HISTORY: Story Co., IA From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Pat April 2003 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************* ________________________________________________________ NOTE: For more information on Story County, Iowa Please visit the Story County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/story/ ________________________________________________________ STORY COUNTY. This county, which occupies a position very near the geographical center of the state, is twenty-four miles square, and embraces an area of five hundred and seventy-six square miles. WATER COURSES. The largest stream is the Skunk River, which enters about six miles east of the northwest corner, and passing in a southeast direction across the county, leaving it near the middle of the southern boundary line, and in its course waters some seven townships. Its principal tributaries on the west are Keagley's and Ballard's Branches, Squaw and Walnut Creeks, while it receives from the east the waters of Wowall, Clear, and several smaller creeks. The stream next in size to Skunk River is Indian Creek, which has two branches known as east and west Indian, both of which rise in the northern part of the county. These streams have a number of small tributaries, while the two branches of the Minerva in the east, and Woolf in the southeast, with many other smaller streams not named, together with a number of clear, pure cold water ponds, or small lakes, afford fine stock water to nearly every portion of the county. There are also many excellent springs in various localities. Most of these streams retain a plentiful supply of water the year round, while Skunk River has a sufficient volume to afford many fine water powers, only a portion of which have been improved. Pure lasting well water is generally obtained at a depth of from sixteen to thirty feet. TIMBER. It is estimated that about one-fifth of the surface of the county is covered with native timber, which is largely in the south and western part of the county, yet there is a fair supply in nearly every part except the central northern. The principal varieties are the different kinds of oak, walnut, ash, maple, linn, hickory, elm, and cottonwood. Considerable attention has been given to the cultivation of timber, which has been uniformly successful so that the traveler in passing through the county finds the monotonous sameness of the native prairie agreeably broken and beautified by luxuriant groves of silver leaf maple, cottonwood, and other rapidly growing varieties. As in many other portions of the state since the fires have been restrained from sweeping over the prairies, the native groves are extending, so that with an economical use there will be sufficient for all future demands. SURFACE AND SOIL. The surface of the county is a gently undulating prairie, interspersed with groves and diversified with streams, mounds, lowlands and ponds, and is susceptible of easy cultivation, except in a few places along the streams where it is too broken and uneven to be worth much for plowland. The valleys along the water courses are not so deep as in the counties in the southern part of the state, and owing to this fact the timber bordering the streams may be seen at a great distance. There are but few places, if any, in the county where groves of timber are not plainly visible, and in some places a succession of groves, one beyond another, may be seen as far as the eye can reach. These alternate stretches of forest and prairie present a variety of scenery not ungrateful to the eye, especially in the summer season, when the trees have on their "green coronal of leaves," and the prairies are covered with their green carpets, decked with gorgeous and many-hued flowers. The soil is generally a dark, sandy loam of great fertility, and is well adapted to the production of cereals, and the different grasses. In its native state the wild grass is said to have been of a superior growth and quality. Although the county has but little that may be termed poor soil, yet it presents a great variety, there being on the agricultural college farm alone some six or more different kinds. These different varieties of soil are adapted to the production of wheat, corn, oats, rye, and all kinds of esculent roots and vegetables grown in any other part of the state. The fine pasturage and water render this also an excellent stock-raising county, which natural advantages are being improved by many of the farmers who are devoting considerable attention to the breeding of thoroughbred and fine imported stock of all kinds. Sheep have been introduced and raised with success, while like most corn counties in Iowa, hogs are the most extensively raised and are the greatest source of revenue to the farmers of the county. In the early settlement of the county, wild fruits, so common throughout the state, were found in great profusion, but they have gradually given place to cultivated orchards and vineyards, which grow and produce with all the luxuriance of their native soil, while small fruits and berries of the most delicious varieties grow almost spontaneously. BUILDING MATERIAL. Several fine quarries of lime and sandstone have been opened both on Skunk River and Indian Creek. Along the former stream good building stone is found in great abundance, and a large portion of the stone used in the construction of the Agricultural College at Ames was obtained from quarries along this stream. In the northern part of the county there is a ledge of a peculiar looking reddish limestone, unlike any other found in this part of the state, and is exposed on the north side of a ravine, the nearest timber being four miles distant, at the head of Indian Creek. A portion of the county is doubtless within the limits of the Iowa coal fields, small quantities having been found in various places, though not as yet in sufficient quantities to justify mining. Excellent brick are manufactured in the county, from extensive beds of clay that are found in almost every part. Good sand is found on the streams. It is said that peat exists, but there is no certainty that it may be found in sufficient quantities to be of any practical utility as an article of fuel. RAILROADS. The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad passes through the center of the county from east to west, bringing every portion within some twelve or fifteen miles of railroad advantages, while the Des Moines & Minnesota-narrow gauge- Railroad runs from Ames south to Des Moines, passes through the two southwest townships, and affording the county an excellent outlet to the state capital on the south. HISTORY. The first white settler of Story County seems to have been William Parker, who pitched his tent in the southeast part of what is now Collins Township, April 14, 1848; and was assessed and enumerated as a citizen of Marshal County in the census of 1850, during which year James C. Smith located, bringing with him from Southern Indiana a family of five sons. The following Spring quite a number of families came in, among whom were Morman and D. W. Ballard, William Brezley and Isaac Atkinson, at Ballard's Grove; J. K. Keigley and Squire M. Cary, on Skunk River; and George N. Kirkman, on Indian Creek. The following are among the early settlers in different parts of the county, most of whom located prior to 1853-4: D. M. Brown, G. S. Prine, G. W. Sowars, Henry C. Cameron, John Hussong, Joseph Bronhard, Wesley Eagleburger, Solomon Young, Alexander Snelling, B. J. Dunning, P. Pool, W. C. Murphy, John Caughnahan, C. P. Page, Barnet Bronhard, Ephriam Bowen, W. W. Utterback, Robert McCartney, George and S. H. Dye, R. J. Harmon, Jonathan Lee, Joseph P. Robison, T. E. Alderman, John and Russell McLain, Shelby Baker, Alexander Dinsmore, W. C. Shockey, J. Marks, James Mathews, George Wheeler, George Green, Nathaniel Applegate, J. J. Cole, W. C. Tickenor, Joseph Seal, Joseph Chandler, T. J. Grasclose, T. Lowe, J. Warren K. Robyns, J. Corey, G. Kirkman, James Sellers, Joseph Brukaker, H. Vincent, J. K. Wood, T. C. Davis, W. B. Hand, N. Webb, J. Sellers, Thomas Dunlap, J. K. wood, L. A. Deter, B. Shinkle,--Crouch, Daniel Swarm, C. P. McCord, E. Guy, Z. Elliott. ORGANIZATION AND ELECTIONS. Joseph Thrift, of Boone County, Johnson Edgar, of Jasper, and Thomas Mitchel, of Polk, were appointed by the Legislature, in the Winter of 1853, commissioners to locate the county seat of Story County. The two first named commissioners met on the 27th day of the following June, and after due examination and deliberation fixed upon the present site; and Joseph Thrift, who was a returned Californian, with the consent of his associate, Johnson Edgar, named it Nevada, after the Eldorado of the Rocky Mountains. On the same day, the land on which they made the location was entered at the land office in Des Moines by Jenkin W. Morris. Judge Evans compromised with Mr. Morris by receiving from him in the name of the county a title to the land, and reconveying to Morris each alternate lot. The first election in the county was held April 4, 1853, at which sixty- three votes were cast. The vote was canvassed at Boonsboro on the 9th of April. This election was for county organization, and the following officers were elected; E. C. Evans, County Judge; Franklin Thompson, Clerk; John Zenor, Treasurer and Recorder; Eli Deal, Sheriff; John Keagley, School Fund Commissioner; Otho French, Surveyor; and Shadrack Worrell, Coroner. COURTS. The first session of the District Court was held August 14, 1854, in a small unfinished log cabin, which stood just east of the site of the Alderman Block, by the eccentric judge of the fifth judicial district, Honorable J. C. McFarland. The cabin was about twenty feet square, one story high, and built of round logs, with a chimney made of mud and sticks, with a puncheon floor. The jury retired to the stable of John McClain to make up their verdicts; and it is among the traditions that one of the jurors was kicked by a horse in the jury room. The grand jury were conducted to a retired spot upon the prairie, where they are said to have gravely discussed the contents of a jug of corn whisky, occasionally assisted in disposing of the subject by his honor, whose ability in that direction was never questioned. Among the attorneys present were D. O. Finch, William L. Burge and Cornelius Beal, while those admitted to practice at this term were William H. Davidson, James Davidson, Franklin Thompson, Eli H. French, John J. Zenor and Stephen P. O'Brien. The next term of the District Court was convened at the house of Judge E. C. Evans, in Nevada, August 15, 1855, William H. McKay being the Presiding Judge, and F. Thompson, Clerk. W. W. Williamson was appointed Prosecuting Attorney. At this term the grand jury found an indictment against one Barnabas Lowell for the murder of his wife. This man was one of the earliest settlers of New Albany Township. At the preliminary examination of the criminal before a justice of the peace, it is said that he was sentenced to be hung until he was dead, dead, dead! It seems, however, that the sentence was not carried into execution, as a change of venue was subsequently taken from the District Court of Story to the District Court of Polk, where he had his trail, and was sentenced by Judge McKay to the penitentiary for life. This was the first murder known to have been committed in the county. SOME FIRST THINGS. The first entry made in the minute book is as follows; "Story County- County Court, November 15, 1853. Ordered, that Stephen P. O'Brien receive the sum of thirty dollars for services rendered as Assessor of Story County. E. C. Evans, Judge." The first transfer of real estate recorded is a deed from Jenkin W. Morris to Story County, for the land on which the commissioners had previously located the county seat, where is now the Town of Nevada. The first marriage was that of Noah Hand and Sarah Sellers, consummated May 24, 1854, by N. B. Tucker, a justice of the peace. T. E. Alderman sold the first goods, and was the first post master in the county, the mail being carried from Des Moines to Nevada by J. P. Robison. The first court house was erected in 1856, and was burned down on the night of December 31, 1863, and a new court house was built on the same site in the following Summer. It was a two-story frame building, rather too small for convenience in transacting the accumulating business of the county. THE PRESS. The Nevada Republican was established in 1857, by R. R. Shrall, who continued its publication until June, 1862, when he sold to George F. Schoonover, and he, in October, 1863, to J. M. Brainard, who, in 1864, enlarged it from a six-column to a seven-column folio, and, in November, 1868, disposed of the establishment to V. A. Ballou, and he, in May, 1870, to the present able editor, W. A. Gullup, who, in June 1871, enlarged it to an eight-column folio. The Republican is a good paper, thoroughly devoted to the local interests of its town and county, and is well supported and patronized. The Nevada Watchman, a wide-awake local sheet, was established in 1874, by Vaughn & Stoddard, and has since rapidly grown into favor. The Ames Intelligencer was established in 1869 and is now under the editorial management of A. McFadde, a good practical printer and experienced newspaper man. The Intelligencer is a good local paper, and well represents the interests of Ames and the surrounding country. STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE. One of the important events in the history of Story County was the location within its limits of the State Agricultural College and Model Farm. In 1858 the Legislature appropriated $10,000 for the purchase of a farm on which to locate the college; and, in 1859, a tract of land containing 648 acres was purchased. It is situated on the waters of Squaw Creek, ten miles west of Nevada, and one mile west of Ames, on the line of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. On this farm the state has erected fine and commodious buildings. Under an act of Congress, passed in July, 1862, the state became the recipient of a munificent grant of land from the General Government, amounting to 240,000 acres, for use in the endowment of the college. As an inducement for the location, Story County donated $10,000 in the bonds of the county, bearing 7 per cent interest. COUNTY OFFICERS. The officials for 1875 are: JOHN R. HAYS, Auditor. J. A. FITCHPATRICK, Clerk of Courts. SAMUEL S. STATLER, Treasurer. OLE K. HILL, Recorder. CHARLES CHRISTIAN, Sheriff. J. H. FRANKS, Supt. of Common Schools. WALTER EVANS, Chairman Board of Supervisors. NEVADA. This town, which is the county seat of Story County, is an incorporated city, and has a present population of some twelve hundred. It is pleasantly located on the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, 318 miles from Chicago. It is surrounded by a rich, gently rolling prairie, near the head of the grove which borders West Indian Creek. The first settler on the town site was Theodore E. Alderman, who located in October 14, 1853, and was alone until the following August, when he was reinforced by John H. McClain, and, in October, George Childs, T. J. Adamson, Jonathan Harris, A. P. Fitch, and Isaac Romane, who, with their families, became residents. During the same Autumn and the succeeding year, an accession of more than two hundred persons were received, and the settlement became quite a village. During 1855-6 the population increased to about 400, and many neat and substantial buildings were erected. The hard times of 1857 put a stop to improvement, so that the growth was very slow for a number of years. The completion of the railroad, which was opened to Nevada in the Summer of 1864, gave the town a new impetus, and it has since had a substantial growth. The first child born in the village was Mary Nevada, daughter of T. E. and Hannah Alderman, who was born January 13, 1854, and died the following December, that being the first death in the county, while the oldest native of the town is Miss Ida C. Alderman, daughter of the same parties, and born August 8, 1857. The different religious denominations of Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Cumberland Presbyterian and Baptists have organizations and are in a flourishing condition. A good graded school was established many years ago, which is kept up to the state standard, which is justly considered high. AMES. 傍his is a thriving town on the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, about nine miles west of Nevada. It was laid out in February, 1865. In 1874 the Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad was completed from Des Moines to Ames. With its railroad advantages and the prestige of being the seat of the State Agricultural College, added to the advantages and the prestige of being the seat of the State Agricultural College, added to the advantages of a naturally fine location, Ames must become a point of considerable importance. COLO. 傍his is a station in the eastern part of the county, on the line of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway. It was laid out in 1867. ONTARIO. 傍his is a station on the line of the same railway, in the western part of the county, and was laid out in 1868. IOWA CENTER. 傍his is a village seven miles southeast of Nevada, in Indian Creek Township. It was laid out in 1854. CAMBRIDGE. 傍his is a village on the west bank of Skunk River, nine miles southwest of Nevada. It is on the old road from Des Moines to Nevada, twenty-two miles from the former place.