Iowa
Old Press
Mason City Globe-Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo co. Iowa
September 9, 1936
Two Mason City Pioneers - Story of Earliest Mason City
Settlers Learned - Came from Illiniois and Settled on Virgin Land
Through the courtesy of Mrs. F.L. Wacholz, a granddaughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Brentner, the farm page is enabled to present to its
readers pictures of two of the earliest residents of the county
and of Mason City - Mr. and Mrs. George Brentner.
Mr. Brentner was born in Worms, Germany, in 1802. At the age of
13 he ran away from his home in Rheims because it was proposed to
apprentice him to a tailor. He came to Virginia and learned the
trade of carpenter and also married Julia Printz. Together they
moved to Springfield, Mo., and then to Rockford, Ill. Evidently
Mr. Brentner was quite a traveler for those days, and no doubt,
it was by team and wagon. Iowa was beginning to attract
attention. Railroads had reached the Mississippi opposite Clinton
and Dubuque.
The Rush for Land
At every place on the Mississippi, where there was a ferry, there
was a constant stream of wagons and cattle being transported. The
Dubuque Tribune said, "And almost countless number of
immigrants are crowding our streets." A book, "Iowa As
it Is," published in 1855, for the information of intending
settlers, has this to say: "In the northwestern part of the
state lies a district unsurveyed and not yet on the market. It is
190 miles long, from east to west along the Minnesota line, and
80 miles in width and includes the counties of Worth, Cerro
Gordo, Franklin, Hancock, Kossuth, Emmet, Palo Alto, Pocahontas,
Dickenson, Clay, Buena Vista, Osceola, O'Brien, Cherokee,
Buncombe, Sioux and Plymouth."
The Great Lone Land
Speaking of its appearance, it says, "There are distances of
10 to 15 miles without any timber and sometimes the open prairie
is 20 miles wide, without a bush to be seen higher than the wild
indigo or compass plant." Into this virgin land came Mr. and
Mrs. Brentner and settled down along the banks of Lime creek. The
map, dated 1856, shows Clar Lake emptying into Lime creek and
that into the Shell Rock. Floyd county has two settlements, St.
Charles and Floyd crossing. Mitchell county has Osage, St. Ansgar
and Mitchell. Butler has Clarksville. There is not a town marked
in the 24 counties west of Cerro Gordo.
They Liked Iowa
Rockford, Ill., seems to have been the home of many of the early
settlers of Cerro Gordo county; among them George Brentner, A.C.
Owen, John B. Long and John L. McMillan. Probably, the good
reports of the country sent back to the old home caused others to
come. Fuel, water and shelter were of first importance to the
early settlers and so Brentner selected a site along Lime creek
and in the timber. It was on the north bank of Lime creek just
opposite the north edge of East park.
Previous to coming to Iowa he went to California during the gold
rush and he seems to have done well. After his return he entered
land on the present site of Mason City which he and John B. Long
platted. Practically all the north part of Mason City is on his
original entry including the Central park. At one time he owned
all of section 3 and the east half of SE 1/4 of section 4 in
Mason township.
For years he lived at the corner of Fourth street northwest and
Washington avenue. He died April 9, 1885. Mrs. Brentner died in
1879. They had a large family. Some of the children were George
W., Peyton B., Adaline (Mrs. Whitney), Rebecca (Mrs. Clark),
Leander L. and Margaret Jane (Mrs. Plummer) the last named being
the mother of Mrs. Frank Wacholz.
Charles City Briefs
-Miss Helen Hertling, physical training instructor in the public
schools, accepted a similar position in the East Waterloo schools
and will leave Saturday to take up her duties.
-Henry Cramer had a major operation in the Cedar Valley hospital
yesterday.
-A.E. Jones is slightly improved from a serious infection.
-Mr. and Mrs. Rue Fenholt returned last night from a three days
visit with Mrs. Fenholt's father in Wayzatta, Minn.
-Miss Laura Jewell Hueister left yesterday for Urbana, Ill. to
resume her teaching duties after spending the summer with her
parents, Dr. and Mrs. E.W. Hueister.
-Helen Payne, Marjorie Merrick, Pearl Carbiener and Mary Monroe
have returned from an outing from McGregor along the river to
Keokuk.
Engagement Announced
Of interest here is the announcement of the engagement of Miss
Mary Louise Cornell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edson Cornell of
Lexington, Ky., formerly of Mason City, to Woodrow E. Lester, son
of Dr. and Mrs. W.E. Lester of Liberty, Ky. The marriage will
take place in the early fall.
Marriage licenses have been issued here to:
Leonard Jefferson Cheatham, 26, Washington, D.C. and Madalynne
Viola Powell, 19, Mason City
Galena E. Bunting, 23, Britt and Esther L. Gordon, 20, Miller
Clifford T. Lenahan, Austin, Minn. and Estella M. Glennon, Mason
City
Jack Edward Shinn, 20, and Helen Mable Roggerman, 18, both of
Nora Springs
Dallas J. Warren and Vonna Vancy Myerick, both of Mason City
Howard Schreckengost and Katherine Lester, both of Mason City
Marvin Paul Martens and Margery Ruth Kicherer, both of Charles
City
Carl W. DeMaris and Alice Irene Harris, both of Beaman
John Dermar and Sue Sticha, both of Minneapolis
C.D. Potter, Mason City and Mildred Johnson, Klemme
[transcribed by S.F., June 20011]