THE BEE

I was recently asked to do a presentation at the annual meeting of the Kossuth County Historical Society about the “The Bee” -- the first “newspaper” in Kossuth County.  I thought that many of you might also enjoy knowing a little about this handwritten paper that first brought the local news to members of the Monday Reading Club.

ALGONA IN 1857  

Before we take a closer look at The Bee, it would be a good idea to see what Algona was like in 1857.  Lewis H. Smith had surveyed the town and a plat had been filed by Asa C. Call on December 2, 1856.  While the plat looks very official and gives the impression of settlement, you can see that the photo states, “The little cabins and framed shacks were connected only by paths in a tangle of weeds and the site was full of scattered ponds.”

At the time there were 16 residences (including the Blackford home which was technically outside city limits and Bachelors Hall which served as housing to various individuals for several years).  Also located on the town site was the Town Hall, St. Nicholas Hotel, the Benschoter blacksmith shop, Major Williams’ store, Lewis Smith’s office, and the Eggers Block.  Although I could not find a head count, I would guess that there were approximately 75-100 people that lived in Algona by December of 1857.

At the time, all news was received either by citizens returning after trips to replenish supplies or by stage coach mail delivery.  The stage road between Algona and Fort Dodge was well marked, with a stop in Irvington.  How regularly those stages ran in 1857 is not documented.  But no local news was reported in any formal way.

The majority of settlers in Algona were adventurers, giving up comfortable lives in civilization to venture out into the unknown frontier.  Now that they had chosen a permanent settlement to build into their own city, they yearned for more than just the physical comforts they had left behind.  Among the citizens were several college educated members such as Asa Call, Havens Watson, and Dr. Franklin McCoy, all of whom would go on to edit issues of The Bee. Many of the others had received a good education and all citizens yearned for social and cultural activities to enrich their lives of hard work and depravation.

SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL CLUBS ESTABLISHED

To nourish that hunger, several clubs were soon founded in the little settlement.  The Monday Reading Club was formed along with the Literary Circle and the Council Fire.  One of the other highlights was Father Chauncey Taylor’s Singing School.  Father Taylor was a big influence on the community being the driving force behind the building of the Town Hall which was also used as a school and a meeting house for church services.  It was likely he that persuaded his daughter, Harriette, to edit the first edition of “The Bee.”  And so on December 27, 1857, she stood on the board floor of the J. W. Moore log cabin and read the paper which consisted of seven handwritten pages and one page of magazine clippings.  The cabin was only 16 x 20 feet in size so it is likely that it was crowded, with people seated wherever they could find a place, which probably included chairs, beds, fireplace hearth, and possibly the floor.

I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to get “drawn in” to stories, imagining what it would have been like to be present at these gatherings.  Who was there?  What kind of refreshments were served?  What were the weather conditions I would have had to travel through to get there?  Some of those who could have been in attendance were members of the Rist family including Mr. and Mrs. Luther Rist, their son, Francis, and his wife, Eugenia Kennedy Rist; Mary and Havens Watson; Lewis H. Smith; Asa and Sarah Call; and the Call brothers’ sister, Mary Blackford and her husband, John.  Others in the community who perhaps attended the event were James and Electa Henderson; Charles Gray and his wife; Oliver Benschoter; and Elias Weaver.

THE READING OF THE FIRST ISSUE

Can you picture it?  A young woman of 23, standing somewhat nervously and yet proudly in front of the members of the Reading Club and perhaps a few others in that log cabin on a cold winter’s night, sharing the stories she had either written, clipped from magazines or collected from contributors, including her father.  

She began with the following:

“We are happy to present to our friends this first number of “The Bee” as the first paper published in this “little world of Algona” and tho now small and may be insignificant in the eyes of many, still we have sanguine hope that it will thrive and before many years stand the first and oldest among our village papers.  A person when first starting in an enterprise like this feels rather delicately.  Many fears arise wether the paper will suit the readers.  Knowing there are as many minds as persons and also knowing that unless all these minds are satisfied we are the losers, we feel still more anxiety than we would otherwise.

“The Bee is intended to be strictly a neutral paper.  We shall strive to please all by offending none.  It will abound in wit and humor—be graced with sound intellectual studies and pleasing stories—have all the news of the day—we hope none of the gossip.  We have able correspondents for The Bee who will favour it with their productions from time to time.  A few advertisements will be inserted just to help pay expenses.  We have tried to tell you—imperfectly however—what we shall strive to make The Bee, and we humbly beg our friends to stand by us and not allow it to sink into obscurity as the paper in our neighbouring county has done.”

That issue of The Bee contained wide ranging articles.  Father Taylor questioned what kind of bee the newspaper would be comparing it to a honey bee or perhaps a quilting bee, encouraging it to be sweet and profitable, palatable and useful.  A gentleman with the pen name “Aldro Linden” wrote a delightful story about a wagon ride taken by a group of young people through a dark winter night to an unidentified log cabin where they surprised its unsuspecting resident.  Mr. Linden was sure that the identity of the revelers and their destination would soon be disclosed by the “Tattletown association.”  XYZ submitted a piece praising the establishment of a newspaper.  The marriage of Wm. D. Eaton to Nancy H. Kellogg, daughter of H. Kellogg of Cresco was announced.

THE LOST IS FOUND

According to the book “The Algona Bee” written by Harvey Ingham in 1922, no one knows how many issues were published of The Bee.  We do know however that 23 survived.  When they came into his possession, Mr. Ingham had them bound in a book which he delivered to the State Historical Society of Iowa in Des Moines for preservation and safekeeping. 

The Kossuth County Genealogical Society began a project five years ago to digitize all historical county newspapers.  As a part of that project we had hoped to digitize and offer online the surviving issues of “The Bee.”  However, when we contacted the State Historical Society to make arrangements, the book could not be found.  I discussed this with a representative of the Advantage Companies which is the company that has the contract to do the microfilming and digitizing for the Society.  She recommended that I contact Delpha Musgrave, a long time staff person at the State Historical Society.  I was told that if anyone could find it, it would be Delpha. 

I wrote to Delpha, giving her as much information as I could about the book to aide her search.  I believed that Harvey Ingham wrote his book “The Algona Bee” after 1920 and from references in “Early Algona” written by Florence Call Cowles and published in 1929, I knew that she had used The Bee book while writing her book.  To my extreme delight, Delpha soon contacted me to let me know that the lost had been found.  Rather than being returned to the area designated in State Historical Society records, the book had been filed with the personal papers of Harvey Ingham.

The Historical Society did allow the book to be released to Advantage Companies for possible digitization.  However, because it was handwritten with some fading ink on various sizes and colors of paper, they did not have the equipment to do the job properly.  We were disappointed at that news.  Delpha encouraged us to come look at the book ourselves so several of us decided it was worth a trip to Des Moines.  It was exciting to touch the manuscripts some of which were at least 158 years old.  We were privileged enough to be allowed to take photos of whatever we wanted.  We photographed each page.

We have started transcribing some of them and have found that they are not bound in order of publication.  Once we have them all transcribed, we will be able to put them into chronological order which will help us to piece together a better picture of life here in the 1850s.  

"THE ALGONA BEE" BY HARVEY INGHAM

I would encourage you to read Harvey Ingham’s book, “The Algona Bee” which is available at the Algona Public Library if you want to learn more about the life and times the Bee covered.  The book contains many excerpts from various issues of The Bee and puts them into historical perspective.  Harvey speaks of the early issues of the Bee reflecting the “effervescent spirits of the frontier before the panic.”  Later issues tell of the dampening hopes as the financial panic of 1857 spread across the country and of the wet summer of 1858 which caused a great flood of the Des Moines River.  The Bee suspended publication in March of that year and did not resume until November.

The last issue of The Bee was read in February of 1861.  By that time the Call brothers had acquired a printing press which had been hauled by Orange Minkler across the mud and sloughs from Des Moines.  The first issue of “The Kossuth County Press” was printed in August of 1860.  Ambrose Call purchased his brother’s interest in the paper and changed the name to “The Algona Pioneer Press” with the first issue printed on April 13, 1861.

“The Bee” filled a real need in the community, providing local news on a regular basis.  It also contributed to the socialization of the town as I am sure it helped to draw people to the meetings of the Reading Club.  I am thankful that those early settlers had the forethought to save a number of the issues of “The Bee” and that Harvey Ingham had them bound and preserved.  They truly provide us with an intimate look at life in the early days of Algona.  Harriette Taylor Stacy would be pleased to know that indeed her newspaper did not sink into obscurity, but instead is acknowledged as “the first and oldest of our village papers.”

Until next time,

Jean

If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to “like” and SHARE to Facebook.  Not a Facebook user?  Sign up with your email address in the box on the right to have each post sent directly to you.

Be sure to visit the KCHB Facebook page for more interesting info about the history of Kossuth County, Iowa.

Reminder:  The posts on Kossuth County History Buff are ©2015-17 by Jean Kramer.  Please use the FB “share” feature instead of cutting/pasting.

KOSSUTH'S FIRST MINISTER

Toward the end of the 19^th century, a group of early pioneers formed the “Old Settlers’ Association.”  They would meet on a regular basis, reminiscing about days gone by.  Quite often one of the members would prepare a story to be read at a meeting recalling a particular event or person of interest.

On September 11, 1895, J. E. Blackford presented a piece entitled “Kossuth’s First Minister.”  I expected the tale to be about the well-known Congregational pastor, Rev. Chauncey Taylor, or perhaps the Presbyterian minister Rev. McComb, both of whom served the small settlement of Call’s Grove in its early days.  However, Mr. Blackford’s story introduced me to a name I had never heard of before. I think you will find his story as interesting—and amusing—as I did. 

KOSSUTH’S FIRST MINISTER

_____

        On the evening of Oct. 10, 1855, I reached Algona—the Algona that was to be, for the town was not yet laid out.  As the guest of A. A. Call we stopped with the family of Levi Maxwell where he boarded.  Of all the good people among the pioneers of Kossuth county there was no family more kind and hospitable than that of Levi Maxwell.  His cabin was already full of boarders and how and where we all slept that night has been a mystery to me ever since.  It was an odd thing too that we slept our first night on the spot where we have since lived for forty years.

        I had lived in Indiana where that part of it was a wilderness, settling there before the Indians were removed from the county.  The early settlement of Indiana was made and the country developed in spite of the drawbacks and discouragements caused by the rough element found in most early settlements.  Drunkenness, fighting, gambling, horse racing and counterfeiting were common.  Among the good people were some of the very roughest characters then found in the west.  When I came to Iowa I was prepared, or at least expected to go through the experiences of my boyhood days, and to find and deal with the rough element usually found in new settlements.  Those of you who came here with the same fears know how agreeably we were disappointed.  But I did not then know it and you may judge of my surprise when I was told on the evening of the second day that we were to have preaching that night, and was more surprised to learn that this was the second visit the preacher had made to the settlement.  I want to recall a few things that I remember of this preacher.

        His name was Marks.  I do not know if he was the Marks that figured in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but he did figure in the Maxwell cabin.  Presently he made his appearance.  He was long past middle life and dressed in the most ordinary clothing, no starch about him.  He lived at Polk City more than a hundred miles down the river.  He drove a span of ponies to a light wagon, and in the wagon, he had a sack of corn, and a very long rope.  There were no bridges in those days and the rope was to tie to the wagon to draw it over, after the preacher had swam himself and the horses across.  The corn was to feed the ponies, so that the settlers should not have them to feed.  Such a man was Marks our first preacher.  His first utterances proved him to be certainly the most ignorant man who ever undertook to preach.  I thought I had known one in Indiana who was the peer of any man living in that line, but he could not compare with Rev. Marks.  His scripture lesson was read after this style:  In t-h-o-s-e (spelling it out) those, days c-a-m-e came, John the B-a-p-t-i-s-t Baptist p-r-e-a-c-h-i-n-g preaching, in the wil, wil, w-i-l-d-e-r-n-e-s-s wilderness, say, saying repent ye, for the k-i-n-g-d-o-m kingdom of h-e-a-v-e-n heaven is at hand.  The reading of the hymn was after the same manner and the singing still more interesting.  He asked someone to start a tune, and I have never quite forgiven the good singers present that they did not do it.  He said:  “Well I don’t know as I can do it, but I’ll try,” and try he did and failed, and tried again and failed again.  He then whistled a bar or two, and then sang a line or two of some very familiar hymn, finally dropping down on the hymn selected.  Then followed the prayer.  It was the most unique one ever uttered anywhere.  He had a fashion of praying directly for what he thought we ought to have.  No beating around the bush.  He went straight to the mark.  A few examples.  Judge Call was building and talking Algona.  The preacher said:  “Lord God, please to put something in Judge Call’s head besides building a steam saw mill, and a town.”  He also prayed earnestly that the Lord would bless the old bachelors, adding:  “For Lord thou knowest their cabins are desolate enough without wife or children.”  He also put up a fervent petition for the young man with the wife and two little boys, who had come out from the big settlements.  That meant me, and he only alluded to me in that way because he did not know my name.  I felt to join heartily in his supplication, for if ever a man needed help and guidance, it was the man who had just came out of the big settlements.  Mrs. Maxwell was known as a religious woman.  He earnestly plead with the Lord to bless Mrs. Maxwell, adding:  “For Lord thou knowest she is the only Christian in all this country.”  And he made himself the Lord’s agent too, for the next morning she found a dollar under his plate.  The sermon that followed was in line with the prayer, a jumble of good thoughts and good advice, given in bad grammar and murdered English.  After a few weeks Marks made another visit and again preached.  It was a repetition of the same circus.  In his sermon he spoke of a body exhumed that had turned to stone.  He said:  “And when the grave was opened the woman was found verbatim.”  The broad smiles on the faces about him made him think he might be mistaken, and he was quick to acknowledge it.  He said:  “I see you laugh, I hain’t got much larnin.  I wonder if I didn’t get the wrong word?  Yes I know I did.  I meant that the woman was peter, peter, peterified.  Well maybe it is not quite right yet.”

        Marks had a brother in York state who was really a famous preacher of the Free-will Baptist church.  Mr. Snock, a boarder who knew the brother said so to the preacher, and Marks exclaimed, “And did you know my brother Joseph.  Ah well he was a smarter man than I am.”  And Snock who was a matter of fact sort of fellow answered, “That’s a fact.”   That night he went home with me.  He was a good deal depressed.  He said, “I made a mistake tonight.  I saw them laugh.”  And just like a child he asked me:  “What word did I want to say?”  I told him that petrified was the word, but that he had it pretty near right, and that I thought verbatim expressed his idea very well.  He said:  “I am so glad you tell me.  I’ll never forget that again.”  He wanted me to advise him what to study but I was a little modest in recommending Webster’s spelling book, and so I told him that I should think he himself would know in what branches he was most deficient.  “Well,” he said, “I don’t know.  Some folks tell me that I ought to study geography.“  He said:  “I have preached 38 years and I don’t know as I ever converted a single soul.  I don’t know as I ever said anything that anybody remembered an hour.”  I tried to cheer up the good man, and told him he could not know what a good influence he was exerting, and that many years before I had heard him preach when I was a boy, and that I remembered a part of his sermon very well.  He expressed the greatest pleasure and said if I had remembered perhaps someone else had too, and he should keep on preaching.  I was glad that he did not ask me what part of his sermon I remembered so well.  I will tell you the gist of it:  “He was a young man.  Went up the Connecticut river one Sunday.  Rested in a butternut grove.  Stole some of the butternuts.  On his way down the river his conscience smote him and he felt that he ought to take the butternuts back, but it was up stream, the current swift, and a hot day.  So he went on down the river, but he determined he would not eat the butternuts, and did not, but sold them and bought a bible, and thank God he has it yet.”

        At Judge Call’s he insisted against the Judge’s strong remonstrance, in chopping wood to pay his way and when he left he shook hands and gave us a cordial invitation to his home at Polk City.  He said:  “Your oxen will be hungry, and I may not be there, but you will find hay and sheds for your oxen, and something in the house for yourselves, and it may save you a dollar or two, and it will come good too, for though you may have gold to sling about now, the time will come when you will need all you can get.”  He said: “Come in welcome.  We’re pretty well off, but I tell you since we come to Iowa it has been root hog or die.  But I thank God,” and here he cast his eyes reverently toward heaven, “we’ve got the acorns by rooting.”

        Such was Marks our first preacher, who left his home to travel over a wilderness and ford swollen streams and bottomless sloughs to preach to us heathens, bringing his own feed and anxious to work for his board lest he should be a burden to the people he longed to serve.  No pay or hope of reward except the hope of doing good.  Many ministers have followed him, educated men, eloquent men, men who were faithful to their trust, but among them all no one has ever impressed me more favorably as an unselfish, devoted minister of Christ, and none whose memory I revere more than I do that of Reverend Marks, our first preacher.

Thank you, Mr. Blackford, for giving us a glimpse of life here in its earliest days.

Until next time,

Kossuth County History Buff

If you enjoyed this post, please don’t forget to “like” and SHARE to Facebook.  Not a Facebook user?  Sign up with your email address in the box on the right to have each post sent directly to you.

Be sure to visit the KCHB Facebook page for more interesting info about the history of Kossuth County, Iowa.

Reminder:  The posts on Kossuth County History Buff are ©2015-17 by Jean Kramer.  Please use the FB “share” feature instead of cutting/pasting.