Chapter V
Most people who settled in Osceola County
in 1871 did not, in starting out, make directly for the county,
but started for government land in Northwest Iowa. In the spring
of 1871 Frank R. Coe left Clayton County, Iowa as sort of an
advance guard for several of his neighbors who had the western
fever. He arrived in Osceola County and filed that same spring on
the northwest quarter of Section 22, Township 99, Range 41, now
East Holman, and then returned to his friends, for whom also he
had picked out claims. Among these was J. S. Reynolds, present
County Auditor. Coe and Reynolds came up in September 1871 and
Reynolds filed on the northeast quarter of Section 22, the same
section with Coe. They made the usual improvements required for a
government settler, and returned again to Clayton County where
they wintered. In the spring of 1872 they returned to their
claims. Reynolds drove through with two yoke of oxen, and had
with him his son Samuel, then about twelve years old. Coe had a
span of horses and a wagon heavily loaded with the requirements
of a settler. They got to Milford between the first and the
middle of March, and after they had reached Milford there was a
heavy fall of snow, and to push through this and run the risk of
blizzards was a task they hesitated to undertake. The last shack
for them to pass after leaving Milford was about ten miles out,
and they would pass no other between that and the Ocheyedan. They
started from Milford, Reynolds going ahead with his oxen to break
the road, and Coe following behind. After they had passed the
last shack about a mile, its occupant came after them and
insisted upon their return, as it would be dangerous with
threatening weather to go on. They did return and remained with
this settler several days. They started out again when a change
in the weather came on, and again they returned and tarried
several days more, when they started again. That time they
reached the Buchman dugout, but everything seemed to be covered
with snow. This was about March 18th, and they reached this
stopping place in the evening. They went to work and about two
hours had the snow cleared away from the stable so they could get
their teams in, which they did and also themselves stayed there
all night. In the morning they shoveled the snow from the dugout
so they could get into that, and there they remained about two
weeks with bad weather and occasional blizzards. They had heard
of the death of Fred Nagg, lost in a blizzard, and knew the
danger of being caught in one of them on the open prairie, and
they were wise in their apprehensions. At the end of about two
weeks the weather and travel became such that they pushed on and
soon after got to their claims. When once there they commenced
improvements. Their stable was made out of a few boards they
borrowed from some other settler, and with these and the wagon
covers they constructed a shelter for the stock and built it
across the line between the claims so that both owned the stable
jointly. They then drove to Worthington and bought lumber for
shacks, and bought it of Levi Shell, who was then in the lumber
business at that point. Reynolds put up the usual 8x8 shack, and
Coe one that was 8x12. Coe's family soon followed, but Reynold's
family did not come until in September following. This left
Reynolds to wrestle with the pots and kettles, and no doubt his
batching was like all the rest, with the washing of dishes
repeatedly deferred, and most meals consisting of a chunk of
bread and a slice of fresh pork, and perhaps an occasional luxury
of black molasses. His family met with a misfortune after his
leaving by the burning of the house in which they lived with all
its contents. They arrived safely in September in Osceola, and
the family was again united and are still here with the grown up
children having families of their own. Coe left here several
years ago.
In the summer of 1871 Will Thomas, present Clerk of Court, left
Wisconsin with a covered wagon, containing himself and three
sisters. There was also with him in another covered wagon James
G. Miller and his wife, who was also a sister to Mr. Thomas. They
started for Nebraska, but came across some parties bound for
Northwestern Iowa, upon which Thomas and Miller also concluded to
go in the same direction, which they did, and landed in Osceola
County in June of that year. They were about one month on the
road, and finally located on Section 22, in what is now Wilson
Township. Thomas took the northeast quarter, Miller the northwest
and the girls claims adjoining. When about a mile from the
section where the claims were taken they camped for the night,
using the wagon with it's covering for a sleeping place and a
shelter. During the night a storm came up which was very severe,
and the wind, hail and rain with frequent flashes of lightning
were terrible. Will Thomas and his companions got out of the
wagon, and soon a gust of wind tipped the wagon over, the horses
got loose and run away, but returned after being gone about three
hours. W. M. Bull was camping near by, with his wagon cover for a
tent, and the bows stuck into the ground. W. P. Underwood also was
near with his wagon box and its cover set off on the ground.
There was considerable stirring around among these campers, for
the night was fearful and frightening. The Miss Thomas' sought
shelter in the Underwood camp, and they all managed to worry
through until morning. Of the three young ladies who experienced
this midnight adventure, one of them is now the wife of Dr.
Lawrence, another the wife of John P. Hawxshurst, and the other
at home with her mother and Will Thomas, who constitute the
family. Mr. Miller still lives in the County at Sibley.