Tyrholm. The officers elected were Anthony Sampson, director ; John Larson, clerk ; and T. Tidmanson, treasurer. The first church organization was in 1861. The first school house was built of logs in 1862, on land donated by Mr. A. Sampson; the first teacher was a Miss Northrup. The Norwegian Lutheran church on section 11 was built in 1875-6 and cost about $5,000. The first place of worship was built of logs in 1862, and Rev. B. Muse, of Goodhue county, was the first minister. The Lutheran society was first organized in 1858, by Rev. Laurs Larson, a home missionary, at the residence of Ole Arneson. The first town meeting was held at the residence of John Larson. Hon. John Thompson was chairman. J. S. Rice was chosen moderator and S. W. Franklin clerk. The first township officers elected were as follows: Supervisors, John Thompson (chairman), J. S. Rice, and David Skinner; assessor, A. Sampson; treasurer, Nels Christianson ; justices of the peace, J. S. Rice and John Larson ; constables, George W. Legg and Andrew Johnson; overseer of the poor, Ole Johnson. Mr. John Larson was not only one of the first justices of the peace, but was also the first postmaster. The thriving village of New Richland, situated upon section 17, was surveyed and platted in August, 1877, by Henry T. AYells. There have been four additions to the plat since, one by Charles Zieger, one by Mr. Wells, one by Frank McClane, and one by Jane Mc- Clane. The village grew by leaps and bounds the first two vears of its existence. Buildings were erected by a Mr. Buncho, by Thomas Lynch, J. H. "Wightman, A. J. Stensvad, Henry Jaehning, Hugh Wilson, Halvor K. Stearns, Murphy & Johnson, C. H. Brossard, Clark & Swann, Nels Tyrholm & Son, Hon. Fenton Keenan, Joseph Smith & Co., B. E. Ellifson, Hunt Bros., Fred Bettner, Torgerson & Johnson, Newgard & Zieger, 0. P. Olson, T. Thompson, P. A. Holt, 0. S. Bokke, N. J. Bobbins, who built the Washburn hotel, Ole Johnson Moe, who built the Commercial house, and Charles Bruunell, who built the American house. The INlodel Roller ilill, now owned by Everett, Augenbaugh & Co., was built in the fall of 1879 by Messrs. Dunwoody & Corson at a cost of about $40,000. The plant was bought by the Messrs. Everett, Augenbaugh & Co. some years since and has been thoroughly repaired and remodeled so that it is an up-to-date plant pnd is run in connection with the "Eaco" Mills at Waseca. The mill does most excellent work, and furnishes a live market for all the good wheat raised in the surrounding country.

The Congregationalists erected the first church building in the fall of 1882 at a cost of about $1,500. Rev. Wilbur Fisk was the clergyman who then served the people and rustled for the church.

A school building was erected in the north part of town in 1878 at a cost of $1,200. Since that time a new site has been selected south of the business portion of the town, and New Richland now has one of the finest school buildings and school house sites in the state.

Strangers Refuge Lodge No. 74 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was organized Jan. 4, 1880, with the following officers: C. G. Cheesebro, N. G.; E. Steinhaus, V. G.; F. G. Schneider, S.; Henry Jaehning, treasurer; C. Hooper, R. S. N. G. ; Charles Brossard, L. S. N. G. ; W. Smith, Jr., W. ; Charles Brunell, C. ; and AV. Luff, I. G.

Originally, in 1857, Byron was a part of the Otisco precinct, and so remained until the fall of 1858, when it was organized as a separate township. The early records of the township have been lost, but the oldest settlers claim that the first supervisors of the town were J. H. Wightman, chairman, Daniel C. Davis and Christie ]\IcGrath; David Beavins town clerk, and C. S. Weed, assessor.

1855. It was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1857, and the familj- was left houseless for a time. ]Mr. Davis died in Byron, Sept. 13, 1863.

Daniel C. Davis, son of Jeremy, born ]\Iay 13, 1834, came with his father and settled at the same time, in 1855. July 18, 1861, he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Parvin.

William and David Beavins also settled in this township in 1856. David was a character in his way. He was a very kind hearted man and very .jovial. He was long on profuse promises, but sometimes short on performances. One time he promised Alex Johnston a large number of votes in Byron, upon the strength of which he got many a drink. After election Ales chided him for not getting a single vote, and Dave, with a great appearance of sincere sorrow, declared that he was mistaken in the day and didn't get to the polls, and that that was the reason why Alex was short on votes. It was claimed by others that Alex's opponent saw David last on election morning. William served in the Union army and died a few years after his return home.

Isaac Ling settled in Byron in 1856. He served as a soldier in Company F, Tenth Minnesota infantry, dying at Dauphin Island, March 10, 1865. Mrs. Ling died here the same year, leaving a number of small children. C. S. Weed and family also settled in Byron in 1856.

J. H. Wightman, now of New Richland; Richard Ayers (deceased), late of Janesville; William Philbrook, who died in 1865; Jacob W. Pierce, still a resident of the town, moved to Byron in 1857.

Garret Hope, born in county of West Mayo, Ireland, Aug. 15, 1840, came to America in 1852, and lived for a time in Connecticut; he came West to Beloit, Wis., in 1855, and to Byron in 1858. Some years ago he sold his farm in Byron and removed to California.

Calista J. Campbell, born in Madison county, N. Y., came West with her parents to Rock county. Wis., as early as 1848. Dec. 11, 1849, she married Edwin A. Crump. Eight years after they moved to Winneshiek county, Iowa, and three years later came to Byron. Some time afterward they spent a few years in the village of Wilton - Mr. Crump running a wagon shop and Mrs. Crump a millinery store. Mr. Crump was consumptive, and died Jan. 20, 1878. They were the parents of five children - three sons and two daughters. Mrs. Crump bravely carried on the farm in Byron, with the assistance of her children until 1880, Feb. 28, when she married Mr. John N. Wilson, who was born in Canada Sept. 1, 1833. In 1854 he came to Wisconsin, later he went to Colorado, where he enlisted in Company G, First Colorado regiment, and served until the close of the rebellion. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson now have a cozy home in New Richland village.

Peter Bumgerten, born in Prussia, June 27, 1832, came to America in 1857, first living in Wisconsin. He remained there until 1869, when he came to St. Mary in this county. Six years after he removed to Byron. The last few years of his life he resided in New Richland, and died there in the spring of 1905.

Lawrence Concanon, born in Ireland, July 20, 1827, landed at New Orleans in 1851 ; he followed up the river to Illinois, where he lived until 1877, when he came to St. Mary. After spending three years in St. Mary, he settled on section 19, in Byron, where he still resides.

Mass., came to Minnesota in 1857, and lived in Dakota county, where he worked at carpentering and farming. Three years later he went to Virginia where he worked as a brick molder. In August, 1861, he enlisted in

Company H, Fourth Loyal Virginia infantry, and served a little over three years. Nov. 2, 1864, he married Narcissus Samples, of West Virginia. In 1866 he returned to ]\Iinnesota with his family, again going to Dakota county. In 1870 he came to Byron, where he has since resided and made a good home. Mr. and Mrs. Partridge have been the parents of four sons and one daughter.

Mrs. Margaret Dwyer, one of the early settlers of Byron, nearly perished in the winter of 186-1. She started to visit a neighbor, about four miles distant, was caught in a blinding snow storm, became bewildered on the prairie, and wandered around from Wednesday until Friday afternoon toward evening, when she arrived at her sister's house. She was so badly frozen and so much exhausted that she could scarcely move without assistance. Her suffering was intense. She lost half of each of her feet and was for a long time unable to walk.

Byron, in early days, was treeless but now it abounds in fine groves of cultivated timber, which give the landscape a very attractive appearance. The township, as a whole, is better adapted to stock raising and dairying than to wheat culture.

This is the southwest township of the county and was known in early days as the "Cobb river country." The land in this township is more nearly level than that of any other town in the county. The "Big Cobb river," running westerly through the southern portion of the town, and the "Cobbee, " in the northern portion, furnish the principal means of surface drainage. The soil is a dark, alluvial loam, on a heavy clnj' subsoil, and very rich and productive.

E. S. Woodruff' was the first white man to reside in Vivian. He had an Indian woman for his wife. He formerly lived near Green Bay, Wis., among the Indians, and afterwards lived in Iowa. He settled on section 27, in this town, in the summer of 1856 and lived there until the spring of 1865, when he died. He was one of the early mail carriers of that section. Ijnter, the same year, two bachelors, B. F. Ilanes and E. A. Clark, cnme here. Clark afterwards married and removed to Wisconsin in 1858. Hanes lived on his claim until his death, which occurred in 1872. James B. Hill, a sketch of whose life is given elsewhere, moved here with his family July 2, 1857. S. L. Daggett soon after moved near Mr. Hill's place. He afterwards went to Blue Earth and died there in 1863. Four brothers named Shannahan came here in 1857, but soon after left for the gold mines in Colorado. Joseph Thurston and family and W. H. Harmon ond family moved to this township in 1857. Ichabod West and his two sons, Ammi and John F., with their families, and John Dwyer and John Dineen and their families, began their homes in this town in 1858. Thomas Ryan, deceased, settled on section 15 in 1858. John A. Wheeler, one of the early settlers in St. Mary, took a claim on section 4, in this town in 1858. He was a windmill inventor and manufacturer. He at one time built a flouring mill, with windmill powet, at Freeborn Lake. He was quite a genius. He was a Union soldier in the War of the Rebellion. His death occurred about 1876. Ole Johnson and his family came from Norway in 1855, lived in Waupun, Wis., for three years, and came to Vivian in 1858. Ole was born Jan. 4, 1824, and his wife, Betsy Nelson, Oct. 3, 1826. They were married Feb. 8, 1852. He enlisted in Company F, Tenth Minnesota Volunteer infantry, and served till the close of the war. Mark Moore, Montraville Sias, and three Welshmen (brothers) - Owen M., David, and Samuel Jones - also came here in 1858.

Vivian was organized as a separate township under an order of the county commissioners dated April 5, 1858. According to tradition - the ofidcial records being lost - the first town meeting was held at the house of J. B. Hill. The first town board consisted of J. B. Hill, B. S. Woodruff, and S. L. Daggett - Hill being chairman. E. A. Clark was town clerk. The names of the other town officers are entirely forgotten.

The first death recorded in the township was that of a man named Sweeney, who perished near his home in November, 1857. He had been to St. IMary, and on his return was caught in a snow storm. Darkness coming on, he undoubtedly became bewildered on the prairie and froze to death. Many of our pioneers were thinly clad, and it is not surprising that a man, lost upon the

The population of the township has nearly all changed since 1860. Very few indeed of the earlier settlers remain. The Ryan family and the Ole Johnson family are the only ones remembered to have settled in the township prior to that date. The town is now well peopled by hardy, frugal, industrious farmers, who are making it one of the richest agricultural townships in the county. Like Byron, it is well adapted to the production of grass, and to the raising of cattle and hogs.

As before stated, the early records of the to-\vn were destroyed, ilr. Edward Thompson, present town clerk, reports the records of the first ten years missing. The records of 1868 are the first to be found, and they show the town supervisors of that year to have been as follows: J. B. Hill, chairman, S. 8. Comee, and il. Sias.

This is one of the wealthiest and most densely populated townships in the county. An account of the first settlement of this township, and its first settlers, is given in the fore part of this book. The name Otiseo, at first, embraced all of Vivian, Byron, Xcw Richland, the south one-third of Wilton and the south one-third of what is now Otiseo. This continued for a year, when, on April 5, 18.38. the county commissioners organized the townships of the eounty in accordance with the government survey. The government to^vnship 106, of range 22, was designated as Otiseo. Several villages have been born and put to rest on the soil of Otiseo, and only one remains. Two pioneer speculators. AVatters l^- Chamberlain, came in 1856, bought the claims of George and "William Roblnns. on the east side of the Le Sueur river, ojiposite the Wilton village site, and there laid out a village which they called Waterlynn. They erected a store and a hotel. They did quite a bxisiness at their store, but the hotel did not floin-ish. The latter Iniilding, which was part logs and part frame, went up in smoke one night in 18-')8. It w;is occupied at the time by Dr. William ^Murphy and family - J. F. Alurphy, now of the Waseca Herald, being the eldest son of the family. That was about the last of that village nnd the site now makes a very good farm.

and S. S. Goodrich in July, 1857. It soon had a store, a postoffice, a blaclismith shop, and a sawmill. Dan and Gould Grover built the dam and the sawmill, and for a time the mill did good work. The Grovers soon sold to Griggs & Obert. After a time Gould Grover again became owner, or manager, and was soon after killed in the mill by accident. It then passed into the hands of Eno & Beattj^ who turned out to be professional and practical horsethieves, and were caught stealing the horses of Orrin Pease. Soon after the arrest of Eno and Beatty, the. mill dam Avent out and the village boom soon collapsed. Goodrich owned the store and Mr. Owen Salisbury was the first postmaster.

Since the building of the M. & St. L. railway the present Otisco station has been laid out, and is quite a lively little burg with its store, postoffiee, blacksmith shop, grain elevator, creamery, etc. Its present business will no doubt remain permanently

It is not the intention of the writer to cumber the record with the names of transient persons or those who have come in later years unless they may have been connected in some way with public affairs, for the reason that space and expense forbid. There are many such in Otisco. Mention is made, however, of all the early settlers.

Silas Grover, an aged veteran of the War of 1812, settled in this town in 1856, and resided in the county till his death, April 12, 1870. H. G. Mosher settled here Oct. 10, 1856. ^Mr. Mosher, wife and two children, and J. S. Abell, wife and two children lived the first winter in one cabin, 16x20 feet. Mr. Mosher and family removed to Kansas in the eighties. Uriah Northrup, Sr., and his sons, Benjamin, Uriah, George and Thomas H., settled here at a very early day. The elder Mr. Northrup died here, and the sons removed to Rice county. Owen Salisbury, the first postmaster at the old village of Otisco, finally moved to Wabasha county, where he died. J. D. Andrews was one of those restless, energetic pioneers who are always on the move. He moved to Otisco, July 3, 1858. He was a carpenter by trade. He afterwards entered the drug business at Wilton ; went to Duluth and opened a drug store ; returned to this county and went into business at Janesville ; afterwards removed to Madison, S. D., where he died June 11, 1887.

ried Miss Matilda S. Gate, who was born at Meredith, N. H., Nov. 11, 1824. They came to Minnesota in 1859, first residing in Clinton Falls, Steele county. They then came to Otisco in 1860, and purchased a farm of one hundred and eighty acres. Mr. Plummer was with a crowd of three hundred people in Meredith hall, in 1850, when the floor gave way, killing several and injuring many. Mr. Plummer then received injuries from which he never fully recovered. For five years previous to his death, he was paralyzed and helpless. He died Sept. 20, 1883. He left surviving- his widow and one daughter, ilrs. B. L. Case. They now reside in Owatonna.

Roger B. Wood, born June 1, 1842, in Ontario, Canada, worked westward until he reached Waseca in 1867, where he opened a wagon and blacksmith shop. He remained in AVaseca until 1871, when he moved to his present fai'ni in Otisco, which contains three hundred and fifty-four acres. He married iliss Parmelia Smith, a bright Western girl, Dec. 15, 1869. She was born at Onk Grove, Dodge county, Wis., Feb. 1, 1852, and came with her parents to Byron, in this county, in 1866. They have been the parents of six children, five of whom are living.

Asa Robbins was an early settler in Otisco. He was a native of New York State, born in 1811. February 5, 1838, he married IMiss Hulda xV. Chapman, who was born Jan. 9, 1815, and died Dec. 10, 1885.

Gustaf Johnson was born in Sweden, Nov. 25, 1831. On reaching the United States, he came directly to Otisco. His wife's name was Johanna Johnson, and she was born in 1831, in the same country. They have a pleasant farm home and six children.

James Irwin, l)()rn in Ireland in ilay, 1S2S, came to America in 1849. He was a Union soldier in the War of the Rebellion. He lived in Wisconsin after the close of the war, until 1870, when he came to Otisco and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He has live sons living.

Wilton

This was the first township in the county to be settled. The first settlers were As;i G. Sutlief and family, who pitched their tents on section 33, in the month of August, 1S54. The next to reach here were S. P. and James E. Child, who arrived Feb. 2, 1855. Chris Scott and family came about ten days later, in February. Others followed and before fall there were some ten families in the township. A precinct election was held in the fall of 1855 at the house of Chris Scott, on the farm now owned by Mr. John Carmody, Sr. The first election precincts were formed regardless of town lines, and the township of Wilton, as it now exists, was not organized until the spring of 1858. The first town meeting was held at the house of Joseph Doty, May 11, 1858. P. C. Bailey was chairman and stated the object of the meeting. Buel Welsh was chosen moderator, and Thomas L. Paige, clerk. On motion of A. J. Woodbury, the township, like the village, was named Wilton. The following were the first township officers: town board, W. W. Robinson, chairman, John Brand, and A. J. Woodbury ; town clerk, Tarrant Putnam ; assessor, L. Curtis ; justices of the peace, J. B. Jackson and P. C. Bailey; overseer of the poor, A. Miller; constables, Peter Van Dyke and L. Curtis.

The first birth was that of a child born to Mr. and Mrs. Plummer in July, 1855. This family soon after removed to Wisconsin, being sick of the country. The first death was that of a child of Mr. and Jlrs. William Wells, in the summer of 1856. The first prairie broken was by Asa G. Sutlief, in August, 1854. The first sawmill in the town and county was built by Colonel J. C. Ide. Rev. Mr. Hicks, a Methodist clergyman, in 1856, held the first religious service in the township at the house of Caleb Northrup, on section 36. The first school house was erected by Mr. E. B. Stearns, in what is now the Carmody, or Brisbane, district, in 1858. It was a frame building standing on the bottom landi half a mile south of the present school house site. The building was afterwards moved with ox teams over the hill to the present site - a move that caused much excitement at the

The first Catholic Church built in Wilton stands at the southwestern corner of section 31, where some sixty families-over three hundred people - meet for worship.

Freedom

the removal of the Indians, the lands were sold to white men under sealed bids to the highest bidder, no bid being accepted at less than $2.50 per acre. Settlers crowded into the town rapidly. March 9, 1864, the people of the two towns of Alton and Freedom petitioned the county commissioners to have the new territory organized as a town, and the board granted the petition. The order of the board provided that the electors should hold their first town meeting at the house of Stephen Robinson, situated at the place then known as Peddler's Grove, on the 5th day of April, 1864. At this meeting the voters decided that the name of the new town should be Freedom. It is said that F. D. Seaman !j;ave the casting vote making "Freedom" the name.

The town early took front rank as one of the prettiest and most productive in the West. Its people stand high morally and intellectually, and in wealth they rank with the most opulent of farming communities.

Henry Ghase was born in 1842, in the Green ilountain state. He enlisted in Company E, Ninth Vermont infantry, and was four months in Libby prison, having been captured at the first "Winchester battle. He was discharged in 1863, went to Freedom in 1864, and remained there until 1869, when he moved to Janesville, this coiuity. He is now a resident of Wisconsin, although still interested financially in Janesville.

Ed Steele and Steve Robinson moved to a grove of burr oaks on section 3, and, being traveling peddlers they gave the place the name Peddler's Grove.

Delos P. Young, a native of Massachusetts, born "Slay 11, 1838, came from Wisconsin in 1864, and made his home in this town. He now resides in Mankato. F. D. Seaman, now a resident of Alton, came in April, 1864. He is a native of New York, born Sept. 8, 1843. lie enlsted in Company G, First Wisconsin cavalry, in the fall of 1861, and served a year. In the fall of 1864 he again enlisted, this time in Company A, Second ilinnesota infantry, and served until July, 1865, when he returned to Free-

^Yilliam Davidson, Sr., now nearly eiglity-three years of age, and his two sons - "William and J. D. - were early settlers and still remain here.

^Yillet Tolles (deceased), Daniel Pierce, S. C. Brooks, Amos Waring, William Reid, Liitlier Ackerman, Simon Saekett, now of Janesville, John II. Fields, Harry Seoville, and Ira Abell were among the settlers of 1864.

John J. Wilkins, born in New Jersey, July 13, 1827 ; William Oreutt, since deceased; Darling Welch, afterwards a resident of Janesville, and later of Waseca; John L. Graham, deceased, late of Janesville ; Arthur Graham, born in New York Sept. 12, 1845 ; Captain Robert Earl, and others settled here in 1865.

Samuel S. Rollins, born in New Hampshire, INIay 1, 1836; F. W Bromaghin, born in St. L;nvrence county, N. Y., June 29, 1820; Hon. John Wilkinson, born in Wisconsin, Feb. 28, 1846; John Davis, and C. E. Graham were among the 1866 settlers.

Alma City

It is generally conceded that Uncle Sam Larabee, now deceased, was the father of Alma City. The village was surveyed and platted by S. E. Stebbins in 1865, for Uncle Sam, who at once put up a hotel, then and for a long time known as the "Larabee -House." "Uncle Sam" and "Aunt Patty" were known far and wide. Aunt Patty was thrown from a buggy and killed in 1885, and Uncle Sam died in 1900 at the advanced age of eighty-five years, of of heart disease, while eating supper. He was with his daughter, Mrs. Craig, at Blue Earth, at the time of his sudden death.

The same fall Chase and Ames opened the first store. Mary Ann Johnson opened a store about the same time. In the spring of 1866 A. H. Davis and 0. P. Smith each opened a store. Rineerson & Morton opened a blacksmith shop in 1865.

Township No. 107 north, of range 22 west, was named after one of its earliest settlers (Mr. Eri G. Wood) by resolution of the county commissioners, April 5, 1858. Long before any white man ever viewed the rich hunting grounds of this county the native Indians must have made the town of Woodville one of their principal villages. There can be no doubt, in view of the Indian mounds and other relics which have been found upon the shores and in the vicinity of Watkins lake, that the Sioux Indians, for many generations, lived in large numbers in this township. Geographically it held a commanding position for the red man. Prom Clear lake he could, with his canoe, descend Crane creek to Straight river, thence to the Cannon river, and on to the Mississippi; or he could drag his light boat across the narrow strip of land that divides Clear lake from Gaiter lake, and there launch it for a journey down McDougall creek, thence down the Le Sueur river to the Blue Earth and the ^Minnesota rivers, and thus easily traverse vast sections of country abounding in fish and game. Later residents may dou.bt this view of the primitive situation, on account of late dry seasons, but the older settlers of this region remember well when small boats were run and could be run as here stated.

The splendid forests which then existed in portions of Woodville. Blooming Grove, Deerfield, and ]\Ieriden, not only afforded comfortable shelter from the freezing blasts of winter, but they furnished plenty of fuel and material for Indian wigwams. The woods abounded in game and the lakes were filled with the very choicest fish. Barring the sometimes intense cold of winter, it was the ideal land of milk and honey for the native tribes. It is no less a land of plenty for the white men that now possess it.

The surface is beautifully diversified - gently undulating, as a rule - rich prairies interspersed with timber, lovely lakes, bordered with groves of heavy timber - the groves being adorned in spring with blossoming plum trees, cherry trees, thorn and crab apple trees, and other flowering shrubs and trees in great profusion. Of the 23,040 acres of land in the township, over 2,000 are embraced in its lakes. The principal of these is Clear lake, which occupies portions of sections 8, 9, 16, and 17, and is a trifle over a mile and a half in length and nearly a mile wide.

In addition to this beautiful body of water, there is Loon lake, a beautiful gem of water within the limits of the city of Waseca, half in section 7 and half in section 18. There is a wooded island in the center of the lake, which, in summer, with its dark green foliage, gives the lake a picturesque and very beautiful appearance, especially during the months of June and July. With very little expense Loon lake could be made to rival in beauty and pieturesqueness Lake Como, at St. Paul, and many other noted places of resort. May we not hope that in the near future it may be so improved as to be a "thing of beauty and a joy forever?"

The surface soil is a rich, black loam, resting upon a gray clay and gravel, mixed, which, in turn, rests upon a heavy, blue-clay subsoil, many feet in depth, and almost impervious to water. The surface soil is as productive and lasting in quality as any in the known world. Experience has demonstrated that it is capable of withstanding extreme moisture and extreme drouth; for in the past fifty years there has never been a failure of crops. At the time of the first settlement and for years thereafter, until pastured and fed down, the native grasses, blue joint and "crowfoot," grew to be from five to six feet in height, and were fully equal to cultivated grasses as food for animals.

The first settler in Woodville was Mr. A. C. Smith, deceased. Mr. Smith died Jan. 29, 1892, and his worthy wife died June 29, 1894. O. Powell, Eri G. and Loren C. Wood, Henry Watkins, B. K. Carlton, Jacob Myers, William Dunn, and Austin Vinton settled here in 1856. A part of this township was at first a portion of the precinct of Swavesey, which at that time embraced all of Blooming Grove, Iosco, Janesville, and the north halves of St. Mary and Woodville.

March 16, 1857, the county commissioners divided Swavesey precinct,making the precinct of Empire out of the two west townships. They appointed for Sv/avesey, W. H. Young, of Woodville, and Lewis McKune, of Blooming Grove, as justices; and Loren Clark Wood, of Woodville, and S. F. Wyman, of Blooming Grove, as constables.

C18 Child'S History Of Waseca County

at Wilton, April 5, 1858, Woodville was set off by metes and bounds, and J. K. Myers, "William M. Green, and E. G. Wood were appointed judges of the first election.

On the fly leaf of the first town record book, in the handwriting of Loren C. Wood, is the following: "Township 107 north, Range 22 west, was organized on the 11th day of May, A. D. 1858, and named Woodville."

"The town of Woodville held its first town meeting on the 11th day of May, 1858." (At the house of B. G. Wood.) Mr. J. K. Myers was chosen to serve as moderator, and L. C. Wood, as clerk. On motion of Nathaniel Wood, the meeting adjourned one hour for dinner. At 1 o'cloclc the meeting was again called to order. Obadiah Powell, J. K. Myers, and F. Glover were elected supervisors. L. C. Wood was elected clerk; Eri G. Wood, assessor; W. H. Young, collector and treasurer; Nathaniel Wood, overseer of the poor; Lewis C. Kate and W. H. Young, constables; Amzi Schaffer and Austin Vinton, justices; and Garret Houck, overseer of roads."

Aug. '25, 1864, the town held a special meeting and voted to issue soldiers' bonds in the sum of $1,200. Following this record there are three eertificates recorded showing that William R. Brisbane, Francis Lincoln, and George Nock - all residents of Wilton - were duly mustered into the United States service for one year, and credited to the town of Woodville. Dec. 19 eame the Inst call of President Lincoln for 300,000 men. Woodville proiiiptl>' called a special meeting Jan. 14, 1S65, and voted soldiers' bonds in the sum of $1,600. Of this amount only $6.'i:I3i1 were afterwards issued. The records also show that AVilfred Vinton and W. II. Young, Jr., were mustered into the service to the credit of this town, Tilarch 25, 1865. Another s]iecial town meeting was held March 11, 1865, which ratified and sanctioned the action of the board in issuing bounty bonds. As the Rebellion soon after was subdued, there is no further record of the matter.

The first school building was a log school house, a short distance east of the present Woodville cemetery. Miss Emma Cook, afterwards the wife of Major W. T. Kittredge, was tlie first teacher away back in the summer of 1859.

Patrick Campion St. Mary

After being partly in the precinct of Empire and partly in the precinct of Wilton for a year or more, what now comprises the township of St. Mary was duly organized in a township by order of the county commissioners on April 5, 1858. The township, 107, range 23, was duly designated as the "town of St. Mary," and the tavern of J. W. Clark was named as the place for holding the first to-\vn meeting. B. M. Morrill, Warren Smith, and H. W. Chamberlain were appointed to serve as the first judges of election. The first town meeting was held May 11, 1858.

The Catholics of St. Mary, under the leadership of Father Keller, of Faribault, organized in 1856. Religious services were held at the house of Andrew Lynch, near St. Mary, at one time. The Catholics built their first church in 1858. They established a cemetery in 1857, and some say that a Mr. Grossman was the first person biiried in it; but Mr. William Byron asserts that the first person buried there was a Mr. Morris, and that the next was Michael O'Brien, who was killed by lightning in September, 1858.

Township 107, range 24, remained a portion of Freedom until the 27th day of April, 1866, when the commissioners of Waseca county passed an order to organize the town of Alton, the first town meeting to be held at the house of M. L. Devereaux, in said township, May 15, 1866. Township officers were elected at that time, and the town started out free from all entangling alliances.

Lucius Keyes has the honor of being the first settler in Alton. He was born in Medina county, Ohio, in 1837. He now resides near Knoxville, Tenn. He moved to Alton, on section 32, in September, 1863. William Wager and Elijah Hills, with their families, came here a few days after the arrival of Keyes. The families of Wager and Hills spent the first winter in one cabin built of poles and bark taken from the old Indian wigwams, and a few basswood boards. The cabin was only 14x16 feet in size. Morris Lamb was another of the early comers. At the breaking out of the great Rebellion he was a resident of Cumberland county, Tenn., and was compelled to leave there on account of

C20 Child'S History Op Waseca County

His son, Hon. Morris H. Lamb, born in Ohio, Jan. 2, 1837, also came here in 1864. Aug. 15, 1864, Jlorris enlisted in Company F, Eleventh Minnesota infantry, and served until July 11, 1865, when he returned to his home in Alton. Oct. 20, 1870, he married Miss Harriet Oldfield, and they at one time, about 1880- 85, carried on the largest dairy business in the county. Mr. Lamb was a member of the house in the legislature of 1875. He and his family have been residents of California for a number of years.

C. M. Campion, with his sons, Patrick and John, came here at an earlj'- dn.y, and settled on section 13, where he continued to reside until his death. Patrick and Edward Hayden also settled on section 13 in 1864. For further information regarding the settlers of this township, see "Biographical Sketches."

Blooming Grove

This is one of the towns that has preserved its records in good shape. At first it was a part of the precinct of Swavesey, and so remained until April 5, 1858.

There seems to be something of a conflict of authorities regarding the organization of this township. The county commissioner record shows that the township of Blooming Grove was set off by itself by an order of the board of commissioners April 5, 1858, and that Patrick Healey, James Isaacs, and J. M. Bliven were appointed judges of election. But the records of the town show that the voters themselves had organized nearly a month before. The first recorded history of the town reads as follows :

According to an act to provide for township organization, a meeting was held at the house of Patrick Healy, in the town of Blooming Grove, Waseca county, state of Minnesota, March 11, 1858, for the purpose of electing town officers, and enacting such other township business as provided in said act.

The meeting being called to order at the proper time, James Isaacs was chosen as moderator and Morgan Woodruff as clerk. The polls were kept open from 9 o'clock a. m. to 5 o'clock p. m., with one hour adjournment at noon.

From this it appears that fifty-two ballots were cast, and that the first town meeting was closely contested as to some of the officers. At this meeting a tax of $100 was directed to be levied to defray town expenses. It was also unanimously voted that the town be divided into four road districts - the northeast quarter of the town to be designated as No. 1, the northwest quarter No. 2, the southwest quarter No. 3, and the southeast quarter No. 4.

Patrick McCullough was chosen overseer of district one, Jonathan Howell of district two, Patrick Murray of district three, and James Isaacs of district four.

It was determined by the voters present that cattle, horses and mules, over one year old, should be allowed to run at large. It was also declared that a "rail fence on crotches or spiles, four rails high, staked and rider ed, or a board (fence) four feet and a half high, with three boards five inches wide, should be a lawful fence." The meeting then adjourned until the first Tuesday in April, 1859.

The proceedings of this meeting are given in full, because it was one of great importance to the township, and because it shows how orderly and intelligently the pioneers of this county conducted public affairs, notwitlistanding the slurs of Eastern editors about the "wild and woolly AVest."

The German Methodists held services in this town at the house of Chris Remund as early as 1856. In 1860 they erected a small church, and in 1885 they built the present building in the Remund neighborhood. The Gei-man M. E. society in the Sauit'erer neighborhood was organized in 1858. For many years services were held at the residence of Hon. John L. Saufferer and then in the school house until about 1873, when they built a brick veneered church on section 1. In 1885 this building was reconstructed and given a handsome spire.

The Norwegian Lutheran church, on section 19, which accommodates people both in Iosco and Blooming Grove, was built in 1864. The Norwegian Lutherans of that neighborhood held their first church services at the house of Alec Herlugsen, Oct. 17, 1858. Rev. Laur Larson was the first pastor. He was followed successively by Rev. B. J. Muus, Rev. Quammen, Rev. 0. A. ]\Iellby of New Richland, Rev. Quanbeck, and Rev. R. P. Wasbotten of Waseca, the latter now being in charge.

The first recorded death was that of Mrs. Josiah Smith, who died in the fall of 1856. A postofSce was established in the town in 1857, and Mrs. William Gibbs was made postmistress. The office was situated on section 5. It afterwards passed into the hands of James R. Davidson, and was suspended in 1880.

W. H. H. Jackson, one of the very early settlers, is authority for the statement that the first death among the old settlers of the township was that of Henry Howell, a native of England, who was frozen to death in 1858, as elsewhere detailed.

William Reinhardt, born in Berlin, Prussia, Feb. 10, 1850, came to America in 1855 with his parents and to Blooming Grove in 1857. His father died in 1876. He married Caroline Kruger in 1878. Justus Reinhardt, a brother of AVilliam, was born in Illinois, Oct. 12, 1857, and came with his parents to Blooming rjrove in 1858. Pie married jNIiss Plelen Pehner in 18S3. They are prosperous residents of the town.

Francis Brossard, son of Augustus and Agatha Brossard, was born at Lenox, Mass., Nov. IS, 1833, and came to Blooming Grove in 1859 with his father's family. There were ten children of the Augustus Brossard family: Francis, Augustus, Edward, Charles, Joseph, Julia (]\lrs. Oliver James), Adele (Jlrs. Constant Brossard), Rosalie (Mrs. 0. P. Smith), Louise (Mrs. J. E. Jones) and Josephine (Mrs. D. T. Ballard). The Brossards took an active part in the early development of the country. The old gentleman and several of the sons resided in St. Mary at an early day.

west. It is rich in soil, with an undulating surface, plenty of timber, and ample drainage. Upland, meadow, and groves are so evenly distributed that nearly every farm has its proper proportion of each.

The first settlers in this township were Luke B. Osgood, Daniel ilcDaniels, and John H. Wheeler. David Wood followed a few days later, and Buel Welsh made a claim here in 1855, but soon returned to Faribault.

This township was organized separate from other territory the 5th day of April, 1858. On that day the board of county commissioners, consisting of Messrs. E .B. Stearns, of Otisco; John Bailey, of St. Mary ; and Luman C. Wood, of Woodville, made an order constituting township 108 N. of Range 23 W. the town of Iosco, and appointed Messrs. H. W. Peck, George L. Leonard, and David Smith judges of the election which was to be held at the house of Daniel Tripp, in said township.

First Election Of Iosco

"At an election held at the house of Daniel Tripp, in the town of Iosco, Waseca county, Minn., on the 11th day of May, A. D. 1858, the following named persons received the number of votes set to their respective names for the following offices, to wit:"

Then followed in detail the names of all the candidates and the number of votes each received. N. B. Strong was elected chairman and David Smith and John G. Ward supervisors ; Spencer J. Willis, clerk; L. B. Osgood, town collector; A. J. Bell, assessor ; B. W. Gifford, overseer of the poor ; A. J. Walton, constable ; L. P. Kellogg and Silas Ward, justices of the peace. The names of E. Carpenter, James Babcock, Samuel Hardy, William Eockwell, G. L. Leonard and H. P. Chamberlain are recorded as receiving complimentary votes, but nearly the whole vote was cast for the successful candidates. Only forty-two votes were east and the successful candidates received from thirty-nine to forty-one. The result of the election is certified to by H. W. Peck, David Smith, and G. L. Leonard, judges of election, and attested by N. E. Strong and M. L. Kellogg, clerks. The town was divided into seven road districts and the following road overseers were appointed: A. J. Walton, Daniel McDaniels, Silas

There was a large addition to the population of the township in 1856. Early that spring, N. E. Strong, George L. Leonard, Daniel Tripp, Benjamin W. Gifford, and A. A. Gotten platted a village site on section 20 and called it "Empire." It was surveyed and platted by H. W. Peck. William Long, father of Seth W., George and Frank Long, built a sawiuill at this place. Thomas and Daniel Tripp built a hotel. It was at this village of Empire that Peter Parrell stabbed and killed Jacob Hagadom on election day, in October, 1857. After the defeat of Empire in the county seat contest of 1857, the village soon disappeared, and the township reverted to its normal condition as a pa,radise for farming.

This is the northwest corner township of the county, and boasts of the largest lake in the county - one which abounds in pickerel, bass and croppies. It is a very fine body of water in the midst of a fertile country. Elscwliere in this work is given a record of the first settlement which occurred in 1S55. John Douglas and a man named Hughes were the first settlers, and John Davis and Alfred Holstein, Indian traders, came next.

The board of county commissioners, April 5, 1858, set off and organized the township under the name of Okaman, with two polling places. The one at Okaman had, for judges of election, Alex. Johnston, C. H. Bisliop, and W. X. Buckhout, and the election was to be held at the house of A. Tuttle. The other polling place was at the house of Caesar De Regan, with R. Brown, John Cunningham, and De Regan as judges. On the 17th of the next May, upon petition filed, the name of the township was changed to Janesvillc. Under the township oi-ganization, adopted by the first state legislature, N. E. Strong was the first chairman of the board of supervisors, and served as a member of the board of county supervisors during the year. The next year he was followed by J. W. La Paul. l\Ir. La Paul, within the year, moved

The only town records to be found commence with the year 1868. The town meeting of that year was held at the house of Amos Roberts, in Okaman village, on the 7th of April. Mr. Hiram Christman was chosen moderator ; the town clerk and town treasurer each made a report, and both reports were adopted. Prom all that appears upon the record book, these reports might have been verbal. As to their contents, the record book is altogether silent. The town then had ten road districts and the following gentlemen were chosen overseers of highways : R. C. Wilkins, A. J. Patchen, Richard Cahill, Thomas McHugo, John Cahill, J. R. Wright, Henry Lane, Hiram Fish, William Popham, Nelson Thwing. The meeting voted a tax of $315 for town expenses, the sum of $400 for the payment of outstanding soldier bounties, and one per cent, upon all taxable property for road expenses. The supervisors elected were Silas Waterbury (chairman), William Patchin, and Hiram Fish; W. N. Buckhout, town clerk; J. H. Ricker, treasurer; A. N. Roberts, assessor; C. P. Pratt and Hiram Christman, justices of the peace; C. Hover and C. Peaslee, constables. That year there was paid from the road fund $83.91, and for ordinary expenses $104.60.

Caesar De Regan made a claim in 1856 and had surveyed and platted the old village of 'Janesville. The town site subsequently fell into the hands of J. W. Hosmer and others, but when the present Janesville was platted the old site was gradually abandoned.

The village of Okaman at the head of Lake Elysian was platted in May, 1857. The proprietors were W. P. Mathes, B. S. Hall, S. M. Cooley, F. E. Roberts, and G. H. Bishop. Here was situated the famous Buckhout flouring mills, which furnished flour to the early settlers as far south as the Iowa state line for years. Okaman was one of the prettiest little villages in the state of Minnesota from 1857 to 1864, and was inhabited by an orderly, intelligent, and cultured people who had great hopes that it would grow into a city. Alas, for human hopes and expectations! Okaman now exists only in name.

Village Of Janesville

Janesville, or "East Janesville, " as it was platted, is one of the substantial and permanent towns of Southern Minnesota. It is in the midst of a beautiful and rich farming country, inhabited by an industrious and frugal people, who earn and command prosperity. It was platted in August, 1869, by Surveyor S. H. Mott for J. W. Sprague, general manager of the W. & St. P. railroad at that time. Nine additions have been added since. Buildings were constructed as if by magic. James Cummins hauled the first load of lumber for the first building, Baldwin's hotel. J. O. Chandler, A. W. Jennison, F. II. I\Iiner, D. J. Dodge & Co., J. D. Andrews, and others erected buildings that fall. Dr. Crai'i' wa.s the first physician, and John Bradish, Es([., the first attorney, as he was the first in Waseca county In the winter of 1869-70, several buildings from Old Janesville were moved to the now town, and in the spring of 1870 the new town was full of life and vigor. James Cummins, born March 5, 1840, in Kenosha county, AVis., came to Blue Earth county in 1857, lived in Old Janesville for a time, and soon took a hand in the business of the new town. Joseph Davison, horn in the state of Xew York, in 1834, came to Byron township in 1862, enlisted in Company D, First Minnesota heavy artillery Oct. 20, 1864, served until Sept. 27, 1865, returned to Minnesota the same year, and in 1869 went to Janesville and helped to build the town as a contractor and builder. The Banner flouring mill, now owned by Jennison & Co., was built in 1873, by the firm of Stokes, Kimball & Co. The Diadem flouring mill was erected in 1877, by Harn, Snyder & Co. They became financially involved and the mill passed to Ilillyer & Tillotson, then to J. S. Snteliffe, and finally, in 1886, it became the property of Jennison Bros. The W. & St. P. railroad company erected a grain elevator in 1S()I), which soon after passed into other hands. Among the business houses, that of Byron & Barden is very popular.

The first school house was erected in 1871, at a cost of $2,800. Another school building was erected in 1877, and a third in 188,"). The latest is a brick building costing $7,000.

The town and village together, in 1878, put up a building 45x 100 feet, which is used as a town hall and for public meetings of all kinds. It cost about $5,000, and is a credit to the place.