CHAPTER XXXI __________ OTHER TOWNS OF THE COUNTY ________ VILLISCA The city of Villisca is located between the branches of the Nodaway river, two miles north from their confluence. In the old days when the county was young, this neighborhood was called "The Forks." The name Villisca is said to be of Indian origin, signifying "Pretty Place." The original plat of the city of Villisca was filed for record on May 20th, 1858, by David M. Smith, who represented the interests of the Burlington Railroad. At that time J. B. Packard was County Recorder, and the plat was certified before Wm. Berkey, Clerk of the District court of Lucas County. The plat was surveyed by Frank M. Davis, who certified to his survey before County Judge, J. R. Horton, on Feb[r]uary 16th, 1858. The basis of the town plat was the original Burlington Survey. When a final survey was made there was a slight change made in the course of the railroad, and as consequence, a supplemental plat was filed by the owners of unsold lots, composed principally of parties representing the Burlington interests among them being Geo. Loomis, E. D. Rand, Hans Thielson, and S. H. Mallory. This supplemental plat was filed November 8, 1869, the County Recorder at that time being W. P. Wiley. While the town site was located in 1858, Villisca remained principally a paper town until the Burlington railroad was completed in 1869. A town government was organized in 1868 with Morgan S. Thurman as Mayor. The following Page 311 is a complete list of mayors from the incorporation of the town until the present time: M. S. Thurman, 1869 to 1872; John Buckingham, 1872 to 1873; C. P. Ingman, 1873 to 1874; B. Burrows, 1874 to 1875; P. R. Bates, 1875 to 1876; C. M. Waterman, 1876 to 1877; P. R. Bates, 1877 to 1882; F. P. Greenlee, 1882 to 1883; P. R. Bates, 1883 to 1884; A. M. Watlers, 1884 to 1885; P. R. Bates, 1885 to 1888; J. S. Jackson, 1888 to 1889; Peter R. Bates, 1889 to 1890; E. C. Gibbs, 1890 to 1892; C. J. West, March 1892 to July 1892; M. M. Stoddard, September and October, 1892; C. E. Gibbs, October, 1892 to March, 1894; F. P. Greenlee, 1894 to 1898; J. M. Howland, 1898 to 1900; E. C. Gibbs, 1900 to 1906; J. S. Jackson, 1906. Villisca was incorporated as a city of the second class in March 1892. The first public school was taught in Villisca when it was scarcely more than a name. This school and much of the early history of Villisca is described in the chapters on "Early Life in the Forks." which was written by one of the early settlers of Villisca. The first schoolhouse was erected in 1868, private buildings having been used for school purposes up to that time. In 1874, the schools were organized under the grade system with C. G. George as superintendent. That year the first brick school house was built. It stood until 1902, when the present fine Lincoln school building was erected. The first newspaper enterprise of any permanency was started by W. T. Sherman in the spring of 1869, his paper being called the Villisca Journal. It was Republican in politics and survived about eighteen months. The next newspaper venture was the Weekly Mercury, started by a company, July 14, 1871, with Thos. F. Kames as editor and manager. Wm. D. Loy bought the paper from the company, August 25, 1871. On March 7, 1871, the name was changed to the Villisca Review, and it was continued independent in politics. Page 312 From April, 1874, till September, 1875, H. G. Thurman was the editor, and he made it a Republican paper, to which party it has given allegiance ever since. Thurman sold out to C. K. Kennedy in September, 1875. In November of 1877, A. E. Powers bought a half interest and for a number of years the paper was conducted by the firm of Powers & Kennedy. A few years later Mr. Powers retired, and until about 1900 the Review was edited an published by Mr. Kennedy, with the exception of a short time when Ed E. Davis controlled the paper. B. C. Hullinger, a young man from MIchigan, bought the review from Mr. Kennedy and has been editor and publisher ever since. He added materially to the equipment, and the Review ranks as one of the first class country papers in southwestern Iowa. Mr. Kennedy is now publisher of a paper at Atlantic, Cass county. The Villisca, Montgomery County, Independent was founded by H. K. Gregory in 1879. It was an eight page, six column paper, Republican in politics. The Independent never took high rank as a country newspaper, and was succeeded in 1888 by J. V. Hoeye, who rechristened it the Republican. The new name did not serve to make it successful, and Mr. Hoeye left after three months, selling the plant and good will to the Gardner Bros. who changed the name to the Villisca Letter, and its politics to Democratic. They also bought a new outfit, practically making a new paper of it. A few years later one of the Gardner Brothers sold his interest, and for a number of years it was conducted by E. O. Gardner who sold to the Wallace Brothers in 1900, who are very successfully conducting the paper at present. The first bank was started in 1871 by W. S. Alger & Co., private bankers. This bank was succeeded eventually by the First National Bank of Villisca which occupies a substantial brick building owned by the bank. It has deposits amounting to about a quarter of a million dollars. Mr. Alger is president
Page 313 of the bank, and B. F. Fast is cashier. In 1876, A. W. Sweet organized a private bank, and this was recently succeeded by the Villisca National bank of which Amos P. West is president, and F. F. Jones, cashier. It is also in a prosperous condition and occupies its own building. Villisca's first fire company was organized November 18, 1876, by C. N. Stoddard and others. The first officers were John W. Allen, chief of fire department; J. W. Lucas, foreman; J. B. Cowgill, First Assistant foreman; C. K. Kennedy, Second Asst. Foreman; D. B. Prescott, Secy.; W. S. Alger, Treasurer. The department at the present time is well equip[p]ed for fighting fire and is backed up by an excellent waterworks system. Among the successful industries established in Villisca are a flour mill, a brick and tile factory, a cooper shop, a cultivator factory and cement bridge works. The electric plant furnishes power for several of the factories. A great deal of grain is marketed at Villisca. Villisca has been the home of a militia company for the last thirty years. A cursory account of the career of the company during the Spanish American war will be found in another chapter. Company B is the name of the Villisca military organization. It was founded April 24, 1876, through the efforts of Captain W. W. Ellis and F. P. Greenlee, the company clerk. The first enrollment contained twenty-three names, and they were mustered into service by Captain Ellis in May, 1876. The officers at that time were, W. W. Ellis, Captain, J. W. Lucas, First Lieutenant; Elihu Davis, Second Lieutenant. Lucas and Davis subsequently resigned, and P. Wymore was elected First Lieutenant, and F. P. Greenlee, Second Lieutenant. In May, 1878, Captain Ellis was elected Colonel of the 5th regiment of which Company B was a part, and Lieutenant Wymore was elected captain to fill the vacancy, F. P. Greenlee being elected First Lieutenant and Eli Nirdlinger, Second Page 314 Lieutenant. Both lieutenants resigning soon afterwards, Elmer E. Vaughn was elected First Lieutenant, and Wm. Busch, Second Lieutenant. In 1880, the company built an armory 20 by 50 feet on Third Avenue at the cost of $300.00. This armory has been used for regular weekly meetings and drills. After the return of Company B from the Philippines the company was re-organized and is now in a prosperous condition. The following appreciation of Villisca is furnished the author by a prominent citizen of Villisca: Villisca has a population of some 2500 people. Coming from various eastern states, but largely from Ohio, they brought with them the culture and habits of the older, more refined and discriminating east, and at once began the work of building a town with handsome landscape effects as well as business conveniences, so that Villisca of today may be said to possess most of the sanitary, and some of the more aristocratic and exclusive embellishments of cities of a much larger growth. Being located on an undulating ridge between the two rivers, it slopes gently to the south, furnishing fine drainage facilities, while its picturesque views are delightful. There are four fine churches occupied by Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist and Christian denominations, besides a Free Methodist, a Catholic and a Christian Science church. These congregations number some thirteen hundred members with a sunday school attendance of between ten hundred and eleven hundred. Villisca may well be called the "Village of Churches." Her schools are well organized and are conducted under the advanced methods of the Iowa School laws. The High School prepares its graduates for entrance to college. Her public buildings, stores and the better class of dwellings are large, imposing, built in a pleasing style of architecture with all modern sanitary conveniences, ranking well up to similar buildings in cities. Villisca has a good practical system of electric lights which Page 315 accommodate the streets, pubic buildings and dwellings. It has also one of the best system of waterworks to be found any where, the supply coming from a soft water spring and well. The water is abundant, pure and tasteless. As yet the paving of streets exists only in theory; but it would be difficult to find a city of any size with better sidewalks. Built of concrete cement and brick, they lie in front of every occupied lot in the town. The streets in the residence portion are arranged on the French boulevard system, with wide parking spaces on either side and a forty-five foot roadway in the middle, giving an aspect of beauty, refinement and wealth seldom seen outside of large cities. Nearly all the fraternities are represented and are successful. Strangers, if worthy, are made welcome and are entertained in hospitable homes. No saloon has been allowed here for twenty years, and temperance laws are generally well enforced. Such, in brief, is Villisca. Her growth has been slow but constant. No fictitious boom was ever sought or desired. Her present attainments are a pleasure to contemplate, and for her future there are only pleasing anticipations.
ELLIOTT The town of Elliott is situated in section 12 of Sherman township on the east bank of the Nishnabotna river, and on the line of the Red Oak and Atlantic branch of the C. B. & Q. Railroad. The town was surveyed by Anselmo B. Smith, and the original plat of the town was filed October 31st, 1879, by C. E. Perkins, representing the C. B. & Q. Railroad company. Prior to the location of the town of Elliott there had been a post office called Wilson on the I. H. Page farm in Pilot Grove township. Mr. Page had a small general stock of merchandise and was the postmaster. When Elliott was located he moved his stock of goods to that place, and also the post office, the name being changed to Elliott, and Mr. Page continued as postmaster. Joseph Clure built the first business house in the Page 316 town and opened a drug store in January, 1880. In July of the same year he was appointed postmaster instead of Mr. Page. In the early days Elliott was a particularly good grain and cattle market, and a large quantity of those products still find their way to that place. Elliott is a substantial village of from 500 to 1000 inhabitants with a good system of public schools, water works, and fire department. The town of Elliott was scarcely six months old when a newspaper was established. It was called the Elliott Enterprise. At first it was printed elsewhere and shipped to Elliott for distribution. The paper under that name did not last long, being succeeded in 1881 by the Graphic, a Mr. Howard of Tabor being the promoter. The Graphic was not a particularly remunerative proposition, especially in the early days, and it changed ownership frequently. W. W. Montgomery, afterwards County Superintendent, and later one of the publishers of the Red Oak Republican, was proprietor of the paper for a time. E. E. Kneedy, a Christian preacher, combined the professions of the ministry and journalism for several years. For the last few years the Graphic has prospered and ranks among the good country newspapers of the community. The present editor is E. C. McCarthy, who has greatly improved both plant and paper. The Bank of Elliott was established in 1884 with H. E. Manker, Cashier, and J. J. Manker, President. The same institution has been conducted ever since with Mr. H. E. Manker as the presiding genius. A few years ago it was changed to a national bank, and is now called the First National Bank of Elliott. It has had a prosperous career, and is rated as a conservative financial institution. THE FOREIGN ELEMENT—STANTON—WALES. The population of Montgomery County is made up principally of immigrants from older states in the east and from other sections of Iowa. The two principal exceptions to this Page 317 rule are the Swedes and Welsh, though of course there are a few Germans, English and other nationalities scattered throughout the county. Both the Swedes and the Welsh are an intelligent class of citizens, industrious, and they are practically all in well-to-do circumstances, while some of them are quite wealthy. When the railroad was being built in 1869, the officials of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company offered to Rev. B. M. Halland of Burlington, Iowa, his choice of location at any point along the line of their road for settlement of his countrymen as there was to be a vast amount of land opened up as soon as the road was completed. In April of that year Mr. Halland made a trip from Burlington to Council Bluffs in company with one of the officials,a nd he decided on Frankfort, Scott and Grant Townships in Montgomery County and Douglas and Fremont Townships in Page County as being suitable for his people. During the fall of the same year several excursions were made to these lands, but no sales were made until the spring of 1870. As the sole agency for the lands in these townships was placed with Mr. Halland, they were sold to Swedish buyers, and as a consequence, a large majority of the citizens, especially of Scott Township, are of his nationality. Scott Township was organized in 1870, the original name being Stanton. This, however, was afterward changed to Scott, and the name of the town was made Stanton. The original plat of the town of Stanton was filed October 24, 1870, by Geo. F. Harris, land commissioner of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad. The first lot in the town was purchased by Malcom Holm, and by the Swedes the town was called Holmstad,being the name of Rev. Halland's native town in Sweden. The name was not popular with the railroad men, however, and it was therefore called Stanton. The first child born in Stanton was a son of Malcom Holm, and in honor of the town he was named Stanton. The first store was built and operated by Peterson Page 318 & Hogwall on the site of Wallin Bros. brick store. The building was about 14x16 feet in size, and the stock was very limited. The postoffice found a home in this building, and the mail boxes consisted of two or three cigar boxes on one of the shelves. A school house was built the same year and was used until 1883 when the present fine brick building took its place. The Stanton Call was established in 1882 by Kennedy & Thruman, but they sold shortly after to F. S. Lynch, who got along after a fashion until March 1886 when the delinquent subscribers and the thousand and one other worries proved too much for him and he was sent to the asylum at Clarinda. His successor was W. R. Roberts who was himself succeeded by J. E. Defenbaugh, who remained in charge until 1893, when he sold to Wm. F. Stipe, a young man who had been farmer and school teacher in turn. Stipe improved his leisure time outside his duties by studying law, and afterwards disposed of his business and took up the profession of law and is now practicing in Clarinda. He was succeeded by James Johnston who conducted the paper for a number of years and sold the paper to A. C. Gustafson, who is the proprietor at the present time, though lately appointed private secretary to Hon. H. E. Deemer, of the state supreme bench. The Call has developed under its present management into a first class country paper, all home print. Mr. A. J. Albin is at present associated with Mr. Gustafson and has charge of the local work of the paper. Stanton was incorporated as a town in 1882, and E. E. Mercer was the first mayor. In 1888 the town met its first serious fire loss, the entire block on the east side being destroyed. The loss was a heavy one as there was but little insurance. The burned buildings were quickly replaced by substantial brick blocks. At the present time Stanton is a prosperous village. While Stanton and Scott Township is settled almost exclusively by Swedish people, they have not confined their efforts to any one township, consequently we find Swedish citizens, Page 319 or the descendants of Swedes, in every township in the county, and wherever they are found they are among the most prosperous people of the community. There are no paupers among the Swedes, and they take care of the fatherless. When the colonization scheme was carried out, the question of establishing an Orphan's Home in Iowa was brought up. Rev. Halland, with this idea in mind, had reserved a piece of land a mile and a half south of Stanton, and it was finally decided to establish the Orphans' Home on this land. A building was erected in 1881, and this has been added to from time to time as necessity required. Two hundred and forty acres of land is owned by the Association in connection with the buildings. During the twenty-five years of the existence of the Home, 103 children, sixty-one boys and forty-two girls have been taken care of. There are at present forty-five children in the Home. J. T. Ringberg was chosen for the first manager, serving about two years. C. G. Lind was one of the managers, serving a number of years. The funds to carry on this charitable work have been contributed by the congregations of the conference within the state, and the produce of the farm helps pay the expenses. WELSH COLONY The first Welshmen to come to Montgomery County, according to early historian, were Benjamin Thomas and David and William Harris, who came here in the spring of 1855 and purchased two sections of land from the government at $1.25 per acre. However, it was not till fifteen years later that there was any concerted movement of the Welsh toward Montgomery County. In 1870, John M. Davis, Richard P. Jones, and John E. Wood settled in Lincoln township. They were followed the next year by Henry Thomas, John G. Jones, Wm. T. Edwards, Griff H. Jones, Griff Thomas and several others. A village grew up in this settlement called Wales. Two churches were built in 1876, the Congregational and Presby- Page 320 terian. The Welsh are a patriotic, law abiding people, and quickly imbibe the spirit of our institutions. Like the Swedes, the Welsh have become scattered in other places besides their original settlement in Lincoln Township, and wherever they live are rated among the prosperous, substantial citizens of the county. THE TOWN OF MILFORD. The early history of the town of Milford, in Douglas Township, is coincident with the early history of Montgomery County, for it was in this part of the county that many of the earliest settlements were made. A mill was built there in 1856 by Smith & Bell, the Smith being S. M. Smith who is still living at this writing, and has resided continuously at Milford ever since. This mill was built for the purpose of sawing lumber. The next year a set of burrs was put in to enable them to grind flour as well. The lumber for the flume was purchased in Adair county and Mr. Smith had to haul corn form Missouri the first winter to feed his family and stock, paying $1.00 per bushel for it. In 1873-4 a new mill was built at a cost of $15,000. The first house in Milford was built by Thos. Donaho in 1857, a year before the town was laid out. The town plat of Milford was laid out on June 29, 1858, by Thos. Donaho, who afterwards sold the site to Sam'l M. Smith. In 1876 the MIlford schoolhouse was built at a cost of $4,500. While the town is named Milford, the postoffice is named Grant. After the establishment of the town of Elliott, mail was delivered from that town daily and when rural deliver came, the mail was carried by the rural carrier. A Masonic lodge was organized in 1876, and a prosperous G. A. R. Post is also maintained as well as other civic societies. Milford has a bank and the usual complement of other business houses. 
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