davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1902-09-06
When He Lost HIS Nerve.

At Wichita a man went to law
yer's office and paid SIS on q note
which called for 1923. After the law
yer had Endorsed the payment on the
back of the note the man asked to
see it, and the lawyer handed 1t over.
In an instant the man thrust the
note into his mouth and commenced
to chew on 1t vigorously. Before
the lawyer could choke him into
splitting it out, 1t had been reduced
to a mass of pulp. The man went
his way triumphantly, but when he
found deputy sheriff was after him
he lost his nerve and went meekly
back to the lawyers Office, where
he paid the note in full.-Kansas City
journal.
Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1902-09-06
What They Most Need.

e. B. Jewett, warden OF the Kansas
state penitentiary, is much interest
ed in the work Of finding employment
for discharged convicts and probably
will ask the next legislature to amend
the laws governing the institution SO
that it may be done more easily and
effectively. "The best preventive OF
crime that 1 know Of" he said, us
ten hours hard work day at fair
wages. When man has worked that
long he is tired and is ready to 60
to bed and thereby keep out OF mis-
chief. If he is getting fair wages
he has something to spur him to con-
tinued labor"
Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1902-09-06
Alfalfa as q Money Maker.
To Bar Dealers in Tax Deeds.

In many counties of the state the
county commissioners will take adj
vantage of the law and bar dealers
in tax deeds from the September
sales. One provision of the act gives
the county the right to take in all
real estate upon which taxes are de-
linquent, and thereafter, until re-
demption by the owners, the invest
ment draws Is per cent. interest.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

cation for admission to practice as at
torneys and were admitted. The first
term of court under state constitution
was held by Judge Lewis Branson. j.
T. Williams was clerk.
The rapid growth which had set in
along in the latter part of the ifties
is indicated by the necessity which
arose for the division of the Mankato
school district into two districts.
There were reported to be, at the time
this was asked for, forty-s inhabi
tants between the age of four and
twenty one in Kasota district, and
eighty in the Mankato 6itrict. A
month or SO later, township 100 was
created a school district of itself and
known as district No. 4. From that
time on progress was made rapidly, as
various sections of the county were
opened up. New school districts were
constantly formed, and township gov
ernments organized, roads and bridg Q
constructed and other public improve
ments made.
In 1868 the total valuation of prop
erty in Blue Earth county for the
purposes of assessment, was So, 500 lin
1853 the assessed valuation was
81, COS, 615, and in 1901 it was $11,
493, 143.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

Earth county as an agricultural county
had to come 80 prominently 20
the front that the newspapers and
many citizens began to advocate the
necessity, as we'll as the advantages to
be gained of an agricultural fair,
arguing that it would bring the county
more prominently to the attention of
the outside world. AS result a
society for that purpose was formed,
and the first county fair was held at a
point one-half mile west of South
Bend, on Oct II. 1859, and the open
ing address was delivered by Daniel
Buck. From that period is said to
date the real agricultural prosperity of
the county, as previous to then but
little real husbandry had been engaged
in. In fact it is said that not enough
grain had been raised in any one year
to supply the home demand. Since
then that interest has fourished. 1t
received, however, series of severe
blows, inflicted by the grasshopper
scourge, the most severe of which was
in 1874 and 1876.
As was remarked at the opening OF
this article, Blue Earth county is well
watered, there being five rivers which
flow through it from the south, south
west, and southeast which empty in.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

Jail. 1t was to contain two cells and
cost 5000. 1t was finished January
list following and continued in use
until 1869 when more commodious
one was built.
1t is recorded that when the first
postoffce was established at Markato,
the contract for carrying the mail be-
tween st. Paul and Sioux City was let
to j. W. Babcock and George FL.
Marsh. They had very liberal con-
tract for the service, and were allowed
the privilege of pre- empting a section
of land every twenty miles On both
routes. Each twenty mile distance
was regarded as a station, at which
cabins were built They were obliged
to send mail through at least once a
month. Hoxie Rathburn who was
employed in this service, was frozen
to death while making trip.
In 1859 the. possibilities of Blue
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30
Something of It's Formation, Early
Settlement, Resources and Gen.
eral Advantages.
Brief Sketches of It's Townships and Villages,
Noting Their Settlement and
Gradual Advancement.

and assistance. In this way were
many places settled. That was form
of colonization much in vogue in the
decade commencing with the year 1850
is manifestly apparent, when the
records are inspected. These COM
panies, too, were as a rule formed for
the purpose of making claim to town
sites, and the fact that no government
survey had been made had no doubt
much to do with their organization. !"
South Bend was one of the earliest
places settled outside of Mankate and
for time was quite rival to Man
kato, and there were some who
thought that point would be the lead
ing place in this section Amos ID.
Seward tells that when he arrived in
Mankato in 1856 there were only ti"e
houses of board and six of logs, and
that there were only four horses in
the entire region. two being at Lake
Crystal and two at Mankato. At that
time the question as to whether wheat
could be successfully raised had not
been settled, as it was as yet an I'M
tried experiment.
The first saw mill erected in the
county was built in 1854 by Van Brunt
on the LIE Sueur river, some six miles
southeast from Mankato. This prop
erty soon after had to be abandoned as
it was included in the Winnebago res
ervation by the general government.
The first meeting of the board of
county commissioners was held at
Mankato On August 6, 1858. At this
session it was ordered that Blue Earth
county be divided into two election
precincts the first to be THAT part
which lies south of line starting
from the st. Peters now Minnesota
river at the northern portion of the
claim of James Rablin and running
due east to the other extremity Of
the county. and shall be known by the
name of Mankato precinct and that
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

everywhere, and church accommoda-
tions are found in every neighborhood.
In fact all the advantages which go
to make life worth living, are now at
the hand of the farmer Of Blue Earth
county.
As one goes out through the county
and notes all this thrift and pros
perity, the fine homes which dot the
face of the country everywhere with
the advantages which the people en-
joy, it is hard to contemplate that all
this evidence of civilization has been
reared out of wilderness in the short
space of fifty years. 1t seems nothing
short of marvellous, as one surveys it.
Fifty years ago today all this section
was as nature had formed it. "The
broad and rolling prairies were as
green then as they are now: in sum-
mer perfect paradise of verdure,
with its variegated hues of flowers
and vegetation; in winter a dreary
snow mantled desert. Selected as a
camping and hunting ground by the
Sioux. with that wonderful apprecia-
ton of the beautiful which nature has
made an instinct in the savage,
scarcely sign of habitation or civil
cation existed. 1t was the home of
the red man, and the freedom of bird
and beast reigned supreme. Today
what a contrast Cities and villages,
the peer of those which have been
centuries in building, have sprung up
as if by magic; civilization and pro-
gress are apparent on every hand;
comfortable and elegant dwellings are
everywhere visible; schools and
churches adorn the former barren
prairie; and the result is prosperous
land, filed with an enterprising, in
telligent and happy people, and the
iron horse, swifter than the nimble
deer, treads the pathway so recently
the trail of the red man.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

SIN 1878 the total area of land un-
der cultivation was 80, 515 acres; of
this over 81, coo acres was in wheat
This acreage was divided into 1881
farms. In the same year there were
1874 organized school districts persons
between the ages of FIVE and twenty
one, and entitled to the privileges of
the public schools, 7,494, of which
3, 1856 were males, and 8. 709 females !;
number enrolled in winter schools was
4,O16; the number of school houses in
the county was as follows: Log,
thirty five; frame, thirty seven; brick,
six, stone, one total. 119; the value
of the same was estimated at sS4, 800.
At the same date the total bonded in
debtedness of the county was only
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

are in better circumstances than are
the farmers. Dairying and stock rails
ing have been largely entered into
and are occupying much of the
farmers attention. The creamery
has changed the situation muchly for
the farmer. relieving his wife of much
of the drudgery which formerly fell to
her lot, and put the business upon
basis which makes it most profitable
adjunct to the farm. During the last
two or three years the farmers have
been paying more and more attention
to poultry, and through the introduce
ton of the best breeds Of poultry and
better care, have greatly increased
their income from this source and
have found that this feature of the
farm to which little attention used to
be paid, or relegated entirely to the
care of the wife and children, with
quarters none the best, is proving, for
the attention required, more profitable
than wheat.
The attention which has been de-
voted to stock raising has resulted in
a vast improvement in that line, and
the scrub stock of early days has given
place to fine blooded strains, and on
all farms can be found many line
specimens of imported stock, while
there are large number of herds OF
fine blooded stock scattered all over
the county. More and more attention
is being paid to this matter with each
passing year, as the farmers see the
results which follow investments in
this direction. With the greater pros
perity which has followed this diver.
si6cation of farm products, there hai
come better homes and surrounding
with all the comforts and many Of
the luxuries which wealth can bring
Farm life is no longer the isolated
lonely. dresry round of drudgery i
used to be. The rural delivery of tht
mails is spreading out and fast bring
ing every farm house within it's reach
while the telephone is fast finding it
place in every farm ho7se and bring
ing it's occupant in close touch will
the outside world, while it eliminate
space between farm houses and bring
large farming communities into as clos
social connections as are the people o
city block. Good schools abount
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

changed to Kasota precinct, and about
the same time steps were taken to
divide the county into school districts,
two being formed the boundaries be-
ing the same as those of the election
precincts. A few months later as the
portion of the county west of the Blue
Earth river, was getting pretty well
settled petition was presented to the
board asking to be set off into sep
arate election district and the same
was granted, and Messrs. Evans,
Bangs and Matkeas were appointed
judges of election.
The first term of the district court
for Blue Earth county was held at
Mankato on May 4, 1854, Hon. An
drew G.. Chatfeld presiding. Blue
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

to the Blue Earth and thence into the
Minnesota. It also has fine system
of beautiful lakes, which help to give
it's landscape most pleasing appear
ance A few of the smaller lakes have
disappeared within the past few
years and the farmer is turning his
attention to retaining them for agri-
cultural purposes.
Within the borders of the county are
nearly half a million acres of the
finest and richest land that ever clay
out doors - Of this, some 80, 600
acres, the greater part of which is
located in the northeastern portion of
the county, and along the numerous
streams and lakes, was at the time the
early settlers come here, covered with
timber. This has quite generally been
cut off, and many fine farms have
been opened up in the timber districts.
There is still many tracts of timber
left. but the supply of wood which
comes therefrom for the general trade
is annually growing less, and the
price is gradually crawling higher.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of
%, 900 acres is embraced in the water
system, and about so, 900 acres more is
meadow. The balance embracing
something like 800, 900 acres, is nearly
all fine undulating prairie, in high
state of cultivation, dotted with beau
tiful groves and homes, and inter
spersed with belts of timber along the
rivers and around the lakes. The soil
is of very rich quality and ranges
from a foot and half to four feet
deep and contains all of the elements
which sustain most vigorous growth
of vegetation. Its acres have been well
titled, and as consequence it's farm
ers are generally in good circum-
stances. Many of the older ones have
retired from the active management
thereof and now reside in Mankato OF
some one of the numerous villages
Throughout the .country, and the man
agement of their farms have passed
into the hands of their SONS, or are
carried on by tenants. There are com
paratively few farms in the hands of
non resident owners, and there are no
large farms in the sense they are
known through the northwest. The
general tendency has been toward a
division of many of the larger farms,
though this tendency may have been
arrested somewhat during the past
year or two. because of the movement
that has been in progress toward the
cheaper lands of the northwest. Natur'
ally the early years were devoted
largely to grain raising, but that
period is past and wheat is the staple
product no longer, and farming opera
tions have become largely diversified
and as result no class of our people
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

tanned by popular subscription. He
obtained six or seven. and it is need
less to remark that there were no
more raids in the sections of the coun-
try where the bloodhounds were kept.
In 1866 steps were taken by the board
of county commissioners to build a
county court house and Jail and tax
was ordered levied to pay for the
same. The dimensions of the court
house were to be thirty by forty feet.
two stories high. On September LIST
of that year proposals were received
for building the court house, but for
various reasons the matter went over
until the following year. On No
vember 1, 1851 the contract was let TO
Francis Bunker for building a county
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

$40, 900, which had been incurred
principally for the erection of bridges,
of which there were then three wooden
truss and two iron truss
Says writer in those days: SIT is
gratifying to observe that the county
finances have always been judiciously
managed, and the rate of taxation,
with the exception of one or two
years, has been lower than that of any
other county in the state.
1t was very fortunate for the early
progress of Blue Earth county that the
reservation of the Winnebago Indians
was located in the heart of it as it
was, and this fact impeded the
growth and progress of the county for
number of years. These Indians, as
is noted elsewhere in this issue, oc-
cupied these lan5s from the time the
treaty was made in 1866, to the time
of their final removal in 1868. The
provisions for this reservation were,
that it was not to exceed ten town
ships of land, in the southern part IF
the territory of Minnesota, and was
not to approach nearer the Minnesota
river than where the LIE Sueur empties
into theBlueEarth which was represent
ed to the authorities atWashington to be
at least thirty-fv miles from Manka-
to. By this mistake or objectionable
Misrepresentation the Indians were
located within two miles of Mankato,
and were located upon six and one
half townships almost in the heart of
the county. These townships were
those now known as Rapidan, Decoria,
Mcpherson. Beaufort, Medo, Lyra
and the south tier of sections of
Mankato, LIE Ray and South Bend
townships. Settlers who had gone in
there at that time were obliged to
vacate, among them being Van Brunt
who had erected the saw mill on the
LIE Sueur river, as above referred to.
The reservation included some of the
finest farming lands in Southern Min
nesota, and today embraces some of
Blue Earth county's richest farms, and
most thrifty and wealthy farmers
The part which Blue Earth county
played in the Sioux war and massacre,
need not be referred to here, as it is
treated in detail elsewhere in this
issue. 1t was great set back to the
country, from which it took quite a
number of Yeas to recover. There is
one incident of that time, however,
which we clip from an early history
of those days, which deserves mention
here and we reproduce it as follows
SIN May, 1866, the county commits
sioners offered bounty of fifty dollars
for each Indian scalp taken in Blue
Earth county. By probable over
sight or carelessness in framing
the resolution it was not made
to cover those taken from hostile In
dams alone. No distinction at all was
, made. This stood until as late date
as seven or eight years afterwards,
when attention being directed to the
matter by A. D. Seward. who saw
while going through the records tina
the reward was still in force, thu
statute was repealed.
Mention might also be made here o
the fact that E. P. Evans was sent al
commissioner into the southern
states, during the time of the Indian
raids, to obtain some bloodhounds
The. money for this. purpose was OBJ
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

Mann, looked over the location and
determined to settle there. A small
shanty was built, which was left IN
charge of Thunderstorm nephew. A
sort of a company was formed Tor
townsite purposes, and on August b,
1868, the first log cabin was built for
J. S. Lyon, one of the party. he is
said to have owned the first COW in the
county west of the Blue Earth river.
In December, 1858, the town was laid
out and it continued to thrive until it
reached population of about l'OOo
This was about the time of the Indian
outbreak, which caused many to
leave, and as Mankato had commenced
O forge ahead, the will age of South
Bend commenced to melt away. In
1857 the townsite of La Hitler City
was laid out on Mr.. Armstrong;
claim short distance from the mouth
of the Blue Earth. The next village
to be laid out in the township was
Minneopa in 1870. A postoffice was
established at South Bend in 1858,
and Mathew Thompson was appointed
postmaster. At present rural free de-
livery serves the people of large Sec
tion of the township. The frat relig-
ious service held in the town were
conducted by Rev. W. Williams,
Baptist minister from illinois. This
was in the spring of 1856. Later
Congregational minister, Rev. j. Jen"
kins, preached there. The outcome
was a church organization, and the
building later of a union church.
Among the early settlers were ID. r
Davies Owen Herbert, d. Q. Evans,
Thomas Hughes, Griffith Jones,
George keenan,, D. J. Lewis. In the
Indian war, South Bend raised a COM
pany composed of eighty men and
about half of these were Welshmen.
MANKATO TOWNSHIP.
The early history of this town is
closely or entirely connected with that
of the city OF which it was a part.
The first white settlers outside of the
limits of the city are said to be
Columbus Ballard and H B. Kauff-
man who came here in 1858. The
i township organization was effected In
1853 and S. M. Walker was elected
chairman of the board of supervisors,
with James Shoemaker and j. Y. A.
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

Blue Earth county takes its name
from the river of that name, which
enters on the south flowing northward
through the county and forms juno
tion with the Minnesota at its great
south bend, on the west boundary OF
the city of Mankato. Prairie and
timber are we'll blended, there being
timber along all the streams and ex-
tending out we'll into the country
tributary thereto. The soil is rich,
deep and durable and the county,
agriculturally is one of the richest and
most prosperous in the state. 1t is
we'll warered with beautiful lakes and
streams, while its railroad facilities
are among the best, several lines
traversing the county in several
directions
The settling of Mankato in 1859, at
the time when Minnesota was being
opened up for settlement, and the tide
of immigration had set in this way
naturally opened up to the attention
of settlers the rich farming lands
adjacent, and there were hundreds OF
families who were willing to face the
dangers and privstions attendant on the
settling thereto for the great possibili-
ties which they believed the future
held out to them in this region.
The organization of Blue Earth
county was effected by an act Of the
legislature passed in March, 1858.
J. W. Babcock. J. S. Hinckley and
James Hanna were appointed com
missioners. EdW ard Perkins was first
register of deeds. but held the Office
only a short time. He was succeeded
in the Office by P. K. johnson.
Blue Earth county was originally a
part of Dakota county, which covered
the greater portion OF this part of the
state, and the legislative act which
provided for its formation, also called
into existence ten other counties. The
act was approved on March 9Th, and
The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-06-30

Earth county then constituted part
of the third judicial district of the
territory. Basil Moreland was sheriff !;
Jeffrey r. Adams, clerk; Chas. E.
Flandreau, acting United States dis
trict attorney; George Maxfeld, crier !;
J. j. Noah, interpreter, and Hoxie
Rathburn, bailiff. There were only
two cases before the court at that
session, those of George Maxfeld VS..
Henry Jackson, and Henry Jackson
vs.. T. D. Warren. Both of these were
appeal cases from justice court. and
both were dismissed. At that time
only an annual session of the district
court was held.
In 1867 Charles E. Flandreau ap-
peared as judge and at this term John
E. Tourtellotte. S. F. Barney, Cramer
Burt, Daniel Buck, Horace Austin,
Charles W. Miller and Richard W.
Warden appeared and each made appli-