Palo Alto County, Iowa
News Articles

John Adamson, Owned Thousands of Acres

Emmetsburg, Iowa, Sept. 9 - Forty years ago John Adamson of Blairgowrie, Scotland, owned many thousands of acres of land in this county. Actuated by a public spirit and to enhance the value of his property, to create a market and thus aid settlers in the settlement of the vast prairies, Mr. Adamson established the greatest ranch that has probably been seen in Iowa, three miles northeast of Emmetsburg. A little more than forty years ago the sight of the place was a great plain; in the winter the storms, unobstructed by houses, cornfields or trees, howled dismally; in the summer it was very pretty. The settler of today can form but little conception of the beauty of the prairies of Iowa in June time forty years ago. Mr. Adamson declared then, upon seeing them, that there was no land more charming; the wide spreading prairies were as free as the air, covered with a rich, dense grass; full of flowers, wild and beautiful stretching away in every direction to the horizon; but in the fall time, when the prairie fires left the land a blackened waste, it resembled the places mentioned in the Bible where people used to go and howl. To a man from the old world, the time when those un-peopled prairies would be settled, must indeed have seemed a long way off.

Blairgowrie, which comprised eight sections of land, was situated five miles from the old town of Emmetsburg and it rivaled the place as a market for anything the settlers had to sell. A man by the name of Anderson, a Scotchman, was sent out from Scotland to establish and manage the farm. He came by way of Kentucky and with him came thoroughbred horses, blooded cattie and pets of many kinds. Anderson was a high liver and a great character. The countryside rang with his fame and .popularity. Somehow he appealed to men of all classes. His two salient characteristics were love of dogs and fast driving. He used to come down and strike the Algona road. You saw a dark object ahead, then there was a cloud of dust, and you knew that Anderson was making for the old town, and the dogs - it was said, as a verity, that when the first dog reached the outskirts of the town, Anderson's last dog was leaving Blairgowrie. The herald of his coming was a greyhound or two, then more dogs - stags, pointers, setters - curs of high and low degree strung along the road, while a beagle or slow fox hound, bawling at the top of his voice, with his tongue out half a mile, came bringing up the rear. In the harvest time of 1872 Anderson fell down an open cellar way and broke his back.

Then followed a famous drive of his Kentucky thoroughbreds by Alexander Peddie, which has probably never been equaled in Iowa. He went five miles west to the old town and back; then sixty miles to Fort Dodge and back; thence twenty miles to Algona and back. It was supposed that the horses were ruined - blood will tell. They were not even hurt and both lived to an old age. Alexander Peddie was then in charge of the place for a while, and then as manager came Walker from Illinois. He was a good business man, large and portly. He and his wife were social favorites and Blairgowrie became for years a social mecca. At that time there came to Blairgowrie to learn cattle raising and ranching, Fred Burley, an Englishman. He was handsome, capable, of sterling character, an authority on farming and a great judge of stock. When Mr. Walker retired as manager Burley took his place. His sister, Miss Catherine Burley, now Mrs. J. W. Corey of Spencer, made her home with him. Great tracts of land were broken up, trees were planted, larger barns and sheds erected, and at times more than a thousand head of cattle were kept. Fred Burley was killed in 1883 by riding at great speed on a blind horse against a steer on the lake side above the old Jackson farm. Probably no man ever died in this county who was so universally missed and whose taking off was so regretted.

Then for some years the place was managed by Mr. Sime, Then from Dundee, Scotland, came the new manager, a mere boy, Will Saunders, under whose direction and management the activities of the place reached their greatest height. Many men and teams were employed; immense barns and buildings were erected; great groves were planted. It is said that as high as 1,500 head of cattle and as many hogs and sheep were wintered on this place. It was a rich and splendid place for many a year tourists while to see. The passing country boy, who wonders at the widely spreading field, the orchard and the magnitude of the forests that have grown rip and the immensity of the lines on which everything was layed out will remember that back of all this was a public spirited man, a multimillionaire in a distant country, seeking, in the settlement, to render habitable a great prairie land, far from a railroad and of which geographers of 1830 spoke as part of the great American desert. To John Adamson his dream of settlement never came true, for when he died the country was still very wild and thinly settled. At the present time the land is under cultivation and presents some of the most beautiful residences and other farm buildings that can be found in Iowa.

[Emmetsburg, Iowa, Wednesday, September 13, 1911, submitted by Janice Rice]

Cretzmeyer

Cretzmeyer Means Athlete

Emmetsburg, Ia. - Four members of the Cretzmeyer family of northwestern Iowa have contributed to the athletic fame of the tribe. Heading the list is Francis, of Emmetsburg, captain and high point man of the University of Iowa track team. Cousin Charles is a member of Harvard's mile relay team. Uncle John Cretzmeyer is basketball-football coach at Columbia Academy, Dubuques, state prep cage champion. Dr. F. X. Cretzmeyer, of Emmetsburg, father of Francis, was a star pitcher for Iowa in 1903-1906.

[Reading Eagle, Reading, Pennsylvania, Published April 16, 1936, submitted by Cathy D.]

Eddie Moan

Eddie Moan, a little boy at Emmetsburg about 9 years old, was adjudged insane and taken to the asylum at Independence.

[Clinton Weekly, Clinton, Iowa, Published March 25, 1892, submitted by Cathy D.]

Palo Alto News, September 13, 1911

Miss Laura Thoman was an Armstrong visitor last week.

Edwin Anderson of Ruthven was an Emmetsburg visitor Saturday;

Miss Winnifred Brereton returned to Grinnell this week to attend Iowa College.

Post office Inspector Bassett of Fort Dodge was in Emmetsburg Saturday on official business.

Miss Imelda McGovern of Whittemore visited Emmetsburg relatives Wednesday evening.

Mrs. Brock, Mrs. Cohoon's mother, left for Laurens yesterday. One of her daughters lives at that place.

Miss Winnie Wilmers will return to Oberlin, Ohio, this week to continue her studies in the college at that place.

Joy Crose goes to Iowa College this week to continue his studies.

Robert Middleton will also attend that institution.

Mr. and Mrs. Matt Kilroy came up from Mason City Sunday to see Mrs. Kilroy's father. They returned home in the evening. Their oldest son is now firing on the local division of the Milwaukee road and their second son is clerking in a store at Mason City. Miss Sylvia is attending school.

[Emmetsburg, Iowa, Wednesday, September 13, 1911, submitted by Janice Rice]

Thomas & Thomas

George and Harvey Thomas of Emmetsburg who were serving a term in the jail at Rockwell City for attempting to sell liquor to the sheriff and county attorney of Calhoun county made their escape a week ago Sunday night. It is presumed that the prisoners gained their liberty by means of keys filed down from case knives. Officers went to Emmetsburg on Monday following the escape and found the boys had left for unknown places in a car belonging to their brother.

[Carroll Herald, Carroll, Iowa, Published August 18, 1926, submitted by Cathy D.]