1914 Notes of Progress Edition About A Progressive, Prosperous, Northern Iowa Town
Published history of Harris seems to be
brief and incomplete, and at best difficult to obtain.
Official records show that the town sprung into existence in
1889.
During the latter years of the eighties, the settlement of
Osceola County, and especially the more desirable portion of it,
which embraces the eastern townships of the county, had increased
quite extensively, and the increase in population had become so
pronounced as to create an irrepressible demand for a railroad
station, a grain elevator and a post office. Acting upon
this demand, a number of farmers held a meeting and determined to
take action such as would vouchsafe for them the desired
acquisition. V.P. Burley, one of the prominent farmers and
early settlers, was designated as a committee to solicit funds
for the purchase of a tract of land to be set apart as an
original townsite. Eighteen acres of land were so purchased
and this tract was offered to the Rock Island and A.W. Harris
& Co., the Sibley grain dealers, as a partial inducement for
the erection of a railroad station and a grain elevator.
The land was purchased of Mr. Burley, who at that time owned the
land upon which the present town of Harris stands. Mr.
Burley sold the 18 acre tract at the exceedingly low figure of
$10 per acre.
Both the Grain Company and the Railroad Company acted upon the
proposition of the petitioning farmers, and thus came into
existence the railroad station now prominent throughout the
county as Harris, Iowa.
Soon after the railroad station was established the postoffice
then known as Rush Lake, a distance of three miles away, was
moved to the new townsite and the name changed to conform to the
name of the new town. That Harris is surrounded by a good
farming country is evidenced by the fact that during the year
1912, there were shipped from that station 220 cars of grain,
stock and hay.
In 1890 or 1891, M. B. Smith moved from eastern Iowa, erected the
first residence house in the town, and at the same time opened a
lumber hard and harness shop. At about the same time J.
Watling came in and started a blacksmith shop.
During the early nineties the little town made scarcely any
progress, but in the three years succeeding 1895, quite a village
sprung up and a number of very desirable and substantial business
enterprises were started. Among this number was the present
Beeler Building, which was erected by G. W. Thomas, who had been
appointed postmaster.
During the years elapsing between 1898 and the present time,
Harris has experienced a slow but steady growth. While it
has never made a wonderful record for rapid material advancement,
its progress has been sound and substantial, and by reason of the
fact that it has a choice territory of the finest farming country
in the world surrounding it, there is every indication that the
place will, at a no distant future time, become a still more
prosperous and progressive little city above the average in size
and importance.
The town is prettily situated in the midst of a grand, boundless
rolling prairie farming country, noted for its beauty and
fertility, profusely decorated with thrifty farms, costly farm
residences, barns, schoolhouses, churches, and other improvements
of every description. Such elegant farms and farm homes
would astonish the down-easterner who has been spending half his
days in making faces at western resources and western
enterprise. The country here is composed of that same
splendid farm, hay and pasture land which has furnished homes of
plenty and prosperity for thousands of people from all the
civilized quarters of the globe and made the state of Iowa, in
common with such as Illinois and Wisconsin, famous throughout the
civilized world.
Products
The commercial exports of Harris are
cattle, horses, hogs, hay, seeds, wheat, corn, oats, barley,
flax, potatoes, butter, eggs, poultry and fruits.
With reference to cereal products it is true that while here, as
elsewhere, some things do better than others, there is no cereal,
vegetable, or fruit grown in this latitude of the United States
that will not grow in the vicinity of Harris. Of course,
the vast majority of people are engaged in farming, dairying and
stock raising, and this must always be the principal occupation
of those who make their homes in this locality. More than
80 percent of the land is now under cultivation, and the
wonderful crops of corn and small grain annually produced in
Osceola County can feed a by no means insignificant portion of
the world’s population.
Corn
While the early pioneers of Osceola
County, believing that they had passed north of the Corn Belt,
did not plant corn with much confidence, that cereal has no
become one of the principal crops of the country. Corn
never fails to ripen, though the immense stalks often reach the
height of eight and ten feet, and the well-filled ears not seldom
grow to the size of twelve inches. The corn is always of
good quality, finely developed and generally overruns the
standard in weight. There are farmers in the vicinity of
Harris who are worth from $25,000 to $75,000 and the foundation
of their wealth is corn.
But while corn has become a favorite crop, there is yet a good
deal of wheat raised. Oats and barley have become very
popular as feed-producing staples, and an increased acreage of
both is produced each year. In fact there is no section of
country in the world where oats and barley do better than they
don on the land in the vicinity of Harris.
Grain and Produce
While Harris has not had an opportunity to develop in some line in industry as it will later on, it has built up a grain and stock market which excels all of its competing points. Its three monstrous grain elevators, as well as its two rustline stock shippers, are kept busy almost day and night during the shipping season of the year taking care of the vast amount of grain and stock that is brought here to market. The writer has made a careful investigation of the grain and livestock shipping industry of Harris upon the basis of this information that he places the annual grain shipments alone at Harris at not far from one-half million bushels, while the stock shipments have now reached the immense amount of over 200 cars a year. It is considered doubtful if there is a town this size in all of northwestern Iowa where this amount of stock and grain is marketed every year, and where better prices are paid than in Harris. The town has therefore every reason to congratulate itself on the fact that it has a set of active and enterprising grain and stock dealers, who are doing much toward the general advancement of the community.
Stock
The entire section of the country in the
midst of which Harris is conspicuously located is emphatically a
stock and dairy country, and even in the few years it has been on
a state of productiveness, the country has become one of the
greatest cream and butter producing sections in the west.
Tons upon tons of cream are being annually converted into a very
superior quality of butter by the local dairymen, and shipped to
the great eastern markets. The vast amount of cream that is
shipped out of Harris every month has created a marked demand for
the re-opening of the local creamery, which was established here
some years ago, but was obliged to close up, owing to incompetent
management. The right kind of a man at the head of this
institution would get an immense patronage from the farmers of
this surrounding country, all of whom have come to realize the
fact that a creamery at their hometown would be a source of
greater profit to them. A practical creamery man who
understands his business would find something to his interest by
writing to Mr. L. J. Hagerty, Harris Town Recorder, Harris, Iowa.
The underlying cause of the great cream and butter industry in
this locality is the fact that plenty of pure water, nutritious
grasses, cheap hay and a climate that is perfectly adapted to
stock, besides the finest shipping facilities in the world, have
contributed to making the business of stock raising and dairying
a most profitable one. Many farmers already have fine herds
of good cattle, and the quality of livestock is constantly
improving. The great demand for the dairy and creamery
products of Northwestern Iowa in the great eastern markets is
evidence of the future greatness of that industry in the vicinity
of Harris, where its inducements are supremely attractive and
promising.
Sheep and Hogs
In this connection it is proper to state that the raising of sheep and hogs is an industry which has attracted surprising attention throughout the vicinity of Harris, and has been marked with wonderful success. Sheep and hogs can always be depended upon to bring dollars to the farmer’s purse in this locality, where an abundance of pure water and the best of feed is exceptionally well adapted to the well-being of the animals. The extensive packing houses of St. Paul, Sioux Falls and Sioux City are close by, and the farmer is always sure of top prices for his swine product, as well as for his beef and mutton. For sheep the dry climate wards off those diseases to which the sheep of other states and localities too often fall a victim. Already many farmers have large herds of sheep, and there are not a few who are ready to declare that there is more money in sheep than there is in anything else to which the Northwestern Iowa farmer can turn his attention.
Soil, Water, Climate
The soil in the vicinity of Harris differs
in some respects from that of other localities, but it possesses
in a high degree the essential elements for producing all sorts
of cereals, fruits and vegetables. It requires no
artificial fertilizer to produce excellent crops, though the
prudent farmer has discovered that it pays well to use his animal
manure on his land even in the rich and productive Harris
district. A peculiar feature about the soil here seems to
be that it absorbs moisture very rapidly and yet is capable of
resisting unusual drought.
Water, both in quality and quantity, throughout the entire Harris
region, could hardly be more desirable. The supply is
inexhaustible, good water being obtained anywhere at a depth of
from 25 to 150 feet, and wells of that depth never fail.
The water is of good taste and is considered of the very best
quality for both man and beast.
So far as the climate is concerned, the writer is firm in the
conviction that, all things considered, it is the most favorable
of any on the American continent. True, the summers are
usually very warm, but there is almost always a mild breeze,
which keeps the atmosphere comparatively cool and agreeable, and
it is seldom that the heat of summer becomes too intense to
permit outdoor work. On the other hand, the winters are
quite mild and agreeable as a rule. Though sometimes very
cold and stormy, they are mostly open and more congenial for both
health and comfort than they are in the eastern states.
Fruit
Fruit raising has been a sadly neglected industry all over Northwestern Iowa, in common with the entire northwest. The pioneer settlers had the impression that fruit was one of the impossibilities among the products of this country, and the succeeding population seemed to imbibe the same conviction. The industry has therefore been slow of development. But in the last ten years the adaptability of the country to fruits of all kinds has revealed itself and thus the industry is becoming annually more popular. Already several good commercial orchards are in existence in different parts of the county, and nearly every farm in the Harris District has its own apple orchard giving results in accordance with the amount of cultivation and attention given. A large variety of apples, plums and cherries, and all the different kinds of small fruits, thrive in this climate and soil whenever properly cared for. According to reports from several practical experiments with strawberries, this fruit yields enormously, in several instances returning a cash revenue of $1,200 per acre on a single crop. Present conditions point to a large and profitable commercial fruit industry for this section of the country.
Population
Harris has a population of not far from
400 industrious, enterprising, and progressive people. The
population of the county is about 15,000. The inhabitants
of both town and county are greatly varied in point of
nationality, religious and political sentiment, education and
occupation, but the people in and around Harris are a quiet,
well-be-haved, sober, industrious and law abiding class of
citizens. The majority of the inhabitants of the county as
well as this locality, are American born descendents from the
Swedish, German, Danish, Norwegian, Scotch, Irish and Dutch, but
there is also a large proportion of English Americans. Of the
foreign born population the majority are Germans and Hollanders
(Dutch) but they are progressive in their ideas and practices,
adapting themselves readily to the American methods of industry
and society, and they have distinguished themselves for their
fine farms, splendid farm homes, school and churches, and for
their model citizenship. Most of them are staunch Christian
people, and a more honorable and prosperous class would be hard
to find.
With a clean, peaceable and honorable class of citizens, the
society of Harris is all that could be desired. There is no
aristocracy and every man is regarded as good as another as long
as he conducts himself in harmony with the prevailing standard of
society and observes the laws of the land as a good citizen
should.
CIVIC AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS
Civic and benevolent organizations are
plentiful in the Harris area and do a great deal of good in
maintaining a high social standing for the town and helping with
local improvements and charitable causes wherever needed.
Records, made in 1914, show the IOOF Lodge had a membership of
140, and its auxiliary, the Rebekah Lodge, also a large
membership. Both lodges are still active but the former now
has only 20 members and the Rebekah’s have only 13 members.
In past years, Modern Woodmen of America Lodge, Royal Neighbor
Lodge and Brotherhood of America Units had large memberships
here, but these three have not existed here for many years.
At present social clubs are numerous; PIO, the oldest, who
celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1963; Keeping-Up, Priscilla,
H.S., 15, O’Sirrah, Sewing Circle and Fair View, all
women’s clubs; boys and girls 4-H, Sportsmen’s Club,
and Community Club.
Update: The IOOF Lodge and Rebeccah Lodge are no longer
active in Harris. The few remaining members united with
Lake Park.
The Harris clubs are fewer than in 1964, and membership is
smaller. Priscilla Club, 15 Club, Fairview Farm Bureau
Women’s Club and Sportsmen’s Club decided to disband.
The P.I.O. Club has been organized the longest and celebrated its
75th Anniversary in 1988. It is a social club with seven
members.
The Keeping Up Club was organized in 1916, and federated in
1928. In 1988, the Club observed its 60th year with
G.F.W.C. and 72 years as a Club. It is a study club and
presently has ten members.
The H.S. Club absorbed the members of the 15 Club and Priscillas
when they disbanded. It has seven members, is a social club
and organized in 1928.
The O’Sirrah Club belongs to the G.F.W.C. and was organized
in 1954. It is a study club and has ten members.
The 4-H boys and girl’s clubs are the Fairview 4-H’ers
and Ocheyedan Indians.
The Community Club boasts a membership of 65 plus. Many
fine community projects have been completed through the
Club. In 1985, Harris won third in the State Community
Betterment Award Program – and in 1988, again won an award
as fourth place in the State.