CHAPTER XXX

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HISTORY OF RED OAK

    Red Oak is not an old town, even as age is reckoned in this young, western country of ours. Fifty years ago there was scarcely a habitation worthy of the name in the present city limits, and, even after it was located and given a name, its progress for many years was extremely slow. It was not until 1869 that it was organized as a town, and it did not become a city of the second class until 1876.

    The original settlers of Montgomery County—or rather, the original town site locaters—did not plan for Red Oak, and, so far as they were concerned, Red Oak was an afterthought. At an early day, a small company known as the Town Lot Company, composed of Messrs. Henn, Williams & Lowe, soon after the land in this part of the state was surveyed and laid off into counties, began establishing towns at points which they thought ought to make county seats. In this way they located the town of Quincy in Adams County and Frankfort in Montgomery County. As this same company was largely instrumental in laying out Omaha, Sioux City, Fort Dodge and other towns, it did not seem unreasonable to expect that their selections would be wise ones. But before long, another influence appeared, more potent than individual effort—an influence that made towns, moved towns and sometimes destroyed towns. The

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Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, as they were approaching Iowa at the city of Burlington, sent forward in 1853 surveying parties to ascertain the topographical features of the country, with a view of extending their line westward to the Missouri River. That line, as finally selected, crossed the Nishnabotna River at the present site of Red Oak, and, consequently, Frankfort was left out in the cold, its location on an elevated piece of land with deep adjacent valleys, being the decisive point against it.

    The town was indebted for its name to the little creek which passes through it and which was called Red Oak Creek—so called by the early settlers on account of the numerous oaks growing on its banks, which, in the late autumn, blazed with bright foliage.

    According to an early historian, the land on which Red Oak was afterwards built was first located by W. C. Matthews, afterwards for many years a resident of Page County. In 1851, Mr. Matthews was a member of a hunting party which came over from Silver Creek in Mills County and made their headquarters for about ten days in Red Oak Township at a point that has been popular ever since as a camping place and has been known for years as the North Mill, located several miles north of Red Oak. During the encampment they killed seventeen deer, five wild hogs, a number of coons, two wildcats, one catamount and a good supply of wild turkeys. During the hunt they found the carcasses of two large bucks with their enormous antlers inseparably interlocked, the supposition being that the bucks had been fighting and got their horns locked so that they could not get them apart and either died or were attacked by wolves while in that condition. These antlers afterwards found their way into a museum at Des Moines and are there preserved as historic relics of the early days of Iowa. This hunting party is said to have included Amox Cox, Wm. Redfield, Isaac Hough, W. C. Mathews, Sylvester Whitney,

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Edwin Whitney, Dexter Stillman and an Englishman whose name the historian fails to record. It was during this expedition that Mr. Matthews staked out and made claim to the land where Red Oak now stands. However, as he never perfected his claim, he lost the opportunity of becoming known to fame as the founder of Red Oak.

    According to the same historian, a man by the name of Pleasant Jones squatted on a portion of the land now included within the limits of the City of Red Oak, before the government survey was completed, and held his claim. The first entry, however, was made by James Shank March 11, 1854, he having selected the north half of the southwest quarter of Section 28, Red Oak Township. A year later, Mr. Jones, entered the south half of the northwest quarter of the same section, the two entries comprising the original plat of Red Oak Junction. The official plat of the original town site of Red Oak Junction was certified by Gen. David Remick and wife, July 22, 1857, before W. S. Groff, a Notary Public; and, on the 28th of July, 1857, by James Shank, Wm. A. Shank, Mary A. Shank and Henry C. Shank, the latter being certified to before Z. M. P. Shank, Justice of the Peace. These two plats constituted the limits of the town site until 1869, when Shank's Addition was recorded. From then until the present time a considerable number of additions have been recorded.

    The first postoffice to serve the citizens of Red Oak was located two miles north of the present city at what is now called the North Mill and was then named Oro. This postoffice was established in 1855 and J. J. Zuber was the postmaster. There was only one east and west road through the county and it followed no definite track but wound over the prairie wherever a route could be found that would admit of being traveled to the best advantage. This road crossed the Nishnabotna at what was then Silkett's Mill. The postoffice was served by

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Samuel Riggs, a mail contractor, who rode through the county on horseback once a week. A few months later the mail was changed from horseback to a hack so as to carry light parcels and passengers. Early in 1857 a ferry was established at the saw-mill and in July of the same year, a grist mill was added to the business. During the winter of 1857-8, a bridge was built across the river, being the first one in the county. The next July, the bridge was washed out and a few months later, Gen. Remick of Burlington, who had some landed interests in this region, bought the old ferry-boat and sent out a rope for it, whereupon the settlers moved the craft down to Red Oak, stretched their big rope across the river from tree to tree and established the crossing at this point. After this the main travel passed through Red Oak. On July 1, 1858, the Western Stage Co., started a daily hack line between Chariton and Plattsmouth by way of Red Oak and carried the mail. But the hack did not pay and they subsequently obtained the privilege of serving this mail route by buckboard conveyance at such times as there was not other business enough to use the two-horse hack profitably. This company's option system continued for about three years, with the option generally in favor of the buckboard.

    The post office was moved from Oro to Red Oak in March 1858 and the name was changed to Red Oak Junction. The word "Junction" was added, not because there was a junction here, but because, Col. Hebard afterwards said, "Stupidity itself at that early day could not fail to see that a cross line would some time be built to accommodate the wealth that lay buried in the soil of this wonderful valley." and Red Oak was on the main line of the Burlington survey. After the postoffice was moved to Red Oak, Mr. Zuber continued to be the postmaster, and is said to have built the first house on the new town site.

View of Red Oak Public Square in 1872
(click on image for larger size)

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    Up to 1858 the most important building on the site of the present city of Red Oak was a small frame building used as a hotel. There were two or three other shacks, but they were little more than huts. Mr. L. N. Harding, who came here first in the year 1855, moved here in 1857 and pre-empted a cabin that someone had built near a spring in the east part of town and becoming discouraged, moved back to Missouri. Adding a room 8x16 feet, he lived there during 1857 and until he finished his own dwelling in 1858. Even in these small quarters he frequently accommodated travelers, in one instance sheltering a party of surveyors who had just room enough by lying side by side on the floor of the addition.

    The year 1858 saw a building boom in Red Oak. Mr. Harding erected a commodious dwelling and Mr. Chas. H. Lane, Red Oak's first merchant, erected a store building on the site of the present First National Bank building at the southwest corner of the square. Each did most of the work himself and when either required help he called on the other and thus the first business house and the first real dwelling house were erected. The lumber used was principally oak and walnut and it was sawed at a small mill owned by H. C. Shank and located on Red Oak Creek within the present limits of the city. There was also a steam saw mill located down by the river and owned by the Town Site Company where the heaviest timbers were sawed. Part of the siding used in Mr. Harding's house was made from a tree which had been felled by Indians with tomahawks. In 1860, Mr. Harding's house was made the stage company's station and was so continued until the railroad was put through. When Mr. Lane opened for business he was made postmaster and continued to hold office until 1862 when he temporarily suspended business. Then Mr. Harding assumed the duties of postmaster and held the office for a number of years. He recalls that the receipts for his office for one quarter in 1862 amounted to from $8.00

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to $10.00. The old house, which was located only a block east of the public square, remained Mr. Harding's residence for nearly forty years and was in a good state of preservation when it was torn down.

    In the spring of 1860, a bridge was built across the Nishnabotna River at Red Oak, but this bridge was washed out in the ice-flow during the spring of 1864. To accommodate the greatly increased travel, J. P. Gepford started a ferry which served the increased business until the bridge was re-built the following fall. The necessary supplies for the settlers were secured principally from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and St. Joseph, Mo., the goods being hauled overland by freighting wagons drawn by horses or oxen. Later, when the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad was completed to Ottumwa, and the Des Moines Valley Railroad was completed from Keokuk to Eddyville, the freighting business for Montgomery County went largely in that direction.

    From 1855 to 1868, Red Oak made very little progress. Justus Clark, one of the early citizens of the town, stated that in 1868 he stood on the top of the hill in the east part of town from which place he could see every house in town. He counted them and they numbered fifty, including buildings of all kinds. The breaking out of the war and the consequent cessation of railroad building, brought everything to a standstill that was dependent on the railroads for prosperity. The pioneer merchant, C. H. Lane, gave up in 1862, and went back east. However, he returned the next spring and resumed business, but during his absence, there wasn't a merchant in the county. It is also said that for some time there was neither a doctor nor a lawyer in the county. It is not recorded that the absence of the representatives of the latter two professions incommoded the settlers to any great extent. As for groceries and the other few necessities required by the citizens, they were secured at Council Bluffs, Glenwood or Sidney.

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    The first deaths recorded in Red Oak were those of Mrs. Amanda Shank and five grand-children, all of whom died in 1854 and were buried in the family burying ground southeast of Red Oak. The first girl born in Red Oak is said to have been Myrtle, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Zuber.

    With the approach of the railroad in 1869, Red Oak took on new activities. The first freight train arrived in the town Nov. 24, 1869. The increased population made it necessary for the inhabitants to organize a town. Heretofore the only government was the regular township government. In July of 1869, Red Oak Junction was incorporated as a town, with R. S. Hanley, Mayor; R. H. Haller, Treasurer; J. W. Small, Recorder; J. L. Ashby, Marshal; JOhn Shafer, Deputy Marshal; W. F. Carlton, Assessor; W. P. Wiley, J. D. Bryan, J. L. Harding, J. R. Stratton and W. H. Kerrihard, Trustees. Mr. Harding resigned before the expiration of his term of office and E. L. Grubb was elected to fill the vacancy.

    It appears that a City Attorney was needed more in those days than at present, for we find in 1870, when S. S. Purcell was elected Mayor, R. S. Hanley, the late Mayor, was elected Attorney. Mr. Purcell filled the office for two years, and we find that among the trustees for the year 1871 was A. C. Hinchman, then, as now, a druggist in the city of Red Oak. In March 1872, Z. T. Fisher was elected Mayor and F. M. Byrkit—later one of the pioneer bankers, and for many years a leading citizen of Red Oak—was elected Recorder. The trustees of that year included the names of men who were prominent in years to come in the affairs of Red Oak. They were, A. Hebard, B. B. Clark, A. McConnell, S. A. Henry and Lyman Banks. C. M. Mills served as Mayor for the years 1873 and 1874. At the same time, A. C. Hinchman was elected Treasurer, an office which he held for six years. Smith McPherson, at the present time a judge of the Federal Court, was elected City Attorney in 1873. By the year 1875, Red

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Oak had grown until it took on metropolitan airs, and decided that it was large enough to become a city. In the spring of that year, W. W. Merritt was elected Mayor, and during his teerm, final action necessary to incorporate the city of the second class was taken. The Mayor was assigned the duty of numbering the wards, and he left the impress of his personality on the numbering by putting himself in the First Ward. Red Oak became a city on the 20th day of March 1876, and, while almost universally designated as "Red Oak," the name "Red Oak Junction" continued to be its official name until June 13, 1901, when the then Mayor, Thos. Griffith pursuant to an election previously held, proclaimed the name of the city changed to "Red Oak."

    The first officials of the new city were: Orrin Miller, Mayor; A. C. Hinchman, Treasurer; T. H. Lee, Clerk; O. G. Howard, Attorney; H. A. Thompson, Marshal; S. T. Gauf, Deputy Marshal; H. A. Thompson, Street Commissioner; G. M. West, Chief Fire Department; B. J. Austin, Assessor. The Councilmen were: First Ward, A. C. Clapp, T. S. Parker; Second Ward, W. C. Lockhart, O. W. Hutchinson; Third Ward, L. N. Harding, T. E. Brown. T. S. Parker resigned before his term expired and H. Andrus was elected to fill the vacancy.

    The following persons have served as Mayor from 1878 until 1906: J. R. Stratton, 1878-1881; E. A. Harris, 1881-1885; J. L. Ashby, 1885-1886; J. H. Hysham, 1886-11889; A. W. Harding, 1889-1891; Thos. Griffith, 1891-1893; Dan B. Gunn, 1893-1898; I. Sanborn, Jr., 1898-1901; Thos. Griffith, 1901-1903; W. S. Reiley, 1903 to the present time.

    A. W. Harding was Treasurer form 1884 to 1889; R. M. Roberts succeeded him and held the office four years, since which time C. A. Hough has been Treasurer. The following persons have held the office of City Attorney: N. C. Cannon, J. M. Junkin, R. W. Beeson, J. C. Cooper, F. E. Pomeroy and Smith McPherson. The latter was City Solicitor in 1893

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and 1894. Since that time, no local attorney could be found to accept the office and it has been vacant. The following persons have held the office of City Clerk: T. H. Lee, B. J. Austin, F. E. Loomis, W. H. Evans, O. P. Worsley, H. C. French, G. Blackstone, R. O. Newell, O. E. Jackson, H. F. Brown, M. E. Moulton and C. M. Kelly.

    In the early days of the city and town, the office of City Marshal was of more importance than it has been in later years. Part of the time, the office of City Marshal and Street Commissioner were combined. The following persons have held the office of Marshal: J. L. Ashby, John Shafer, W. F. Davis, H. A. Thompson, T. H. Dearborn, P. S. Douglas, C. L. Burnett, J. S. Cook, George R. Logan, A. W. Watson, A. H. Lawshe, Norman Rogers, H. F. Locke, D. D. Jeffers. J. S. Cook has held the office longer than any other one man, though his service has not been consecutive. For several years past, the office has been held jointly by Cook and Logan. For a number of years the office was vacant, the services being rendered by an officer called a Deputy Marshal. J. S. Cook also served some time as Street Commissioner. The persons who served in this capacity were Elwood Cleaver, W. H. Kerrihard, I. W. Graves, P. S. Douglas, A. W. Harding, J. A. Shuey, John Shafer, George R. Logan, A. W. Watson, C. A. Dentler, A. Foster, J. C. Hendricks, George Hayes, S. S. Davis, O. E. Jackson, J. E. Ellwood, Jas. Seaman and J. B. Graves.

SOME IMPORTANT FIRES

    Red Oak has had her share of disastrous fires. The original town was built principally of wood, and in the early days, the only means of fighting a fire was the bucket brigade. If a blaze got a good start, it was reasonably sure to result in the total destruction of whatever caught fire. The first disastrous fire occurred Dec. 23, 1875, when practically the entire east

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side of the square was burned, the only business house left standing being that of Dr. M. A. Wheelock's drug store at the northeast corner of the square where the Miller Block now stands. The fire is thought to have been of incendiary origin for the reason that it started in a vacant building which had been used that season by D. J. Ockerson as an agricultural wareroom. The fire was discovered at 1:30 in the morning and it quickly spread to the adjoining buildings on the north and south. The building adjoining on the south was occupied by D. P. Lewis as a hardware store and by Mrs. Lewis with a millinery store. The corner building, next to Coolbaugh Street, was owned by J. F. Fisher and was occupied by Fisher & Son with a stock of groceries and meats, the son being M. E. Fisher, who had just started in business with his father. Across the alley, the first building was occupied by Whittier & Dearborn with a saddlery and harness store. This was on the site of the present Whittier building, occupied by D. Artz' drug store. Then came McLean's notion store, a restaurant that was conducted by J. Payne, popularly known as "Sir Isaac" Payne, and the last building to be destroyed was that of Thos. Gohagan, a harness shop. This building was torn down to prevent the spread of the fire, saving Dr. Wheelock's drug store, thought it was somewhat scorched.

    Immediately after the fire, J. F. Fisher began the erection of a substantial brick building on the corner, and it was completed early the next spring and occupied as a grocery store and a retail meat store—not a butcher shop. Mr. Fisher at that time conducted a pork packing establishment, packing from two to three thousand hogs yearly. He disposed of a portion of his product from his store, and his son, M. E. Fisher, conducted the grocery department. Later on, he erected the building occupied by Bishop & Bridges at this time, and in partnership with J. B. Bishop opened a regular butcher shop, which was conducted by Mr. Bishop. Some time afterwards,

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John Bryson, Sr., built the brick building which is now part of the Rynearson building, and the postoffice found its home there for many years. Mr. Whittier also erected a brick building not long after the fire, and gradually the entire east side was built up with substantial brick buildings.

    It was after this great fire that steps were taken to organize a fire department, reference to which is made elsewhere. On Sept. 18, 1876, less than a year after this fire, occurred the next important conflagration. It was also of incendiary origin and resulted in cleaning out a number of frame buildings—none of any great value—located on both sides of Coolbaugh St. between Second and Third, one block west of the square. The fire started in the Tremont Hotel, which was unoccupied at the time. A small building used as a saloon, next door, a two-story frame building occupied by W. D. Kennedy, and a boot and shoe store, all located on the south side of the street, were destroyed, and the fire leaped across the street and burned the grocery store occupied by F. O. Judkins. The fire spread to the Newton Bros. building, a building owned by W. H. Painter, and Dan Reifel's building in which he conducted a tailor shop. Altogether there were thirteen buildings burned, all frame, but with the exception of the hotel, none were of any great value, the total loss being estimated at $20,000.00. ONe of the results of the fire was the erection of a number of brick buildings on that block.

    The next important fire was the burning of the Houghton & Bishop opera house, which was located at the north-east corner of the square. The building was 45x112 feet, three stories high. The lower floor was occupied as a furniture store owned by H. C. Houghton, an the upper parts as an opera house. One night in September, 1882, after a performance had been held during the evening, fire was discovered in the building and it was entirely destroyed before the blaze could be extinguished. The loss was placed at about $25,000.00.

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Mr. Houghton had sold out his interest in the building not long before the fire. Apparently no damage was done to the adjoining building and the fire wall between that building and the next one owned by R. H. Haller was left standing. Later on it fell in, covering the proprietor as well as customers with the debris. Luckily no one was seriously injured by the accident. Mr. Bishop is at present located at Ft. Worth, Texas.

    But all other fires pale into insignificance beside the great conflagration which visited Red Oak April 24th, 1902, when the entire south side of the square was destroyed, in addition to a splendid bank building on the block east. The actual cause of the fire will probably never be known. It was discovered at 3:15 o'clock Thursday morning, April 24th. The alarm was turned in promptly and although there was very light pressure of water, it was thought the flames, which had broken out in the basement in the rear of the Houghton Bank block at the south-east corner of the square, were under control. Suddenly, however, they burst out with greater violence and leaping across the street, ignited a livery barn. While most of the buildings on the south side of the square were substantial brick blocks, the fire spread to the rear of the buildings destroying all the frame structures, and in an incredibly short time the entire block was ablaze. The whole town turned out to assist in saving the stocks of merchandise, but only a small portion was saved. By 8:00 o'clock the fire had spent itself, being confined to the south side of the square, and was prevented from eating its way east through the splendid block of buildings on Coolbaugh between Fourth and Fifth streets. About 9:00 o'clock it was discovered that a valve in one of the principal mains was partially closed which accounted for the lack of water pressure. Undoubtedly this was the cause of a large part of the loss, as the fire could have been extinguished almost at the start but for the poor pressure.

Early Red Oak-(About 1865)-Looking east on Reed Street. Dr. HOlmes' and J. B. Packard's houses in the distance.

Early Red Oak - Looking east on Coolbaugh street. Col. Hebard on horseback. Harding Hotel in center-the Masonic Hall to the left.

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    The loss was estimated at over $200,000.00. The following were some of the principal losers:

    Building: Houghton Bank block; I. H. Nazarenus' store building; Griffith Brothers' livery barn; J. A. Hysham's brick block; J. A. Hysham's frame building; H. W. Otis' brick building; J. W. Rankin's brick building; Malony & Son's brick block; Mrs. H. C. Shank's brick building; Hastie Estate, brick buildings; S. Kahn's brick building; W. C. Locart's frame barn; J. L. Mohler, frame building.

    Stocks of goods which were either burned or partially destroyed: Elligen & Barth, department store; Carmichael & Waldron, grocery; A. M. Rapp, Shoes; Cozad & Hunter, Clothing; Sundell & Newman, shoes; Sayers & Shepard, furnishing goods; W. F. Coonley, restaurant; M. H. Bauer, TAilor; G. M. Platt, drugs; Sol. Loeb, clothing; W. W. Armstrong, agricultural implements; Shancks & Carson, groceries. In addition there were barber-shops, restaurants, cigar stores, lawyers' offices, doctor's offices, dentists' offices, etc., which were damaged or destroyed, occasioning considerable loss.

    For the credit of Red Oak's business men be it said that within a year or two the entire burnt district was rebuilt with better buildings than those that were destroyed.