Obrien County IA Archives History - Books .....Chapter I 1914
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Book Title: Past And Present Of O'Brien And Osceola Counties, Iowa

HISTORY OF O'BRIEN COUNTY
CHAPTER I.

THE PIONEER OF O'BRIEN COUNTY.

He came, he saw, he toughed it through,
    He roamed the prairie wild,
He plucked the wild sweet Williams rare,
    This early roving child.

He broke the sod, he twisted hay,
    He lingered through those years;
Grasshoppers were the reapers then,
    His children oft in tears.

He fought with debts, chewed rosin gum;
    His wife built chicken coops, 
And from the tumble weeds she made
    Those dainty ox-tail soups.

The homestead shanty was his home,
    For beast a grass-thatched barn,
And yet to him 'twas "Home, Sweet Home,"
    Where wife his socks did darn.

He had no coal, he had no wood,
    For fuel he burned hay, 
And when the hay gave out he burned
    Machine note's he did pay.

The skies cleared off and land went up,
    The sun shone on this spot; 
When the discovery was made,
    'Twas Eden's garden lot.

The railroad engine screeched and blew,
    And yelled, "Where is that town?"
That town sprang up while it passed through;
    And held that railroad down.

The elm, and ash, and maple twigs,
    They grew, and grew, and grew,
For wind breaks, groves, and park and shade,
    When wind it blew and blew.

The modern house and barn were built,
    The auto hove in sight, 
And then the pioneer was glad
    He'd fit that scrappy fight.

Now when, at last, at heaven's gate,
    You seek that heavenly rest, 
Of all that's good and great and grand,
    Iowa boasts the best.

When for this best the state you roam,
    'Mong Iowa's ninety and nine, 
Just keep your eyes a squintin', 'cause
    O'Brien's down the line.

Four townships long, four townships wide,
    On smooth and level land, 
Just four and twenty miles each way,
    You'll see a sight that's grand.



THE CREATIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERIODS.

    The creative becomes historic. The administrative becomes merely
commonplace. God created the world. It was historic. It was creative. It was
distinctly pioneer. The pioneer makes history. The tilling of the soil is merely
administrative.

    Columbus crossed the ocean and discovered America. That was historic. In
thousands we cross the ocean as the administrative part of business and tourist
life. The building of the Panama canal is creative. The thousands of ships will
pass1 through its channel as part of the world's administrative progress.
Whitney constructing his cotton gin and Fulton building his steamboat were
events, but we continue to spin cotton with a million spindles and run our ships
in daily commonplace.

    When the Legislature of Iowa, in 1850, enacted the word "O'Brien" into a
statute, by naming this particular twenty-four miles square "O'Brien," it wrote
down an historic, event for this county. The officials in the court house will
continue to write the same name for the years to come into the records as mere
administrative business. The United States issues its patent to a tract of land
to the old homesteader. It is only done once. It is a creative event to that
title. The mere deeds and sales and use of that land thereafter is but the
formal administrative handing down of the original historic title.

The platting of a town on the record, or the vote by the people for its
incorporation, is done but once. It is creative. The later living in or sale of
parts of lots in that town belongs to the usual every-day item. The building of
a railroad is usually done but once. The daily train traffic thereon for the
years is but the daily ordeal of travel. The time of our birth, our birth day,
is our creative period. The date is historic to us. The birth of a county is in
its beginning. Then it was created. The later people administer upon its
effects. The selling of our school lands by its first county auditor's
certificates, or contracts, was creative. The loaning of the proceeds of these
lands on school loans is administrative. The first laying out or establishment
of our highways on the wild prairie was creative. We continue to ride in
automobiles over these roads, in grim defiance and certain risk of our lives at
fifty miles per hour as merely administrative, when in truth the administrator
is called in. When the squatter squatted his squat, he got title by jumping
first into possession. It was a decisive first historic act. The living on the
land by himself and his children, though enjoyable, becomes the daily routine.
The pioneer broke the first unsubdued prairie sod. It needed to be done but
once. It was among the first things. It created the wild prairie into a farm.
Later on in years it became simply spring plowing. Our public parks are laid out
by the pioneer. We plant a tree or a grove. This is creative. We sit beneath its
shade. That is but the administrative part of our laziness. The condemnation of
the acre for the school site belonged to the pioneer in the main. It was
historic in the community. Thereafter the children simply came to school at nine
o'clock in the morning. The building of the old homestead shanty and proving up
marked a period, as likewise the building of the new modern house, but the
living in same was for the every day.

    The original building of the Big Four mills at Sheldon was historic. The
people will continue to consume the thousands of barrels of flour ("Prairie
Queen") as administrative, "Give us this day our daily bread." The erection of
the round house and shops at Sanborn was an important event both for the town
and county. Its engines and trains are sent out in dispatch as daily
occurrences. The putting up of the soldiers' monument at Hartley in 1891 was
itself historic, as likewise was it representative of a great national historic
drama. Its people will continue to learn the daily administrative lesson of
patriotism and reverence for that which is brave and heroic each day as the
years go by. The first establishment of the county fair at Sutherland was
creative and historic. Under the statute providing for it there can be but one
association. Its annual fairs, however, will be but administrative. The
endowment of the public library at Paullina by Frederick G. Frothingham and the
construction of its electroliers and electric plant were historic events in the
town. The reading of those library books by the light from those electric lights
will be a part of the routine of town life.

    Other new things will occur as time moves. The pioneer will continue his
work in new fields. For instance, perhaps we will yet do the further historic
acts of building during the hundred years to come what will be equal to the
cement highway, the Roman or Appian Way, if you please, for the automobile
across the country and O'Brien county. All else will follow suit.

    Let us continue the work of the pioneer, and make our bow, and take off our
hat in reverence both to the past and coming pioneer. Let us honor the historic
and creative, that we may the better enjoy the administrative. It is the
creative and historic which keeps active the memory cells in our brains.

    "We linger still in memorie's cell.
        Engraven on our hearts."

NAMING OF COUNTY AFTER WILLIAM SMITH O'BRIEN.

    The Iowa state Legislature, at its session of 1850, in one law, in a sort of
husking bee as it were, named fifty of the ninety-nine counties in one
enactment. O'Brien county was christened with good Irish water from the River
Boyne itself. At least that was the sentiment. It was the argument in the
Legislature to have represented in these names as many different ideas and
nationalities as possible, from the Indian names of Winneshiek, Poweshiek and
Sac, to the patriotic names of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Webster and
Polk, to the final awarding of three names of the sons of Erin, to that prince
of Irish orators, Robert Emmett, to John Mitchell and then to our own Irishman,
William Smith O'Brien, after whom the county was named.

    William Smith O'Brien was born in 1803 and died in 1864, and was an educated
man as well as a man of ability. He was an Irish politician. He was educated at
Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, in England. He entered the English
Parliament in 1828. In 1835 he was returned from the county of Limerick and for
several years strongly advocated the claims of Ireland to a strictly equal
justice with England, in legislative as well as in executive measures.
Professing his inability to effect this in the United Legislature, and having
been committed to prison for refusing to serve on committees by the speaker's
orders, he withdrew from attendance in Parliament in 1841, and joined that great
Irish patriot, Daniel O'Connell, in the agitation for the repeal of the
legislative union between England and Ireland. In the progress of that agitation
our William Smith O'Brien sided with the party known as "Young Ireland." In
other words, he was one of the 'Young Turks," or incorrigibles or unconquered.
In 1848, when that excitement resulted in a call to arms, he took part in an
attempted rebellion in the south of Ireland. He was arrested, convicted and
sentenced to death. The sentence, however, was commuted to transportation for
life. He, with other political offenders, was exiled to Tasmania, an obscure
English colony, but years later was allowed to return.

    It can thus be seen that Irishman William Smith O'Brien was no small man, a
man worthy of a cause championed by the great Daniel O'Connell and found
fighting side by side with such men as Robert Emmett and John Mitchell. The
citizens of the county have no reason to be ashamed of William Smith O'Brien or
of the name. He was considered by the editors of the "International Cyclopaedia"
of sufficient world-wide celebrity to entitle him to a half column write-up in
that great compendium of the world's great men and events.

IN THE BEGINNING.

    In the beginning, while northwestern Iowa was still nine-tenths raw prairie,
with scarcely a tree; with angling roads, running with the ridges of land; with
waving prairie grass from ten inches to four feet in height, and with all
surrounding things apparently without form and void, O'Brien county was created
or rather carved out of Woodbury. Woodbury county, or Wah-kaw county, as it was
first called, was thus the mother hive from which swarmed eleven counties,
Woodbury, Ida, Sac, Buena Vista, Cherokee, Plymouth, Sioux, Osceola, Lyon,
Buncomb (name later changed) and O'Brien. Woodbury county, thus included, was
first named Wahkaw county, as recorded in chapter nine, section twenty-seven,
proceedings of the third General Assembly of Iowa, in 1851. The following, or
fourth. General Assembly (chapter eight), by an act approved January 12, 1853,
which was entitled "An Act Organizing Counties therein named," in its fourteenth
section provided that those eleven districts should be known as Wahkaw county
for the purpose of collecting taxes and holding elections and courts and
ordering that the then organizing sheriff could call elections at Sargent's
Bluffs and such other places as he might designate. This same fourth General
Assembly (chapter twelve) passed another act entitled "An Act in Relation to New
Counties," on the same date, January 12, 1853, providing a method whereby either
of the eleven counties might, by a named number of citizens, petition the court
of Woodbury county, directed to the judges of the court, asking that such
county, naming it, might be organized and thus become a legal corporation. This
law also provided for the establishment of a county seat, and also provided for
the changing of the name of the mother county from Wahkaw to Woodbury county.
Thus early was northwestern Iowa looking for a Missouri terminal for a future
city, or capital, so to speak, for this larger territory, on first thought
lighting on Sargent's Bluffs, but, for later reasons belonging to Woodbury
county history, landed in greater permanency at what is now recognized as
northwestern Iowa's business terminal, chief city and distributing point, Sioux
City.

THE COURT RECORD.

    The petition directed to the court of Woodbury county was signed by seven
so-called voters and by sundry soldiers of the Federal army, then under General
Sully fighting Indians in these several states. Indeed, and in fact, Hannibal
House Waterman was the only real, bona fide, legitimate and square-deal citizen
or voter in this county, though six other men (record a little confused whether
six or seven) signed this petition and voted with him at the election held
February 6. 1860, at the house of this first settler, Hannibal House Waterman,
on his United States homestead on the northeast quarter of section 26, township
94, range 39, in Waterman township, named for him, as was likewise the stream
flowing through the whole eastern part of the county. We give below the full
order of the court relating to the organization of O'Brien county, which recites
its own history.

"COUNTY COURT, WOODBURY COUNTY. 
"January 25, 1860.

    "Whereas, a petition has been presented to this court, signed by Hannibal H.
Waterman and seven other citizens of O'Brien county, and I. C. Furber having
made oath that the signatures to said petition are a majority of legal voters of
said county, and

    "Whereas, the said petitioners ask that the said O'Brien county may be
organized in accordance with the provisions of law upon that subject.

    "Now therefore, I, John P. Allison, county judge of Woodbury county, in the
state of Iowa, do hereby order:

    "First: That the county of O'Brien, in the state of Iowa, be and the same is
hereby organized from and after the twenty-fifth day of January, A. D. 1860.

    "Second: That an election be held in O'Brien county and state aforesaid, at
the dwelling house of Hannibal Waterman, on Monday, the sixth day of February,
A. D. 1860, for the purpose of electing officers, and that I. C. Furber act as
one of the judges of said first election.

    "Third: It is ordered, that I. C. Furber act as organizing sheriff, and that
he post notices in three of the most public places in said O'Brien county,
stating the time and place of holding said election at least ten days prior to
the election aforesaid, and make return of his doings to this court.

                                      "JOHN P. ALLISON,
                                              "County Judge." 


"COUNTY COURT, WOODBURY COUNTY, 
"January 26, 1860.

    "Now comes I. C. Furber and qualifies as judge of the election to be held in
O'Brien county on the 6th day of February, A. D. 1860, by taking the oath as
required in section 249, chapter 25 of the Code of Iowa.
                                      "JOHN P. ALLISON,
                                              "County Judge."

ELECTION ORGANIZATION RECORD.

    "At an election held in O'Brien county, at the house of H. H. Waterman,
February 6, 1860, I. C. Furber was elected to the office of county judge, A.
Murray, clerk of district court, and H. H. Waterman, treasurer and recorder, to
hold their offices until the next general election, this being the first
election after organization of the county. I. C. Furber acted as organizing
sheriff at said election.

                                   "I. C. FURBER,
                                          "County Judge."

FIRST GENERAL ELECTION, NOVEMBER 6, 1860.

    On the same day that Abraham Lincoln was first elected President, November
6, 1860, O'Brien county's first full-term corps of officers were elected as
follows: Henry C. Tiffey, clerk of the district court; I. C. Furber, treasurer
and recorder; A. Murray, county judge; Sam H. Morrow, surveyor, and H. H.
Waterman, road supervisor. There were eighteen votes cast at this election.

SECOND GENERAL ELECTION, OCTOBER 14, 1861.

    At the next, or second, general election the following officers were
elected: A. Murray, sheriff; J. W. Bosler, treasurer and recorder; George
Hoffman, coroner; John S. Jenkins, county superintendent of schools; A.
Phillips, drainage commissioner: H. H. Waterman, township supervisor.

BAD WORK BREWING IN ABOVE ORGANIZATION AND ITS TWO FIRST ELECTIONS.

    We give here the results of the first two elections, after its organizing
election, to emphasize the fact that right here in its organization, and first
two elections, is evidence on its face of a scheme to farm O'Brien county
finances. As we have previously remarked, Hannibal House Waterman was the only
bona fide settler and citizen. Those other gentry, I. C. Furber, John S.
Jenkins, John H. Cofer, James W. Bosler, Moses Lewis, George Hoffman, H. C.
Tiffey, A. Phillips and, in a degree, Archibald Murray, and who were among those
other seven named in the petition, were but a bunch of schemers who came on with
others from Sioux City and Fort Dodge and organized counties and county seats
for three counties. Clay, O'Brien and Beuna [sic] Vista, with county seats
handily arranged for, three miles apart, at Old O'Brien. Peterson and Sioux,
Rapids, in which well-laid scheme the set of men who acted as officials in
O'Brien county would appear as contractors in the various humbug building of
bridges and other schemes in the other counties and vice versa. H. C. Tiffey was
the best business man of the bunch, so far as papers and their preparation were
concerned. James W. Bosler was a politician of some note from Pennsylvania and,
a grafter of western innocence, laid out the plans and did the best head work.
John H. Cofer was the swamp land gentleman and schemer.

    It will be observed that in the petition for organization before the court,
these gentry took care that the name of Hannibal H. Waterman, the only real
citizen, headed the list, and thus make a showing of good faith, and had him in
the first instance appointed to the important offices of treasurer and recorder
of the county, but it will be further observed that at the very first general
election the same year, with still only nineteen votes cast, that the one and
only one bona fide citizen and honorable man, Hannibal H. Waterman, was
dismantled of the chief offices and handed the sop of the insignificant offices
of township and road supervisor.

    Even at this late date it seems astounding that these same gentry were thus
allowed to thus organize and farm in literal fact not simply one but three
counties adjoining, in so open-handed a way. It also seems incredible that such
a bunch of outlandish proceedings as an organization of three counties in one
batch for such financial farming as we will presently see, should have passed
the serious order and judgment of the court, and that, too, by such a man so
long prominent in Sioux City banking circles as Judge John P. Allison, so long a
partner with George Weare in the banking firm of Weare & Allison. We hardly wish
to raise a question of his integrity, especially his judicial integrity, but
when we also see, later on, that this banking firm of Weare & Allison in the
subsequent years purchased thousands of dollars of the depreciated county
warrants, not only of these, but other counties in Iowa similarly organized, and
later sued them, got them into judgment, thus putting them out of reach of
defense, and later having the bonds of the county issued for them, and they
usually buying them at about thirty cents on the dollar, and then collecting
full face value with ten per cent, interest, we are at least entitled to raise
the question of his good judgment, if we do not as to his integrity.

    We might also criticize with justice the early fathers or legislators of the
state in leaving one lame loophole in the law above referred to providing for
the organization of counties. Had these solons or lawmakers provided that no
county could thus have been organized until it had at least five hundred or,
better, one thousand voters, it would have saved O'Brien and many other counties
much trouble. While votes of honor are often given to our pioneer solons, it
would seem that O'Brien county could, without blushing, enter its protest that
the General Assembly of Iowa for 1851 were thus direlect [sic] in this duty.

THESE SEVEN OTHERS SIMPLY "LIT."

    As a literal matter of fact, these "seven others" had simply and suddenly
lit, as it were, for the express purpose of not simply organizing, but farming
the cash or infantile credit of this and many other counties in the West. These
three handy county seats in nearby corners formed a grand triumvirate. These
seven others, or twenty-one in the three counties, were about as vigorous a lot
of rascals as went unhung. They proceeded to issue solemn contracts and issue
county warrants and other evidences of indebtedness to the enormous amount of
two hundred and thirty thousand dollars (and upwards) on this one county alone.
Verily the seven had her to wife, and the bride paid the bills.

"WE ARE SEVEN."

    This phrase, "seven others," had a special meaning. One of these "seven," in
a personal conversation with the writer many years ago, boasted that he was one
of the seven. Said he: "We built a bridge, and then made an elaborate report.
Then we drew our county warrant. Then I and we of that seven tore down that
bridge. Then we built that same bridge—excuse me, another bridge—in another
prairie slough, and drew another warrant, and so on until seven bridges were
built, and each of the seven got a share. Why shouldn't we tear it down? Nobody
ever crossed on it, no road there even." Then this boastful organizer of new
counties, who was of a considerable literary turn of mind, laughingly and
dramatically recited several stanzas of Byron's "Seven Prisoners of Chillon," in
a fine oratorical voice, making special emphasis on the words of the stanza, "We
are seven." Said he: "Byron's 'Prisoners of Chillon' suffered in chains for
their religion. Didn't we suffer in chains like them in this then God-forsaken
wilderness of a country, even worse than in chains." Then, in grim satire, he
went on: "And then, with due regard to the comfort, happiness and general
welfare of my dear family, I tore down that damned bridge and built for myself a
'home, sweet home.' " This braggadocia statement was no joke. We, of course, can
make due allowance for the magic number seven, and of his tendencies to the
classical, but it was too literally true both in spirit and in fact. He then
went on further: "Lumber was scarce in them days, and lumber for seven bridges
was more than we could get hauled up into that neck of the woods in them days."
Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he said: "Well, Mr. Peck, you are one of these
reformers, and I want you to have a little credit for it, but we might as well
have a little fun out of it." Had he added that the "seven others" should have
been punished as Byron's Prisoners of Chillon were punished he would have hit
the truer mark.

O'BRIEN COUNTY TO THE FRONT.

    Lest, however, this first and some other chapters may raise a false and bad
impression of the county; lest the outside reader may jump at a hasty
conclusion, let us pause and anticipate a statement of an historic fact of this
year of grace 1914. Land here is worth one hundred and fifty dollars per acre.
It is true, as will be seen in further chapters and items, that our people did
discuss the feasibility of a defeat of this debt, and well they might, yet
finally they decided of themselves to pay it all. That high sense of honor
prevailed, that our people in the future would feel and. en joy and hand down to
its future citizens a loftier pride and honor by paying off even an unjust debt,
rather than to be forever subjecting themselves to be jolted by the odium of
bankruptcy. The county did not even compromise. It overcame its troubles in
full. In this year 1914 the county is absolutely free of debt. The last cent was
paid off in 1908. At the outset, then, the reader will pardon us and at same
time will feel a thrill of pride when we record these true historic words,
"O'Brien county paid every cent of its debt."

THE FIRST CITIZEN AND HIS FAMILY.

    Hannibal House Waterman was born March 23, 1821, in Cattaraugus county, New
York, where he was raised on a farm, and attended the district school until
twelve years of age, when, with his parents, they moved to Erie county, New
York, where, with them, he lived until he was twenty-one years of age. He
attended Allegheny College, at Meadville, Pennsylvania, for a time. Later he
went into the lumber woods of that region and remained seven years. This well
fitted him for the rougher experiences of the West.

    Mrs. Hannah H. Waterman was the first white woman in O'Brien county, and was
born in Cattaraugus county, New York, December 2, 1836, but, as a singular
coincidence, Mr. and Mrs. Waterman never met until the autumn of 1852 in Bremer
county, Iowa, where they were married in June, 1854. One child, Emily A., now
Emily A. McLaren, of Sioux City, was born there. They resided in Bremer county
until the spring of 1856, when they decided to go still further west. They
arrived in O'Brien county, then Woodbury county for taxation purposes (though he
thought for some time that he was in Clay county), on July 11, 1856. It was too
late for a crop, consequently but little could be done that summer other than to
put up meager buildings.

    On May 7, 1887, one of the writers hereof (J. L. E. Peck) visited the home
of Mr. and Mrs. Waterman, at their residence and on their pre-emption claim on
the northeast quarter of section 26, township 94, range 39, in Waterman
township, which bears his name, where they resided until, in their old age, they
retired from the farm and removed to Sutherland, where he died on September 2,
1908. At this visit the writer obtained from their own lips the narrative of
their lives, as well as many facts and items found in this history.

    They were very hospitable people. Mr. Waterman was a tall man, full six
feet, swarthy, wore full beard, of lightish color, as likewise was his hair,
which later on in years was mingled with gray, had bright, clear blue eyes, and
was a hearty, pleasant old gentleman. He was an intensely religious man. He was
an exhorter or local preacher. His religion moved with each movement of his body
and in every hour of his life. Mrs. Hannah H. Waterman is a hearty,
well-preserved lady and still resides at Sutherland. She passed through all
those rugged experiences in a pioneer country.

THEIR SEVERAL HOUSES.

    On the occasion of that visit the writer had his horses fed in the first
building ever erected in the county, built in July, 1856, a log building, in
size eighteen by twenty-two feet, which was used as the first home until their
second and better house was built in 1860, and wherein they lived for
twenty-seven years, and which was destroyed by fire in 1887. At the time of the
writer's visit in 1887 they were temporarily living in the third house erected
in the county, being built as a tenant house for "Old Dutch" Fred Feldman, who
was his tenant. They had for years used it as a storehouse and for machinery.
This building, so ancient, was in 1887 settled considerably into the ground and
was situated on a little branch or spring brook of the Little Sioux river. Later
on in this year of 1887 they built a fine, new, commodious, two-story frame
residence, on the same ground occupied by the older home destroyed by fire. This
residence is one quarter of a mile south of the mouth of Waterman creek, or
river, which bears his name, and one-half mile southeast of the old iron bridge,
built in 1872 and which until 1897 spanned the Little Sioux river.

    Mrs. Waterman pitifully referred to the loss of their home, the "old home,"
that had been theirs for twenty-seven years, and excused the meager household
accommodations they had saved from the fire, and had not yet had time to
replenish. The writer's remark to her that "fires did not always leave even
millionaires in the most desirable positions in life," placed all in a good mood.

    The only natural timber of any consequence in the county being on the
Waterman and Little Sioux, in the vicinity of his claim and on his claim,
furnished sufficient material for his log house, eighteen by twenty-two feet,
which was later used as a stable as stated.

    Mr. and Mrs. Waterman arrived in O'Brien county with two yoke of oxen, a
wagon and household goods. As autumn was near at hand, they realized that winter
was not far in the rear, and they were without food except the prospect of game,
and possessed but a small amount of money.

Mr. Waterman started his hired hand, a one-armed Dutchman, to Fort Dodge, with
instructions to purchase five hundred weight of flour and two hundred weight of
meal. Sad were the tidings to the ears of Mr. and Mrs. Waterman, as the hired
man, on his return, informed them that all he could procure was a few hundred
weight of flour. Trappers, stragglers, bands of Indians through the country, and
occasionally an emigrant like himself, going somewhere west, soon made inroads
on the flour.

ANOTHER OX-TEAM TRIP.

    In December, 1856, this one-armed Dutchman was again detailed with the two
yoke of oxen to go southwest in search of more provisions. This time he went as
far as Shelby county, traversing what is now Cherokee, Ida and Crawford
counties. A severe winter set in, snow first falling in great quantity, which
continued to increase until everything was enveloped, after which the weather
became intensely cold. The one-armed man found himself powerless to return,
snow-bound in a strange country, with two yoke of cattle looking to him and his
one arm for support. He did not, because he could not, return until spring.
While putting in the winter in Shelby county he kept his oxen (all four) alive
by digging corn from the stalks out in the snow, doing this work, remember, with
but one arm. After Dutchy had dug corn all the winter to keep the four oxen
alive, the owner of the corn took the best pair of oxen as pay for the corn,
besides getting Dutchy's work for nothing. Dutchy returned, as stated, toward
spring, minus one yoke of oxen and the hair on the oxen he brought back was
turned the wrong way, not in very good condition for opening up a new farm.

    In the meantime a family by the name of Black was burned out down in
Cherokee county and Mrs. Black and her child were brought up to Mrs. Waterman's
on a hand sled, and they had to feed the woman, the child and those who brought
them to their house for some days. The Black family literally lived in the snow
banks four or five days, in their desperate effort to reach Mr. Waterman's
house, where they were heartily welcomed and made as comfortable as possible.
All this preyed on the small stock of provisions. Mr. Waterman's family
subsisted for six weeks, during that winter, on beef, except a small allowance
of flour Mrs. Waterman reserved for her babe.

INDIANS IN O'BRIEN COUNTY.

    In addition to all these troubles, they must also undergo an experience with
the Indians. The first Sunday after they arrived in the county, a band of five
Indians visited them and were very friendly. Numerous other friendly dealings
with the Indians followed. Sometime in February, 1857, the Indians seemed to be
somewhat scattered and roamed down the river from Minnesota where they lived.
Many of the bands visited Mr. Waterman on very friendly terms and paid for
everything. They said they would not beg, had plenty of money, and many of them
showed Mr. Waterman several hundred dollars in gold, saying, "We got heap money,
too much money."

    It appears that when these Indians had arrived down the river at Smithland
in Monona county, or near there, they had coralled a number of elk in the bend
of the river and killed the whole herd. Some of these Indians (Sioux) had, in
the past, perpetrated stealings of corn, pigs, etc., greatly to the annoyance of
the settlers. General Harvey had notified the Indians to keep off the lands
belonging to the settlers. Mr. Waterman thinks there were about sixty armed
Indians in the whole band. By some means the whites at Smithland and in that
vicinity took possession of all their guns, and the Indians were allowed to camp
near town. The Smithland people aver that they intended to set them across the
river in the morning, and return their guns to them. But in the middle of the
night a boy rode into the Indian camp with the story that General Harvey was
coming and right on hand. They stampeded like so many wild devils, leaving guns,
dead elk and everything. The next day they ascertained that General Harvey was
nowhere near and concluded that it was a put-up job to beat them out of their
guns and game. It was too late for the Smithland people to prove that they were
going to return the guns.

    The father-in-law of J. L, E. Peck, George H. Wilkinson, who lived for many
years in Primghar, was in Smithland just after this incident occurred in 1857.
The people of Smithland, says Mr. Wilkinson, at that time conceded that Smith,
the founder of the town, had acted rashly, and that the act of the Smithland
people, or those in charge, was wrong.

    Of course these Indians at once became hostile. At this crisis the settlers
dared not return the guns. This left the Indians in the dead of winter without
guns or provisions. They started for their home in Minnesota and the farther
they proceeded the more angry and hostile they became. At first they commenced
stealing, and then to take guns from the settlers.

    On their return from Smithland, Mr. Waterman told the writer, "Seven big
strapping Sioux bucks stopped at my house; they were so tall I had to look up at
them." These same Indians had been to his house before, and very friendly, but
this time they were ugly. They introduced themselves by rushing into the house
and reciting the Smithland affair and a harangue about the "bad white men" down
there. They stalked into the house and began stealing. Six of them had guns they
said they had taken from settlers. They took combs, files, pocket compass, Mr.
Waterman's only white shirt, scissors, and, in brief, all they could lay hands
on, in value to forty or fifty dollars. They next proposed to take his gun.
Dutchy had not yet returned from his trip southwest for provisions and his gun
was to his mind the big half he had. Mr. Waterman showed resistance, when one of
the bucks, Mr. Waterman says, "struck me in the back with a squaw hatchet. I had
a long scuffle with one of them which was terminated by the other bucks, except
one, leveling their guns at me and firing, but their guns fortunately were
loaded only with power, except a young buck's gun, which he fired into the
ceiling where the bullet lodged. I am satisfied they only intended to frighten
me, but they got my gun just the same. After this little introductory was over,
they quieted down to quite an extent. Then they commenced to banter me on the
proposition to sell the gun back to me. They finally agreed on two dollars and
fifty cents and I handed over my last money. Then they left."

    This same band of Indians was next heard of in the vicinity of Peterson,
three and one-half miles up the river from Mr. Waterman's, where they committed
other and similar outrages, leaving there for the scene of that terrible
massacre in the vicinity of Spirit and Okoboji lakes, thence on to still greater
outrages in Minnesota. It is quite probable, had Mr. Waterman's home been just a
little further on, that, in their anger as they proceeded, he would have met the
Spirit Lake results.

    While a little outside the historic facts in O'Brien county, yet, as these
Indians were at Mr. Waterman's just the second day before the massacre, it is
proper that a brief statement of that awful affair should be given. This
massacre commenced at the home of R. Gardner, on the southwest bank of West
Okoboji, on the morning of March 8, 1857, but a few days after the unfortunate
Smithland affair. Mr. Gardner and family were at breakfast. An Indian entered
and was given a place at the table. Soon others entered and were given places
also. They all at first pretended friendship. They were treated kindly and
shared the hospitality of Mr. Gardner's home. After a little time they began to
be overbearing and demanded ammunition, together with other articles. They
remained at Mr. Gardner's some hours and when they left they took his cattle
with them. Toward evening Mr. Gardner ventured from home for the purpose of
ascertaining the true situation of affairs. Below we give the words of Abbie
Sharp Gardner, as contained in her history of the massacre, a history of three
hundred and twelve pages: "Father hastily returned, saying, 'Nine Indians are
coming, now only a short distance from the house, and we are all doomed to die.'
They entered the house and demanded more flour, and as father turned to get them
what remained of our scanty store, they shot him through the heart, while other
Indians instantly turned upon mother and Mrs. Luce, seized them by the arms and
beat them over the heads with the butts of their guns, then dragged them out
doors, and killed them in the most cruel and shocking man-ner." The entire
family were butchered, except the author of the history, who was taken captive
and retained for many months, the full particulars of which are given in her
account above referred to.

    Later on, in 1895, the Legislature made an appropriation of five thousand
dollars to erect a monument, which was built, commemorative of the massacre. It
is a fine granite shaft, fifty-five feet in height, with proper inscriptions.
The dedicatory services were held on the lake and on the spot in the summer of
1896, and were attended by the writer hereof. Citizens from all over the state
were there. During the several succeeding days the bones of forty-six of the
victims who suffered the same fate were gathered from up and down the lake.
These dreadful massacres produced numerous scares in O'Brien county. At one time
a mere flock of sandhill cranes caused the scare. At another time a herd of hogs
frightened a whole neighborhood, and at another a drove of cattle. In fact, it
was the fear produced by that real calamity, rather than the scares themselves.

THE ABILITY TO SAY GOOD-BYE INDICATING STRENGTH OF CHARACTER.

    It takes courage to say good-bye. Mr. Waterman said good-bye in New York to
come west. Thousands have done likewise. Charles Dickens tells us that many of
us, when we fear to say good-bye, will remark to some friend, "I will see you
again," when they know within themselves that that very remark is the real
good-bye. In 1862, when, with six covered wagons, the family, with others,
started from the old Eastern home, the little five-year-old brother of the
writer had said the fond farewells to all the relatives, and then at last to
grandmother, and the writer lay down in the bottom of the covered wagon, and
looked, back at grandmother as long as she could be seen, and past the turn in
the road. When still several weeks on the road, and the day's travel seemed
tedious and the horses were tired, this little fellow broke out, "Usses left
usses grandma, but usses hasn't left usses selves." The grit that could say
good-bye was on hand to do and dare—yes, on hand ready to advance to the front
of the stage in a new country and do his part. That quality has made this
country strong. It produced grit and courage to meet the emergency. It has also
done one other thing in every community in the West, not only for O'Brien
county, but all over the United States. It has furnished to every county in the
country the combined brain power and resourcefulness from everywhere else on
earth. Thus O'Brien county has its Germans, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes,
Hollanders, Irish, English, Scotch, French, and in fact, people from every state
in the Union, and all together have added strength and made up that combined
forty-horsepower of character that has made this a great, great country.

DARK AND BRIGHT SIDES OF THE RECORD.

    We would not be true to the history of the county did we not give both the
sunshine and shadow, its "darkest Africa" period as well as its automobile age.
O'Brien county has had its share. Indeed, perhaps a county would not rise to its
best level, like individuals, unless it had to overcome the plagues of Egypt, so
to speak.

ANNA WATERMAN, FIRST WHITE CHILD.

    On the 30th day of May, 1857, occurred the birth of the first white child in
the county, Anna Waterman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hannibal H. Waterman. She
was the second white child born in the three counties of Clay, Buena Vista and
O'Brien. Eleven children in all were born to Mr. and Mrs. Waterman. Anna
Waterman was married to D. W. Kinyon and they moved to Woodbine, Iowa, where,
later, after a few days' illness, she departed this life, leaving her husband
and the three children.

    Mr. and Mrs. Waterman were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, he
uniting at the age of seventeen. He was very emphatic in his religious views and
quoted much Scripture, carrying the same out in his devotions, and he was much
of an exhorter in his religion. He believed that all things were ordered from on
high during all these years for his good.

    The following additional statements were written down in full and read to
him by the writer at the time, to which he assented.

PROPOSAL TO ORGANIZE A COUNTY.

    About the last month of 1859, one James W. Bosler, a short man of sandy
complexion, came up into this country from Sioux City and proposed to organize a
county. Bosler achieved a later fame with J. W. Dorsey, ex-United States
senator, in the "Star Route" frauds and operating, with Dorsey, an extensive
cattle ranch in New Mexico.

    The very idea of organizing a county for one man's benefit was preposterous.
When Mr. Waterman was interviewed by Bosler concerning the matter he replied: "I
am farming and know nothing about organizing." Bosler assured, him that he could
have the choice of the county offices and it would be well not to make any
objections. Bosler then departed. But in a short time Mr. Waterman ascertained
that this man Bosler originally came from Pennsylvania, and that others were
coming from Sioux City for the purpose of organizing.

BOSLER APPEARS AGAIN.

    Early in February, 1860, Bosler, with seven or eight others, arrived, among
them I. C. Furber, Henry C. Tiffey and Archibald Murray, who said an election
would be held February 6, 1860. Two or three of the number left for Sioux City
before the day appointed for the election arrived. The day arrived and the
election was held in Mr. Waterman's house. The ballot box consisted of a hat and
the total number of votes polled were seven, only five of which pretended to
belong to either Woodbury or O'Brien county. Two votes were borrowed, one from
Buena Vista and one from Clay county, James A. Gleason from the former and a Mr.
Freeney from the latter. Mr. Waterman says both men were from Clay county, but
the record says Gleason was from Buena Vista. They all voted. Mr. Waterman was
generously elected, as assured by Bosler, to the office of treasurer, recorder
and superintendent of schools. These unusual doings, said Mr. Waterman, will
explain the indebtedness of the county.

    Soon after this election the old log court house was built directly in front
of Mr. Waterman's house and is the "temporary office" the record speaks of as
built by Archibald Murray for the county judge. I. C. Furber, Archibald Murray,
L. McClelland and H. C. Tiffey boarded with Mr. Waterman the remainder of the
winter.

THE FORT DODGE CROWD.

    Everything went pleasantly with this Sioux City crowd until in the summer of
1860, when John H. Cofer, Charles C. Smeltzer and one Messervey, hearing of the
lucrative pasture the Sioux City fellows were enjoying, came up from Fort Dodge
with about a dozen men. Cofer conveyed the idea to Mr. Waterman that they were
actual settlers and would immediately proceed to the opening up of farms, which
would be the means of bringing many other settlers into the county. By this
time, says Mr. Waterman, "I began to perceive that Bosler was a shrewd,
far-seeing man, whose chief mission evidently was to procure the dollars. Myself
and family welcomed Cofer, or the Fort Dodge crowd, as actual new-comers and
settlers. A brisk contest and feud at once sprung up between these Sioux City
and Fort Dodge crowds, the latter being in the majority, and a fight was on for
supremacy. I sided with Cofer because I thought he was here for actual
settlement. My course enraged the Sioux City crowd against me. This contest
between these factions was so fierce for a time that I feared an actual physical
combat. The two factions finally compromised, as necessarily they must. One of
the conditions of this compromise was the exaction by the Sioux City crowd that
I must get out, and keep out, of public matters. Evidently I was not what they
wanted.

MR. WATERMAN'S LAND JUMPED.

    "A short time after this I was notified from Sioux City that my land was
jumped by one Charles E. Hedges, and that H. C. Tiffey, Bosler and Furber were
the instigators of the scheme. This report was soon confirmed. It was not long
before I was waited upon by this trio of gentlemen, who took it upon themselves
to inform me that they would let me have my land back and release the contest
provided I would resign the county offices I held. What else could I do? To be
sure there was plenty of land, but there were my improvements. I did resign
December 11, 1860, as the records show." The abstract of title on Mr. Waterman's
land also shows that Charles E. Hedges was so connected with same and that they
made the lever strong enough to make him be good.

    "I think," says Mrs. Waterman, emphatically, "that that was a good sized
price to get our own land back, that is the idea of it." Mr. Waterman added,
with much emphasis and earnestness, "I have never been in half the danger, or
suffered so much from the Indians, as from the whites." Mr. Waterman added that
they were all rebel sympathizers and of Southern principles, and that H. C.
Tiffey was a Virginian, a speculator and Southern gentleman. James Bosler,
though from Pennsylvania, was a rebel, as likewise was Furber, though the latter
was from Massachusetts. John R. Pumphrey was also from Virginia, though he
served in the Union army for a short time. At one election during the war there
were only two Republican votes cast in the three counties. In fact, these new
states during the war were dodging places for many rebels and copperheads.

    Mr. Waterman was exceeding emphatic "that there were some mighty mean white
men in this world." Mr. Waterman further went on to say: "I have never read over
that earliest record, but I am satisfied from what I have heard that it contains
entries to which I never consented, and that funds were drawn in my name by
those fellows that I never knew of or realized except to my proper amount. I
attended to my farm, and H. C. Tiffey did the office work; I knew but little
about it, and was forced out in the same year in order to get my land back. The
record says, I think, 'that Bosler took my place,' but he did not; he sent his
clerk, whose name was Stuart, up from Sioux City to do the work and I thought
for years that Stuart was the official." Henry C. Tiffey died at Fort Dodge
about 1871.

    Waterman says that the "eighteen-foot square court house" was in fact about
fourteen by twenty feet in size. And, also, that that log court house was used
on his farm for a year and six months and that one Moses Lewis also lived in it
as a residence. Moses Lewis committed suicide some years ago at Fort Dodge.

    Mr. Waterman continued: "They tried to purchase forty acres of me for a
county seat, but I had had all the experience with them in the land business I
cared for." Land was finally bought of H. C. Tiffey and then it was that O'Brien
county was born. The old log court house was then moved to old O'Brien and later
on used as a school house and residence, and in 1868-1869 by Bostwick and R. G.
Allen as a blacksmith shop, and still later by W. C. Green and Lem C. Green as a
stable. Meantime Waterman built the then new house (the one that was destroyed
by fire in 1887) for the Cofer family. Then all but Mr. Waterman and family
moved to Old O'Brien.

    Mrs. Hannah H. Waterman taught the first school, with three scholars
enrolled. But before the fall term was taught in 1860, the new magnate, Cofer,
preferred that his daughter should teach, and she followed, with seven scholars.

    Right here the reader will no doubt be pleased to know that Bosler was, once
at least, the loser, as the following will show: "While the log court house was
being built, a work bench sat in front. Bosler arrived from Sioux City on horse
back. He tied his horse to the work bench and, while Bosler was absent for a few
minutes, some Indians sneaked up and stole the horse. This was the last ever
seen of Bosler's four footed propeller.

    "About this same period Jacob Kirchner erected the first school house, a
frame building, wherein John R. Pumphrey first resided after he was married. In
those days they had what they called 'swamp land goods' (see item entitled Swamp
Lands), and traded warrants for them. Tiffey bought some second-hand goods, and
presented every woman in the county with a new dress. Mrs. Waterman was also
presented with a whole box of goods from Tiffey. All our trading before W. C.
Green opened his store was done at Sioux City and Fort Dodge. We would send our
boarders to market for us in trips made by them.

    "I. C. Furber remained in the county only two years, and before he departed
expressed himself as being ashamed of the manner in which he jumped my land. I
always considered Furber, at heart, a good meaning man. I first met Rouse B.
Crego (later county treasurer) at a camp meeting near Smithland. I could never
understand Crego. He was part of the time a very bad man, and part of the time a
Methodist preacher. He could conduct a good-sized drunk or a revival meeting
with the same energy.

FIRST ACTUAL HOMESTEAD ENTRY.

    "The first actual homestead entry that was maintained was by Archibald
Murray. A man by the name of Zoller, a German, however, had had his warrant on
the land first, namely on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 14,
township 94, range 39. I showed it to him and located him, but he soon got
discouraged, folded his tent and departed. I then showed it to D. W. Inman, and
he decided to take it. I wanted settlers, but these officials at Old O'Brien
didn't want any." The reader may judge why. Archibald Murray hastened to enter
it. His object was to prevent Inman from settling. The evidence appeared from
various sources that no settlers were desired by these Old O'Brien officials.
The Inmans then went up into what is now Grant township and located, as the
Grant list will show. These brothers, Daniel W. Inman and Chester W. Inman
(later county treasurer), were the first legitimate settlers in O'Brien county
after Hannibal Waterman and Old Dutch Fred, though Henry F. Smith and Ed T.
Parker arrived about the same time, or in 1868. Moses Lewis, H. C. Tiffey and
Archibald Murray each did a little gentleman farming close to town, or, as Mrs.
Waterman said, "Mrs. Lewis and her boy done it."

FREDERICH FELDMAN, "OLD DUTCH FRED."

    "I am der peoples. Der rest all be officers. Don't it?" Fred Feldman, or Old
Dutch Fred, entered and homesteaded the west half of the north-west quarter of
section 34, township 94, range 39. (James H. Scott, however, got the United
States patent.) Mr. Waterman built a tenement house, Dutch Fred plastered it and
rented Waterman's farm. But little is known of his history. He told Mrs.
Waterman he had deserted from the German army and was living a secluded life to
escape the punishment of death. His "frau" would not follow him to so wild a
country. His quaint expression, "I am der peoples und der rest be de officers,"
was used sarcastically by the newer settlers referring to the bunch of looters
then in office, and whom each new voter desired to root out. He died in 1873
with the request that he be buried by the side of his friend, Archibald Murray.
Sentimental requests in a new country are not always fulfilled. Poor Old Dutch
Fred, who had lived a hermit life, far from wife, home and fatherland, to escape
King William's wrath, could not enforce his request. Old Dutch Fred, who would
shake his ragged clothes, and laugh, "dese be boor dings mit clothes, but Old
Dutch Fredt be under here und his heart beat shust like udder mans," lies buried
in a lonely grave on his homestead claim, unmarked and soon, perhaps, unknown.

JUMPED AGAIN.

    Mr. Waterman had pre-empted his land. He was entitled to a homestead. He
made an entry on the northwest quarter of section 22, township 95, range 40,
Highland township, and got it under way, when his land was jumped again. A woman
living on that section heard of it and, taking her child in her arms, walked
thirteen miles to inform him of what was going on. That woman was Henrietta
Richardson, wife of John Richardson, later residents for many years of both
Primghar and Sanborn. Mr. Waterman was too late and lost his land, but
remembered with gratitude this arduous effort of kindness on the part of Mrs.
Richardson. In justice to Mrs. Catrina Dobricka, the patentee, it may be said it
was not her doings. Again Mr. Waterman concluded that this is a wicked world and
that the whites can "out-devil" the "Injuns."

COMMENT ON MR. WATERMAN'S NARRATIVE.

    It will thus be seen from the above narrative of Mr. Waterman and from other
items in this history that up to 1869 O'Brien county was in a complete state of
irresponsibility. She was an orphan without a guardian, a ship, though sound,
whose helmsmen and crew were in the hold playing hookey with the cargo,
expecting to let her float as best she might as soon as they had had their fill.
Their only passenger, Mr. Waterman, could but look on. It was as if the United
States government should have organized the state of Iowa, with ninety-nine men,
one man for each county. The record list of the old homesteaders shows that they
nearly all came in 1870, 1871 and 1872. They began to stop such doings as soon
as they could get control, and would have gotten control sooner had it not been
for the grasshopper scourge. O'Brien county has been much abused for these
doings, but, as is seen, there were none to say nay or object. The main body of
the debt was created the first four or five years. The looters during that
period had the majority. It can be seen from the one item of H. C. Tiffey making
presents of so many dresses and goods that the bunch were nursing their job, and
postponing the fatal day when their doings would be ended by the votes of an
exasperated people, as was later done.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

PAST AND PRESENT OF
O'Brien and Osceola Counties, Iowa
BY
HON. J. L. E. PECK and HON. O. H. MONTZHEIMER
For O'Brien County

AND
HON. WILLIAM J. MILLER
For Osceola County

VOL. I

ILLUSTRATED
1914 
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana


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