George C. Granger

GRANGER

Posted By: Emmet County IAGenWeb Coordinator (email)
Date: 2/13/2011 at 20:26:07

George C. Granger, Early Emmet County Settler

In 1853 when Emmet County was organized there was not a single permanent white settler within its borders. In June, 1856, Jesse Coverdale and George C. Granger located in what is now Emmet Township taking claims for themselves and for William Granger, Henry and Adolphus Jenkins, and D. W. Hoyt who arrived soon after. George C. Granger built the first house in the county--a good sized cabin four miles north of what is now Estherville. Granger brought a small stock of staples that new settlers in the frontier settlement would need and opened the first store. He also was also appointed postmaster of the first postoffice in the county at "Emmet". He was replaced the next spring by Henry Jenkins.

Also in the summer of 1856 coming to Dickinson County, IA from Red Wing, MN was a party consisting of William Granger, Carl Granger, Bert Snyder and Doctor Harriott. The Grangers claimed land along Lake East Okoboji. The were all young men without families except William Granger whose family did not accompany him. In March of 1857 only William of this group was not brutally killed in the Spirit Lake Massacre. It is not known where William was during the rampage& by a small band of Sioux Indians. He left Dickinson County soon after.

When U.S. troops arrived at the Granger cabin they found the dead body of Carl Granger and buried it east of his cabin near the bank of the lake. He died March 8, 1857.

Contributed by: Ruth Hackett. Source: Information from the History of Emmet and Dickinson County and from A History of Dickinson County, Iowa by R. A. Smith.