This thriving place is located on the Sioux City & Pacific Railway, at or very near the junction of the Missouri and Little Sioux Rivers, on the south side of the latter stream. It contains a population of 225. The town, although unincorporated and small, is delightfully situated in the midst of heavy timber, of various kinds, and is one of the most progressive business places in the county. The town owes its origin to the advent of the Sioux City & Pacific Railroad, the authorities of which platted it in October, 1868. The original town site was a few hundred yards north of the present one, on the north side of the Little Sioux River. This location, however, was found to be too low for a town site, as it was

-294-

subject to inundation, and the town was accordingly removed to its present location. This transfer was made in the summer of 1876. The new location shoed the wisdom of those who chose it, as it is the highest oint of land on the railway south of Sergeant's Bluffs. On the original town site there were but three settlers, Reuben Newton, depot agent, S. Chase, who lived there prior to the advent of the railroad, and E.J. Davis.

The land tow which the town site was finally transferred was owned by Henry Herring, E.J. Davis and James Crabb and the undivided half of eighty acres, was by them given to the railway company with the understanding that the town should be removed thereto.

As before stated, the business of Little Sioux, in proportion to population and number of establishments, is quite large. The following are the various kinds of business, ennumerated: Two general merchandise stores, drug and grocery store, drug store, hardware store, three saloons, hotel, lumber yard, two saw-mills, blacksmith and wagon shop, grain and stock dealer, butcher shop.

The professions are represented in River Sioux by two physicians, two lawyers and one civil engineer.

As River Sioux is situated in the midst of a productive country, which is rapidly increasing in population, the shipments of various kinds of produce are necessarily quite large, and they are rapidly increasing in amount and value. At present they will aggregate from two to three car loads per day. The business of the station is ably handled by the agent, R. Newton, who is at present the oldest settler on the town site, he having removed thereto with the transfer of the town site. Although River Sioux cannot properly be described as a port of call for Missouri River steamers, vessels of this description have in previous years come up the Sioux as far as the town, and it is thought that a systematic course of dredging and widening of the channel would make it possible for this description of craft to come up at all stages of water. IN justice to dissenting opinion, however, it must be stated that there are those who regard such a scheme as chimerical to the highest degree.

CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND SOCIETIES

Methodist Episcopal Church Society—This society has no church building, but is composed of about thirty members. The congregation meets in the town hall. The society has been in existence only since the organization of the Little Sioux Circuit in 1876, and has no resident pastor, and it is now one of the appointments of the Little Siux Circuit, of which Rev. H. J. Smith, of Little Sioux, is the minister. The erection of a church at no distant future is being discussed. Outside of the members of the society, there is a good attendance of non-members, and there is more than a probability that the society will soon see a church of its own.

-295-

Besides this society, there is no other organized religious body in River Sioux, although occasional services have been held in the place by the clergymen of other denominations.

Odd Fellows—There is a lodge of Odd Fellows at River Sioux. The lodge contains twenty-three members, and was organized in January, 1879. The followingis the list of elective officers first installed: N.G.,J. Simmons; V.G., J. Bowie; S., C.a. Demun; T., S. Demmon. The present elective officers are: John Whiting, N.G.; Henry Herring, V.G.; James Harmon, S.; John Henry, W.

Good Templars—Although there is no temperance organization in River Sioux, an effort is making looking towards the orginization of a subordinate lodge of the Independent Order of Good Templars.

Public Schools—The school district, of which Sub-District No. 6 (River Sioux) is a part, is Little Sioux Township District, which was organized in April, 1857. Sub-District No. 6 was organized September 21, 1874, and Charles McEvers was elected the following spring as sub-director. The present officers of the school township are: Samuel Ellis, President; Samuel Dewell, Secretary; Charles Smith, Gilbert Smith, S.A. Page, Samuel Taylor and George W. Rock. Sub-District No. 6, has at present a neat little school-house 26x40 feet in dimensions, but as there are ninety children of school age in the Sub-District, the space is inadequate to its wants, and the coming season a larger structure will be erected at a cost of $3,000. The school is under the supervision of E.A. Baldwin, of Little Sioux, and is in a flourishing condition. although containing but one room, two departments have been maintained until recently, but lack of space necessitated the discontinuance of one department. This state of affairs is to be remedied hereafter. Upon the completion of the new schoolhouse, the District will be made Independent.

WOODBINE

The first permanent settler in the vicinity of Woodbine was Richard Musgrave, who arrived in 1852, from Council Bluffs. Mr. Musgrave settled in the Twelve-mile Grove, two miles south of twon, where he still resides, engaged in farming. Mr. Musgrave was one of a number of monogamous Mormons who came to western Iowa and located at the time of the migration of the original church from Illinois and Missouri.

L. D. Butler was the second permanent settler in the vicinity. He has never resided in the town proper, but has been in business there most of the time since his arrival. Mr. Butler came to Council Bluffs in 1849. At that time, this portion of Harrison County was a wilderness, inhabited only be wild deer, elk, wolves, etc. The only settlements that had been made anywhere near were by the Mormons aforesaid, of whom Mr. Butler was one at

-296-

at the time. In a stray excursion northward, Mr. Butler was struck by the beauty and fertility of the land in the neighborhood of what is now Woodbine, and in 1853 he came here and located near the town-site, occupying one of a number of abandoned Mormon dwellings until he could erect a suitable building. The building he put up was situated about one and one-half miles east of the present town. He then commenced farming. Mr. Butler built a grist and saw-mill at the point mentioned in the year 1855. This was the first mill erected in Harrison County.

AMong other old settlers are Jacob Harshbarger, David Selleck, Dr. Cole, Henry Hushaw, G.W. Pugsley, John Jeffries, Matthew Hall and others whose names could not be readily obtained. These came between the years 1853-5.

The town was platted in the fall of 1866, by the Blair Town Lot and Land Company. This was the year of the completion of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway to this point. The Land Company purchased 1,200 acres of land for the use of the town, though but a comparatively small portion of it has been platted. The parties selling this tract to the Land Company were Matthew Winters, Dave E. Barnum, Hiram Wisener, W.F. Clark, G.M. Brown, I. McAtee, John Johnson and M. Kiger.

The town was incorporated in the latter part of 1877, and the first meeting of the town council was held on December 7th, 1877. The following was the composition of the first council: A.W. Curtiss, Mayor; C.C. Matter, Recorder; Joseph Clizbe, J.W. Vinacke, G.H. Kibler, C.W. Jeffries, C.D. Stevens, Trustees. The present officers are: J.V. Mallery, Mayor; Frank Folts, Recorder; Frank Butler, T.L. Canfield, J.C. McLain, H.B. Kling, S.L. Winter, O.D. Smith, Trustees.

The money-order postoffice at Woodbine is a legitimate successor of an office established in 1858, eight years before the town was platted. The original office was located at the grist-mill of Mr. Butler, previously mentioned, some distance from the town-site. The intention of the settlers was to name the office Harrison City Postoffice; but the department at Washington did not care to issue papers with that name as there were already several Harrisons in Iowa, and it was thought an additional one would lead to confusion. The name Woodbine was finally suggested by Mrs. Butler, and it was accepted. The name was taken from the cottage in which Mrs. Butler resided, as a girl, in England. The first postmaster was Mr. Butler, who held the office for about ten years and for some time after its removal to its present site. The present postmaster is Lysander Crane, who has been in office about a year. The post office name was applied to the town by the platters of the same.

The first building erected on the town-site was Gallagher & Bros. saloon, which was built just before the railroad was graded to this point. The first residence was put up in 1866, by William A. Jones.

-297-

The next building erected was in 1866 by J.P. Moore. The house, the Woodbine House, is still standing, with additions, and was the first hotel in the place. Among other buildings erected about this time, were the residence and the hardware store of A. Cadwell, Sleight & Williams' agricultural implement warehouse, C.D. Stevens' grocery store, L.D. Buttler's[Butler?] general merchandise store, (the first in the place), McAtee's grocer store, Dr. Cole's drug store and several other smaller concerns.

Woodbine Lodge, No. 405, I.O.O.F., was instituted in April, 1880. Charter members: F.J. Porter, S.L. Winter, W.J. Callender, A.P. Lathrop, W.C. Sampson, George Musgrave, and others. First officers: F.J. Porter, N.G.; S.L. Winter, V.G.; W.J. Callender, Secretary; W.C. Sampson, Treasurer. Present officers: A.P. Lathrop, N.G.; George Musgrave, V.G.; H.B. Kling, R.S.; J.V. Mallory, P.S.; S.L. Winters, Treasurer. The Lodge has about forty members. Meetings are held in Odd Fellows' Hall Wednesday evenings of each week. The Lodge is in excellent working condition, and its membership is of as equally excellent a standard.

The Masonic fraternity is as well represented by men of standing and thorough-going qualities. Charter Oak Lodge, No. 401, A.F. & A.M., was instituted in 1880. Its charter members were: R. Yeisley, H.C. Harshbarger, F.J. Porter, J.R. Burkholder, C. D. Stevens, W.H. DeCou, Lysander Crane, P.A. DeCou, R. Jacobson, L.D. Butler, I.A. DeCou, J.S. Hall, G. Smith Stanton. First officers: Reuben Yeisley, W.M.; H.C. Harshbarger, S.W.; F.J. Porter, J.W.; G. SMith Stanton, Secretary; C.D. Stevens, Treasurer. Present officers: Reuben Yeisley, W.M.; F.J. Porter, S.W.; H.H. Rathbun,J.W.; H.C. Harshbarger, Secretary; C.D. Stevens, Treasurer; J.R. Burkholder, S.D.; C.W. Mendenhall, J.D.; N.E. Cowles, Tyler. The membership is twenty-five. Meetings are held Saturday evenings on or before the full moon.

Woodbine has a circulating library of about 800 volumes. This library is owned and conducted by Geo. Musgrave, proprietor of the Twiner, at his office.

There are three church buildings, the Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopal and Baptist. The religious interests of Woodbine are zealously cared for.

There is every advantage offered in an educational way. The school building is a handsome and roomy structure of four departments. C.C. Matter is the principal; Miss Hester Hillas teaches the Intermediate Department; Miss Etta Bois, the Second Primary; Miss Harriet Elkins, the First Primary. One hundred and fifty pupils are enrolled. The building was built in 1880, is of brick, two stories in height, and cost about $5,000.

-298-

MODALE

The location of this place is on Sioux City & Pacific Railway, sixty-five miles south of Sioux City, and a little less than thirty-two miles north of Council Bluffs. Modale contains about 200 inhabitants, most of whom are native Americans. The village is not incorporated.

Modale was laid off by Benjamin Martin in 1872, under the name of Martinsville, which is still the legal name of the place, in all deeds of town property it being thus designated. The name Modale, however, is the older name, and seems to be preferred by the citizens. The name had a somewhat singular origin. In the year 1858, the few settlers then living in the vicinity were desirous of securing a postoffice, and a petition was drawn up and sent to Washington asking that one be established. T.A. Dennis, who forwarded the document, also sent recommendations as to name and location. The name suggested was "Missouri Dale;" but the writing being somewhat illegible and the word "Missouri" being abbreviated to "Mo.," the postoffice authorities could make nothing of it but "Modale" and with that name the papers were filled out. This postoffice was located two miles and a half northwest of the present town. The postmaster was Stephen Hester. The office was shifted according to population several times before it reached its present location. The last move was in 1873. C.J. Cutler, the present postmaster, the oldes living settler on the town-site was the first postmaster. The name Modale was further fixed by the building of an addition called "Modale addition" after the town was platted, and by the railway company's giving the station the name of Modale.

At the time of the building of the railway through here, in the fall of 1868, the intention of the company was to make no regular station, but simply a station. This idea was carried out, and it was a number of years after before any but flagged trains stopped at Modale. But in course of time, as population and products increased, a station was found necessary and one was made, the enterprise of Mr. Martin and others providing the town site. The original plat, as laid out by Mr. Martin, contained but ten acres, but a year afterward thirty acres more were platted by that gentleman. About the same time Alonzo Beebe platted the Modale addition of six acres, which made the total number of acres in the town site forty-six. No more additions have been made since.

The oldest building on the town site is the old school house, which though still standing, is deserted and dilapidated. This building, size 26x30 feet, was the second school house in the district, and was erected in 1866. The first building erected after the town site was platted was the residence of A.M. Snyder, which was erected in 1874, and in which Mr. Snyder still lives. A number of other small residences were erected shortly afterward.

-299-

Among the early settlers of Modale are C.J. Cutler, before mentioned,; B.F. Martin, son of the founder of the town, and A.M. Snyder, also previously mentioned. These all came about the time the town was platted. There were others, some of whom are dead, who were also early settlers of the immediate vicinity. Among the extreme old settlers of the vicinity, though not a resident of the town proper, is J.J. Anderson. He, however, is separated from the town by but a narrow lane. His house had been built for many years prior to the platting of the town. Mr. Anderson came to the township some time in the early '50's. Other old settlers in the township are Joseph Haskins and Joseph Bross, who both came to Taylor Township nearly thirty years ago. The priority of settlement was not ascertained.

The business of Modale, though not varied, is large in proportion to its population, and is constantly improving. The exports consist principally of corn, hogs, cattle and wood. The latter, regarding which no exact figures could be obtained, is shipped across the river into Nebraska. Modale has a large corn-cribbing capacity—at least 100,000 bushels, but double that amount of this cereal was shipped during 1881(?). Besides, a large quantity was purchased for home consumption. The shipments of cattle and hogs amounted to several hundred car loads of each, but as the cars in which the animals were shipped were sometimes partially filled at towns above before reaching Modale, it is not possible to give the exact number.

The situation of Modale is a beautiful one, and it was high enough to escape the heavy overflow of the Missouri in 1881. There is a heavy timber near the town, and a number of citizens find profitable employment in clearing it. The people, like most of the people on the valley, are wholesouled and generous, and the vicinity presents many advantages to prospective settlers. The merchants carry stocks of goods far heavier than the town would at first seem to warrant, yet all seem to be thriving and doing good business.

Modale is not yet incorporated, though the subject of incorporation has received considerable attention.

The business of Modale, classified, is as follows: Two general merchandise stores, grocery store, hardware store, furniture store, millinery store, drug store, saloon, two hotels, butcher shop, two blacksmith shops, carpenter and wagon shop, weigh scales, two stock dealers, lumber and agricultural implement dealer, wood yard, lumber yard, harness and shoe-maker, and livery stable. Two physicians comprise the practicing professional men of the place.

CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND SOCIETIES

With these Modale is but moderately well supplied—in fact, of secret societies she has none, though there are a number of members of various orders in the vicinity. She has no church building

-300-

beyond a Union church, built by a stock company at five dollars per share, and in this the societies which exist in Modale hold their services. It is open to all denominations. This church was built in 1875 and it is 29x46 feet in dimensions. The cost was $1,200. Below are given the church and other societies of Modale:

Methodist Church Society—This society was organized in 1866, by Rev. A.J. Andres, the society at that time containing but six or eight members. The first services were held in the school house. The society now numbers nearly fifty members, and the services are held every other week in the Union Church. The pastor is Rev. H.J. Smith, of the Little Sioux Circuit. This church has a Sabbath School of sixty members, of which W.W. Morton is the Superintendent. The school was established in 1876.

Christian Church Society—This society has had a number of ups and downs. It was first organized in 1861 by Rev. D.R. Duncan, with twelve or fifteen members; but since then it has several times fallen into a condition of decay, and has as many times been reorganized. It now has between thirty and forty members and seems to be in a flourishing condition. The services are held in the Union Church. The present pastor is Rev. D.G. Mullis.

Modale Public School—This school is not independent, but is the school of Sub-District No. 3, Taylor Township. As elsewhere announced, it was organized twenty years ago, when there were but four families in the district. The first sub-director was James Mackintosh. The growing demands of the community have caused larger buildings to be erected twice, and the present building is the third one erected by the Sub-District. It is a two-story frame structure, 30x50 feet, and has two rooms, each of which constitutes a department. The higher department is taught by J.A. Bradley, and the lower by Miss Clara Vanderhoff. There are 104 pupils in the Sub-District. Several unsuccessful moves have been made in the direction of rendering the Sub-District independent.

Modale Band of Hope—This is and independent body, which was organized November 6th, 1881. Arrangements are now in progress to secure for it a charter from the State Band of Hope, thereby making it a subordinate band of that institution. The officers are: J.A. Bradley, Superintendent; W.W. Morton, Assistant Superintendent; Eva Martin, Secretary; Bessie Silsby, Treasurer; Eva Martin, Chorister; Pamelia Taylor, Organist. The band meets every Sunday at 3 P.M. there are seventy members.

Modale Literary Society—This society has just been organized with J.A. Bradley as President. Meetings are to be held weekly in the school-house. There are but a few members as of yet.

Dunlap

Visit our family of homepages and join us.