Jerauld County, South Dakota - The whole text, 1909 (part 5 of 10)

In the autumn of 1888, L. N. Loomis, who was about to retire from the office of register of deeds, established The Bank of Alpena. He continued as sole proprietor of the institution until December 15th, 1891, when he took D. F. Royer and H. J. Wallace into the bank with him and they incorporated it with a capital of $6,000, Mr. Loomis still being the manager. In 1902 the building now occupied by the bank was erected, and in January, 1903, the bank and building were sold to O. L. Branson, D. T. Gilman and J. R. Milliken, the latter being the resident manager. Under this management the bank continued until January 1st, 1907, when it passed into the hands of the present owners, who have increased its capital to $12,000, with $3,000 surplus.

After the dedication of the I. O. O. F. Hall on July 4th, 1888, Roth Bros, opened a stock of general merchandise in the lower room, moving from the store room previously occupied by them on the opposite side of the street. They continued the business until 1891, when they sold to D. S. and M. A. Manwaring. The present owner, Mr. A. F. Smith, bought the stock and business from Manwaring Bros, in 1897.

Among the pioneers of the county who died in 1888 were J. O. Gray, county assessor, on Nov. 1st, and L. H. Tarbell, proprietor of the Wessington Springs Hotel, on March 22nd. After the death of Mr. Tarbell the hotel was conducted by Miss Lina A. French until the appointment of R. S. Vessey as administrator of the Tarbell ^state.

The first meat market in Wessington Springs was opened by Ed. Hinchliff, of Woonsocket, on Monday, April 9th, 1888, but the enterprise was not long lived.

On May 10th, 1888, John Grant made the first final homestead proof on seven year residence that was made in the county. The land was the SE of 19 in Wessington Springs township.

Mrs. Julius Smith opened a millinery stock May 23rd, in a building owned by T. H. Null west of Morse & La Font's hardware store, but it also was of short duration.

The closing exercises of the first year of the Seminary occurred cn the afternoon of June 14th, 1888. The students who had a part in these exercises were Dale Wallace, Maude Spears, Cora Sickler, Walter Bateman, Gertie Anderson, Walter Mathias, Matie Mercer, F. E. Gaffin, Chas. Ford, Nellie Vessey, Effie Crow, Kara Snart, A. C. Thompson,* Lena Crow, John Bremner, James Osborne and Lulu Smart.

The first harness shop in Wessington Springs was started by R. E. Ketchum in June, 1888. Another shop was opened soon after by C. N. Hall and in the following winter Mr. Ketchum moved his work to his home on Sec. 31 in Marlar township.

December 5th, 1888. Some one threw a burning cigar stub into the street. A strong northwest wind picked it up and tumbled it into a pile of street refuse that had accumulated under the platform in front of Albert & Vessey's store.

By midnight all the town was asleep - all but John R. Francis, who, as was his custom, sat in the office of the Tarbell hotel reading by the light of a kerosene lamp. About 2 o'clock he chanced to glance out of the window and saw a small jet af flame leap up under the store front. A cup of water would have extinguished it. He sprang to the water pail that usually stood on the wash stand in the hotel office. It was empty. He shouted "fire" and ran to the kitchen to get a pail of water from there. That pail was empty. He took it and ran to the east door of the kitchen to get water from the barrels that usually stood just outside in a wagon. The door was locked and the key gone. He ran out through the office and around to the wagon, still shouting "fire ! fire !" The barrels were empty. Not a drop of water nearer than the creek. He ran to that, all the time sounding the alarm. As he passed the fire a pail full of water would have put it out. But the wind was fanning it and scattering the sparks. By the time he returned from the stream a crowd was gathering, but the flames were beyond control. In an hour the store was in ashes, the Tarbell hotel was in ruins with its stables and sheds, together with Hackett's real estate office and the oil-shed belonging to the hardware store. There was no snow on the ground and a prairie fire went racing off southeast before the wind. The hotel was never rebuilt. The mercantile firm went into the Stephens' building and was soon doing business again.

But little change was made in the mail service of the county during the year. Sept. 1st the Templeton post office in Media was discontinued and m the same month Ada P. O. was established at the residence of A. Converse in Anina township. This office was named in honor of Miss Ada Needham, youngest daughter of Don C. Needham and a niece of the postmaster.

In February, 1888, the P. O. department at Washington, on its own motion .changed the name of the Lyndale office to Fauston, because it was so often mistaken for Tyndale in Bon Homme county.

The first political county convention in 1888 was held at Wessington Springs by the Democrats on the 25th day of April, with John R. Francis as chairman and J. R. Dalton, of Blaine township, secretary. It was held for the purpose of selecting delegates to the Democratic territorial convention at Watertown to elect delegates to the national convention. The delegates selected were Pat McDonald, J. R. Dalton, J. J. Steiner and J. R. Francis. This was a mass convention.

The Republican convention for the same purpose was held at Wessington Springs, May 12th, with C. E. Thayer, chairman and F. B. Phillips, secretary. The delegates chosen at this meeting were L. F. Schaefer, B. B. Blosser, W. T. Coffee and O. P. Hull, all newspaper men, supposed to be provided with railroad passes, according to the custom of those days. This, also, was a mass convention.

The "line-up" for the battle in the county began with the meeting of the Republican county central committee at Wessington Springs on June 23rd, 1888. At that meeting a mass convention was called for July 14th to elect delegates to the territorial convention at Watertown, Aug. 22nd, to nominate a delegate to congress. The committee at the same meeting issued a call for the regular county convention to be held Sept. 29th, at Wessington Springs, and recommending a call of the township caucuses for Saturday, Sept. 22.

In July the Democrats held their congressional convention at Jamestown, at which J. W. Harden, of Jerauld county, was nominated for congress.

The call for township caucuses was formally issued Sept. 7th, with the recommendation that all caucuses be held from the hour 2 p. m. to 4 p. m. and be conducted like general elections, the township committeemen to act as judges. This method of holding caucuses was adopted

Those who proposed this method thought its absolute fairness would be a safeguard against the feeling of dissatisfaction that had in former years, followed each Republican county nominating convention. It was found, however, that shrewd politicians will manipulate any convention and that disappointed candidates will not be satisfied with the results.

The county convention met on the day appointed in the call, and John Teasdale, of Dale township, was made chairman, with E. S. Waterbury, of Crow township for secretary. The convention nominated D. F. Royer, of Alpena, for councilman, and gave him the privilege of selecting the delegates to the district legislative convention, which had been called to meet at Alpena on October 2nd. The ticket placed in nomination was as follows.

At the Alpena convention Oct. 2nd, there were three candidates for territorial councilman from this district, Lowry, of Beadle county, Price of Sanborn, and Royer of Jerauld. Twenty-six ballots were taken before any candidate received a majority. Then one of the Jerauld county delegates voted for Lowry and he was nominated. The convention then named Royer and Price for assemblymen by acclamation.

Two days later, Oct. 4th, the Democratic legislative convention was held at Alpena. Mr. Davis, of Beadle county was named for the territorial council, and Frank Anderson, of Sanborn county, and A. Converse, of Jerauld county, for the assembly.

The Democratic county committee met at Wessington Springs on Oct. 2nd and called a delegate convention for that party, to be held on Oct. 13th. The convention met at the time appointed and was called to order by Jefferson Sickler, committee chairman. Twenty-eight delegates were in attendance, John Chapman, of Wessington Springs, was made chairman. A full ticket was nominated, although a part of the Republican ticket was indorsed. It was as follows:

For the first time the Democratic party organized and prepared for hard work. They felt sure of the support of that part of the Republicans who had been defeated at previous elections and especially of those who remembered the defeat of Mr. Converse for commissioner the year before.

I hese dissatisfied Republicans now saw an opportunity to "get even" with those who had controlled the party since its organization, and accordingly a mass convention was held on Oct. 24th. A new ticket made up of Republicans and Democrats was put in the field as follows:

The young voters of this, and future generations, will hardly credit the story of how their fathers carried elections. The method of holding caucuses adopted in Jerauld county in 1888 was a great improvement ever prior methods. In former years a candidate would get enough of his supporters together to hold a caucus, and be prompt at the time ?nrf place mentioned in the "call.'' If an opposing candidate for the party nomination was present with his supporters, it then became a matter of majority, or possibly of parliamentary tactics. If the opposition was a few minutes late in reaching the place of holding the caucus, they were liable to find all the work done, the delegates elected and the caucus adjourned. The writer has known instances where the whole work of "expressing the will of the people," in a populous precinct was done by a half-dozen men in three minutes. So the plan of holding the caucus open for two hours as adopted in 1888 was looked upon with much favor. But in all other respects the campaign was in accordance with "time honored customs.''

During the last two weeks of the campaign business was almost at a stancl-still. Every man was a politician. Day and night the contest raged. The farmer was called from his bed at midnight for a few hurried words and the messenger sped on in the darkness, to be followed by other messengers from the opposition before morning. Tickets were printed with a party name at the head but possibly containing the names of all the opposing candidates. In many instances tickets with "stickers" pasted on were distributed by men stationed at the polls for that purpose. The "sticker" was a narrow strip of gummed paper upon which was printed the name of a candidate. These strips were intended to be put on the tickets of the opposite party over the name of the opposing candidates. During the two weeks before the election the newspapers of the county advertised "stickers for sale at reasonable prices." Heated political discussions, in which the matter in dispute, was the merits of a party or a candidate were engaged in at the polling places and participated in by the judges of election and as many of the bystanders as cared to take a part.

Meanwhile the little band of temperance workers in the county kept a watchful eye upon political affairs and prepared for the statehood campaign that everybody knew would soon come.

August 3rd a W. C. T. U. society was organized at Alpena with Mrs. J. R. Milliken, Mrs. R. Davenport, Mrs. F. W. Whitney, Mrs. Wm. Arne, Mrs. C. D. Woriall, Mrs. Daniel Kint, Mrs. Underwood and Miss Lizzie Crawford as charter members.

Early in January, 1889, B. B. Blosser, editor and publisher of the True Republican began planning for a spelling contest to be participated in by all the public schools of the county, the prize to be a set of Alden's Encyclopedia for the winning school. A committee of arragenment was appointed composed of Mrs. N. J. Dunham, Mrs. C. V. Martin, Miss Kate McLean, B. R. Shimp, J. F. Wicks, N. E. Williams, and E. C. Nordyke, with B. B. Blosser and Supt. B inford.

The interest of the schools at once became great. Each township could be represented by a class of four students made up from all the schools of the township, the classes to be selected at township contests to be held on the 2nd day of March. The township contests were conducted by educators from outside the township. The appointments were as follows :

Supt. Binford pronounced 100 words from the first fifty pages of Mc- Guffey's Speller. The words were written by the contestants, with the following results in words missed :

On April 2nd prairie fires raged in all parts of the territory, accompanied by an electric wind storm of great violence. The loss in Jerauld county was estimated at $100,000. Particulars will be given more fully in a chapter to be devoted to prairie fires.

The territorial farmers Alliance established a warehouse at Wessington Springs to handle farm supplies. This institution began doing business in February, with W. N. Hill as manager.

In the same month Mr. L. G. Wilson, of Viola township called the attention of the farmers to the large number of silk cocoons that were hanging from the branches of small trees throughout the county and requested, through the newspapers, that a quantity be gathered and brought to him, at Wessington Springs. A barrel of them was soon at his disposal and he shipped them to Paris to be tested as to their value. They were found to be of good quality, but could never afterward be found in sufficient quantities to pay for the work of gathering them.

On October 1st G. N. Price took charge of the Wessington Springs- Waterbury stage line, which gave him control of all the mail routes of the county.

In March Ray Barber sold the hardware business in Alpena to Grant McLean, who continued it about a year and then sold to F. B. Phillips. In 1894 Phillips sold the business to D. H. Wood. In June, 1900, he sold to Grant Anderson, who is still in charge.

J. H. \ essey moved from Crow Lake to Wessington Springs about the middle of January, 1889, and the next month bought the mercantile business of Albert & Vessey.

R. S. Vessey _and C. E. Nordyke formed a partnership to do real estate business at Wessington Springs and opened their office in the building erected by W. J. Williams on the lot owned by H. Bakewell, of Plankinton. The partnership continued until Oct. 1st.

One of the buildings erected in WVssington Springs in 1889, was a stone bath house in July, by A. C. Thompson, on the east side of the creek opposite his barn. The barn is now owned by Mrs. Eva Whitney, but the bath house soon fell to ruins.

Charles E. Thayer, who in five years had amassed a fortune in the banking business in Wessington Springs, sold his institution to Charles W. Lane, who took charge of the bank Oct. 1st, 1889.

About the middle of November, 1889, Wm. Skinner and C. W. Pettis started a meat market on the south side of Main street, near where Shulks Drug Store now stands.

In religious matters the only events of importance in the county in 1889 were the first Free Methodist camp meeting, which began June 12th and lasted one week, in the grove by the big spring, and the county Sunday School convention which was held May 23rd.

Along educational lines the most important event of the year was the organization of a lecture association by R. S. Vessey, G. R. Bateman and Prof. J. K. Freeland. Mr. Vessey was made the president of the society and Mr. Freeland secretary. The society is still alive. During the years of its existence it has brought to the county literary men, lecturers and statesmen of world wide reputation. Among them have been Joseph Cook, the eminent Boston divine, Roswell G. Horr, Michigan's greatest congressman, Joseph Littell, Col. Sanford, Maj. Copeland, besides many other scientists and scholars from all parts of the nation.

In July, 1889, Dr. C. S. Burr, of the Wessington Springs Townsite Company donated to the Seminary ten lots in the town. A few days later Samuel Marlenee was employed to build the superstructure on the walls of the Seminary, and the work was done in August of that year, the building being veneered with brick. It was in the chapel room of the new building that the entertainments provided by the lecture course were held.

Another educational enterprise led by the Pioneer W. C. T. U. was a series of meetings held in every township in the county to study the proposed Sioux Falls constitution for the new state.

In the line of amusements in 1889, one of the notable events was a sham inaugural in Odd Fellows Hall at Alpena, which was attended by fun-loving people from Woonsocket, Wessington Springs and all parts of the county.

On what was then known as the White tree claim, adjoining Alpena on the south, was established a race track in the summer of 1889. Ray Barber was secretary of the association. All the records of this society

The crop prospects in 1889 were good until the 13th of June, when the whole country was visited by a destructive hot wind that blew from the southwest several days. Added to this was the decline in the market price of all kinds of farm products. In September the Chicago price of wheat was 80 cents per bushel; corn, 32c; oats, 19c; butter, 12c per lb.; eggs, 17c per doezn. In Sioux city hogs were sold at $3.82 per cwt., fat cattle $2,65 to $2.75, stockers $1.85 to $2.35.

On the same day F. W. Whitney took possession of the office of register of deeds, and two days later the official bond of Pat McDonald as sheriff was approved.

As a result of the prairie fires that had devestated the county on April 2nd, the county board on April 15th resolved to furnish lumber to the amount of 1,000 feet to people who had suffered loss by fire and 25 bushels of seed grain to those who could not procure it otherwise.

On May 21st the board decided to abandon the section line road between sections 24 and 25 in Franklin township and for $75 purchased of Mr. McDowall a right of way over his land through what is known as "the pony hills."

The treasurer's report, made the forepart of July, 1889, showed that during the year ending June 30th the county had paid for pauper support $96.20, and for temporary relief of the poor $193.64.

The county tax levy made Sept. 2nd was, county general fund, 6 mills ; sinking fund, 3 mills ; road and bridge, 1 mill. The territorial levy was, general fund, 3.3 mills; bond interest, % mill; and stock indemnity, y2 mill.

The act known as the Omnibus Bill, which enabled South Dakota to prepare for statehood passed congress on the 14th day of February, 1889, > and on the 22nd was approved and signed by President Cleveland. That year became an era of conventions. Politics of many different brands became the pastime of ''all sorts and conditions of men."

Jerauld, Buffalo and Hand counties were made the nth district for representation in the constitutional convention which had been called to meet in Sioux Falls on July 4th, 1889, and were entitled to two delegates, to be elected on the 14th of May.

The Republican district convention to nominate a delegate to the constitutional convention was called to meet at St. Lawrence, in Hand county on May 7th.

The republican county convention to send delegates to the St. Lawrence convention was held at Wessington Springs, May 4th, and S. F. Huntley, of Harmony township received an indorsement for the position of delegate to the Sioux Falls convention. The convention voted that he should select his own delegates, and he named T. L. Blank, E. V. Miles,

Mr. Huntley and C. G. Hartley, of Hand county, were nominated at the St. Lawrence convention and at the election May 14th they were elected delegates to the state constitutional convention.

The opposing Democratic candidates were Jefferson Sickler, of Harmony township, and Mr. Anderson, of Hand county. There are no records of the conventions at which these gentlemen were nominated.

No change was made in the election precincts for the May election, but for that to be held on Oct. 1st each township was made a precinct by itself, and that rule has been followed ever since.

In the constitutional convention Mr. Huntley was a member of the apportionment committee and chairman of the committee on expenses of the convention. On his recommendation Jerauld and Buffalo counties were made one senatorial district.

On July 20th the Republican county committee called two county conventions - one for Aug. 17th to select four delegates to the state convention to be held at Huron and four delegates to the judicial convention to be held at Mitchell, the other to be held Sept. 7th to put in nomination a county ticket and select delegates to the disrict legislative convention.

At the convention held Aug. 17th I. N. Rich was chairman and E. F. Harmston secretary. Delegates were selected to both the state and judicial conventions, those to the latter being instructed to support the candidacy of A. Converse for Judge of the circuit court.

A mass convention was held Aug. 19th to discuss plans for getting aid in the county for the construction on the Huron, Chamberlain & Black .Hills railroad. It was decided to ask the townships through which it was proposed to build the road to vote a tax. Accordingly a petition from Dale, W essington Springs, Media, Crow Lake and Logan townships was laid before the county commissioners on Sept. 12th asking that the matter of voting a tax in aid of the road be submitted to the people of those townships at an early date. The board granted the request and called the election for Oct. 1st, the day set for the statehood election. The promoters of the project at once put in the field a party of surveyors, consisting of :

E. F. Harmston, chief engineer; T. L. Blank, transit man; A. H. West, leveler ; J. A. Calhoun, topographer ; W. W. Hillis, rodman ; Chas. Haskins, head chain ; Thos. Day, hind chain ; C. Thompson, axman ; Chas. Whiffin, back flag; J. J. Doctor, cook; and M. E. Harmstan, teamster.

On the same day a meeting was held to take measures to put Wessington Springs in the race for state capitol. Five thousand acres of land were pledged, and C. E. Thayer elected a delegate to meet representatives of other cities at Aberdeen. That was the end of it.

At the Republican convention on Sept. 7th S. F. Huntley was indorsed for state senator, by acclamation. On the 36th formal ballot \ . I. Converse was nominated for the legislature. A. I. Churchill was made the nominee for county Judge.

The Republican district senatorial convention was held in the Hopkins house at Waterbury on Sept. 12th and Mr. Huntley was nominated unanimously.

Two days previously, Sept. 10, the Democrats had held a county convention at Wessington Springs at which Jefferson Sickler, of Harmony township, was nominated for the legislature and J. R. Francis for county judge. No candidate for state senator was named.

As in all former elections, the W. C. T. U. organizations of the county > kept careful watch over the temperance sentiment. The constitutional convention had submitted to the people of the new state the matter of voting prohibition into the constitution. At the head of the county organization was Mrs. E. V. Miles, of Wessington Springs township, a lady of strong executive ability, and with her were Mrs. Nettie C. Hall, Mrs.

J. M. Spears, Mrs. T. L. Blank, Mrs. F. T. Tofflemier, and several others, all determined, earnest women, who knew no such thing as fatigue in their efforts to hold Jerauld county in the temperance column. But behind them all, guiding, counseling, working, was Mrs. A. B. Smart, the founder of the Pioneer W. C. T. U.

At Alpena a lodge of I. O. G. T. was formed May 3rd with John Teasdale, chief templar, Mrs. N. J. Dunham, vice-templar, Rev. H. H. Underwood, chaplain, L. F. Schaefer, recording secretary, Ray Barber, financial secretary, Maggie Worrall, treasurer. The lodge had 21 members.

On Nov. 2nd, 1889, at 3:40 p. m. at the city of Washington, President .Harrison attached his name to the proclamation declaring South Dakota a member of the Union of States.

Part Thp.Ee

The first event in the county, after statehood, was a farmers institute on Nov. 4th, 1889, held under the auspices of the farmers' alliance.

At the instance of Commissioner Sickler the board on the 30th of November, vacated the highway on the section line between sections 4 and 5 in Harmony township.

Hard Times

Those who have followed this history so far will have noticed that the people who took the lead in pushing agricultural civilization out into the great plains of the northwest had prospered in five years as much as those who settled Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and the other states farther east, had in twenty. The railroads in advance of the settlers had relieved the settlers of Dakota of many of the hardships that had been endured by the pioneers of the other states. The one natural hardship was the want of fuel. But the prairies were covered with grassland this cut,. dried and twisted made a fuel that would keep people as warm here as it did the pioneers in Iowa or Kansas. In all other respects the Dakota settler had conditions far more comfortable. Their homes were warm ; markets nearer ; schools in every township, as many as were needed; and the people had plenty to eat and to wear. Less than $100 had been spent by the county, in the year ending June 30th, 1889, in caring for the very poor, and but $193.64 had been required to afiford temporary relief to the sufferers from the cyclone of fire that swept the county April 2nd. The climate was dry and healthy and sickness rare. A more contented people never dwelt in a new country than inhabited the Dakota prairies during the 80s.

About the same time a news item was going the rounds of the European press and being copied in the papers of the eastern states, which read as follows :

"The failure of the harvest in Dakota is complete. A special telegram, reports 20,000 persons are in danger of starvation. The St. Paul Chamber of Commerce is organizing for relief. A committee of examination reports that the distress is appalling. No food is to be obtained at any price, and no money wherewith to purchase, if there were any."

"It is false. Let us unite in refuting it. Write to your friends and give them the situation as it is. The truth will not harm us, but these exaggerated reports are doing incalculable injury."

During several weeks prior to the appearance of the above items in the local paper, Roth Bros., local merchants, had been advertising in the same journal the following household supplies for sale :

On December 4th occurred an event that changed materially the condition of affairs in Jerauld county, just as similar events changed conditions in other counties of the state.

On the afternoon of that day Go-v. A. C. Mellette accompanied by Mr. Doane Robinson, present state historian, arrived in Wessington Springs, after a drive through Franklin, Blaine and Viola townships. These gentlemen were unaccustomed to life on a claim in the true sense of the term. The smell of hay fuel was to them extremely offensive. In fact, hay burned as fuel in South Dakota created just as great a stink as did that in Iowa and Kansas. There was nothing poisonous about it and people using it did not notice the offensive odor. But to the governor it seemed nothing less than horrible. In homes where the settler burned other fuel common at that time the condition did not seem so bad - to the nose - but was more shocking to the eye.

Immediately after his arrival in town the governor asked for a meeting with the leading citizens. In the evening all who had heard of the request assembled in the office of the register of deeds at the court house.

All were surprised and astonished at the governor's tale of destitution, but when, on closer questioning it was found that the principal need was better fuel, and that coal could be obtained without freight charges, it was concluded to organize and see what was needed and what could be done. A county relief committee was formed with A M. Mathias, chairman; C. W. McDonald, secretary; and Mrs. J. M. Spears, treasurer. The township committee was :

This committee at once made a thorough canvas of the whole county and found no destitution and but few who cared to accept the coal. In all of the county only 94 tons of coal were requested. The county commissioners then asked the C. M. & St. P. Ry. to ship in two hundred tons of coal free for the people of Jerauld county, but the company refused.

And so the year 1889 drew on to its close, a few politicians and misguided philantropists soliciting charity that was not needed, and the people getting along very comfortably, still burning such fuel as the prairies afforded. There was no suffering.

While the events above mentioned were occurring in official and philanthropic circles a Dale township farmer, of German birth, was busy doing a work that was of more beneficial influence to Jerauld county and the James River Valley, than anything done by all the politicians of the state. Daniel Schmidt was risking his all in putting down the first artesian well in the county. The well was completed in the latter part of December, and a flow of fifty-two gallons a minute secured.

A mile north of Schmidt's farm John Teasdale had erected a feed mill for grinding feed, corn meal and Graham flour, and there many of the settlers had their grists of corn and wheat ground.

On the northwest quarter of section 29, in Media twsp. Wm. Brodkorb began grinding grain for the people of that vicinity and continued the work for several years. In 1892 Mr. Brodkorb ground over 3,000 bushels. The nearest flouring mill was at Woonsocket, 27 miles away.

In the latter part of December, 1889, Blank & Blank purchased the Waterbury Messenger of O. P. Hull and united it with their Herald office at Wessington Springs.

On Christmas eve, festivities at the Grieve school house, in Harmony township, attracted a good attendance, and the next evening a dance at the court house hall in Wessington Springs was attended by 50 couples.

The treasurer's report made to the county commissioners during the second week in January, 1890, showed that the amount expended by the county for relief of the poor between the first day of October, and the 31st day of December, 1889, had been but eight dollars, - less than had been expended in the same length of time during all the previous history of the county.

The committee appointed at the time of the visit of Gov. Mellette, Dec. 4th, 1889, had been met with a general denial of the need of charity.

In many instances the committee actually became solicitors, begging people who were abundantly able to care for themselves to accept of the proffered aid. Up to the first of February not a pound of donated stuff had reached Jerauld county from outside its borders. In the forepart of January a mercantile firm at Wessington Springs had donated ioo sacks of flour to the relief committee for distribution. By the 20th of February only 30 of them had been taken.

In February it had become generally known that Gov. Mellette had gone east to solicit aid for the needy people of the state. Hard times became the general topic of conversation, and the people of Marlar township appointed a committee of four to go east and solicit aid for their community. The committee was composed of J. C. Longland, Wm. Orr, Wm. Rainy, and Mrs. Tillman Hunt. In February four carloads of feed, fuel and provisions had arrived at St. Lawrence for that township, and later another carload was received. Then people began to go out on their own behalf. In one township three farmers made up a purse of one hundred dollars and sent one of their number to Iowa to solicit aid which was divided among those three.

Through the urging of the committe three hundred families had applied for aid in one form or another, by the first of March. It was a matter of common knowledge that not to exceed fifty of these families were in need of help and they the county was abundantly able to care for.

In March supplies began to arrive in large quantities and by the 1st of April the county jail was filled with the stores sent by the benevolent people of Iowa, who had read the exaggerated stories of the needs of the people.

Gov. Mellette returned from his eastern trip the forepart of March, in time to attend the G. A. R. encampment at Sioux Falls. There he met Gen. Alger, of Michigan, who had promised to give $500, if he found, on personal investigation, that the reported destitution actually existed. Before leaving the state he refused to make the donation, declaring that the conditions did not justify it. United States Senator Pettigrew denounced the expedition of the governor, in unmeasured terms, as uncalled for and unwise. Many others endeavored to correct the impression that had gone abroad that the Dakotas were indeed a part of the great American Desert.

In February, 1890, the Sioux City Journal, speaking of the reported conditions in South Dakota, said: "South Dakota has made incomparably more rapid progress during the past ten years as a territory than Iowa did during the first ten years of its history as a state. The people of South Dakota have not suffered more from storms, drought and failure of crops than the people of Iowa did at the corresponding period of their history not nearly so much. The people of South Dakota have accumulated more wealth and at a vastly more rapid rate than did the people of Iowa during the early stages of their settlement. The people of South Dakota have actually taken more value out of their soil than the people of Iowa were able to do.

It is doubtless true that many have gone to South Dakota who went unwisely, who might have done better elsewhere and who ought never to have tried their fortunes in the new northwest. Precisely the same thing happened in Iowa. Improvident, thriftless, weak, or otherwise unqualified men always rush off to new regions and when they fail, they return to curse the country for their own fault. Iowa would never have prospered if it had been judged by this standard. And it is no more true as applied to South Dakota now than it would have been as applied to Iowa then."

Albeit the state of South Dakota had produced more wealth per capita than any other state in the union in 1889 as shown by the official report, yet the story of starvation spread. In January the Bankers Association, in session at Huron, voted to raise $10,000 for the needy of the state, but continued the rate of interest at from 3 to 10 per cent a month.

Of the great quantity of donated clothing sent to Jerauld county during February and March, 1890, many packages were never used, but years afterwards were thrown out upon the prairie.

In February the attention of the County Commissioners was called to the necessity for seed grain. Each member was made a committee to investigate the matter in the district in which he lived. At the meeting March 5th the board resolved to furnish seed grain to those who were actually destitute and had no available means to obtain the same ; the amount to be furnished not to exceed 30 bushels of wheat, 30 bushels of oats and four bushels of corn to any one person.

After this order was made many who had seed to sell refused to sell except to the county. Thus many were forced to apply to the county for seed who would otherwise have been able to obtain it on their own security. The result was that by the middle of April the county board had issued warrants for seed grain to the amount of $2,313.27, nearly all of which was furnished by Jerauld county farmers. Each person who obtained seed from the county gave his note with one other person as securtity, payable Oct. 1st. Every note was paid before the county redeemed the warrants.

Gov. Mellette received contributions to the amount of $35,666.46. Out of this Jerauld county received five carloads of corn for feed and $335.35 in money, April 20th.

Sept, ist the board levied the tax for 1890, at 6 mils for the county general fund, 1 mill for the sinking fund and 2 mills for the bridge fund. The state tax that year was 2 mills for general fund and four-tenths of a mill for the bond interest fund.

About the middle of November, Henry Herring resigned his position as county commissioner and with his family removed to the new state of Washington.

The county spelling contest was held March 8th and was won by Harmony township with a class composed of the following pupils : Mary Huntley ,Rena Butterfield, Anna Titus and H. L. Pfaff. The oral contest was won by May Hobert of Pleasant township.

The lecture course which had been planned during the latter part of 1889, opened on the 27th of January with a lecture by Col. Copeland, subject, "Snobs and Snobbery. " The last of the five lectures in the course was on March 7th. These lectures were attended by large audiences composed mainly of farmers and their families, some of whom came 20 miles, driving home in the night after the entertainment.

On April 4th the ladies of the M. E. Church at Wessington Springs disbanded their missionary society and reorganized under the name of The M. E. Ladies' Aid Society, with Mrs. E. J. Campbell, Prest. ; Mrs. Elizabeth Tofflemier, Vice Prest.; Mrs. L. A. Stephens, Secretary; and Mrs. Emma Chapman, Treasurer.

At the instance of Mr. Blosser, of the True Republican, a horse show was held at Wessington Springs, May 3rd at which 11 fine stallions were exhibited. The sweepstake rosette was awarded to F. S. Coggshall's imported English shire, "J. B. Sensation."

Some farmers of Dale and Wessington Springs townships organized a company March 22nd to buy a thorobred stallion. S. H. Albert and L. F. Russell were commissioned to buy the animal. They visited several points in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota, and returned with a splendid Clydesdale horse named "Up to time."

Zink, Jas. Osborne, F. G. Vessey, Nate Spears, Myron Pratt and K. W. Blanchard. A similar organization was perfected at Alpena and also at > Waterbury. In the latter nine were Joe Collier, -Capt., Oscar and John Hudson, Clell Titus, John Holzer, Tom Bishop, Herb Baker, Harry Rex and Geo. Backus. In the Alpena club were Sam H. May, Jeff Hillis, Bert Man waring, Fred Phillips, L. W. Castleman and enough more to fill out the nine. During the summer many hotly contested games were played, witnessed by crowds gathered from all parts of the county. At these contests hard times and all else but the sport of the day were forgotten.

On the 4th of July Wessington Springs celebrated. It seemed that every man, woman and child was present. Two great attractions were the ball game between Alpena and Wessington Springs clubs, and the beef killing by a band of Crow Creek Indians, although there was much favorable mention of a speech delivered by W. B. Sterling, of Huron.

At Alpena the race track commenced the year before was completed and on the 23rd of July the first racing meet was held there. Horses were entered by Ray Barber, Owen Ferguson, John Chamberlain, besides many from other parts of the state. Centerville, Aberdeen, Groton, Miller, Rhee Heights, Pierre, White Lake and Springfield were all represented by horses at the Alpena races in 1890.

While the market prices in 1890 were a little better than in the preceding year, yet they were so low as to materially effect activity in business matters. In Sioux City hogs were $3.62, cattle (stockers), $2.65 to $3.15. In Chicago the price of wheat was $1.00, oats 48c, corn 50c, butter 9c to 17c, and eggs 16c.

April 1st O. P. Hull, a merchant of Waterbury, closed a deal by which he became proprietor of the Roth Bros, store at Wessington Springs. As a result of this move Mr. Louis Roth took charge of the store at Alpena, and Theo. Roth opened a store at West Superior, Wis.

July ist G. N. Price retired from all the mail routes in Jerauld county and a change was made in driver on nearly all the lines. H. D. Howell of Woonsocket, took the Woonsocket line. George Vanous, the Crow Lake Line, David Glen the Waterbury line, while E. U. Cummings took the lines from Miller to Mt. Vernon.

In June 1890 the county was again visited by hot winds and crops of small grain badly damaged. The hot winds are often confused with the idea of a drouth, but in fact there was rain in both 1889 and 1890 enough to have matured splendid crops. The damage was owing by a few days of hot wind each year, just at the time when the gram was forming.

The Woodburn building in Wessington Springs, which was built where the First National Bank building now stands, was completed by the forepart, of July and Albert & Yessey took possession with their stock. This firm had purchased the mercantile stock of J. H. Yessey in the latter part of April.

On April 23rd Hinds & Anderson of Woonsocket established a branch meat market in Wessington Springs, but a few weeks later sold the shop to F. E. Caldwell of Sioux Falls.

Mrs. J. M. Spears began work on the addition, 20x46, to her hotel on March 28th, S. Marlenee doing the work. When the building was completed Mrs. Spears named the building ''The Willard," and on the south side of the office she planted a rose bush which she named "The Willard Rose." Both the hotel and bush are still thriving.

Morse & La Pont dissolved partnership March 22nd, Mr. Morse continuing the hardware business and La Pont retiring because of failing health.

In March Wm. Kline began business as a blacksmith in what was known as the Woodburn shop and a few weeks later F. L. Wood moved to Wessington Springs from Crow Lake and began blacksmithing in a shop owned by E. L. Smith.

For the convenience of themselves and the public Albert & Yessey put in a set of scales on the west side of the street oposite the Woodburn building. This was done in November.

In the spring of 1890 a board of trade was organized in Wessington Springs that was of great benefit in keeping up the business interest of the village. The officers of this association were C. W. Lane, Prest. ; J. H. Woodburn, Y. Prest. ; E. C. Nordyke. Sec.; R. S. Yessey, Treas.

The executive committee were C. H. Stephens, A. M. Mathias, B. B. Blosser, W. N. Hill and P. R. Barrett . One of the first projects that the attention of the board was the establishment of a creamery. On Dec. io, 1890, arrangements were completed with Mr. J. C. Longland to open such an institution in the spring of 1891.

On January 8th, 1890, Alpena petitioned the board of county commissioners for permission to incorporate. The petition was granted subject to an election to be held on the 29th of April. The territory to be embraced within the proposed incorporation is described as follows : Beginning at the southeast corner of Section 11 - 108 - 63, running thence north along the section line to the northeast corner of the SE quarter of Sec. 2, thence west to the northwest corner of the SE quarter of Sec. 3, thence south to the southwest corner of the SE quarter of Sec. 10, thence east to the place of beginning. At the election the people of the territory described voted to incorporate and at the election for municipal officers, Isaac Pearce, Richard Davenport, and L. N. Loomis were made village trustees, Ray Barber, clerk ; Davids Thumb, assessor ; D. S. Manwaring, treasurer; David Orwig, marshall; and W. W. Huxtable, justice.

In June 1890 the I. O. G. T. lodge of Alpena had nearly 100 members. C. D. Worral and W. W. Huxtable were sent as delegates to the grand lodge, which met at Aberdeen. At this meeting Mr. Huxtable was made treasurer of the grand lodge of the state.

As in all former years, so in 1890, politics became a matter of most absorbing interest. In Jerauld county the politicians were confronted with a condition that had never existed before. It was nothing less than a revolt of the farmers from the domination of the so-called "leaders" in politics. It is undoubtedly true, always, that in the game of politics hard times will find voters associating with strange playfellows.

With the beginning of the year men prominent in the farmers' alliance began to reorganize the societies in all the counties of the state and making them secret organizations.

A meeting of the state alliance about the middle of June had submitted to the various county alliances the question of joining in independent political action. The Jerauld county alliance at a meeting held June 2 1 st decided to join the movement and a convention was called for July 5th to elect three delegates to a state convention to be held July 9th in the city of Huron. At this county convention S. S. Vrooman, I. H. French and C. C. Wright were elected to attend the convention at Huron. It was also voted to put a full county ticket in the field. Every township in the county, except Dale, was represented with full delegations, and every member a farmer. A county committee composed of one committeeman from each township, was elected and instructed to call a county

Air. Hill was the only man on the committee who was not a farmer. He was elected chairman and called the committee together immediately after adjournment of the convention. They called a county nominating convention for Tuesday, July 15th, the caucuses to be held on Monday the 14th.

At the district senatorial conventions, both of which were held at Waterbury, the Independents nominated T. N. Smith and the Republicans, S. F. Huntley.

-All through the campaign the Independents showed the effects of superior organization. The Republicans could not overcome the results of the factional fighting of previous years. The Democrats made no efforts to carry their ticket.

The election came on Nov. 4th and resulted in the overwhelming defeat of the Republican ticket except as to treasurer, superintendent and assessor.

In the campaign of 1890 the contestants for the state capital were Pierre and Huron, the former carrying Jerauld county by a large majority. During the summer Pierre had kept two squads of surveyors traversing the western part of the county and surveyed two lines from northwest to southeast, just as Huron the previous year had surveyed pretended railroad lines from northeast to southwest.

The beginning of 1891 found a feeling of depression existing among all classes of people. The numerous expeditions in search of charity, indulged in by so many people had a demoralizing effect upon the public generally, and to this was added the effect of a second year of poor crops. The political campaign of 1890 had been fought upon the proposition that the people were the victims of great governmental wrongs, and from every school house and public hall they constantly heard how very poor they were. The result was a feeling of unrest. Many sold out and moved away, some moved away without selling. The places of those who left were in many instances, taken by others who came, some from Iowa, some from Illinois, while many of those who left the county in 1891 returned in that or succeeding years to rent the former home or other land near by. Among those who came while the old settlers were leaving were Wm. Webber, who bought land in Viola township, Lewis Haskins, who purchased the old Nordyke farms in Harmony, and A. McCloud, to buy a home in Chery township.

January 3rd, 1891, the board of county commissioners met in special session to act upon the resignation of H. Herring, of the 3rd district and to appoint his successor. After accepting the resignation the remaining members. Grant and Eastman, called in the register of deeds, F. W. Whitney, and the county judge, A. I. Churchill, and organized a board to appoint a new member in place of Mr. Herring. The appointing board ballotted several times, the result being two .for F. S. Coggshall of Pleasant, and two for Jefferson Sickler of Harmony. The county treasurer, H. J. Wallace, was then called in, who voted for Mr. Coggshall, and he was declared elected.

On the same day the board perfected an arrangement by which the county became the owner of a quarter section of land in Media township, owned by Mrs. Mary Smith, the consideration being that the county should provide Mrs. Smith a home and care for her as long as she should live. A residence was accordingly built on one of the county lots near the court house, and in it the aged widow found a home for several years. This event in the county's history is made the subject of a touching story written by Mrs. Maud Cotton, formerly Maud Campbell, a daughter of Rev. J. G. Campbell. The story appears in the appendix to this volume.

Following the precedent of the previous year the board decided to > furnish seed grain to farmers of the county who desired it. Accordingly, on the 20th of March an arrangement was made with L. N. Loomis to furnish grain, not to exceed $50 in amount, to any one person, at the following prices: Wheat 92c to 94c; millet, $1.00 to $1.10; flax, $1.35; oats, 50c. Some grain was purchased from farmers in the county who had a surplus on hand. The total amount of seed grain provided by the county in the spring of 1891 was $6,936.98. To secure payment for the grain so furnished the county filed liens on the crops sown. On April 9th 1 22 seed liens were filed.

A few had been furnished with a small amount of grain by societies of which they were members. The I. O. O. F. secured $100 to be expended in seed grain for needy members of the order.

The State Farmers' Alliance sent 1435 pounds of seed grain to each of the 14 alliances in the county. In Marlar township the alliance members got together and sowed the grain thus received on a piece of corn ground that had been abandoned by some discouraged settler. Together they harvested and threshed the crop. The yield was 262 bushels of wheat and 36 bushels of oats, which they divided equally.

The winter of 1890-91 was an open winter and very mild, but little snow falling until the 7th of February, from which time it fell heavily until spring, when it was followed by heavy rains until about the 1st of May. Then it stopped. Probably the most discouraging period in the history of the county was during the month of May, 1891. The surface ,of the ground became dry and dusty. The vegetation turned from green to brown and then yellow. By the 25th of the month there were many fields of wheat that did not show even a shade of green - the plants appeared to be dead. In the corn fields and late sown fields of small grain, cut worms appeared in countless numbers. They moved across fields like an. army devouring every green thing.

It was a year of wonderful crops. All over Jerauld county the rains came as needed. On some abandoned wheat fields of the year before a crop volunteered with no cultivation and yielded 8 to 10 bushels per acre. The largest yield of the year - or of any year - in Jerauld county.

was on a field of 12 acres, a part of the farm of D. A. Scott, in Media township at the foot of the hills, on section 1, occupied by W. L. Arnold, where forty-seven bushels per acre was harvested. The crop of over 100 acres made an average yield of 33 bushels per acre.

And the prices of farm produce, too, were better. In Sioux City on Sept. 28th, hogs were $4.50; cattle (stockers) $2.00 to $2.50. In Chicago wheat was 96c; corn 40c; oats 26c; flax 98; butter (creamery) 20c to 31c, dairy 17c to 19c; eggs 17c to 18c. On April 10th, the local paper thought it worthy of mention that granulated sugar had come down to 17 pounds for a dollar.

In 1891 there was much discussion of the subject of sinking artesian wells in various townships for purpose of irrigation. In Media township during the first week in August, County Surveyor Shimp located sites for eight such wells. The matter was submitted to the voters of the township on December 22nd and voted down.

In Viola township artesian wells became a matter of private enterprise and were contracted for, in January, by Peter Klink, P. H. Shultz and Chas. Walters. The drillers commenced at once on Klink's farm and pushed the work as rapidly as possible. In some way the driller blundered and the Klink well failed after striking the flow. He then abandoned his contracts.

In Anina township S. S. Moore began work on a well on his farm and kept at it all summer gaining a depth of over 1200 feet, but failed to secure a flowing well.

In this year it was proposed to issue bonds to take up the outstanding county warrants, which were selling at 80 to 90 cents on the dollar. The county was now receiving more from taxes than was required to pay running expenses, and by refunding the debt which amounted to about $16,000, the warrants could have been held at par. The project was defeated however, mainly through the influence of speculators, who were dealing in county warrants.

The farmers, realizing the benefits to be derived from the operation of the farmers elevator at Alpena, pledged 2000 bushels of wheat as a fund with which to do business. Shares of stock were sold and the debt of the institution paid.

In January plans were suggested for establishing a creamery at Wessington Springs. The matter was taken up by the Wessington Springs Board of Trade and in February arrangements were perfected with Mr.

J . C. Longland to put in a plant. The old agricultural hall was moved up from the fair grounds and given to Mr. Longland as a bonus and with it was given the use of five acres of ground on the section line road running east and west through the north part of town. Work was pushed as fast as possible and in May Mr. Longland started his wagons gathering the cream from all parts of the county.

The True Republican annual spelling contest occurred at Wessington Springs on the 14th of March, 1891. The first grade prize for written work was won by Samuel Nelson, Harry Nelson and George Stephens, they forming the class from Anina township. The second grade prize was won by a class from the same township composed of Alex. Vessey, Frank and Clarence Moore. The prize for oral spelling was won by John Riegal, of Logan township.

In Franklin township two Sunday Schools were organized in the spring of 1891, one at the Kogle school house, April 5th, with C. M. Clark, Supt., and one at Rock Valley in May.

In December a Christian Endeavor Society was organized at Wessington Springs, the officers being, T. L. Blank, Prest.; Mary A. Williams, V. Prest.; and Anna S. Plannebuth, Sec. and Treas.

At Alpena a Presbyterian church was organized by Rev. Hill, synodical missionary, on May 4th, the opening sermon being preached by Rev. Edwin Brown. The original members were Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Clark, by letter from Woonsocket church; Mr. John Houmes and Miss Lena Houmes, from Rose Hill church; Mrs. Mary Houmes, from Woonsocket church ; Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Worrall and their sons ; Harry E.. James W., and Charles Worrall, from Rose Hill ; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Strain, by profession. During the first two years of its existence the church was supplied by Rev. Hill, as minister, helped by Rev. Work. The elders of the new church were C. M. Clark and C. D. Worrall. The trustees were John Houmes and O. G. Woodruff. The first representative to presbytery was C. M. Clark ; the first delegate to synod was C. D. Worrall.

In this year the congregational church at Templeton disbanded and the membership united with the church of that denomination at Wessington Springs, on the 20th day of September. The Wessington Springs church was then under the pastorate of Rev. C. V. Martin, who assumed that position April ist, 1891, and continued until Oct. 4th, when he was succeeded by Rev. Jeremiah Kimball. This church had been organized on the 20th day of June, 1886, with Rev. S. F. Huntley, pastor. The original members were Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Blank, Mr. and Mrs. E. V. Allies, Mr. and Mrs. George W. Bennet and their daughter Minnie, Mr. and Mrs. James F. Ford, Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Brown, and Mr. C. M. Chery. Mr. Huntley remained pastor until June 3rd, 1887, when services were discontinued. Air. Kimball had charge of -the church until June 1st, 1893, when Air. Huntley again took the position and held it until Oct. 24, 1899, during which time a church and parsonage were built. Rev. Jesse Buswell was then pastor until June 23rd, 1900. He was succeeded on July 5th by Rev. J. B. Reese, who had charge of the church until Oct. ist, 1901. He was followed by Rev. James Davies until July ist, 1905. Then came Rev. John E. Hughes till July ist, 1906, when Rev. Lauriston Reynolds took the pastorate.

In 1891 several changes were made in the newspaper field. On April 24th O. J. Marshall discontinued the alliance column in the True Republican and on May 8th a stock company, known as the Jerauld County Publishing Company issued the first number of "The Dakota Sieve," a paper devoted to the interest of the Independent party, with C. W. Hill, editor and B. W. Moore, printer. In the same month, May, Messrs. L. W. Kreidler and H. H. Gunderson leased the Herald from Blank & Blank for three years, but on Dec. 18th Air. Blosser announced that he had purchased that paper and merged it with the True Republican. At Alpena, about the middle of January Air. Simpson suddenly abandoned journalistic work in Jerauld county, and Air. Ray Barber took editorial charge of the Journal.

In the postal service of the county the changes made were : The appointment of Airs. P. R. Barrett to be postmistress at Wessington Springs. She received her commission on May 5th. In Sept. O. G. Woodruff, of Alpena, was appointed post office inspector for Jerauld county.

On July ist, 1891, a U. S. weather reporting station was located at Wessington Springs with Air. Harvey Russ, reporter. The station is still maintained.

In the forepart of Sept, the public school house which, according to the law in force at the time it was erected, had been built one mile east of the township line, was moved into the village and placed near where the Oliver Hotel stands.

In business affairs but few changes were made in the county. At Waterbury O. P. Hull tore down the building previously occupied by him and shipped it to a suburb of Chicago, where it was rebuilt. In Wessington Springs in Sept, the Wessington Springs Bank was incor-

At Alpena J. A. Crawford and Isaac Crawford who had been in partnership as blacksmiths dissolved the firm and Isaac continued- the business alone. About the same time, James McDowell and E. G. Kinsman formed a partnership and for two years operated a blacksmith shop together.

On the 29th of August the whole county was shocked by the report that Hon. V. I. Converse in a fit of temporary insanity had committed suicide by hanging himself in his barn at his home in Anina township.

Politics attracted but little attention in Jerauld county in 1891. But one county officer was to be elected and that was a commissioner to succeed Mr. Eastman in the east district. The Republicans nominated Mr. R. Vanderveen, of Dale township, and the Independents, Mr. David Mc- Dowall, of Franklin. The election resulted in favor of the Independents and McDowall was elected.

Mr. John R. Gamble, member of congress, having died, an election was called by the governor to fill the vacancy. The election was held at the usual time (the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November), and Col. J. L. Jolly, the Republican candidate, carried the county by a plurality of six votes.. The election was held under the provisions of the new "Australian ballot" law.

If the history of South Dakota journalism is ever written the year 1892 will be pointed to as the time when journalistic billingsgate was most in use. There were but three newspapers in the county. Mr. Barber, who though not a newspaper man by profession or experience, yet conducted a spicy but clean paper, turned the Journal office at Alpena over to Mr. Henry T. Griggs, an ex-preacher, from Brooklyn, N. Y. The character of the paper changed materially. At Wessington Springs

Mr. Hull left the Sieve on the 28th of July after having made of it one of the most ably edited papers ever published in the county. Logical, fluent and witty, yet he kept his publication free from anything that could be offensive to any person's sense of decency. Blosser continued in charge of the True Republican. He was a printer by trade and a thorough journalist with high ideals. Articles with anonymous signatures that made detrimental reference to any person were refused admission to his columns. In all cases he insisted upon such articles being signed by the writers true name. What he termed "gorrilla" journalism he would not tolerate.

Probably some excuse may be found for a change that occurred in the tone of the papers in the fact that the campaign which began in July became one of the most personally bitter ones imaginable. Such expressions as dude, liar, suck pump, slush bucket and kindred expressions, were in common use. It is but fair to Mr. Blosser to say that he maintained for his paper the same standard of excellence during all the years he had control of it.

The year 1892 was presidential election time and the work began early. The Alliance began holding political meetings in February and held them in every township in the county. After the Independents and Republican national conventions both parties held enthusiastic ratification meetings at Wessington Springs. But two county tickets were put in the field. The Republicans made the following nominations :

For county commissioner for the 3rd district the Independents nominated C. S. Barber, of Pleasant township, and the Republicans D. B. Paddock of Logan.

For the first, (and only) time in the history of the county, the teachers as an organized body took a hand in politics. The county teachers' institute met on Sept. 5th and continued in session two weeks, Prof. Jones, of Chamberlain, being the conductor. During this institute a teachers' association was formed. Mr. Williams during his term as county superintendent, had become very popular with the educators of the county, and they now, with but few exceptions signed a request to both the Independent and Republican candidates to decline the nominations that had been tendered them and allow Mr. Williams a clear field as a candidate, independent of party politics. Both the other candidates submitted the matter to their party county committees and the request was denied.

The people of the northern townships petitioned the county commissioners to have the hill road west from Alpena graded for the benefit of the farmers in that part of the county who marketed their produce and obtained their supplies at that station. The petition was laid over and never granted.

The east half of sections 12 and 13 of Media township, on the 6th of July, were made a part of Wessington Springs township, and on July 30th the commissioners made an order attaching all of sections 1, 12 and 13 of Media township to Wessington .Springs township for all purposes.

A bridge was built across the Firesteel creek in the northeast corner of Viola township and one over Smith creek in the southern part of Logan.

About May 1st a mass meeting was held at Wessington Springs to arrange for soliciting aid for the people of Russia who were suffering from famine. Over $70 in money were collected at the meeting and committees appointed in each township to collect money, or grain to be forwarded to the national committee in New York where a ship was waiting to take it to the scene of destitution. Several hundred dollars were collected, but no report was ever made of the exact amount.

Railroad projects were again rumored, and it was said that a road known as the Huron, Wheeler & Denver Ry. was to be pushed through at once and that the Great Northern Ry. Co. was behind the move. The story of the Midland Pacific from Sioux Falls west was revived and people thought it would certainly be built.

On the 10th of February a mass meeting was held at the instance of The Goodland, (Kan.) Rain Co. to take action on a proposition to be submitted by the company to the people of the county. The company for the purposes of their operations had divided the state into districts, 30X 50 miles in extent. Their proposal was to produce from one-half to two inches of rainfall over the district when desired, they to receive $600 therefor, which amount they were willing to take in county warrants. The meeting voted to ask the county commissioners to issue a warrant for- $60, being Jerauld county's portion for the preliminary effort. The commissioners refused and there the matter ended.

Sunday school work was continued as usual in various parts of the county. The county convention was held at Wessington Springs on July /th and the monthly institutes continued in the western townships. In Wessington Springs a Congregational Sunday School was organized on April 3rd, which has been continued to the present time. A Sunday School was started at the Dale Center school house and continued during the summer.

In Pleasant township a meeting was held on the 8th of May to take steps toward erecting a Congregational church building in the central part of the township.

A company of farmers was formed in August in Alpena and Franklin townships with D. P. Burnison, president, and Geo. E. Whitney, secretary, to hire their season's threshing done. The company controlled about 1500 acres of grain.

About the same time John Sime began the construction of the large two story frame house that for years stood as a land mark in the northwest part of Franklin township.

In Crow Lake township a gentleman named Welsh, a teacher of vocal music, opened a singing school, and also one in the Kellogg district in Anina township. Both were a success.

At Alpena but few changes occurred in business matters. The Presbyterian church society purchased the old store building at the northwest corner of Main and 2nd streets. The society continued to occupy this building until 1901, when the new church was built.

In the year 1892 J. J. Hillis began business as a barber and continued it until 1897 when' he sold to L. N. Tillery. In 1902 A. M. Winters purchased the business from Tillery.

On Nov. 10th a change was made in station masters, Mr. M. J. Remshaw going into the station at Aberdeen and A. Amundson taking the vacancy at Alpena.

In January, 1892, the Bank of Alpena incorporated with L. N. Loomis, D. F. Royer and H. J. Wallace, owners of the stock. This bank had been an exception among the banks of the state in the rates of interest charged, and with the change to a corporation, by it and the bank at Wessington Springs, the rate began to be lowered in all the surrounding towns.

After the death of Dr. A. M. Mathias, which occurred on the 23rd of January, Mrs. N. C. Hall took sole charge of the drug store and in May became proprietor of it.

About the first of May R. C. Smith opened a drug store in the old Stephens building, which he continued until the next year, when it was destroyed by fire.

In January W. L. Arnold began operating a feed store and continued it until February 17th, when he bought the stock of Berger & Son. About the 10th of March Mr. Arnold sold his stock to the National Union company, he remaining as manager. The plan of this corporation was to secure the trade of members of the farmers alliance. To do this they offered to each member in good standing (whose dues were paid) a return in cash at the end of six months, or a year, an amount equal to two per cent of the total sum of his cash purchases, and in addition thereto a share in the company protfis. The company did not live long enough to make any returns, nor divide any profits.

About the 20th of April G. N. Price and J. M. Spears made a deed, whereby Price quit running a hotel and Spears stopped taking teams at the hotel barn.

C. W. England opened a tobacco store in the old Herald building on the north side of Main street, and Will Spears had a barber shop in several different rooms along Main street.

S. T. Leeds purchased the old machinery building on the northeast corner of Main and 2nd Sts. and about the first of September began work there as a blacksmith.

The creamery had so far proved a great help to the farming community and in September the tread wheel which had furnished the power wras taken out and a steam engine put in its place.

The year 1893 will be remembered by men, and in history, as the year of the great panic. The cause of it will probably always be a matter for discussion by politician, statesmen, economists and historians. But that is a part of it with which this chronicle has nothing to do. We have to do only with events that affected Jerauld county.

People were recovering from the disaster of two years before, and many who had left the county then were returning and a hopeful spirit was common. Farm produce was bringing a better price ; hogs $7 per hundred weight; cattle $2.50 to $4.00 for stockers; wheat 60c to 70c per bushel, and there was an activity in real estate that had not been seen for ten years. A large acreage of all kinds of grain was planted. This condition continued until June. Then the crash came. Many there were who said, "We told you so," but they obtained little heed. Men were too astounded and stupified to care for that. In an instant a cyclone of adversity had swept the county and left ruin and despair everywhere.

Dunn & Co.'s commercial agency reported 16,650 failures in the U. S. with aggregate liabilities amounting to $498,000,000 besides the liabilities of railroads in the hands of receivers, which amounted to $1,122, 2i7,833, with millions of laborers out. of employment.

By October wheat was selling at 25 to 30 cents per bushel, mixed cattle $1.25 per hundred weight, and everything else in proportion. Every day brought news of additional failures and additional thousands of workmen out of employment. Of what use was the surplus of crop, when there was no busy laborer to buy it? Jerauld county granaries were well filled, and the herds numerous, but these products of the farm could not be sold for enough to pay the cost of production. To the credit of Jerauld county be it said that in that year of the panic and the years that followed but two business houses closed their doors and they did not have the aid of the sheriff nor writs of attachments. Like wayfarers caught in a storm, the people adjusted themselves to the situation as best they could and waited for the tempest to pass.

The expense to the county of relieving the poor during the first quarter of the year was $16.75 1 during the second quarter, $64.85 ; during the third quarter, $193.89; and during the last quarter, $18.80. Total for year $294.29.

Creek in the northeast part of Dale township and another across the same stream south of Alpena. W. N. Hill built a bridge for the county at the west end of Crow Lake across Smith Creek, and one in the southeast corner of Logan township across the same stream. He also built a county bridge across the Firesteel in the northeast part of Viola.

So the work of the county board was performed to the satisfaction of everybody. In September they levied the usual tax for the different purposes and in November Mr. Schaefer was re-elected from the middle district over J. E. White, of Wessington Springs township, Mr. Schaefer receiving every vote in his home precinct.

The yearly Sunday School convention was held on the 6th of June, and in Sept., from the 4th to the 15th, the county teachers' institute was in session with Prof. Savage, of Kimball, conductor, and Miss Barber, of Buffalo county, for the third time assistant conductor.

On January 18th diptheria made its appearance among the students at the seminary, and quarantine followed. For several weeks the school was closed and the most heroic efforts of the faculty were required to care for the sick. Yet, the school was able to graduate a class of one student at the regular commencement exercises on the 23rd of June, when a diploma was granted to Mr. N. B. Gormley. During the spring months the students at the seminary prepared exhibits of their work, which were sent to the educational department of the Worlds Fair at Chicago.

On the evening of November 28 the "Sunshine Makers," a society of children organized by Miss Emma Freeland, one of the seminary teachers, celebrated their first anniversary. This band of little folks had been true to their name and continued so for several years, carrying their bright, cheerful efforts into many places that otherwise would have been gloomy enough.

In connection with the Wessington Springs M. E. Church a junior league was formed Feb. 12th, and on June 24th the W. C. T. U. organized a Loyal Legion with seventeen members.

A district encampment of the G. A. R. was held at Wessington Springs on the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July, which was attended by veterans of the civil war from all parts of the state. The principal speakers were Gov. C. H. Sheldon, and Congressman W. N. Lucas. On the next day after the close of the encampment the W. R. C. was reorganized and for several years thereafter was a helpful auxiliary to E. O. C. Ord G. A. R. Post.

The annual county spelling contest on March nth, was won by the Franklin township class, composed of the following students: Misses Lena Whiffin, Julia Doctor and Atkinson.

In February Mrs. P . R. Barrett, who for so many years had been the efficient postmistress at Wessington Springs, resigned her position and G. R. Bateman was appointed to the office.

The village of Wessington Springs, on May 3rd, applied to the county commissioners for permission to incorporate, which was granted subject to an election called for May 15th. The vote was favorable and on May 29th the following officers were elected:

The village trustees met on June 2nd and elected J. H. Woodburn president of the board. On July 12th the county commissioners declared the village incorporated.

In the autumn the village trustees awarded to Andrew Mercer the contract for making a stone arch in each of the two gullies that crossed the west part of Main street. One of the arches - the west one - wTas completed in December, the work being done by Anton Reindl.

W. L. Arnold, having cleared himself from the entanglements of the National Union Co., again commenced business in the old Kinny building in Wessington Springs. Later in the season he purchased the building where C. N. Hall had been conducting his harness business and moved in there.

J. H. Vessey opened a general stock of merchandise in the room vacated by Mr. Arnold and continued the business until December when he sold the stock to C. W. Lane.

In the spring Mr. Wm. Brodkorb began running a meat market in the old Hackett building on the south side of Main street. In the fall he put up a building at the southeast corner of Main and 3rd streets. This was the first permanent market in Wessington Springs.

About March ist O. O. England began doing a hardware business on the north side of Main street, in the old Herald building. This business was continued by Mr. England for a number of years.

At Alpena Messrs. E. G. Kinsman and James McDowell dissolved partnership as blacksmiths, McDowell going to Minnesota and Kinsman continuing the business alone until 1908, when he sold to his son George and a newphew of the same name.

Probably the most important event in Alpena during the year 1893 was the building of the city scales. This was done in accordance with the statute requiring every incorporated town in the state to provide a set cf public scales and appoint a weighmaster who should have a set of U. S. standard weights and measures for testing all weights and measures used by any person in doing business with the public. Senator Milliken had introduced the law and had it passed by the legislature and he insisted upon compliance with its provisions.

There was no change in the Aboard of commissioners in January, 1894, but they reorganized on the 2nd day of the month by electing David McDowall chairman.

A steel bridge was built across a branch of Crow Creek in Crow township south of Waterbury in July, the work being done by W. N. Hill. In the village of Wessington Springs the second stone arch was completed on Main street between 2nd and 3rd streets.

By the first of October it was apparent that the county must again furnish seed grain to some of the farmers of the county, and the commissioners requested that a mass meeting be held in each township to ascertain the amount needed, but stating that not more than fifty bushels would be furnished to any one person. The meetings were held and the following report made to the board:

In the spelling contest that occurred on the 17th of March the class from Blaine township made a tie with the class from Franklin township for the first prize, and with the class from Alpena township for the second prize. This was the last of the contests.

The county teachers' institute was held July 9th to 20th, Mr. A. G. Savage, of Kimball again being conductor, assisted by J. W. Harden and S. F. Huntley.

On the 13th of May the Wessington Springs Epworth League, which society had maintained its organization since 1889, celebrated its 5th anniversary, and in July it entertained the League's state convention.

At the Wessington Springs Seminary the class of 1894 received its diplomas at the June commencement. The members of the class were Effie and Nellie Reed, Anna S. Hanebuth, Leora Smith, W. A. Baldwin. George H. Grace and Thomas V. Fear.

In October a change was made in the Wessington Springs mail service by the appointment of Mrs. Eva V. Whitney to the position of postmistress.

On the night of Friday, Jan. 12 the old Stephens building, then occupied by R. C. Smith's drug store, was burned. The building and contents were a total loss. Mrs. Anna Hawley, now Mrs. James Weast, who with her family lived in the upper rooms, lost everything.

The stock of merchandise that C. W. Lane' purchased of J. H. Vessey in the previous December was sold in March to J. R. Milliken, who moved it to Alpena.

At Alpena George Arne began in January to close out his mercantile stock and in February moved to Iowa. It was into the room vacated by Arne that Mr. Milliken moved the stock he purchased from Lane at Wessington Springs.

In September W. P. Shulz, who had built a machine for drilling arterian wells, began work on a well for P. H. Shultz on the latter's farm in Viola township and in November the well was completed.

The work undertaken by Mr. Shultz was so highly appreciated by the people of the county, that the well machine owned by him, valued at $4000, has, by tacit consent, been exempted from taxation, and never listed by the assessors.

About the same time Wm. Kline and Pat McDonald contracted with S. H. Albert to put down an artesian well 011 his farm in Chery township. They completed the well the next summer.

Politics was at the highest pitch of excitement almost continuously from 1892 to 1896. The campaign of 1894 was probably the most personal of any the county ever saw. A Jerauld county humorist said politics was "epidemic;" two years later he pronounced it "endemic." The Independents had changed their name to "Populists" and the contest w as between them and the Republicans.

In the first commissioner district the Republicans nominated A. Brandenburg, of Alpena township, and the Populists re-nominated David McDowall, of Franklin.

At this election the commissioners on their own motion had submitted two questions to the people : 1st, Shall the county furnish seed grain in the spring of 1895? 2nd, Shall security other than a lien on the crop be required? On the first of these questions a large majority votes "yes on the 2nd an equally large majority voted "no."

On the 18th of December, Mr. Schaefer having resigned his position as commissioner from the middle district, P. H. Shultz, of Viola township was appointed to fill the vacancy.

The Drouth

Maybe it is in accord with the immutable law of "survival of the fittest" that nature tests, by disaster and adversity, the fitness of people to inhabit a land they claim as their own. But be that as it may, certain it is that the people of th^ Dakotas had enough of trials in the 90s.

The year 1893 with its panic in business and consequent shrinkage in values, and low prices, was followed in 1894 by a season of dry weather that in heat and duration had never been equalled before, nor never has been since, in the territory occupied by the two states. Yet it was but a locality in a drouth that extended that year, from the Allegheny to the Rocky mountains, and beyond.

But little snow fell during the winter of 1893-94 and spring came early. A few encouraging showers came in April and the forepart of May, and then stopped. Not enough rain to beat down the dust fell again until the middle of September. Yet such is the ability of the Dakota soil, because of its formation, to return moisture and resist the effects of drouth, that where crops were properly planted, some fair yields were obtained. Deep plowing was rare, but in 1894 its value was demonstrated. In every instance where the ground was plowed deep and then properly cultivated a fair crop was harvested. In many other fields the grain did not form a kernel. Prices remained the same as in the previous year, for though the supply of farm produce was but about onehalf of previous years, in the nation at large, yet the demand for it, then, as always, was measured by the ability to buy. Business depression, closed factories and idle workmen combined to keep the prices down.

In August the people began to inquire about some place to go to get employment. Some suggested one thing, some another. Some prepared to go to Wisconsin and Minnesota, but then came the report of the drouth and terrible forest fires there where over three hundred people had been burned to death in a single county. Senator J. N. Smith who was on a visit to friends in Iowa and Nebraska wrote to the editor of the Sieve at Wessington Springs to the effect that the drouth there was as bad as in South Dakota. Mr. Frank Kutil, of Franklin township, started for Missouri, but when he reached Council Bluffs, he met people from that state, Kansas and other localities all wandering about aimlessly in different directions looking for employment. He crossed the river to Omaha, where he was fortunate in finding a sympathetic stranger who helped him to get work until the next summer. Then he received information that the boys had raised a good croop on the home farm and with his wife took the train for South Dakota. They arrived at Woonsocket when the grain along the way was turning to a golden yellow, and was met with the news that a terrific hail storm had swept over the north part of Franklin township the previous night and the crops on his farm were utterly destroyed. But others had need of help and he stayed. Like thousands more he prospered in the years that followed.

People who had gathered herds of cows and hogs and had diversified their farming operations were in better condition to withstand the trials that beset them.

But the people will become accustomed to any condition if long enough continued, and what at first seems unbearable will eventually be borne with some degree of good nature. So people came to look for something to laugh at even in their doleful situation. The droning sound of the sheriff's voice as he read a foreclosure sale of some quarter section of land became so common that it was unnoticed, or if noticed at all was made the subject of jest. On one occasion the sheriff's deputy was reading a sale with no thought of a buyer being present, when some one called out, "Fifteen dollars for the whole quarter." "You go to thunder," said the deputy, "there ain't to be no interuptions in this sale," and no further notice was taken of the bid.

People danced, played ball, ran horses, joked, 'talked politics and in many ways helped each other to pass away the days of gloom, knowing that in the general despondency they and all the world were kin.

So the year drew on to winter. People gathered fuel from the prairies and made themselves as comfortable as possible for the mild winter that followed, deriving hope from the fact that one drouth is seldom followed by another.

During the winter many of the farmers had sold what grain they had and at the meeting of the commissioners on the 9th of March the board found that the demand for seed grain had greatly increased. The amount required in the different townships now was :

In previous winters the snow had drifted over the hill and blocked the road wdiich had been graded on the north side of the ravine west of town, and the county commissioners decided to bridge the ravine and put the road on the south side. The contract was let April 26th to Anton Reindl to build a stone arch similar to the two he had built in the town of Wessington Springs. The contract price was $295. The grading of the new road was done by W. B. McDonald. The work on both the arch and the grade was accepted by the board at its July meeting.

The claims against the bondsmen arising out of the Williams' defalcation, which had been fought through the circuit and supreme courts of the state were settled at the September meeting of the board by Mary

In the west district, as the time approached for the election of a commissioner to succeed Mr. Paddock on the county board, the Populists nominated Mr. George Burger, of Crow township and the Republicans re-nominated Mr.. Paddock, who was re-elected.

The commencement exercises at the Wessington Springs seminary occurred on the 8th of June, when the following students were graduated: Amy M. R. Amos, Jennie Barrett, Addie Knieriem, and Herbert W. Emery.

The annual teachers' normal institute for the county which was held Sept. 2nd to the 6th, was preceded by a teachers' school, which lasted two weeks, conducted by Supt. Williams and Prof. Jones.

During April, May and June the rains were abundant and the crop prospects excellent, but the afternoon of the 5th of July the wind that had been in the southeast for several days swung into the southwest and became intensely hot. Much injury was done to the late-planted grain, but as a whole the crops in the county were fair. That was the last of the "hot winds" in Jerauld county. But pricey of all kinds of farm products were improving and people began to hope for the immediate return of better times.

In June a girls baseball club was organized at Wessington Springs, composed of two nines, one of which assumed the name of "Blue Jays," the other, "Bobolinks." For several weeks a good deal of time was deovted to practice, to the great amusement of the girls as well as the "fans." The "Blue Jays" which was called the first nine had as members, Mary Williams, captain, Mary Huntley, Myrtle Price, Millie Price, Aletha Johnson, Eula Wallace, Nellie Mercer, Mathilda Brodkorb and Abbie Whitney. The other nine - the "Bobolinks"- - had Eva Whitney, captain, Grace Dunham, Alice Brodkorb, Mabelle Huntley, May Lewis, Minnie Lewis, Cora England, Edith Hill and Mabel Seger. The fame of this club spread through the state and in August the people of Ashton invited the "Blue Jays" to meet a similar club from Faulkton on the Ashton diamond. The invitation was accepted, but when the time came for the game the Misses Abbie Whitney and Mathilda Brodkorb were unable to go and their places were taken by Eva Whitney and Mabelle Huntley, of the "Bobolinks." Of course there was much discussion in the town as to the propriety of letting the girls go. Nevertheless they went, in charge of G. N. Price. While they were gone but little else was talked about by the people at home. But all grumbling ceased, when, on the afternoon of the game Uncle Charley England received a dispatch from Mary Huntley announcing a victory for the "Blue Jays" by a score of 21 to 13.

In January the Universalists organized a society at Wessington Springs and began holding religious services, led by Mr. James Mosher. The meetings were held at the residences of the members.

A literary and debating society at the Dale Center school house during the winter of 1894-95 attracted considerable attention and was well attended by people in that part of the county.

A Union Sunday School with 33 members was organized in the southeast part of Viola township on March 24th and was well attended through the year.

In the latter part of February the farmers of Viola township held a meeting at which a strong sentiment was expressed in favor of bonding the township to put down a number of artesian wells. But a few days later W. P.-Shulz, began drilling a well for Charles Walters, and after it was finished he put down one for Christopher Clodt, and another for Peter Klink. Nothing further was done about bonding the township.

In the summer of 1895 the Sullivan P. O. was changed from the residence of Mr. W. W. Goodwin in the southern part of Wessington Springs township to the residence of Wm. Webber in Anina.

An. old settlers association was organized on June 25th, at a picnic held in the grove at Wessington Springs. F. T. Tofflemier was made president and Geo. O. Williams secretary. A vice-president of the association was elected for each township, Mr. L. G. Wilson was elected historian.

J. R. Milliken sold his Alpena store to H. A. Miller and his son Charles, in February and in October changed his residence to Mitchell. Miller & Son moved the stock of goods in March to Wessington Springs and placed it on one side of the store room occupied by W. L. Arnold. Arnold sold dry goods and Miller sold groceries. In September Arnold began a series of auction sales to close out his business, and in November Millers moved their stock of goods to their farm in Chery township.

After Miller & Son moved their goods to Wessington Springs, C. C. Isenhuth, who had been running a store at Virgil moved his stock to Alpena.