The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-06-21
FIRST SETTL EMENT OF NO.
,.- ..,.,~- BLES= COUNTY s.ses= :.


49, -.. .ss.~-BLES 4COUNTY~ >ssaass.sasss-
FIRST SETTLERS IN THE COUNTY,
-HAIPDSHLPS-0RG 1ION OF THE
COUN2'Y-FIRST COUNTY OFFICER&
FIRST SETTLERS.
Mobiles county was first settled June
10, 1867, by Joseph and Stephen Muck.
These were followed by B. F. Tanner,
and O. B. Lacey. John Barnett, Mar
tin Rice, Chas. Drury and B. w. Wool
stencroft arrived July 4, 1867. This
settlement was made at Graham Lakes.
There was probably IS acres of timber
on the Lakes at that time and they
were very beautiful. During the fol-
lowing fall there were several more fam
lilies Joined these and things began to
look more like civilization. 49,.
During the Summer of 1867 a mail
route was established from Blue Earth
City to Yankton, D. T., via Graham
Lakes with PhilO Halves as contractor.
Chas. Drury was appointed postmaster
at Graham Lakes, Jan. %, 1868, being
VAlO Al 81 IA III VIC CONutys
FIRST WHITE CHILD.
The first white child born in the
county was Minnie Leach, born May
E27, 1868: During the early settlement
countless hardShlpS were endured by
the people. Being poor men they were
compelled to earn a living by trapping
and rs they were inexperienced in the
art Of setting traps this was no easy
task. They were often caught in the
blizzards 10 or Is miles from home,
sometimes: being ON the prairie during
| the entire storm, when nothing but
courage and physical strength could
save them. AS Il type of these adven-
lures I will relate a couple. They will
illustrate the nature of tho trials and
sufferings endured:
EARLY HARDsH1Ps. :.
In February, 1869, a company con.
sisting of John Anscomb and his son
William, Chas. Haus and G. NJ. Temp.
kins (;rQuaker who had both his feet
frozen off on former occasion) started
to find a slough in Town 1O2, Range 40.
They were not certain of its wherea-
bouts; and did not understand travel
ing by the section, and consequently
got lost. The second day in the morn.
ing they were Overtaken by 4 storm of
binding fury, and could only guess
their course. After wandering about
for two days on the prairie they hap
pened to find the corner of a Section of
which had given them Il plot with the
Section, Town and Range marked there.
on. They then knew where they were
for the first time in two days. They
turned their team around (for they
were going almost directly away from
home and although the poor cattle
had been three days travelling in the
snow with no roads, nothing to eat but
i little corn meal and were snow blind;
they had to he driven home to save the
lives of the men, as they too were snow
blind with one exception, and that one
nearly SO. The wonder was that they
were not Ill frozen to death.
The other case was CllaS. Derby and
the writer. We were camped OH the
bank of Summit Lake in a small tent.
On the night of the It'll, of January,
1870, 4 severe storm arose and rage'l
for three days and nights. The snow
drifted terribly covering the tent and
crowding it down SO we had no room
to lie down. On the third night, at 8
o'clock, we started home, having been
elected, so to speak. We had no road,
no guide, and the thermometer ut &c
below zero. We got along very we'll
until we got into 4 large slough where
the snow was very loose and deep and
we could find no way out for some
time. When we did my feet were fro
zen almost solid. We finally arrived
home about 3 O'Clock i'll the morning.
could ennumerate q number of in
stances of like adventures but these
were enough to satisfy me and 1 judge
will satisfy the reader.
In the spring Of 1870, there came a
rumor that the Indians were coming to
s'wipe us out" and we were organized
into a company and proceeded to forti.
ty the Island for defence. We'll, when
we got our fort almost completed, We
found the ru1nor groundless and sc
were disbanded. For this service We
never received any pay; and l have not
heard OF any who received pensions fol-
wounds received OF injuries incurred
| ORGANIZING THE COUNTY.
Iii October, 1870, Governor Austin
appointed Chas. Drury, Benz. Harrison
and Is. W. Woolstencroft to organize
the county. These Commissioners ap
pointed County Officers several times
before they effected an organization.
FIRST COUNTY OFFICERS.
The officers elected at the first cleo
ton were: Auditor-H. u. Bookstav
lister ofDeeds-Selom Fox. Judge Of
Pro'ate-E. ". Hesselroth. Sheriff.
G. W. Bulls. Clerk of Court. il
Cunningham. surveyor-B. ". Wool
stencroft. Coroner-Stepllen Muck
Commissioners-I.S S. Swan, j. II. Gun
inghaln and Frank Tucker.
At the time the Railroad was built
into the county our population mum
bered 113 souls. We had never IIat
any choppers and believed that all w
needed to have the country settled wa:
the aforesaid railroad.
The above are a few items have lot
ted down from time to time and vii
leave the subject to some one more wor
thy to deal with it. B. W. w.
LOCUST REPORT
Dr.. =. D. Churchill, of Indian Lake
has made a report on the locust latch
to Prof. Thomas, whoapplied to him FL
a report. The main points in the Doc
tors report are us follows:
Most of the eggs not disturbed by
blowing Matched, except those eaten BY
black birds, the red parasite and spec
les of white worm. Thinks that nine
teen twentieths of the eggs plowed I'LL
der early and deep failed to hatch
Plowed his OWN six inches deep i'll Sep
TENDER and has 10 locusts. 4 neigh
Dor plowed 3 inches deep and III!
crops have been injured by the hatcl.
| Rrelkillr which u:ls l1aal. cot Inc e.,