The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-03-12

| have beell Joseph MUCK who still holds
y claim on tile peninsula between sEiast
and West Graham Lakes, z @E i
~ ORGANIZATIONS OF COUNTY. >s.:7sass
Mobiles County was organized III tile
fall Of 1870. Il Three County COmlnis-
siOneIs were appointed by the Governor,
consisting of Charles Drury, Benjamin
Harrison, and b. w. WW,lstemcroft.
The first nesting Of the Commissioners
was held 1T Graham Lakes on the 9th
Of October, 1870, 1T which meeting the
following named county officers were
appoimted: Simon Il. Harris, Auditor :;
John III. Cunningham. Treasurer !;
Stephen Howell, Registered Deeds ILL.,
ram l.. Wallace, Sheriff B. F. Tanner
aud William Hesselrotl,, Justices of the
Peace. At u subsequent Ii Getting ORR
gen b. Lacy was appointed Register of
Deeds Henry Brayton, County Attor-
ney; Simon Il. Harris, Judge 1T Pro-
bate benj. Harrison, Coroner; Edward
j. Clark, Clerk Of Court and Cilas. ii.
Drury and John Leitz, Justices of the
Peace. 1t Stems ~ have been difficult
/ those early days t. find men willing
to serve; and another meeting was held
III January, 1871, when VIM. II. Brown
was appointed County Attorney James
W. Miller, Surveyor and Cl,,s. w.
Bulls, Samuel Barnes and Ole Ellimg-
son.: Collstables. Still another effort
to complete the organization WAS made
in TIN March following, when WIN. II.
Brown was appointed Auditor, and j.
W. Palmer, County Attorney. The
officers THUS appointed appear to have
held until the election in the following
year. =.
FIRST ELECTION.
The first election WIS held in the fall
of 1871. The following named officers
We're then elected:
IL. ID. B"okstaver, Auditor.
Ch;ss. ". Bulls, Sheriff.
John II. Cunningham, Clerk o. Court.
Ii. Brayt0n, Treasurer.
Calvin Fox, Register OF Deeds.
K. v. HrsselrOtil, Judge of Probate.
County CumnissiOmers-Irw Swan,
: FIRST District john II. Cunningham,
Secu.d District Frank Tucker, Third
District.
At this election but two townships
voted, viz: G ;.llam Lakes and Indian
Lake and the number Of votes cast
i was -, Of which - were cast for llor-
ace Austin .or Governor, and l f,r
Winthrop Young.
EARLY SETTLERS.
During the year 1871 settlers began
! to gather about Ok;.belna Lake. Among
these We're g., C. Whitney, e. J. llotf-
man, =. r. Prince, John Alley and Mr..
klingenslnith, who are still occupying
! claims, and are among the most sub
stantial citizens of the county. In
November, 1871, there was not Il house.
where Northington now stands, and
the III lllagers Of the National Colony,
who visited the region of Ok:tbe,,a Lake
! At that time, were compelled to drive
, to Graham Lakes to find lodging for the
night.
The town of Wort|.ington was laid
out during the summer Of 1871 on the
nort', shore Of Ok;.bena Lake. Early
i in the winter Il few buildings were
erected, viz: the Wort',ington Hotel,
stores Of l.. f. McLaurin: II. ". Kim
ball, Hewitt & MARITIME. II. Davis,
grocery Of II. G. Foster, railroad depot
and agents dwelling, and hree lumber
; offices. 1t is claimed that l.. F. Nc
Laurin was the first Oh tile ground with
lumber, and that II. Davis was the first
to sell goods, " icl were then stored
; III Il sod sl'allty, the remains Of which,
Can still lie seen III one Ut the lumber
j yards. All the dealers named put in !.
stock Of Goods and spent the winter 1T
! Worthin9ton. The number of persons
who wintervd III Wortl'inSton the first
winter was about twenty. Among
these was Il "hless -" of five, viz: +. Il.
llumiSton, \. 2. Cl,amlerIin, e. G..
Goodnow, j. G.. Gootlnow AMI Jerry
:: IIaines, vino, soldier-like, went into
| barracks ''in IL boarding house near
the railroad, and boarded themselves
| G. J. Hoffman spent the winter on his
claim, just across the lake, and VIM. +.
lIibbard wintered III /. small house on
the East Lake. Jerome Stewart, Il
blind m:tn, wintered ina sod sl,anty
just &C oss the railroad, thereby secur-
ing i claim.
| FIRST POSTMASTER.
The railroad WAS not then completed
to W0rthingtOn, and. the mail was
brought by stage. Ii December, 1871,
IL. ". kimball was appointed Post
master, and Il mail WIS received during
the winter; 10y way Of iin<loM and
Jackson, about once Il month, ''StOrlny
Jack" Grier, noted throughout THIS
part Of the State us Il driver, carrying
the mail us far west rs Rock County.
POPULATION AND PROPERTY.
| AS before stated, the census Of 1880
showed Is persons in Mobiles County,
while that Of 1870 showed III. Tie
v;luati II Of proper y ut the first assess.
ment in 1872 WAS $l2l,7O5 The valua.
ton for the year 1874 is $432, 433, of
which $3.50, 125 is personal, and $18:!., 30e
is real property. The nun Der of acres
taxable or decided and contracted, is
81, 40. The number Of persons assessed
for 1874 is 745. The estimated ropul:.-
ton of the county is from 1900 to3 $50.
THE NATIONAL COLONY.
While Il few settlers We're coming in
and selecting claims about Ok;be,;,
Lake, i'll the summer Of 1871 negOtia.
tiOnS were III prDgress which were tn
result i'll Il more rapid settlement, and
III i future more prosperous, than had
entered into the dreams of any of the
first settlers. Dr.. Il. z. Miller, of Tt.
ledo, and Prof. r. F. IIumiStMi, Uf
Cleveland, Ohio, were ut that time III.
gotiating with the abroad company for
tue privilege of lM;.ting Il c.'l"ny upo.,
l54 townships If land, IL of which, lie
in Mobiles County and the residue in
Osceola County, Iowa The contract
was closed III the fall of 1871, ard dur.
ihg the winter following the Colony
Company, hy means of liberal and judi.
cious advertising, came into cores.
lWndence with several thousand persons
who wished to join the colony. Some
came on and wjntered in the county
and in the earlv Snrino1 If 1870 hmm.