Utica City

Utica City

This is undoubtedly one of the richest agricultural townships in the State of Minnesota. With the exception of a few groves of limited area, it is entirely composed of gently undulating prairie, with a rich surface soil lying on a clay subsoil. The township extends nearly to the bluffs and valleys bordering the Mississippi river. It is bounded by Norton township on the north, Warren on the east, Fremont south and St. Charles west ; and is described as T. 106, R. 9, W. of the 5th P.M. of the United States survey. Agriculture employs the attention of nearly every one of its citizens.

of the townsliij), and the other called Lewiston, in honor ot its founder, Jonathim Smith Lewis. The latter village is incor})orated. Botli these hamlets sprang into life with the construction of the "Winona & St. Peter railroad, on which Hue thej are located. There is scarcely a farm throughout the extent of this township that is not marked by large and handsome buildings, many of them built of brick or stone. The number and size of iarm barns is something remarkable. Utica was first settled by people from New York and Indiana, but most of the early residents have gone, and their places are mostly taken b}^ emigrants from Germany. The eastern hall ©f the township is now almost wholly occupied by these people, many of whom are recent arrivals, and they bid fair soon to possess the whole township. Many of them cannot read or speak the English language, but they are an industrious, peaceful class of citizens, and are fast developing the agricultural resources of the country. Schools and churches receive a liberal support, and the intellectual development of the community is not backward. The first permanent settlement in the town of Utica was made in the fall of 1854. During this year came Andrew Peterman and Peter Raymond, of Indiana, Henry and Lyman Raymond, of New York, Rev. William Sweet, E. H. Barrett, Dr. John W. Bentley, and two others named Hall and Malloy, all of whom spent the following winter here. Collins Rice came and took a claim and built a sod house thereon in the fall of 1854 ; the next spring he brought his family and lived a short time in this house. Mrs. Rice relates that one morning while washing her dishes she happened to look up and discover a snake lying close under the roof on a shelf formed by the sod wall, and surveying the scene with quiet contentment. The good lady's contentment was not so quiet, and the intruder was soon banished. A frame building was soon prepared and occupied, and Mr. and Mrs. Rice are still to be found in their pleasant home on the original homestead, one and one-half miles southeast of Lewiston. Another of Mrs. Rice's un])leasant experiences was with a weasel which captured two-thirds of her small brood of ciiickens ; but his weaselship soon paid the penalty of his thefts ; one night, while gorged with his ill-gotten feast, he was seized by the neck in Mrs. Rice's determined grasp and held a prisoner till her husband dispatched him. During the fall of 1854 occurred the first birth of a white child in town, a daughter born to Dr. Bentley and christened Harriet.

In 1855 nearly all the land was taken up by settlers. In the spring of this year came Austin Raymond, father of the brothers above named, Luzon, his son, James Myers, William H. D wight, Clayburn Cheatham, J. S. Lewis, David Wlietstine, Philip Ramer, and numerous others. The first death was that of an infant child of Peter Ramer, wliich occurred in April, 1855. In the fall of the same year Mrs. Clayburn Cheatham died of consumption. In October, 1856, Daniel Ramer, a brother of Philip, died of the same disease, and about the same time Mrs. Perry Miller passed away. In February, 1857, Steward Cook, one of the pioneers, was killed by a landslide from the bluff while going through a valley on the way to Winona. Steps were early taken to secure postal facilities, and a postoffice was established on the northeast quarter of Sec. 23, the fall of 1855, at the house of William H. Dwight. The business of the office was transacted by Collins Rice. Soon after this a postofiice was also established at Dr. Bentley's house, on Sec. 17, ^ with the doctor as postmaster. It is still related, as one of the examples of the style of business in those days, that the mail was kept in an old trunk, and anyone expecting mail was free to sort over the contents of said trunk, taking or leaving as he pleased. This was quite as "convenient" as Elder Ely's hat, in the early days of Winona. The two postofiices still maintained in the town are near the above original sites, namely, at the villages of Lewiston and Utica.

Among the settlers of 1855 were a number of Dunkard families, who sought to settle a community of their faith. They succeeded in so doing, and now have a neat and commodious church edifice, standing on the eastern side of the line dividing Utica from Warren township. Philip Ramer, one of these pioneers, was a preacher of this faith, and very soon after their arrival regular meetings of the sect were inaugurated. As early as May 20, 1855, Mr. Ramer preached at the house of J. S. Lewis. In July of the same year Rev. William Sweet preached in a grove in the central part of the town. In 1856 Mr. Ramer conducted religions services in the western part of the town, in a shanty built by Luzon Raymond on his first claim. The first school of which we can find any memory was taught in the summer of 1856 by Miss Elizabeth Sands, in Mr. Raymond's pre-emption shanty on Sec. 19. The next year a frame schoolhouse was built in the same locality, and a good-sized school occupied it.

The large niunber of men seeking locations in tliis section in 1855-6 made a large demand for hotel accommodations, and very meagre accommodations were satisfactorv. The first hotel was probably that kept by A. and L. Raymond, father and son, in a log building on the southeast quarter of Sec. 18, in 1855-6-7. Dr. Bentley was the first justice of the peace in the town, being chosen at an election held at his house in the fall of 1855 ; E. H. Barrett was also chosen justice, but did no business. The other officers were : trustees, Collins Rice, D. Cheatham and Moses Pike ; assessor, Philip Ramer; treasurer, J. W. Bentley; constable, L. J. Aldrich. As a sample of Dr. Bentley's easy way of doing business may be mentioned a marriage ceremony performed by him in 1857. The principals, Frank Gleason and Genevra Bruce, being ordered by the doctor to stand up and join hands, he said: "By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Territory of Minnesota, I pronounce you man and wife." This was, perhaps, the first marriage in town. In November, 1856, Edwin Pierce and Chloe A. Raymond, residents of this town, were married at Rochester. Most of the weddings in early days were performed by Esquire Rice, who was chosen at the second election as justice of the peace. In 1858 he married Moses George to Lucretia Lewis. Soon after this he joined A. P. Lovejoy and the widow of John Morehead. The latter was killed by falling from a wagon in 1858.

On the organization of the township, following the admission of the state. May 11, 1858, the town election was held at Dr. Bentley's house. The next year it was held at the house of Levi Matthews, on the S.E. ^ of Sec. 16, and continued to be held there for many years. Mr. Dwight very much desired to have the town named New Boston, but a majority of the voters coincided with Dr. Bentley's wish, and it was accordingly christened Utica. The first board of supervisors was composed of Clayburn Cheatham, E. P. Williams and William Elliott. Owing to the destruction of the town records by fire, in 1880, it is impossible to learn who were the other officers elected at that time ; and no record can be given of subsequent elections, except the last four. T. J. Hammer has been town clerk for the last seven years. In 1880 the supervisors elected were James H. Perry, John Posz and J. B. Stebbins ; the next year R. K. Holding took the place of Stebbins. The same board was elected in 1882 ; but Mr. Holding soon died, and John H. Firth was appointed in his place. At the election this year Henry Nusslock was chosen instead of Firth, the others being re-elected. James H. Perry has been chairman of the town board fourteen years, and a member of that body sixteen years. John Posz has been supervisor or assessor every year since 1874 except one.

Lewiston Village

The act incorporating this village was approved February 23, 1875. It includes Sec. 17. The organic act required that the first election be held on the first Monday of March, that year, which was the first day of the month. The following officers were elected : Trustees, L. J. Allred, William Elliott and Peter Peters ; clerk, N. E. Earch ; treasurer, Peter Lewis; justice, I. C. Slade ;. constable, J. B. Lancaster.

Tlie village is now in prosperous condition financially. The report of the treasurer at-the last election showed $510 in the treasury. Six saloons are licensed at $75 per year. But little expenditure is required for streets and sidewalks, as the village has but limited population or business.

The census of 1880 showed a population of 241. Among its business establishments at this time are three grain warehouses, tour general stores, hardware store, harness shop, wagon and carriage shop, meat market, and several blacksmith and shoemakers' shops.

The site of the village was chosen in 1863. The railroad company had contemplated the location of its station a half mile farther ea^t, and a few farmers in that locality offered Philip Eamer $50 per acre for the site in order to secure its location there, but he refused to sell at that price. J. S. Lewis, who owned the site of the present station, deeded the railway company an undivided half interest in fifteen acres of land, and secured the location of the station where it now is.

Considerable business is transacted in this small hamlet. The difficulties of the roads through the Mississippi bluffs to Winona drive a great deal of trade here from the prairie regions lying north and south ; and its distance from St. Charles also contributes to its local importance as a trading center.

Utica Village

Utica village was laid out in 1866 by Benjamin Ellsworth, owner of the site. It is platted at right angles to the railroad, and is nearly all on the northwest quarter of Sec. 19, one corner lying on Sec. 18. The tirst building on the site of the village was a grain warehouse, erected by Mr. Ellsworth on the advent of the railroad in 1868, and for some years a portion of this structure was occupied as a depot by the railway company. The })lat embraces fifty lots, 160 X 60 feet in area, and twenty lots, 132 X 60. The first building erected' after the survey was a store on lot two, block two, built and occupied by Gideon Peterman; L. C. Bates soon built a general store on lot one, block two, and A. D. Ellsworth built the hotel on lot five, block three. There are now two warehouses, a general store, hotel, drug-store, tin-shop, harness-shop, shoe-shop, saloon, blacksmith-shops, etc. The village is not incorporated, and its exact population is unknown.

At present there are four church organizations in the township and three church edifices. Others have been organized, but have gone out of existence. The first society which sprang into existence was that of the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1858 Rev. Michael Klepper, of St. Charles, fiimiliarly known as Father Klepper, began ])reaching in the little frame schoolhouse which stood a short distance east of the present village of Utica. During this year or early in the next a small society was organized, with J. B. Stebbins as steward and classleader, which ofiice he now fills for the same organization. A union Sabbath school was soon organized ; L. W. Rowlev was chosen as superintendent, and has acted in that capacity nearly all the time since, still doing so ; the school now numbers fifty members and is prosperous. Methodist preaching is still maintained in the schoolhouse at Utica, but the society has been much weakened ))y deaths and removals and no class is kept up.

In the fall of 1860 a Methodist class was ofganized in the northern ])art of the town at the "Red Schoolliouse." J. B. Jayne was classleader and J. B. Stebbins steward. Tiie class numbered thirty-five members, and sustained a Sunday school of fifty members,

The second society was the Presbyterian, organized at Utica in 1860, by Rev. H. L. Craven, who then resided at La Crescent and visited this point once in three weeks. There were six members, viz: L. W. Rowley, Thomas Sloan and John M. Boyd, and their respective wives. Mr. Rowley was elder. Wo organization is now kept up, and but two families of this sect remain in the vicinity.

The Lutheran Society of Lewiston was organized under the name of St. John's church, in the year 1866. At that time the society consisted of seventeen members. The society built its first church, a building 21x40 feet, one mile west of the village of Lewiston. The first minister having charge of the society was Rev. L. Schmidt, who supplied the church for about two years. From the year 1868 to 18T8 the field was occupied by five different ministers, in their order as follows: R. Weise, A. Blumer, L. F. Frey, H. Freese and G. Schaaf. In July, 1878, Rev. O. Koch took charge of the church, under whose pastorate it continues up to the present time. In the year 1879 the society built their present edifice, a veneered brick, 36x56 feet, 18 feet high, with steeple 83 feet in height. The present building is in the village of Lewiston, was built at a cost of $3,000, and will seat five hundred people. The following year the old building was moved to near the site of the new church and is used for school purposes. In 1882 the society added a neatly built parsonage to its church property, making in all property valued at nearly $5,000. At present the membership of the society numbers forty-five and it is enjoying a steady and healthful growth.

In 1865 Rev. B. F. Kelley, a Baptist clergyman, resided at Lewiston, where he attempted to organize a society, but did not receive sufficient support to enable the plan to succeed. He preached there about a year.

A Baptist society was organized at Utica, March 28, 1868, by Rev. Jackson, of St. Charles township, who had been holding services there at intervals. There were fourteen members; Joel B. Dewey was deacon of the class, Henry H. Cheathan, clerk, and Frank W. Curtise, treasurer. Preaching is still maintained by this sect at the schoolhouse, but no organization now exists.

Alois Flut, of Winona, at the house of John Kirch, near Lewiston, in 1868; seven families participated. In 1878 Peter Peters bought four acres of land in the S.W. ^ of S.W. ^ Sec. 14, which he fenced and planted, and subsequently gave it to the church for a building spot. The site is a beautiful one, the ground gently sloping from the center. In 1876 a society was inaugurated with tliirty-seven families. John Hatreich, John Daley and Timothy Roeling were the trustees ; the first was secretary and Mr. Daley treasurer of the society. In 1878 a veneered brick church was built on this site. It is 54 X 28 feet in area, with audience room twenty feet high, and will seat two hundred persons. Its cost was $2,500. Forty families are now included in the organization, and services are regularly conducted by Father Smith, of St. Charles.

Harmony Lodge, A. F. and A. M., was organized at Enterprise, three and one-half miles south of Lewiston, but soon after removed to the latter place. The first stated communication was held June

1, 1863. It started out with eleven charter members. The officers were as follows: Orrin Wheeler, W.M.; N. B. Uiford, S.W.; S. W. Gleason, J.W. ;A. R. Hoit, Treas. ; Sebastian Giesreidter, Sec; William Proteus, D.S.D. ; Lucius Brainard, J.D. ; John James, Tyler. The other charter members were S. D. King, J. W. Klepper and George McNutt. The lodge now has a membership of thirty-one, and is in a prosperous condition. It is free of debt, has $125 in the treasury, and is well supplied with regalia and furniture. Following is a list of the present officers : I. C. Slade, W.M.; Henry Nusslock, S.W.; K Turner, J.W.; Peter Fischer, Treas.; O. W. Hunt, Sec; August Zander, S.D. ; C. J. Sivly, J.D. ; L. Siebenhuener, Tyler. Since the first formation of the lodge one hundred and twenty-nine persons have been connected with it.