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Note: "Reminiscences of Early Days By A Pioneer Settler - Mrs. Eliza Bemis Writes First of Series of Historical Articles of Early Days in Emmet County", Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, Iowa, August 13, 1924.
The first of a series of articles by pioneers of this county to appear from week to week in the Vindicator and Republican, is by Mrs. Eliza M. Bemis.
Mrs. Bemis, who is now 79, has lived in Emmet county since 1866, when she came here from New York with her husband, S. E. Bemis. They came here with Mr. Bemis' brother D. M. L. Bemis.
Mrs. Bemis has always been very active in affairs of the community, and expecially in the work of the Woman's Relief Corps, of which she is now president. She has a remarkable memory for her age, and though her health does not permit her to be so very active physically, her mind is in no way handicapped.
Mr. Bemis, who is now deceased, was a Civil War veteran, and brought his bride of twenty-one to this county where they reared a family of seven children. Before coming here from New York, however, they lived a short time in East Chain, Minnesota.
By Eliza M. Bemis
When we first came to Estherville, the year after the close of the Civil War, there was scarcely a dwelling house on the town site, in fact there was no town site. There was a fort, Fort Defiance, which had been built for protection against the Indians. Several families lived in the Fort.
There was a hotel, however, not far from the present Rock Island bridge. This was kept by Mr. Haskins and was known as the Haskins Hotel. Here we deposited our scant supply of dry-goods and groceries which we had brought with us to start a store. During that first summer, while building was going on, we conducted our store at the hotel but lived in a little house which the men had put up in a few days after we arrived.
There was one other store already here when we came. It was Fisher's store, a little grocery down by the river.
Our nearest railroad was Fort Dodge. Our mail came from there, brought by stage, once a week. Goods for the store were brought from Garden City, Mankato and Blue Earth, Minn. These had to be brought overland by team and wagon and it was several days' journey to any of these places. Then the goods must be purchased and the return journey made. It was no small task in those days to make the trip.
During the first summer quite a good deal of building was done. The old store building which was used to stand where the postoffice is now was one of the first one's built. The lumber was brought overland from Fort Dodge and Garden City, all except that used for interior finishing. That was sawed from native timber at the old saw mill down by the river. It was all black walnut, the shelves, counters and even the floor. Today that lumber could not be duplicated and if it could would be worth a small fortune.
Graves and McKay opened a store in a building where the Ford garage now stands.
The same summer brought a post office. It was a small building scarcely more than a shack, not far from the place where the Myhre & Jeglum store now is.
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