The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1928-06-07

A. H. HENDRICKSON
town in Georgia he came from
One argument used among others
was that H. S. Doty who was one
of the supporters of the present
name wanted it Kandota, not only
because it was the name given to
the townsite on theAshley by one
eastern Yankee" but that the two
last syllables of the name was the
name of Doty, another yankee"
We must remember this was just
after the Civil War, when at every
turn it was necessary to wave the
"bloody shirt"
The First Settlers of the Township
On November 18th 1865, John
R. Howard made the first home
stead entry in Kandota township.
He entered the farm in section 80,
known as the Barnes farm. Later
he turned it into a cash entry and
obtained title by a Military Scrip,
so he did not have to live on the
land.
The writer once asked Mr.. How.
ard why he did not get some better
land when the whole country was
before him? His answer was that
he knew of the good land in the
northwest part of the town but
chow could he get to it,"
The first attempt of settlement
in this town was made 10y Stephen
Bailey and family in 1862. He
located on the Hardin farm in Sec
ton %, but had no more than got
there before they had to leave
again on account of the Indians.
After the Indian war was over he
settled in West Union part of his
homestead being in this town,
about 1866. ":.:
There were some settlers who
came here in 1866. but with the ex-
ception of the two named no one
seemed to have remained. Over
the line in Stearns county there
were some who came very early.
There was a man named Longfel.
low, on the Austin farm. Dean
Stabler settled where now VIM. Up
ton lives; P. IS. Hickman came to
Sank Centre in the summer of 1862
and as soon as it was safe he moved
on what is now the Wicklund farm
on the Ashley.
One Chandler took up the land
that Mr.. Bailey first had and lived
there about a year and in the
spring and summer of 1867, it was
the time of the great flood. Ashley
was very high; in an attempt to
get to Sank Centre over the lake
he drowned. The farm was then
entered by John Clark, a relative
of the former entryman.
A man by the name of Gillette
had homesteaded the Orendorff
farm, but he was employed by the
government teaming. 1t seems that
he forgot to deliver back "a pair of
mules and was in Saltwater when
MIR. H. D. Orendorff came here in
the spring Of 1867 and paid him
$500 for the REIMBURSEMENT of
the land.
This fact of buying relinquish-
ments is mentioned to show one
way the first settlers were hamp-
cred. At least a dozen entries
were made in this town by people
who lived mostly in Sank Centre
and who never intended to settle
on the land, but to make a few dol
lars out of it. Only in two in
stances did the party actually set
tie on the land.
Another drawback for the early
settlers of this town was the
amount of land entered by non
residents and held for specula
lions. In some instances because
the hard times that followed, the
parties were not able to get here.
In the crew that surveyed this
township in 1858 was a young
man by the name of John o. Milne
from Fall River, Mass. He pick
ed out the very best pieces of
land in the township and intended
to come right back and settle and
bring some of his friends with him,
but the Civil War broke out and
Mr.. Milne enlisted and served dur
ing the war. Just as soon as the
war was over he entered the land
on Fairy Lake where the Fairy
Lake resort now is. He entered
this by military scrip. The patent
for this land was issued in 1866.
He also induced number of other
Fall River people to enter land and
some came here also but a great
number just held the land till they
could sell it.
In the eastern part of the town
east of Sank River most of the
land was granted 10y the govern
ment to one John P. Tweed, trus-
tee, for an organization in Cincin-
natl, Ohio, called the 'Long
Prairie Land Company" together
with the government holdings in
the Winnebago Indian Agency at
Long Prairie.
Sixty years ago there were in
this town only the aforesaid Oren-
dorffs. Others who came here in
1867 were David Vessey on what