Ellsworth Township

Ellsworth Township

ONGRESSIONAL township 118, north of range 3U west, is known 'as the civil town of Ellsworth. It comprises some 23,019 acres ; 18,494 acres are either fine, arable prairie, oak openings, or covered with timber; 4,525 acres of its sui'face are included in the beautiful lakes which dot its bosom. It was named in honor of that gallant hero. Col. Elmer E. Ellsworth, who was so ruthlessly murdered at Alexandria, Va., in the spring of 1861, for defending his fiag from insult. Tiie soil, a quick, warm, sandy loam, is remarkalily fertile, and the return to the husbandman ample. The chief product is wheat, of tlie best quality of the much sought after hard variety.

The pioneer settler in tins town was Dr. V. P. Kennedy, now^ a resident of the county seat, who came here in June, 1856, and took tlie land formerly claimed by Dr. F. N. Pipley. He made his residence here for a number of years previous to his removal to Litchfield.

The others who made settlements in what is now Ellsworth, during the year 1856, were - Thaddeus E. Webb, James Barrett, Dr. Eussell "Whiteman, and ))ossibly one or two others.

Like all who pioneer the way for advancing emigration, these hardy men and their families were called upon to endure many privations, such as is incident to life upon the frontier. Their nearest market was St. Paul, a hundred miles distant, by the rude road of the period, and the smallness of their crops gave them but little to purchase with when tliey reached that cit}'.

In 1858, there came to this subdivision of the county, the following named, who found homes here - James Fallon, John M. Mousley, Alfred Mousley, John Hurley, W. II.

In 1859 and 1860, there were but few to seek homes in what is now Ellsworth township, the financial panic of 1857 having for a time put a stop to all, or nearly all, immigration. Among the few who did dare to come west in those years and locate here, Avere the following named : George McGowen, Ira Pratt, Sr., Ira Pratt, Jr., Silas Pratt and Mr. Mathews.

Tiie Indian outbreak of the fall of 1862, depopulated this town, along with the balance of the county. For a little while thereafter, there were but few within its limits, l)ut it has gradual^ filled up, however, until now it has a respectably large population of sturdy farmers.

The second births and first deaths in the village, were those of Frankie and Fred, the twin babies of Hon. AV. II. Greenleaf, whose birth and death occurred in 1860.

Ellsworth township was for years a portion of the town of Greenleaf, but on the 1st of September, 1868, it was organized as a separate civil township, under its present name. At the first election therein, most of the residents took an active part. The present officers are as follows - Supervisors: Eudolph Krussow (chairman), Jonathan Mc- Stotts and D. Barret ; assessor, Ira Gleason ; clerk, N. Y. Taylor; treasurer, Eudolph Leverence ; justices, John Vogelpohl and L. L. Sisson ; constables, D. F. Smith and Wm. Christoph.

Greenleaf Village

Tlie village of (xreenleaf was laid out and platted by Dana E. King, in 1859, and the plat filed for record on the 3d of Septemljer of that year. Shortly after this W. H. Greenleaf, A. C. Smith and Bennett M. Brink acquired an interest in the town site by purchase. The village plat was situated upon the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter, the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter, and lots 5 and 6, of section 30, and contained a mill site and water-power.

Previous to the laying out of the town, in the fall of 1858, William II. Greenleaf and Dana E. King came here, and ^he former, finding a mill site, went back to Wisconsin, and, purchasing the machinery for a sawmill, returned the same fall with Bennett M. Brink, and the two in company erected the saw-mill and improved the water-power. Around this mill sprang up the little settlement which bore the name of Greenleaf. atter the founder of the leading industry of the place. Dana E. King returned in 1S59, and laid out the town as above mentioned, having preempted the land. In 1859 Judson A. Brink came to the embryo village, and here made his residence until 186-1, when he returned to New York State, from which he had come, where he died of consumption at a later date. Greenleaf and Brink operated the mill from December, 1858, until the spring of 1862, when Judson A. Brink purchased the interest of Mr. Greenleaf, and the two brothers ran the mill in partnership until 1861:. Steam was then put in and its owners continued its operation until three years plater, when they removed the machinery some few miles into the woods. It was after- Avard removed to the village of Dassel.

In 1862, on closing out his interest in the mill, W. H. Greenleaf put up a store building, and opened a stock of hardware and groceries. This was the first attempt toward mercantile life in the village, and was, like everything else in the county, interrupted by the dreadful Indian outbreak of the autumn of 1862. In March, 186-1-, Mr. Greenleaf returned here and put in a stock of general mercluunlise. A short time after this he took into partnership C. B. Jordan, but, two months afterwai'd, sold out to his ]iartner. The latter gentleman ran the store for some years, but subsequently disposed of it to John Rank, who ran it for some time.

One year after selling out, W. H. Greenleaf erected the second store building, and in it opened with another stock of the same general character. This establishment he sold out to L. S. Weymouth, who carried on the business until 1884.

Anderson opened the third store here in 1868, and ran it for one year. These were all the mercantile establishments of the place. Miss Sophia C. Pratt, the present postmistress of the village, is also the present merchant, and carries an extensive stock of general merchandise.

A flouring mill was erected in the summer of 1862, by Dana E. King and Judson A. Brink, but its construction and equipment having been interrupted bj' the Indian troubles, it was not in running order until 186-I-. This manufacturing institution, which was a large and well-constructed building, with three run of stone, was shortly after sold to Xorman Pixley and Albert Delong, who ran it in partnership until 1873. Mr. Pixley then sold out to his copartner, who admitted to the firm J. R. JNlcDonald, and under this management the mill remained for a time. Finally, as the investment did not pay, it was sold to Mr. Leiser, who tore it down and removed it bodily to Traverse county, this State, about the year 1879.

The United States Land Office, which had formerly been located at Forest City, was removed to Greenleaf in 1866, at which time Dr. Fletcher was the receiver, and B. F.

Baker the register. This office remained in the village until in December, 1869, when the growing importance of the railroad town of Litchfield, the new county seat, attracted nearly everything else in the county, and tlie office was moved to that place.

A seminary was started in the village in 1867, with Rev. W. 0. Harding as principal and Miss Todd as assistant. On account of the sparsely settled condition of the country at that time, this institution of learning, which was ablycondiicted, could not be made a success, and only existed for some two 3'ears, when it was abandoned for want of sufficient support.

The first school was taught in the village in 1859, by Miss Lj'dia Angier. This was the first district school in the town of Ellsworth, and was held in a school-house that was built the same year.

The first and only hotel of which the place could l)()ast w^as opened by C. W. Butterfield in 1865, he buying the residence of Dana E. King for that j'ui'pose. He has kept it ever since, enlarging the original building as the necessities of the occasion required, and is still the landlord.

The first religious services were held at the residence of W. H. Greenleaf, in the upper story of the saw-mill, in the fall of 1859, on which occasion Rev. J. C. Whitney, a Presl)yterian clergyman, officiated. A church edifice was built in 1S68, by the Presbyterian congregation, in which the Rev. AY. C. Harding, now deceased, was the first jiastor.

The first blacksmith shojs was put up and operated by Henry Keach, in 1861. He remained here until about 1870, and then removed to Nebraska. James McCue is the present blacksmith of the village, and does a flourishing business.