 Kossuth County Iowa Historical InfoEarly History and Settlement The first marriage in the county was that of William Moore to Sarah Wright, April 22, 1857. The license for this event was issued by Judge Call, and the knot matrimonial was tied by George D. Wheeler, justice of the peace. The first death in the county was that of a party by the name of Mahuren. This man, a minister or elder of the Christian Church, in the fall of 1854, came to the cabin of Ambrose. A. Call, and being sick, stayed there about two weeks, and at the end of that period died. The first birth in Kossuth was that of James and Joseph Crose, twin sons of Philip and Mary Crose, which, occurred Aug. 28, 1855, in Irvington Township. James is teaching school in Bancroft, and his brother is engaged in farming in Creseo Township. Some dispute seems to have arisen as to this fact; some claiming that Irving Clark, son of William G. Clark was the first party born in this county, but upon investigation it appears that the latter party was born at Fort Dodge. The first sawmill was raised at Irvington and commenced operations early in the summer of 1856. Judge Call started his mill at Algona a few weeks later. The first log house was built by Ambrose A. Call and W. T. Smith, on section 14, in township 95, range 29, now in Cresco, and was finished in August, 1854. The first board building was erected by J. W. Moore, in Algona, for a store room. This was but a rude shanty, built of boards. The first goods sold in the limits of Kossuth County are believed to have been a small stock of powder, whisky and like commodities peddled out by Charles Easton in 1854 or 1855. He had no store building but inhabited a tent from which he sold the goods. The first store and stock of goods was established at Algona, by Major W. W. Williams, who was the suttler at Fort Dodge. During the summer of 1856, he sent up a small assortment of such goods as would retail well in a new country. These goods were in charge of William Koons, but he did not stay long as he was superseded by H. P. Watson, who immediately built a new building for the accommodation of the stock. The first frame building erected in Algona was one built by Lewis H. Smith, during that eventful summer of 1856. The first citizen of the county to become naturalized was Christian Hackman, who received his final papers upon the 10th day of October, 1856. The first order or warrant for the payment of money by the county, bore the date of April 22, 1857, and was issued to Lewis H. Smith for locating a road. The first newspaper, in the county of Kossuth, was the Algona Pioneer Press, established in that town by Ambrose A. Call in September, 1861. This paper had an existence only of about two years, when it suspended. The first frame school house in the county was erected in the year 1860, on section 24, in township 96 north, range 29 west. The first white woman whose feet trod the soil of Kossuth County was Mrs. Asa C. Call, in July, 1854. The first kerosene ever used in this county was brought here by Lewis H. Smith in 1859. A great deal of sport ensued in the first attempt to use this oil, as he thought that the wick must be above the cone. The first bread made in the county, from wheat raised therein, was made by Mrs. H. A. Henderson in 1859. As this wheat was raised by her husband and was the first of Kossuth County growth, a festive time was made of it and the neighbors were invited in to partake of the bread. The first sewing machine was brought to Kossuth County in January, 1860, by Lewis H. Smith of Algona. The first threshing in Kossuth County was done by some parties from Boone River, for W. H. Ingham in the fall of 1859. This was done on section 20, township 96, range 20. The pioneer piano of the county was brought to Algona, by Lewis H. Smith, during the winter of 1865-6. The first bank in the county was opened by W. H. Ingham in January, 1867, at Algona, and the first draft or bill of exchange was drawn on the 11th of January of that year. It was for $100 from James L. Paine to a minister of the gospel in Missouri. The first bank sign that of Ingham & Smith, was painted by the junior partner, and is yet preserved among the relics of bygone days. This was lettered in 1870. Lewis H. Smith, besides being the first lawyer in the county, was the first to hang out a sign as notary public in 1857. The first window blinds ever placed upon a house in Kossuth County were the property of Capt. W. H. Ingham, who put them on his dwelling in 1860. The last elk seen in this county was killed during the month of November, 1867, by a party of gentlemen in the Boone River, near the east line of the county. The party consisted of the following members: A. L. Seeley, A. Kennedy, Abraham Hill and J. G. Smith. The horns that ornamented this historic animal's head now decorate the court room in Algona. [History of Kossuth County, Iowa, Chapter II, p244, 1884, Transcribed by Charlotte Slater] 
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