Jerauld County, SD History .....Chap 11, 12; 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, 11:28 pm Chapter 11. While the county commissioners were striving to frame a county government other things were being done within the county that were of at least equal importance. On the 28th of September, 1883, a meeting had been held at the instance of Mr. A. B. Smart, to offer inducements to the M. E. church of Dakota Territory to locate their university at Wessington Springs. The matter was earnestly considered and a proposition made, but other towns and cities were in the field to get the much desired institution and Wessington Springs failed to secure it. In the fore part of November a move was made to get the Eric Telephone Co. to put in a line from Wessington Springs to Woonsocket. This also failed. About the first of September, 1883, the townsite company began putting in a system of waterworks connecting the big spring with Main street. The pipe ran east from the spring and entered 2d street south of the Applegate building and then north along the east side of 2d street to the middle of Main street. This work was completed about the middle of November. A pipe coming out of the ground at the end of the system made a very pretty fountain that for two years poured a constant stream. In a few weeks after fountain was established a mound of ice was formed that almost rendered the street impassable. A large reservoir was made and walled up with stone where the spring came out of the hill. A dam was put across the lower part of the pond and under it the pipe ran that carried the water to the village. A sluiceway at the top of the dam carried off the surplus water in a pretty cascade into the little creek that ran down through the grove. The low bushes and underbrush were cut out of the grove, rustic seats built and bridges put across the stream. In this way the company made the beginning -of what they intended should be one of the most beautiful parks in the territory. For a number of years the grove about the spring was the spot to which all picnic parties came from all parts of the county. In October, 1883, Rev. J. G. Campbell, then one of the ablest preachers in the territory, was made pastor of the M. E. church as Wessington Springs. Religious services were thereafter held in the church building, although the seats were made of boards. Strenuous efforts were made by the community for fitting Christmas festivities. On the 24th of December the church chairs arrived and put in place for the people who that evening attended the Christmas tree exercises in the new church. The new church building was dedicated Sept. 7th, 1884. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. I. N. Pardee. The building was entirely paid for when dedicated. The ladies' mite society had bought and paid for a carpet that cost $44.25 and had also purchased a new organ upon which they had paid $28.79. The building committee that had charge of the church construction was C. W. McDonald, president of the board of trustees, and R. S. Bateman. The church trustees at this time were Lucius T. Tarble, Chas. W. McDonald, Silas Kinney, R. S. Bateman, Harry Russe, F. T. Tofflemier. The M. E. conference in October, 1884, appointed W. D. Luther to succeed Mr. Campbell as pastor of the church. Other churches were organized in the county in 1884. one being the M. E. church at Alpena and the other the Friends church in Harmony township. The names of the charter members of neither of these organizations seem to be obtainable. The church at Alpena was incorporated June 21st, 1884, under the pastorate of Rev. O. E. Hutchins. Rev. L. C Burch received the conference appointment for this church in October. 1884. At Waterbury and Sulphur Springs the religious services were conducted by Rev. John Cooley. C. V. Martin, Wm. Paganhart, S. F. Huntley and others. The Methodists and Presbyterians each had a church organization at Waterbury, but the records seem to have been lost. Neither society had a church building. The Sulphur Springs church building which had not been completed was moved to Waterbury, finished and made a public hall. This occurred in the early part of 1884 and ended the church history of Sulphur Springs. Additional Sunday schools were organized in the different townships of the county in the year 1884. In the Young settlement in Blaine township near Parsons a Sunday school was organized on the 20th of April, with Mr. I. Young, supt.; Fred Kieser, asst. supt.; Henry Wilson, sec.; D. W. Young, treas. In Viola township religious services were held at the residence of J. N. Smith during the fall and winter of 1884—85, conducted alternately by Mr. Smith and L. F. Daniels. The meetings were held weekly. In Anina township a Sunday School was organized August 10th, 1884, at the residence of Mr. Williams, with Gordon McDonald as superintendent. A Sunday School was organized at the residence of S. Souerwine in Pleasant township. April 27th, 1884, with fifteen members. Supt., A. J. Miller; Ass't. Supt., Mrs. H. C. Sowerwine; Sec'y., Miss Josie Pryne; Treas., Gailey. In Wessington Springs township a Sunday School was conducted at the residence of Mrs. Williams on the east side of Firesteel creek, until in October, 1884, when it was changed to the home of Wm. Hawthorne. An organization by the name of Eden Valley Sunday school in Alpena township, was conducted there the winter of 1884—85. The society had thirty members. In Chery township, after the school houses were built, a Sunday school was organized by T. L. White, Mr. and Mrs. Kinney, Mr. and Mrs. Georgia, Mrs. Townsend, Ed Linn, W. R. Lanning and others, at the Kinney school house. After the organization of the Sabbath school religious services were held at this school house regularly with preaching by Mrs. Huntley, I. N. Rich, F. M. Brown and others. As we have already seen, temperance work in Jerauld county began at an early date in its history. Wessington Springs was the center from which this influence radiated to all parts of the county. It is certain that no other person did so much to create a sentiment against the establishment of saloons in the county as Mrs. A. B. Smart. She was a member of the territorial W. C. T. U. and vice president of that organization for Jerauld county. On the 28th day of May, 1884, she made the beginning of organized temperance work in the county. On that day, in persuance of a call previously issued, she entertained a number of ladies at her residence and perfected a local organization which they named the Pioneer W. C. T. U. The officers of this society were: Mrs. C. M. Spears, president; Mrs. A. O. Jordan, vice president; Mrs. L. S. Shryock, recording secretary; Mrs. R. J. Smart, corresponding secretary: Mrs. Jane E. Bateman, treasurer. From the organization of the Pioneer W. C. T. U. dates the systematic and aggressive temperance work in the county. A county W. C. T. U. was organized Aug. 13, 1884, with Mrs. Smart, president; Mrs. S. F. Huntley, corresponding secretary; Miss Dona, recording secretary: Mrs. D. W. Shryock. treasurer, and a vice president in each township. A county temperance alliance was organized with R. Y. Hazard, president; Wm. Hawthorne, vice president, and S. F. Huntley, secretary. On the day preceding that on which these two county organizations were perfected a county mass convention had been held at which much enthusiasm was manifested. On the 2oth of June, 1884, the society obtained the use of one column of the Wessington Springs Herald for the publication of temperance articles. Thenceforth the W. C. T. U. column was a regular feature of that publication. The work was soon extended to all the other papers in the county and has been continued to the present time. A temperance alliance society was formed of which only voters were members, with Owen Williams as vice president, for Wessington Springs township. In November, 1884, a temperance circulating library was established. In December of that year a temperance literary society was organized in Franklin township. Many business changes occurred in the county during the year 1884. On December 22, 1883. the Bender drug store, that had up to that time been run by Chas. P. Taylor, in Wessington Springs, shut up shop and left the town. In March, 1884, A. B. Smart put up a building on the west side of 3rd street a few blocks north of Main street and in it Dr. A. M. Mathias of Brooklyn, N. Y., opened a drug store in May. Stephen Bros, went out of business in the winter of 1883—84 and in April. 1884, J. J. Barnes of Plankinton, started a drug store in the Stephens building. Chas. W. McDonald and W. I. Bateman organized the Jerauld County Bank in March, 1884. The next month M. D. and C. E. Thayer visited Wessington Springs on the 24th to look over the situation with a view-to starting a private bank. These gentlemen were so well pleased with the location that they returned in a few days when C. E. Thayer arranged for the construction of a residence in the northwest part of the village, and rented of a lady named Ada L. Smith, lot 12, block 10, on the north side of Main street paying therefor a rental of $6.00 per year, but reserving the right to remove such improvements as he might make thereon. He then erected a building on the Smith lot at a cost of about $50, painted the word "Bank" across the front of the structure, and on the 25th day of July, 1884, opened his institution for business. In the fore part of May J. H. Woodburn purchased the Applegate building and made it into a hotel, which he named the Woodburn House. J. H. Vessey and Allan Ransom formed a partnership and began a mercantile business on the 31st of May, that under different managements has continued to the present time. In October this firm was strengthened by the admission of S. H. Albert and R. S. Vessey as partners. The firm then built a branch store at Crow Lake, which was continued for several years. The first attempt to do a millinery business in Wessington Springs was by a lady named Harris, who located in J. F. Ford's office on the north side of Main street. On August 2Oth Silas Kinney sold his store building and stock of goods to N. D. Wilder, who continued the business until the next year. In other parts of the county business matters were equally active. At Crow Lake a firm by the name of Lodge & Derrick built a store building and put in a stock of groceries. This was done in June. In April, 1884, a man named Mills, who had worked at blacksmithing in Wesington Springs, in 1883, went to Crow Lake and began work in a shop that had been erected for him there. At Waterbury the postmaster, E. S. Waterbury, fitted up his office with the fixtures that he purchased from the Kimball office. This was in March. About May 1st Rice & Herring sold their mercantile business to Pritchard & Kethledge, who came out that spring from some point in Iowa. On July 4th Waterbury celebrated. But little is remembered, even by the oldest inhabitants, of the events of that day. All say, however, that the festivities were worthy of the time and place although Wessington Springs enticed their band away from them. By this time Sulphur Springs had lost greatly in the struggle with her rival town for existence. Her church and blacksmith shop had gone across the valley to Waterbury and in the latter part of July her newspaper. "The Buffalo Herald." was sold to M. B. McNeil, who moved it to Duncan in Buffalo county and merged it in the American Home, published at that place: In October Mr. McNeil moved his printing office back to Waterbury, which gave that place two newspapers. On August 15, 1884, occurred the first death in Waterbury. A young man named John Murphy was digging a well on Henry Herring's residence lot east of Main street. When he entered the well in the morning he was overcome by foul air and died before he could be rescued. A grab hook was lowered and caught into the dead man's clothing. He was drawn about half way to the surface when the coat in which the hook was fastened appeared to be slipping. T. H. Null, the lawyer, volunteered to go down and fasten a rope about the body to prevent it falling back to the bottom of the well. This was done. After an appropriate funeral ceremony the body of Murphy was buried on the school section and there with one other victim of a tragic death it lies to this day. Chapter 12. It was a curious and anxious company that gathered about Dement & Leed's blacksmith shop in Waterbury one day in the autumn of 1883. For several days the two smiths had been busily at work manufacturing a piece of heavy artillery. Rumors were rife that great flocks of ducks were frequenting Cottonwood Lake in the north part of 108—66. No ordinary shot gun was considered equal to the opportunity and so at the instance of the sporting fraternity of the village the attempt had been made to make a vertiable cannon. Taking a piece of gas pipe about three feet in length they wound it with what wagonmakers and blacksmiths term "stake" iron. It is one inch wide and one-quarter inch thick. Having made a spiral winding with the stake iron solidly welded the whole length of the gas pipe, they reversed the spiral on about two feet of the first winding and then put a third winding over about a foot of the breach of the cannon, making the gun as they believed, strong enough to resist the explosive power of any load of powder that might be put into it. The gas pipe was then bored to make it smooth, a touch hole drilled through the iron casing of the breach, a strong breech pin put on and the thing was done. Now it was to be tested before being taken to the lake, and many were the guesses made by the crowd as they stood about the shop to see the wonderful duck gun tried. A large dry goods box was set up at a distance of 100 yards and the gun properly loaded, was trained on it through the open door of the shop. All were confident that the box would not be fit for ordinary kindling wood after the gun was once fired. The thing was securely chained to a heavy saw-horse, when some one suggested that it might "bust." There was sufficient force in the suggestion to cause the onlookers to gather about the outside of the building and watch the result by peeping through cracks and knot holes. A long iron rod, that could be pushed through a hole in the side of the shop to the forge fire and then swung to the priming of the gun, was given to Joe Herring and then all waited for the iron to get hot. At last the end of the rod showed a tinge of red and Herring swung it to the touch hole of the gun. The noise was deafening. The great saw horse and cannon were lifted by the shock nearly to the joist of the building, but the gun had stood the strain, and so had the box, for not a shot had touched it. Afterward the cannon was provided with sights, and mounted on a frame so that it could be easily trained upon any object. It afforded much amusement in the hunting seasons and abundance of noise on succeeding Fourth of July celebrations for many years. Several of these miniature canons were afterward made, one of which is now said to be at Gann Valley. In 1884 the business houses on the Main street of Waterbury were arranged about as follows: The main, or business street of the town, ran north and south. Starting at the north end of Main street and going down the west side the first structure was a tent in which a Mr. Rowe had a tin-type gallery. Next to that, on the south and at the corner of the block was Mrs. Rowe's hotel, the Waterbury House, south of which ran an east and west street. A few years later this hotel was torn down and moved to Buffalo county. On the south side of this street and at the northeast corner of the block was a building put up by Maj. Rice, afterward Probate Judge, and Henry Herring, later a county commissioner. The building was two story 30x40. A few years later this building was sold to Mr. Wilbur Doughty, who moved it to the old C. V. Martin farm northeast of town and made it a part of a mammoth barn, which was struck by lightning and burned some time in the later '90s. Then came Martin & Putnam's law office, a one story building, which was finally made a part of Martin's house on his farm. Next came Allan Snart's grocery store, 20x32, afterward used for hardware and general merchandise by John Snart. This building was burned in the great prairie fire of April 28, 1899. It was two stories in height. South of Snart's store stood Bert Brown's residence, a small building that had been brought from Sulphur Springs. The next structure was J. M. Hull's drug store and general merchandise store, afterward owned by O. P. Hull, and finally torn down and moved to Harvey, a suburb of Chicago, where it yet stands. The "Michigan Hotel," built by Light and Stanley, stood next to Hull's drug store. This was the building in which Chas. Gingery was cared for after the great blizzard of 1888. It was finally sold to Fred Holzer, who moved it to a farm in Buffalo county. At the southeast corner of the block was Geo. N. Price's residence. This was the hotel put up by Dr. Jones in 1883. A few years later it was sold to Bert Healy, who moved it to Wessington Springs and now occupies it as a residence. On the northeast corner of the opposite block across the street south stood Price's livery barn. It also was later moved to Wessington Springs and made a part, of the livery barn owned by Mr. Price at that place. It is now occupied by H. A. Butler. On the same lot a few years later Mr. Snart also built a barn which was also taken to the county seat. By the side of Price's barn Sam Leeds' blacksmith shop was placed when it was brought over from Sulphur Springs. A few years later Homer Vrooman bought that building and took it to his farm in the east part of the township. The next building was the last one on the west side of the street. It was the house, or shanty, brought out from Polo, Ill., by Ed and Dan Waterbury in February, 1883. It now forms a part of Clark Wetherell's house at the Waterbury P. O. Then crossing the street east and going north the first building was a barn owned by E. S. Waterbury, although further south, where the ground begins to slope off into the valley, J. A. Paddock and Rufus Wilson had a livery barn, built into the side hill. Fronting on the street about the middle of he block and north of Waterbury's barn, was Henry Merwin's wagon shop. North of the wagon shop stood Wallace DeMent's blacksmith shop, in which the "canon" was made. Both these buildings were afterward bought by E. S. Waterbury and made a part of the barn above mentioned and burned in the fire of 1899. On the northwest corner of this block was a building erected by John Eagan and Henry Bass for a flour and feed store. It was 20x30 feet in size, one and one-half stories high. Later the rooms above became bachelor quarters for 8 or 10 young fellows. The building was eventually taken away. Then came an east and west street. On the north side of this street stood, where it now stands, the building now owned by W. E. Waterbury. The main part was used for a feed store, and contained the post office. Upstairs was the News printing office, founded by Samuel Dunlap in June, 1883. This paper had several owners in the next few years, among" them being, Remington, Cross, Dunlap and C. V. Martin, the latter combining it with the American Home and the name was then changed to "The Waterbury Home-News." It was finally sold to B. B. Blosser, of the True Republican, and taken into that office at Wessington Springs. In the center of the crossing of the two streets a well was dug and walled up with stone. For twenty-five years it has afforded an abundance of the best of water for every thirsty creature that has passed that way. North of the post office was an implement shed where E. S. Waterbury sold farm implements and by the north side of that was Frank and Harry Waterbury's meat market. Both of these buildings were one story structures. The machine shed was finally taken to E. S. Waterbury's homestead on the NE of 28—107—67, while the meat market building was taken to Harry Waterbury's claim in Buffalo county. Next was the American Home printing office run by M. B. McNeil. That structure was moved by E. N. Mount to a claim held by him in Buffalo county. Beside the American Home office was E. N. Mount's harness shop, in later years purchased by W. E. Waterbury for use on his homestead, the NE of 9—107—67, where it stayed until "proof" for the land was made, when it was brought back to town and sold to Bert Healey. He used it for a harness shop and notion store in Waterbury for some time, finally taking it to Wessington Springs, where he continued to use it for the same purpose until it was burned in the fire that destroyed M. A. Schaefer's drug store several years later. Then came A. N. Hill's hardware store, a two story building, with living rooms up stairs. It now forms a part of Clark Wetherell’s barn at Waterbury P. O., on the NW of 26—107—67. By the side of the hardware store Mr. Hill put up a building intended for a temperance pool hall, and rented it to Wm. Eads. The enterprise was a failure and the table finally broken up. The building was moved away. The next was a two story structure having a law office below, where T. H. Null, now of Huron, S. D., first hung out his sign as an attorney at law. This building was put up by a man named Bond. In the room occupied by Null in 1884 a man named Hart afterward had his real estate office for several years. In the rooms up stairs C. V. Martin, a year later had his printing office. What finally became of the building is not known. On the same side af the street was an implement shed run by Val Martin, a real estate office by Remington and Pound, a shoe shop occupied by Pat Sweeney, now of Sioux City, and another shoe shop run by Chas. Haas. Somewhere on the east side of the street Will Eads had a furniture store, probably in the same building where he started his pool hall. Late in the fall a public school house was built a few rods north of the business part of the town—-about forty rods from the Waterbury House. The first minister located at Waterbury was a man named Bain, of the Presbyterian church. He was in almost mortal fear of Indians and wolves. He took a claim a few miles from town and had a shanty built on it. During the first night of his stay on the claim, the wolves were so noisy and came so close to his shanty that he never repeated the venture. He always carried with him, when going out of town, a brace of revolvers and a couple of knives. He stayed only long enough to "prove up" on his claim and then returned to Ohio. While business was developing at Waterbury, J. N. Cross was trying to establish a mercantile business at Templeton, but with poor success. At Alpena, aided by the railroad, the business interests made more rapid growth. In the spring of 1884, W. S. Crowthers started a livery stable, which he continued for several years. New grain houses were built in the summer of 1884, one by D. R. Putnam & Co., which was run by J. T. Johnston and one by Bassett, Hunting & Co., operated by a young man named Milham. Both these warehouses were afterwards changed to elevators. In this year Jack Crawford put up a blacksmith shop where he worked for a year or more. On the 19th of May, 1884, Mrs. Mary Barber, and Miss Betsy Litchfield opened a hotel in the building that had been formerly used as a hardware store and named it the Revere House. This year Chas. R. and D. S. Marwaring in company with Wm. Voss, began operating a lumber yard at Alpena. On the northwest corner of Alain and 2nd streets W. L. Arnold built a store used for general merchandise, which he occupied until 1886. Additional Comments: From "A History of Jerauld County; From the Earliest Settlement to January 15, 1909" by N. J. Dunham File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/sd/jerauld/history/other/gms98chap1112.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/sdfiles/ File size: 24.8 Kb