History of Newark Township

Newark Township lies west of White township, and for school purposes was included in the same until last spring, when it was set off. The surface is slightly rolling and the soil fertile and productive. It was not until April 10th, 1883, that the settlement of the township began. On that day, Homer Johnson and his sons, Fred and Stark, located on section 14 and put up the first claim shanty in the township. Mr. Johnson was born in Ovid, Seneca County, New York, and came here from Plymouth, Michigan.

On April 15th, 1883, P. C. Howell, C. and J. E. Pulver, A. P. Darland and C. H. Van Auken, all from Newark, New York, landed in Columbia, Brown County. On the 15th they hired a team, tent, and a surveyor, and started in a northeasterly direction, following the survey stakes of the Fergus Falls, Wadena & Black Hills Railroad survey, intending to locate in Brown County about where Detroit now is, but they found no vacant claims until they reached Marshall County, then North Day County. About dark they reached Mr. Johnson‘s shack. Johnson having gone to Columbia, they pitched their tent. Thus did the founders of the now prosperous village of Newark, find themselves camped forty miles from anywhere, it being that distance to Columbia or Lisbon. The next morning they found themselves four miles south of the railroad survey, their only guide, there being no wagon track. After carefully looking over the surrounding country they selected claims on sections 2, 3 and 10, and moved their tent on the southwest quarter, section 3, April 16th.

This party immediately set about to erect shanties on their respective claims. P. C. Howell built quite a respectable frame house and painted the same. It was the first painted building in the township and later was used by Mr. Howell as a land office in Newark, and was the first building in the village.

About the first of May immigration began to set in from all directions, and by May 25th, when the township came in market, it was literally covered with “squatters.”

During this immense rush for a slice of Uncle Sam’s domain, there were no accommodations for the land-hungry crowds that arrived daily. The above party saw itself compelled to come to the rescue by building a temporary hotel, named Palmer House in honor of the Chicago hotel. Whether the bill of fare and apartments would have done honor to the Chicago hotel the writer is not prepared to say.

Village of Newark

Late in the fall of 1883 the Dakota & Great Southern Railroad survey was made through Marshall County and passed east of the final location of the road. During the winter of ’83-4 arrangements were completed and the present site of Newark, located on sections 3 and 4. The first grading on the railroad in this county was clone here April, 1884.

J. E. Pulver and Lincoln built the Clinton Hotel, now conducted by Albert S. Huntley, from Dodge County, Minnesota.

Thos. Hanson built the first store May, ’84, which was conducted by J. Canon, who came here from Minnesota and built the first dwelling-house, a large, substantial building. In 1885 Hanson sold out to Jonathan Peterson, who is now conducting a general merchandise business.

Mr. Peterson was born in Iceland and came to America in 1877. Last year he built the largest and finest residence in the village or township.

The Fletcher brothers came here from Columbia in 1885 and opened a store and kept the post office.

C. H. Mallory built a residence in the fall of ’84 and is now engaged in the machine and insurance business.

Hiram A. Cook started the first blacksmith shop in a sod shanty covered with hay, using a barrel for a flue.

Peter Sherve started the first saloon, now conducted by R. Bell, from Canada.

Fred T. Allen built a blacksmith shop in 1884. He came from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

M. J. Stone, from Rochester, Minnesota, also blacksmith, started business the present season.

Win. Murphy, from Indiana, opened a harness shop last spring; and Wm. Butler, the shoemaker, came here from Britton.

Chas. Gilchrist keeps a feed and livery stable.

T. A. Cleary, from Canada, was elected sheriff of Marshall County in 1885. He erected a steam feed mill which is in successful operation.

Dr. Flood, a member of the town site company, was born in Seneca County, New York, and was graduated at the Detroit Medical College in 1878. He practiced five years in Geneva, New York, previous to his arrival here, and is now practicing his profession.

C. P. Osgood came from Shortsville, New York, in June, 1883, and located on section 5, and purchased Mr. Kennedy‘s interest in the townsite in 1884, and is now engaged in the real estate and loan business.

P. C. Howell, the pioneer real estate and loan agent of Newark, is a notary public, and also attends to U: S. land office business.

The Newark Tidies newspaper, the second one established in this county, issued its first number June 3d, 1886. W. W. Wilson, the editor and proprietor, for two years edited the Detroit Free Press in Brown County.

Chas. Swayne is now building a large hotel.

Contracts for the elevators have been let, and from present appearances, Newark will be one of the main shipping points on the line.

Newark will have a railroad before this pamphlet reaches the public, and with her splendid location, good drinking water, energetic class of citizens and magnificent farming country, well developed, tributary to it, can’t help but become a flourishing town.

Nearly all of the following named settlers located in Newark Township during the spring of 1883:

Dr. Von Genther, from the province of Saxony, Germany, was educated at Heidelberg University and has practiced in Cincinnati and St. Louis; settled on section 25, Apr. 16. Has now retired from practice. In boring for water on the south side of a large mound on his claim he supposed he struck a small vein of coal. A thorough investigation was commenced in the winter of ’84-5, but proved a failure on account of the quicksand, water, and the absence of cap-rock. It was hoped that a vein of coal of sufficient thickness to pay working would be discovered, but all hopes in this direction have long since taken wings.

E. D. Waite and son, John, from North Jay, Maine, settled on section 23, Apr. 17, ’83. Their shanty was the third one put up in the township. Mr. E. D. Waite served in the late war, with the 23d Maine regiment. Mr. Waite has a powder-horn, a Revolutionary relic, carried by his grandfather in the strife for independence. This grandfather, Wm. Waite, was one of the minute, men and a sharpshooter. Marshall County can boast of perhaps the only Revolutionary relic in Dakota. John Waite has for two years been assessor.

Stephen Allen, from Oakland Maine, section 28.
James Cooper, from New York, section 20.
Jno. and Mark Marion, from Owatonna, Minnesota, sections 22 and 27.
Fred Wolf, from Germany, section 27.
Oscar K. Beebe, from New York, section 28.
Josiah Allen and his sons, Win. J. and J. A., on sections 6, 7′ and 28.
W. S. Cowan, from Oakland Maine, section 29.
Henry and Christian Impekoven, from Wisconsin, sections 29 and 30.
S. W. Pierce section 31.
Robt. Dyer and daughter, Elizabeth, from Marquette County, Michigan, sections 29 and 32.
Ackland C. Dilley, from Wright County, Minnesota, section 34.
S. C. Spencer, from Michigan, section 34.
Wm. Lawrenze, from Baraboo, Wisconsin, section 26.
A. F. Hunt, from Nova Scotia; section 26.
Oscar and George Mitchell, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, section 32.

George Mitchell, the genial whole-souled hospitable George, alias Mrs. Mitchell, deserves special notice. He came here with his brothers, Oscar and Charles, the latter located just over the line in Miller Township. He has now for three years clone the house work for the three of them. His home is a model of neatness and taste. He does everything in the line of house work, from mending a stocking to making gilt-edge creamery butter. His custard pie, cake, sauce, etc., would do credit to any lady in the county, (we ate of them and speak advisedly.) Mr. Mitchell was for twelve years a traveling agent in Michigan and is a man of intelligence and experience. May his shadow never grow less.

P. J. Barrington, from Wright County, Minnesota, section 12.
J. J. Kaas, from Moore County, Minnesota,[sic Mower County, Minnesota ?] section 7.
Mr., Kaas is clerking for the Fletcher brothers.
A. G. Rockwell and E. L. Pitkins on section 24.
Jno. M. Rheinhart, from Union Center, New York, and Fred Reisenweber, section 1.
A. P. Goddard came here from Bradford, Pennsylvania, located on section 10; and his son, A. D., section 22.

The Oaks family came here from Madison, Wisconsin, secured claims in various parts of the township, and are now living on Dennis Crowley‘s farm, section 8.

D. Trowley, the irrepressible joker, came from Madison, Wisconsin, settled on section 8. Afterwards moved to Columbia, where he was quite prominent. Recently purchased a farm on section 18, where he now lives.
O. A. Griffis, from Montevideo, Minnesota, section 9. Mr. Griffis was the pioneer druggist in Columbia.
M. A. Kennedy and O. A. Roberts, from New York, settled on sections 3 and 4.
H. M. Jones from Detroit, Michigan, section 8.
Herbert J. Purchase, section 5.
Mr. Woodhouse, from New York, section 6.
Michael Sullivan, a native of Ireland, section 6.
S. P. Hagdahl, from Lyon County, Minnesota, section 7.
Sever Bergh and Jno. Larson, from Moore County, Minnesota, [sic Mower County, Minnesota ?] section 17.
Engeprigt, Homo, section 18. A. B. Cooper from Lansing, Iowa, section 19.
Arthur M. Adams, from Port Huron, Michigan, section 9. Eugene Cox, from Battle Creek, Michigan, section 4.
John Brooks, from Freeport, Illinois, secton 9.

Source: Hickman, George; History of Marshall County, Dakota: Its Topography and Natural History, and Sketches of Pioneer Settlers, with the Names of Actual Settlers where They are From, and where They Live; Also, the Military and Sisseton Reservations; J.W. Banbury, 1886.