Nobles County MN Archives History - Books .....Chapter XXIII Descriptive 1908 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 18, 2006, 6:27 pm Book Title: An Illustrated History Of Nobles County CHAPTER XXIII. DESCRIPTIVE. Nobles county is situated in the southern tier of Minnesota counties and close to the western boundary line of the state, only one county intervening between it and the South Dakota line. On the north is Murray county; on the east Jackson; on the south are the counties of Osceola and Lyon, Iowa; and on the west is Rock county. Nobles county has twenty townships and its dimensions are 24 by 30 miles. Its exact area is 727.66 square miles, or 465,704.16 acres. Of this area 454,877.12 acres are land; 10,827.04 acres are water. A glance at the map of Minnesota and at the political division in the southwest corner designated as Nobles county will furnish the information above given. But there will be found nothing to distinguish Nobles from the other divisions in the vicinity, except that it may be noticed that it is covered with a network of railroads, indicating that it has superior transportation facilities, and that there are also many lakes and water courses, indicating possibilities for drainage. The lithographed piece of paper does not convey much idea of the country. A personal inspection is required to learn what it is and what it may become. The greater part of the county's surface is undulating or rolling prairie. The soil is made up of a drift deposit, a rich dark colored loam, almost entirely free from sand and gravel, except in Grand Prairie township, and wonderfully uniform throughout the county. The depth of the soil is from two to eight feet, and this is underlaid with a subsoil of porous clay, mixed slightly with gravel. No soil is better calculated to withstand drouth or excessive rainfall, and it is very friable and easily subdued. There are no rock outcrops. The exception to this general description of the soil is the gravelly plain of Grand Prairie township, in the southwest corner, which, geologists tell us, was formed by abundant waters flowing from the moraine at the time of the earlier ice sheet, spreading the coarser materials of the drift over the lower lands. The adjoining area of till rises from forty to seventy-five feet above this plain. The gravelly deposit is now covered by a fertile soil. Geologist N. H. Winchell has written of the formation of the soil of Nobles and Murray counties as follows: [1] The western morainic belt, constituting the crest of the principal Coteau des Prairies, rises, in the highest part, in Buffalo ridge, in Murray county, to 1,950 feet above the sea, and it sustains an altitude of 1,800 to 1,900 feet through most of Cameron and Chanarambie townships. Further south, through Nobles county, it has an average maximum altitude of about 1,700 feet. The lowest land in Murray county is in the northeast part of Holly, 1,250 to 1,300 feet above the sea, the extremes in this county being separated, therefore, about 700 feet. The lowest land in Nobles county is at the point where Jack creek crosses its eastern boundary, about 1,420 feet above the sea, and three hundred feet below the crests of the morainic belt. The eroded valleys are from 50 to 75 feet deep, and generally a half to three-quarters of a mile wide: The terminal moraines which cross these counties denote the farthest limit of the ice of the last glacial epoch, there having been a period of rest, and perhaps of re-advance, at the place where the eastern, or later, moraine lies. The drift which lies farther west and southwest, occupying Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri, was the product of the earlier glacial epoch. It can be inferred that the till to the east of the Coteau des Prairies was of later date than that to the west from the fact that nearly all drainage courses flowing westward take their rise along the eastern margin of the coteau and maintain deep channels through the coteau; while not one that flows eastward rises in the western margin of the coteau. This gave the westward flowing streams an earlier date than the eastward. The latter could not begin until after the withdrawal of the ice, which probably built all the country toward the east and rose several hundred feet above the coteau. While the ice continued and brought forward its morainic materials, the water that resulted from its dissolution was drained off southwesterly, and the valleys then formed have existed until the present. While the county's surface is quite uniformly undulating, about one-sixth is more prominently rolling. The land that may be so classed forms a ridge extending across the county northwest by southeast, and includes a small part of Willmont township, nearly one-half of Larkin, over one-half of Summit Lake, over one-half of Dewald, nearly one-half of Worthington, nearly all of Bigelow and about one-third of Indian Lake. The ridge is from one hundred to three hundred feet higher than the rest of the country and forms the watershed between the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The highest point of elevation on this ridge is something over 1,700 feet; the lowest elevation in the county is about 1,420 feet, in Graham Lakes township. [2] Over ten thousand acres of Nobles county's surface is water, and there are forty to fifty lakes and ponds, great and small. Many of these are beautiful bodies of water. In Graham Lakes township, where the first settlement was made, are the beautiful East and West Graham lakes and Clear lake. At Worthington is lake Okabena, one of the finest bodies of water in southern Minnesota. In the early days another body of water, East Okabena lake, was here also, separated from the west lake by a narrow strip of land. Okabena is a Dakota Indian word, meaning "divided waters/'3 The largest body of water in the county is lake Ocheyda, located in Bigelow, Indian Lake and Lorain townships. The name is a Sioux word meaning Boy lake. In Indian Lake township is found the pretty little lake with the same name as the township. On its banks some of the first settlers built their homes. Summit lake is a small body of water in the township of the same name. Nobles county is well watered. The Kanaranzi and Champepadan creeks and Little Rock river form the main water courses for the western portion, flowing in a southwesterly direction and emptying into the Big Eock river, ultimately finding their way to the Missouri. The principal streams of the eastern portion of the county are Ocheyedan creek, which empties into the Little Sioux; and Jack, Elk and Okabena creeks, which are tributaries of the Des Moines river. The Champepadan, rising in the southwestern corner of Murray county, flows southwest through Leota township and leaves the county from the western part of Lismore township. The Kanaranzi has its source in Willmont township at an elevation of 1,670 feet. It flows southwest through Larkin, Olney and Westside townships and leaves the county from the northwest corner of Grand Prairie. At a distance of about eighteen miles from its source "as the crow flies," it has an elevation of 1,427 feet, giving it a fall in that distance of 243 feet. It runs swiftly and has a good volume of water. Its water is clear and the bed of the stream is gravelly. The Little Rock rises in Summit lake, 1,700 feet in elevation. Its course is southwest by south, and it flows through the townships of Summit Lake, Dewald, Ransom and Little Rock. At a distance of seventeen miles in a bee line from the outlet of the lake its elevation is 1,451 feet, showing a fall of 249 feet. It is a rapid stream, has a gravelly bed and the volume of water is constant throughout the year. Ocheyedan creek rises in Ocheyda lake, flows south and leaves the county from the southern part of Bigelow township. Okabena creek rises in Worthington township, near the village, and flows east through Worthington and Lorain townships. Elk creek has its source in the township of the same name and flows but through Hersey township. The main fork of Jack creek rises in the southwest corner of Bloom township and flows east, draining Bloom, Seward and Graham Lakes townships. The other fork rises in Murray county and flows southwest through Seward township and unites with the main fork on the line between Seward and Graham Lakes townships. Nobles is an agricultural county. According to the latest statistics obtainable there are 1,751 farms of an average size of 260 acres. The principal products are corn, barley, oats, wheat, rye, flax, hay, livestock, dairy products, poultry, fruit and vegetables. The average yield per acre of the cereal crops, according to the last statistics, is as follows: Wheat, 11.68 bushels; oats, 31.58; corn, 29.16; barley, 28.16; rye, 10.78; flax, 10.67. The hay crop averages 1.63 tons per acre; potatoes, 105.84 bushels; miscellaneous vegetables have an average value of $47.16 per acre. It is universally conceded that intelligent cultivation would result in a large increase of this average. In the early days the settlers confined their energies almost exclusively to grain farming. Now diversified farming is the rule. Every farmer raises stock and many engage in dairying on a large scale. The live stock of the county in 1907, with the average value per head according to the assessor's figures, was as follows: Horses, 12,395, value $53.86; cattle, 41,386, value $17.73; sheep, 27,565, value, $2.60; swine, 36,804, value $4.40. In dairying, Nobles county is rapidly coming to the front. In 1906 there were six creameries in the county, the output of which was 627,373 pounds of butter. Since that date several new creameries have been started and the output has been greatly increased. While agriculture is the principal pursuit, manufacturing occupies an important place among the county's industries. There are fifty manufacturing industries, representing an invested capital of $138,088. With financial institutions, schools and churches the county is well represented. There are seventeen banks, the deposits of which are approximately a million and a half dollars. There are one hundred rural schools, eighteen graded schools and several high schools. Forty-eight churches represent the following denominations: Methodist, Presbyterian, German Presbyterian, Catholic, German Lutheran, German Evangelical, Swedish Lutheran, Swedish Mission, Swedish Baptist, Norwegian Lutheran, Congregational, Episcopal, Unitarian, Baptist* Brethren, Bethel Reformed and Christian Reformed. With transportation facilities Nobles county is well supplied. Of the twenty townships only four do not have railroads passing through them. There is not a farm in Nobles county that is more than ten miles from market. The main line of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha passes through the eastern part of the county, on which are the villages of Brewster, Worthington, Org and Bigelow. A branch of this road extends west from Worthington, on which are the villages of Rushmore and Adrian. Another branch of the same road passes through the extreme northeastern part of the county and on this line is the village of Dundee. Extending diagonally across the county from southeast to northwest is the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, on which are Round Lake, Worthington, Reading, Wilmont and Lismore. A branch of this system also passes through the southwestern corner of the county, on which is Ellsworth. From that village the Rock Island has also a branch extending southward. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul touches the county, passing through the northeastern corner. On its line is the village of Kinbrae. Rural and long distance telephone lines form a complete network over the county and every community is reached. There are about twenty rural, free delivery mail routes, and there are few farms to which mail is not delivered daily. The total assessed valuation of the county, according to the figures for 1907, is $8,669,142, of which $1,540,648 is personal property. Land can be purchased at from $30 to $100 per acre, according to improvements and proximity to markets, and considering the richness of the soil, the excellent markets and the numerous educational and social advantages offered, it is not easy to understand why any home-seekers pass through this country to the bleak prairies of the Dakotas or Canada. Nobles county land, at the price at which it can now be obtained, is cheaper, all things considered, than the Dakota or Canada land at the present prices, for the settlers there will be compelled to expend more than the difference in price to bring those countries up to the condition of this. The farmer in the older states east and south can dispose of an eighty acre farm, and with the proceeds purchase a quarter section in Nobles county, and in making the change he will lose none of the advantages and conveniences enjoyed. There will be no frontier hardships to endure, no years of lonely toil in a sparsely settled country, nothing lacking in the way of social pleasures or the advantages of schools and churches. Another advantage in Nobles county that must not be lost sight of is its proximity to the great primary market. It is within easy reach of the great Minneapolis, St. Paul, Sioux City, Omaha and Chicago markets. Their nearness and the low freight rates in effect insure high prices for farm products sold there and low prices for commodities purchased there. Nobles county holds most alluring prospects for farmers who are in search of rich and productive lands close to markets, where they may establish homes amid schools and churches and congenial surroundings. There are some tracts of land yet to be put under cultivation, and there are large farms that may be subdivided, while other farms that are now in the hands of renters might be improved by resident owners. The county is capable of supporting more than three times as many farmers as it now has. The local creameries want more cream, the merchants, want more eggs and poultry, the elevators want more grain, the stock buyers want more cattle and hogs, and all around is a demand for the products of Nobles county that will never be filled. ENDNOTES [1] Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota, 1901. [2] The elevations above sea level of the villages of the county, as taken by the various railroads, are as follows: Worthington, 1,593 feet; Adrian, 1,555; Wilmont, 1,735; Brewster, 1,490; Round Lake, 1,559; Rushmore, 1,682; Bigelow, 1,636; Dundee, 1,450; Kinbrae, 1,471; Reading, 1,722. The altitudes (approximately) of points in the several townships, as published in the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota by Warren Upham, are as follows: Graham Lakes, 1,450, 1,500; Seward, 1,550; Willmont, 1,700; Leota, 1,500, 1,500, 1,600; Lismore, 1,500, 1,550, 1,650; Larkin, 1,600, 1,650; Summit Lake, 1,650, 1,700; Elk, 1,550, 1,600, 1,650; Hersey, 1,500; Lorain, 1,500, 1,550; Worthington, 1,650; Dewald, 1,650; Westside, 1,500, 1,550 1,600; Grand Prairie, 1,450, 1,500; Little Rock, 1,500, 1,550, 1,600; Ransom, 1,500, 1,550, 1,600; Bigelow, 1,600 1,650; Indian Lake, 1,550. [3] "Editor Advance: A correspondent expressed a wish through your paper to learn the meaning of Okabena, the name of the two lakes at Worthington. Okabena is a Dakotah word and means literally, 'divided waters.' " Lo! on a narrow neck I stand Twixt two unbounded seas.' " 'OKABENA.' "The above is from an old resident of the state who is well posted in Indian names and knows whereof he speaks. The impression has always prevailed here that 'Okabena' had about the same meaning as Chicago, or that Okabena lake meant Skunk lake. We agree with our correspondent who says in a private note: 'We ought to get rid of the abominable meaning Skunk lake, especially as it has no foundation whatever.' "—Worthington Advance, Aug. 18, 1881. Additional Comments: Extracted from: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY MINNESOTA BY ARTHUR P. ROSE NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA PUBLISHERS 1908 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/nobles/history/1908/anillust/chapterx31gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 16.6 Kb