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PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
334 (1898 cont.)
December 12th, George R. Willett, pioneer attorney and legislator,
passed away. He came to Decorah in 1857.
December 15th, John Kjerland of Highland township in a jealous
rage kills Lars G. Aarhus. Subsequently he killed himself.
Among the deaths of the pioneers during this year we find the
names of the following: January, Mrs. Aaron Street, Hesper, 1854.
February 18th, Almira Mason Burdick, Freeport, 1852. February
16th, Henry Wingate, Burr Oak, 1859. February 25th, Christian
Lower, Frankville, 1855. April 30th, August Draws (at Staples,
Minn.), Decorah, 1853. April 10th, Mrs. Bridget Wilson, Decorah,
1854. April 14th, George C. Winship (at Tekoa, Wash.), Decorah,
1855. April 20th, Mrs. DeWitt Smith, Frankville, early '50s. May
13th, Robert F. Greer, Decorah, 1858. May 23d, William Henry Baker,
Bloomfield, 1854. May 27th, Magnus Anderson Linnevold, Frankville,
1853. June 6th, Charles Henry Hitchcock, 1856. July 15th, Mrs.
Gertrude Bidne, Pleasant, 1853; Ezekiel Webb, Canoe, 1854. July
16th, Theodore Weld Burdick, Decorah, 1853; Peter Sampson, Pleasant,
1852. October 3d, John W. Humphrey, 1859. Oliver Kenyon, Hesper,
1858. November 8th, Mrs. Louise Amy Weiser, Fort Atkinson, 1857,
Decorah, 1859. Levi Moore (at Red Cloud, Neb.), Burr Oak, 1851.
November 16th, Ole Evenson Hann, Springfield, early '50s. November
30th, Mrs. W. W. Wheelock, Decorah, 1855. December 18th, Mrs.
Philip Pfister, Locust, 1855. December 24th, John R. Slack, Decorah,
1856. December 28th, Mrs. C. P. Gibbs, Glenwood, 1852.
1899
January 27th to February 13th, eighteen days of extreme weather,
the average low readings of the thermometer being 20.330 below
zero. On February 10th the mercury registered 34° below.
February 20th, Mr. and Mrs. Simon Broghammer celebrate golden
wedding. March 2d, Decorah and Calmar are engaged in lively fight
over courthouse question.
March 9th, C. N. Goddard installed as postmaster of Decorah. In
1856 he was deputy postmaster to "Bill" Kimball.
April 21st, John Breckenridge, well known educator and founder
of Decorah Institute, dies.
May 11th, the estate of John Fisher, pioneer Military citizen,
on demand of county treasurer Nordheim, pays $848.27 in back taxes
for four years on sums varying from $16,000 to $22,000.
May 26th, Wm. H. Valleau, former mayor of Decorah, died in Chicago.
June 6th, Woodmen of Northeastern Iowa hold picnic in Decorah,
with an attendance of eight to ten thousand people.
June 8th, Luren Singing Society of Decorah celebrate twenty-fifth
anniversary. June 10th, Decorah is fifty years old.
September 19th, banquet of B. Anundson on the attainment of his
twenty-fifth anniversary as editor of Decorah Posten is a public
affair attended by members of the Scandinavian Press Association
and other prominent Norwegians from all over the Middle West.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
335
September 30th, Mrs. Sewall Knowlton, Bluffton, pioneer (1859)
died at the age of ninety-four years.
October 9th, paper mill at Freeport burned. Loss $15,000. Insurance
$6,500. (It was rebuilt.)
October 29th, Lavina B. Benedict, founder of Benedict Home at
Des Moines, passed away.
Among the deaths of pioneers during the year 1899 we find the
following names: January 3d, John W. Thune, Glenwood, 1850. January
25th, Moses Gave, Hesper, 1856. February 18th, E. Blackmarr, Hesper,
1854. February, Mrs. Carrie Allen, Decorah, early '50s. February
17th, Timothy E. Fuller, Frankville, 1848. February 27th, Geo.
N. Holway, Hesper, 1853. March 17th, J. H. Burhans, Bloomfield,
1855. April loth, Mrs. H. R. Thomas, Decorah, 1858. April 26th,
Charity E. Wingate, Burr Oak, 1859. May 20th, Wm. B. Updegraff,
Canoe, 1854. June 22d, Enos S. Lambert, Bloomfield, 1854. July
25th, Mrs. John Greer, Decorah, 1857. August 22d, Mrs. Simson
Drake, Decorah, 1856. September 10th, Peter Olson, Highland, 1854.
September 25th, Mrs. O. P. Tenold, Calmar, 1855. October 15th,
Eliza B. Todd, Fremont, 1856. October 15th, Philip Kratz, Sr.,
Lincoln, 1859. October 17th, Adam Steinmann, Decorah, 1853. October
23d, Mrs. J. C. Strong, Fort Atkinson, 1858. October 19th, Mrs.
Tollef H. Larsen, Springfield, 1855. December 8th, Ole P. Tenold,
Calmar, 1855. December 9th, DeWitt Smith, Frankville, 1855.
1900
January 18th, fire at Ossian damages the Ossian Band and M. J.
Carter's law library.
January 29th, Dr. C. W. Amy died at Decorah. He came here in 1857
and in 1861 enlisted with the Second Colorado Cavalry, serving
under General Blunt and Kit Carson.
February 1st, Winneshiek County Medical Society organized with
Dr. P. M. Jewell as president.
January 31st, Capt. Hannibal Tower, prominent citizen of Fort
Atkinson, passed away.
February 10th, Corp'l Willis McMartin, Company G, Forty-fifth
U. S. Infantry, died in Philippines from malaria fever. He was
a Castalia boy.
February 14th, People of Fort Atkinson start movement for a state
park to include site of old fort, but nothing ever came of it.
March 24th, Col. William Thurlow Baker, retired officer of the
English army, passed away. He was a survivor of the Sepoy mutiny
in India, and for his efforts in restraining the spread of disaffection
among his own men he was rewarded by being given permission to
organize the Fourth Regiment of Ghoorkas and he was made their
commander. After coming to Decorah in 1865 he was prominent in
the Decorah Woolen Mill Company during its greatest activity.
April 4th, Mrs. Olinda C. Willett, widow of Judge G. R. Willett,
pioneer lawyer, passed away.
April 7th, Theodore Thorson of Canoe comes to Decorah and disappears.
His body was found several days later in the river, death having
been due to accidental drowning.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
336
April 6th, Dr. E. Cartwright, well known physician, died.
April 25th, Mr. and Mrs. B. T. Barfoot, pioneers of Decorah and
Madison townships, celebrate golden wedding.
May 10th, J. L. Windell, Castalia resident, writes relatives that
he has disposed of mining interests at Nome, Alaska, for $20,000.
May 22d, Mr. and Mrs. David Dorn of Ridgeway celebrate fiftieth
wedding anniversary.
May 23d, Rural Free Delivery Route No. I, Decorah, the first route
in the fourth congressional district, is approved and recommended
established. Rev. Paul Koran was instrumental in securing the
service, which began July 1st, with Henry Viste as carrier.
June 3d, C. L. Lott kidnaps his daughter, who was being cared
for by her uncle and aunt, Dr. and Mrs. W. F. Coleman. He was
caught at Canton, Minnesota, and the child restored.
June 12th, Mrs. Nancy Self celebrated her one hundred and fifth
birthday. She had been a resident of Decorah for forty-three years.
(She was the mother of Mrs. Wm. Painter [Decorah, 1849], who died
May 28, 1900, at Dexter, S. D. Mrs. Self died November 29, 1900.)
July 9th, J. J. Marsh of Decorah departs for Oyster Bay, New York.
He was chosen as one of the committee of forty-five to notify
Theodore Roosevelt of his nomination for the vice-presidency.
August 1st, Decorah city council orders paving on Water and Winnebago
streets. Washington street was ordered paved to the bridge later
in the year.
August 15th, Mrs. Toger Landsrud of Springfield gored by a bull
and dies.
August 22d, Mr. and Mrs. James Daniels of Centennial celebrate
golden wedding.
October 23d, Rev. R. Swearingen, pastor of Decorah M. E. church
in 1872 and presiding elder of Decorah district, 1873-76, died
at Marshalltown.
November 4th, Andrew Meyer, who settled near Fort Atkinson April
1, 1849, passed away.
Deaths of pioneers during the year 1900: January 4th, Mrs. J.
R. Slack, Decorah, 1855. January 5th, Mrs. Ned Walsh, Decorah,
1850. January 17th, Mrs. Henry Adams, Decorah, 1855. January 26th,
Mrs. Christian Lower, Frankville, 1855. February 26th, C. W. Allison,
Decorah, 1856. March 6th, C. Christian, Pleasant, 1856. March
22d, John Fredenburgh, Canoe, 1850. April 13th, Mrs. Jens Christopher,
Springfield, 1853. April 8th, G. W. Oxley, Bloomfield, 1854. May
12th, Mrs. Emma Perry, Canoe, middle '50s. July 16th, J. L. Cameron,
Hesper 1858. July 23d, Mrs. P. Lyons, Jackson, 1856. July 31st,
John Knox. Burr Oak, 1856. August 17th, Mrs. Chas. Golz, Decorah,
1857. September 10th, Mrs. Samuel Bolger, Canoe, early '50s. October
6th, Mrs. W. G. W. Sawyer, Decorah, 1855. November 19th, Lydia
A. Blackinton, Decorah, 1856; Elling O. Ramsey, Frankville, 1852.
November 22d, G. W. Russell, Canoe, 1854. November 30th, Mrs.
C. A. McClintock, Frankville, 1849. December 19th, Gulbrand T.
Lomen, Decorah, 1851. December 20th, Mrs. Butz, Lincoln, early
'50s. December 22d, Lewis W. Updegraff, Hesper, 1858; Guttorm
Allen, Springfield, 1854. December 27th, James Headington, Canoe,
1859.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
337
1901
January 3d, census bulletin shows Winneshiek county has 23,731
people, a gain of 1,203 or 5.3 per cent in ten years.
January 5th, Locust postoffice, discontinued because the postmaster
thought he could hold up the Government for $300 a year, is restored.
March 31st, Ben Bear celebrated quarter century as Decorah merchant.
April 15th, Citizens Bank of Ossian begins business.
May 3d, James D. McKay (Frankville, 1851), pioneer lawyer and
Representative of Winneshiek and Allamakee counties in the Legislature
of 1854 and 1856, passed away.
June 7th, 8th, Union Fibre Company take over Freeport paper mill
and begin manufacture of flax fibre.
July 4th, George Phelps gives orders for the erection of a receiving
vault at Phelps cemetery.
July 28th, a season of extreme heat, which began on June 23d,
is ended. The average high reading for thirty-six days was 96.28°.
There were but five days in the term when the mercury showed lower
than 90° and twenty-seven days showed 96° or higher. On
ten days the record was 100° or higher, and the readings on
July 20th to 26th were 105°, 107°, 100°, 105°,
107°, 105° and 103°, or an average of 104.6°.
Crops were not damaged by the heat.
August 5th, E. P. Johnson nominated for state senator. He was
defeated at the polls by Senator D. A. Lyons of Cresco.
September 14th, Mrs. Gertrude M. Olson of Pleasant township found
in a deep ditch with broken hip. She became lost in the woods
the Saturday previous, had fallen in the ditch, and laid there
during three nights and two days of cold rainy weather.
October 24th, Ole Halvorson Valle of Pleasant township died. In
1844 he was employed by the Government to plow for the Indians
located on the reservation in Winneshiek county, some of the plowing
being done at Trout Run.
November 25th, Michael McCabe of Plymouth Rock killed by cars
at North McGregor.
During the year the following old residents celebrated the fiftieth
anniversary of their weddings: February 2d, Mr. and .Mrs. S. C.
Treat, Decorah. February 13th, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Puntney, Canoe.
April 24th, Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Riggs, Castalia. May 5th, Mr. and
Mrs. R. F. Gibson, Decorah.
During the year we find the following deaths of pioneers recorded:
January 5th, Hans E. Sivesind, Glenwood, 1853. January 8th, Mrs.
Sarah W. Landers, Decorah, 1856. January 23c1, Mrs. Anna J. Spilde,
Canoe, 1859. January 30th, Elling E. Vold, Madison, 1853. February
7th, K. Vigen, Washington Prairie, 1853. February 13th, Mrs. Ole
Burrison, Hesper, early fifties. April 1st, Mrs. Stephen Berry,
Burr Oak, 1856. April 18th, Jacob Haas, Decorah, 1857. April 25th,
Jacob Thorgrimson Bjortuft, Springfield, 1853. April 23d, Rachel
Hutchinson, Hesper, 1854. May 13th, George Tyler, Decorah, 1857.
May 28th, Tarine Wennes, Highland, 1854. August 9th, Ezra Schoonmaker,
Military, 1855. August 16th, Henry F. Dean, Bloomfield, early
fifties. September 4th, Calvin Brown, 1855. October 10th, Anon
Anderson, Frankville, 1857.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
338
1902
January 12th, Rev. K. Seehuus' congregation in Highland township
vote to build a new church.
January 10th, Winneshiek Co. Bank of Decorah buys G. R. Baker's
bank at Ridgeway.
January 13th, David Dorn, prominent Ridgeway citizen, dies.
February 5th, Chinnock's shoe store in Decorah burned. Estimated
loss $11,000, insurance $8,000. Incendiarism was suspected as
the cause.
February 16th, new Methodist church at Ridgeway dedicated. This
parish was the nursery of a number of prominent ministers in the
church.
February 20th, J. J. Marsh celebrates fortieth anniversary as
Decorah business man.
February 25th, announcement of' the organization of the Castalia
Savings Bank is made. It opened for business in March.
March 1st, Thomas Letchford, prominent Frankville resident, died.
March 9th, K. I. Haugen celebrates quarter century of merchandising
in Decorah.
March 24th, Mr. and Mrs. Ogden Casterton, Highland township pioneers,
celebrate golden wedding.
April 22d, fire destroys feed mill and other property of John
McMillan, Hesper, causing loss of $5,000. In the property consumed
was a Percheron stallion raised by Mr. McMillan that was a first
prize winner at the International Live Stock Show the previous
fall.
April 17th, Adolph Meyer, prominent citizen of Calmar, died.
April 22d, Mrs. David Kinnison, wife of Canoe pioneer, passes
away. She came to the county with her husband in the fall of 1849.
May 8th, question of building new courthouse is again under discussion.
May 21st, flood in Dry Run does greatest damage in history of
county.
Milwaukee railroad track and bridges from Peterson's grove to
Decorah practically all demolished, only one bridge left intact
in Decorah. Thousands of dollars in property destroyed; the infant
child of Charles Clark drowned; John Garver died from heart failure
caused by fright; Richard Bucknell and family taken from hole
cut in roof of his house, which was carried two blocks from its
foundation and landed against Mrs. Ellen Curtin's house, and M.
T. Torsen narrowly escapes drowning. The loss in county bridges
alone was $40,000.
May 27th, Dr. E. T. Wilcox of Frankville died.
June 17th, survey of proposed Decorah-Preston electric line commenced.
(Aside from the survey it never progressed farther.)
July 1st, .Mr. and Mrs. O. W. Emory, Canoe pioneers, celebrate
golden
July 2d, Joseph Mott, of the pioneer band of Quakers (Springwater,
1855), dies.
July 21st, Levi Bullis, pioneer lawyer, dies. He came to Decorah
in 1854.
July 26th, Wm. Painter, who was a first settler in Decorah with
the Day family in 1849, dies at Dexter, South Dakota.
August 13th, Mr. and Mrs. M. B. Ousley celebrate golden wedding.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
339
August 17th, First Lutheran church of Decorah celebrates twenty-fifth
anniversary.
August 28th, Albert Severson killed by cars at Ossian, August
22d, and
Charles Hargraves suffers same fate at Decorah, August 27th.
September 17th, board of supervisors issue statement concerning
the old courthouse and announce that the question of building
a new one will be placed before the voters at the November election.
(It carried by 966 majority.)
September 29th, K. P. lodge organized in Decorah.
October 7th, at a special election the town of Decorah and West
Decorah vote to annex. The school districts were also annexed.
October 15th, C. N. Goddard celebrates fortieth anniversary as
pioneer merchant of Decorah.
October 30th, ten deaths are recorded during the preceding week.
The most prominent one among them is Capt. E. I. Weiser, pioneer
druggist (1856), soldier and citizen of Decorah. Others were Simon
Broghammer, Pleasant township, 1857; Peter T. Tvenge, Springfield,
1853; Mary Ann Huber, Fort Atkinson; Lizzie Martinek, Washington
township, 1857; August Schrubbe, Decorah, 1862; Ernest G. Hegner;
Ragnor J. Monrad, an editor on Decorah Posten; Mina C. Aasen,
Decorah, and Ole A. Blegen, one of the pioneers of Glenwood.
November 6th, Winneshiek County Bank will incorporate after a
life of forty-six years as a private institution.
November 1st, Rev. M. S. Drury, one of the first members of the
board of supervisors, dies in California.
Other deaths of pioneers recorded during the year of 1902: January
1st, John Theilich, Decorah, 1853. January 4th, James Stringer,
Decorah, 1856. January 27th, Francis Tucker, Freeport, 1854. January
30th, Mrs. Caroline Allen, Hesper, 1857. February 6th, John S.
Losen, Hesper, 1851. February 14th, Margaret Olson, Pleasant,
1854. March 18th, Mrs. Thomas Mitchell, Hesper, early fifties.
.March 30th, D. L. Richards, Bloomfield, 1855. May 3d, Ole Anfinson
Tweet, Pleasant, 1854. May 18th, Mrs. Wm. Telford, Decorah, 1859.
June 6th, Marit Rovang, Springfield, 1850. July 9th, J. C. Strong,
Fort Atkinson, 1857. July 12th, Mrs. .Geo. N. Holway, Hesper,
1852. July 16th, S. O. Wilson, Decorah, 1854. July I Ith, Mrs.
Joseph Adams, Frankville, 1855. August 6th, Mrs. Harriett Smith,
Bluff ton, 1857. September 1st, Lawrence Falck, Fort Atkinson,
1853. September 13th, Mrs. Dominick Curran, Glenwood, 1858. October
20, P. McCusker, Frankville, 1858. November 18th, George Yarwood,
Calmar, 1855. December 14th, Mrs. Peter Aye, Decorah, 1857. December
15th, Peter L. Wennes, Highland, 1854. December 23d, Timothy Finn,
Decorah, 1855. December 19th, George W. McKay, Frankville, 1851.
December 25th, Mrs. Jeddidiah Miller, Canoe, 1856.
1903
February 17th, Calmar postoffice burglarized and between $300
and $500 taken.
March 4th, contract for building new courthouse awarded to O.
H. Olson of Stillwater for $74,875. (This only built the shell.
Another bond issue of $50,000
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
340
was necessary to complete it.) Workmen in tearing down the old
building find hidden in the northeast cornice two old-fashioned
folding silk sunshades of 1850 vintage, five combs, five plaited
linen shirt fronts and a bolt of tape. How they got there the
oldest inhabitant couldn't say.
March 21st, Congressman Haugen announces he will recommend J.
J. Marsh for postmaster at Decorah. (Mr. Marsh held the office
nearly nine years.)
April 14th, Mrs. Frederica Sellman of Locust dies at the age of
eighty-eight years. She came to Winneshiek county in 1860.
May 7th, word comes of the death at Center Grove, Minnesota, of
Thor
Peter Skotland, first Calmar pioneer.
May 8th, Mrs. A. K. Sagen died. She was a daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Anton Hegg and was born December 16, 1855, in Springfield
township.
May 18th, Tim Ahern of Calmar, roadmaster of I. & M. division
of C., M. & St. P. Ry., killed by being knocked from train
at Cresco.
June 18th, the fiftieth anniversary meeting of the Norwegian Lutheran
Synod of America held in Decorah. Thousands of visitors attended
the meeting, which lasted a week. Rev. J. A. Otteson, Rev. H.
A. Stub and Rev. N. Brandt, three of the seven original ministers,
survive. The occasion is also the anniversary of the marriage
of Rev. and Mrs. V. Koren, and of their coming to Winneshiek county.
King Oscar of Sweden and Norway honors Reverend Koren by conferring
upon him the degree of commander of the order of St. Olaf, and
Rev. H. A. Preus and Dr. Laur Larsen are made Knights of St. Olaf.
August 18th, Rev. V. Koren and wife celebrate golden wedding.
August 22d, cornerstone of new courthouse laid.
September 1st, Decorah Methodist church celebrates semi-centennial.
September 10th, Decorah city council lets contract to pave Washington
street from bridge to Milwaukee tracks.
September 11th, Mr. and Mrs. H. p. Nicholson of Military township
celebrate golden wedding.
September 19th, J. J. Marsh, pioneer dealer in farm implements,
retired from business.
October 11th, United Lutheran church in Springfield township celebrated
fiftieth anniversary.
November 30th, Samuel Rosa, Frankville pioneer, fell from load
of hay and his neck was broken.
December 23d, G. O. Rustad, who came to Decorah in 1855, passed
away.
He was treasurer of the Lutheran Synod from 1862 to 1900.
December 31st, in the Iroquois theatre fire in Chicago, Miss Belle
Christopher of Decorah and Wilma Porter, daughter of Mrs. Nellie
Landers Porter, lost their lives. Mrs. W. F. Coleman (now Mrs.
B. H. Adams) was painfully injured.
Deaths of pioneers during the year were as follows: January 1st,
Mrs. G. W. Estey, Moneek, 1854. January 10th, Tollef Vick, Sr.,
Springfield, 1854. January 22d, Norris Miller, Decorah, 1855.
January 31st, Mrs. M. P. Riggs, Castalia, 1854. February 14th,
Mrs. ,Mary L. Boyd, Decorah, 1851. February 15th, Robert Burrows,
Bluffton, 1852. February 27th, Moses Hostetler, Frank" ville,
1851. March 10th, Mrs. Gunhild Bakke, Frankville, 1851. March
14th, Joseph Bowland, Calmar, 1856. March 11th, Moses M. Lockwood,
Fort Atkin-
PAST AND PRESENT OF \VINNESHIEK COUNTY
341
son, 1856. March 31st, Almon Rice, Bluff ton, 1857. April 22d,
C. B. Riggs, Bloomfield, 1854. April 24th, Wm. King, Burr Oak,
1854. July 8th, Henry R. Thomas, Decorah, 1854. July 16th, Mrs.
Andrew Smith, Burr Oak, early fifties. July ,28th, Gulbrand Gulbrandson,
Decorah, 1852, July 29th, Mrs. Milo Emory, born in Canoe in 1853.
August 2d, Betsey A. Snell, Bluff ton, 1854. August 8th, John
McMartin, Bloomfield, 1851. August 31st, Mrs. A. C. Ferren, Decorah,
1857. September 16th, Mrs. Oline O. Ellingson, Calmar, 1858. October,
John Odson, Springwater, 1857. November 4th, Mrs. Eliza M. Decker,
Decorah, 1850. November 9th, Peter Roney, Decorah, 1855. November
8th, John Walton, Sr., Orleans, 1855. November 4th, Elijah Briggs,
Burr Oak, 1855. December 2d, John Lawrence, Jackson, 1852. November
22d, John Cameron, Orleans, 1854. December 14th, James P. McKinney,
Fort Atkinson, 1857. December 16th, Mrs. Jane Wilsie, Burr Oak,
1854.
1904
January 29th, funds to build new Winneshiek Hotel in Decorah
raised in one day. (The work was begun July 1st and was completed
April 20, 1905.)
February 11th, Edna Lawrence succeeds her father, John Lawrence,
as postmaster at Navin. He held the office thirty-four years.
February 26th, Prof. H. T. Ytterboe of St. Olaf College, Northfield,
dies.
He was born November 25, 1857, in Springfield township.
May 21st, in district court Mrs. Lucy A. Fairman is given the
estate of Almon Rice valued at $30,000. Plaintiff introduces letters
to prove she is the illegitimate daughter of Rice.
July 6th, C. J. Weiser presents a clock to the county to be installed
in the tower of the new courthouse. It is made in honor of his
father and mother, both of whom were early pioneers.
August 6th, news comes of the death at Franklin Park, Illinois,
of Henry Woodruff, editor of Decorah Journal from 1874 to 1893.
August 10th, at 10:40 A. M. the last stone on the exterior of
the new courthouse was laid.
August 16th, Thomas Haugen of Springfield burned by traction engine.
September 23d, Capt. James E. Simpson, pioneer county surveyor
and for many years U. S. revenue collector at Dubuque, died at
Norfolk, Nebraska. Mrs. Simpson died a week later. C. P. Brown,
former well known attorney, died at St. Paul.
September 29th, St. Mary's Catholic church, Festina, celebrates
fiftieth anniversary.
October 11th to 13th, annual conference of Unitarian churches
of Iowa held in Decorah.
October 22d, Friends' church at Hesper burned. (It was subsequently
replaced by a new structure.)
October 29th, Jacob Aal Otteson, one of the seven charter member
ministers of the Norwegian Lutheran church of America, died in
Decorah.
November 5th, H. A. Bigelow, early day resident, murdered by T.
I. Gifford in a quarrel over a trivial matter. Gifford subsequently
escaped punishment, the jury finding he committed the crime while
insane.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
342
November 24th, new Winneshiek county courthouse completed and
occupied. During the year golden weddings were celebrated as follows:
July 3d, Mr. and. Mrs. Peter Hamre, Springfield township. August
6th, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Falck, Calmar. September 24th, Mr. and
Mrs. Halvor Garden, Springfield township. September 27th, Mr.
and Mrs. D. N. Hoyt, Decorah.
The following names of pioneers appear in the record of deaths:
January 23d, Almira Allen Russell, born in Frankville, 1858. January
31st, John Adam Kern, Pleasant, 1855. February 25th, Mrs. Rowena
Libbey, Orleans, 1857. February 24th, Wm. Brinkman, Lincoln. March
2d, Eliza King Leach, Canoe, 1854. March 22d, Mrs. Claiborn Day,
Decorah, 1857. March 17th, Jane McMillan Hallock, Hesper, 1852.
March 22d, D. T. Manning, Burr Oak, 1853. April 16th, Charles
Rudolph, Decorah, 1859. April, Henry C. Palmer, Burr Oak, 1855.
April 17th, S. S. Wade, Burr Oak, 1856. April 26th, John Heckel,
Burr Oak, 1855. May 23d, O. W. Ellingson, Pleasant, 1854. May,
Peter J. Falstad, Hesper, 1856. June 2d, Mrs. A. C. Smith, Springfield,
1853. June 14th, Thomas K. Morrison, Bluff ton, 1855. June 14th,
Andrew Bakken, Madison, 1854. June 23d, Caroline Russell Giles,
Canoe, 1855. July 10th, Dominick Curran, Glenwood, 1858. July
23d, Mrs. C. W. Rowe, Hesper. August 1st, Mrs. Silas H. Hendrickson,
Glenwood, 1852. August 6th, Melvin Green, Bloomfield, 1850. September
6th, Mrs. Charles Rudolph, Decorah, 1859. September 15th, Mrs.
M. J. Boland, Hesper, 1858. September 16th, Mrs. Abbie Malanaphy,
Bluff ton, 1854. September 25th, John Barth, Pleasant, 1855. October
10th, Israel Birdsell, born in Frankville in 1852. October 21st,
T. A. Windell, Bloomfield, 1853. November 16th, Mrs. John Heckel,
Burr Oak, 1857. December 23d, J. Pickworth, Calmar, early fifties.
1905
January 5th, Winneshiek County State Bank celebrates fiftieth
anniversary. January 7th, W. S. Bucknell, Decorah architect, departs
for Panama to be employed on the big canal.
April 27th, New Winneshiek Hotel formally opened.
May 24th, John C. Todd, prominent farmer of Fremont township,
passed away suddenly
June 7th, Decorah city council orders paving of seven blocks of
city streets and alley in blocks 10 and 11.
June 12th, Student Singers of Norway visit Decorah and give concerts.
June 20th, Burr Oak old settlers' picnic brings reunion of large
number of old residents.
June 22d, Freeport paper mill burned.
June 22d and 23d, North Iowa Veterans' Association meets in Decorah
and is attended by six score old soldiers.
July 11th, Elizabeth Douglass Adams, wife of Rev. Ephraim Adams,
pioneer pastor of Decorah Congregational church, dies at Waterloo.
August 12th, Mrs. Gottlob Krumm of the second pioneer family to
locate in the county (June 29, 1848) dies at her home at Fort
Atkinson. She was the mother of eight children, seven of whom
survived her. At the time of her death she was eighty-six years
of age.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
343
August 23d, Iver Larson, Decorah merchant and Canoe township
pioneer of 1851, passed away.
August 22d, Mr. and Mrs. James Daniels (Frankville, 1852) celebrate
their fifty-fifth wedding anniversary.
September 2d, William Jennings Bryan lectured in Decorah.
September 14th, census of Winneshiek county is 24,109, a gain
of 378 in five years. Decorah's population, 4,018.
September 17th, Mrs. Andrew Meyer; who came to Winneshiek in 1849,
celebrates eightieth birthday.
October 21st, Henry Schulze, well known contractor and builder
of Decorah, died suddenly at Mabel, Minnesota.
November 1st, E. O. Schjeldahl celebrates thirtieth anniversary
as merchant at Highlandville. Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Kramer of Castalia
celebrate golden wedding.
October 29th, New Friends church at Hesper dedicated.
November 14th, board of supervisors let contract for building
of concrete bridge to cost $15,000 over Upper Iowa river in Decorah.
November 16th, C. N. Goddard, pioneer merchant, announces that
he will retire from business, closing a career of fifty years.
November 20th, C. C. Bates, veteran horseman, died at his home
in Decorah. In "Thalberg" he owned one of the most noted
horses in the Middle West.
S. W. Field, aged eighty years, died. He came to Decorah in the
early '60s. November 26th, corner stone of new Lutheran church
laid in Ridgeway.
December 7th, Jane Amy McKinney, pioneer of Fort Atkinson in 1857,
died at Cleveland, Ohio. She was an ardent member of the W. C.
T. U. and enjoyed something more than a local reputation as an
able champion of that work and the fight for equal suffrage.
Deaths of pioneers recorded during the year:
January 2d, Mrs. Susan A. Reed, 1854.
January 24th, James Sharp, Hesper, 1853.
January 29th, D. C. Taber, Hesper, 1855.
February 5th, James McKernan, Bloomfield, early '50s.
February 22d, Mr. Brockman, Military, early '50s.
February 15th, James McMillen, Hesper, 1852.
March 20th, Charles Golz, Decorah, 1857.
March 12th, Thomas Daly, Fremont, 1852.
March 21st, George Strayer, Freeport, 1858.
April 19th, Louis Nolte, Decorah, 1859.
April 21st, Franklin Dean, Bloomfield, 1854.
April 22d, Lydia C. Aldrich, Hesper, 1856.
May 1st, Amos J. McKay, Freeport, 1856.
April 26th, C. E. Dickerman, Decorah, 1855.
May 6th, Ellen Giles, born in Canoe, 1856.
--, John H. Pierce, Burr Oak, 1854.
July 30th, Mrs. Anna M. Christianson, Pleasant, 1854.
--, Mrs. L. P. Frazine, Decorah, 1856.
August 31st, Tollev Halvorson, Military, 1854.
PAST AND PRESENT OF WINNESHIEK COUNTY
344
August 22d, Mrs. John Ammon, Decorah, 1852. September 21st, Mrs.
M. Forde, Pleasant, 1856. November r2th, Mrs. C. F. Hiller, Spillville,
1855.
1906
January 2d, Decorah city council raises mulct tax from $600 to
$1,200. January 9th, Mrs. A. Bradish celebrated her eightieth
birthday on the 5th and R. F. Gibson celebrated his eightieth
birthday on the 8th. (Both are still living and in fair health.)
February 10th, Mrs. David Taber celebrated her ninetieth birthday.
Settled in Hesper in 1855.
April 12th, papers of this date record the death of Alexander
McKay, a prominent citizen and one of the pioneers of the county,
having settled in Decorah in 1853. For several terms he served
as a member of the city council.
May 13th, Knut Thompson, who came to Decorah in 1854, passes away.
He was sheriff of Winneshiek county from 1869 to 1873.
June 6th, cyclone hits Canoe and Highland townships with total
damage of $50,000. The heavy losers are: E. T. Selness, $10,000;
G. Fawcett, Carrie Luros and Kittle Severson, $3,000 each; Ne1s
Larson, $800; Lewis Larson, $300.
July 3d, Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Newcomber of Hesper celebrate golden
wedding. (Mrs. Newcomber died July 28.)
July 25th, old Fort building at Fort Atkinson, used by Mrs. A.
Cooney as a residence, narrowly escapes burning.
August 3d, Swenson Valve Company, Decorah, incorporated.
June 2d, board of supervisors buy twenty-seven voting machines
from U. S. Standard Voting Machine Company. The act was repudiated
by the voters.
June 23d, Eric Anderson and John W. Stiles, prominent Decorah
citizens, pass away. Mr. Anderson came to Springfield township
in 1850 and was sheriff from 1861 to 1865. Mr. Stiles came to
Decorah in 1855 and was pioneer liveryman, later engaging in hotel
business.
June 30th, Congress appropriates $5,000 to buy postoffice site
in Decorah. June 27th, Rev. C. A. Marshall died at Cresco. He
was an early day pastor of the Burr Oak Congregational church.
June 30th, Luther College Concert Band departs on its first trip
to the Pacific coast.
August 2rst, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Reed celebrate fifty-fifth wedding
anniversary.
September 29th, Aaron R. Young died at Waucoma. He was a soldier
at Fort Atkinson in 1848, and his marriage to Mary A. Rogers on
February 11, 1849, was the first ceremony of its nature in the
county. He was transferred to Fort Snelling a few weeks later
and did not return to take up his permanent residence in the county
until 1851.
October 22d, A. W. Kramer, pioneer merchant of Castalia, passes
away. October 26th, Mrs. E. E. Meader, the pioneer woman of Hesper
township, died.
November 29th, Mr. and Mrs. Lambert Dresselhaus celebrate golden
wedding.
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