Jerauld County, SD History .....Chap 7, 8; Part Two ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/sd/sdfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 28, 2005, 11:13 pm Chapter 7. The county organization had now been in existence three months and the machinery was in fair working order. Nearly all the officers had been appointed and qualified. On April 9th J. O. Gray, J. P., residing in Alpena township, made the first quarterly report one case, and a fine of $1.00 collected. This was the only money collected in court for disobedience of the law, that year, and in fact the justices of the peace of the county have not in all the 25 years of the county's existence imposed fines enough payable to the county to pay for the books bought for their use by the county, during its first year. At this session D. W. Spaulding of Brule county, presented his bill for transcribing the records from that county for the part of Buffalo that had been annexed to Jerauld. The amount was only $15.75. The records were now all "at home," but unprotected against fire. The commissioners realized the necessity for a safe place in which to store the records. A safe was purchased and Commissioner Smart employed to bring it to Wessington Springs from Huron. The board was urged to select a permanent location for the county buildings and proceed with the erection of a court house with vaults at once. Numerous proposals had been received and more offers were made. In one case the county was offered land to the amount of five thousand dollars if the court house should be located on the tract offered. Of course, the commissioner scould do nothing about a final location of the buildings until after the November election, at which time the county seat would be permanently fixed. Four candidates for the location of the county seat were before the people, Wessington Springs, Templeton, Waterbury and Crow Lake. Mr. Ingham. who had purchased Mr. Dunham's interest in the Jerauld County News, moved the paper to the Templeton postoffice and began urging that location for the seat of county government. In the spring Mr. Ingham sold the paper to J. E. McNamara, of Rock Rapids. Iowa, a man of considerable ability as a writer. The greatest drawback to the Templeton candidacy was the want of water. All the water for use at the postoffice, store, and dwelling had to be drawn nearly a mile from a well near the south line of the section on M. D. Crow's homesetad. Mr. J. N. Cross, the owner of the Templeton quarter section—the NE of 7—107—65, made almost frantic efforts to find water. D. O. Hewitt, who owned a well augur, bored several holes a hundred feet deep and Wm. Skinner and Joe Collier, with carefully selected twigs, "witched" for water, but of no avail. All the holes were dry. As a last resort the advocates of Templeton for county seat abandoned that place and had a town surveyed on the SW of 24 in township 107 —66, which they named Lyndale, in honor of the man who permitted them to offer his farm for county honors. The Jerauld County News was moved to the new location and Mr. H. A. Robinson of Logan township, put up a store building and opened a small dry goods and grocery store. The people were small in numbers but great in enthusiasm. Had the people of the west side been united the result might have been different, but with three candidates in the two west tiers of townships the contest could hardly be a successful one. In view of all the county seat agitation it was idle to think of locating the county buildings until after the people had decided the matter. In the meantime the commissioners and the newly appointed officers went ahead with the county affairs. The two officers upon whom fell the most arduous labors were the assessor and school superintindent. The latter was untiring in his efforts to perfect the school system of the county. The townships had to be organized, the officers instructed in their duties, under a system new to them, as well as to the county superintendent, bonds were issued, school houses built, teachers examined, schools supplied and opened and a thousand unmentioned little things that enter into the duties of that office, even in normal condition, multiplied incessantly in the establishment of an entirely new system. Add to all this the many neighborhood quarrels over school locations and the employment of teachers that were sure to bring upon him the censure of all but one faction, if he interfered, and of all, if he did not, the criticisms of political rivals and factions—for politics was "red hot" in those days—and only the experienced can even imagine the trials Mr. Hazard encountered. During the fore part of May, 1884, Mr. Wilson appointed as deputy assessors, B. F. Gough, of 106—64; M. D. Crow of Media, and George G. Strong, of 107—66. Every quarter section was visited, all improvements inspected, town lots examined and a valuation, necessarily arbitrary, placed upon all. The work was done and the records of the equalization board show less of complaints than any other assessment in the life of the county. At the April session, 1884, the board fixed the compensation of the register of deeds for performing the duties of county clerk, now called county auditor, at $200 per year. Chapter 8. One of the greatest troubles of all countries, new or old, is the roads and of this the first board of Jerauld county commissioners had their share. It was the desire of this body of men to plan and carry out a system of highways. Mr. Smart remarked that all roads should "lead to Rome." Mr. Melcher responded that "Crow Lake is as much Rome as Wessington Springs." The result of this undercurrent of strife between the two commissioners was that two systems were started, having two central points in the county. Mr. Fischer was satisfied if he could get a road near his farm in 107—63. This satisfied Mr. Smart, for it made Wessington Springs the west end of that road. The only town in Mr. Fischer's part of the county was left to get on as best it could without official representation on the county board. The road district overseers that had been appointed on the 5th of February had done nothing because of a misconception of the law then existing, that section lines were not highways until so declared by the county commissioners. By the time the board met in April the melting snow, full-running streams and numerous water holes over the county, caused a deluge of petitions for established roads and bridges. The bridge authorized on the second day of the first session of the board, Nov. 10, 1883, had been built and short approaches made, but it was found that in that case as in nearly all others the building of a bridge, while essential, is but a small part of the work necessary to a good crossing of a stream. A high hill, or bank, on the east side of the Firesteel creek must be cut down and a long stretch of turnpike made on the west side. On the 8th day of April, 1884, the commissioners appointed Wm. Hawthorne, Elza J. Meutzer and J. M. Corbin viewers to report on the most practicable route for a road from Wessington Springs to Waterbury. The county surveyor was ordered to find the most practicable place for a crossing of the Firesteel creek. The next day Messrs. Melcher and Fischer, with Surveyor Wallace, Sheriff Spears, Postmaster Barrett, E. B. Orr and Silas Kinney went to the Firesteel and examined the section line between sections 14 and 23, where bridge No. 1 had already been constructed. There they met Messrs. Nave, Haven and Rumberger, from the Woonsocket board of trade. They found bridge No. 1 surrounded with water, but unapproachable because of the soft condition of the water-soaked approaches. After floundering through the mud and water on this line they examined the one a mile further north. This looked as bad as the other and they decided to do nothing until the surveyor had submitted his report. The next day the surveyor was ordered to survey crossings on Sand Creek on the line leading to Alpena from the west between section 1 and 12—108—64, also the crossing on the line between 26 and 27—108—63, also the crossing of Long Slough between sections 10 and 3—108—63. He was also instructed to go to 106—66 (Crow Lake) and survey a crossing of Smith creek between sections 26 and 27. On May 1st the surveyor reported on the first three of the crossings. He said the crossing between sections 1 and 12—108—64 required a bridge 64 feet long and would cost about $275. That the bridge between sections 26 and 27—108—63 should be 60 feet long and would cost about the same. He reported that in the long slough the citizens had already put up a bridge twenty feet in length, but that 890 cubic yards of grading was needed. The 3rd of June the board had another meeting at which on motion of Mr. Melcher, Messrs. Smart and Fischer were appointed a committee to examine the proposed Sand creek crossings, and intermediate points, to report at the July meeting. There is no record of any report having been made, except to number the bridge between 10 and 11—108—63 as No. 8. On July 10th O. F. Woodruff, who owned a farm on the south side of Sand creek, appeared before the board and urged the immediate construction of the bridges across that stream in accordance with the numerous petitions that had been filed. A few days later, July i6th, Commissioner Fischer was authorized to build two bridges across Sand creek, one between sections 1 and 12— 108—64 to cost not to exceed $100, and one on the line between sections 20 and 21 to cost not to exceed $150. He was also authorized to put in a bridge across the Firesteel on the line between sections 26 and 35— 106—64, to cost not over $100. The greater part of the July session was devoted to the subject of roads and bridges. Many section lines were declared highways and some were vacated, some of the "legal advisers" of whom the board had many, contending that all section lines had been made highways by acts of congress and the territorial legislature. In 106—67 (Logan) the following lines were vacated: Commencing at the quarter stake between sections 33 and 34 running north one and one-half mile to the northwest corner of section 27; also commencing at the southwest corner of section 28, running east one and one-quarter miles. In lieu of the highway so vacated a new one was established as follows: Commencing at the southeast corner of section 33, running north one-half mile to the quarter stake between sections 33 and 34. thence east one-quarter mile, thence north on the 80 rod line and one and one-half miles to the intersection with the east and west road. With reference to the highways in township 106—66 it was ordered that "all roads leading from Crow Lake shall start at low water mark." On the i6th of July the viewers of the Waterbury road having reported, the following record was made: "On motion the report of the road viewers on road from Wessington Springs to Waterbury was accepted and a road, 66 feet in width, ordered established." This does not seem to have settled the matter, however, for a year later, July 9th, 1885, we find the county commissioners again considering the best route for a road over the Wessington hills. On July 7th, 1884, the board made an order making the boundaries of road districts identical with the school townships and appointing overseers as follows: Franklin—A. L. Eager. Anina—S. S. Moore. Logan—A. S. Fordham. Chery—W. N. Hill. Dale—Francis Eastman. Blaine—J. M. Wheeler. Media—B. F. Swatman. Additional Comments: From "A History of Jerauld County; From the Earliest Settlement to January 15, 1909" by N. J. 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