by J.W. Nims
Source: Standard Historical Atlas of Mills and Fremont Counties Iowa, 1910. The Anderson Publishing Co., Chicago IL.
At a meeting of the Board of Supervisors held in the court house in Glenwood, Iowa, on the 5th day of September, A.D. 1871, the said board in pursuance of an order made by them at the January meeting for 1871,
subdividing White Cloud Civil Township, creating and organizing a new township within the territory known as Township No. seventy one (71), of Range No. forty (40), which said new township was called and known
as Deer Creek Township and in pursuance of Sections 453, 454, 455 of the revision of 1860 of the laws of Iowa, declared that the first election in Deer Creek Township should be held at the house of Stephen Woodow,
situated on Section 20 in said new township on the 10th day of October, 1871. According to the records one D. M. Mitchell was auditor and clerk. This division was signed by B.F. Buffington, and D.M. Whitefield,
members
of the board of supervisors. Thus, the new township of Deer Creek began its career.
At a special election called by the trustees of Deer Creek Township on the 12th day of November, 1878, A.H. Dolph, G.K. Everett, Chas. Schick, trustees, a 5% tax was voted to aid in building the Council Bluffs and
St. Louis Railroad and said tax was voted and paid, and we have the Wabash Railroad running through the township.
Of the early history of the township we mention, Dan. Solomon, was one of the first to open up a full section farm, and what is known as the Scott farm is still larger; then we had the smaller farms that did more to
build up our township, such men as:
A.H. Dolph, J.H. Dolph, Henry Douglas, Robert Hillyer, Jacob Kockesperger, Charles Schick, William Schick, Daniel Solomon, Joel Solomon, Fred White,
George White, Henry White, L.E. Weed, J.W. Wortman. Among the men who have done much for the livestock industry, we note in horses such men as George Schurr, Fred White, and C.E. Ballain;
the cattle interests have been served by C. E. Ballain and G.H. White, and
last but not least comes the hogs, Stephen Woodrow, and A. Bellwood, were the pioneers in this breed. Later Nims, Bros. and G.H. White, helped out this branch of stock raising. We also
mention B.F. Bellwood,
as coming in for a share of the honors in the red hogs. We also mention Nims Bros. as the originators of legal tender corn which they have brought to a high standard of excellence and have gained a reputation second
to none in the best corn growing sections. Deer Creek is in the front rank as regards its fine well-improved farms and up-to-date progressive farmers. Show me the buildings, class of stock, grain, etc. and I will give
you a pretty good description of its citizens.
SOLOMON
Source: Ghost Towns of Mills County Iowa, 1975 by Allen Wortman, used with permission.
One of the interesting but less-well-known early-day towns of Mills County was Solomon, a community founded after the Council Bluffs & St. Louis Railway was completed on its almost diagonal course across the county in 1879.
It later became the Wabash Railway and today is the Norfolk & Western. Solomon was in the southeast corner of Mills County, some three miles from the east border and less than a half mile from the Fremont County line.
It was named after one of the county's pioneer lawyers and lawmakers, the Hon. Daniel H. Solomon, who also had large land holdings in Deer Creek township and was reported to have owned a section in the vicinity of the
town that bore his name. Joel Solomon, possibly a relative, was one of the county's pioneers and also a large landowner in Deer Creek township.
The Hon. Daniel Solomon was engaged in the practice of law for a number of years and also represented Mills and seven other counties in the State General Assembly and the Constitutional Convention of 1857. That he was
one of that body's influential members is shown by the fact that at the quarter-century commemoration of that convention held in Des Moines in 1882, he was one of the principal speakers, discoursing on the "Westward
Course of Empire." He also taught the first school in Glenwood.
The Village
There is no record of exactly when the village of Solomon was started but the Atlas of 1891 showed a plat of the town which then had an elevator and office owned by (E.C.) Kayton & (G.C.) Eacrett on the side track;
and another building, probably a warehouse a block north at the corner of Main and North Streets. The post office was across the street from the warehouse and five other buildings, one housing a blacksmith shop, were
scattered about the community, on Center Street and First Street. The post office was established in July, 1880, with Henry C. Bedison as postmaster.
Through the influence of Mr. Solomon and others, Deer Creek township voted a five per cent (mills) tax on property to help build the new railway. The town of Malvern and other townships on its proposed line also voted
similar financial aid.
In 1890 the Solomon news writer reported that "prospects for a new church here are very flattering of late." It was also learned that W.C. Davis had added a lot of new goods in the grocery line and was doing a good
business. He had cabbage and sweet potato plants for sale as well. The news writer also observed that "if they start a package house in Solomon, look out for dynamite and flying packages." By that time, evidently,
the saloon had closed and there was some consideration for a store to sell liquor by the bottle where a saloon wasn't wanted.
The little community did much business in shipping grain and livestock and there was frequent mention of this in news items. Mr. Horn, said one, "struck a good market with seven cars of cattle shipped from Solomon
last week." Other items told of the Solomon mill (probably a feed grinding facility in connection with the elevator) grinding much feed and occasionally so many farmers brought wagons of grain to town that they had
to wait in line to unload.
The Saloon
In 1883 there was a saloon in Solomon and The Malvern Leader's correspondent for the community sent in an item headed: "Almost a Murder in John Hall's Saloon." The story told of one Alex McCharque of Missouri who
got into an argument with the bartender over a 30-cent charge for playing pool, then pulled out a gun. A farmer of the neighborhood, David Brodock, tried to stop the fight and in doing so was shot by McCharque who
was quickly arrested and taken to the Malvern jail for the night, then to the county jail at Glenwood the next morning. Feeling ran high against McCharque and D.H. Solomon prosecuted the case.
Mr. Brodock recovered from the shot but seemed to have had a bad year as far as violence was concerned. An item in the December 3, issue of 1883 told of a well digger, Charles Houstine of Imogene, working on a well
on the Brodock farm who had a large bucket of dirt fall on his head, crushing the skull and letting "from eight to ten ounces of brain leak out" when Dr. Campbell and Brothers of Malvern came to treat the injury.
The saloon may have been a source of controversy. In the early 1880's Mr. Hall charged that one R.K. Lewis both burglarized the saloon and beat him. Lewis had sold the saloon to Hall only a short time before. But
generally, life was more tranquil in Solomon. In August, 1884, C.H. Rhodes of Emerson moved to the community, leaving only one house vacant. In January, 1888, Mr. Dean, the school teacher, had to dismiss school a
few days because of a severe cold. G.K. Eacrett, helping at the elevator, took in seven cars of grain in two days and also shipped a batch of hogs to Omaha. P. Maher, Din McCarty, Henry McCardle
and M. Fellows
were some of the farmers of the vicinity mentioned in the news from Solomon.
The Demise
But Solomon failed to grow and the nearby communities of Strahan and Imogene were highly competitive. Like an old soldier, the town gradually faded away. Its plat was given in the Atlas of 1910, but little other
information. Charles D. Costello of Malvern, who lived in the vicinity of Solomon as a boy when his father had a farm in the vicinity recalls that in the 1920's there was still an elevator there, and pens for
holding livestock. He hauled grain to the Solomon elevator on a number of occasions.
Joe Doyle of rural Imogene, who now owns the land on which Solomon stood, remembers that the elevator was active through the 1930's and was then operated by Tommy Conner who also had such a facility at Imogene.
He recalls that the town had an active community life. An informal race course was laid out on the level road west of town and some spirited contests were held there on summer Sunday mornings. The stores and other
places of busines other than the elevator closed in the 1920's or before. Gradually the houses were moved to other locations and in the course of time only the elevator remained. Even before it was torn down much
of the land in the original plat had returned to farm use.
ABANDONED POST OFFICES
Turner
Established July 27, 1874, Arnold Trayers, postmaster; moved and renamed Imogene in Fremont County, November 24, 1879; reopened as Turner, March 19, 1880. Since Postmaster Bedison opened the Solomon post office,
it is assumed that the Turner office was moved to that location.
DEER CREEK BIOGRAPHIES, 1881
DEER CREEK CHURCHES
There were no early churches found in Deer Creek Township. Some residents went north to churches in Indian Creek Twp. and some went east to churches in Montgomery Co. while others undoubtedly went south to the Imogene area in Fremont County.
DEER CREEK SCHOOLS
Center School - 3 1/2 miles S of Emerson on old Highway 59
In 1917 a special election was held to vote on consolidating the school district with one school at Strahan in White Cloud Township. The outcome was in favor of consolidation. Residents in 32 sections of land were involved. A site for the new school was chosen one fourth mile south of Strahan, in White Cloud Twp. This was the first school to be consolidated in Mills County and the first to provide bus transportation to and from school. Other schools in Deer Creek Township involved in the consolidation were: South Grove, Fairview, and Preston.
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Center - Middle of E line, Section 9
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Fairview - NE corner, Section 19
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Glenn - Middle of W line, Section 27
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Keystone - SE corner, Section 13
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Preston - SW corner, Section 29
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South Grove - Middle of S line, Section 6
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Union - SW corner, Section 25
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Warner - Middle of N line, Section 12
