Early History of Brown County, South Dakota, pages 67 - 97

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Copyright 1970 by Brown County Territorial Pioneers, Aberdeen, S.D.

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[Pxxx].



[P67]

was organized in 1890. Chauncy Haywood, Aberdeen, Washington; and George Holder, 
Paw Paw, Michigan, are the only charter members still living. George, 
whimsically tells of how those country boys would practice sometimes four times 
a week. A few months after they organized they had learned to play three 
selections and went to a school house west of Ferney to play. As George tells 
it, the school house was small and the boys opened up with all they had and as 
he looks at it now, it was nothing but a big roar, but at that time they all 
thought it was grand. In 1891 they played at a Fourth of July celebration at 
Rondell and got $50.00. George said he and Charles Hite went to Rondell the 
night before and took a wagon load of ice and some lumber. They set up a stand 
and sold home made ice cream, lemonade, candy, and gum with Joe Donavan as the 
concessionaire. There were other stands there but Joe could yell the loudest and 
was the most clownish, so the boys got the biggest trade. The band was very 
prominent at political rallies and celebrations over a large part of N. E. South 
Dakota. The band brings pleasant memories to all who remember them.

Literary societies were organized in the early 80's. The young people would meet 
at the homes. They also had spell downs, and singing groups in which young and 
old took part. They were very happy people and set a good example for the young 
people.

The double Township was divided about 1911 and named the east Township Bates. 
The name of the band was then changed from Garden Prairie to "Pioneer Band of 
Bates and Scotland Township", as Scotland Township had joined the band soon 
after it was organized. Many of the second generation joined in 1910 and from 
then on. The band kept up regular meetings and took part in celebrations until 
the 1930's when so many moved out of the neighborhood. In June, 1941, when 
Groton celebrated the 60th year, the band was asked to help out. The members 
came from the west coast, Michigan, Missouri, and from different areas of South 
Dakota and the band was complete except for J. D. Feller of Salem, Oregon and 
Herbert Ahern of Duluth, Minnesota. On the Sunday after the celebration, the 
band and friends and neighbors of Bates and Scotland and elsewhere all met at 
the old picnic grounds, at Denholms Grove in Scotland where all present knew the 
band would never meet again, in fact it was the very last meeting that was ever 
held. This ended the many picnics held since the starting of pioneer days.

On June 9-11, 1956 when Groton celebrated 75 years the band was asked to take 
part, but only five members reported. With the valuable aid of the descendants 
of members of the band who had been and who were members of the school bands at 
Groton, Ipswich and Conde, they were able to give a nice concert and were also 
in the parade. George Holder, 87, the only one of the charter members of the 
band living, came from Paw Paw, Michigan. Charles E. Denholm, Claude Ragels from 
Missouri and Doland respectively were two of the first members and Jay Hall of 
Andover were present. The other members of the second generation who played were 
Edmund Graves and Dustan Matthews of Aberdeen, Lester Ragels, Crandall; Chester 
Ragels and Lyman Mathews, Groton. The descendants of early members were Mrs. 
Ramona Ragels Schinkel and Joyce Ragels, Groton; Cleo and Gail Ragels, Ipswich, 
who were all third generations in the Ragels family and Harley Ragels, Conde, a 
fourth generation member figuring from Harley's Great Grandfather, F. J. Feller; 
Carol and Kathleen Rix, David and Lorrin Feller all of Groton. Lee Haywood, 
Doland Hite, and Lesley Ann Benson, Verdon; Marilyn Sour, whose Great 
Grandparents, the William Cooks had pioneered in the neighborhood, and Kathy 
Blair, whose Grandparents had pioneered near the neighborhood. Both girls are 
from Groton. The 1956 band was the first time girls had ever played with the 
band. Also Shirley Feller and Bernyce Strom, both granddaughters of charter 
members of the band, were baton twirlers.

Charter members of the band were F. J. Feller, Alvin C. Feller, and Frank Bates, 
cornets; Charles Weeks, clarinet; Charles V. Matthews, George N. Holder, and 
Lloyd Robinson, altos; Ed Haywood and Charles Hite, tenors; Will Burdick, 
baritone; Chauncy Haywood, bass; Eugene Hite, snare drums; and Jason D. Feller, 
bass drum.

Many of the men of Scotland Township in Day County soon joined the band. The 
band became quite popular, playing for the many political campaigns, and at 
Tacoma Park for July 4th celebrations. These trips were made in later years by 
autos, but in the early days the traveling was done by wagon and they camped for 
a week at a time each summer at Enemy Swim, Pickerel, and Big Stone lakes, also 
at Mitchell during the Mitchell-Pierre fight for State Capital in about 1904.

F. J. Feller had a new top buggy in a shed during the Jan. 12, 1888 blizzard 
when some snow was drifted solid around the shed up to the roof and later a 
horse walked over the drift and on top of the shed and broke through landing on 
the new buggy, wrecking it.

Mr. Conley started to Groton in a bob sled the morning of the same blizzard 
wearing a brand new fur coat. The storm hit and he started back home and became 
lost so he unhitched the team and let them go and turned the wagon box upside 
down and spent the time inside of the wagon box, giving credit to the new coat 
for keeping him alive. In the morning when the storm cleared he was only a short 
distance from home.

One early spring day in the dry nineties, a terribly strong wind was blowing 
from the south, the air was full of dust, becoming also filled with smoke. It 
was from a prairie fire making its way north over much unbroken land and some 
stubble with the F. J. Feller farm buildings in its path. F. J. had left earlier 
for Ferney and became engaged in helping fight a prairie fire near Ferney to 
save some farm buildings, while neighbors were fighting fire to save his own 
buildings. The same day a prairie fire, traveling from the south over the hills 
east of Garden Prairie in Scotland Township, burned many farm buildings and some 
livestock. That morning when the air became smoke filled some families loaded 
their belongings in wagons and hay racks and left them standing on plowed 
fields.

In April, 1908, one pitch dark night after mid-

[P68]

night, the farm families in east Garden Prairie were routed out of their beds by 
ringing telephones, for the men all to go and help fight a wild prairie fire in 
the hills and some west of the hills. The fire had started from a train S. E. of 
Crandall and a strong wind moved it north. It was an unforgettable sight to see 
all the hills and gulches all ablaze on a pitch dark night. A few days before a 
small fire had gotten out of hand and traveled in a narrow strip several miles 
east and this burnt strip was the main thing that prevented the night fire going 
into the Andover-Bristol area. This fire ruined the gulches for picnics as they 
had been wonderful places for the settlers to spend nice summer days.

In October, 1896 snow came and kept getting worse as the winter set in and went 
off in a rain the last of April. Some potatoes had not been dug and as snow kept 
the ground from freezing, in the spring the potatoes were dug and in good 
condition.

Will and Sam Keiser owned nearly 100 head of fine draft horses and colts and 
when feed became short and almost impossible to get, many of the fine horses 
died.

Lew Wolf drove out to a straw stack with team and sled to get a load of straw. A 
thick coat of snow had to be shoveled off of the top of the stack, also drifts 
were well up to the top of the stack. He pitched a lot of straw up out of the 
hole and when he went to get out to pitch the straw onto the sled, he could not 
get out. Time went on and his wife becoming worried came out to see what was 
wrong, and helped him out of the hole.

A hog crippled by rheumatism became unable to walk and after the other hogs had 
been butchered and sold it was decided to kill this hog, belonging to I. L. 
Bates. William Anstise, a son-in-law, shot the hog with a revolver, in the 
evening, intending to pull the dead hog away the next day, but a blizzard came 
up and buried the hog pen. An unbelievable long time later, 20 or 30 days, it 
was discovered that the hog was alive and oddly seemed to be improved and lived 
and gained to become a butcher hog.

Along the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad tracks from Verdon to Ferney the 
snow was very deep and snow plows which were able to plow snow off the tracks so 
trains could get going again, piled the snow on sides of the tracks high enough 
so trains could not be seen as they went by. When the snow went off in April 
with a rain, water entered the basement of the farm house of the Robert Balls 
one afternoon. They carried all of the potatoes and other needs from the 
basement up to the rooms they used. During the night they were awakened to find 
the water was up to their beds in the rooms. They spent the remainder of the 
night ,on chairs and on top of tables.

A mail route was started about 1900 from Ferney, with Henry Becker as carrier, 
changing from Ferney to Andover about 1906.

In 1904 the Evangelical Church was built. In 1905, telephone lines were built, 
with central operated in the John Green store at Verdon. The other central 
operated in the farm house of William Allens in Scotland Township.

One summer perhaps in the early 90's, John Applegate had a fine watermelon patch 
on one side of a corn field. As it had been discovered by some young men, George 
Holder organized among the neighborhood young men for a melon raid at night. 
George then tipped off Mr. Applegate and told him to be at a certain place in 
the corn field with a shot gun. The raid just got under way in the patch when 
John fired the gun into the sky. Well, there was a grand scramble to get out of 
the patch, with some tripping over vines. George went over and spent some time 
with John, laughing and then ate a melon. Before long here came a horse hitched 
to a top buggy, two boys got out to gather some melons while the driver remained 
in the buggy. When the gun fired the driver grabbed the buggy whip and really 
got the horse going at race speed, leaving the two boys behind to get out the 
best way they knew how. It was not known who they were. Mr. Applegate invited 
all the neighbor boys back for a real melon feed a couple of nights later.

During the Alaska Gold Rush Days of 1898, one of our young citizens, George 
Holder, went to Alaska Gold area and spent about two years. While George never 
found much gold, he had many very interesting experiences. One time while at a 
sand beach early, he buried several coins under the sand which he took from his 
pocket and later when people were gathered around, he began digging in the sand 
as a pass time and unearthing a coin, he became excited and told the others of 
his find and kept right on digging, finding coin after coin, he told the others 
the sand must be full of money. After finding all that he himself had buried he 
left as he had found enough for the day, and all the others were busy digging in 
the sand for money.

In December, 1888, Dick Cook was assisting in digging a well on the Edick farm 
near Ferney and while dropping a section of wooden curbing that had become 
stuck, Dick added pressure to the curbing when it suddenly dropped and Dick 
dropped into the 45 ft. well. Luckily Dick only received a sprained ankle and a 
good shaking up.

Andrew Tollefson owned the first steam threshing rig in the Township in the 
early 80's and this engine was often used to operate the Verdon feed mill when 
not used for threshing. Samuel Feller, a little later, in partnership with 
William Wagner of Groton owned a steam thresher also.

While threshing one day sometime in the 1890's Andrew Tollefson's pocket watch 
went through the separator and except for a slightly jammed case was still in 
good running order for many years. Mr. Tollefson's son George P. now of Nampa, 
Idaho, tells that it may have occurred about 1897 and that part of the Garden 
Prairie Band worked with the threshing machine and they had their horns and 
drums in the tent and would play evenings and rainy days. They were Will 
Holiday, John Emrio, George Holder, Joe Donavan, Chauncy Haywood and Audley 
Painter the snare drummer. Mrs. Frank Cooley was the cook in the cook car that 
year. The steering gears on the steam engine broke that year

[P69]

and a tongue was fastened to the front of the engine and this was also attached 
to the front running gears of a wagon. A man or young boy would walk ahead of 
the wagon wheels and hold the tongue and steer the wagon wheels and therefore 
steer the engine. A boy by the name of Jackson usually did this steering. Frank 
Hanson bucked the straw away from in back of the separator. John Emrio, Will 
Holiday and Fred Stevens were hand feeders. A Mr. Bendickson always had the job 
of sacking the grain. One bundle wagon was pulled by a yoke of oxen.

Verdon, located in the south west corner of east Garden Prairie was a very busy 
prosperous village in the early days. It had a newspaper "Verdon Times", five 
grain elevators, a lumber yard, some grocery stores, a furniture store, a 
harness store, hardware store, two banks, a Hotel, a livery barn, a feed mill, 
creamery and barber shop. The C&NW Railroad reached Verdon from Doland about 
1885 and was extended on to Groton, in 1887.

In the summer of the late 90's, Alvin Feller had been hit in the face with a gun 
shot and his face was paralyzed and he was not able to play a cornet. Sometime 
later on a trip to Groton with team and buggy and with his mother Mrs. S. J. 
Feller, they pulled in at a vacant farm, with only a barn and cook car standing, 
some four miles S. E. of Groton, to get protection from a bad wind and 
electrical storm. Standing in the door of the barn during the storm, Alvin was 
real close to lightning and in a miraculous way he was never bothered with 
paralysis after that. The cook car was rolled over in the storm.

PIONEER DAYS IN DAKOTA TERRITORY
by Ethel Nemeyer

After their marriage in 1882 my parents, Catharine Amelia and Herman Lewis 
Nemeyer, moved from Iowa to Dakota Territory and homesteaded what is described 
in the land grant issued to them by President Benjamin Harrison as, "the 
northeast quarter of section seventeen in township one hundred and twenty north 
of range sixty west of the Fifth Principal Meridian in Dakota Territory 
containing one hundred and sixty acres." After proving up on their claim, they 
moved to Verdon a short time prior to 1890, where Father engaged in the hardware 
and furniture business until 1904, when we moved to Groton.

The first winter or two on the homestead must have been morale testers for those 
early day settlers who came with the barest necessities for farming, plus a 
great deal of much needed determination to win a living in this new country.

Because they had neither a place to buy fuel nor money with which to buy it, my 
people burned prairie hay that first winter in their tar papered shack. This was 
a tall tough stemmed coarse variety of grass and Father built a large stack of 
it near the door of the house. Evenings were spent twisting and tying handfuls 
of these stems into hard knots, which were then tamped into a large wash boiler 
until it was packed tight. The front lids were removed from the little Topsy 
stove and this boilerful of knots inverted over the opening. It lasted 
surprisingly well and supplied plenty of heat for the room and for cooking. 
Father had made a drum oven which was installed in the stove pipe and that was 
where the baking was done. Fat salt pork and corn bread were staple foods until 
a garden could be raised. Once in a while a neighbor who had chickens would 
bring over a few eggs and Mother would share some dried fruit with her.

It was here that the first baby, Irene, died at birth in 1884. The nearest 
doctor was in Groton, forty miles away, so the only help to be had was this 
neighbor lady who came and did all she could for them.

After the second little daughter came late in 1885, my Mother was terrified 
every time the Indians came through on one of their trips to visit another 
reservation. The squaws were very much interested in the little white baby and 
her homemade cradle. They loved to rock it. Mother would give them anything they 
wanted in an effort to keep them friendly, and she bought little beaded 
moccasins from them for Inez. I do not know that they ever harmed anything. In 
1887, I was the third addition to the family on the farm which by this time had 
a better house. Claude was born in Verdon in 1890.

After proving up on the claim in 1889 my people moved to Verdon where my father 
started a hardware and a furniture store. We were still on the trail between 
Indian reservations. I remember one Indian family traveling through in a rather 
ornate hearse that some one had sold them. The man wore the traditional blanket 
and moccasins, topped off with a silk hat. We children thought it would be fun 
to travel in a hearse, our conveyance being only a "surrey with fringe on the 
top". We still have beadwork and a tomahawk peace pipe beautifully carved from 
red pipestone that was bought from them.

The blizzards were terrible--men used to string ropes or make fences from the 
house to the barn so they had something to hang onto to find their way back to 
the house after making the necessary trip out to feed the stock. The cold which 
followed these storms was so intense that every one had to dress for protection 
until the clothing donned was a burden. Frozen noses, cars, and fingers were so 
common a sight in the schoolroom that it didn't create much diversion when a 
child came in with a white nose. The teacher would send someone out for a basin 
of snow and appoint others to hold snow on the frozen places until they thawed 
out, while she went ahead with the classes. We had large schools with all grades 
in one room in those days.

The winter of the "big snow", Main Street was drifted full. Merchants tunneled 
out under the porches of their stores and big kerosene lamps suspended from the 
ceiling of the buildings furnished the only light during the day until the snow 
melted off in the spring. School children had a toboggan slide from the top of 
my Father's store down Main Street. One day as school was about to be dismissed 
for the noon hour, Father and a neighbor came in a bob-sled to take the school 
for a sleigh ride. There

[P70]

were fur robes and sleigh bells, of course, and it was fun until we met a sleigh 
coming into town. Then we had to pile out in the snow while the sleds passed 
each other. The tracks had been pounded down by travel and frozen until they 
were hard, while the snow on either side and in the middle of the road was soft. 
It took some work on the part of man and beast to get the sleds passed and up on 
the tracks again. When a chinook came in the spring those tracks stood up in the 
roads for some time after the softer snow melted away. Water came down from the 
hills east of town and every one put on boots and went to the depot to watch the 
wave come tumbling along the track from the south--not very deep by the time it 
reached Verdon, but still rather forceful.

When Father decided to try putting in the crop himself that next spring, Mother 
and Claude stayed in the store, and one of us girls went out to cook for Dad. At 
harvest time no help was available so we went out with a "kid crew", Father 
rigged up a rope net sling which he nailed to the low side of the headerbox. The 
loose ends of the ropes were fastened to a big iron ring which was thrown back 
over the high side of the box. One of us drove the team and the other with a 
neighbor's boy tried to keep the grain pitched back. Luckily the straw wasn't 
heavy. When the box was full a team was taken from the header and hitched to the 
ring end of the sling, which had been thrown forward over the load. So it was 
pulled out and dumped on the ground. Then Father shaped it around for a stack 
and we had fun helping tramp it down. The horses were headstrong, and the 
drivers not very large, so more than once we nearly took the elevator off the 
header by barging into it with the headerbox.

The advent of the artesian well in Verdon brought the children of the community 
another pleasure, as well as being a convenience for the older people. Men and 
boys built a skating rink not far from the school house at the west edge of 
town. Every evening it was flooded over with water from the well and the next 
morning the surface was like glass. Children learned to skate before they were 
old enough to go to school. Some enterprising citizens built a long bench with a 
high back that came down to the ground, making an effective windbreak. It could 
be moved and placed with the back to the wind, and with fur coats, robes, and a 
camp fire in front of it made a comfortable place for parents to sit and enjoy 
hot coffee and doughnuts while the youngsters skated to harmonica music and sang 
loudly if not too well.

About this time, telephones were installed in Verdon, one of the first ones 
being in the hotel run by Mrs. Shadrach Evans. It was after we moved to Groton 
that we had our first ride in an automobile, a White Steamer owned by Mr. 
McKenzie. And so--pioneer days were done.

[Photo: Garden Prairie Band]

[P71]

VERDON, BROWN COUNTY, DAKOTA
by Reese A. Mathieu

[Photo: Main Street, Verdon Village]

The "big news" of 1895 that interested the occupants of the sod houses, tar-
papered shacks and an occasional dugout dotting the famous James River Valley 
was that the Chicago and Northwestern R. R. was surveying for a railroad that 
would come approximately due north from Doland to Groton. In 1886 the townsites 
were purchased and Eli Smith who homesteaded on Section 31-121-60, sold the S. 
W. 1/4 of the section to the Western Town Lot Co. for the town of Verdon, which 
was platted on that date and is recorded at Aberdeen, S. D. The S. W. 1/4 was 
not a part of the homestead but was bought for $1.25 an acre in 1895 and copy of 
the legal receipt is also on file in Aberdeen. Steel rails were laid as far as 
Conde in 1886 and completed to Groton in 1887.

Ferney, Verdon, Conde and Turton, the four new towns were named by the French 
wife of a railroad official in memory of her native country. Why she substituted 
an "o" for "u" in Verdon is not known. As soon as lots were for sale the town 
was a busy place with named business places on both sides of Main Street with 
living quarters either in the rear or upstairs. Few settlers of the early 1880's 
tried the new business ventures but relatives and friends from "back east" 
comprised most of the village census. Soon there were three general stores, 
hotel, livery stable, hardware, butcher shop, machine dealer, barber shop, and 
empty buildings waiting for their new trade stocks. Until the railroad was 
completed the shelf stock had to be hauled from Aberdeen to open business, and 
that was two days driving for a round trip. Business was good and many times the 
dry goods and groceries would all be sold out before a replacement trip could be 
made. More businesses started after train service was established and with it 
telegraph service which was the wonder of the times. Main Street was filled for 
solid blocks on both sides and elevators that could be seen for miles were soon 
on the horizon. No longer was it necessary to haul grain to Groton.

The school was not built until the next year so the story of the "Big Blizzard" 
of Jan. 12, 1888 was an impressive memory for the town children who were 
stranded 3/4 mile north of town in the school house near the new railroad. A 
rescue party from the livery stable followed the rails until they reached the 
section line crossing and then via rope to the school. The children were guided 
to the sled with its box full of straw and blankets.

Names of early businesses were: Wm. R. Creese, builder--furniture and later 
undertaking; General Stores, Mathieu Bros., Wm., Frank and later Milton, N. H. 
Lamb and R. F. Wagner; Meat Market, Chas. Bahr; Barber Shop, Peter Mereness; 
Lincoln Hotel, Mrs. R. L. Wells; Post Office and Verdon Times Newspaper, Ezra 
Elliott; Hardware Store, H. L. Nemeyer; Livery Stable, J. F. Edwards; Lumber 
Yard and Elevator, Frank Flitner; Doctors, Kent Camerer and Frank Miller; 
Implements and Elevator, Chas. R. Dolan; Elevator, James Meharg; Elevator, 
Seward Allen; Real Estate and Commission Agent, Owen Edwards; and several 
others. Some businesses changed hands many times as some

[P72]

opened up shop only to sell at a profit and make a "quick buck".

Three churches were built to serve the community and four denominations were 
represented--Christian, Baptist, Lutheran and Catholic. The story is told of 
competitive revival services in two churches situated across the street from 
each other. One was singing "Will there be any stars in my crown?", while from 
across the street came the echo, "No, not one, no, not one."

Verdon proved to be one of the most prosperous towns as it grew to support two 
banks, five elevators, and one street grain buyer. Harvest time meant long lines 
of grain wagons waiting to be dumped as the trade territory reached to the James 
River on the west and up into the hills, to the east. Grains were marketed the 
year around by wagon and sled. Main Street hardly had room to accommodate all 
the empty wagons as man and beast took the noon hour off for food and rest. It 
was easy to tell if they came from the hills as the wagon was equipped with 
factory made brakes for the back wheels or carried chain and a post to lock the 
one back wheel so it would slide down the hill to level going. There was no 
excuse to have a squeaking wheel as axle grease was advertised, 6 boxes for a 
quarter.

The "Horse-Trader" was a going business and a judge of horse flesh that would 
find the spavins and cheek the teeth and wind but it was usually too late when 
he found it was a kicker, runaway or balky. He just looked for another trade. An 
occasional runaway horse or team would add to the excitement or concern of the 
village. The casualty could be man, horse or conveyance.

Entertainment was taken care of to the satisfaction of all when a dance hall was 
built onto the rear of the hotel and later a dance and lodge hall was completed 
across the street. A horse race track was built and graded south of town and 
also a ball diamond, where races and lively ball games added to the variety of 
wagers you could make on a horse or a ball team. Verdon had early 4th of July 
celebrations and authority tells me that the Conde band came up one 4th to 
furnish the music.

Famous in the early days was the "Bucket Shop" where current future grain prices 
were continuously posted on the big black board to tell the fate of those that 
dealt in "puts and calls" and bought and sold futures in grains. The telegraph 
was again the means of the latest prices from the grain pits.

Verdon seemed to be a complete business center except that it never had 
legalized liquor. Those who had the appetite had to go north or south to the 
next towns except when the "Blind Pig" winked (and that was pretty regular) or 
Doe filled prescriptions by pints or 1/2 pints.

The first child born in Verdon was a girl named Verdon Radits, whose father was 
the town cobbler.

Two town wells furnished most of the water via "the old oaken bucket and town 
pump style". A flowing artesian well drilled by Giesen & Tolvstad about the turn 
of the century solved the water problems of the village. A public watering tank 
was built and located on Main Street, a handy and needed service for cattle and 
horses. The one problem encountered was to keep the dogs from using it as a 
cooling tank when the mercury soared. A creamery was built about the same time 
but milking cows and delivering whole milk didn't seem to interest enough people 
so its existence was short. The town's milk was supplied by the family cow and 
the town's herdsman would gather them from barns each morning and return them 
each night as long as the grazing on the school section, which joined the 
townsite, was ample. The town also had a pound and a poundmaster to pick up 
trespassing stock and impound them until the fine and feeding was paid. I can 
assure you it started many verbal battles and sometimes a fast fist was thrown. 
I don't recall they ever picked up the few goats that used to run the town and 
climb up on top of the sheds and barns when the manure piles neared the low 
lean-to roofs.

Verdon continued to be about the best business center until the Minneapolis and 
St. Louis R. R. finally built its new line thru Conde and on to Aberdeen. Their 
first survey was through Verdon but the R. R. asked some bonus payment which 
didn't appeal to those approached and the farmers who would have had their farms 
cut by the new grade turned it down. Some Verdon businesses moved over to the 
new towns and the trade territory was cut nearly 50%. Verdon had passed its 
zenith and from then it couldn't survive the blows dealt to all small towns-
fires' deaths and automobile trade centers. Only the names of Frank and Henry 
Gabert, Frank Washnok, Reese A. and Hazel (Cleveland) Mathieu, Mayme (Cleveland) 
Easterby and Elmer Hanlon are still on the Verdon poll list to represent the 
territorial settlers.

Other prominent family names not heretofore mentioned in the early history of 
Verdon were: Dr. A. E. Holmes and wife Kate; Wm. B. Roby; G. N. Simmons; C. W. 
Osborn; Hurd Bros., Joe, Jess, Ina and George; Annie Evans; E. F. Nielan; Chas. 
E. Hite; Ed. Pembroke; O. N. Anderson; Bud and Fay Smith; Ludwig "Lute" 
Tolvstad; and Anton Giesen.


[P73]

BATH TOWNSHIP
by Charles Creed and W. H. Wenz

Theodore A. Chose, a trapper, was the first settler in what is now Bath 
Township, having made his headquarters a few miles down the river from Yorkville 
in 1878. He later filed and proved up on his land.

Bath Township was surveyed in July, August and September, 1879 by Thomas F. 
Marshall, who in 1896 was a member of congress from North Dakota. The southern 
boundary line was surveyed by H. J. Austin in June. Bath village was platted in 
the fall of 1880, the surveyor's certificate having been executed by F. L. 
Hildebrand on October 30, 1880, and the plat filed on January 3, 1881.

D. G. Stewart, who was in the southern part of the county twice during 1879, 
bought the first town lot in Bath. The deed was executed May 28, 1881, and was 
one of the very few warranty deeds given for town lots by Charles H. Prior.

Dr. A. Grant was in Rondell in 1880 but did not settle in Bath until the 
following year. John Helmka arrived in Columbia in the spring of 1880 and in 
August he filed his homestead in the township. His family arrived the next 
spring with Miss Ida Ellsworth. John and James Regan were here in 1880 and drove 
on to Bismarck, returned the next month and located. James spent the following 
winter at his old home in Iowa. John started to walk to Watertown February 19, 
1881, and was found dead on the river just a month later, a half-mile below 
Rondell. This was the first death to occur among Bath settlers. The first death 
in the township was that of Morris M. Jones, who died suddenly in the summer of 
1882 while at work on the house of William J. Hallock.

Robert M. Roberts made the first filing in the township, May 11, 1880, and filed 
on a tree claim two days later. It was filed at Fargo at the time. Peter Evans 
filed June 21, 1880, and David R. Hughes located at the same time. Henry and Ira 
Wilber arrived May 28, 1880. Their daughter, Estella, was the first child born 
in the township. This event took place April 29, 1881. John Chamberlain arrived 
July 4, 1880 and George Perry arrived in August, 1880.

The first home in the township, after Theodore Chose's cabin was built by John 
C. McChesney in July, 1880 on the southeast 3/4 23-123-63 and was built of 
lumber. Sylvanus H. Cook built a combination sod and board house in September, 
and August Knie built a sod house soon after. These men arrived in June. John 
Helmka built a sod house later in the summer.

The railroad grade reached Bath in the fall of 1880 and the track was laid in 
June, 1881, but no siding was put in until the road was completed to Aberdeen. 
The immigrant car of G. W. Hickman was the first car set off at Bath about the 
middle of July. T. T. Nickle was the first station agent and also the first 
wheat buyer in the first elevator which was built in the summer of 1882. That 
year the wheat crop tributary to Bath averaged 28 bushels per acre.

Before spring most of the settlers ran short of provisions. Nate and Len 
Loveless had raised some wheat near Columbia the year before and settlers bought 
wheat of them and ground it in coffee mills.

The season of 1880 was a wet one. Heavy snows came after the beginning of 
February, 1881. The season of 1881 was dry. There was a heavy storm on the night 
of Wednesday, August 24, at which time the sloughs were pretty well filled with 
water.

In March, 1881, J. D. Mason and Marshall Collver walked from Appleton, Minnesota 
to Watertown on snowshoes and filed on their land on the 27th without having 
seen it. Both got good quarters. P. C. Cavanaugh started a ferry across the Jim 
about a mile north of the railroad grade on May 28, 1881.

The approaches to the ferry at Yorkville had become almost impassable, almost 
every team coming to or leaving the ferry getting stuck in the mud. Mr. Kline 
was moving three carloads of immigrants' movables from Bristol and learned that 
Mr. Cavanaugh had a tight wagon box. He got Mr. Cavanaugh to help him ferry over 
his three carloads for which no charge was made. The next morning thirty teams 
and wagons were lined up waiting for a chance to get over. Mr. Cavanaugh helped 
them all over that day free of charge. Later he built a ferry boat which some of 
the neighbors ran, as he had a contract on the Milwaukee in Spink County and 
could not take care of the ferry.

The first wagon bridge in the vicinity was built across the Jim near W. E. 
Burton's by B. H. Randall in January, 1882. Funds for it had been raised by 
popular subscription.

Religious services were held as early as June, 1881, when Rev. H. B. Johnson, a 
Presbyterian clergyman from Watertown, who had located near Aberdeen, conducted 
meetings in Julius C. Raymo's hotel tent. Rev. C. M. Brown, a Methodist 
clergyman, came to this part of the country in August and remained three months. 
The first Sunday School in that area was organized in June, the same year in 
Raymo's hotel tent. John Chamberlain was elected superintendent. It is related 
that there not being enough seats to go around, boards were placed over beer 
kegs for seats. Sunday School has been kept up in Bath ever since (1952).

The first permanent building in the village was the hotel built by Angus 
McPherson in August, 1881. Salzer and Edward's store building, later changed to 
a dwelling, was erected soon after, as was the J. B. Stevens and Company 
building. Grant and Stewart's building went up in October and the depot was 
finished in November.

The first election in which Bath people were in-

[P74]

terested was the first one in the county, November 22, 1880, at which time the 
location of the county seat was voted upon. The county had been organized but a 
short time before. The first meeting of the county commissioners was held 
Tuesday, September 14, 1880, when county officers were appointed by the 
Territorial governor. The county was divided into three districts and at a 
meeting of the commissioners on October 7, N. M. Cole was appointed judge of 
election for the first district, Archie McKinnon for the second district, and 
Lewis Bowman for the third district. It was later moved, "that in view of the 
fact that the establishment of poling places at different places in the county 
for the election to be held November 22, 1880, would place the county under 
heavy expense caused by the employing of judges and clerks of election at each 
polling place; therefore, to save the county this expense and as Columbia is 
centrally located in the county, it is hereby designated as the place for 
polling votes on election day."

This motion, after much discussion on the part of the commissioners, was finally 
carried. The great expense saved the county by this was so well remembered that 
in the election a year later, with twice the number of polling places the 
settlers expected there would be in the county seat election, the expense to the 
county was about $95.00 for salaries of judges and clerks of election and for 
delivering ballot boxes.

There were 189 ballots cast at the one lone polling place, and in spite of the 
fact that most of the settlers were in the southern part of the county and the 
only polling place was on the northern fringe of the settlement, Bath was only 
one behind Columbia when the results were finally given out. Columbia got 83 
votes, Section 17, Bath 82, Ordway 11 and Junction, Aberdeen 13. Old timers in 
Bath stoutly maintained that they won by three votes notwithstanding their 
handicap. John Regan was elected County Superintendent of Schools, at this 
election but did not qualify. William B. York worked hard for Bath for county 
seat. The first Republican convention in the county was held at Columbia, 
October 25, 1881, when C. M. Cannon, great-grandfather of Carroll Willson 
Burckhard, Aberdeen, was nominated for county commissioner. The delegates who 
attended from Bath were C. M. Cannon, who was entitled to four votes, and 
Richard Williams. The election was held November 8. C. M. Cannon received 436 
votes and E. H. Alley, James Floyd, and W. T. Elliot each one. At that time Bath 
precinct No. 3 comprised townships 122, 123, and the south half of 124 in range 
62 and the east half of township 123, range 63. The judges of that election were 
C. M. Cannon, Angus McPherson, and Judson Burrows. The clerks were Frank J. 
Steven and M. J. Hersey, Jr.

Early in August, 1881, the following were doing business in Bath: Julius C. 
Raymo, hotel; William Williams, pumps; Garland and Randall, general store; Frank 
Stevens, lumber; Jumper and Bliss, general store, here about three weeks; and 
Salzer and Edwards, lumber. Angus McPherson was building his hotel at the time 
and his family arrived from Minnesota the latter part of the month. Miss Sarah 
Jones and Charles Slyfield were conducting a bakery and boarding house before 
the end of August.

Mr. Randall, of the firm of Garland and Randall, was the first postmaster. Frank 
Stevens next held the office and Angust McPherson received his commission as 
postmaster about the beginnning of February, 1882, and took charge of the office 
the latter part of the month.

Calvin M. Giddings and Miss Harriet Bland were the first couple married in 
Aberdeen. Rev. H. B. Johnson tied the knot on Sunday, July 31, 1881. Julius C. 
Raymo, of the Central House, Bath, and Miss Loveless were married several weeks 
later.

[Photo: McPherson Grocery and Mercantile Store]

Bath School District was organized January 19, 1882, at a meeting called for 
that purpose at the C. M. & St. Paul depot. Henry Perry was chosen chairman of 
the meeting and Thomas Edwards as clerk. Sylvanus H. Cook and Richard Williams 
were appointed tellers. On motion the tellers were requested to accept votes 
only from parties residing in the district. On the ballot for director, S. H. 
Cook received four votes, Henry Perry got five and H. C. Hyde, two. Mr. Cook was 
declared elected. On the

[P75]

[Photo: Bath School House]

formal ballot for district clerk W. G. Hickman received five votes and Henry 
Perry four and the former was declared elected. Thomas Edwards was elected 
treasurer on the fifth formal ballot when he received ten out of nineteen votes 
cast On February 17, it was decided to bond for $1,500 and build a schoolhouse. 
The first term of school was held in Edward's hall, commencing the first Monday 
in June, and lasting three months. Miss Ada L. Perry was the first teacher.

The schoolhouse was built in time to commence the fall term in it on September 
4th. The contract price of the building was $1,763.00 and it was put up by Mr. 
Darlington of Ordway.

At a school meeting held April 15, 1882, on motion of C. M. Cannon, it was 
decided to have nine months of school. In sub-district No. 4, school was held 
for twelve months in 1884. The township was reduced to its present size in May, 
1883 The civil township was organized on March 20, 1884, and was given the same 
boundaries as the school district.

A. C. Tuttle, who owned the Day County Reporter at Webster, started the James 
Valley Post at Bath in April, 1882. D. B. Worthington ran the paper from the 
beginning and bought the outfit in a few weeks. He ran it until December of the 
same year, when it was suspended on account of a snow blockade. The plant was 
sold to John H. Drake of the Dakota Pioneer at Aberdeen. The press consisted of 
two heavy pieces of iron--a platen and bed--which were thrown together by a 
lever which was made of gas pipe. The Post was a four column paper and the 
columns were printed at right angles to the columns of the patent insides. It 
was printed on the second floor of the depot. When the plant was brought to Bath 
it had only one case of body type, but some of the latter was soon secured. Mr. 
Worthington bought the plant for $75.00 wages due for work done on the Webster 
paper. The Bath Herald was started several years later.

In the spring of 1882 Rev. O. A. Phillips of Ordway organized a Methodist Church 
society. The church was built in 1886, the dedication taking place on Sunday, 
July 4th.

The first singing society was organized in Bath in the latter part of April, 
1882, and met every Saturday evening at 7:30. Thomas Edwards was president; Miss 
Ada Perry, secretary; Mrs. Charles Slyfield, treasurer; and G. W. Hickman, 
chorister.

In the fall of 1882 a literary society was organized and kept up every winter 
for a number of years. Perhaps this was the frontier at the time but the 
settlers knew how to entertain themselves. The community has been unable to 
scare up as good a literary in late years. Among those who took a prominent part 
in the meetings were: Reuben W. Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edwards, Mr. and Mrs. 
Henry Perry, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Hickman, R. K. Burton, J. M. Scharff, Miss 
Minnie Hart, Miss Ada Perry, Dr. A. Grant, A. G. Waterman, and later Professor 
Charles Hobe.

A census showed twenty-eight teachers and exteachers located in Bath and the 
Vicinity in the early days. Late in 1883 a very successful teachers' society was 
organized which met every two weeks for a number of years.

A brass band was organized in January, 1886.

[P76]

Frank Church ran the first steam threshing rig in the township, in the fall of 
1882. Stephen R. Jones and William Pritchard ran a horse power outfit the same 
fall.

In 1886 the town of Bath had a three story hotel, a large livery barn, and three 
general stores. Proprietors were McPherson, Runge, and Carpenter. Old Dr. Grant 
wore a shawl on his head and never washed his face. A good doctor though, they 
said. Fire destroyed the big hotel. Ralph Root threw a lamp out of a third story 
window and carried a bed tick downstairs. Buffalo bones with tendons still 
holding joints together were lying on the prairie. Our oxen, Buck and Bright 
swam the slough north of Bath, dragging the wagon after them. Camp meetings were 
at Everson's Grove. Dad (C. H. Creed, Sr.) was the instigator in the interest of 
the Populist Party. A girl named Pat Crowley strolled about the grounds-made me 
feel green and insufficient. I slept in a tent with Ignatius Donnelly. When he 
got back to Minnesota and his paper he devoted a column to describing how 
Charlie kicked so he couldn't sleep.

Mary Ellen Lease; Dr. Herron Mills, the socialist; Coin Harvey, of free silver 
fame; Sockless Jerry Simpson; and others were at the same grove. The place, 
crowded with tents and lighted within, presented an alluring moving picture in 
shadows after nightfall. Bryan, the silver tongued, and sharp tongued Carrie 
Nation and others came after. I carried Carrie's bag to the auditorium at Tacoma 
Park. She stopped, opened the bag, and gave me a small souvenir hatchet. Then 
she turned and harangued a crowd of hecklers. She snatched a cigarette from a 
fresh guy's face as we stood there.

The Christmas tree at Bath in 1886 was a big willow from the river east of town. 
It was decorated with colored paper streamers and wrappers and hung thickly with 
luscious red apples. At the close of the program, minister took the pulpit and 
asked that parents see that their children did not touch the apples since THEY 
WERE BORROWED for the occasion.

[Photo: Binding Grain]

A threshing machine was set up right in Bath and run by horse power of six 
teams. The first steam engines were hauled about by four horses strung out. They 
had a tongue in front for that purpose. Each thresher had two band cutters, one 
feeder, and a grain measurer. This latter had two half bushel measures. He 
dumped one into a sack held by a man while the other was filling. He counted 
each bushel by hand on a record before him.

The Bath elevator was run by horsepower. A blind horse was used. All grain was 
delivered in two bushel sacks which had to be lifted shoulder high and dumped 
into the hopper. Then giddap.

The old mill at Columbia stood stark alone with its great wheel and dam. The 
Columbia sidewalk extended under the railroad bridge and clear out to the 
cemetery. Sioux Indians travelled through with squaws and papooses. Bath people 
became alarmed when Indian troubles threatened. Sod houses were papered inside 
with old newspapers in lieu of something better. The Gooleys lived in a dugout 
west of Bath. All carpenters used square nails called cut nails. New round ones, 
called wire nails were coming into vogue. Carpenters doubted their efficiency.

There were many patent medicine shows. One sold Kickapoo Indian Sagwa. 
Entertainers told jokes on local people. Will Wenz criticized the show. The next 
night the clown told how he had seen Wenz hanging onto a cow's tail making her 
run around. The idea was that he was trying to get a free milk shake, a popular 
drink then.

Funerals used plain black boxes for coffins. There was no embalming.

Someone inspected the sidewalks daily and drove back nails which protruded a 
little. They caught the hems of the women's dresses and tore them. The first 
bicycles had a big wheel in front. Will Wenz had one. It has a broken hand grip. 
I was the one who broke it in taking what they call a header. The first "safety" 
bicycles weighed over a hundred pounds, had hard tires, and solid steel frames.

Wells had buckets instead of pumps. The first telephone poles were 2x4's bolted 
to a sharpened fence post. Dead prairie chickens and other birds strung along 
under the single wire.

Others who located claims in the vicinity of Bath in 1880, in addition to those 
already mentioned were: Hans C. Anderson, Fred T. Adams, in Bath and Cambria 
Twp., Andrew Bower, Charles L. Bean, George E. Brooks, James C. Boyles, David E. 
O. Bird, Edward N. Brann, C. H. Church, Frank Church, Thomas B. Close, Dennis P. 
Cummings, Frank Corel, Robert Dunlevy, Margaret Dunlevy, William Gourley, John 
M. Glover, Alanson A. Graves, Christopher Hanson, John Hart, George B. Hall, 
Charles M. Huey, John C. Hall, Neils J. Holum, Oliver Hughes, Reuben W. Jones, 
John O. Jones, Richard Jones, Ole J. Johnson, Martin Knie, Jr., Morris M. Jones 
and sons John J. and David C., Henry H. Jones, Herman Kreyer, William King, 
William Lamb, Eugene Lamb, Benjamin F. Long, Rudolph McChesney, Alexander S. 
McCutcheon, John Nelson, Samuel L. Norton, Thomas J. Owens, C. O. Peterson, 
Christian E. Prestegaard, Isaac Pary, Bennet Peterson, Henry Powers, Philander 
Powers, John Powers, Moses Roberts,, Morgan G. Roberts, William X. Roberts, 
William J. Rowlands, Robert J. Rowlands, Thurstain Richardston, Jacob M. 
Scharff, Jonathan Smith, Herman Schuermann, Peter Smith,

[P77]

C. W. Swift, O. S. Steele, Henry Salzer, John W. Shaw, William A. Stark, Edward 
L. William, Sr., A. G. Waterman, William Wilkinson, William H. Wood, Owen J. 
Williams, William E. Williams, Richard Williams, Dr. W. E. Williams, William 
Zaczewski, Charles W. Zimmerman.

The following were here the winter of 1880-1881: S. H. Cook and family, C. 6. 
Peterson and family, John Nelson, William Lamb, A. G. Waterman, Theodore A. 
Chose, George B. Hall, Martin Knie, Jr., August Knie and John C. McChesney. 
Billings H. Randall and William H. Wood spent the winter at Columbia, Eugene A. 
Conant at Watertown, and Morris Jones and sons at Ortonville. Others coming in 
the early eighties were: Charles and Harriet Bland, Thomas Crogan, Morgan E. 
Jones, David Griffiths, Sr., William W. Jones, Lawrence Freeman, G. Haley, 
Andrew Ballweg, A. Pecor, Levi Mable, John Anderson, B. C. Talbot, E. B. Holmes, 
William A. Payne, John W. Flemming, John A. Jones, Theodore C. Shuttleworth, 
Adolph Elsner, Allen T. Hammond, Julius Schnase, John H. Jones, Simon B. Bean, 
Miss Sarah J. Jones, William P. Stickney, Byron E. Hall, Reese W. Jones, 
Christian Wenz, William H. Pary, and Francis R. Collins.

[Photo: Andrew Ballweg and Mrs. Andrew Ballweg]

[Photo: William Fritz]

[P78]

BRAINARD TOWNSHIP
by J. B. Forsting, Frederick Free Press, Jubilee Edition, 1957

Brainard Township consists of all that part of Township 126, Range 62, and part 
of Township 126, Range 63. So Brainard is actually a township and a half. The 
land in this township was surveyed in 1879 and 1880, and was attested Feb. 27, 
1882 at Yankton by Cortez Fessenden, the Surveyor General. The area was then 
opened up by the government for settlement.

[Photo: Aurland Congregation outside the church in 1897. Charter members, right 
to left: Ole Holten, Ole Quam, Ivor Tveit, Andrew Thye, and John J. Buene.]

There were already "squatters" here then. They were James A. Wright, A. Johnson, 
Louis Kughee Young, J. H. Brown, James Hohensee, and Bern Dickinson.

A group of persons from Travel De Pass, now called Brown's Valley, visited this 
area before the squatters came. Father Alexander Ravoux headed this group and he 
told Father Robert Haire, who was the priest in the Frederick-Columbia Parish 
from 1882 to 1896, of his experience. Father Ravoux visited a Cuthead Indian 
village on the west side of Sand Lake and celebrated Holy Mass there. This was 
probably the first Christian service in Brown County. A bronze plaque has been 
placed in a public park on the west side of Sand Lake to memorialize this 
service.

Brainard was originally known as Pectoria. A townsite was laid out on Sand Lake 
where boats landed that made the trip on the James River from Columbia to Port 
Emma, Dakota Territory. A grade was built for the proposed railroad that was 
never built. Part of the grade is still visible.

On November 28, 1883, a meeting was held at the M. J. Sackreiter house. At this 
meeting those present voted to change the name Pectoria to Brainard. The group 
also decided to erect two school houses, and they named E. F. McCoy, clerk, and 
Thomas J. Quigg and Sackreiter members of the school board. The first teachers 
were Caroline Quigg, Anna Roney and Romon Johnson.

[Photo: Brainard Township School No. 5--Election Day]

Brainard Township was organized in the home of Alex G. Warren, another early 
settler in the township. Warren was later named the first sheriff of Brown 
County. At this meeting the men chosen the first supervisors of Brainard 
Township were M. J. Sackreiter, W. F. Sheridan, and Herbert Richmond. F. J. 
Hassett was elected clerk; Samuel Johnson, treasurer; and W. H. Davenport, 
assessor. These men, not already mentioned, settled here two and three years 
after the squatters came, or in 1882 and 1883. This township organizational 
meeting was held in 1883. The first assessment of Brainard was made in 1884, and 
already there was a total value of $54,750.00.

Florence Cole who married a man named Mahoney was the first white child born in 
the township.

Brainard Township does not brag, but we had the first Brown County sheriff, and 
we are proud of Senator Ed Thye of Minnesota for his brother lives here. There 
has never been a major crime in this township. The people, many of them 
descendants of the early settlers, are all good citizens and Christians, and 
have progressed along with the country.

In addition to those people mentioned in the story, territorial pioneers 
included: John J. Buene; Ingeborg E. Wangen, who married John Buene in 1883; Mr. 
and Mrs. Thomas O. Holten; Andrew A. Thye and his wife, Brita E. Wangen Thye, 
whose son, Edward, later became governor of Minnesota; Christian E. Wangen who 
came in 1882 and lived all but six weeks of a full century; Armund Hammer; Jack 
Wade; Vernon Gregory; Charles Christianson; Charles S. Wright; Ralph H. Wade; 
Olen Quam and Edward Hammer.

[Photo: John J. Buene and Ingeborg E. Wangen Buene, parents of Mrs. John Lukken, 
Mrs. Giles Anderson, Mrs. Virgil Thompson, Mrs. Ereka Tollefson, Anna Holten.]

[P79]

CAMBRIA TOWNSHIP
by C. W. Jones

The pioneers that settled in what is now Cambria Township in the year 1878 were 
John Everson, Ben Everson and Ole Everson and Bennett Peterson. They settled on 
the east side of the James River. Those that settled on the west side were John 
Chamberlain, Henry Williams, Joseph Thomas, David Griffiths, Powers Family, 
William Gifford, John Whitcoln, T. A. Jones, George B. Hall, O. S. Steele, R. D. 
Roberts, T. E. Williams, George H. Williams and many more.

Philip Rudsil was the assessor in the township for the year of 1887 and 1888.

In the year of 1887 the Great Northern Railroad was laid through Cambria 
Township. D. D. Jones built a store and the store was called Plana, Dakota 
Territory, which became quite a thriving little town.

The Everson Grove was the place for all picnics for several years. The year 1897 
Tacoma Park became very popular for all amusements.

The Welsh Church was built at Plana in the year 1887 as there were many Welsh 
settled around Plana.

[Photo: Welch Church at Plana]

Plana was originally named Hadley. It was changed to Plana because there was 
another village in the state by the name of Hadley.

There were three elevators built, Depot, community hall, barber shop and several 
houses.

Mr. and Mrs. Morgan E. Jones were both born in Wales, and came with their 
parents when about one year old. Mr. Jones was born in 1841 and Mrs. Jones in 
1842. They lived in Bangor, Wisconsin for a number of years and were married 
there on the 25th of December 1866. There were four children born while living 
in Bangor, Wisconsin. Their names were Abbie, Frank, John E. and Morgan, Jr. The 
family arrived in Watertown, South Dakota on May 15, 1881. Two children were 
born in South Dakota. They were Maine, born July, 1881 and Charles W. Jones, 
born December, 1883. Charles was born on the homestead and still lives there. 
Maine and Charles Jones are the only living children now.

[Photo: Charlie W. Jones home. The first in Cambria Township.]

TACOMA PARK - CAMBRIA TOWNSHIP
by Richard Dresselhuys

The site of Tacoma Park, South Dakota, was first homesteaded by an eccentric 
pioneer, Tom James. It is situated on what is probably the longest tolerably 
straight stretch in the entire course of the lazy James River in the center of 
Brown County.

Old settlers say that James named his wooded claim Tacoma Park after Tacoma, 
Washington, although no one else even considered it a park at the time. Its 
beauty was almost entirely hidden by vines and underbrush that wove in and 
around the thousands of trees, making the place almost inaccessible.

James soon lost the half section of land on which his park was located, and in 
1895 it was purchased from the new owners by the Farmers' Alliance, somewhat of 
a political organization, which later became the Tacoma Park Association. The 
association officially named the park Tacoma in accordance with the wishes of 
James, who still lived there.

[Photo: Tom James on his Tacoma Park Homestead.]

This was only a decade or so after the white settlers first took up claims in 
the great prairie region known as the Valley of the James River. In the early 
days, Tacoma Park was like an oasis on the then treeless plains because of its 
thick natural

[P80]

growth of tall ash trees. It soon became the summer play spot of the whole 
countryside.

Hundreds of tents housing Aberdeen and other northeastern South Dakota families 
could be found inhabiting the place each summer. At the height of the season 
excursions on the Great Northern Railroad every hour brought pleasure seeking 
thousands from Aberdeen to this place of amusement and haven of shade.

Those days have gone, however. With the advent of the automobile, Aberdeen and 
Brown County citizens began visiting distant lakes and resorts for week-ends and 
longer vacations. It is no longer an amusement park but a quiet summer resort 
made up of some 60 cottages, a few houses, store, postoffice and dance pavilion. 
Two large frame buildings, an auditorium and a restaurant have fallen into 
disuse and decay. The postoffice has also been discontinued.

[Photo: Mrs. Lena Peterson, Cambria Township's oldest resident. She lived to be 
102 years old.]

Tacoma Park has lost in glamour but not in beauty. The tall trees and the 
picturesque river have endeared it to the hearts of the summer residents, the 
greatest number of whom return season after season, and to the 60 or 70 souls 
who make it their year-around home.

TACOMA PARK - CAMBRIA TOWNSHIP
Taken From Andrea's Atlas

In the eighty's, 4th of July picnics with speeches, tug-of-war contests, greased 
pig chases and greased pole climbing were popular and drew large crowds, who 
came with horses and wagons. When the Populist Party was organized a group of 
interested men decided to have an encampment where they could have speeches 
every day, and other entertainment. At first it was only 2 days, then it was 
decided to hold it for a week and the last day to be the 4th of July.

Ben Everson's grove was chosen. The river was a big attraction for boating and 
fishing.

They had a large tent for shelter from the sun and rain and some of the women 
and children slept there. They called it the Alliance tent.

There were no automobiles then so people came with horses and wagons mostly. 
Some families had cook cars from threshing rigs but most of them had tents. They 
hauled their beds and necessary furniture and cooking things in the wagon and 
the horses were turned out to pasture for the week. Some families brought a cow 
which was kept in the pasture also.

A "stock company" would be engaged for the week to put on a play every night and 
sometimes a performance in the daytime. A professional quartet was hired 
sometimes. Entertainers were hired from regular chatauqua companies, readers and 
speakers on various topics. Some home talent was used. Don and Joe Meyers sang 
sometimes. Nellie Welsh gave readings.

After having the encampment at Everson's grove for several years, they decided 
to buy a grove. They found they could get Tom James' grove which he called 
Tacoma Park. That name still holds. They formed a Tacoma Park Association and 
had the land surveyed and platted and lots were leased on a 99 year basis. The 
cottages could be owned personally.

The Great Northern Railroad runs thru Tacoma Park. The railroad agreed to run a 
train from Aberdeen to the park every day if the association would guarantee 
$185.00 a day. They ran the train and nothing more was said about the guarantee, 
so it must have been a profitable deal. Johnnie Murphy was conductor on it. They 
gave him the job because his folks were camped there.

Every year there would be a merry-go-round and stands where candy, peanuts, 
lemonade and novelties, such as fans, etc., were sold.

There was Blanco, The Spanish Dodger, who would stick his head through a large 
canvas and people would throw balls at him at so much a throw. And there was a 
cane where you threw rings to get a cane.

In the evenings there was dancing on a floor built for that purpose with the 
trees for a roof and lighted with gasoline torches.

The shows and speeches were held in a large tent for the first few years. 
Finally an auditorium was built on the side of the hill. The stage was at the 
bottom of the hill and the seats arranged on the hillside. It was used a while 
without shingles but sometimes the show had to stop and everyone ran from the 
rain to their tents or top buggies or under
the stage.

Many people built cottages on their lots and some families lived there most of 
the summer or came for weekends.

One Sunday, Mrs. S. H. Cranmer brought Mr. LaVerne Wheeler out to look over the 
stage. They picniced with the George Daly family. The Asso-

[P81]

ciation hired Mr. Wheeler to make nice stage settings. He did the painting which 
was very nice.

The Aberdeen band under the leadership of Mr. Cason used to play nearly every 
day through chautauqua week.

One year in the early 90's a man had a gramophone set up in the park and you 
could pay a small price and put rubber tubes to your ears and hear music. A few 
years later, someone had a tent where they played a later-type of phonograph 
that had a large tin horn. We heard the popular songs that way. They may have 
sold phonograph records. They did have other penny-catching deals. One had a 
slot and a sign saying to put your hand under the tube and drop in a penny and 
get a beautiful souvenir ring. The penny caused a bell to ring.

Liquor was not sold on the grounds but there were "blind pigs" where those 
interested managed to buy it.

Many people saw their first automobile at the park. An Oldsmobile with a 
dashboard! Another was a Winston driven all the way from Aberdeen by R. L. 
Brown, a banker. A. Clark, banker in Hecla, came with his Mitchell with high 
wheels like a buggy.

You could put a horse in the pasture up on the hill, for twenty-five cents a 
day--much cheaper than parking a car now.

There was a ball diamond up on the hill. It had a good grandstand for those 
days. There were ball games every afternoon.

Speakers at various times were: W. J. Bryan Richmond Pierson Hobson, hero of the 
Spanish War; Eugene V. Dobbs, Socialist leader; Robert LaFollett, Mary Ellen 
Lease, Cain Harvey, Charles A. Town, Ignatius Donnelly, Carrie A. Nation, who 
even knocked cigars out of mouths of smokers with her umbrella, right there on 
the park grounds. She sold little hatchets for souvenirs.

CHURCH AT PLANA
Translated from Welsh to English by O. W. Rolands

Record of the first Welsh Sunday School and the organization of the Sunday 
School and the Welsh Calfrinistic Methodist Church in Brown County Dakota 
Territory from April 23, 1882, till February 27, 1890 which was written in Welsh 
by the late Robert Owen, Deacon.

April 23, 1882 at Morgan E. Jones home, which is the present home of Charles 
Jones, the first Sunday School was organized. Robert Owen was chosen to be 
Superintendent and John S. Thomas, Secretary. The first one was held April 30, 
1882, at R. D. Roberts home, near the North-Western R. R. near Hadley, the 
present town of Plana, on the N. W. 1/4 Section 32, Township 124, Range 62. 
William App Williams gave the devotional part at the beginning of this first 
Sunday School.

The Teachers were Robert S. Thomas, Edward L. Williams, Moses Roberts, and 
Robert L. Williams. Maim Spring, Cambria, Wisconsin, was teacher of the children 
for the few Sundays when here on his visit, also, he was the first to Catechise 
the children. There were 27 present at this first one. Prayer meeting was held 
after this Sunday School. Those who took part were Edward L. Williams, Robert S. 
Thomas, and Robert L. Williams, Cambria, Wisconsin. Many more came to attend the 
prayer meeting than the Sunday School.

May 7, 1882--The second Sunday School was held at the same place--44 present.

May 14, 1882--The third was held at the home of R. T. Roberts, N. E. of Section 
1, Township 123, Range 62--number present 49, and as I remember, this was the 
highest number present from the beginning till today February 27, 1890. After 
this Sunday School (The Third) Rev. Daniel L. Rowlands preached. Text Heb. 2, 
verse 3. This was the first sermon for us, and the longest too, an hour and 40 
minutes.

May 21, 1882--It was held at the same place, and was there till July 2, 1882. 
Then Morgan E. Jones made a motion and was seconded by Moses Roberts, "That the 
Sunday School and all meetings were to be held at Bath," and passed by the 
audience. Rev. Daniel T. Rowlands preached after this Sunday School. The 
collection for him was $3.02.

May 28, 1882--The second Welsh preacher came to our settlement--Rev. Daniel 
Williams, Grand Rapids, Dakota Territory (Known afterwards as Dr. Daniel 
Williams, Storm Lake, Iowa; and later of Minneapolis, Minnesota.)

June 11, 1882--A motion came before this Sunday School to organize a church, and 
Rev. Daniel Rowlands to be the Pastor, but the audience unanimously voted 
against.

July 9, 1882--We moved to the depot in Bath. This Sunday Rev. Sam Phillips, 
Dodgeville, Wisconsin and Rev. J. P. Williams, Racine, Wisconsin, preached for 
us. They were sent by the "Congregational Assembly of Wisconsin", to see if they 
could organize a Congregational Church here, but when they found that 2 out of 
every 10 was Calvinistic Methodist they never mentioned a word about the 
organizing, although we had a very pleasant Sunday with them.

August 6, 1882--Rev. Rees Evans, Cambria, Wisconsin was sent here by the "Welsh 
C. M. Assembly of Wisconsin", he preached in the morning on I Timothy 4, 8. In 
this meeting he put before the audience the matter of organizing a church, and a 
week's time for the community to think about it. At two o'clock in the afternoon 
he preached on Matt. 7:20. Rev. Evans was with us 12 days, and enjoyed his visit 
immensely, and the whole Welsh settlement also enjoyed him. No wonder, most all 
of us came from Wisconsin, and knew him, and those that didn't know him, heard 
of him. He was such a noted preacher among the Welsh Churches of Wisconsin.

August 13, 1882--The second Sunday for Rev. Evans amongst us; he preached in the 
morning on Phil. 2:5. In here I'll give a quotation of what he wrote to the 
"Drych", the Welsh newspaper published at Eutica, New York. "It was informed a

[P82]

week a head that vote of the congregation would be taken, whether to organize a 
church, or not, under the protection of the C. M. Assembly. Voting on it--all 
was united, and perfectly willing for the movement. The vote was taken at the 
end of our service, and 48 pleasantly came to sign their names to be members of 
this organization of the Welsh Church at Bath, Dakota Territory. Most all the 
members at this time were young, moral, and fairly well educated." Edward L. 
Williams was a great helper at this start, he was a noted deacon back East in 
Wisconsin, and his presence at this period among us was great help, to lead in 
the great cause to move along as well as we could under those early 
circumstances.

Rev. Evans preached in English at 2 o'clock this Sunday afternoon to a large 
audience, and at 7 o'clock at night in Welsh, and he testified afterwards that 
this sermon was the easiest to deliver for him in all his life, so far. In this 
meeting--for leaders, and caretakers of the church meetings they chose: Edward 
L. Williams, Robert Owen, and Rees Jones.

As announcer, William App Williams; secretary, Moses Roberts; treasurer, Morgan 
E. Jones; leader of the singing, Morgan E. Jones and Rees Jones.

Rev. Rees Evans didn't get anything from us for his honest and faithful work 
among us, but we know that the Assembly paid him for all expenses.

August 20, 1882--Rev. H. M. Pugh, Baugon, LaCrosse Wisconsin preached here 
twice. September 10, 1882, Rev. J. J. Vaughan preached to us his first sermon. 
We held our meetings at Bath Depot till fall of 1882, and next spring we moved 
to Bath School house.

May 24, 1883--Rev. Thomas R. Jones preached here and at this date the first 
"Society" (Prayer meetings as the Presbyterian call it). 14 were in the 
"Society" ("Seiat" in Welsh). Rev. Jones was with us for 3 Sundays, July 3, 
1883, Dr. David Saunders, of Swansea, S. Wales preached for us.

July 22, 1883--Rev. O. T. Williams, Dulgelly, Meirionethshire, N. W. preached 
and July 29, 1883 Rev. John S. Thomas preached his first sermon here. Text John 
15:1-8.

August 19, 1883--Rev. John C. Jones, Mankato, Minnesota preached, he was their 
young man who had just come from Wales. (And is known today as Dr. John C. 
Jones, Los Angeles, California.)

August 26, 1883--Rev. Thomas Job of Conevil South Wales preached here, and the 
Communion Service for the first time was held under his leadership for us as 
church members. After this date very little preaching was had for nearly a year, 
but Sunday School and prayer meetings were held often at Bath School house.

September, 1884--Rev. Thomas Foulkes, Randolph, Wisconsin visited with us, was 
sent by the "Assembly of Wisconsin", and also Rev. T. C. Davies, Pittsburg, Pa. 
with him. Rev. Foulkes was here two Sundays, and Rev. Davies one Sunday, both 
together on the second Sunday of September, 1884. Rev. Davies was Superintendent 
of the "Welsh Missionary Society" and he persuaded us to give him an application 
to the "Missionary Board" for help in money, and was allowed $50.00 a year. This 
visit of him and Rev. Foulkes gave us a new start.

November 22, 1884--Rev. J. W. Morgan of Foreston, Iowa preached, and in January, 
1885 we gave him a call, which was in connection with "Powell Church" in Edmunds 
County. His salary was $500.00 a year. He started with us the second Sunday in 
April, 1885.

June 25, 1887--Rev. Morgan gave us as a Church, 3 months notice, that his work 
as a minister would be at an end. (Rev. Morgan left Dakota Territory and took 
charge of the Welsh Church at Sugar Notch, Pa.)

Towards the end of 1884, and beginning of 1885, our meetings were held from one 
place to another, sometimes at Morgan E. Jones, School House, D. D. Jones home, 
and Robert Owens home--same back and forth all winter.

At the end of winter, in the spring, we passed to start again at Bath, and 
stayed at Bath till we went to the new Church which was built at Plana. August 
27, 1887. The first meetings were held at the new Church, Rev. J. W. Morgan 
preached on Philipians 3:20.

[P83]

CARLISLE TOWNSHIP
by Miss Helen Bergh

Carlisle Township, which was named for a Mr. Carlisle was organized in 1883. 
Among the first settlers were William Gernon, who with his three brothers came 
in 1882. They had adjoining quarters and built their claim shanty where the four 
corners met, thus fulfilling the law which specified that each homesteader had 
to live on his land. William kept his homestead for a time but the other 
brothers left and went to McPherson County. For many years William Gernon ran a 
store at Westport.

Louis and Joseph Lorber also homesteaded in the northwest corner of the township 
and later moved to Wetonka in McPherson County.

Matthew Moyle, a telegraph operator, came from Pennsylvania in 1883. Each fall 
he went back to Pennsylvania to work at his trade while his wife stayed here on 
the claim. He dug five surface wells in the creek bank and finally dug the 
deepest artesian well in Carlisle Township in order to provide water for his 
cattle. Some years later he moved from his original homestead to a quarter on 
Snake Creek.

Frank Peck came from Illinois in 1883, followed by his father-in-law, Hiram 
Cobb, who came from Michigan in 1884. A large group of the Dennison and Badgeley 
families came from Illinois in 1883 and settled in Brainard Township. One of the 
group, Mrs. Lydia Dennison, homesteaded in Carlisle Township.

The Henry Z. Murray family, which included a son, Charles, came from Wisconsin 
in 1883. Mr. Murray established an early post office on the northwest corner of 
his farm which was ten miles west of Westport. This post office, which was 
called Delhi, marked the halfway point between Aberdeen and Leola and was a 
station for stage coaches. Mrs. Murray served meals to the travelers. Several 
years later the post off ice was taken over by the VonEschen family, moved some 
distance east and renamed Bern. Still later, Ed Friel moved it to Wetonka.

The William Broadbent family, including a son George who is still living, also 
came from Illinois in 1883. Andrew Huettl and his family came from Wisconsin in 
1887. A son, Joseph, and George Broadbent were playmates. Joseph Huettl still 
lives on the old homestead.

The George Stone and Guy Inscho families also came from Wisconsin in 1887. The 
area was very rocky and so Mr. Stone built a stone house in a hillside.

About the year 1890, the Carlisle Ranch began its operation. The land, 
consisting of 3000 acres, was owned by Mr. C. F. Easton of Aberdeen and the 
manager was the same Mr. Carlisle for whom the township was named. It was the 
largest individually owned ranch east of the Missouri River. There were usually 
from 300 to 700 head of white faced Hereford cattle. When they were ready for 
market they were driven to Aberdeen and shipped to Sioux City by rail. About the 
turn of the century Mr. Easton sold the land to a Mr. Jergen Cook who operated 
it for the next decade. During this time it was known as the Cook Ranch.

[Photo: Gernon Drug Store in Westport, owned by the Gernons of Carlisle 
Township.]

[P84]

CLAREMONT TOWNSHIP
by Alex Daly

[Photo: Claremont in 1887]

To this day and age there seems to be no such thing as the above anywhere on 
record or set down on paper in black and white and if it's not done pretty soon 
it's going to be almost impossible.

For instance if someone came to Claremont Township when he was old enough to 
notice events and can remember them he should not be younger than 15 years, 
perhaps. And if he were here with his eyes and ears wide open when the city of 
Claremont was platted or laid out and the first building put up, which happened 
in 1886, he or she would be 92 years old now in 1963.

Claremont Township is in the northeast part of Brown County, bounded on the 
north by Detroit and Shelby, on the west by Columbia and the south by Riverside 
Township. On the east lies Marshall County.

In April 1884, the first town board met, quoting verbatim from the Clerk's 
record book we read, "Agreeable to the call by the County Clerk, the legal 
voters in Claremont township met in School House No. 1, April, 1884 when the 
following persons were duly elected, Viz: Supervisors were George D. Wood, 
Chairman, Richard Baker and James Leak. Clerk, J. H. Sargent. Treasurer, M. J. 
Stocking. Justices of the Peace, Elijah Coffren, J. H. Sargent. Constables, 
David A. Brentz, C. T. Ranney. Assessor, Will J. Carter. Overseer of Highways, 
William P. Barnes."

At the next meeting, June 3, 1884, the township was divided into seven road 
districts of about 8 sections each and an overseer was appointed for each 
district. No. I was in the northwest part and west of what is now State Highway 
No. 37. Overseer, Adelbert Dickerson. No. 2 was just south of that. Overseer, H. 
H. Sargent. No. 3 was in the southwest corner, Overseer, James Holland. No. 4 
was south and east of Huffton. Overseer, John Cain. No. 5 in the Southeast 
corner of two. Overseer, John Nelson. No. 6 just south of Claremont. Overseer 
William P. Barnes. No. 7 west of Claremont. Overseer John I. Johnson.

When the townships in the county were platted Claremont and Columbia cities had 
no idea when they would stop growing so in order to have plenty of room they 
split a township between them. The Big Slough, being the natural barrier and no 
bridges and lots of water those days, was the obvious dividing line. That way 
the township didn't have to get their Assessors' feet wet every spring.

It seems at this time according to the Clerk's minutes their biggest headache 
was to get a grade and bridge that didn't wash out every spring across the Big 
Slough so they could drive to Columbia, the County Seat. Columbia Township board 
was slow in cooperating on building their part of the grade.

The Mighty Dollar looked much bigger then than now. The Assessor Will J. Carter 
was paid $39.00 for 13 days of assessing that spring. Three dollars per day, 
apparently walking most of the time, as he had an additional bill for $6.00 for 
six days that lie had to use a horse.

On one page of the Clerk's record a bill was audited, allowed and ordered drawn 
on Treasurer for John Jacobs (some lumber man, likely) for plank for Slough 
Bridge, 4,285 feet at $18.00 per M.

On June 11, 1886, it was ordered by the Board that the law of 1885 known as the 
"Noxious Weed Act" be rigidly enforced etc., etc. We can't say since we still 
have noxious weeds, that they didn't start early enough.  Perhaps they didn't 
take it as seriously as we do now. And we still have a Noxious Weed Law and a 
wonderful variety of weeds they never heard of 75 years ago. The Russian thistle 
worried them a lot about that time, and sunflowers,

[P85]

they were sure to soon take the country. Mustard also was threatening.

The Railroad was completed through Claremont Township, in 1887. Coming down from 
Breckenridge it entered this townsite in Section 2 and that is where the village 
of Claremont was booming. It was platted only the year before in 1886, and 
George Krum took the plat to have it recorded wherever they had to go to get 
such things done those days. Columbia, the County Seat, or Bismarck, if he had 
to go to the Capitol of Dakota. Anyway he got it recorded and hurried back and 
built the first building in Claremont, which is still in use. Of late years it 
was known as Perkin's Confectionary. Mr. Krum used it for his Real Estate 
office, also the agency for bicycles, sewing machines and organs. We understand 
the carpenter that did the work was the Grandfather of General LaVern Saunders.

The town of Claremont comprised an area of one and a half miles square or 1440 
acres. It was incorporated April 20, 1903.

One thing everyone knows for miles around, and is well aware of, is that 
Claremont and vicinity develops outstanding athletes when it comes to Football 
and Baseball.

Huffton is another town in Claremont township, about 6 miles down the railroad 
track in Sec. 30 on David Huff's land, after whom the town was named. It once 
was a larger town than Claremont because the Milwaukee Road was heading that way 
from Groton and then on to the village of Detroit. They had a few miles of grade 
built north of Groton but then they changed their minds.

[Photo: The George E. Clark homestead southwest of Huffton.]

Elmer Cole, a well-known early settler in this township, whose place of 
residence was right down in the southwest corner, eleven miles as the crow flies 
from Claremont city, lived in Oregon, says he didn't recollect much early 
history as everyone was too busy those days trying to make ends meet. One thing 
he said that helped was picking up buffalo bones and shipping them east, to be 
made into fertilizer, and another thing that helped the fuel situation was the 
chips that were found in pastures when and if they had pastures. Some didn't, 
And while on that subject we might, add that livestock was sort of "let run" as 
they called it those days. They ran so much that they did damage, at least the 
neighbors seemed to think so. Therefore, they established two Pounds and 
appointed two Pound Masters whose duty it was to take up and care for livestock 
that was brought to them and notify the owner and charge him generally a pretty 
stiff fee before he could take them home. The first two Pound Masters were 
Howard Cole at the Fuller farm and Elam Willets in Claremont.

In those early days the Indians were somewhat on the rampage. Many of the 
homesteaders who had rifles used to meet at the Heman School House in Columbia 
Township, about two miles west of the Slough Bridge, and drill so if they came 
our way we could do something about it. After the Battle of Wounded Knee they 
didn't drill any more.

Quite often railroads are responsible for naming towns on a line through a new 
country. But the railroad got along too late to name Claremont because the 
township was named several years before any railroad came along and the village 
of Claremont was platted and recorded by that name the year before the railroad 
came through.

[Photo: The first Claremont grade school built in 1887.]

Huffton was the most central spot in the township and for a few years all 
township elections, meetings, etc. were held in what was known as School House 
No. 1 which was one half mile west. It was built in 1882.

There is a grave yard just north of Huffton, platted in the year of 1887 and 
known as the Rose Hill Cemetery. The first Sexton was J. W. Slater. He got $3.00 
per grave for digging and filling, paid to him by relatives of the dead when 
they could afford it, when not, the township paid him.

A few months later, in '82, the Stanley School was built on Sec. 8. Miss Sarah 
Cutler, sister of W. R. Cutler, came from Michigan and taught this school. I was 
in this school house the first Sunday School Superintendent.

Claremont township was settled in 1882 mostly by people from Michigan, who came 
as far as they could by railroad which was Groton then, and managed with their 
various items of freight and

[P86]

passengers via horse or ox team the rest of the way to the Promised Land in 
Claremont township.

[Photo: First house built in Claremont in 1887. The Methodist parsonage for many 
years.]

The first minister was Elder Boggs, and a man, W. H. Smith, who homesteaded near 
Tom Sullivan's way down in the southwest end was always known as "Deacon Smith" 
so probably another "first". The first doctor, as everyone knows, was Dr. 
Dinsmore. The first white child born was Lena Leak, daughter of James Leak.

[Photo: Mr. and Mrs. John R. Weaver. Mr. Weaver served in the state legislature 
from 1907 to 1911.]

George Pearson, a very well known farmer who lived and prospered and also raised 
a large family, also developed an outstanding type of Durham Wheat that took the 
country. It was known as Durham No. 999 or "The Pearson Wheat". It was 
nationally known for its several superior qualities. Mr. Pearson, we are proud 
to say, lived in Claremont Township on S. E. of Sec. 14 once, where Howard 
Cutler now lives and is also doing very well, too.

The Pearson No. 999 Durham Wheat is probably still doing alright in Macaroni 
wheat growing districts, but hard wheat seems to have taken over in South Dakota 
of late years.

It should be interesting to know who originally lived on some of the places that 
still exist so here are some of them starting with Section One:

Sec.	Original			Present
1 	J. C. Henrichs			Clarion Olson
1	R. Kennedy			W. J. Kelly
1	E. J. Mather			Percy Benedict
1	Ben Mather			Percy Benedict
1					Gunnar Carlson
2	Frank Brokaw			Elvert Swanson
3	G. W. Miller			Keith Cutler
5	Horace Birdsell			Clarence Burpo
5	G. H. Sheppard			Glen Carlson
6	Ellis Barnes			E. O. Barnes
7	Will Carter			Harlow Sanderson
10	Vic Terry			John Hinrichs
10	L. H. Willsey			Don Hinrichs
11	Joe Arness			Dale Stanley
12	John Weaver			Clarence Weaver
13	W. R. Cutler			W. R. Cutler
14	George Pierson			Howard Cutler
14	E. Wood				Fred McGee

[P87]

Sec.	Original 			Present
17	Dutton Stains			Lloyd Sanderson
18	George Richardson		George Anderson
19	George Bacon			Gus Davidson
20	John Cain			Frank Cutler
20	John Gibbs			Erick Davidson
21	Ivan Gibbs			Glen Olson
21	Otto Lilja			Hjalmer Lilja
22	Dan Holland			Ray Pulfrey
22	Ole Gustafson			Bill Gustafson
22	Charles Studt			Les Anderson
23	Charles Holt			Einer Johnson
24	Amos Bacon			Paul Dombrow
24	John Nelson			Alex Nelson
24	H. H. Sargent			Oscar Dombrow
25	Joe Wigdal			Joe Wigdal
26	Frank Lofgren			Raymond Anderson
27	Charles Allenson		Dean Cutler
27	Beatley				Harry Stanley
28	A. M. Holland			Max Hinrichs
29	Justin Gibbs			Ravine Featherhoff
30	Dave Huff			Ole Olson
32 	Elmer Cole			Vacant
32	Howard Cole			Eugene Libel
32	William Honey			William Honey
32	Thomas O'Sullivan		Frank Lowrie
33	Fred Kemp			Lampert Johnson
34	John Clark			J. R. Clark, Est.
34	Amos Haire			Mrs. Robert Haire
34	James Holland			Vacant
34	Pete Swenson			Carl Green
35	Carl Gross			Manley Green
35	John Wade			Dean Honey
35	Swedish Lutheran Church
36	Howard Brooks			Vern McCullough

[Photo: Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Cutler and daughters Pearl and Mae.]

[Photo: Mr. and Mrs. George Miller. Mr. Miller served in the Dakota Territorial 
Legislative body helping organize the territory into two states.]

Father Haire, Amos and Elias Haire came from Freedom, Michigan in 1880. They 
settled in the southwest part of Claremont Township.

C. Cramer accompanied by his sister, Mary, came to Dakota Territory in 1881.

Amos Haire and Mary Cramer had a prairie wedding and made their home on the 
Haire tree claim until 1913 when they moved to Kent, Minn.

Six children were a part of their family. Robert and Jerome now deceased; Mrs. 
Florence Blansburd, Council Bluff, Iowa; Mrs. Ernest Musheh of Kent, Minn.; Mrs. 
Cora Hammer of Alaska and Miss Elinor Haire of Eagle Butte, S. Dak.

George Clark and his brother William came from Canada and settled on a homestead 
in 1882 in the southern part of Claremont Township. John and Ray operated the 
large farm until their passing in 1965. It is now operated by John Clark, Jr., 
and the Jay Swisher family.

The above early history was gathered by Alex Daly with the help of the following 
Pioneers who were here early: W. R.  Cutler, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Carlson, Mrs. 
Clarence Weaver, Mrs. Charles Olson, Mrs. Howard Brooks, John Worthy, Mrs. Bert 
Luce, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cooley, Mrs. Joe Wigdal, Ellis Barnes and others.

Mr. W. J. Kelly owned and operated the first nursery in this area. His daughter, 
Mae, is the author of several books.

[P88]

DETROIT TOWNSHIP
by Fred Fetherhuff

During the winter of 1882 and 1883, news began to filter through to Illinois 
concerning the unlimited possibilities of Dakota Territory. We were told that 
one could obtain a homestead by merely living on the land. It was then my 
father, Mr. Fetherhuff, and my mother decided to leave the rented farm in 
Illinois and pioneer in a new land. Three of my sisters had already married in 
Illinois and remained there, but my folks ventured to Dakota Territory with 
their six younger children namely: Lyda, 18; Lew, 13; myself, (Fred) 11; Ida, 7; 
Frank, 4; and Ed, 1 year old.

Our family did not make the trip alone. We were accompanied by my uncle, Robert 
Dinger, his wife and five children, Annie, Lew and Will Baker, and Maude and 
Fred Dinger. Robert Dinger and my father had two carloads of cows, horses, 
machinery, and household goods. Lew and Will Baker came with these cars while 
the rest of our party came by passenger train.

When we got as far as Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, it was blizzarding hard and we were 
snowbound there for ten days. We slept on the floor in the depot. My brother Lew 
and I had just gotten some new skates and we had lots of fun skating up and down 
the ditches. Our immigrant cars were held at Winona, Minnesota, because of the 
snow.

On March 4, 1883, we arrived at Columbia, Dakota Territory, which was the end of 
the railroad. Uncle Bob, my Dad, Lew, Maude Dinger, Annie Baker, Lyda and I 
started out to walk from Columbia to Polycarp Dinger's farm which was located 
approximately ten miles northeast of Columbia. We left the rest of the party to 
wait in the train until someone came for them. We walked about three or four 
miles and met Joe Dinger, Polycarp's son, coming to meet us. We told him to go 
after the rest of the party and we would go on. We soon came to a sod house 
where a man by the name of Hart lived. Being cold we stopped and warmed up a 
little and then resumed our walk. Joe picked us up shortly after we left Mr. 
Hart's farm. The night was spent at Polycarp's place. There were seventeen in 
our party and Polycarp had nine in his family--it was pretty crowded.

Polycarp, who had come to Dakota Territory the fall before, had made 
arrangements for us to stay with John Snyder who lived in a sod house with a 
dirt floor. We moved in and kept our horses and cows with another man by the 
name of Bartlett who lived about eighty rods from Snyder's. We stayed there 
about six weeks until we got our house built up on the claim, the description 
which is now known as the N. E. 1/4, Section 32, Township 127, Range 60. 
However, at that time, the land was not surveyed. I believe the surveying was 
done the following May. We dug a well on our place and built a sod barn and 
chicken house. Our house was a frame structure.

That summer we planted about twelve acres of wheat near Columbia. My father 
cradled it and Lew and Lyda raked and bound it. We did some breaking on our 
claim that summer but the wheat was all the grain we sowed. That winter my 
father died leaving mother with six children out on the prairies of Dakota 
Territory.

Shortly before father died he bought three oxen. The following summer Lew and I 
did some breaking for a man by the name of Spencer to pay for the oxen. We 
batched in a little shack which was about eight miles from home. He paid us 
$3.00 per acre and we earned $175.00. Lew was fourteen and I was twelve.

Not long after coming to this area, a township was formed and as a number of the 
settlers had come from Detroit, Michigan, it was given the name of Detroit 
Township. Detroit was also the name of the inland town that sprang up. This was 
located on what is now the dividing line between the north and the south 
townships of Detroit or six miles north and one-half mile west of what is now 
Claremont, South Dakota.

We attended our first school at Detroit with Mr. Tuck as our teacher. There were 
only three months of school each year and I was not able to attend all of that. 
Later we went to the Dinger School which in later years has been called the 
Heinemann School. Our first teacher there was George Hibner and then Charlie 
Ferguson taught. He was our teacher at the time of the big blizzard on January 
12, 1888. Six schools were built in Detroit Township.

The homesteaders who owned these quarters donated the original townsite area. 
They were Charles Harmon who later owned a bank in Columbia; C. C. Hedger, later 
an Aberdeen real estate man; Sam Hedger, and a man named A. K. Bush.

The town was organized in May, 1884, at a time when it was expected that the 
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad would go that way from Columbia.

I recall when I went to school in Detroit, there was a general store, drug 
store, hotel, newspaper office, livery barn, Methodist Church, and school house. 
Alex Daly, another pioneer, also mentioned a blacksmith shop and a big dance 
hall (later moved to the Zickrick farm southwest of Claremont). Henry Hamilton 
ran the general store and Prather Hedger, father of C. C. Hedger, Frank Hedger 
and Sam C. Hedger, was pastor of the Methodist Church. The newspaper was edited 
by a man named Wilson. It was "The Brown County Sentinel."

When the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad went to Houghton instead of Detroit, 
the village began to disappear. Now (1959) there is nothing left except a 
cemetery.

Some early town board members, recalled by Fred Dinger, were Bill Stout, C. 
Wright Couch and Henry Hamilton. Sam Hedger was clerk and Fred Smith was the 
first justice of the peace.

[P89]

Among the earliest settlers in Detroit Township were: Robert Dinger, father of 
Fred, Will and Albert; John Freeland, father of Roy, Ray and Myrtle; Jim and 
Morris Cooley; Sam Buckmaster; John Henry; Louis Bonzar; Dell Smith; Lou 
Stevens; Polycarp Dinger and John Snyder. A Mr. Hart, Mr. Bartlett, and the 
Charles Swane family were also among the early settlers.

Frank Sander hauled the mail and express from Columbia three times a week with 
team and buckboard.

The morning of January 12, 1888, I had stayed home to help butcher a beef. It 
was a beautiful morning--no wind, very calm and balmy. The hired man took Lew, 
Ida, Frank and Ed to school. The blizzard struck when they were about one and 
one quarter miles on the way. It was so bad they could not see anything and 
drove one of the horses in an open well that was just being dug. It was a good 
thing it happened for in that way they found a place of  shelter. It was at the 
home of Charlie Smith. They worked a good part of the day to get the horse out 
of the well but all in vain to save its life.

Mother, Lyda and I were the only ones at home and about the middle of the 
afternoon I went to the barn to do the chores because the storm was so bad I 
felt I should not wait longer. The snow was coming in all the cracks of the 
doors in the sod barn and after getting the chores done, I began plugging up the 
cracks. I must have been there quite a while for soon Lyda came after me. Mother 
was worried I had been gone so long so we started back to the house at once. We 
couldn't even see our hand in front of our face and the snow was biting cold. 
After we had gone some distance, I realized we had missed the house so turned 
back. We tried to find the house several times but every time we missed it. 
Somehow we could always find our way back to the barn. After several trips, Lyda 
was so cold she climbed in with the pigs to get warm. We tried it again and 
realizing we had gone far enough, turned to go back when we saw a faint glimmer 
of light from a lamp mother had put in the window--WE HAD MISSED THE HOUSE ONLY 
BY INCHES! When we got in the house mother already had her wraps on to go in 
search of us. That was the worst storm I ever witnessed.

Times were hard in the 80's. I remember one time when mother had to write a 
business letter and didn't have a stamp to mail it or the money to buy one. We 
borrowed one from Uncle Robert Dinger. In the winter we would wrap our feet in 
gunny sacks to keep our feet warm and the snow out--we had nothing else. Sugar 
was always absent from our table. There were a number of dry years during the 
80's and several years we did not even get our seed back. Everybody who could, 
left and went back to their former homes, but those of us who couldn't go had to 
stay.

I remember one 4th of July very distinctly. Lew and I wanted to go to the 
celebration at Detroit so mother gave us twenty-five cents to spend--it was all 
she had. We had the time of our lives and came back with ten cents.

HISTORY OF OLD DINGER SCHOOL IN NORTH DETROIT
Taken from Hecla's Diamond Jubilee Edition of the Hecla Independent, June 2, 
1961.

The North Detroit Township hall (Heinemann School) now used for meetings, built 
in 1884 has a history that should be remembered.

It was in this school house that the children spent the night during the 
blizzard of 1888 without any coal. They burned desks and the stage to keep warm. 
The reason for no coal was due to a horse falling in a well.

George Godfrey was hauling the Fetherhuff children to school and one of his 
horses caved into a well in the Charlie Smith yard where Donald Dinger now 
lives.

Will Dinger was finishing his trip to the school with the coal and stopped to 
help with the horse, when the storm struck and prevented him from delivering the 
coal.

Some of the children and the teacher, Charlie Ferguson, were determined to go 
home but the late Fred Dinger, being a large boy for his age and wise to Dakota 
storms barred the door and prevented them from leaving.

No one remembers which of these two Racheal Smith or Charlie Titus was the first 
teacher in this school.

Some of the early teachers were Fred Smith, Bertha Stevens, Susie Skimmerhorne, 
Grace King, Nina Varian, Luella Hayes, George Hibner and Grace Dinger.

Some of the early families that attended the school are the Dingers, Wamplers, 
Smiths, Nortens, Millers, Titus's, Stevens, Fetherhuffs, Grafs, Deweys, 
Burgess's, Moores, Heinemanns and Shilhaneks.

Submitted by Floyd Smith, as told to him by Old Timers.

[P90]

ONEOTA AND FRANKLIN TOWNSHIPS
by J. F. Howard

According to the memory of J. F. Howard during the summer of 1881, a foreigner 
named Wm. Clabbotts dug a hole in the bank near the Elm river and broke about 30 
acres. He lived in the dug out, using a squatters right to settle on the land 
and hold it until it was surveyed and became subject to entry. This was the 
first improvement in Township 126, Range 64 of Brown County, Dakota Territory 
made by a white man.

In the fall of 1881 the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul R. R. Co. graded a road 
bed north from Aberdeen through the east side of 126-64 to a point a little 
north of where Ellendale was afterward built.

When surveyors came in the fall of 1881 it was found that Mr. Clabbotts' dug out 
(as the hole in the bank was called) was on the northwest corner of Section 3 
and the breaking was on the northeast quarter of Section 4, Twp. 126, Range 64 
of Brown County. On February 25, 1882, Edson Muzzy filed a timber claim on the 
SE of Section I and J. F. Howard filed a homestead on the E of Section 12 and a 
timber claim on the NW of 12 all of Township 126. All three of these claims were 
filed at the same hour of the same day in the land off ice at Watertown, S. D., 
where we had to go to file claims at that time. These were the first claims 
filed in this township.

On Feb. 28, J. F. Howard purchased his first load of lumber of Eastern and 
Dillie at Aberdeen, to build a small barn in 126-65. This was the first 
improvement made in that township by a white man.

On March 21, 1884 the county commissioners, J. D. Leavin and Cannon organized 
township 126-64 and 126-65 in one town and named it Oneota.

On April 24, 1884 the first town meeting in Oneota was held at the House of C. 
M. Bingham on the NW 1/4 of Section 9 near where the house of J. W. Jensen now 
stands. Officers elected were James G. Vincent, Moses Gamble and O. F. Kelly 
supervisors; J. C. Jensen, clerk; Wm. Dennis, assessor; and S. J. Cutris, 
treasurer.

On Nov. 11, 1890, Oneota Twp. was divided, the east one-half or Twp. 126-64 
retained the name of Oneota while the west one-half or Twp. 126, Range 65, was 
given the name of Franklin in honor of Jason Franklin Howard, the first settler 
in that township. The County Commissioners W. J. Steere, E. H. Alley, J. W. 
Tower and S. A. Kennedy.

Notices were posted for, and a school election was held on June 22, 1883 at the 
house of S. S. Kimball on the SW 1/4 of 20-126-64. Officers elected were James 
G. Vincent, chairman; E. E. Denison, treasurer; and S. S. Kimball, clerk. This 
election covered Township 126-64 and 126-65 of Brown County, Dakota Territory. 
Some time in the spring of 1884 the County Supt. of School, R. S. Jones, 
appointed J. F. Howard, school clerk to succeed S. S. Kimball, who had moved 
away. That year we hired Mrs. Hampsher and Miss Drum to teach two schools for 
two months each. They received $25 per month and were very glad to get that 
much.

The schools were taught in claim shanties. One on the NW 1/4 of Section 8 and 
one on the SE1/4 of Section 1, both in 126-64. In the spring of 1885 we received 
$252.00 from M. P. Stroupe, the Co. Treasurer, and with this sum we proceeded to 
build five school houses with the understanding that the patrons of each school 
should have the material and build the school houses and furnish table and 
chairs for their children free of charge. These schools were 14 feet by 16 feet 
with 8 foot posts. They were shingled and covered with tarred paper but were not 
sided. A good pine floor was laid in each house. One school house was built on 
the NE1/4 of nine, procured the land from Mrs. John Wilkinson. One on the NE 
corner of Sec. 23, procured the land from D. C. Vaughan. Both of these were in 
Twp. 126-R64.

One near the southeast corner of Sec. 13, 126-65, purchased the land of E. W. 
Gamble. One on the southeast corner of Sec. 28-126-65, purchased the land of S. 
D. Denison and one on the southeast corner of Sec. 30-126-65, purchased the land 
of H. G. Siemann.

In the summer of 1885 we purchased double desks and seats of Van Meter and Tobin 
of Ellendale, N. D., for these five school houses, paying Meter and Tobin $2.70 
to $3.00 each. In the spring of 1886 we built three more school houses and 
bought seats and desks for them. One school house was built near the southwest 
corner of Section 20 and one near the northeast corner of Sec. 35 Twp. 126-64, 
purchased the land of S. S. Kimball for Section 20 and the land on Section 35 
from Geo. W. Pontnu.

One school house was built on the NE corner of NW 1/4 of 8-126-65. Land was 
purchased of Dow Bros., owners of the Bank of Frederick at that time. We had to 
pay $1.00 for this land it was the only school site we were obliged to pay for.

Many of these school houses were moved to different locations and finally better 
houses were erected in Franklin Township. One of the new buildings was built on 
NE corner of the NW 1/4 of Section 8; one on NE corner of Section 12; one on the 
SE corner of Section 14, and notably one on the SW corner of Sec. 22, which was 
built in the year of 1922 at a cost of $6500.00 including the building and 
equipment. The District was bonded for $5,000 and on March 27, 1930, the 
district still owed $2,500. There was also a notable school house built on the 
SE corner of Sec. 19-126-65. The district was bonded for $4,500.00. One school 
house built on the NE of Sec. 17 one on the east side of Section 11, one on the 
NE corner of Section 31 and one near the NE corner of 35. All four of the above 
were in Oneota Township.

The Barnard Consolidated District was organized in 1920.

[P91]

During the summer of 1888 a Methodist Church was built on the east side of the 
NE quarter of 12-126-65 in Franklin Township. This church was sold afterwards 
for a church near Forbes, N. D. W. G. Preston, afterwards agent of the Milwaukee 
at Frederick, was the carpenter. Rev. W. B. Deeble was the first minister. On 
Dec. 24, 1900 John D. Cooker deeded a tract of land containing about five acres 
in the SW corner of the SE1/4 of 7-126-65 to John M. Mansfield, E. E. Crowe and 
Austin Baker and their successors in office, as trustees of the German Baptist 
Brethren Church. A church was erected soon afterward. Wm. Horning was the first 
preacher.

The first white child born in Oneota was Floyd Harvey Keeler, son of Mr. and 
Mrs. E. J. Keeler, born May 13, 1883 and died Dec. 9, 1909.

The first white child born in Franklin was Katherine Callaghan, daughter of Mr. 
and Mrs. P. Callaghan. Born Sept. 6, 1883, died May 21, 1908.

The first white person who died in Oneota was a step son of Wm. Clabbotts, who 
was shot and killed while hunting with Milton Hubble in the summer of 1883 or 
1884.

BRIDGES ACROSS THE ELM

Bridge No. 177, a wooden structure was built in the year of 1885 across the Elm 
River between sections five and eight and is known as the Jensen bridge. This 
bridge was washed out by highwater and a few years later was replaced by a steel 
structure. J. D. Lavin, R. R. Hulbert and Cannon were the County Commissioners 
when it was built (the 1st bridge).

In the year 1910 a bridge No. 76, a steel and concrete bridge was built between 
Sections 8 and 17. This bridge is known as the Howard bridge.

Bridge No. 174 across the Elm river between Section 20 and 29 in Oneota is a 
wood and steel structure 100 feet long. It was first built of wood in 1903 and 
rebuilt in 1929 and is known as the Keeler bridge. A bridge across the Elm river 
between Oneota and Westport was commenced in the year 1925 and completed in 
1926. This bridge is called a steel viaduct and is known as the Callaghan Bridge 
and is No. 312.

A wooden bridge was built across Willow creek, between Oneota and Franklin in 
1885 and has been rebuilt twice since. A steel bridge was built across Willow 
Creek between Section 23, 24, 25 and 26, Franklin, in 1917.

A steel bridge was constructed across Willow Creek between Section 22 and 27 of 
Franklin in 1896. The wooden bridge between Section 33 and 34 was built in 1925.

A wooden bridge was built in Franklin between Sections 30 and 31 before 1900 and 
rebuilt in 1921. In 1916 the county built a bridge across the dry run between 
Secs. 14 and 23, Franklin.

In the year 1917 the county also built a steel bridge across the dry run in 
Franklin, between Sections 11 and 14.

On April 1, 1909 the first rural mail route started from Frederick. The route 
took in the northwest part of Oneota and the north one-half of Franklin 
Township. The mail came only three times a week at first. The same carrier 
delivered the mail on the route east of Frederick, the other three days of the 
week. Clarence Colby was the first carrier. His mother a widow, was his 
substitute. The mail came in good condition and the patrons were highly pleased.

E. W. Gamble, E. J. Keeler, J. B. Opdycke and J. F. Howard were the chief 
instigators in getting the route which was the first one in the northwest part 
of the county.

The first telephone line was built from McPherson County into Franklin to the 
house of E. W. Gamble. A telephone line was built from E. W. Gambles, east 
through the middle of six Oneota to the NE corner of Sec. 23-126-64 where it 
connected with a line running to Westport. Later this line was extended to 
Barnard and Frederick and connected with the Dakota Central at both of these 
places.

On August 20, 1883 a cyclone appeared on Section 13-126-65. It tore down the 
buildings of Richard, Wm. and Richard Collins, Jr. in the center of 13. Then it 
circled around and tore down a double claim shanty near the Elm River on the 
line between Sections 17 and 20, then it went in a south westerly direction and 
tore down the house of S. S. Kimball of 20-126-64; then it went nearly east to 
the NE 1/4 of Section 23-126-64 where it tore down the buildings of Geo. Tooker, 
a house and granary, I think.

On July 21, 1891 a bad storm came into Franklin and passed in an easterly 
direction ruining the crops on a strip from one to two miles wide. At P. 
Callaghan's house on the NE of 26-126-65, four of these hail stones weighed 
three pounds.

Another bad storm on July 2, 1921 tore down the barn on the SW 1/4 of 4-126-65 
belonging to Frank Bishop, also the barn on Section 18 and the silo on Section 
14 and the Silo on Section 22, all in Franklin Township.

[P92]

FREDERICK TOWNSHIP
by Mrs. George Tessin

The latter part of 1879 and early 1880's saw the coming of a colony of 
Michiganites from Capac and Imlay City, Michigan, to what was then known as the 
"Dakota Territory". They settled in Frederick Township, Brown County, Dakota 
Territory.

The first of these settlers was my Uncle Peter Coutts and family in 1879. Uncle 
Peter wanted the land known as the Olie Everson Farm, southeast of Columbia, but 
when the two men ran a race to the County Seat to claim the land, Olie Everson's 
horse was faster than my uncle's and Uncle lost out. He then settled on a claim 
southwest of Frederick along the Elm River, Section 31, Township 127, Range 64. 
Uncle Peter's wife, Ida, and my mother were sisters.

[Photo: Willard Deneen]

Next was my Uncle Willard Deneen and family in 1880, who settled on a claim 
joining Uncle Peter's on the north, this being northwest quarter of Section 31, 
Township 127, North of Range 64, and west of the Fifth Prime Meridian, lying 
south of the main channel of the Elm River. Mr. J. W. Sleeper came out about 
this time and worked around as a carpenter. Uncle Willard died in 1883 and Mr. 
Sleeper married his widow. They had one son, Carl Sleeper, who in 1950 was one 
of the few old timers left around Frederick and vicinity. He now (1950) owns a 
very fine grocery store in Frederick.

In 1881 the James Fluke family arrived, settling on a claim just north of the 
Coutts' farm and west of the Deneen land and a few rods south of where the 
Indian Monument now stands. Later he moved one mile east along the Elm River and 
built his home in the side of a hill, and after every big snow storm, father 
would have to dig them out. Later he moved away from the hill into a frame 
house.

In the fall of 1882 the writer's father, James P. Hubbell, and grandfather, 
Phylander Smith Hubbell, came and took up claims. My father's land joined Uncle 
Peter Coutts' and Uncle Willard Deneen's farms on the east and south, and my 
grandfather's claim joined ours on the south. After they had taken up their 
claims they returned to Michigan to prepare for the move in the spring, and on 
March 18, 1883, grandfather and grandmother, and our family loaded all our 
earthly possessions and traveled seven days by immigrant train, arriving in 
Ordway on March 25, 1883. We unloaded our goods and traveled over barren country 
trails, a distance of about thirty miles, to the Coutts' house. Our land was in 
Township 127, North of Range 64-W.

[Photo: The James P. Hubbell family in 1883.]

At this time there were a number of frozen water holes which were hard to cross 
as the horses were not shod, and father would have to take an ax and chop the 
ice to make it rough for the horses to travel over.

We stayed with Uncle Peter until father could get our house built, which was the 
latter part of April. Of course the house was not completely finished until 
fall. We purchased the lumber from C. O. Reed of Frederick. Mr. Sleeper helped 
build it.

This country then was a wild barren country, with Indians passing from Fort 
Pierre to Fort Sisseton, crossing one corner of our land as they went to and 
fro, begging for food which we gladly gave them to escape being scalped.

Buffalo roamed the prairie, but were not too

[P93]

plentiful as this was the home of the Indians and buffalo was their main food. 
Wolves and coyotes were also seen occasionally. Grouse and prairie chicken were 
plentiful. There was an abundance of wild plum, choke cherry and grapes.

Our land was very stony, and it took a lot of hard labor to remove the rock 
before the land could be farmed. I think father farmed only thirty acres the 
first year, and this crop he cut in the fall with a hand scythe or cradle. It 
was threshed with a horse power machine owned by a man by the name of Archie 
McKenzie, who lived northwest of us.

Our weather was ideal in the spring and fall, but summers were hot, dry and 
windy, and our winters were long and severe with lots of snow and blizzards. We 
would usually get a blizzard every month and it would last three days leaving 
snow three and four feet deep on the level, and much deeper in low places. After 
every storm the neighbors would go together with teams and shovels to clear the 
roads so they could get to Frederick, a distance of seven and one-half miles to 
buy fuel and groceries. On three different occasions my oldest brother went to 
town on snow shoes to get the necessary groceries to tide us over until the 
neighbors could shovel through.

On January 12, 1888, we had one of the worst blizzards this country has ever 
known. It came about 8:30 o'clock in the morning and with such a wind velocity 
that my father could hardly find his way from the house to the barn, a distance 
of one hundred feet. We children were just ready to go to school and had we 
started we never could have made it, and would have been lost and frozen.

A neighbor, Mr. J. F. Howard, was caught in the storm and he unhitched his team 
from the sled and turned the sled up-side-down over him with his blankets until 
the storm cleared away so he could find his way home. Many neighbors tied ropes 
to their door knobs and would follow this to their barns and back.

[Photo: Baseball Team, 1887]

Our first school was in a claim shanty, one mile south of us, in 1883. Mrs. 
Hampshire was our teacher. This was a three months term. Then in 1884, school 
was held in the Fluke claim shanty, a few rods south of where the old Indian 
monument now stands. Warren Hicks was our teacher. In 1885, a new school house 
was built in our district known as Hicks' school. Mr. Hicks was on the school 
board. There was an enrollment of ten pupils and our teacher was Addie Reeves. 
Following her were Mrs. R. E. Kenyon, Jennie Schraudenback, Mabel Schraudenback, 
Emma Biddlecom, Mr. Martin, Hugh McClane and Will Harris.

Our first church in Oneota Township was built by the Methodists in 1888. Rev. 
Deeble was our first pastor; James Evans the Sunday School superintendent, Ezra 
Gamble, J. F. Howard and Mrs. Howard were Sunday School teachers, and Annabelle 
Gamble, organist.

A bridge was built across the Elm River, north of us between Section 31 and 32, 
in Township 127, Range 64, on June 4, 1886.

In 1890, Mr. J. P. Hubbell put in a bid to grade down the Hubbell Hill. His bid 
was accepted and he received $75.00 for his work.

Our amusements consisted of school programs and dances in the home. On Memorial 
Day and the Fourth of July we really had big celebrations, with speeches, ball 
games, and dances. Everyone took a basket of good food and had a picnic dinner 
together. The children had from fifteen cents up to twenty five cents to spend, 
and we had fun. It must not be forgotten we had no automobiles at that time but 
rode in a lumber wagon, a spring seat for father and mother and board seats for 
us children. What a contrast from then to 1950!

[Photo: John C. Simmons]

In 1883 most of the dwellings were sod, although our house was a frame building. 
Our barns were

[P94]

sod. The ox team was used by many, as also were Indian ponies, in 1883.

Our neighbors were, Pete Coutts, Willard Deneen, James Fluke, Joe Hansen, 
William Butzow, the Clabbits, James Evans, C. W. Bingham, O. F. Kelley, Chris 
Jensen, J. F. Howard, the Nelsons and Manoors. Other early settlers were J. B. 
Frink and J. C. Simmons for whom Frederick Park is named. He was in the banking 
and real estate business.

My father was road overseer for several years. He also served in the Civil War, 
having served all four years with only one slight wound in his arm. He fought in 
the Battle of Gettysburg, Sherman's March to the Sea, and many other prominent 
battles from 1861 to 1865.

Frederick was our postoffice, and was built in 1881 with Mr. P. G. Woodward, 
postmaster. The first newspaper, the Frederick Free Press was edited by Mr. E. 
L. Spence and was started on March 11, 1882.

[Photo: Frederick flour mill and Geisler Bros. Elevator.]

The first Fourth of July was celebrated in 1883. The first really big enterprise 
to be started in Frederick was the flour mill by E. Schraudenback in 1887. It 
was a 200 barrel capacity mill. I can remember my father taking wheat to the 
mill and bringing back flour, enough to last for the year.

Father raised quite a herd of cattle, and mother made and sold butter to the 
stores and hotels in Frederick. She was an excellent butter maker and received 
twelve to fifteen cents per pound for it, "top price". Quite a difference from 
our prices of today, 1950.

When we came to Dakota, I believe Frederick was larger than it is now. There 
were two grocery stores, one run by John and Tom Phylpaa, the other by C. C. 
Cook. The drug store was run by Pittingil and Newton. The doctors were Dr. 
Pittingil and Dr. C. E. Bergof. The hardware store was managed by Hauze and Dam 
and George Drum, machinery by William Drum. The hotels--Schonic and Maple Valley 
Hotels run by Schonic and M. T. Light. The bankers were J. T. Dow and J. L. Dow, 
later Simmons and Doty. The blacksmith shop was run by Mat Gorder, and there was 
also the J. E. Jeffers shop. The attorney was C. C. Holland. There were two 
lumber yards, one run by Salzer and Edwards and the C. O. Reed Lumber and Coal 
Company.

The first train arrived in Frederick, September 12, 1881. The agent at the time 
was S. D. Cone.

[Photo: Milwaukee Depot, 1881. Frederick's first depot.]

[Photo: Early Section Crew]

When we came to Dakota my family consisted of five children, but a son was born 
in 1885 and in 1887 twins were born, a boy and a girl. They were among the first 
sets of twins to be born in Brown County. However, they lived about five months, 
having contracted cholera morbus, a prevailing disease at that time, and died. I 
am the only one left in South Dakota of my people, or relatives, except one son 
W. E. Smalley from previous marriage. (Mr. Smalley died in March, 1964.) I have 
gone to other places many times with the intention of moving away but always 
came back and I am satisfied now to remain here. My mother's brother, Bryon 
Deneen and family, came to Dakota in 1885 and settled on a claim two and one-
half miles north of our home but was called back to Michigan in 1893 because of 
his father's illness and did not return.

The old Indian Monument was erected in 1922 in honor of the first white 
settlement in Brown County

[P95]

which was called Colin Campbell's Fur Post, and was dedicated June 20, 1926. 
This Monument is but a few rods north of the James Fluke homestead along the Elm 
River, and a little west of the J. W. Sleeper home.

There are some of the Campbells living in Frederick. Mrs. Campbell is Librarian, 
and has a very fine collection of books and material on the early history. I was 
fortunate in being able to gather so much from her. There are some of the 
Pomplum boys left around Frederick, and Theodore Pomplum lives here in Aberdeen.

Mrs. George Tessin came with her parents from Capac, Michigan in 1883 and 
settled on a claim seven and one-half miles southwest of Frederick.

Their first school was held in a granary. Their first teacher was a neighbor, 
Warren Hicks, who rode horseback to school. Mrs. Tessin tells of Mr. Hicks who 
has spent more than three quarters of a century in educational work.

Born in River Junction, Michigan in 1865, he graduated from Eastern Michigan 
University in 1887 and a year or two ago received a diamond award as the 
school's oldest alumnus.

After teaching in rural schools he advanced to the position of Superintendent of 
Schools at Fargo, N. D. In 1899 Mr. Hicks helped to found the first public 
supported vocational school in the United States. He became its first director. 
In 1905 he became assistant superintendent in Cleveland, Ohio, where he became 
especially interested in spelling and published "THE NEW CHAMPION SPELLING 
BOOK". Royalties from this book put his five children through the University of 
Wisconsin. In 1912 he became assistant state superintendent in Wisconsin and set 
up a vocational school system for that state.

Mr. Hicks has received honorary degrees from many institutions for his work. 
Now, within a few days of reaching his one hundredth birthday, October 9, 1965, 
Mr. Hicks is still working as an assistant to his oldest son. To use his own 
words, "The work is not very strenuous; I work in a casual way, but still, I 
help."

[Photo: Frederick's Main Street in early 1900's.]

[Photo: George P. Winston Home]
	
[P96]

GARDEN PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP
by Mrs. William Wage and Reese A. Mathieu

Frank Griefenhagen, Sr., came to Dakota in 1880 to learn of the opportunity it 
offered and to see the prairies of the James River Valley where land could be 
filed on. The railroads were running only a few miles past Bigstone, so by hired 
teams and walking he reached the land of promise. He liked the land, so in 1881 
he staked his claim on SE 1/4 of Sec. 24 in Rondell and built a sod shack. He 
walked to Watertown to file the papers at the land office and continued on to 
Wisconsin. In 1882 he loaded an immigrant car, and with his wife, Mary and his 
son Frank, Jr., returned to Dakota. Frank also filed on a tree claim in N. W. 
1/4 of Sec. 29 in Garden Prairie and later built a home there with lumber hauled 
from Groton, and help received from his neighbor, Joe Mathieu. Two children were 
born in Dakota, John and Mary. Mary Griefenhagen King, the only living member of 
the family, still lives on the tree claim (1964) farm and prizes the well 
preserved wagon that was brought from Wisconsin.

In early days the shortage of well water forced them to haul water by stone-boat 
from creeks. Problems were many but answers were found by hard work and the 
cooperation of friendly neighbors who always shared and helped a needy friend. 
There are tracks of an old stage coach trail visible on some of the land owned 
by Mrs. King.

[Photo: The August Erdmann family of Verdon.]

William and Ferdinand Erdmann, who filed two claims on Sec. 9, arrived from 
Wisconsin in the fall of 1882. Other Erdmann boys followed them to Dakota, and 
in 1886 August Erdmann, Sr., decided it was a land of promise, so with his 
family he came and located on Sec. 35. Soon the Erdmann boys had taken root over 
the township and Brown County with their own ventures. The family consisted of 
eight sons and four daughters, Augusta, Emilia, Lena, and Martha, the daughters; 
Will, Albert, Ferd, August, Jr., Carl, Henry, Fred, Emil, the sons. All married 
except Martha, the youngest, who became a nurse. Two daughters left the state 
with their husbands but nine raised their families on the prairies. The Erdmann 
farm near Verdon was active with community services and the good neighbor policy 
was practiced by all. They owned and operated one of the first steam engine 
threshers, fired with straw, and a separator equipped with a straw carrier (no 
blowers). The engine was used the balance of the year to power a community feed 
mill. No money changed hands when the mill was used. The grain was brought in 
sacks, dumped into the hoppered mill and the empty sacks were filled with the 
ground grain; the overrage being the compensation for the service. It was the 
customer's privilege to shake and pack all the feed he could get into the bags 
but--they were supposed to be tied again. The Erdmann farm had frequent callers 
with mechanical and various troubles but the willingness and skill of father and 
sons cured the troubles, and bid them 

[P97]

"bye, come again". August, Jr., and wife, Anna raised their family on the home 
farm and two sons, Gottlieb and Gerhardt still operate the farm. One house was 
added to the buildings so they now have two homes.

[Photo: Early day threshing scene.]

M. D. (Mike) Saunders filed on his homestead in 1882, coming from Iowa. Mike who 
was a carpenter by trade, erected many school houses in the community. He also 
built some of the elevators and other buildings in Groton. Brig. Gen. LaVerne G. 
Saunders, who now lives in Aberdeen, is a grandson of Mike Saunders.

Henry Stange and brother William arrived here from Wisconsin in 1883. The 
William Stange's both lived to a ripe old age, celebrating over seventy years of 
married life.

Ferdinand Wage also came from Wisconsin. He arrived in 1887. Two years later he 
went back to Wisconsin for his wife Annie, and they, together with Robert Kimmel 
and his wife, shipped out to Verdon, Dakota, in an immigrant car, each using 
one-half of the car for household goods and livestock. The Kimmels settled near 
Verdon and the Wages near Ferney, South Dakota. All the Wage children were born 
here and the farm is still owned by a son William. An older son, Chester, was 
interested in aviation, and at one time was known as "The Flying Banker from 
Ferney".

Charles Rossow came from Wisconsin. He first worked in Texas and New Mexico as a 
cowboy. He arrived in 1882, buying a relinquishment to the N. W. 1/4 of Sec. 3. 
On this he built a shanty which was both barn and dwelling. He batched with his 
brother for three years. In 1886 he was married. His grandson, Duane Rossow, and 
family live on this farm at present. In 1896 and 1897 hail destroyed the crops 
so he together with several others went to the Klondike prospecting for gold. 
Leaving for Alaska in February and returning in October, 1898, they brought 
samples of gold with them, although it was never known for certain whether there 
had been a real strike.

No history of this community would be complete without a mention of Edmund 
Harry, the "Grand Old Man of Ferney". Though he did not arrive there until 1904, 
he still resides above the store that he came to run "for a few weeks". Every 
year the whole community celebrates his birthday which is February 9. He now 
(1964) is over ninety years old and still gives part time assistance to his sons 
who operate the store and business. He married Alma Bahr, daughter of another 
old settler, Fred W. Bahr. Ed's colorful yarns about the olden days have 
enlightened many an evening for his friends. The whole town of Ferney will again 
be waiting for Ed's birthday celebration.

Fred Clocksene, who came from Wisconsin in 1898 is just a few months younger 
than Ed Harry. He and his wife still reside on the farm, now being operated by 
two of his sons, Darrel and Donald Clocksene, who live in Groton. Mr. and Mrs. 
Clocksene celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary several years ago.

George Saunders and wife Sarah, with five of their children came to Dakota 
Territory in 1881 by covered wagon from Carroll, Iowa. The oldest son, Judson, 
followed the covered wagon with a team of oxen on a spring wagon with various 
belongings, but his prize cargo was a crate with twelve hens and one rooster, a 
source of fresh eggs enroute and brood stock on the new farm. George changed his 
name to Sanders, as another George Saunders, a relative, also lived in Garden 
Prairie. The Sanders name was used by all the children as the number was 
increased to seven by two born on the new farm. They are now all deceased and 
were: Luella, Mrs. John Klumph of Canada; Judson, "Arab Jud"; and May, Mrs. Jay 
Face of the Stratford and Randolph area; Bernice, Mrs. Parke Benson of Verdon; 
Katy, Mrs. George Geidel; and Roy, who lived and raised his family on the 
homestead but spent his last years at Great Falls, Montana. Living descendants 
in the area are, Marie Ellingson, Sadie Stoltenberg, Arnold Sanders, Lester 
Sanders, Vieva Wheelock, Lloyd and George Face. A sister and brother-in-law of 
George came to Dakota in 1882, Fred Sheffler and "Kate". Grandma Sheffler was a 
part of the community for many years after her husband died.

Herman and Martha Bartz started their Dakota home in a sod house on N. W. 1/4-
12-121-61 in March, 1882. Herman had come earlier to select the land and to dig 
the well. A cousin, Fred Shear, helped them to establish their new home. Seven 
children were reared on the farm--Anna, Mrs. Chris Jensen;