Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 75F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

A mostly clear sky. Low 54F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.

Planning Sheldon’s birthday celebration was an exciting time for the early pioneers. It was to be held in the summer of 1872 when the Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad completing building their railroad tracks to Sheldon.

The only thing visible in the area around the location chosen for the town of Sheldon was knee-high grass, unless you looked north and saw two lines of shiny new steel rails and a group of railroad workmen unloading more rails off a flatcar and placing them by a bed of railroad ties. A little black engine was puffing black smoke waiting to return to Worthington, MN, to get another load of rails. There were no trees to be seen. The pioneers lived in dugouts, small sod dwellings or shacks. A few straggling willow bushes stood on the banks of the Floyd Creek.

With the beginning settlement of the western area of Iowa, dugouts were popular in the 1850s. As the settlers moved to lands of the north-central and northwestern Iowa, the sod dwellings were built because they offered more protection from the environment. By the 1880s, the number of sod houses declined, and frame houses replaced them.

The government encouraged sod dwellings due to the Homestead Act in 1862, since these dwellings were inexpensive to build and were a quick means of providing protection from the elements and provided comfort and warmth in the winter. Sod houses would cost $15-$30. Each person who homesteaded the land had to live there five years and improve and farm the 160 acres.

Thomas Robison arrived early in February and built a 6-by-8-foot shack a half-mile north of town where Hills Park is today. His shack stood all by itself. Robison was actually the first resident of Sheldon, and his daughter was Sheldon’s first teacher.

The railroad workman lived in a 20-by-16-foot tent with homemade bunks along one side and an eating table in the center. Mrs. Herman Olsen cooked the meals for the railroad workmen. Her husband was one of the workmen on the railroad.

Eighteen-year-old John N. Peterson was a railroad workman. He started working for the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad in Worthington. His job was to drive an iron car with a crew of eight workmen. The iron car carried 40 rails and was placed at the front of the train, so the rails could be pulled off and spiked to the railroad ties. This car kept pushing forward until all the rails were used. The railroad bed had been constructed some time before. Peterson’s crew laid the track. The last rail was laid July 3, 1872.

A July celebration had been planned for the few homesteaders and the railroad workmen. The railroad workmen were to be given a day off to join the celebration. It was to be a social and patriotic celebration of the birth of the town of Sheldon on July 4, 1872. For days, the homesteaders could see the black smoke from the trains’ engines, and they became more excited about the celebration.

The morning of the 4th of July arrived with a cold and disagreeable temperature, but the homesteaders bundled up and walked, drove their horses and wagons, or rode their horses to the place that was located in the square block “city park,” which the railroad donated to the city of Sheldon. Actually, this was the spot where the Sheldon National Bank or Pucci’s Family Restaurant was located many years later.

The homesteaders brought heaping baskets of food and they were determined to have a wonderful time even though the weather did not cooperate. One family brought its prized possession, which was an organ to accompany lots of singing.

The railroad workmen made tables and benches from their planks which they brought on the train. Poles were erected and a horse blanket was spread across the top to make an attempt of being an arbor. The organ was placed under the arbor, so it was protected from the sun. Then Peterson’s crew of railroad workmen dug a well 10 feet deep, which would furnish water for a year for Sheldon people.

About 100 settlers attended the celebration. Some of their names were McClellan, Butterfield, Van Eps, Kenley, Carroll and Holmes, and they came from east and south of town. The Damon and Greattrax families came from north of town. A group of young men named D.A.W. Perkins, Gus Herrick, George Toothaker, George Miller and Milton Gillespie attended. The Robison family was the only family near the town. John Woods brought his father, Jackson Woods.

Ex-Minnesota Gov. Stephen Miller came on the construction train that arrived at 10 a.m. hauling lumber to make benches and tables for the gathering. Doc Van Eps went to Perkins’ claim and brought the one lone chair in the county and a small table that Miller could use while giving his speech.

A program was planned with lots of singing. C.S. Stewart read the Declaration of Independence. Miller represented the railroad workmen and delivered a fine oration. Thomas Robison gave a talk, and it was so long-winded that the men and women were shivering, even though the men were wearing overcoats and the women had their shawls. The main problem was they were hungry and wanted to eat.

They had all kinds of food, but Doc Van Eps brought new potatoes and peas that were a great hit. Bryan Donovan’s mother was a fabulous cook and she brought a large cake for dessert. Since it was so tempting, it was hidden and almost forgotten, but everyone had a piece when the meal was finished.

There were no firecrackers, no watermelon or no ice cream, but they celebrated with lots of patriotism and enthusiasm, and they survived the cold weather that day.

The next day the railroad workmen went back to work, and the railroad continued building tracks to Le Mars. The railroad workmen were laid off from work with the railroad in October.

A hotel was needed so the railroad workmen were hired to build the Sheldon Hotel. The winter of 1872-73 was severe. There were no trains between St. James, MN, and Sioux City from January to April because snow blocked the railroad tracks.

The sod dwellings were very humble, but they were an important aspect of Iowa’s history. The pioneers had to adapt their environment to provide their needs with food, clothing and shelter. It took a strong determination to pursue the trials and tribulation that the pioneer had to face in the settlement of Iowa’s frontier.

Sheldon will soon be celebrating its 150-year birthday anniversary as a town on Labor Day weekend, but we will have many kinds of food, refreshments, activities and a parade to attract many more people than the 100 people who celebrated the birth of Sheldon. Here’s hoping the weather cooperates and the Sheldon Sesquicentennial Celebration is a happy event for all.

Just as a reminder, the woolly mammoth tooth will be on display 9 a.m.-noon and after the 2 p.m. parade until 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5, at the Sheldon Prairie Museum.

Millie Vos is the secretary/treasurer of the Sheldon Historical Society and the Sheldon Prairie Museum director.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.