JACK CROSE, PIONEER; GREW UP WITH COUNTRY
Seven Hundred Miles in Prairie Schooner—Forded the Mississippi —Anecdotes of Early Shenandoah
(By Merze Marvin)

When Shenandoah was just a wee bit of a village, with a dozen or so buildings scattered around in sort of hit or miss style in the fertile Nishna valley, the young men and young women were just as lively and played just as many pranks and had just as good times, as our happy young people today. Jack Grose here then—he came to Fremont county long before Shenandoah was even dreamed of—and, cajoled by the reporter into a .reminiscent mood, he told many interesting incidents of early life in Shenandoah. 

Jack Crose is a '49er. His parents were Kentuckians who came west to grow up with the country. They made their early home in Thorntown, Boone county, Ind., and there Jack Grose was born. In 1854 the Crose family moved to Fremont county. The entire trip, 700 miles, was made by prairie schooner.

They purchased a little new farm one-half mile south of Sidney. Some of the sod was turned and a few apple trees had been set out. There was a new log house, very crude. The logs were not chinked, and the sunshine and the moon beams crept in through the cracks. When the cold winter came on father Crose plastered the cracks with mud to keep the breezes out. The lighting system consisted of a twisted rag dipped in grease, lit by an ember from the fire. Later, when they secured tin molds in whicn to fashion their own candles they considered that the limit of progress. Fires were started with the flint from Grandfather Crose's old flint lock rifle. Neighbors borrowed fire from each other frequently. Fancy borrowing a shovelful of fire!

Improvements on the farm were started at once. For breaking the sod they used a team of oxen; for cultivating the corn one horse and an old fashioned single shovel. Those comprised their farm stock and implements at first. Later they purchased a double shovel, and finally a Weir cultivator, such as were sold by J. R. Ratekin in the early history of Shenandoah.    They used the cradle for harvesting the small grain, and the scythe for cutting grass.   An old McCormick reaper was considered a marvelous improvement.
A great many Indians visited Fremont county in those early days. Sometimes they came in great numbers, stalking silently, always in single file. They never caused trouble, but frequently kept the settlers on the anxious seat. They could be seen a long way off, and when possible the men were called in from the fields to await the approach of their savage visitors. They begged provisions, divided the booty among themselves, and then passed on. Once a neighbor lady of the Crose's saw an unusually long file of Indians gliding over the prairie. Her husband being absent she was frightened and hastened to the Crose home. Mrs. Crose asked what she had done with the baby. "Oh my God, I've left it in the cradle" she screamed. But the baby was not injured.

The Crose children went to school in Sidney in the winter and in the summer time helped in the fields and in the garden. Jaek used to peddle garden produce to Sidney people when he was a small boy. The entire Crose family attended church in Sidney. The father was a deacon in the church, and used to go early to open the building while the mother brought the children later, after seeing that their shoes were brightly shined, their faces washed, and the little red aprons with black dots were properly donned.

After a few years on the farm father Crose was taken sick and the mother and boys had to bear the brunt of the work.   The doctor advised a change, and so the old prairie schooner was brought forth and the family made the long trip back to the old home in Indiana, remained a year and then returned to Sidney. Jack Crose was quite a good sized boy at the time of this trip, and remembers distinctly every detail of the journey. It is difficult to imagine the possibility of fording the Mississippi river. Yet that is just what the Croses did. The waters were exceptionally low that year, and the rocky bottom had been built up, near Keokuk, so that it was possible to drive, or wade across the river. The waters were about two feet deep.

After the return to the farm the old routine was resumed. When war time came a company was organized and encamped not far from the Crose home. The boys always stopped at the camp on their way to and from school and whiled away many interesting hours there. The uncle for whom Jack Crose was named, Andrew Jackson Van Eaton, was a member of that troop.

Going to the mill was one of the interesting little breaks in farm life of those days. The boys used to take turns going milling with their father and looked forward with great pleasure to these little expeditions. The first milling place was Rockport, Mo. The trip consumed several days, and it was necessary to stay "over night to get the grain ground. Later they went to White Cloud, and sometimes to Plum Hollow, now called Thurman.

Other diversions were the trips to the Sidney Landing to haul goods. It was never possible to tell just where the landing would be found. They used to move it with the will of the wind and the stream. The vessels anchored where they pleased, and then the landing was moved to the vessel, instead of moving the vessel to the landing. The transferable landings were only temporary.

When Jack Crose was sixteen or seventeen years old he left the farm and went to Sidney to take a position as clerk in a furnishing store. After a year's experience he changed to A. F. Mettleman's general store, in which his brother, R, B. Crose was chief clerk.

When they were young men together in Sidney Jack Crose, J. J. Van Eaton and A. V. Penn made a trip to Nebraska City to drive a drove of hogs to market. That was just after the Kansas City & Southern railway was put through and there the three young men enjoyed their first ride on a railway. They rode from Nebraska City to Hamburg and were as excited as a youngster of today over a trip in an aeroplane.

Jack Crose's next move was to Tabor where he attended school for several months. While he was in school at Tabor, his brother, R. B. Crose and A. F. Mettleman formed a partnership in a general mercantile business at Manti. They induced Jack to come from school and take a clerkship in the store. At this time the road was being graded for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad from Red Oak to Nebraska City. There was considerable speculation as to whether the new town would be located at the present site of Shenandoah, or at Manti, the Mormon settlement. Mettleman & Crose located their store at Manti temporarily. George Myers was one of the Manti merchants and O. S. Ryder another. People named Lacey lived in a big log house. Grandma Lacey was a great Methodist. There were Saints church and Sunday school services each week.

In the summer of 1870 Shenandoah was platted and the forepart of August the lot sale took place. The town was first called Fair Oaks and the name later changed to Shenandoah. The first train was run over the line from Red Oak in July of 1870. A box car was used for a station at Shenandoah. Some rude shanties and tents had been built to accomodate the railway workers, but the first bona fide house was a two story frame dwelling house moved on wheels from Manti by a man named Peter Carpenter. It was located on the site of the Delmonico hotel and was used as a hotel. The frame of that building, remodeled, is now a part of the residence of Superintendent H. E. Wheeler on Center street. After that the store building, stock in trade, and entire paraphernalia of O. S. Ryder was moved intact from Manti to Shenandoah and located on the present site of Ditter's plumbing shop. The next building in town was a store building erected by R. B. Crose and A. F. Mettleman on the present site of the First National Bank building. They moved their business from Manti to Shenandoah as soon as the building was completed, late in the fall of 1870. The Websters, Wat Webster and Doctor Webster, erected a building that fall where the C. E. Young & Co., Mitten factory is now located. They ran a bank and a doctor's office there.

The first church service in Shenandoah, was held in the depot and the sermon was preached by a minister named Farlow. Going to church was a great privilege in those days, people traveled from afar to attend the services.

Jack Crose clerked for Mettleman & Crose for a number of years and and many amusing experiences. It was customary for the clerks to sleep in the buildings and open the stores at sunrise. A friend of Crose's was brakeman on the freight from the south which reached Shenandoah at dawn each morning. Often Crose would arise early and go down to meet his friend. Once he reached the station as the train pulled in, and climbed on top of the car to join his friend. The train was to be divided and the friend climbed down to uncouple the cars. While he was down and Crose was up the engineer started the train. Crose stayed on the car and as they passed an old friend he waved his hand. The engineer supposed it was his brakeman signalling to go ahead, and he let her out, full speed ahead. Crose frantically clutched at the cleats on the car and hung on for dear life. Soon the engineer wondered what was the matter. He couldn't stop the train at the crossing, because no one put on the brakes, and poking his head of the window he bellowed "D—you, why don't you brake?" Crose was too busy hanging on to explain that he didn't know a brake from a monkey wrench. When the engineer finally succeeded in stopping his train half a mile beyond the proper point, he reversed and being angry sent it full speed back until they crashed into the other cars like an avalanche. At the depot yard, Crose tumbled off and raced up town as fast as his legs could carry him, followed by the engineer's curses and hysterical laughter of his friend.

The young people had gay times in those days. The first musical organization was a string band composed of Joe and John Skaggs, Harry and Will Wolf, Fred Miller, Mr. Bartlett, Geo. Boyd, Jack and C. F. Crose. Others were added later, but those were the original members of the band. Their purpose was not the giving of concerts and accumulating of cash. No, indeed! The high and mighty purpose of their organization was to serenade the girls. Night after night they proceeded on their rounds and played sweet symphonies beneath the windows of their lady loves. Sometimes they were rewarded with smiles and more substantial refreshments. Sometimes not. They serenaded the Carey girls once, in the present Ed Woodford home and at the close of the concert refreshments were passed out to the gallant musicians. Bartlett who was the violinist and played the leading parts, laid his violin on the ground while he disposed of a goodly share of the eatables. Another member of the crowd, who was possessed of pedal extremeties of extraordinary size, set his foot down squarely in the center of the beloved instrument. Bartlett was disconsolate, and to soothe his feelings the fellow musicians raised a purse and purchased a new violin for him.

On another occasion the band boys took their girls and started out in a bobsled to surprise one of their members, Harry Wolfe, then bachelor who lived just a little way south of town. He was surprised alright. "Well folks," said he "I haven't anything to eat but doughnuts, and there aren't enough of those to go around, but here they are, and the best fellow gets them." He dumped the doughnuts out on the table and the scene resembled a Saturday morning basement bargain counter, and there was not much left of the doughnuts when the crowd was through scrambling.

The youngs ladies used to return the serenades occasionally. The first Shenandoah newspaper, the Reporter, was published in a little frame shack near the site of Joe Snow's store, and there the proprietors, H. S. Nicholson and Dan Gaff, slept. The young ladies one time included the editors in their serenade route. The next issue of the Reporter appeared with a column, more or less, eulogizing the unseen callers and closed with the question, ''Angels or cats? which?" The ladies have never forgotten or forgiven.

One time a man was bringing a steer to the butcher shop in Shenandoah. The animal became excited and difficult to handle when they reached town. After many efforts he broke away from the captors and rushed madly up the street. They pursuing. It being summer time, the houses stood open, and the steer darted in the gateway up the walk and in the front door of a little cottage on Elm street. The terrified women within jumped on the bed and under the bed and screamed for help, but the intruder, intent upon "escape found his way out the back door and up the alley, disturbing nothing.

In the early days of the town there was but one top buggy to be had. The young man had to engage this long weeks in advance in order to have an opportunity to take his best girl buggy riding. When a neighbor apppeared on the scene and with a dashing team of blacks and an open buggy and offered Jack Crose the use of the rig on Sunday afternoons he was overjoyed. The team was spirited and did not approve of top buggiess or umbrellas, hence the young lady who was invited to share the drive was obliged to wear a sunbonnet, but that mattered not. It was on the occasion of one of these Sunday afternoon drives that the grasshopper plague struck this vicinity. Jack was waiting in front of the house, and his sweetheart, now his wife, was tripping down the walk, when the clouds of grasshoppers appeared over the hollow, covering everything, and almost darkening the sun as they flew. That afternoon as Crose and his sweetheart drove through the country, they witnessed the terrible devastation wrought by the little winged pests. Gardens, crops, vegetation of every sort disappeared before their ravenous appetites were appeased. They even gnawed the fence posts and rails.

During the time that Mr. Crose was an official of the First National bank, an incident happened that showed the influence of example upon a child. Elbert Read was then a little tot of five or six years. His mother often sent him to the bank upon errands. One day he came home from the bank, walked to the water bucket, took out a huge dipper of water, took a couple of sips and then deliberately threw the whole dipper of water on the carpet. "Why, Elbert," exclaimed his mother, "what made you do that?" "Why, that is the way Mr. Crose does at the bank," replied the young hopeful, confident that this would end the discussion—and it did.

The year after the big Chicago fire Jack Crose attended the Bryan-Stratton business college in Chicago. It was being held at the Baptist church, buildings being at a premium. Several years later he completed his business education in the same school,  which  was  then located in a fine new home of its own. The three brothers, R. B., Jack and C. F, Crose, attended this school. In the winter of 1876-7, R. B. Crose purchased Mr. Mettleman's interest in the store, and R. B. and Jack bought a store in Essex, of which Jack took charge for a short time. When T. H. Read organized the First National bank, he pursuaded Jack Crose to give up the mercantile business and take a position as cashier in the bank, which he held four years.

In the early days, when shipping facilities were limited, and Shenandoah was the only point, for many miles around, long processions of loaded wagons drove to town, such as are never seen these days. Sometimes in the shipping season the strings of wagons waiting their turn, to be weighed would reach from the business district to the college.

Susan B. Anthony once spoke in Shenandoah, long years ago. Her address was delivered in what was known as William's Hall, where turnquists shoe shop is  now situated.

Jack Crose and Miss Anna Virginia Johnson were married in 1877. Miss Johnson had lived near Shenandoah for many years, but the marriage was performed at the home of her aunt, in Pennsylvania.
After his term as cashier of the National bank, Jack Crose opened a clothing and furnishing store in the room where W. H. Replogle's jewelry store is located, and remained in the mercantile business for fourteen years. Since then he has retired from active business life but has taken a keen interest in public affairs.

Mr. Crose was six years councilman, and was once appointed to fill out an unexpired term as mayor. During his service as councilman the saloon question was settled in Shenandoah. The council placed the licence fee so high as to be prohibitive and never again was the question resurrected.

No man has taken a greater interest in the improvement and upbuilding of the town whose growth he has watched from its babyhood up to its present prosperous, ambitious youth. He has been prominent in the Chautauqua work each year, and in fact when any good work is undertaken, Jack Crose's name is sure to be prominent among the list o£ supporters. He is a splendid type of the good citizenship for which Shenandoah is noted—a man of whom we may all feel justly proud.

[Sentinel Post, Shenandoah, Iowa, Mar 19, 1912]