History of Victor Township

Victor Township lies in the northeast corner of the county, west of the Sisseton reservation and north of the military reservation and at present includes a strip three miles wide lying between it and the military reservation.

The western part is quite level, while the eastern part extends up into the Coteaus. The principal part of the land in the hills is good farming land, free of stones and nearly all settled. There are five coulees emerging from the hills, four of which contain timber.

Chas. Bailey, mentioned elsewhere, was the first settler on section 12.

Peter Sirai, a native of France, immigrated to America in 1871, selected his present home, section 21, in February, 1882, and in May the next spring took possession with his family, having built a log hut.

Jno. Sirai, a brother to Peter, settled on section 27.

Albert Dechan and Geo. Cloughy came the same time and settled on sections 14 and 15.

Henry Storck, from Missouri, settled on section 14, May, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Cloughy both died in 1884.

A Mr. Shorey located, as near as we can learn, on section 11, sometime in 1882. New Year’s day, 1883 he took poison, then stabbed himself, and finally to end his life shot himself. He was an old bachelor, and was found dead in his shanty, and from the appearance of things in his room he tried all of above mentioned ways to end his life. The writer was unable to learn anything more concerning Mr. Shorey, as those now living in the neighborhood did not settle there until the following spring.

Mrs. Cloughy being of Indian blood her family of children were admitted and taken care of on the Indian reservation. In 1884 Dechan sold out to Storck and moved to the Standing Rock country.

D. B. Marble settled on section 22, July 1, 1882. He was born in Shirly, Maine, near Moorehead Lake.

This we believe constituted the settlement in 1882. A large number located their claims that summer but did not move here until the spring of ’83. The first settlers all located in the timbered coulees where they had spring water and plenty of fuel. These locations are romantic and appear much more pioneer-like than the prairie homes. All of the settlers here came in from the north, Lisbon and Milnor being their nearest railroad points. In the summer of ’83 all of the valley land in the township was taken, while the hills were settled the last two years, principally by Scandinavians.

Henry Swart, from River Falls, Wisconsin, section 22
Fred Ketchum and David Davis, from Minnesota, section 15.
David Dobell, from Litchfield, Minnesota, section 11.
L. Archer, from Green County, Iowa, section 3.
Samuel Ellsworth, from Minnesota, section 3.
Wm. T. Jackman, from Pierce County, Wisconsin, section 4.
Fred Jackman, section 10.
Uzell Leffingwell, from Kansas, section 4.
E. A. Bacon, from Wisconsin, section 5.
Alfred E. Johnson, from Montreal, Canada, section 17.
Archie Darrow, from Wright County, Minnesota, section 5.
Mrs. H. Dean, from Wright County, Minnesota section 6.
C. N. Cooper, originally from Ashtabula, Ohio, came here with his sons, E. A. and A. E., from Wright County, Minnesota, located in ’82 on sections 6 and 7, but did not settle here until ’83.
John Hanson, from Stevens County, Minnesota, section 7.
John, Palmer, from Indiana, section 8. Mr. Lennox, from Minneapolis, section 8.
Silas Mansfield, from Minnesota, section 9.
Mr. Merchant, from Wahpeton, Dakota, section 10.
James Joyce, from Minnesota, section 18.
G. V. Dawson, from Wahpeton , section 17.
Fred Linse, from Wilkin County, Minnesota, section 19.
Wm. Linse, from St. Paul, Minnesota, section 30.
Ralph Lyle, from Minnesota. section 20.
Mr. Morris, from Wisconsin, section 31.
J. H. Mountain came from Wahpeton here and located on section 31.
Peter Rattick, from Anoka, Minnesota, section 30.
James W. Lawkin came here from Arizona, and bought claim on section 32.
James Mitchell, from Minnesota, section 19.
Albert S. Masters and brother, G. N., from Prince Edwards Island, settled on sections 21 and 29.
Albert Meach, O. R. Hildreth and A. B, Stewart, all from Hume, New York, settled on sections 6 and 7 in fractional township.
Jno. Wiegen and Geo. Dosch, from Wisconsin, section 6.
Herman and August. Kuehle, on sections 4 and 5.
James Swift, section 7.

The writer is indebted to Hans Thompson for a list of the Scandinavian settlers in his vicinity and south on the Fractional township. Mr. Thompson emigrated from Sweden to Iowa, and came here from Fergus Falls, Minnesota, in 1883 and settled on section 23.

His brother, Jno. T., Bakken, settled on same section.
Jno. Vuld and Jno. Hugen, section 24.
Halver Johnson, section 13.
Ole Ekled, section 25.
Andrew Anderson, section 35.
Ole Brubecken, section 35, and
Jno. Johnson, section 25.

We were unable to obtain all the names of settlers in the Fractional township.

Mr. Thompson gave us the following:

Jno. Brubecken.
Erick Stue.
Ole and Ed. Grinsrud.
Seward Wold.
Oslad Howe.
Christian Nelson, section 11.
Jno. Swanson, section 12.
Ole Hannom.
Jno. Johnson, section 12.
H. R. Herriman, section 6.
Asland S. Sloug, section 13.
Geo. P. Kreiger, section 18.
Peter Olmo, section 14.
Nels Holen, section 18.
Enger Siberg, section 14.
Jno. and Albert Johnson, section 31.
Evert Swanson, section 12.
Sever Jacobsen, section 31.
Fred Halle, section 5.
C. P. Jensen, section 31.
G. Osland, section 19.
Ole Handeland, section 31.
K. G. Quarve, section 19.
Chas. H. Jones, section 18.

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.

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