How Oskaloosa became the county seat

Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

"Raiders Seized the County Records" headlined the Nov. 28, 1963, Valley Falls Vindicator reporting a story from the Ozawkie Coyote News dated Feb. 1, 1940.

"At one time, Ozawkie was the Jefferson County seat, but lost that right as the result of an election in 1858. Early in 1858, the Legislature passed a bill allowing Jefferson County to vote for a relocation of the county seat. The election was held a short time afterward and though there is no public record of the results, A.G. Patrick has preserved the figures. There were five places voted for and the election results as follows: Oskaloosa, 177 votes, Grasshopper Falls, 173 votes, Ozawkie, 94 votes, Hickory Point, 50 votes, and Fairchild, 50 votes.

"Early in 1859 the Legislature passed a law requiring that the point selected as the county seat should have a majority of votes over all others and should a choice not then be made, another election should be held 30 days after, between the two places receiving the largest number of votes at the first election. The election of 1858 resulted in no majority so another election was held soon after between Grasshopper Falls and Oskaloosa. Oskaloosa received the majority of all votes cast, therefore was named the county seat.

"However, legal rights at that time often had to be carried out by force of arms. Walter N. Allen, first county attorney from Ozawkie, and Rube Meyers, working under the instructions of Allen, were responsible for the stealing of the records from the little log cabin, which stood on the public square two blocks west of the schoolhouse and was being used temporarily as the courthouse. One night Rube Meyers came to Ozawkie loaded with books and records in his government wagon drawn by four yoke of oxen and drove back to Oskaloosa. Since that time, Oskaloosa has been the county seat."

The Valley Falls Historical Society Museum will open at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 2.

Miraculously, only one dead horse

Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

From the Valley Falls Historical Society's scrapbook of news clippings, minus the news source and date. Accompanying items suggest the Valley Falls New Era, 1904. Four runaways in one week rate the awesome column.

"Thursday morning, Mitchell's delivery team got scared by a loose horse and started to run from in front of the shop at the same time T.R. Paxton and daughter, Mary, were driving up the street in a buggy. The Mitchell team ran into the buggy,  notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Paxton tried to get out of their way and almost succeeded; the team catching only the hind wheel of the buggy, but this threw both oocupants of the buggy out. The Mitchell team ran on up the street, but the Paxton horse was turned around and as soon as it broke loose from Tom, who still held the lines, ran in front of the Mitchell's, fell down but got up and with the broken buggy still dragging, raced down the sidewalk to Dr. Northrup's corner and struck the park railing, breaking a leg and turning almost a complete somersault. The leg being broken beyond recovery, the horse was killed.

"In the chase down the sidewalk, the buggy knocked a  couple of posts out from the awning in front of the Schuler Furniture Store and completely demolished a fine specially ordered dresser that had just been unloaded. Mr. Paxton had two ribs fractured besides being badly bruised. His daughter had one finger badly sprained though how either of them escaped death in the mixup is a little short of miraculous to those who saw the accident."

Next,

"While driving to church Sunday morning, the pony they were driving got frightened just this side of the Piazzek Bridge, became unmanagable, overturned the buggy, and threw Mrs. Geo. Summerfelt and daughter, Ruth, to the ground with terrific force. The horse broke loose from the buggy with the shafts and ran on up town. At Sam Allen's residence he had his horse and buggy hitched in front getting ready to go driving when the runaway came along and ran between the horse and hitching post, stripping the bridle from Allen's horse and so frightening it that instead of one runaway there were two. The Allen horse with buggy attached ran up town till the buggy came in collision with a telephone pole, but  the horse went on without doing a great deal of damage to the buggy.

"Mrs. Summerfelt and daughter were taken to the home of Frank Kibby, where after examination by Dr. Marks, it was found that Ruth had both arms broken and was badly lacerated about the face and Mrs. Summerfelt, though badly bruised, had sustained no serious injury. Awesome!"

The Valley Falls Historical Society will be open at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 25. 

The fate of Wolf Town

Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, president, Valley Falls Historical Society

"A pioneer trading post located in a proposed dam area, doomed to a watery grave."

The Valley Falls Vindicator Nov. 28, 1963, reported the approaching fate of an early 1800s community of our neighbor Ozawkie, resulting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soon to be constructed Perry Dam and Reservoir. A once small community, Wolf Town, was built on land owned by L.L. Wolf, hence known by "old timers" as "Wolf Town," and consisted of an old trading post store and provider of other necessities of those days, about a half a dozen homes, a school, and a cemetery.

The school building was no longer standing at the time the 1963 news item was written; however, the cemetery was still in existence with some gravestones dated 1868. The two sites were known as Olive Branch School and Olive Branch Cemetery.

Wolf Town was a wagon and stage stop on the Overland Trail from Topeka to Atchison and points between. The property at that time was owned by Mr. Aram Lindsay, Topeka, Kan., but to be "bought by the government and destroyed due to the new Perry Dam and Reservoir to be under construction within the next year. It was estimated that Wolf Town would be covered by 40 feet of water.

The same 1963 Valley Falls Vindicator issue reported, "The Olive Branch Cemetery, located west of Wolf Town in Jefferson County is the only cemetery in Jefferson County which will be relocated by the purchase of the Army Corps of Engineers in construction of Perry Reservoir."

The Valley Falls Historical Society Museum will be open at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 18.

Letter from Florida, 1916

Compiled by Betty Jane Wilson, society president

"I am very disappointed in this land. It's just a piece of white sand and little under construction,"  penned D. S. Cory in a letter from Florida Dec. 23, 1916. 

Cory, writing from Stuart, Fla., continued:
"It is very warm here for this time of year. Had three cool spells since we came. The coolest was about 39 above. There is not one acre out of 100,000 that is improved. It lays level, grows palmetto brush, sour mash, and scattering pines — mostly small like a telephone pole.

"Eames took us out to see his land. We were alike in our opinion of it. He asks $90 per acre for it where better land can be bought close in and on the river for $20. This land has got to be drained, limed, and fertilized before it will raise anything. They have but few stock here for they have nothing to keep it on. The native grass in worthless. This town has four cows and they haven't been here long. Very few chickens are seen. Everything to feed stock has to be shipped here from some place north. There are some fair farming spots in the central and western parts. This is rather new country on the eastern spot.

"The railroad was built 16 years ago. It runs from Jacksonville to Key West. There is not a grade in the 500 miles of road. It is the only direct road to Cuba. They run whole trains on a large boat that will hold 80 cars and ferry them over to Cuba. I see whole train loads of people pass here going to Cuba. They have from 30 to 40 cars each. There is more business on this road in one day than there is in Valley Falls in six.

"This town is building fast by rich men from the north. They make this town their winter home. In the spring they go back north. They are the ones who built this East Coast Country. 

"Fishing is the only industry here. I see new faces every day. They (fish) are caught by thousand pounds every day and shipped north. I went down to the fish house when they came in with 8,000 pounds. They go out in the ocean and catch mackeral. There are some large fish in the river, having been caught weighing 400 pounds. I saw two men this morning have three in their boat that weighed 200 pounds. 

"I have been fishing with some men from northern Ohio. The river is close to town, lined with palm trees, motor boats going and coming. This town is a beautiful place."

Source: Newspaper (name unknown) from Valley Falls High School scrapbook.