History of Wadena
Illyria Township - Fayette Co. Iowa
From the 1878 History of Fayette County -
Pages 554, 557, 558
"Near this town is the site of the cabin erected about 1841, by George Culver, for a trading post, about a year after the almost forgotten Wilcox brothers made their claims a few miles farther west. Culver had given up a pleasant occupation in a bank in Michigan two or three years before, had settled on Elk Creek in Clayton County, and had been called upon immediately to hold at least two offices in that newly organized county, but preferred to live alone in the Indian reservation, trafficking trinkets for furs and pelts. Culver had for a partner the eccentric Joseph Hewitt, who built his cabin seven or eight miles south of Culver. In the Winter of 1842-3, Culver's cabin was surrounded by Indians, driven hither by the famine, occasioned by the severe weather and their own shiftless, improvident habits. Elsewhere is mentioned the trip of Hewitt and Culver to Washington in the capacity of claimants for compensation for their outlays of stores in keeping the Winnebagoes alive during that tedious Winter. They secured the allowance of their claim, to which they did not forget to add judiciously for accumulated interest.
In 1848, Hewitt & Culver dissolved their partnership, the latter going to Minnesota with the Indians.
The site of the town of Wadena was purchased by Samuel Stevens, in 1851, it being selected as part of the State school lands. The beginning of the town was made in 1855, by Horace Countryman and his father, who built a house and a saw-mill.
In 1858, Maj. David B. Herriman bought the interest of the elder Countryman in the mill property, and, in connection with the son, began to build a flouring-mill on the north bank. At the same time, a substantial dam was constructed, which is anchored against a rock wall, on either side, and which has been much improved from time to time, until it is now one of the best on the river, having withstood the storm of 1878, a very severe test.
In a storm, in 1871, a large tree floating down the stream caught against the saw-mill, which stood on the south side, operating as a wing dam, and raising the water so that it caught the old structure and floated it off its foundations. The dam and flouring-mill were, however, uninjured.
After a few years, Countryman disposed of his share to Maj. Herriman, who retained the sole ownership until 1875, when it passed into the hands of Talcott & Nye, who now own and operate the mill.
The town is approachable by several roads, of easy grade, which enables the mill to do a large business. Under the management of Talcott & Nye, the machinery has been greatly improved, and the flour made here is equal to any made on the river.
The euphonious name of Wadena was bestowed upon the little hamlet by Maj. D. B. Herriman, who selected the name of an Indian chief who had been a warm friend of the Major's while the latter was living at Crow Wing. Wadena was an old man when Maj. Herriman was in Minnesota, and had just wended his way to Crow Wing, with his band, to close his eyes in death, far away from the romantic spot that bears his name.
Just before the Government had completed its preparations for removing the Indians, in 1848, another old Winnebago chief, Whirling Thunder, sickened and died. The Indians had great affection and reverence for the old man, and, to do ducal honor to his remains, they built a structure of split logs, about three feet high, situated a little way from the Indian burial ground, within which, at the further end from the entrance, they placed the dead chief, in a sitting position, without other sepulture than his blanket.
A number of the early settlers of Fayette County have passed by this aboriginal mausoleum, and the memory of Whirling Thunder abides in their nostrils and memory yet.. The bones could be seen for several years through the chinks of the log covering, which in time decayed and disappeared; 'and,' says a correspondent of a Dubuque paper, 'the unhallowed point of the plow turned the last remnants of defunct greatness under the sod. During the years while the tomb stood, a number of squaws visited it every Fall-time, just before the grass, which grew very rank there, became dry enough to burn. They plucked the grass for some distance around, for the purpose of guarding the sacred spot from prairie fires, which regularly swept over the ground, and, in their fury, no doubt would have cremated Whirling Thunder, body and bones, if this precaution had not been taken by the tender-hearted squaws. When their work of devotion to the dead was done, they dolefully chanted a series of lamentations, and then departed homeward. No care like this was manifested toward other graves, of which there were many not far distant, all of common clay, however, and unmarked by evidence of remembrance, save one, at which stood an eight-square post, pretty smoothly hewn, and to the top of which was found, by an old pioneer, Thomas Markle, twenty-eight years ago, the scalp of a white woman, whose long black hair silently told the story of the sad fate of her who had fallen a victim to the merciless scalping knife. As time passed over this savage graveyard, the graves were gradually leveled until all trace of them disappeared, and the ground was enclosed by an old man named Miller Crow, who had no knowledge of its previous character until he passed his plow through it and turned up a bountiful crop of human bones. He was so horrified at the thought of plowing up dead Indians, whose spirits might not be so far away as the 'happy hunting grounds,' that he immediately changed his fence and recognized the dead Indians right of pre-emption to the ground they had made such a permanent settlement on.'
The town of Wadena was laid out by Horace and Elizabeth Countryman and David B. and Elizabeth Herriman. The surveying was done by H. Jones, County Surveyor, in July, 1857, and the plat was recorded May 11, 1859.
The first store opened in Wadena was by A. H. Blake.
The Catholic Church was built in 1870, under the supervision of Thomas Fennell, Sr., and the first sermon preached in the building was by Rev. Mr. Quigley, of Elkader, who is still in charge. The building will seat comfortably about four hundred people.
Wadena has lately become a village of considerable note - the Volga Valley Railroad having been opened to this point during the present year. The construction train reached Wadena late in the Spring, and on June 2, 1878, the first freight shipment was made from this station, it being a barrel of apples, consigned to E. Hill, Volga City.
Wadena is situated in a fertile farming region, with a valuable water power, with a railway, and with no very near rivals to draw away its rapidly increasing business.
In 1876, the prospect of the railroad induced the Herrimans to increase the size of the town, and, accordingly, an addition was platted on the north side of the town, which includes the Indian graves referred to above.
Volga Valley Lodge, No. 138, A. O. U. W., was instituted by W. H. Burford, D. G. M., November 24, 1877, with thirteen charter members. The officers now holding are P. Nye, M. W.; F. D. Talcott, F.; J. A. Lang, O.; W. B. Herriman, Rec.; O. O. Ayer, Fin.; E. Rawson, Receiver; John Herriman, Guide; Charles Herriman, I. W.; William Dorland, O. W.; B. N. Talcott, William Talcott, J. A. Lang, Trustees.
A township fair was held in Illyria September 28, 1859, on which occasion addresses were made by R. A. Richardson, Judge Newcomb and S. B. Zeigler. The exhibitors who received premiums were H. Wyckoff, J. Herriman, Joseph Gibson, J. Abernethy, William Pritchard, Dexter Follensbee, S. Holton, Walter Humphrey, J. Cruzan, George Watrous, S. R. Eaton, William Morras, J. W. Fisher, Joseph Gibbon, John Sargent, William Welch, F. H. Chapman, Thomas Kinsey, R. A. Richardson, Charles, Evans, J. Holsworth, John Sargent, Thomas Smith, L. Graves, Mrs. Kinsey, Mrs. Sargent, Mrs. S. R. Eaton, Mrs. Humphrey, Miss C. Eaton, Miss C. Kinsey, Mrs. C. M. Eaton, Miss Dora Eaton. Eighty-one premiums were awarded."