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1876

January 4th, John B. Stickles died; it was supposed that he was poisoned. The famous murder trials resulting from his death are recorded in previous chapters.
January 9th, Charles Meyers, supervisor from second district, died.
January 31st, J. Ellen Foster lectured at the courthouse on temperance. March 3d, first accident on the Decorah branch of the railroad. Train was ditched three miles from the city. Eleven persons were hurt but none was killed. March 14th, the new Episcopal church at Decorah was dedicated.
April 7th, Peter Duffin, an old settler, died.
June 18th, Luther church, Decorah, was dedicated.
July 4th, centennial celebration at Decorah with oration by H. B. Woodworth and meeting of the old settlers in the afternoon.
October 10, 1876, Geo. W. Haislet, who had been engaged in various newspaper enterprises in Decorah, Cresco, Lansing, McGregor and lately for about a year at Dubuque, came back to Decorah and established the Decorah Radical, which he published till the time of his death in the spring of 1881 as recorded under that date.
July 9th, in Frankville township Simeon Oleson shot and killed Anderson Theonson, who came to a party uninvited. After two trials Oleson was acquitted.
September 6th, Capt. T. W. Burdick was nominated for Congress, being the first Representative from Winneshiek county, and was elected.
September 19th, 20th and 21st, fair at Hesper.
At the November election a $12,000 tax, divided between two years, was voted to build a new jail.
December 21, J876, near Locust Lane, while several teams were on the way home from Decorah, a quarrel arose and Helge Nelson struck Ed. Torfin a fatal blow on the head with a club. Nelson escaped with six months in the penitentiary.

1877

February 1st, a new hotel, the Arlington House, was opened at Decorah. May 30th, first observance of Decoration Day in Decorah. oR. S. Henderson, orator, and C. Wellington, reader.
June 8th, death of Joseph Grinsell, station agent at Decorah, his body being found in an unoccupied house at Prairie du Chien.
June 14th, in the district court Helge Nelson was convicted of manslaughter in killing Edwin Torfin, December 21, 1876.
July 4th, celebrated by old settlers, reunion at Weiser's grove.
July, James Relf, a pioneer, died.
July 4, Howard's livery stable, Decorah, burned and other property greatly endangered.
This same month it was concluded to have an artesian well in Decorah.
July 31st, Recorder Charles A. Steen, who was wounded at Gettysburg, died in Decorah, aged 40 years, ll months and l day. Cyrus McKay was appointed to fill the vacancy until the next election.
October, fair held at Hesper.

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October 18th, a fire at Calmar burned four business houses, including McMullen's drug store, a shoe store, restaurant and saloon.
November 3d, Charles Hartsing, of Castalia, one of the first settlers of Winneshiek county, died, aged sixty-five years.
November 29th, Adams' Block, Decorah, burned, burning out Ben Bears' clothing store, Coleman & Toye's drug store, J. C. Meuser's jewelry store, Newton's grocery and some other tenants.
Decorah had a lecture course the following winter with General Kilpatrick, Henry Watterson, Mrs. Livermore
and Will Carleton.

1878

January 28th, work on the artesian well, Decorah, stopped, it having reached a depth of 1,200 feet, and the water being thirty feet from the top.
April 4th, the board of supervisors having this spring provided for the construction of a new jail contracted for Pauley's steel cells.
April 11th, plans for the new jail adopted, the site of which is located on the southeast corner of the courthouse grounds.
July 1st, contract awarded for building a new county jail which was erected the same year.
September 17th, 18th, 19th, fair at Hesper.
October 10th, Harvey Benedict fell from the house of his brother, A. A. Benedict, and was killed.
November 21st, the body of E. A. Hegg of Decorah was found in the creek at the railroad bridge near Standring's cut. The coroner's jury found that his death was caused by strychnine and that it occurred before he fell into the water. The mystery of his death was never solved.

1879

February 15th, Blue Ribbon movement organized by John W. Drew in Decorah and reform club established.
May 17th, Norwegian celebration; orations by Professors Sander, Veblen and others.
May 30th, Decoration Day in Decorah; oration by H. B. Woodworth.
June 22d, twenty-fifth anniversary of the Congregational church of Decorah observed.
July 4th, celebration in Decorah, John T. Stoneman, orator. Celebrated at Ossian, Rev. Sherin, orator.
August 7th, Decorah township voted a 4 per cent tax to induce the Waukon narrow gauge railroad, which was then leased to the Northwestern, to come to Decorah. The roadbed was graded, but the Milwaukee company bought it up--it did not come--and Decorah saved its tax.
September, fair at Hesper this year.
November 12th, Janauschek, the actress, appeared at Decorah.
December 1st, Judge E. E. Cooley appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge Reuben Noble.
June 13th, the railroad depot at Conover burned.

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July 4th, celebration at Hesper, Rev. H. B. Woodworth, orator. Ossian also celebrated.
July 23d, at the Peter Coogan schoolhouse, three miles north of Decorah, Willard Van Pelt shot George Rastetler through the side, the latter having been abusing and threatening Van Pelt. Both were young men. Van Pelt was arrested and held for trial, when he was finally fined $20 and costs. Rastetler's wound was at first thought to be dangerous, but he recovered.
August 19th, Thomas Updegraff was unanimously renominated for Congress by the republican convention at McGregor, and was re-elected.
September 12th, Henry Diers was stabbed by Mike Holehan, whom he had ordered away from Addicken's brewery on Sunday. Diers' wound was thought to be fatal, but he recovered. Holehan was held in $5,000 bail, and on trial was sentenced to one year and six months in the penitentiary.
September 15th, 16th and 17th, fair at Hesper.

1881.

February 13th, Remenyi, the great violinist, gave a concert in Decorah. February 18th, meetings held in Decorah to organize Citizens' Association, which organization was afterwards effected.
March 6th, George W. Haislet, an old newspaper man and editor of the Decorah Radical, died. The publication of the Radical was continued for about one year by Mrs. Haislet, and in the spring of 1882 was purchased by C. H. Craig, who changed its name to the Decorah Pantagraph.
March 11th, Wm. Telford, an old settler of Decorah, fifty-one years of age, fell dead at a fire at the foot of Pleasant Hill.
March 28th, James .McConnell, an old resident of Bluff ton, was killed by being thrown from his wagon on his way home from Decorah.
March 29th, Chicago, Decorah & Minnesota Railroad Company incorporated. April 1st, Professor Jacobson, of Luther College, died.
May 11th, the city council of Decorah voted to build waterworks, which
were completed that year.
May 30th, Decoration Day, Decorah; F. B. Daniels, of Dubuque, delivering the oration. F. E. Brush, pastor of the M. E. church, Decorah, delivered the address at the cemetery.
June 10th, observance at Frankville of the one hundredth anniversary of Father Cutler's birthday.
August, contract let for waterworks in Decorah.
August 12th, Decorah postoffice moved into its new building.
September 20th, 21st and 22d, county fair at Decorah.
November 9th, Decorah township voted a 5 per cent tax to the Upper Iowa & Mississippi Railroad Company, conditioned on its building a railroad to the Mississippi, at or about Lansing. The road was not built and the tax was forfeited. It is now stated that the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, who are widening the gauge to Waukon, will continue the work to Decorah, thus giving them another outlet via Calmar from the west, rather than to build a double track from Calmar to McGregor.

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Hesper, Burr Oak and Bluff ton townships also voted taxes to a road running through them to be built from La Crosse to the southwest through Charles City, and the right of way for the road is being secured.

1882.

February 22d, Decorah waterworks trial, parade and celebration.
April 14th, Decorah township voted a 5 per cent tax to a railroad to connect with the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern, to be completed before September, 1883.
June 4th, murder in Glenwood township. Peter Peterson Krogsund was shot and killed by Hans Hanson Skjerdahl.
June 22d, Decorah Drum Corps wins first prize at the State Military Encampment at Waterloo. The Decorah Light Guards also took a prize.
June 27th, prohibitory amendment adopted in Iowa. Vote of Winneshiek county was 1,411 for, 1,696 against the amendment.
July 4th, celebrated in Decorah, with oration by F. E. Brush, of Davenport.
At Ossian, oration by T. J. Sullivan. It was also observed at Fort Atkinson.
July 8th, Turner Callender, an old resident of Frankville, died. He came to the county in 1849.
August 29th, the Decorah Drum Corps wins a victory at the Inter-State Military Encampment at Dubuque, being victors over the Chicago Drum Corps, and winning the first prize of $500.
October 19th, C, M. & St. P. Ry. secures right of way from depot site on Railroad avenue to the Ice Cave Mill, Decorah, for purpose of extending tracks and securing passenger depot location on Water street. Work began October 23d.
November 5th, new Methodist church at Freeport dedicated.
November 23d, Masonic bodies of Decorah complete fitting up of new lodge rooms in Barthell building.
November 20th, John Elliott of Bluffton sells forty-eight hogs weighing 16,815 pounds for $1,011.65--a big sum in those days.
Noyember 27th, electric lights first shown in Decorah. Stock company was formed to build plant, on December 6th.
November 31st, Jacob Hegg of Calmar township is accidentally killed while on his way home from town.
December 3d, William Beard, pioneer of Frankville and father of creamery movement in this city, passed away.
December 19th, Congregational church of Decorah calls Rev. John Willard of Newtonville, Massachusetts. James Henry Baker, well-known grain buyer, and Wm. H. Fannon die.
During this year the marriage of the following well-known people occurred:
(October 18th), Ex-Sheriff D. C. Moore and Ella Heivly; Minnie Webber and J. Fairbanks of Clarion; (October 25th); James W. Hogan and Grace Finn; (November 1st), Julius J. Hopperstad and Emma Wilson; (December 17th), Louis B. Whitney and Ella L. Cratsenberg, both of Burr Oak; (December 20th), Rev. J. W. Mage1son of Rushford, Minnesota, and Thora Larsen, eldest daughter of Prof. and Mrs. Laur Larsen of Luther College.

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1883

January 1st, Sheriff H. M. Langland and Ella Sloan married. While the wedding was in progress, Mrs. Garvey, held on a murder charge, escaped from county jail but was captured the next day at the home of Thomas Dugan in Glenwood township. She was subsequently tried at Waukon, convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for life.

January 18th to 23d, give six days of continuous cold weather. On the 18th the mercury at 8 A. M. showed 17° below zero. It moderated to 14° above at 8 P. M. and stood at zero the morning of the 19th. At noon that day it was 6° below and from then on until the morning of the 24th the mercury did not rise above zero, the coldest reading being 28° below on the morning of the 21St. At Hesper 36° below was recorded, and Calmar reported 37° below. On January 31st it was again 28° below in Decorah.

February 5th, Calmar school is closed on account of diphtheria.
February 22d, the sale of land in Hesper township at $20.00 per acre is recorded as an indication that real estate is moving at fair price.
March 25th, M. E. church at Calmar dedicated by Chaplain McCabe. April 12th, contracts let for building new poorhouse at Freeport.
May 8th, Colonel Hughes Post, G. A. R., organized, with Major C. H. Hitch
cock as commander.

May 14th, Decorah Drum Corps depart for the National Encampment at Nashville, Tennessee, where they captured the honors and a pair of gold mounted drum sticks for the best martial music.
May 28th, Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Williams, pioneers of Washington Prairie, celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
June 1St, the Iowa district meeting of the Norwegian Lutheran Synod is held at Calmar.

June 14th, Winneshiek county is free from debt with a $20,000 net surplus in the treasury. N. H. Adams resigns as county treasurer and C. E. Meader, his deputy, succeeds him, with C. F. Barfoot of Madison township as his assistant.

June 17th, severe storm sweeps over county. In Sumner township buildings were blown down and unroofed. At the Crawford farm at Burr Oak Springs nearly all the outbuildings were destroyed. In Decorah shade trees were blown down and uprooted, buildings were moved, and water from the river was carried ten feet up its bank by the wind.

July 20th to 23d was a storm period during which 9.29 inches of rain fell, causing large property losses in Decorah along Dry Run. A number of bridges were washed out, county roads were rendered impassable, and lightning caused the destruction of considerable farm property.

July 24th, Daubersmith's mill near Ridgeway burns.

August 3d, eight horses and colts killed and two others badly injured by the Calmar train in Madison township. They belonged to Ole N. Bergen and had escaped from their pasture. Loss $1,500.

August 6th, Sarah King, an imbecile, attacked and ravished by Arthur McIntyre, Charles Wedgewood, Vincent and Jerome Bartlett. McIntyre and Jerome Bartlett were sent to the penitentiary for the crime.

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September 6th, three cases of leprosy reported in the county.
September 11th, Winneshiek County Fair opens with the cattle and horse show equalling that of the State Fair. Upwards of 7,000 people attended on the 13th.
October 29th, the Decorah Manufacturing Company organized with $25,000 capital. Its life was short, owing to mismanagement and lack of business.
November 9th, Dick Arthur, a notorious offender, arrested at Spillville by federal officers for washing and selling used U. S. stamps.
November 17th, four hundredth anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther celebrated by churches of Decorah.
November 29th, the old safe in the county treasurer's office, used since 1855, is sold to Huber Brothers, of Fort Atkinson, for $35.00.
December 10th, Frank Jessmer, incendiary and horse thief, wanted for burning David Perry's barn in Bloomfield township in October, 1879, is arrested in Minneapolis.
December 19th, B., C. R. & N. Ry. promises to build to Decorah if tax is voted. Township trustees meet and order election. President Tracy states the road will be built "and shall not remain there." Unfortunately Mr. Tracy died, else Decorah would now be on a through railroad line, because he always kept his word.

During the year many prominent old people and pioneers were called to their last rest. On January 16th Father Cutler of Frankville died at the age of 101 years, 7 months and 6 days. Mrs. Elizabeth Day, "the mother of Decorah," died February 12th. James Hutchinson of Hesper (1854) died March 12th.

Mrs. J. W. Holm, a Canoe pioneer of 1854, on March 25th, and Mrs. Anna Johnson, wife of Nelson Johnson of the Norwegian pioneers in Decorah, on March 27th, were the next to be claimed by death. They were followed on April 1st by Mrs. Anna Maria Siegel of Military, aged ninety-two. Josiah Gorldard, Sr., who located near Fort Atkinson in 1849, died on April 20th, and his namesake, Josiah, Jr., who came with him, died October 6th. The record shows others as follows: Henry Giesen of Fort Atkinson, April 26; James Hunter, of the old Greer & Hunter milling firm, April 28, at Mitchell, S. D.; Catherine Sherry, of Washington Prairie, the same day.
There were eight tragic and accidental deaths recorded also.

1884

January 10th, A. Bernatz & Bro. take charge of Ice Cave Mills.
February 20th, Citizens Savings Bank of Decorah commences business. February 14th, the old log cabin built in Decorah by "Uncle Billy" Day in 1849 is discovered on the farm of John S. Nelson in Glenwood township. It was in use as the home of Mr. Nelson and his family.
February 10th, Military township gives the B., C. R. & N. Ry. tax proposition a majority of fifty-nine, in the second election. The first election was void because of defects in the notice of election.
March 3d, W. H. Valleau elected mayor of Decorah. W. G. W. Sawyer mayor of West Decorah.
March 9th, Ridgeway creamery burned. Loss $3,000.

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March 17th, district court opens with a calendar which includes trials for murder, rape, assault with intent to commit rape, assault with intent to commit great bodily injury, larceny, theft, arson, and illegal sales of liquor.
May 15th, the first dividend of the coming of the B., C. R. & N. Ry. is a cut of about 16 per cent in freight rates.
June, mortgage for $6,000,000 covering the B., C. R. & N. Ry. is recorded in Winneshiek county.
June 12th, design and bid for soldiers' monument approved and accepted.
July 14th, firm of S. W. Landers & Son make assignment. Indebtedness $25,762.
August 22d, fire at the home of James Kitchen results in severe injury to Mrs. Kitchen and two children, the daughter Arvilla dying from her burns.
September 1st, M. W. Harden, county clerk, resigns to engage in banking business at Grafton, N. D.
October 9th, John G. Carlisle, Speaker of House of Representatives, is main speaker at Democratic rally in Decorah.
October 16th, John Curtin, Decorah pioneer, liveryman, sells out and becomes capitalist.
October 22d, Twenty-fifth anniversary of Prof. Larsen's connection with Luther College celebrated.
October 23d, last rail of B., C. R. & N. extension is laid. Dr. H. C. Bullis and T. W. Burdick drive the last spike.
November 20th, celebration of completion of B., C. R. & N. Ry. to Decorah. Train service began November 10th.
December 2d, Trout Run mill destroyed by fire.
During 1884 the following old residents and pioneers died:
February 22d, Mrs. Iver G. Ringstad (1851); February 29th, Austin Mattison and John Blackinton; Mrs. Groe Eggerud Abrahamson (Springfield, 1850); July 24th, Prof. Cornelius Narveson of Luther College; October 24th, Michael Bernatz, of Fort Atkinson. .
Six tragic deaths occurred during the year.

1885

January 1st, Wm. Beard & Son's Ice Cave Creamery ships 34,000 pounds of butter to New Orleans, part of it for exhibition at the fair.
January 19th to 22d was a cold spell, the thermometer registering from 32° to 42° below zero.
January 19th, Judge and Mrs. J. G. Morss celebrate golden wedding.
January 29th, word received that the Northeastern Iowa Creamery Association captured first premium in Class D for largest display of butter, quality considered, and the Beard creamery captured first for individual exhibits and second in the pro rata premium at the New Orleans Exposition.
March 19th, Lutherans of Calmar prepare to build a new church.
April 2d, Robert Simpson returns from Scotland where he purchased three head of Aberdeen Angus cattle which are added to his herd at Burr Oak; fire destroys store at Plymouth Rock.

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April 5th, John Lane and family of West Decorah narrowly escapes asphyxiation from coal gas escaping from a stove in their home.
June 12th, schoolhouse in sub-district No.6 Bluff ton township, struck by lightning; teacher and pupils are stunned, but otherwise no serious damage was done.

June 18th, A. K. Bailey, postmaster of Decorah, received notice that he had been removed for "offensive partisanship," and John Finn would be his successor. .Mr. Bailey's removal was the first in Iowa after Grover Cleveland became president. Mr. Bailey retired on July 4th, having served sixteen years without opposition or asking for the appointment. Rev. H. B. Woodworth, former pastor of the Congregational church of Decorah, appointed as professor of Mathematics, Physics and Astronomy in the University of North Dakota. Reverend Woodworth subsequently became president of the university, retaining his position until his death.

July 28th, hard wind storm does great damage to business section of Decorah, tearing up tin roofs, leveling smoke stacks, signs, etc., and in some instances tearing out parts of buildings. At the Henry R. Thomas farm West of Decorah a granary and a barn were moved from their foundations and his hired man lifted into a tree. The storm hit Decorah at four o'clock and Dubuque at 5 :20, traveling at the rate of a mile a minute.

August 26th, Mrs. Joshua Hartwell of Bluff ton died. Noone knew her age, but as near as could be ascertained she was in the neighborhood of 110 years.
September 10th, Day Brothers, sons in Decorah's first family, sell their lumber yard and moved to Wausau, Wisconsin.
August 26th, John Scott is relieved as postmaster at Calmar after serving fifteen years. W. L. Bass was his successor.
November 12th, W. T. Symonds purchases Decorah greenhouses and removes them to West Decorah. This was the beginning of a very successful enterprise.
November 19th, one Decorah bank pays out over $7,000 during the week for swine purchased by one firm.
November 28th, Leonard's book store burned in Decorah. Loss $10,000; insurance, $7,300.
November 29th, new Lutheran church at Calmar dedicated.
December 23d, the marriage of Nettie Casterton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ogden Casterton, to Granville Fawcett, was a social event in Highland township. Deaths during the year: January 17th, John T. Clark, pioneer lawyer, at Postville; January 21st, Mrs. N. Brandt, for years the "mother" at Luther College, at Cleveland, Ohio; March 22d, Archa Dennis (1854); April 16th, Samuel Aiken, well-known breeder of Holstein cattle; May 18th, Tiedman Aldrich (Hesper, 1859); July 1st, Nelson Burdick (Freeport, 1853), treasurer of county from 1854 to 1860, and charter member of Decorah Congregational church; David P. West of Canoe; also four tragedies.

1886

January 13th, a church, eight residences, an office, several store houses and a score of other buildings comprise the building activities at Calmar in 1885.

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January 12th, E. Webster, a well-known buyer, ships eight cars of stock, aggregating $8,000 in value, the result of one week's purchases.
January 21st, A. W. Kramer at Castalia, H. Towner at Fort Atkinson, and A. J. Cratsenberg at Burr Oak are relieved of their duties as postmasters to make room for three democrats who want the jobs.
January 28th, the Winneshiek County Farmer's Mutual Insurance Company -reports no losses for the year 1885, and the expenses of doing business only $19.00.
January 28th, Hon. T. W. Burdick, Senator for Winneshiek county, introduces bill in Legislature providing for the erection of a Soldier's Home. It was passed and Marshalltown secured the location. C. W. Burdick was named one of the commissioners, and George Draper superintended its construction.
Fourteen days in January show temperature of zero or lower, the coldest being 28° below. February 1st to 4th show successively 12°, 23°, 25° and 29° below.
February 13th, Peter Olson, Calmar's leading merchant, fails, his liabilities aggregating between $30,000 and $40,000 with assets scheduled at $32,700.
February 15th, the postoffice at Woodside is discontinued.
March 18th, John Finn, new democratic postmaster of Decorah, indicted for illegal voting. When the Australian ballot law came into effect Mr. Finn could not produce his naturalization papers and he went before the court at Waukon and took out new papers. He claimed his old ones were lost and on trial was acquitted.
May 6th, Iowa and Minnesota Telephone Company are building lines through Winneshiek county. Calmar Telephone Company is building line to Decorah.
May 30th, the German Methodist church in Decorah is dedicated.
May 27th, the George Phelps monument arrives and is being erected in Decorah cemetery. It was cut from two blocks of granite weighing sixty tons and was considered to be unequalled in Iowa. Dr. F. S. Northrup, murdered in Hancock county, was the first township clerk of Glenwood township where he resided from the early '50's to 1869. Winneshiek soldiers' monument completed. June 10th, camps of Modern Woodmen of America are being organized.
June 27th, terrific hail storm passes over northern part of county. In Hesper township between 500 and 750 acres of corn and grain were destroyed and great damage was done to windows. In places hail stones drifted to a depth of four feet.
July 29th, new Methodist Episcopal church to be built in Orleans township. August 1st, Rev. F. J. Mynard closed his pastorate at Grace Episcopal church in Decorah. He moved to California and subsequently became bishop of Montana.
September 7th, soldiers' monument dedicated by Col. W. P. Hepburn. 5,000 estimated attendance.
September 8th, Barnum & Bailey's circus visits Decorah for first time and is attended by crowds aggregating 24,000 at two performances.
September 10th, Winneshiek county fair closed with a total of 996 entries in the stock department. Rain and the Barnum circus make it a financial failure.
October 14th, Luther College celebrates twenty-fifth anniversary.
October 6th, Home of Dr. P. M. Jewell of Ossian is burned. A hot fight is

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waged between Levi Bullis of Decorah and John B. Kaye of Calmar for the county attorneyship. Kaye was elected by seventy-seven majority.
November 11th, more or less diphtheria is reported throughout the county.
Five children of A. R. Anderson of Springfield township died from the disease.
November 16th, winter sets in early with snow storm that delays trains.
November 25th, Winneshiek school census is 8,365, with 6,057 enrolled in schools, daily attendance 3,050. Cost of operation $44,548.82, cost of buildings, etc., $3,849.84, total $48,:)98.66. This represents about 42% of all taxes collected in the county.
December 4th, a half ton of butter disappears from the Ridgeway Creamery and was never recovered.
Deaths of the year: January 22d, Ingebor Asgrimson Sorbor (Springfield, 1850) ; April 21st, Dr. W. F. Coleman, veteran of Seventeenth Iowa Infantry; April 25th, Abigail Hall Dickerman-Smith (Decorah, 1856); April 30th, Mrs. H. H. Hinterman (Spillville, 1855) ; May 8th Judge M. V. Burdick, pioneer lawyer and editor; May 23d, D. B. Dennis (Decorah, 1858), well known grocer; June 29th, Ex-recorder Anton P. Rocksvold, Glenwood township; September 25th, Robert Griffin (Pleasant, 1855); October 5th, James W. Mott, miller at Trout Run. Also five tragic deaths.
December 23d, Mrs. Zeuriah Post, widow of Joel Post, first settler on the prairie just east of Castalia, passed away. She and her husband conducted the Half-way House on the old Military road, from 1840 on.

1887

January 14th, Decorah Institute closed for two weeks on account of outbreak of diphtheria.
January 26th, fire destroyed stock of P. H. Whalen, Decorah; loss $6,000, insurance $3,100
February 10th, violators of the prohibitionary law to the number of twenty-one in Decorah, five in Ossian, eight each in Calmar and Spillville, three each in Conover and Fort Atkinson, two in Jackson Junction and one each in Ridgeway and Festina are served with notice of suit. When they found they were "on the rocks," all agreed to "arbitrate" and after submitting to an injunction paid the costs and agreed to sin no more.
March 5th, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. A. Blodgett sits down in pail of boiling water and dies from scalding.
March 24th, D. P. Hawes is one of the successful participants in the Louisiana state lottery, drawing $15,000, one-tenth of the capital prize. Dexter W. Nickerson, a former Bluff ton boy, nominated by republicans for city treasurer of Chicago.
April 7th, Farrell, a Bluff ton saloon-keeper, fined $500 for violating a liquor injunction, as was also a Mrs. Dahl.
May 31st, Decorah Wind Mill Company in process of organization.
July 17th, Gusta Otteson, domestic in the family of A. Herman, died from heat.
July 22d, Lieutenant and Mrs. Ole A. Anderson celebrate silver wedding.

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July 26th, Daniel Hawley, Freeport pioneer of 1855, and builder of first Winneshiek county courthouse, passed away at his home in Decorah.
July 30th, the Lutheran and Methodist churches at Calmar are struck by lightning and the former burned.
September 10th, body of C. E. Meader, county treasurer, found in Updegraff grove with bullet hole in his head and revolver lying by his side. Subsequent investigation disclosed shortage of over $5,000 in his accounts.
October 5th and 6th, Thirty-eighth Iowa Regiment holds reunion in Decorah with attendance of one hundred and twenty.
October 14th, Decorah Drum Corps returns from Chicago with first prize of ten rosewood shell drums and eight ivory headed piccolos, offered by the Daily News at the National encampment.
December 20th, Addicken Brewery closed by supreme court of Iowa.
During the year 1887 occurred the death of a number of pioneers. Among
them were the following: January 1st, Johanna Stortz, Canoe, 1859. Patrick Nolan, Bluff ton. February 17th, Mrs. Abigail M. Cleveland, Hesper, 1853. March 28th, Erick G. Egge, Madison, 1853. March 29th, Wm. Mitchell, Hesper. April 21st, Lars Haakenson, Decorah, 1855. May 2d, Nathaniel Cornell, Bloomfield, 1854. May 12th, A. Howell, Decorah, 1854. Lars Iverson, Canoe, 1850. F. B. Landers, Decorah, 1856. Rachael Hitchcock, Burr Oak, 1855. S. M. Leach, Canoe, 1851. Mrs. S. B. Dunlap, Washington, 1853. F. C. Lennon, Frankville, 1855. Mrs. G. T. Lomen, Decorah. John O. Miles, Orleans, 1855. Frank B. Snell, Bluffton, 1855. Mrs. William Baker, Bloomfield, 1857. Andrew Sheetz, Decorah, 1852.

1888

January 15th, fire at Ridgeway destroys Allen & Prann's drug store, Tuck's hardware, and G. R. Baker's general store. Loss $25,000; insurance $8,000.
January 13th, 14th and 15th, blizzard with thermometer registering from 15° to 27° below zero. Between the 11th and the 25th the mercury ranged from zero to 27° below.
March 3d, news comes of death of Francis Teabout, pioneer and originator of town of FrankvilIe, at Sanborn.
April 5th, Upper Iowa river flooded. G. V. Puntney states but once in thirty-six years had he seen the water higher in the river.
April 15th, J. S. Hickey of Ridgeway took his life. Domestic difficulties were the cause.
May 7th, a rain and wind storm of great violence does great damage. Magne Langland, a Highland township lad, is swept away and drowned in torrent in Bear Creek.
July 1st, B. D. Haines of Hesper on his way to Decorah to take the train for Allison, Iowa, to engage in business, finds his pocketbook missing. It contained $1,000. Decorah postoffice becomes second-class and salary of postmaster increases from $1,900 to $2,000.
July 4th, Ossian creamery burned.
August 2d, Rev. Abraham Jacobson, Springfield township pioneer who returned to Norway on a visit, writes that on shipboard he was thrown violently by the