Jerauld County, South Dakota - The whole text, 1909 (part 8 of 10)

A plain stone, bearing the inscription, "A.yL. Eager, Co. B., 3rd Wis. Inf.," nothing more, is rich with thoughts of other scenes and other days. The story of that regiment is all the encomium, desired by the simple soldier, who rests here, alone, far from the comrades who marched with him in the campaigns of the army of the Patomac.

On the S half of 32 - 108 - 63, I met William Brandenburg, one of the earliest settlers of the county, who has a magnificent farm, and has found that Dakota, as territory and state, has been a good country in which to live. His son, Fred, living a short distance further north was the second child born in the township ; the first being, Miss Scheel, now the wife of William Ahart.

Of those who spent the winter of 1883 in the village of Alpena, W. W. Hillis, the druggist, alone remains. He has prospered in the years that have silvered his hair. He always has a good word for the town in which he lives. For 24 years the drug store has been in the same building, and during 23 years of that time Willis has been behind the counter, either as clerk or proprietor.

Of the rest, many are gone out of the knowledge of those who knew them here. W. H. Arne, upon whose pre-emption claiiu the town is located, is living at Cottage Grove, Oregon, where his son-in-law, Frank Phillips, also resides.

Jeff Hillis, the last of the '83 settlers to leave Alpena, now lives at Hillsdale, Oregon, a neighbor of Andrew Mercer, an early settler of Dale and who proposed the name adopted by that townsffip, in 1884.

Ray Barber, at different times, hotel keeper, hardware merchant and liveryman, is now devoting his time exclusively to real estate, and the care of the several farms he owns in this vicinty.

An issue of the Jerauld County Journal, under date of February 22nd, 1884, published by Loomis & Davis was loaned to me by Mr. J. D. Chamberlain. From it I quote the following items that were of interest to the pioneers of that day:

Among the list of final proof notices I found the names of John Dukes and Sgt. John McKown, whose names I saw yesterday on the headstones in the cemetery. Other names in the list were George Whealen, Fred Busse, John E. Cook and Henry C. Neumeyer.

The issue of April 9, 1897, of the paper, thy name of which had now been changed to "The Alpena Journal," contains the following interesting notes :

"The Dakota Sieve, of this county, came out last week printed on the official blank ballots, the 'insides' not having arrived, on account of wash-outs."

The livery business that has been run by numerous owners since the days in 1884 when Wallace Linn hired broncho's, broken and unbroken, to traveling customers, is now controlled by Thompson Bros, who own as fine a livery property as the state affords.

The NW of 7 - 108 - 63 and the NE of 12 - 108 - 64, is a half section upon which Pat McDonald, for several years sheriff of Jerauld county, kept a bachelor establishment in the '80s and early '90s.

The SW of 6 was for many years the homestead and residence of J. H. May, a judge of the probate court, and for several years county and township justice. The farm is now the property of Fred Brandd, but is being cultivated by Rob't Richey, who is also tilling the NW of 7.

I had reached the west line of the township and, leading the wheel through the prairie grass, along a "blind trail," I bent my steps toward the home of Mr. H. C. Newmeyer, a grand army veteran, where I hoped to get the records of W. H. L. Wallace Post. The indications of rain were strong but the wheel and I kept up our usual speed, when walking.

To ride the bike up and down the steep hills and gullies that cross the township line, and through the heavy grass, was impossible. Just as the big drops began to fall I arrived at the door of the hospitable Pennsylvanian, and then for several hours watched one of the heaviest rainstorms I ever saw. While the rain was falling I obtained from the G. A. R. records the extracts that I wanted, and then spent a very pleasant evening with Mr. Newmeyer and his son.

The SW of 1 8 - 108 - 63 and the NE of 13 - 108 - 64, has been for nine years the home of Geo. Reinhart. He has 90 acres in to crop, and was hurrying the breaking plow to get more land on the NE of 13 under cultivation. On this quarter-section Jesse Beadell and his grandmother, Mrs. Phillips, spent the night of Jan. 12th, 1888, under an overturned sled. The next morning the lad started for assistance, but did not go far before he succumbed to the intense cold. Relatives, a little later, found his lifeless body, and rescued the old lady badly chilled.

Frank Phillips lived for several years on the north half of 19 - 108 - 63, and secured title to it from the United States. The NW quarter of this section is now owned by Dr. Shull, of Alpena, who also owns the SE of 13 in Dale township. From the Phillips quarter the buildings have been removed, but good ones stand on the quarter across the road where the Doctor has made his improvements.

The other Phillips quarter, and the south half of the section, together with a fine quarter in section 24, of Dale, is now owned and occupied by H. A. Munson, formerly of LaFayette Co., Wis. His farm extends across Sand Creek, affording running water in his pasture, while a strong artesian well furnishes the same for the farm yards.

The north half of Pat Conlon's old homestead, the SE of 18, and the north half of Jim Conlon's homestead, which was a mile long on the west side of 17 and also the homesteads of Hugh and Mike Moran, comprising all of the north half of 18, are now owned by Albert Krueger, who came here from Buffalo county and by energy and economy has built up a splendid home. He has in 175 acres of crop.

On the 20th day of May I got back to Wessington Springs, havingled the bike all the way from Lane in the face of a strong west wind. But I reached the "hub of the universe" at last and stopped for a moment in front of the First National Bank, and my weariness brought to my mind one day twenty-five years ago when footsore, tired and hungry I stopped at that same spot in front of Tarbell's hotel. Then I had walked from H. D. Fisher's claim in Franklin township, in October snow and mud. Then the twenty feet of board floor to the hotel porch was the only piece of sidewalk in the town. The hotel was owned and run by L. H. Tarbell and J. H. Woodburn.

East of the hotel was the building that now stands on the west side of T. L. White's hardware store, but then only reaching back to the window. In that building Morse & La Pont lived and kept a hardware store. In the building where Mr. White now stores machinery, east of Alden Cutler's law office, Silas Kinny kept a general store, using the back part for a residence.

Opposite Kinny's store and a little east, stood Stevens Bros.' general store, a one and one-half story building, the upper story being occupied for living rooms. West of this stood the building now occupied by Henry Hermsen for a barber shop. Over its door was nailed a sign which read. "Ford & Rich, Law and Land Office," painted by J. H. Kugler.

Still further west, in the room now used by S. T. Leeds for his Cozy Cafe, was the printing office of McDonald and Bateman in which was published the Wessington Springs Herald, the first Jerauld county newspaper.

On the ground where Ausman & Wallace now have their real estate office, stood the law and land office of Drake & Magee. The little building in which the pioneer firm did business now stands in the rear of the present office, which was built by Mr. Drake 'in 1885.

On the south side of the street, on the now vacant lot adjoining Shull's drug store on the east, stood the law and land office of Dunn & Hackett.

On the lots now owned by Geo. N. Price, south of the city hall, stood the livery, feed and sale stable owned and operated by Bert Orr, now of Pleasant township. Near where the hotel Oliver now stands was a school house built by private subscription.

One more building, what is now the old Carlton House, then known as the Applegate building, and in which the True Republican was started in November, 1883, by W. S. Ingham and myself, completed what constituted the business district of Wessington Springs.

The residences of Rob't Bateman, C. W. McDonald, R. M. Magee, A. B. Smart and H. Blowers were the homes of the city aside from the business houses. Of these oldtimers, McDonald, Smart, Woodburn and Orr alone, remain in the county.

That was Wessington Springs the first time I saw it. The origin, growth and development of the town will be much more fully given in the history of the county.

Of the men who were in business in Wessington Springs in October, *883, except as before mentioned, the following is the record as nearly as I can ascertain :

Thos. Drake moved from here to Faulkton, then to Redfield, next to Pierre and last to Seattle, Wash. His partner, R. M. Magee, is at Chadron, Neb.

Out of the center of the north half of thirty-one Maj. Wallace took his pre-emption claim. He made a tree-claim out of the center of the south half of 30, leaving a strip a mile long and eighty rods wide extending along the town line from the west quarter-corner of 31 to the corresponding corner of 30. This strip was afterwards taken by a widow named Mrs. Baker.

The east half of the NE 31, with the west half of the NW 32 was homesteaded by C. D. Brown, who was the first man to bring a family into Dale township.

All of section 30 is now owned by Mr. W. F. Harding, but is occupied by Mr. J. Barber, who came from Henry county, Illinois, and rented the farm the first of March, this year. He and his two nephews have in 300 acres of crop that bid fair to reward them well for their labors.

The north half of 30, a quarter of a century ago, was the home of Dr. E. L. Turner and his father. The doctor had the NE quarter and the old gentleman the northwest. E. L. Turner was an excellent physician, good hearted, kind and faithful. Reticent by nature, he shrank from the prying of the curious and, when not ministering to the wants of his patients, would sit for hours brooding over the wrongs that had ruined his family and his life.

North of the Turner land is the SW of 19 where Will Eagle had a tree claim when the settlements were new. On this quarter, in 1889, ended an event which has never been told. A young fellow had been arrested on a far-fetched charge of house breaking. The case was commenced before C. W. Hill, at that time a justice of the peace of Chery township. A change of the place of trial was taken and the case went before Squire Van Voorhis, of the same township. A contest over a technicality in the complaint resulted in a dismissal of the action. He was immediately rearrested, on the same charge, on a warrant issued by G. R. Bateman, a magistrate of Wessington Springs. The district attorney, A. Converse, had now taken hold of the case. Again the quibling over the papers resulted in the discharge of the prisoner, who was allowed his liberty while the district attorney made a new complaint. A new warwant was issued and placed in the hands of the sheriff. The attorneys and justice remained in the court room while waiting for the officer to bring in the defendant. The minutes dragged^on into hours and supper time approached. J. R. Francis entered the room from his office and after looking about for a minute, remarked, ''What are you fellows waiting for?" "We're waiting for the prisoner," replied the justice. "Well," said Francis, "I saw him about two hours ago, with his coat over his shoulder making good time toward the hills. You fellows might as well go home." "It's a trick," said the district attorney, "but I'll have that fellow 'bound up' to court if I have to follow him to Kingdom Come." A few minutes later the boy's father and attorney were in a lumber wagon driving north along the road at the foot of the hills. A short distance north of the Wallace gulch the boy ran down from the hills and climbed into the wagon. The team was then turned east for Alpena. When they reached the SW 19 they saw a single rig approaching from the south, and so close that it was impossible to escape, if the rig contained any one interested in knowing who was in the wagon. The boy leaped out and, running a few yards, threw himself down in the short grass, where he kept his head bobbing up and down to see who was coming and whether he was discovered. Sure enough, the buggy contained the sheriff, who drove up to the wagon, stopped a few moments, remarked about the crops, thought maybe it would rain, though it was one of the dry years of early days, and then drove off, passing within ten feet of the bobbing head without once looking toward it. The boy, terribly frightened. climbed to his seat in the wagon and silently rode away into the night. He has never been seen in the county since.

Across the road, west, in Cilery township, on the SE of 24, now owned by F. Spears, Will Eagle had a pre-emption claim in 1884 - 85. He bought a relinquishment of Ole Nelson, a Norwegian.

Three cottonwood trees grew for years near where the claim shanty stood. One of the trees has died and fallen. The heat was intense when I reached this point and I thought to sit on the trunk of the dead tree, in the shade of the live ones, and write up the notes of the road thus far. Ihe only things left on this quarter to mark the early habitation, are the trees, the rank grass, a few stones with which an attempt had been made to dam the little run, in which water sometimes flowed, and the mosquitoes, of prodigious size, full grown I think, probably the same that drove the hardy Norseman to sell his claim. I postponed the note writing and moved on.

A short distance further north I saw an argument, big as a load of hay, in favor of better roads. It was left there by Ed. Dwyer, who lives on the W. T. McConnell farm in Dale, which comprises all of section seven. About two miles of the best improved highway is needed on the township line across the Firesteel bottom.

The north half of 19 in Dale was taken -by L. F. Russell, present county treasurer, and his father, Lawrence Russell, as pre-emption claims.

After passing Ed. Dwyer's load of hay, I led the wheel north over the partially dried road, past the SW 18 where Hale Cleveland had his quarter of government land, and also past the NW of the same section, where W. H. Robeson, from Davenport, Iowa, "held down" a homestead claim.

At the Tracy school house, which stands on the southwest corner of section 8, I stopped and entered. The doors were unlocked and the room looked as though a town meeting had been recently held there. The building is in fair condition, considering its age, 24 years, but the foundation needs attention. Good firebreaks surround it and but little trouble would be experienced in protecting the house from prairie fires.

From there I walked south, most of the time in Eagle's pasture, in 17, because of the moist condition of the road. When almost at the next section line, I came to the. Firesteel Creek, which had "tumbled out of bed," and lay spread out considerably. No bridge or turnpike, there was nothing to do but turn back to the school house. All of section 17 is owned by B. F. Eagle, who has it fenced in for pasture and it makes a good one, plenty of grass and watered by two artesian wells located on adjoining land.

The SW of 8, was the residence of Jake Rosenthal and his wife, a couple who 20 years ago were well known in Jerauld, Sanborn and Beadle counties.

Turning east along the south line of section 8, I soon reached another stream, which George Washington could have jumped before he became president. But I am not a George Washington, and besides he couldn't have done it with a bicycle. Across the little stream, on the SE of 8 is the substantial home of John Scott. I saw Mr. S. north of a good sized hog pasture plowing corn. I lifted the bike over the fence, passed over the creek on a stone crossing, swung the wheel over another fence and got from Mr. Scott the story of his farm. But he informed me that the bridge was gone from where the creek crossed the road on the east side of 1 7, and that my surest way to get south was to go back through the hog pasture to the roacl, get over the fence into Eagle's pasture again, and strike the east line of 17 south of the stream. I did so but had to spend considerable time in repeatedly driving off the herd of cattle in the pasture. The wheel aroused their curiosity and they seemed determined to examine it too closely.

It was in this same pasture that Peter Wieland had trouble, in 1885, with a large bunch of curious cattle. Peter was driving a one horse wagon with a cow tied behind it. The cattle surrounded him, overturned the wagon, threw down and trampled on the horse and the cow, while Peter himself had to run to escape serious injury.

My troubles in getting on reminded me of the difficulties of some other men on that road a number of years ago, in which animal curiosity cut quite a figure. But thereby hangs a tale. See winter of 1896-7.

On Monday morning, July 27th, I brought out the bike, inflated the wheels, and then finding that the wind was in the north I turned the machine toward Viola township.

My first stop was at the residence of Nathan Shuey who lives on the quarter where John Grant made his homestead entry, May 14th, 1881, the SE of 19, of Wessington Springs township. At the time of making his entry on the SE of 19, Mr. Grant also filed a tree claim entry on the NE quarter of the same section. Here he lived, making the place famous for its orchard of splendid fruit and many improvements, including a good well, fine grove and delightful shade. The farm now includes the M. C. Ayers quarter, which stretches a quarter of a mile in width, along the north line of section 30.

Across the way, east, lies the S. W. of 20. Here John R. Francis filed his soldiers declaratory and made proof for it as his homestead. Prior to making his home on this land he had lived at Sheldon, Iowa. AVhen his six months, allowed by law, for establishing his residence, had nearly expired he came to the territory again, and for a few days remained at Plankinton, waiting for a chance to ride out with some settler, to his claim. On the day that his six months would expire Ed. Williams, a friend and neighbor, drove to Plankinton and brought Francis home. In some way, before he arrived at his claim, upon which no buildings had yet been erected he learned that some strangers had planned to go to the Mitchell land office the next morning and institute a contest against his entry. As soon as he arrived at his claim he went to John and Newell Grant, who were then living together on Newell's claim the NW of 19, and told them of his danger. It was late at night and the country covered with snow. But the Grants are not men to stop at untried obstacles when a friend needs help. No sooner was the story told than the three men set to work. A small shanty owned by the Grants, was placed on timbers and drawn over the section line and placed, as the required improvement, on Francis' land. A stove and pipe were furnished, fuel provided, and on the next morning when the strangers arose to prepare for their trip, the old soldier had so black a smoke rolling out of the shanty that the whole 13th N. Y. Heavy might have been there, and there could be no doubt about a residence having been established. The claim was saved. A few willows planted by Francis along the highway are now large trees, but their verdue is no greener than his memory among the people with whom he lived for more than a quarter of a century. He later sold his land to John McDonald now of Alpena.

The Francis quarter was purchased in 1898 by Mr. C. P. Christenson, who has built upon it a fine home and has added to it, in one good farm, the SE of 20, held in the early days by J. W. Wright and also purchased by H. Bloodgood. Mr. Christenson has also purchased the NW of 20, once owned by Rev. J. G. Campbell as a timber claim.

John A. McCarter who was here before other people came had a preemption and homestead on the west half of 29, while James, one of the boys, had a homestead on the SW of 30. These early settlers went out in the hegira that occurred during the "years of hard times." Their oldtime holdings are now the property of others.

Carl Kleppin, Sr., has 800 acres which includes the McCarter SW of 29 and the north half and south east quarter of 31 and SW of 28. Of this land the north half of 32 was once the home of Jas. Houseman now in the Balck Hills country. The SE of 32 was a pre-emption owned by G. A. Groves.

The SW of 32 which is now owned by Paul Kleppin, of near Lane, was in 1883 the homestead of W. W. Goodwin, who was one of those who came to this township first, and stayed. Here was located old Sullivan post office, where Mr. Goodwin was the postmaster. All the Kleppin land is now in charge of two of the young men, George and Henry, who are cultivating this year 450 acres.

Across the way to the west lie two quarters upon which are no buildings, the NE of 31, a pre-emption taken by Ed Lowe and the south east quarter of the same section taken as a pre-emption by C. A. Groves. At the NE corner of 6, I crossed the line into Viola township a country fair indeed, and I was literally "among Review readers."

I entered Viola township one mile east of its west line and the same distance from the hill tops over which the town line runs. Because of the roughness of the country, the highway between Viola and Anina is traveled but little, and in some places is practically abandoned. On this slope,, lying at the foot of the hills, is some of the richest soil in the state.

On the west side of the road, and including the northeast quarter of 6, and also the east half of the west half of the same section, is the new residence of J. P. Eberhard, a man who started in life as a pioneer. He lived 38 years on his father's homestead, entered in 1868, in Plymouth county, Iowa. Two years ago he left the old home and, with his small family settled here. He has a good new house and other improvements, which, with his 75 acres of excellent crop makes him feel that he made no mistake in coming to the foot of the hills.

Twenty six years ago Miss Emma Cady taught the first school ever taught in this township. It was a subscription school and held in the basement of the dwelling house built by Rev. Wm. Paganheart, a kind hearted German minister, who held as pre-emption and homestead, all of the east half of section 6. The teacher, the minister and the house have all diseappeared from Jerauld county. Her brother, Rolla Cady, was also a printer, on the Wessington Springs Herald, in the old days but is now living in Fargo, N. D., a conductor on the Great Northern Railway. But I am letting my pencil wander a long way from Viola township.

On the old Voge farm across the way, the NW of 5, Will Annis lives. He came to the territory in 1884 and settled in Crow Lake township. He lived there eleven years and then moved to the Dr. Nesmith farm, the NE of 7, in this towmship. Then for a few years he occupied the Kalb farm, among the hills on the west line of 6. By hard work and close economy he wras enabled, in 1905, to purchase the farm upon which he now resides.

The next quarter upon this side of the road, the SYY of 5> with the quarter opposite, the SE of 6, constitute the farm of E. E. Nesmith and his wife. In 1883 he settled on the SE of 5, taking it as a homestead. He sold that and bought his present location in 1887. Late in the fall of that year he began preparations for building a new house. At odd spells, when the weather would permit, he worked at the building. In the fore- part of January, 1888, the house was inclosed, except the windows and he began the work of finishing. On the morning of January 12th he got Henry Stephens to assist him in putting on the casings. The weather was mild, with the wind in the southeast. They were making good progress when, suddenly, about ten o'clock, the wind changed to the northwest and the room was instantly filled with snow, fine as flour. A dense fog, struck by a cold wave and frozen in its minutest particles was being driven by a whirling, furious northwest wind. The great blizzard was on. With much difficulty they boarded up the openings and finally shut out the storm. But it was dangerous work, getting fuel from the straw pile a few rods distant. All day the two men listened to the howling of the storm. Sunset came and darkness added to their unpleasant situation. Getting fuel, which had been hazardous in the day-time, was doubly dangerous in the night. About midnight, tiring of the frequent trips, necessary to keep the stove going, Elmer declared his intention of going to the school house, then, as now, located at the southeast corner of the SE of 6, and about 90 rods south of the house they were building. Henry was opposed to the attempt, but Elmer, who had successfully made all the trips to the straw pile, felt confident of being successful in the greater undertaking, and telling his companion to go or stay, as he pleased, set cut. Henry followed close at his heels and together they reached the school house in safety. A fire was soon roaring in the coal stove. After getting warm and rested, Elmer determined to try to reach his father's house, 80 rods west of the school house, but Henry refused to venture further and putting more coal in the stove, settled down to wait for daylight. Nesmith, however, buttoned his coat a little tighter, tied up his ears a little closer, and made the dangerous try - how dangerous he did not fully realize until several days later, when the death list came in. He succeeded, but he would not try it now. The grit that enabled him to face the blizzard, brought him, and his no less gritty wife, through the years of hard times and discouragement that followed. Today they have a comfortable home, with a large herd, good crops and many indications of prosperity.

My next stopping place was the farm of S. T. Smith, who has 480 acres of excellent land in section 18. He moved on to this farm in March a year ago, having purchased it of John Grant. On this farm is a fine spring and I think one of the best artesian wells in the state. The water is cold and free from the peculiar taste characterstic of the water in most deep wells. A fifteen acre field of sod corn, planted on the 10th day of June was in tassel at the time of my visit, the 27th day of July. Other crops were doing equally well. Mr. Smith has had varied experience in Dakota. His first venture was in Beadle county where he lost over a hundred head of cattle in the great blizzard of 1888. He went into the xheep raising business in Anina township in 1897, at one time having over 3000 head. A few years ago he returned to his home in Winnebago county, 111., but became convinced that the northwest afforded better opportunities for the man with limited means, and came back again and purchased the home where he now lives. Upon this quarter section and on almost the same spot where the buildings now stand, John Phillips, who took it for his homestead, had his house and stable. On the 2nd day of April, 1889, a tornado of fire swept over this tract, destroying every vestige of improvements that Phillips had built.

At the old home of T. K. Ford, I stopped again. This old pioneer residence is rich with interesting memories of the beginning of a count}-. It was the meeting place for discussion of all matters of local importance. On it the first religious services of the township were held, conducted by Rev. Jordan. Once started the services were continued during the months to come, before the school house, built in 1884, afforded a more commodious place. The early settlers listened here to the earnest teachings of Revs. Yessey, Daniels, Paganhart, Jordan and Smith. Here the first Sunday school was organized. The hardy old pioneer has done his work and in gone. The world is surely better for his having lived in it. But two of his children are now residing in this county, a daughter Mrs. E. E. Nesmith and a son, Mr. J. A. Ford. The latter is living in the historic house, while waiting for the completion of his new house, on the NE of 18, at one time held as a tree claim by a lady named Prior. Mr. Ford is clerk of the civil township, and he and his wife being both among the earliest of the early settlers, I was enabled to get from them a fund of information concerning the early times in that part of the county.

At the NE corner of 19 stands the Ford school house. It was properly named, though it had no formal christening. The SE of 18 was owned by T. K. Ford, the SW of 17 by J. A. Ford; the NW of 20 by T. K. Ford ; the SW of 20 by Mary Ford and the NE of 19 is now the property of J. A. Ford.

Twenty-five years ago J. M. Simpson had a homestead entry on the NW of 19. This quarter is now owned by Edward Curl, who came here from Manilla, Iowa, three years ago and set to work to open up a new farm, for Simpson had done but little in the matter of making improvements. Mr. Curl has broken up and put to crop about 60 acres on his own farm and also put out 100 acres on rented land. His crops are good and his prospects encouraging. On the quarter north, the SW 18, at the southwest corner is located Union cemetery, owned by people of Viola and Anina townships. In the beginning 12 lots were set apart as

J. A. Tyner was one of the early settlers in the west part of Viola township. He was prominent in all affairs of the township and was at one time a candidate on the republican ticket for the position of sheriff. Like all candidates on the G. O. P. ticket for that office in this county, in the past, he didn't "get there." His farm was the one upon which Albert Ankrum has been living during the last five years, the NE of 30. Mr. Ankrum came from Woodbury county, Iowa, and is well pleased with his investment. He has been paying considerable attention to Duroc Jerseys with very satisfactory results. In 1889 this farm was occupied by S. T. Smith. On the 2nd of April, of that year, it, like all others in that vicinity, was swept by the fire that made that day one to be remembered. Smith saved his buildings and the most of his animals. One cow, with a small calf, was out on the prairie, and was supposed to be lost. On the morning of the 3rd of April Mr. Smith was looking about the farm when he saw the cow coming towards the buildings. All her hair was singed off and she was badly burned. At a distance he saw the calf. It was well and sound as any calf, and had not been schorched in the least. It was one of the things unaccountable that happen in all great catastrophies. It was interesting only from its strangeness.

On what was known in the early days as the Will Dixon farm, the NW of 30, Mr. S. H. LeValley, Jr., has as fine a crop prospect as will often be found. He came here with his father, S. H. LeValley, Sr., who lives across the way, on the old Christ. Johnson place, the SW of 19. in the fall of 1906. At the time of my call at the residence of Mr. Le- Valley, Sr., the household was busy preparing for the wedding reception to be given that evening to their son and his bride, in honor of their marriage, an account of which appeared in the columns of "The Review" at the time of the occurrence. Friends were to be there from Viola and Anina townships, as well as from a distance, for the young man had brought home one of the most popular girls in Hawkeye Valley. I made my visit short as possible - only long enough, in fact, to ask a few questions, from which I learned, among other things, that this family came from Walforth county, Wis., and are pleased beyond their expectations with their South Dakota home.

On the SE of 32 I found J. M. Dougan "keeping bach in a splendid 'hall' " on a fine farm of 960 acres. It includes the NE of 33, once owned by Eliza Ellison, the C. E. Walker farm, the SW of 33, and the NW of the same section, formerly, for a short time, the home of Louis Desteiger. and a half section in the county across the line. Mr. Dougan was born in Mason City, Iowa, and never spent a day on a farm until he came here eight years ago and purchased this tract. He has stayed right on this farm ever since. In that time his riches have increased rapidly. Last winter he kept, without any losses, 400 cattle and 100 horses. The cattle will all be "feeders" this season and he has 80 of the horses left, having sold twenty of them this spring. The horses are of the Percheron breed and

After a good dinner with bachelor Dougan I rode and walked east, for the way was not good for wheeling, until I reached the quarter section, the SE of 33, where 26 years ago H. H. Kieser settled as one of the first settlers in this part of Jerauld county. In the fall of the year before, 1881, he and his brother John had visited this region, then a part of Aurora county, and made timber culture entries - H. H. Kieser taking the SE of 33 and John taking the SW of 34. Through good times and hard times, wet times and dry times, Mr. Kieser has stuck to his land; he stayed with it when it was worth but $5 per acre and de still keeps it when he could easily get $45. He now has the south half of 34 and the SE of 33. He came to Viola township, when it was only known as "106 - 64," from Kansas. In 1903 he put down an artesian well, and last year built a new house that is a credit to the township. He is rich in this world's goods, having on this splendid farm 90 acres of corn, 105 acres of wheat, 13 acres of oats, 65 head of cattle, 20 horses and 70 hogs. Mr. Kieser's brothers also have good farms in this vicinity which I will mention hereafter.

At the NE of 27 I met Mr. August Schuttpelz, who, in company with Mr. Wm. Wetzel came here in 1883, and filed on this quarter for a homestead. Mr. Wetzel took the quarter across the road east. After living on this land until he made proof Mr. Shuttpelz sold his land to Herman Heinz and went back to Hancock county, Iowa. Twelve years he remained there and then once more came to Dakota, to repurchase his old residence. He has developed and improved his farm until now he is the happy owner of a home that ought to content any one.

Mr. Wetsel, who came with Mr. Schuttpelz in 1883, has lived onescore-and-five years on the homestead the government gave him at that time. The farm now includes the whole west half of section 26 and he and his sons are prospering to their hearts' content. The buildings are good, the soil is of the best and the crops can not be beaten in any state. An artesian well supplies abundance of water for all purposes, and with rural telephone and mail delivery, what more can any one want. The old home quarter is now owned by one of the boys, Max Wetzel, who married Bertha Klink last March.

Max Wetzel I found harvesting a fine crop of grain on the west half of 23. Peter Klink, who lived on this half-section, was well known to all the early settlers and was interested in the organization of the township. He died ten years ago. Mrs. Klink continued to live on the farm until two years ago, when she moved into Lane, where she still resides.

Lest some of the "Review" readers who live out of the county, or out of the state, and have not seen the prosperity that has come upon the people among whom I have been "a wheeling," should think that I am out on a bouquet-throwing expedition, I want to say, before writing more of my trips about the county, that I have during the past three years, been over a large portion of Iowa and Illinois, two as good states as there are in the Union, and I have no where seen farmers any more prosperous than they are in Jerauld county. Land that in the older states is selling at from S100 to $150 per acre gives no better returns than the farmers here get on land that is selling at $35 to $50. To those of the readers who have never been here I say, come and see ; to thos who came early and left in "the hard times" I say, come again for the sake of "auld lang syne" and see what has come to those who couldn't go when you did. These articles are not "knockers," neither are they "boosters," but they are intended to be truthfully descriptive of the country and the people, as 1 have known them in the past twenty-five years. So far I have said nothing of the "hot winds" that devastated this country as the grasshoppers did Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Minnesota, or as the chintz bug, weewil and cutworms did the states of Illinois, Michigan and Indiana : but before I am done I shall tell it all in the history of the "hard times in Dakota," about which so much has been said.

Chas. Walters has a good farmstead on the XE 40 of the NW of 22. A house that would be a credit to any farm in the older states, a large and commodious barn, with convenient outbuildings, cattle and hogs, whose numbers he doesn't know. Charlie, as he is familiarly known, is happy in the enjoyment of the fruits of his years of pioneering. About his buildings is a fine grove, planted years ago when he first settled on this land, for this was Air. Walter's homestead. A shallow well that furnishes the best of cold water, has been knowrn to the people for miles around during all the years that he has lived here. For several years it afforded drinking water for all the settlers in the central part of the township. People would drive past other wells for miles around to slake their thirst . at this famous well. It still furnishes abundance of water, but people have become accustomed to the taste of the water from artesian wells, of which there are twenty-one in the township and so do not take the trouble to go so far to get the better wafer at Charlie's place. The years have prospered well with Mr. Walters. He now has just one thousand acres in his splendid farm. He made his homestead entry on three forties in section 15 and this one forty in 22. His pre-emption right he filed on the SE of 15 and afterward purchased the NW of 15, the Mike Houk homestead, where Chas. Walters, Jr., now resides. He also owns the SW of 28, the old Primmer homestead and the SW of 32. The NW of 14, where Mr. Moss had his homestead claim, has also been added to Mr. Walter s farm. Mr. W. came here in 1881. His artesian well was the second one to be put down in Viola township.

In 1884 the Villbrandt family came to Viola township direct from the fatherland. They rented the NE 2 and afterward bought it for four hundred dollars, paying one hundred down, and then all went to work to clear off the three hundred dollar mortgage. Almost incessantly the whole family worked. Fate was against them. Their experience was the same as hundreds of others who were here in the "hard times" - they couldn't pay the interest and taxes. The mortgage worked more effectually than they could and it took the farm. William afterwards bought the farm back for $800 and paid for it, while Frank Villbrandt purchased the old Nate Rhodes farm the NE of 20. It hardly seems credible that he should have had the courage to 'make another effort in the immediate vicinity of the land upon which he and his brothers had so signally failed. But he did, and I found him looking at the carpenters who were rapidly bringing to completion another of those elegant houses of which so many are to be found in Jerauld county. He was badly crippled with a sudden attack of sciatica, but there was a look of satisfaction on his face as he told me of his hardships and trials and his ultimate success. He has a good barn (anyone acquainted with German families knows what that means) a strong artesian well, 120 acres in cultivation, farm well fenced and to this he has added another 160 acres, the NW of 28, a quarter section once held as a homestead by Chas. Towner.

George Clodt has the south half and the northwest quarter of section jy. He was but 15 years of age when he came to Dakota Territory, and when he became of age he purchased relinquishments and placed his homestead, pre-emption and tree claim rights on the SE of 17, which carried him through the hard times without a heavy 'incumberance on the land. He then bought the other two quarters the John M. Primmer preemption and the J. A. Ford homestead. The three quarters make one of the best farms of the county. A large white farm house, a large red barn and other improvements necessary to the convenience of a farm. He has had poor luck with his artesian wells. He has put down two, but both have gone dry. With true Dakota pluck, however, he will try again.

At the Kleppin mail box I met A. V. Hall, also on a wheel, carrying the mail, which was light that morning, down into the country where I had been since Monday morning. He delivers every day at seventy-four boxes, the letters and papers addressed to ninety-seven persons. The wheel was heavily loaded, but he was making good time.

On the 31st day of July the wind being in the SW, I decided to take a run through Dale township and as I thought of the deep pools of Sand Creek, lying along the east side of that township, I tied my fish pole on the ''bike" and headed in that direction. Harvesting was everywhere in full swing, and in some places the thresher had commenced his work. I did not stop until I reached a knoll near the north line of Wessington Springs township. It was covered with a thick growth of ash trees planted long ago by F. T. Tofflemier, and known as "Ash Knoll."

Probably no man in Jerauld county was better or more favorably known than he. In November, 1881, he came to the Territory of Dakota and filed his homestead on the NW of 5 in Wessington Springs township and made a timber culture entry on the SW of 33 in Dale. In March the next year he brought his family and began a residence on the land selected for his home, which continued until the time of his death, October 22, 1905. He and his good wife lived long enough to know that their life work had been a success. A large family of splendid boys and girls grew up around them. Today those children are scattered far and wide, but wherever they are each one in his or her place is a credit to the name of Tofflemier. The mother survived the father but a few days. Of the children, Tell and Ross are in Lyman county, this state, although 50 miles apart. Maud is in Michigan, Floyd is in Red Lands, California, Ruth is in Winona, Minn., Ollie has a good home in Missouri, Lou lives at Custer, S. D., while Fanny, Louis and Kate still have their postoffice at Wessington Springs. Louis lives on the old farm. Suffering from an operation for appendicitis, Louis has been compelled to hire most of his farm work done, but has managed so well that the year has been to him a very profitable one.

At no place in my travels awheel have I met more gratifying evidence of what energy and perseverance can accomplish, even in the face of manifold discouragements, than on the NE of 32, the C. D. Brown claim of twenty-five years ago. E. W. Simmons, and his determined wife, after long years of hard work and adversity, in which they had tried claimholding, farming, renting and "working out" three years ago found themselves in position to buy this quarter and again start farming "on their own hook." They won, with the help of the boys, and last spring added to the farm the E half of the SE of 30. They rented other land and have 450 acres of crop that will place them among the people on "Easy Street.'* At last they have a home of their own. It's a "dandy," and not for sale.

A few rods further north and on the opposite side of the road, in a fine grove of trees, stands the dwelling of Mr. Christiansen, the school clerk of Dale township. He came from Minnesota in 1904 and purchased the south half of 29 and the old Elmer Taylor 80 in the SE of 30. The latter tract he sold to Mr. Simmons last spring. He has 120 acres to crop on the S half of 29. It is fine grain and he is content. The early map of the county says but little of this half section. On the SW quarter appears the name Beal and on the SE is the name Miller, and on each is the letter "D," indicating that at the time the map was made both quarters were deeded land.

I went on north past the Chas. Smith homestead, the NW of 29, past the Sarah Brown tree claim, the SW of 20, and turned the corner at the north side of that section, where Lawrence Russell had a homestead when wild antelope looked from the ton of the Wessington Hills at the canvas tops of the settlers' wagons that dotted the Jim river valley. In the road near the corner on the west side of the section stood Jim La Ban's engine and separator. That night some one set fire to the separator and it was utterly destroyed. Who did it is one of the mysteries that will probably never be solved.

John Doctor lives with his mother on the Lawrence Russell quarter and though a bachelor, seems as happy and contented as any benedict in the land. His crops are good and the acreage large enough to keep him busy.

I went east past Frank Eagle's place and turned north along the west line of the school section, but crossed the NW quarter to where R. J. Tracy, ex-county commissioner - "ex" simply because he is a democrat and the republicans had the most votes - was making extensive improvements to his already commodious house. He has 960 acres in his farm., which includes the SE of 9, where John Dynes had his homestead ; the SW of 9, where Adam Graham had a tree claim entry; James Eastman's, old pre-emption, the NE of 9; Wm. Burn's pre-emption and the John Maxon tree claim, these two quarters giving him the west half of ten, and his own homestead, the NW of 15, entered at the Mitchell land office in May, 1883. A large herd of fine cattle and 300 acres of good crops with old corn in the crib, "Rob" is "fixed" well enough. He went through the hard times and stayed, while those who took the land from the government left and endured the hard times somewhere else. With some of them the complaint became chronic and they will have "hard times" as

After leaving Tracy s land I turned northeast across the quarter at one time held by Solon Palmer, as a homestead ; to the northwest corner of Lewis Fenstimaker's homestead ; then north between Wm. J. Reese's pre-emption and Ed Palmer's homestead, until I reached the SE corner of the claim held by Henrietta M. Arne as a tree claim, the SE of 3. Wm. J. Reese had another claim, the SW of 2, and after rolling along past that I came to John Teasdale's milelong homestead. It took in the south half of the SE of 2 and the south half of the SW of 1. Mrs. Teasdale's father, Chas. Dawson, had a claim on the north 80 of the SE of 2.

At the southeast corner of the Teasdale land stands the school house that bears his name. This building is unlocked and destitute of furniture, but is to be fitted up for school again this year.

The Teasdale land is now owned and occupied by Michael Wahl, a Russian gentleman, who has added greatly to the improvements and extended the limits of the farm, which now includes the Teasdale homestead the SE of 1 ; the S half of NE of i ; the S half of 2, and a quarter section in Beadle county. An artesian well affords abundance of water for his 125 head of cattle, while 400 acres of good crops insure ample forage and grain for the coming winter.

Harry Sheffield owns 240 acres in the north half of section one in Dale township. A part of this farm was once owned by B. B. Beadel and part by Anthony C. Bixler. Both of them left the state about the time it was admitted to the Union and their land was used by different persons for various purposes untid 1901 when Mr. Sheffield bought it. Since then the Anglo-Saxon grit and untiring energy of this English lad has made it bring forth the crops that have made him prosperous and independent. He has been for several years the clerk of the civil township of Dale. Several weeks ago, when writing of a trip through Alpena township I mentioned the trip made by Mrs. Sheffield from England with her boys to join her husband who had come on some months before. Harry was one of the boys. His farm is a good one and at the time of my visit he was softly and carefully uttering ejaculations at the perversity of a twine binder that seemed to object to doing just one more harvest before going to that rest accorded to all good binders when their days of work are done.

The sun was just sinking behind the hills as I left Air. Sheffield's place to retrace my way to the banks of Sand Creek to angle with hook and fly for the speckled trout, that I knew was not there. A few chubs, shiners, crawfish and bullheads were landed and then, aftei eating a lunch

Across the road, south, is the quarter section where Wood Richardson had his soldier's homestead. He was a good fellow, but like many another good fellow he got disgusted with the "hard times" and went away practically abandoning land that today is worth half a hundred dollars per acre. This land is the NE of 24.

The NW of 24 was a tree claim, held by A. Huxtable, who never did anything with it. It is now one of the many valuable quarters in the township.

Without stopping again I went on past the SE of 14 where S. E. Mann had a timber culture entry in the early days; past the NE of 26, once owned by Mike Lynch ; along the south line of the land held when the country was new by Ed Crawford, and where the first school in the township was taught, until I reached the corners at the Dale Center school house. These corners are interesting. The NW of 23 is owned and occupied by Geo. H. Young, one of the few men in the county who are still living on the land they got from Uncle Sam 26 years ago. He owns a half section, having purchased the NW of 14 in 1895, upon which proof was made by Mrs. Ed Eddy of Chery township. Mr. Young has good soil on his farm and knows how to make the best of it. He cultivates 160 acres of his land, using the balance for meadows and pasture.

NE of 22 was obtained from the government by Andrew Mercer, for four years sheriff of the county and the man who proposed the name adopted for this township.

The SE of 15 was where Ely W. Chapman made his homestead entry in 1882. He held on as long as he could and then quit. He had the distinction of being the only man to be convicted of a crime in Jerauld county on a plea of "not guilty." It was one of those court mistakes that do sometimes occur. There is no question now but that E. W. Chapman was not guilty of the crime with which he was charged. In 1894 this farm was purchased by J. H. Young, a son of Geo. H. Young. He is a good deal of a horticulturist and besides other fruits has an acre of grape vines growing in good condition. I stayed with George Young over night and the next morning started back east to take a look at some farms of especial interest, one of which I had passed the previous evening.

A mile east of the Dale Center school house is a beautiful pond, comparatively deep, with high banks. It stretches across the section line and so the road curves to the south onto the NE of 23. This pond, or lake, furnishes the best of fish, bull-heads, for many families in the neighborhood. Although it is but two miles from Sand Creek its fish are so much better in firmness and taste that they are sought in preference to those in the stream. The lake covers about eight or ten acres and lies mostly on the farm of Wni Daleske, who settled on the SE of 14 in 1893 and put down an artesian well. The well supplies the water for the lake. The fish were put in the pond as soon as it was filled with water and now the supply of them is abundant. All the improvements on this farm are good. This thrifty farmer owns the SW of 14, the SW of 13, and the NE of 23, in addition to the quarter upon which his buildings are located, making a full section in all.

Nearly a mile north of the residence of Mr. Daleske, but on the NE of the same section is the dwelling of Ernest Schmidt. He has three quarters but the land is not all together. In addition to the NE of 14 he owns the NE of 15 and the NW of 24. Of this land 160 acres are in crop this year. He also has a good artesian well which affords abundance of water for all purposes on the farm, and fills a deep valley in which large numbers of fish can be taken at any time. This well was drilled in 1898. Mr. Schmidt took the NE of 14 in 1883, as a homestead, and has resided there ever since.

Across the road north from Ernest Schmidt is the homestead of his brother, Dan Schmidt. The two brothers came to the Territory of Dakota at nearly the same time and took as homesteads, quarters lying side by side. Dan also took the SW of 12, putting upon it his tree claim right. At that time Dr. Wheelan had a filing on the NW of 13, and Mr. Fenstemaker on the SW of 11. These two tracts Dan Schmidt has added to his farm and also the NW of 11, and the NE of 24. A detached quarter, the SW of 24, is also owned by Mr. Schmidt, but is occupied by his sonin-law, Frank Detleff. Dan Schmidt has the honor of being the first to put down an artesian well in Jerauld county. It was an expensive venture In those days, but he was full of the confidence that he still has in South Dakota. He made the try and won. Since then hundreds of wells have been dug in the adjacent country. Dan Schmidt's success in getting a -deep well gave renewed hope to his neighbors and revived their confidence in the wealth hidden in the earth if they would but go after it. The creameries, stock-raising, sheep raising and the ultimate success in all lines of agriculture, that has prevailed in this and adjoining counties are in a great measure due to the success of this German farmer in his efforts to get a supply of water from the deep-hidden streams of the earth. I drank from the well. The water is cool and refreshing, and the supply as abundant as when the drill point first tapped the fountain in 1886. This is a German home, retaining many of the customs of the fatherland. It was about ten o'clock in the forenoon when I arrived on my wheel at the farm. I met a sweet-faced German lassie taking a generous mid-forenoon lunch to the men in the harvest field. With his fertile fields, his large

From here I wheeled north on a fairly good road to Wahls farm and then took the hill road west. On one of the highest points I stopped a few moments and looked over the ground where Jack Crawford, now of Watertown, had his residence and blacksmith shop at the time he was "holding down" the SE of 3. The shop was near the highway and passing teamsters could, early and late, hear the clang of hammer and anvil long before they reached the shop. The light of his forge could be seen by the settlers miles around long after the shades of night had settled over the lonely hill tops. Jack was a busy workman and hundreds of acres of prairie sod where broken up with the lays he sharpened.

A mile and a half further west and I stopped to have a look at a new home located on the SW of 4, where four years ago was nothing but raw prairie. Tom Yegge, a son of C. M. Cegge, whose farm near Alpena I had visited a few weeks before, came on to this quarter in 1905, now has a good start made toward making a fine place. Tom is a "chip off the old block." His beginning with fruit is great. The late frost last spring destroyed the fruit crop for this year, but that occurs so seldom that he is not in the least discouraged. If I am not mistaken, Tom Yegge and John Young will show to the rising generation as fine grapes, pears and apples as can be grown in any of the northern states. But Tom has not devoted all his time to horticulture. A small, but comfortable house, good stables and 65 acres of good crops are other results of his three years work on this quarter section.

I then turned south on the road between sections 8 and 9, toward Wessington Springs. Years ago Frank Eastman had a pre-emption, filing on the NW of 9, and as such proved up on it and got a patent signed by Grover Cleveland. That was all that Frank did with it except to add a mortgage. In 1902 Ernest Scott came to South Dakota with his father, John Scott, and settled on this quarter. Now a neat new house, comfortable outbuildings and 80 acres of cultivation are indications of the prosperity that has attended the young farmer's efforts.

Again I passed along the west side of the school section and saw the same little pile of lumber lying just as it did when I came this way in May. But there is no water in the creek, now, (that's an Irish bull) and so the crossing is good enough. It reminded me of the Arkansas Traveler.

On section 21 are two good new houses. B. F. Gebhart is on the NY" quarter and his father-in-law, W. R. Winter, has the south half. They came on here last year from Buffalo county and began to develop the farms. No one in the county has done better than they. The substantial buildings and other improvements show that they have been busy.

Away back in the '80s and 90s Joe Scott tried hard on the NE of 29 to battle against adversity in the form of poor crops and low prices. After a long struggle in which he won the respect of all his neighbors and acquaintances, he gave it up and moved away. In the spring of 1907 a gentleman named J. H. Mc\ ey, came here from Montezuma, Iowa, in search of a new home. He saw this tract and determined to make his try on it. When I called there I found him on a binder harvesting a splendid crop and ready to compare his farm as to intrinsic value, with anything anywhere. He has added to the Scott farm the E half of the NW of the same section and he certainly has a farm hard to beat.

One morning in September 1 mounted the bike and started out to follow the wind in a run up through Chery township to spend a day about the lakes in the north part of Harmony, said to be "alive with ducks." As much as possible, I followed the old road along the foot of the hills. I "hit" it occassionally until I reached the first site of the old Elmer postoffice. Here I received the first letters addressed to me in Dakota Territory, in Noveifiber, 1883. It was the P. O. for the village Of Wessington Springs and vicinity for several months. An assistant post master general under Arthur wanted the office to bear his name, and so designated it, giving the name of Wessington to a new office on the C. & N. W. Ry. in Beadie county, at the north end of the range of hills. The name of Elmer was finally dropped, at the earnest request of the office patrons and it has ever since been Wessington Springs. The two names, Wessington and Wessington Springs, cause no end of trouble to mail agents and postmasters, for people will not remember that one place is not the other.

When I arrived at the place where Uncle Peter and Aunt Sarah dwelt, long before the town, now with its thousand inhabitants, was thought of. I had to open a gate, cross the gulch and take to the hills. That was the last of the old road. Thereafter I had to lead the wheel in cattle and sheep pastures and lift it over fences, for a bicycle is not of much account in a hurdle race.

At the Wallace ranch I crossed the "draw" by the side of the old bridge built by the county twenty-two years ago. There was no water near it, so. the crossing was easy. I leaned the wheel against the wire fence and went to the well for a drink. I am not disposed to praise that well very much, but the water was wet. The ranch is one of the best in the county, affording abundance of grass in the summer and natural protection from all storms in the winter, while the bubbling springs furnish plenty of water for stock. This place is historic in many respects. Two townships were named here. The returns of the election in 1883, separating Jerauld county from Aurora, wefe brought to this place by mes- sengers from all parts of the county. H. J. Wallace, who owned the ranch for many years, was probably the most popular man the county ever had. At his first election as county treasurer he received more votes than any other candidate ever voted for in the county - only two votes being cast against him. He served three terms as county treasurer, two terms as county surveyor and when the office of state surveyor was created in 1893 he was appointed by Gov. Sheldon to fill the position.

The next stop was at W. F. Yegge's, who is clerk of the civil township of Chery. He owns the N half of 21. The NE quarter which Frank Simons abandoned, after seven years residence, Mr. Yegge took as a homestead in 1896. He afterwards purchased the NW quarter which was homesteaded by Joe Geopfert in 1883. A small stock of well selected groceries is kept by Mr. Yegge, who for several years was the master of Stock postoffice. I worked at the civil township records until near sun down and then leaving the job unfinished, I started on. I followed the section line until I got lost and confused among the hills and gulches and after much leading and pushing, but no riding, arrived with the wheel at the McCloud farm on section 18.

No one ever knew the hospitality of Aaron McCloud to fail. A hearty welcome, a good supper, and a splendid night's rest banished all rememberance of the evening's experience in taking the bike through the deep ravines and monstrously heavy grass of that hilly region. Nine years before I had visited this place in company with J. R. Eddy. Then nothing but blackened ruins marked the places where his buildings had stood. A prairie fire, driven by a furious wind, had devastated his farm and left him houseless and destitute so far as personal property is concerned. No one is destitute in the worst sense of the word, who has the pluck shown by this old settler and his wife. The old man's story surely had in it much of the pathetic. He and his wife had together climbed the hill of life, toiling, struggling, always ready to extend a hand of willing helpfulness to another, and just as they could see an easy road before them, they had to stand helpless while the earnings of a life time went up only they seemed dazed with their loss. Then realizing that once more they were at the foot of the hill, they touched shoulders and began to climb. Today the old hero and his hero wife, have a house of which they are, and the county may well be, proud. I picked grapes from his vineyard, saw him gather as fine vegetables as can be found in the county, went through his comfortable house and barn, and looked over his 480 acres and was astonished to find that in nine years they had done what many have taken a life time to do, and all that after passing

Bidding the McClouds good morning I peddaled north until 1 had passed the homesteads of Gene Lewis, Dave Lewis and Silas Kinney, and then turned west, passing the claims of Benjamin Drake, Hiram Crosby and D. V. K. Funk, the latter having married the widow Berger, whose husband was killed by lightning on this claim the SW of i, in the summer of 1883. I did not stop again until I had reached the lakes of northern Harmony. Ever since the first settlement of the county these lakes have been the resort of sportsmen in the duck shooting season. In the early days a number of expert marksmen lived in this vicinity, who spent many pleasant hours on the banks of these ponds. Among them were Jeff Sickler, now in California, Will Miller, whose present address I do not know, Wm. Titus, now of Wessington Springs and Joe Collier, now a resident of Alpena. Among the many others who enjoyed the sport was one who was known and loved by all who lived on the west side of the county. A. N. Alward was a true gentleman and a true sportsman. He was with me at the time he lost his famous hunting dog, "Sport." For 16 years the dog had been his constant attendant, but on that occasion was too infirm to make the trip. We spent the day on the banks of Ponton's lake. The old man was constantly talking of the fine qualities of his dog and finally quoted all of Eliza Cook's splendid poem about the Indian king and his dog. He said he had not thought of it before for thirty years, yet so good was his memory that he repeated it all without missing a line. Ducks were thick that day, but neither of us got a bird, although each of us shot away two boxes of shells. Want of skill could account for this lack of success on my part, but some other reason must account for Alward's failure. When he returned to Templeton, where he was then living, the old dog was dead. It was the last dog he ever owned, and during the balance of his life he hunted but little.

The lake bv which we spent that day is on the south half of SW of 3. That 80-acre tract was taken as a pre-emption by August Ponto in the spring of 1884. He lived there working hard and "keeping bach," until the $100 mortgage he gave when he made proof took it and he moved from it, putting a homestead filing on the NE of 2, where he died a few years later.

Section 22 of Harmony township has had considerable to do with its history. The first religious services were held in Peter Welfing's sod shanty on the northwest quarter. The preaching was by Wm. Marshall, Mr. and Mrs. Huntley and. others, as occasion offered.

Close to the southwest corner stake of this section a meeting was held in April, 1884, to determine the course to be pursued in regard to the public schools of the township. It was held in the open air. I do net remember all who were present, but among them were O. O. and C. W. England, I. N. Rich, C. W. and C. Mills, O. J. Marshall, Daniel Mitchell Louis Nordyke, James Grieve, Clayton Brown, and his son, William, H. A. Peirce, J. R. and Siegel Eddy, George Brady, W. T. Hammack, John Murphy, C. G. Smith, Peter Welfing and myself. As a result of this meeting one of the school houses was located at the northwest corner of the SW of 26, James Grieve, who owned that quarter, donating the use of the ground needed for that purpose. The land upon which this important meeting was held was then a tree claim owned by Col. Geddes of Huron. He tried several times to get the required number of trees started but failed utterly. This quarter with the Welfing claim north of it afterward became the home of H. T. Gilbert, who married Marion Grieve and together they made of it one of the best paying farms of the township. The northeast quarter of this section was in later years the scene of a terrible tragedy. Alba Eddy who had been one of the school boys of the township, had when he became of age obtained this quarter section as a homestead. He married Francis Andrews and here they lived, prospering more than any other young settlers, of the township. He became the owner of all the east half of the section and also of the SE of- 21. One morning he went out to shoot a dog that had become a nuisance about the place. The report of the gun was heard by Mrs. Eddy and the children who were in the house. A few moments later his lifeless form was found with his head terribly mangled. The charge had entered the back part of the brain and death was instantaneous. How it happened will never be known.

The meeting above mentioned was held in the open near where the section lines cross. A few feet to the west, on section 21, was G. W. Titus' sod shanty. To the south of that was the residence of Wm. Titus, while a few rods east, on the NW of 27 was the sod house of James Grieve in which he lived while holding his pre-emption. He afterward moved onto the SW of 26 where he had placed his homestead filing. Upon that he built a more comfortable home, and there lived until his death a few years later. His son, Walter, still occupies the old homestead and this year has built a splendid 8-room house that excels any other farm home in that part of the county. At the time of my visit he was the township clerk and from his books I obtained the story of the organization of Harmony township.

From Mrs. Fee, school clerk, I obtained the school records of Harmony township, and taking them to the Templeton school house I spent a half day in making extracts from the entries made by the clerks during the last 24 years. School houses in Jerauld county, like its post offices and postmasters have been subject to removals, and the Grieve school house was no exception. In the early '90s it was moved from its original site to the southeast corner of the SE of 26, where it has remained to the present time. It is kept locked and is one of the few school houses in the county that are well protected from prairie fires.

Over in Marlar township I found George Scofield on section 25. A part of this farm was once owned by Mr. De Lap, who now lives out in Oregon, and part by Mr. Lamb, who has a railroad contract out west somewhere. When the first school census was taken in 1884, the name of George Scofield appeared among the children of school age. He is now clerk of the school township of which he was then a pupil. George has seen the ups and downs of frontier life since his boyhood days, but has stuck by Marlar township in which he has prospered.

My next objective point was the home of W. W. Yates on the S half of 31. Before reaching there, however, I stopped for dinner with J. J. Groub on the SW of 33. When the railroad follows the telephone into this region this farm will be as desirable as any in the county. Without being rough it has an elevation that enables its occupants to see all over. Gann Valley and the country away off toward Kimball and Chamberlain; the location of the old town of Waterbury, once a thriving prairie village, but now reduced to one lone residence and that occupied by a bachelor, and then across Crow Creek into Logan township and beyond that across Smith Creek toward White Lake in Aurora county. I was as well pleased with the beautiful view from the farm of John Groub as any I have seen in the county. But the view is not all. One branch of Crow Creek heads at a big spring on one part of this farm that affords abundance of water for any number of animals. It is one of the comparatively few really big springs of the county. The land has a gradual slope to the south and is of good soil and nearly all tillable, but John and "Trix" are devoting their attention mainly to cattle and horses, of which they have some splendid specimens. The residence of the Groub family on the SW of 33 dates back only to 1900. Prior to that on the 6th day of May, 1883, they settled on sections 19 and 20 of this township. The family had come from Harrison county, Missouri, and while driving about over the section upon which they made their home, they met another man who was also looking for land. A greeting and a few moments talk revealed the fact that the stranger was also from Harrison county, Missouri. Their first meeting was on section 19 in the township that was afterward to bear the stranger's name ; he was Mr. B. F. Marlaur. The first settlers in range 67, which in Jerauld county includes Marlar, Crow and Logan townships, supposed they were taking homes in Buffalo county. This erroneous idea continued until after the election of delegates to the constitutional convention that met that summer in Sioux Palls. The township in which the Groubs took their claims was then unsurveyed and the settlers could only guess at the lay of it, or hire a surveyor to run the lines for them. From the lines in the township south that had been surveyed, they were enabled, generally, to locate their claims so as to avoid trouble when the plats were finally published. The same condition prevailed in most of the western townships of the county. John Groub placed his filing on the SE of 19. Geo. Groub took the S half of the SW of 20 and the N half of the NW of 29 and their father secured a homestead right on the NE of 30. The John Groub house still stands on the SE of 20. The father, Z. Groub, was for several years one of the magistrates of the county. When the family decided to do stock raising instead of farming they removed to their present location on section 33. Among the amusing things connected with their first few weeks' experience in their Dokato home was that of John in trying to send a letter to friends back in Missouri. He wrote the letter and went to the town of Waterbury, about six miles away to get an envelope and stamp. When he arrived at the village he was directed to the postoffice. He found Miss Francis Waterbury, now Mrs. Mount of Wausa, Neb., in charge. He asked for a stamp and envelope but was informed that she had none and that she did not know where he could get them unless it was at the blacksmith shop kept by Mr. Dement. Wondering at the "slackness of Uncle Sam" in not keeping his postoffice supplied with stamps he went to the place indicated and found that the blacksmith had a bunch of envelopes and 50 cents in postage stamps, all there was in town. He obtained what he wanted and then learned that there was no postoffice in the town. Twice a week E. S. Waterbury, who founded the village, went to Kimball, twenty-four miles away and brought up the mail for the people, who had settled in this locality. This service was rendered free of charge. People got their mail at his residence, hence it was called the postoffice.

Another experience in which John Groub and his neighbors of that day took an active part, serious and earnest enough at the time, but afterward the subject of many a .jest, was digging for coal on the Morris Curtis homestead in section 4 of Crow township. For some reason Mr. Curtis became convinced that a stratum of coal could be found at a reasonable depth below the surface of his claim. He succeeded in getting his neighbors and some of the business men in the village of Waterbury, interested in the matter and they began drilling for coal. A small derrick was built and to it was attached what they termed a "jerk-pole" drill. Nearly all the neighbors contributed a day or two at "jerking" the pole. For rods, John Snart, one of the Waterbury merchants, furnished several hundred pounds of iron, which S. T. Leeds joined together in his black- smith shop. The steel point had been driven into the ground nearly three hundred feet when one evening Leeds, Dr. Miller, Joe Herring and George Light grew tired of the effort and between them concluded it would be just as well to "strike oil" as to strike coal. The next morning when- work at the drill was resumed the smell of kerosene was strong. The dirt and water brought up by the drill was so strongly impregnated with the oil that it could be easily seen. The excitement became great, and a stock company was formed to develop the "find." Some one, to ascertain the true value of the "well" sent some of the stuff brought up by the drill to the government assay office at Chicago and received a reply that "if the fellows that poured oil in that hole had used crude instead of refined oil they might have carried their joke farther." That ended the excitement and also the drilling. It was years afterwards that Leeds and the other jokers told the real story of the "oil find" at Waterbury.

John Groub's dwelling on the SE of 19 was a sod house, built after the custom of those primitive days. In it was held the first school meeting of the township. The Groub family still own the land first taken by them besides the farm upon which they now live, which includes the Heaton, Endicott and Curtis land in section 33. In the great blizzard of the winter of '88 John Groub saved the lives of all the children in the school which his sister, Anna, was teaching in a school house then located about twenty rods southeast of his house, but was in turn himself saved by a scream from his sister after he had become confused and lost in the storm.

In the early '80s a slight change in a U. S. tariff schedule caused a small rolling mill in a New York town to discharge its workmen and close its doors. At that time the attention of the whole civilized world was directed to the great fertile plains of the Missouri valley. The discharged workmen and their foreman caught the fever and a hundred of them came west. One evening a man driving a span of horses hitched to a spring wagon stopped in front of the hotel at Waterbury and asked the first man he saw if there was any government land vacant in that vicinity. The citizen who chanced to be Mr. E. S. Waterbury, replied that there was lots of it. Without asking any more questions the stranger drove on out upon the surrounding prairie. He wandered about over several miles and at length returned. "I can't see any difference between vacant land and that that's occupied," he remarked as he again stopped at the hotel. "There isn't any difference," was the answer. "You must get some one who is familiar with it to point it out to you." The stranger decided to wait until morning before searching further, and drove around to the livery barn, then kept by Geo. N. Price. He jumped out of the wagon and began to unhitch the team. "I don't know that I understand how to undo this gearing," he remarked as the man in charge of the barn came out to help take care of the horses. He had commenced by pulling out the lines, taking off the crupper, unbuckling the tugs and was trying to take out the back piece when the hostler came to his assistance. The next morning in company with a locator he renewed his search for vacant land. He finally succeeded in finding some land that suited him, and put a filing on the SW of 30 in Marlar township, taking some more across the line in Buffalo county. He went to work with a vigor that under other conditions would have insured success. For a time he did well. He opened a small store, established a creamery and secured a postoffice, which was supplied by the Waterbury-Miller route, and to it his own name was given. He became very popular because of his sterling integrity and general good nature. He was active in all public enterprises and fond of all kinds of field sports. The old Waterbury ball nine that lost but one game in seven years, owed much of its success to his encouragement. He was a man who had never been in school a day in his life, yet probably no man in the county had wider general information than he. Especially was he good authority on all matters concerning the American tariff. The hard times compelled him to close his store and the postoffice was abandoned for want of patrons. He moved to Wessington Springs, then to Artesian and finally to Rome, N. Y., where he still resides. Jerauld county never had a better citizen than J. C. Longland, the old-time rolling mill foreman.

Another among the sterling men who settled Marlar township was Ambrose Baker. He placed his homestead filing on the S half of the NW and the N half of the SW of 20, adjoining Geo. Groub on the north. His son, Herbert, took the 160 acres directly east of him, and together they had one of the finest half sections in the county. This farm of Ambrose Baker is now owned by Walter Hyde, who has recently purchased the Templeton store.

The southeast 80 of section 20 was taken as a homestead by S. T. Leeds, now of Wessington Springs and as such he made proof for it. Sam was among the first comers to the western part of Jerauld county and I shall have more to say of him before I am done with these western townships. His hearty good nature has helped many a poor discouraged fellow to throw off the blues.

Then a long jump, ten miles and a half to the Waterbury postoffice, for it has been moved from where it was when John Groub wanted to buy a stamp and an envelope. On April 1, 1902, it was moved three miles east and three quarters of a mile south to the residence of Clark Wetherell, on the NW of 25. It is housed in a building 10 by 12 feet in size that is an "old timer.*' In 1883 a young lady named Annie Salter came out from Germania, Iowa, and put a homestead entry on the NW of 30 in Pleasant township, adjoining Clark Wetherell's -farm on the east. She was of firmer character than most girls and went at work to make a home and a farm on her quarter section. She had her shanty made 10x12 and so strong that it could be rolled about over the prairie and not fall to pieces. The next thing needed was breaking and she had about 20 acres of that done. Thereafter she plowed and cultivated it herself. A well was needed and at it she went. A young lady named Inghram, a niece of Mrs. Wetherell, assisted by lifting the dirt out of the hole while Miss Salter dug and filled the bucket. Twenty-eight feet down into the ground a vein of water was found. She then placed kerosene barrels, one above the other, for curbing, making them solid with dirt packed about them. The well is still there and is pointed to by the old settlers as the work of two slender girls but little more than twenty-one years of age. Miss Salter afterward sold her farm and went back to Germania, where she married a druggist and still resides. The shanty she sold to Mr. Wetherell, who uses it as before stated. After the disastrous prairie fire of April 2, 1889, two families, Frank Smith's and another whose name I have not learned, found shelter for a time in this little building. Four postal routes now go out from this country office - one to Gann Valley, one to Hyde, one to Wessington Springs and one to Crow Lake. It has 40 boxes and about 75 patrons.

Again I mounted the wheel and started for the west side of the county, determined that this time I would avoid telephones and so escape being called in to help a "day or two" in the home office. It was in the middle of September and the hottest week of the year. I was again strongly reminded of the wisdom of the old toper at the temperance meeting. When the lecturer asked "someone" to tell him "what caused more misery in the world than drink" the toper yelled out "thirst." I had taken the road to Templeton and the first well I found after leaving the Springs was on section four of Media township. Harry Holmes stood by the pump sending a beautiful stream of clear, sparkling water - it certainly did look beautiful that hot day - into a water trough, from which a span of splendid horses were leisurely drinking their fill. I followed their example - drinking from a cup instead of the trough - while Harry worked the pump. Nothing ever tasted better, for the water in that well is good. He took me about the place, showing me the buildings, the sheep, the hogs - fine Durocs - and among other things the alfalfa pasture where his hogs can almost reach maturity without grain of any kind. The farm contains 577 acres, all inclosed with a woven wire fence, 45 inches high and all in section 4. The sheep-barn is made of galvanized iron with 16 foot posts and arranged for a hay stack in the center. The other buildings are in good repair, some of them new and all newly painted. The farm is owned by Frank McGuire of Defiance, Iowa.

Two miles west of the farm upon which Harry Holmes resides the four townships, Media, Pleasant, Harmony and Chery corner. When 1 reached this point I stopped and made a few notes of 25 years ago. At that time the government surveyor had filed his plats of Media and Chery townships and they had been published in the U. S. land office at Mitchell, but Harmony and Pleasant were then known as unsurveyed lands, though the engineers were busily at work running the lines. The townships were then only known by their numbers, Media being 107 - 65, Chery 107 - 65, while Pleasant and Harmony were not even numbered. The settlers on these unsurveyed lands were simply "squatters," ready to move at a moment's notice when the surveyor's lines should be run, if they found they had made their "improvements" on the wrong quarters.